Reasons To Love The Lord, Our God

Reflection for September 17, 2006
Based on the readings from: Isaiah 50:5-9, Psalm 116:1-9, James 2:14-18, Mark 8:27-35
Reasons to Love The Lord, Our God
Submitted by Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry

“The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I turned not backward. I gave my back to the smite of others, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I hid not my face from shame and spitting.”
These words from the book of Isaiah foretold how Jesus Christ would be treated and how Jesus would react to the ridicule and ultimate sacrifice He would endure. These words also should remind us that we would have to endure taunts and even rejection because of our love for God. This happens because the way of Christ is not the way of humanity. Christ taught us to have compassion, love, mercy, and forgiveness. These are qualities that are in short supply in today’s world. This past week we were given a vivid reminder of what lengths some people will go to inflicting suffering on others because they seek to control and dominate the world in the name of their religion. This is the total opposite of what Christ taught.
“What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?
So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But some one will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.”
These words from James 2 explain exactly how we need to act in order to proclaim our faith. They tell us, in no uncertain words, that we live our faith by our actions. So many proclaim to be followers of Jesus Christ, but they have blinders on the suffering and pain all around them. If they are aware of it, they do little to put an end to it. Our nations leaders claim to be believers, we begin many government and public gatherings with a benediction but somehow little is really done to bring and end to the homelessness, poverty, medical needs of the poor and aged, yet we can find trillions to use in exploring outer space, waging wars, providing tax breaks and incentives to the rich and corporations that make billions.
"If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.”
These words from the Gospel of Mark inform us that to become followers of Christ, we must be willing to endure the crosses we are given. We must deny ourselves. That means we need to always keep in mind the needs of others and not always be centered and concerned with our own need. This is indeed very difficult. I know! Every day I pray to God asking him to provide me with the tools I think I need to do His work here on earth, a chapel, reliable transportation so I can reach out to others who cannot get to church to receive the Eucharist or are in need of comforting and prayers because of illness or depression. I pray that I can spread The Good News of The Everlasting Compassion and infinite love and mercy of God for all His children. I pray and it seems that God is not listening, but then I realize that possibly he is giving me the tools I need. I realize this because I am aware that God’s ideas and time line are not those of the world. As the Psalm reminds us;
“I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live…..Then I called on the name of the LORD: "O LORD, I beseech thee, save my life!" Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful.”
God hears us, but He will only answer us with what is right and best for us and at the time that is most appropriate. When people are sick, or when they need a job or to sell their house or some other need God hears them, but He knows when it will be the best time and the best for them. Sometimes he calls the sick person home to him as the best way of ending their suffering. It leaves us feeling sad, lonely, and sometimes angry but we need to realize that God knows what lay ahead for that person and did what was best for them. That is a part of what it means to deny ourselves. We must accept God’s will in our lives, just as Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane pleaded “Lord remove this cup from me, but not my will, but yours be done”
I suggest that we might try to proclaim that prayer with all our petitions to God. I do and I then keep going forward in the belief that when God deems it right He will provide those things I think I need in He feels I need them. He has always provided me in the past even when I was not aware of it. Why should it not keep happening now? Reflection on our lives and seeking out the times where God was there carrying us, as my favorite poem FOOTSTEPS reminds us so well, taking us places that we did not really intend to go.
We cannot allow ourselves to give up on God and on worshiping Him and asking Him to be with us just because some who claim they represent Him have told us we are unwanted, or others try to claim that God is a myth, and still others who are supposed to represent Him have committed heinous crimes. We need to put our trust in God and love Him with all our being just as Jesus taught us with these words; LOVE THE LORD, YOUR GOD, WITH ALL YOUR HEART, MIND, SOUL AND BODY. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF” (Mark 12:30) AMEN