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He Gave His Only Son

"Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

John 21:29

• There should be less talk. A preaching point is not a meeting point.


• The dying, the cripple, the mental, the unwanted, the unloved-- they are Jesus in disguise.


• In the West there is loneliness, which I call the leprosy of the West. In many ways it is worse than our poor in Calcutta. (Commonweal, Dec 19, 1997)


• It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.


• The poor give us much more than we give them. They're such strong people, living day to day with no food. and they never curse, never complain. We don't have to give them pity or sympathy. We have so much to learn from them.


• I see God in every human being. When I wash the leper's wounds, I feel I am nursing the Lord himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?


• I do not pray for success. I ask for faithfulness.


• Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go.


• If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

~Mother Teresa~

"Convenient Christian"...now what does that mean? I've heard it several times now, since I've become a Catholic. My interpetation is this:

I believe that this refers to those who read, preach and listen to the Word when it's convenient for them. This is not true for all of us, but it is a fact. Sure they may believe that God exists and that Jesus was nailed to a tree. But they have yet to invite Him into their hearts. Why?

It's not hard to ask for forgiveness and it's not hard to pray. I have seen this with my own eyes, these "Convenient Christians" and it breaks my heart to see that they do not completely understand or know our Redeemer. Grant you this, I'm not perfectly aligned with Him, but I have decided to invite Him into my heart and allow Him to guide me. Honestly, it was hard for me at first, and yes I struggled with praying each and every day. Because it wasn't "convenient" for me. I've learned by reading scripture and listening to those around me that it's easy and I should not give up. And that's what I've been doing this past year and a half, struggling with my battle with Satan, but also allowing our Lord Jesus to take control of the situation.

I will be completely honest with you, up until I joined St. Joseph the Worker Parish, and truly accepted Jesus as my Savior, I was a "Convenient Christian". I only prayed when I thought I truly needed Gods help, but since I've learned and been able to get to know Him, all that has changed. I find myself thirsting for that living water He promises us. I can not get enough of the Word and I pray all day, every day, in All-Ways. Sure some things are convenient, drive-thrus, convenient stores and the newest, most modern electronics, but God is not. We need to put aside all that and make Him a priority. You don't have to worship constantly, as Fr. John says God is like 7-11, He's open 24/7. Amen! He is!

So let's make Him a priority, let's pray to Him every day, not just when things are going bad in our lives, but every day.

Just because He doesn't answer when you expect Him to, don't give up, He'll answer you. Talk to Him because He is our Father and He does listen. Align yourself with Him.

So invite Him into your heart, believe and accept Jesus as your Savior, not when it's convenient for you! Remember God works on his own time table as well. So if you don't want to be a convenience to Him, show Him that He is a priority.

The one thing God has taught me,
Is that I need to pray,
Listen to His words
Then that way I will never stray;
When I'm feeling lonely,
All I need to do is ask Him,
And pray for forgiveness of all my sin;
For when my time is near
Near it's very end,
I know that I'll be going
To where I have a friend,
For He has always loved me
Even when I sin
For when I leave my earthly temple,
I know I'll enter a new one with Him

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