Invasion!

 Bishop Robert Barron has said that God is like a helicopter pilot, hovering over our lives, looking for a place to land.  

Father John Riccardo has described God's action in our lives as an "Invasion," comparable to the landing on the Normandy beaches during WWII.  

We often think of man searching for God, but the truth is that God has been searching for us from the beginning.  As in the Book of Exodus, He has seen our captivity; He has heard our cries, and He has sent Someone to rescue us.

When Brittany Griner was taken into captivity by Russia last year -- by her own fault, she admits -- the USA did not rest until our country had re-claimed its own citizen.  Unfortunately, the Pharoah of Russia has been resistant and too strong against USA pressure to release other American prisoners.  When Brittany Griner, who at one time used her fame to protest against America, thinks of "home" now, she thinks of freedom, peace, joy, and rest --- and she speaks of the USA with tears of gratitude.

All of us have been held captive to and by Satan and the "kingdom of this world."  We have all served a god other than the Creator of heaven and earth, with the result that we have lost a sense of the "home" for which we were made -- a place of peace, a place of joy, freedom, and rest.  

The night before He died, Jesus said, "My peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives it; do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid" (Jn. 14).   "In this world, you will have trouble, but take heart; I have overcome the world" (Jn 16).

The invasion at Normandy meant that hundreds of soldiers would lay down their lives to free France, England, and other European countries from the dominion of an evil oppressor.  God's invasion of our lives means that Jesus would also lay down His life --- and then take up an entirely new life, free from the oppression of Satan.  And that is the life He offers to us -- freedom, "Home," peace, joy, friendship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

When I think of all those still held captive by the systems of this world, those held in slavery to traffickers, oppressors, greed, war, slavery, alcohol, drugs, oppression, depression......I cannot help but cry out, "Come, Lord Jesus! deliver us from evil and give us the life of grace, peace, and joy that only You can give!"

Peter's Denial

 "And he went out and wept bitterly" (Matt. 26).  

I am haunted by my latest sin. It calls to mind all my other betrayals.  And now I know what Peter's denial has to do with me and with the rest of mankind!

All over Europe, wherever I go, there are the destitute.  As I stroll through cities as a casual tourist, I almost stumble over their bodies, and I hear their cries.  One man with Parkinson's disease lay on the street trembling violently, and I passed him by -- as I did with so many others.  

I carry very little cash with me when I travel, as I have learned to use my card for almost everything.  As I travel with my family, whenever any of us have a few coins, we leave them for tips after eating.  So as much as I would want to drop coins into cups, I rarely have any on me when I meet a beggar. At one point in my latest trip, I thought to myself that, were I traveling alone, I would deliberately carry a bag full of coins and distribute them freely.

Once or twice, it happened that I did have a few coins and dropped them into a beggar's cup.  And one time, while the whole family was gathered for lunch at an outdoor table, I sent my brother-in-law after a beggar with some cash.  But the general family agreement was not to respond to those who ask, simply because there are so many of them. 

But there is one denial I cannot forget.  It was a rainy morning and a little chilly.  The whole family was standing outside our hotel waiting for a taxi.  It happened that for a change, I did have a few coins in my pocket when a beggar approached, asking for help.  He gestured to the coffee shop across the street, meaning that he would love a cup of coffee and breakfast. As every member of my family refused him, I thought to myself that, were I alone, I would give him all the coins I had.  But since everyone else said no, I did the same.

And I have been haunted ever since.  I know now Peter's shame in denying Christ.  All the other times I refused to give, I honestly had nothing to give.  This time, it would have been so easy to give.  I had three coins in my pocket amounting to about three Euros, plus change.  I refused him out of human respect.  I did not want my family to think I was a soft touch.  I followed the crowd.  What a stupid reason to refuse a hungry beggar!  I am haunted by Jesus' words in Matthew 25: Whatever you did to the least of my brethren, you did to me.

And he went out and wept bitterly!

More on Faith

 I said yesterday that God wants us to try Him and see ---- Scripture tells us that anyone who comes to God must (1) believe that He exists and (2) that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

In previous days, God spoke to our forefathers -- and they believed what God had spoken:  Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.

They told their descendants what God had spoken to them.  Hearing the stories of their ancestors, people dared to believe in the existence of the God of which they had heard, and they dared to believe that He rewards those who seek Him.

God still speaks to us today -- through men and women of faith and experience, but also through the Scriptures, the story of how God has acted in human history.  Even greater, God sent His very Word in flesh for us through His beloved Son, that we might actually hear God speaking to us as He did in the past.

I once asked my neighbor this question:  I know WHAT you believe, but WHY do you believe it?  I had been thinking about how we come to a living faith in God, a faith that is real and personal.  She said that she had never had a conversion experience, as some people have had, but that she had been taught about God all her life.  When she started reading the Scriptures for herself, the Holy Spirit seemed to bring them to life for her -- to make them real.  It is the office or job of the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the Living, spoken Word of God to us-- to make Jesus Christ real for us.

In the beginning, when God began creating the heavens and the earth, the Spirit of the Lord hovered over the waters of chaos.  And God spoke: Light! Be!  Here we have the Speaker, the Word, and the Breath of  God bringing forth a new creation.  

Scripture is not only about what God has done; it is always and ever about what God is DOING.  All of His acts are living and eternal.  He is still speaking His eternal Word; the Word is still active; and the Spirit is still hovering over our chaos.  

It has been said faith comes from hearing, and hearing comes through Jesus Christ, the Word of the Father.  If we want to believe God, we must first know what He has spoken, either through the Scriptures or through a relationship with the Word of God, Jesus Christ.  The Holy Spirit makes that happen in our lives.  Even now, He is hovering, just waiting to bring about a new creation for us and in us!

Finding Faith

 Faith is not about assent to doctrine.  Faith is turning your life over to God's direction, trusting that His way is better than yours.  

"Come," said God to Abraham, "I will show you a land you could not reach on your own."

Some bad things happened along the way:  Many are the troubles of the just man, but out of all of them, God delivers him.....and no one that trusts in Him shall be desolate (Psalm 34).  Abraham learned faith as God was with him to deliver him out of situations he could not control on his own.

Faith is like a good marriage -- being yoked to Someone who has your back in all circumstances.  Jesus did not promise that life would be without trouble, but He did promise that He would be with us in all circumstances.

When I was younger, I used to wonder how people "got" faith.  I think I had more faith in myself than I did in God at the time.  Looking back now, I think that faith comes simply by trying it out --- taking the first step on the journey, no matter how small.   And watching what happens next.  I think God wants us to try Him on for size, so to speak.  No relationship can grow unless we are willing to try it out.

I remember once when I wanted to go to a conference in Steubenville, but lacked the money I needed.  As I prayed about it, I seemed to hear a direction from the Holy Spirit:  Put one dollar in the panty, and watch me multiply it.  Okay, now this was something I could not do on my own -- find money for the conference and the trip to Steubenville.  I put a dollar in the pantry and laughed every time I opened the door.  I knew then why I had to put it in the pantry.  Several times a day I was reminded that God was in control and that if that dollar was multiplied, it had to be His action, not mine.  

Within a couple of weeks, we received an unexpected refund from the electric company -- the price of a plane ticket plus the cost of the conference, with 10 dollars left over.  I laughed about the extra 10 --- until I arrived in Ohio and discovered that the cost of a taxi to the campus was 10 dollars!

One reason I had wanted to attend this conference was that my prayer partner was planning to go.  We had the opportunity to request to room together on campus, but after I realized that God was directing my trip, I decided to leave the choice to Him as to my roommate.  As it turned out, the conference planners had expected around 1000 participants, and at the last moment, 3000 people registered.  They had to scramble to find housing for 2000 extra people, so they placed cots in dining halls, recreation rooms, etc. ---- any place they could find.  When I arrived on campus and registered, I received my "room" assignment.  I was to be housed in one of the campus dining halls, where cots were laid out end to end.  Imagine my surprise when I found my cot ---right next to the one assigned to my prayer partner.  We had registered weeks apart for the conference, since I was waiting for God to provide the money well after she had sent in her fee.

That night, as I spend time in the adoration chapel, I felt an inner voice telling me that God had planned for us to be prayer partners from the beginning, and that I could take this arrangement as proof of His direction for my life.

Needless to say, the next time I seemed to receive direction from the Holy Spirit, I did not hesitate to try out the direction and see what happened.  And I have to say, that is how my faith grew little by little.