THE PROMISE

tHE proMISE

 

And this is the promise that he made us: eternal life. – 1 John 2:25

 

“You came for me,” the girl said in disbelief as she sobbed convulsively. Embracing his daughter, the father replied, “I told you I would.” This is one of the scenes that struck me in the action film Taken. The movie is about a retired CIA operative in the US who did everything to save his daughter from human trafficking in Paris. Earlier in the film, the girl, in order to get her father’s consent for her to travel in Paris, made a promise that she would call and let him know of her itinerary. But she forgot all about the promise when she arrived in Paris until she was taken by the syndicate involved in human trafficking.

We get so used to broken promises around us that it’s easy to take for granted the significance of God’s promise to us — eternal life. It’s not just about the absence of death but, more importantly, it’s about having a life of glory in union with God. Many, if not all of us, desire this kind of life, but sadly only a few are able to remain faithful to God. Jesus came to save us. All that He asks of us is to call on Him at all times and abide in Him. Let us not be overwhelmed with the trivial promises of the world. There is a life far greater than what we have now and a promise that will definitely be fulfilled. Jane Gonzales (mjsg2468@yahoo.com)

 

rEflECtIonS:

The future glory that awaits us is far beyond anything we have yet experienced. Would we be content with less when we can get the best?

 

Thank You, Lord, for the promise of eternal life. Help me remember that nothing in life has value compared to a life of glory with You. Amen.

 

MAKE A STRAIGHT WAY FOR JESUS

 

Physicists tell us that the shortest distance between two given points is a straight line. I think this holds true for our faith as well. John the Baptist calls for a “straight path” to be made for the Lord. He tells the people toget ready to deal with the sins in theirlives and encourages them not to delay the process by refusing to deal directly with them. We all struggle with this call as we often seek to stall, delay, complicate, misdirect and so on the process of confronting our sins. We seem to prefer anything, even continual suffering due to sin, than to address it in a simple and straightforward manner.

We need to teach ourselves that the best thing to do with sin is get rid of it, not hide it or try to justify it. We need to open our hearts to the revelation that comes from the Spirit of God that identifies the sin in our lives and for us to deal with it. No, this is rarely easy, but it is the only way to true freedom, happiness and eternal life. Sin is an obstacle to the work of the Holy Spirit and so we need to get rid of it.

John the Baptist knows this is true and so spends his life preparing for the One who will come after him who not only knows about sin but has the power to do something aboutit. Jesus is the one who forgives us our sins and who empowers us to live a virtuous life. Jesus has walked among sinful humanity and experienced the results of sin; He also devoted His life to giving us the ability to get out of sinful habits and into those of virtue and holy living.

As we reflect upon John’s call today, let us ask ourselves how we can better respond to the Gospel message of hope, and so surrender ourselves more fully to the work Jesus is doing to make us holy and to unite us to Himself and our Father in heaven. It is only in union with God that we will fully overcome the powers and temptations of sin. Let us pray that we will grow in unity with God.Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

Reflection Question:

What are the persistent sins in my life? How can I better deal with them, relying upon the grace and the power of the Holy Spirit to help me?

 

Jesus, You have overcome the powers of sin and death through Your passion and resurrection. Help me to live out Your power to the full as Your disciple.

 

St. Caspar del Bufalo, pray for us.