Come with me today on a journey to contemplate the greatest love of all…the love of Our God, Jesus Christ!

Jesus said, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.” John 15: 12-15

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18

Jesus does not just give us commandments, Jesus gives us the grace to understand what He wills and He gives us the grace to accomplish what He wills. I like to think of grace like “little seeds of inspiration” from God. These seeds are fragile but so fertile and resilient. The seed of holy inspiration is an infinite promise if we choose to act upon the grace we have received by sowing the seed, that is acting upon it.

True love is God’s love and God’s love is all about RECIPROCITY – Give and Take!

God’s love is a perfect exchange between God and His people. God will always give us more than we know how to give Him, but we are called to RESPOND TO GOD’S GRACE by striving to do the things that please God.

“The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” Galatians 6: 7-9

Let’s reflect on this passage from St. Paul in Galatians 6: 7-9.

Firstly who teaches us God’s Word?

The answer is the Bible and the HOLY SPIRIT.

It’s true God may use many spiritual guides to help us to understand His Word, but ultimately it is the Holy Spirit living within us that will enable us to understand what God wants from us.

The Holy Spirit will place upon our hearts and our minds the little nascent seeds of God’s spiritual inspiration that we in turn will be given an opportunity to act on or let die.  Remember LOVE IS A CHOICE TO HONOUR GOD AS HE SO DESIRES.  Every time we choose to act on God’s inspiration we are proving we love God.

The Spirit within us is always wrestling against the sensuality of our flesh. We can keep indulging our senses, pursuing many different kinds of pleasure, all with one outcome – self-gratification. Or we can choose to sow the seeds that the Holy Spirit gives us. That may take the form of being patient with someone who is annoying us. It may mean needing to choose to give up some free time so that we can dedicate ourselves to a cause that is pleasing to God. It may mean investing time in prayer and meditation. There are endless possibilities. God has a unique plan for each of us, but generally there are some things we should do to successfully “sow to the Spirit.”

Let’s reflect on some of the key ingredients for spiritual success.

Humility & Trust in Jesus

The starting point for me in my spiritual journey was realizing that I didn’t have the answers I was looking for. My spiritual conversion was marked by a turning point that began with a profound need to humble myself before God and ask for His help.  I really felt God saying to my heart “You can’t do anything without me.” I realized that we could embark on a journey together but I would need to trust in Jesus as I had never done before. Honestly, I will tell you the truth, I just never understood that what Jesus wanted so much was TRUST.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3: 5-6

The Bible – Spiritual Training

Years ago I worked on a consulting contract for the Canadian Military and I remember speaking to a soldier who told me that when he was not on the front lines fighting, he was training. I believe disciples of Jesus need to have a similar attitude; we need to be committed to “fighting the good fight” and continuously training by studying the Bible. The Bible is the disciple’s training manual. We cannot truly please God if we don’t understand His Word, for His Word illumines our path.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Reconciliation & Forgiveness

We break our relationship with God by sinning but Our Holy Lord is always ready to forgive us. I take great comfort in this Scripture:

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

“My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” Psalm 51:17

Jesus is so worthy of our love, let’s confess our sins and let’s give Him our hearts broken by sorrow for our sins.

The Eucharist

I am sad to say that for many years I did not go to Church. I did not realize I was missing “the miracle of the Eucharist”. When I realized what I was missing I decided to dedicate some of my spare time to helping little children prepare for their First Eucharist and in the process it was my privilege to help families to come back to God and come back to Church. For me that was the “seed of inspiration” the Holy Spirit gave me.  I wanted to atone for my sins and I wanted to encourage other people to be excited about receiving the living God, veiled in the consecrated bread.

“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.” John 6:56

Patience

I have never been very patient. I felt I was perfectly designed for the fast paced world of high tech which was always innovating and changing. Patience did not seem to be a top priority. Then Jesus began to change me and I realized I would need to somehow cultivate a little patience. I like fast results, except the projects Jesus had me working on would require spiritual conversion and that would take time and patience.

“We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” Hebrews 6:12

Prayer & Meditation on the Passion of Christ

At the beginning of my spiritual journey I was not sure I knew how to pray. I remember hearing a priest say “Prayer is not about words; prayer is about desire!” His words opened my heart because I so desired God, and I realized that my desire for God was a form of prayer. My soul was longing to know Jesus and to please Him and that was a “seed of love from the Holy Spirit” to desire to please the Holy One.

“But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29

It will soon be a decade that I have been praying daily at the time Our Lord Jesus died for us, 3pm. At this time I meditate on His Passion as I walk with Him to the place of His crucifixion. I am in awe daily as I travel in my meditation from the Garden of Gethsemane, to the Scourging of Our Lord and His Crowning with Thorns, to the long arduous walk to the place of Our Lord’s crucifixion.  Our Lord Jesus was willing to be tortured and killed for our salvation and every day at 3pm I come face-to-face with Our Holy God suffering such agony to prepare a place for us in Paradise. This is a daily journey I urge you to take for it will fill you with holy desire to please your Saviour Jesus Christ.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5

True love is God’s love and it is available to all who will give themselves to Him. I urge you to join A Peaceful Revolution in the Name of Jesus Christ, a global Christian prayer movement of all denominations that is uniting at the foot of the Cross of Jesus every day at 3pm (in our local time zones) to remember the greatest love of all, the love of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, as we pray for His mercy upon all souls, especially those most in need of His mercy. Let us bring all our needs to Jesus at this time and let us remember especially souls all over the world that are being persecuted and martyred for their faith. Let us pray for peace.

“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29: 11-12

Courage & Action

Courage is a gift of the Holy Spirit and action is necessary if we are to prove that we are truly Disciples of Jesus. Remember St. John the Baptist said, “Bear fruit worthy of repentance.”  Matthew 3:8  It’s not enough to just confess our sins, we must prove our love with choices that will please God.  Love is a choice to honour God.

Let us remember that prayer is action and united prayer is what Jesus desires. We don’t have to be in one place to be united. Learn more about The Mercy Movement  a united movement of Christian disciples who believe in the power of prayer to change the world, one soul at a time.  Put three o’clock in your calendar.  Pick the time zone that works best for you and join the Body of Christ united in prayer and remembrance of the Passion of Christ every day.  Jesus will hear us and help us!

God bless you always and may the peace of Our Lord Jesus sustain you and inspire you to do His Holy Will!