Self-Made Man? No Way!

You may recall the words spoken by the Prophet Micah that echo sentiments from Ezekiel: “He has shown you, O man, what is good, and what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Mic. 6:8).

These words are hard to take, living in as society that stresses self-realization and self-assertion.

Only if we acknowledge ourselves as sinners in need of God’s mercy can we begin to live a life of mercy and humility in the presence of the Holy One who created us.

When we are reduced to our littleness can we find the freedom we need to think, to pray and to meditate. When I acknowledge that of myself, I am nothing, then I can allow God to be everything.

It is so tempting to identify ourselves with what we have accomplished and to forget that there is nothing we have that we have not received from the hand of God. I wonder if Saint Paul had this in mind when wrote the church in Corinth: “What makes you makes you superior to anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though it were not a gift?” (1 Cor. 4:7)

My brothers and sisters, we are not self-made!

God made us and empowered us to work for His greater glory. We have no reason to be cocky and self-sufficient. All we have, all we do that is good, has been made possible by the grace of God working in us.

God who is the same yesterday, today and forever will provide for our needs and merely asks us to depend on Him and not on ourselves. All we need to do is reach out our empty hands and find the breadth of life.

Jesus promised the apostles that when He returns at the end of time, He will make all things new.

Only those who are willing to forsake the old things will find entrance into the New and Heavenly Jerusalem.

May God give us faith to rest our hope on His promise. Embracing the Master who emptied himself of all glory to redeem us, may we be ready to become poor with the poor Christ. Hearing the voice of the Father may we be ready for every service and sacrifice. He will guide us as we journey home and shine His light on our path. Blessed be God who is ready to give everlasting life to the humble of heart.

--Father Jerome Macher, OSCO

Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven, But Nobody Wants to Go Now

Years ago, Kenny Chesney sang a song: “Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to go now.”

When you discuss death and final judgment, most people freak out. The mention of these topics makes us face our fragility. It reminds us that any notion of invincibility we may have is an illusion.

Reflecting on the familiar passage of St. John of the Cross, Madeleine L’Engle wrote: “In the evening of life we shall be judged on love, and not one of us is going to come off very well, and were it not for my absolute faith in the loving forgiveness of my Lord I could not call on him to come” (Madeleine L’Engle).

Love in Action

We live in a world that enslaves us to our past, whereas the Kingdom of God beckons us into a future of promise and hope. The One Who will judge us at the end of time is the One we have served all our lives and upon whose providence we have depended.

The love of God assures us of God’s love for us. Love teaches us to be willing to endure pain and suffering for the sake of the kingdom. Recall these words written to Timothy: “If we endure, we will also reign with him” (2 Tim. 2:12).

When the Lord returns in glory, we will be standing in the presence of the One Who loved us so much that He sent His only Son to rescue us from the evil in the world and in us.

“And all of us who have had the veil removed can contemplate the glory of the Lord. And the Lord will transform us into His image with increasing glory. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18).


The Synod Fathers expressed it this way: “[Jesus] showed the true meaning of mercy which implies the restoration of the Covenant. This appears clearly in his encounters with the Samaritan woman and the woman taken in adultery, in whom the awareness of sin is awakened in the presence of the gratuitous love of Jesus. Conversion is an ongoing commitment for the Church which embraces sinners in her midst and holy and at the same time in need of purification applies herself ceaselessly to penance and renewal. This striving for conversion is not a human activity alone. It is the dynamism of a contrite heart drawn and moved by grace in response to the merciful love of God who has loved us first. God offers the free gift of his forgiveness to anyone who is open to the action of his grace” (Final Relatio, #41; translated by Bishop Michael G. Campbell).

When we stand before the Flame of Divine Love, the whole mystery of the Cross will be revealed to us. Illumined by the Light of Love, our eyes will be opened and we shall be able to see clearly, knowing ourselves for the first time as we are known.

We shall have the Light of Life and our faces will radiate the glory of the Lord. If we open ourselves to the power of His boundless and eternal love, then the Father will see in us what He sees and loves in His Son.

Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner and when you come again in glory, remember me and receive me into your kingdom.

--Father Jerome Machar, OSCO

Humanity Is Created for Eternity

The scriptures tell us that the world is a marvel that was handed over to Adam as a sacred trust. The earth, out of which the human race was formed, was intended to provide sustenance for all the children of Adam and Eve.

Walking in the light of God’s loving gaze, we were to know peace, joy and happiness.

Having been created in the image and likeness of God, we were to open ourselves to God, following the example of the flowers of the field that open themselves to the rays of the sun.

We have only to recall these words of Saint Paul, “For God who said, ‘out of darkness let light shine,’ is He who has shone in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory, which shines from the face of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6).

Shielded from the Light of Glory, we cannot grow to our full potential. Separated from the mercy of God, we are condemned to live in a land filled with shame and guilt, a land devoid of joy and peace.

Bathed in the light of Glory, we are empowered by God to bring creation to fulfillment. We know that there is more to us than skin and bone.

By using our gifts and talents, we journey towards our heavenly homeland. The challenge placed before us is to live in this world with our hearts set on our heavenly homeland. This becomes more challenging when secular society wants to believe that HERE is all that we get.

With the Apostle to the Gentiles, we need to announce: “Our citizenship is in heaven, and we are waiting with longing expectation for the return from heaven of our savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20).

It is pleasant to bathe in the warmth of the sun; but it is better to allow the light of the Gospel to shine in our heart. As light was the beginning of the first creation; so, in the new creation, the light of the Spirit is his first work upon the soul. The treasure of Gospel light and grace is put into earthen vessels that are the handiwork of God.

As disciples of Christ and heirs of the kingdom, contrary to secular thought, we know that there is more to being human than meets the eye. By the power of God’s grace working in us, we can stretch ourselves forward, so as to become more and more like Christ.

Whoever has heaven in sight must press forward to it, in holy desires and hopes and constant endeavor.

Believers make Christ all in all and set their hearts on their heavenly homeland.

Those who have the Lord for their God, have his Spirit for their Guide; they are led by the Spirit.

God, in Christ, is our joy. He who emptied Himself of all glory and grandeur fills us with transforming grace, making us a “chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession” (1 Pet. 2:9).

Saint Irenaeus said it most beautifully: “The glory of God gives life; those who see God receive life. For this reason God, Who cannot be grasped, comprehended or seen, allows Himself to be seen, comprehended and grasped by men, that He may give life to those who see and receive Him…. Life in man is the glory of God; the life of man is the vision of God. If the revelation of God through creation gives life to all who live upon the earth, much more does the manifestation of the Father through the Word give life to those who see God.”

--Father Jerome Machar, OSCO

Letter to a Dying Woman Who Needs to Make Peace with God

The Confraternity of Penitents received this urgent prayer request for a woman who was dying. We reproduce the request here but have changed the name for privacy sake:

Please pray for Janine who is dying because of liver failure, that she would have the grace of true
repentance for her sins and complete trust in Jesus, our savior and friend. May God bless you for your faithful devotion and prayers.
In His service,
Jill

One woman who received this prayer request took the time to write back her thoughts and encouragement to Janine. Her letter is reproduced just as it was written.

Dear Janine,

I heard about your terrible suffering and wanted to communicate this message to you. God created your soul to live with Him eternally in the happiness of Heaven and He Loves you completely and entirely! All people are created in God's image and likeness - we are all made for Heaven!! We all know this Truth when we are conceived in the womb and reminded of it in the sacrament of Baptism, but this world is far from being heaven and makes many of us forget our Divine Creator and Heavenly Home. God understands this tragedy and extends us His Divine Mercy and Grace to Help save our souls - but we must accept it and turn to Him in humility in order to Receive It.

Please ask to speak with a Catholic Priest and do a confession and attend Catholic Holy Mass ASAP - it's best to do this in person but there are daily masses online if you can't go in person. Turning to God during your life - before your death - does more to save your soul and assure your eternal happiness than all the prayers said for you after your death. If you want to go to heaven then you must ask for God's Help, seek His Mercy and Grace and be humble, loving and kind before Him Who created you - and Who created the entire universe. 

Hating others who have hurt or wronged you is like trying to throw them off of a cliff - the problem is that when you throw them off you automatically go over yourself... Life is like a mirror in that way - "you get what you give". So Shift attention to God and His Divine Love which is a Reward in Itself - and thereby you will no longer suffer eternally. If it helps, you can feel sorry for those who are so hurt themselves that they have hurt you in your life. It's very important to shift your focus to the love of God if you want to go to Heaven. 

There's another good side effect to doing this - you may recover if it is God's Will and completely regain your health after turning to God with love and confessing your sins and truly repenting of them and asking for God's Help - and in fact many, many people have! Sin leads to suffering and death - hatred purchases suffering and death whereas Loving God and Loving others brings Life in this life and the next. 

You can read about the miracles brought about by conversions to the Catholic or Christian faith associated with any of the Saints including St. Brother Andre of Montreal. One man was bed ridden for years and was near death and finally did a confession with a Catholic priest and received other Catholic sacraments (the 7 Sacraments are Gifts from God for our health and happiness) and he went on to completely recover and live many years longer in good health! 

You will always be happy for lovingly asking God for His Help at this time and repenting of your sins and offering up your suffering in atonement for your sins and also to save the souls of poor sinners. Your anxiety will disappear once you are reconciled with God! Once you confess your sins, the Priest will give you some penance to do in atonement for your sins which may be to say a few short prayers to God. You will never regret doing this during your life whereas you may regret it eternally if you don't or it will significantly lengthen and intensify your purgatory which will not be fun. You may recover completely if it is God's Will so that you may glorify the Lord and your testimony will help others to save their souls - and that is what I am praying for Janine but either way you will be happy if you do this!

May God bless you Janine and may you embrace the Love and Mercy of God and find eternal salvation and hopefully recover too!!!

 Blessings in Christ,

Suzanne

O Antiphon for December 20--O Key of David

O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel controlling at your will the gate of heaven: come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and lead your captive people into freedom. (Evening Prayer Antiphon for December 20)

O come, thou key of David, come,

And open wide our heav'nly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high,

That we no more have cause to sigh.

I was dead, and see, I am alive for ever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades. (Revelations 1: 18)

‘And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
These are the words of the holy one, the true one,
   who has the key of David,
   who opens and no one will shut,
     who shuts and no one opens: (Revelations 3:7)

And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit; (Revelations 9:1)

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. (Revelations 20:1)

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ (Matthew 16:19)

Keys are important implements. They lock things and people in, and they lock things and people out. They permit entry where there would be none, to those who have access to the key, and they foil those who have no key. 

David was a mighty king of Israel from whose line the Messiah would come. The O Antiphon for December 20 speaks of the Key of David as Christ, a descendant of David, Who opened for us our heavenly home through His sacrificial death on the cross. 

Scripture, however, does not call Jesus the Key; rather it tells us that Jesus holds the Keys both to eternal reward in heaven and to eternal punishment in the bottomless pit of hell. So in this sense, the One Who holds the Keys is, in fact, the Key. The angel who opened the bottomless pit from which emerged satan to demolish the faith and to destroy the faithful was given that key by Christ, the Keeper of the Keys. 

Jesus, while on earth, gave the Keys to heaven to Peter as the leader of the Apostles to bind and loose while affirming that Peter, and his successors, would act in the name of Christ. The current Pope is the successor to Peter, with the power given by God to bind and to loose. 

Might death be somewhat like entering an unfamiliar room where there was but one entrance but two exits? Jesus is seated at a table in the center of this room. With understanding eyes, He gazes at each one who enters. Those who gaze back at Him with love and trust receive His smile as He leads them to one of the two doors which He unlocks. "Here you will be made perfect so that You may enjoy My joy forever," Jesus tells them. These individuals enter the "pantry room of heaven" where they remain until completely perfected before entering heaven itself. Those, in the room of death, who look at Jesus with hatred, indifference, or mockery He leads to the other door which He opens into blackness. "Here you will never have to look at Me again," He says, and those who hate or mock our Lord willingly enter. 

Jesus, controlling at Your Will the gate of heaven, and holding also the key to the great abyss of hell, no person escapes Your notice. One or the other portal will open for each individual. You Who came as a helpless Infant are our Eternal Judge. Yet You not Mercy Himself for those who trust in You. Come, Lord Jesus. Free us from the eternal death brought about by evil and give us the grace to embrace eternal life with  You. Amen.