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

Christianity Is Not a Spectator Sport

Do we sit by the side of the water of life, looking at our reflection or do we dive in and allow the water of life to soak into every pore?

Christianity is not a spectator sport.

The Church is not a museum of antiquities.

The waters of life flow through the City of God. The Lamb is the light of the City. Christ is the Temple, Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life. From His pierced side flow streams of life-giving water. All who believe in Christ must bathe in the ever-flowing stream in order to have their sins washed away. This flowing spring will make fruitful every soul it touches, just like the rains make the fields fertile and fruitful.

God is the source of life-creating water and His mercy is without limit. However, for this ever-flowing stream to have any effect, we have to take the plunge. As He did to the cripple at the side of the pool, Jesus asks us, “Do you want to be well?” Then, interestingly, He waits for our reply.

Jesus is the Father’s Face of Mercy. Gazing into our souls, He asks, “Do you want to be forgiven?” Then He waits for an answer.

Jesus is the Savior of the Human Race. He looks with compassion at troubled humanity and asks, “Do you want to be saved?” Then He waits for an answer.

God is in our hearts and His Word echoes within us. Will we answer?


Christ comes to assist us in our weakness. Are we ready to allow God to make us whole again?

He has plans for each of us: “Plans for good and not for harm, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer. 29:11). Seeing our crippled limbs, the Lord is moved by compassion and says: “Lift up your hands to the Holy Place” (Ps. 134:2). Through the Psalmist, Jesus is encouraging us to stretch out our hands to Him, “the radiance of God’s glory and the image of His being” (Heb. 1:3). Gazing into the eyes of Mercy, we can cry out: “Son of David, have mercy on me a sinner.” Grasping our trembling hands, Jesus says: “Courage! Don’t be afraid. Stand up and walk.” In the love of Christ we find an oasis of mercy.

Let us plumb the depths of our being and allow the Holy Spirit to guide our steps. With hearts expanded may we contemplate the face of mercy cling to Him with an unwavering trust.

--Father Jerome Machar, OSCO

The Invitation of Christ

Because we have free will, each of us becomes the servant of the master we choose. Because we have free will, we are not hapless victims of some mindless and cruel fate. We can choose either to surrender our allegiance to our disordered passions or to the God Who created us in His image and likeness.

We can decide to close in on ourselves and become slaves to our passions or we can breathe in the breath of the Spirit and enjoy the freedom of the children of God.

The world around us is filled with distractions and chaotic noise. This noise makes it very difficult for us to hear the gentle voice of the Spirit that is speaking to our hearts. It takes effort to listen. The Psalmist encourages those who pray with his words, “Oh, that today you would hear his voice. Do not harden your hearts” (Ps. 95:7-8).

Into the midst of our chaos, God speaks a word of peace. “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10). If we listen to the word of the Lord and allow His Spirit to flood our souls, fear and trepidation will be transformed into holy awe.

At the heart of this meditation is the question: when God speaks, who will answer? Only those who choose to listen to the movements of the Spirit are made partakers of Christ and are thereby brought to the fullness of life. Our anchor is Christ, the God of Jacob is our stronghold, and forever will be our refuge and strength.

In Christ, God has called us to hear His Word. As servants of the one true king, we are to listen to the voice of the Spirit and surrender to His Word. Hardness of heart is at the root of spiritual deafness.

Fashioned as vessels of clay by the hand of God, we are made to contain the treasure of great price. Only when the clay is fired in the kiln of divine love can our hearts become hearts of flesh rather than of stone.

As heirs of the Kingdom, we should ponder God’s Word and make it the rule of our lives and the well-spring of our consolation. In Christ and in Him alone, do we find joy and peace. Nothing else matters if we are not subject to Christ.

Submitting our wills to Christ changes us and alters the way we look at ourselves, at the world and at other people. Saint Paul was willing to do or to suffer any thing, to attain the glorious resurrection of saints. This hope and prospect carried him through all difficulties he had to endure in the service of the Gospel. He did not hope to attain it through his own merit and righteousness, but through the power and righteousness of Christ.

When the Spirit of the Lord descended upon the apostles, He came in the appearance of fire. The desire of Christ’s heart was fulfilled in that gift.

In the Spirit, the Fire of Divine Love engulfed the earth. This transforming flame gives both light and heat. It enlightens the path the People of God are to follow and warms their hearts with love for all that God loves.

Jesus, the Love of God made visible and tangible, invites us to accept this transforming fire. By nature, invitations are offered and received with freedom on both sides. There is no force or coercion. Are we willing to accept it?

--Fr. Jerome Machar, OSCO