"... man en route toward the source of all good and toward his fulfillment. By placing his entire being on this path, his body, his soul and his intelligence, man reveals himself in search of God, and a pilgrim to eternity."
-Pope John Paul II
God is the source of all good. Contrary to what many believe, this world is not the source of all good. Exciting experiences are not the sources of all good. People are not the source of all good. Entertainment is not the source of all good. God the Father, Creator of all that is seen and unseen, is the source of all that is good. I wish I would remember this more. I wish I would remember it when I seek goodness in created things, rather than in the Creator. This is not to say that created things lack good. On the contrary, many created things are good because their Creator is good, and He chose to create them for our enjoyment. The problem is when we begin to live our lives as though our life's journey is en route to these created things. The problem is when we seek to find fulfillment and joy in these created things. I wish I would keep this in mind when I am feeling stressed, unhappy, tired, and restless or even distant from God and from friends and family. I wish that rather than seeking to find life and joy and comfort in the things of this world I'd look to God.
How great it is when we place our lives, our entire lives, on this path toward the source of all good. I hope and pray that I will take the grace to place my body, soul, and mind on this path. It takes faith to surrender body, soul, and mind entirely to God. Lord please forgive my unbelief. Lord help my unbelief. Help me to trust you more each day with my body, my soul, and my mind.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.
- Romans 12:1
Help me to surrender my body to you when I am tired and would rather rest. Help me to surrender my body to you when serving you and others is physically unpleasant. Let me fall so deeply in love with you that I would gladly offer my body in your service, just as you offered your body by sacrificing it on the Cross for me. Create in me a pure heart and let me take hold of the grace to be more obedient to you.
"But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul." - Deuteronomy 4:29
Help me to offer my soul more fully to you. Open my heart and my eyes more to see the need to place my soul into your care by spending more time with you, by receiving the sacraments more often, by praising you more often, by seeking you with all of my heart, by praying even when I don't feel like it, by singing to you even when I don't feel like it, and by letting my soul's hunger and thirst drive me into your arms.
"...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." - Philippians 4:8
Help me to place my mind upon the path that leads to the sourse of all goodness by granting me the wisdom to guard what I think about. Help me to make better decisions about what I read, what I watch on TV, and who and what I listen to. Help me to understand when I accept the foolishness of the world as wisdom, which I do too often. Help me to see people the way you see them and to think the thoughts you have about others. Give me more grace to keep my thoughts on heavenly things, rather than on worldly things.
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." - Matthew 7:12-14
These were the words of Jesus, my Savior. There are many who would say that this saying of Jesus is harsh and frightening. I say it is the opposite. Here, he is sharing the way of divine mercy. He is letting all who have ears to hear know that there is a better way than the way most of us are choosing. Here, he lets us in on a divine secret rather than keep it to himself. Here, he lets us know that there is hope. The small gate and narrow road lead to life. Many have found the wide gate and broad road that leads to destruction. We find destruction when we seek life apart from God. We find destruction when we accept the foolishness of this world as wisdom. We find destruction when we choose the fleeting contentments of this world rather than the true peace that God offers through Jesus Christ. We find destruction when we settle for shame, guilt, discouragement and despair that results from our imperfections rather than accept the loving mercy of Jesus who offered himself up as a sacrifice for our sins.
This saying of Jesus is divine mercy at it's best. This is an announcement from Heaven to all who will hear. Jesus tells us that the road that many of us are on is going to result in destruction. He is warning us that we need to stop, change course, and take a different path. He knows that many will think of him as silly and ignore him. He doesn't care that many will laugh at his wisdom as foolishness. His love for us compelled him to speak up and say something that makes many uncomfortable.
This saying of Jesus is divine mercy at it's best because while he give us some bad news - that many are on a road that is leading to destruction - he gives us good news. The good news is that there is another way. There is a gate. It is small and the road is narrow. Oh how I pray that we take this narrow road that leads to life.
There was once a man who walked along a narrow road which led to a hill. He was crucified on that hill. He was an innocent man. Never in his life did he ever do anything even remotely wrong. He is the son of God. He is God's word to us. He lived with God in Heaven.
Jesus, "... being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." - Philippians 2:6-11
Jesus walked that narrow road for us as a free gift to us because he loves us. If we bow our knees and confess him as our Lord, if we surrender to him out of faith in his sacrifice for us, we will find the grace to follow him. He will give us strength when we are weak. He will give us rest when we are weary. He will give us hope when we are discouraged. He will feed us when we are hungry and give us drink when we are thirsty. Jesus will walk with us, step by step, along the narrow road until we find our true home.
Please Lord, let me have the faith to surrender my life fully to you and to trust you with all that I am to lead me home. Forgive my unbelief and give me more faith. Help me to keep Heaven before me in my thoughts, in my words, and in my deeds. Thanks be to God!
"I've walked down a road where the devil's been
Where the kid's have seen things they should never have seen
And the ancient stone knows the deeper tale
About a bloody game, they called the holy war
Heaven is my home and there'll be no shame
I've walked down a road where the angels been
Where the kids have seen things that we never have seen
And the ancient stone knows the deeper tale
About a bloody king who won the holy war
Heaven is my home and there'll be no shame to bear"
- Song by Delirious?
