February 18, 2008
Dear Jesus:
Since the beginning of time, man has sought power. Adam and Eve lost paradise because they wanted power. They wanted to be like God. Not much has changed. Today, man still seeks power. The only difference is that now, power is money. Or so we think. Many of us think that the more money we have, the more powerful we are. We worship money and that has become our god.
How truly sad that we are judged by what we possess. I just finished reading a book called "The Secret." The essence of the book is that happiness is found through wealth, possessions, abundance... I couldn't disagree more. I have met many people in my life who own very little and yet, they are truly happy. Happiness is not measured by what we possess on the outside. Happiness is measured by what we possess on the inside. If we are content and satisfied with what we have, then we have achieved the stage of supreme gratification. The problem arises when we want what we don't have, when we envy what others possess, or when we compare ourselves with others. We will never be happy then because once we obtain what they have, we will need something else.
The secret is not to attract money, possessions or wealth. The secret is to find peace within our hearts. That peace can only be found through You. The secret is not to share our wealth in order to attract more wealth. The secret is to share our wealth because we want to help those less fortunate, and in doing so, we will find a sense of satisfaction that wealth alone cannot give us.
"No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." Matthew 6:24
We have to choose between God and money. Only one will bring us true happiness.
Jesus, help me choose wisely.
I love You, Jesus!!!!
February 18, 2017
Dear Jesus:
This past week in Bible class we learned about Evangelical counsels. I had never heard this term before. Evangelical counsels are counsels of perfection in Christianity. The three Evangelical counsels are chastity, poverty, and obedience. They are called the "evangelical" counsels because we find them lived and recommended by Jesus in the four accounts of the Gospel ("evangelium" in Latin). Jesus Christ was poor in spirit, chaste in heart, and obedient in love to the will of his Father.
"God does not want each person to keep all the counsels, but only those appropriate to the diversity of persons, times, opportunities, and strengths, as charity requires; for it is charity, as queen of all virtues, all commandments, all counsel, and, in short, of all laws and all Christian actions, that gives to all of them their rank, order, time and value." St. Francis de Sales
Even though God will never force us to be obedient, poor, or chaste, I know that You, Jesus, invite us every day to adopt these values as a way of living so that we may grow in true love. The evangelical counsels offer us a challenge to be as perfect as we can be – or better put – to be as loving as we can be. The counsels hold the secret to eternal life.
Thank you for sharing "the secret" with us.
I love You, Jesus!!!
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