A New Jerusalem

 “Then I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away.’ The One who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’” (Revelation 21:1-5)

I love this passage from Revelation. We chose it for my mother’s funeral. It is a promise of hope. There will come a time when there will be no more tears, no more death, and no more pain. But in the meantime, we are reminded that God dwells among us and will always be with us. My mom’s birthday was on April 25^th and it is always a hard day. She has been on my heart a lot these past few days. During his homily today the priest was speaking about the gospel and spoke about when Jesus said,  my children, I will be with you only a little while longer. I say to you, love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. The priest said that it reminds him of a parent who is dying and gathers his children around him. He tells the children to stay together, to be there for one another and to love one another. Don’t let anything tear the family apart.

The ten days before my mother died, we gathered in my parents’ home. The hospital bed was set up in the den and we placed my mom in the bed on September 6^th and she remained there until she died on the 16^th. My siblings and my dad gathered around the bed and cared for her around the clock. We took turns feeding her, turning her, bathing her, comforting her, praying with her and so many other things during those moments that we will always cherish. My mother hated hospitals and to allow her to die at home was pure gift. In the past it wasn’t always peaceful between my siblings and me but something miraculous happened. During those 10 days we drew closer and closer together. Often times that kind of stress can tear families apart, but for us it drew us together. Even though we were exhausted, oftentimes overwhelmed with watching our mother suffer, we also found strength in one another. There was a peace in my parents’ home which had never been there before. And since our mother’s death we have remained close. There have been many trials since, we almost lost our brother Scott who was in a diabetic coma, but we have continued to draw strength from one another and from our Lord and Savior. He has dwelt among us through all of life, our joys as well as our deepest sorrows. And we keep our eyes turned toward heaven, waiting for the New Jerusalem to come down from heaven and allow God to make all things new.

Life More Abundantly

“I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

God not only wants us to live our life, but he sent his Son so that we may live it fully. At times we may feel that when we do things our way that we are living in freedom but the reality is that our selfishness keeps us in chains. We can be slaves to the world or choose to be a servant of the Lord. God desires only what is good for us and sent his Son to set us free. To live abundantly means to allow Christ to ignite our hearts with his love. Christ awakened my soul nine years ago. I didn’t realize that a part of me was numb inside until Christ entered my life and I began to experience true love that only comes from God. His love has set my heart on fire for Him and has given me the courage to step out in faith instead of living in fear. It has awakened a hunger in me to know him and to please him. He has opened my eyes and I now see His beauty all around me. And he has placed a tenderness in my heart to comfort the sick and dying.

To truly live encompasses all sorts of emotions, you are able to love more deeply and experience great joy but also great sorrow. When you love someone and they are taken from you of course your heart is going to hurt, but even in our sorrow we feel His presence. When we live abundantly we are sustained by God’s promise even in our darkest, most painful moments and it is this hope that keeps us from falling into despair. We all have a longing in our hearts to know God and if we allow this longing to draw us closer to Him instead of trying to fill it with the things of this world or trying to block it out with all the noise and distractions that bombard us, the more of His love we will experience. We will align ourselves with the Truth and be empowered to boldly live a life worthy of Christ.

“What God’s long for us to do is to live in the truth Jesus reveals. This means believing in God’s absolute, unconditional love in a way that transforms our attitudes and whole approach to life.”  ~ Sister Ruth Burrows, O.C.D.

God Provides

 “Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted.”  (John 6:11) 

Yesterday’s gospel was about the multiplication of the loaves. Jesus fed 5,000 with five barley loaves and two fish. He took all that he had and offered it up to his Father. He gave thanks and then gave what he had to the people and it was more than enough. God is capable of fulfilling all of our needs both physical and spiritual. I attended a concert last night that benefited the Mid Cities Pregnancy Center. This organization has been offering hope to pregnant women for 28 years and has saved over 25,000 babies from being aborted. The woman who has been the head of the organization for the past 25 years got up and spoke. Their whole mission is built on the foundation of Jesus Christ. She said that Jesus is the one who helps these women to have a change of heart and that it is Jesus who heals the wounds of abortion. The staff at the center speak the Truth and tell women and men the truth about conception and the gift of life. All their care is free. They provide sonograms so that the woman can see that her baby is truly alive, not an “it”. They support the woman throughout the pregnancy. They don’t judge her, they love her with the heart of Christ.

And while they have saved over 25,000 babies, more than 75,000 women have entered their doors over the years. So they continue His work, defending the most vulnerable. They don’t judge the women who leave and they continue to pray for them. They offer post-abortion care to the women and men whose lives have been damaged by their decision to kill their child. They know that these women and men will have deep wounds that only Christ can heal and so they welcome them with open arms. They are His hands and feet. God has provided this organization with the means to offer these services free of charge. They have put their trust in Him, the giver of life, and He provides. 

God So Loved the World

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”  (John 3:16-17)

God created us out of love to share in the perfect love that is poured out between the Father and the Son and from which the Holy Spirit flows. But through disobedience man brought darkness and evil upon the world. But God never stopped loving us. He continually tried to re-establish his covenant with man but throughout history we have turned our back on Him. In order to put an end to death and make possible once again eternal life with Him, he sent his Son into the world. For those who believe in his Son and live the Truth, the crown of glory awaits them.

His Son took on our humanity, he took our sin and he bore our shame. He embraced every insult, every betrayal, every injury, lie, hatred, fear and all the evil he encountered and made them his own and changed them for us. He has turned suffering into something that redeems and can lead to healing. We can find joy in our suffering and take comfort in knowing that Christ is with us in our suffering.

“By having taken the weakness of our nature, he has made it our strength. Now, if we set out to bear one another’s burdens, we know that however heavy they are, however hard to us, Christ has already bore them, and bears them now with us.”  ~ Caryll Houselander

He sent his Son into the world and he remains with us until the end of time. God loves the world, he loves mankind who he created in his image. He continually draws us to himself and desires for us to prefer the light of truth over the darkness of sin. But we must choose to live in his light. His hand is in everything and his love is never ending.

“He took our sin, he bore our shame, he rose to life, he defeated the grave. A love like this the world has never known.” Lyrics from Jesus, Son of God by Chris Tomlin