Gratia Domini | The Grace of The Lord

“…and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Tim 1: 14

Paul deliberately recorded his extraordinary experiences in order to become an example for many people. How he experienced a big change in his life. He said, “I thank Him who strengthens me, who is Christ Jesus our Lord, because He considers me faithful and has entrusted this service to me”.

Paul realized that he could serve only because of the strength of God and the strength of God that kept him faithful. Formerly Paul was a fierce blasphemer and persecutor, but because of grace he was worthy of God.

We cannot change ourselves without God's mercy. The changes that Paul went through were all because of God's grace. We can also experience change for the better.

From God's side, He has given a great love, because it is necessary for us to do something from our side, namely faithfulness to live in that grace. Everyone can experience God's grace but not necessarily everyone is loyal to God. Be faithful because HE is so faithful. Thus we are grateful for the grace He has given us. Amen

Reflection on 1 Timothy 1:12-20 by Sr. Merry CM 

(Listen to the Podcast here)

Patientia Necessaria | Perseverance Needed

"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." - Hebrews 10:35-36 (NIV)

Faith is confidence. This is a very powerful scripture. We need to have confidence that God will do what He says He will. Sometimes we do what God says and we look around and the people that are doing bad stuff seem a lot happier and content than we are; or the promised blessings don't come immediately. That can be really frustrating, because we often don't have a lot of patience. We want the rewards NOW, and we often think that making any effort at all deserves a standing ovation, because it was hard for us to do. 

For me personally, I love this passage. God is Good. For the past week I felt like God was abandoning me, because I was running into all kinds of problems that have been burdening me. But I decided to pray and let God does His will. In this passage I felt like GOD is speaking directly to me. He wants me to do His will and everything will be added to me. Many things happen and He answers my prayer. Thank you Lord. I love the Lord with all my heart!!!  I will continue to love and trust in HIM. 

Waiting can certainly be frustrating, and sometimes the answer we get from God is a no. Not everyone will get what they want in this life, but if we face our challenges with faith, God will make everything right in the end.

The tough thing to remember is that this life is a test, and we have to pass it. We have to do God's will and then not abandon it immediately if something else looks temporarily more fun. Patience is part of the package. Just like a child, when his parents teach him to read and write and walk and talk. He can't do things exactly like a grown-up immediately. 

Learning takes time, and so do the blessings of God. He is mindful of us always, and He is applauding when we do things that are hard for us. He wants to reward us for even the smallest efforts but He also needs to give us things at the right time, and in the right way. He knows the timing best, we don't.

So today, let's do good, and trust God. He will give us the desires of our hearts, and bless us beyond imagination - if we can be patient and remember who we are for a little while. 

Reflection on Hebrews 10: 35-36 by Sr. Merry CM

(Listen to the Podcast here)

Oratio Fidei | Prayer Offered

"And the prayer offered in faith ..." - James 5: 15

James 5:13-15 says, "Is anyone of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is anyone of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven". 

His point is, are you suffering? Pray.  Are you happy? Pray. Are you sick? Pray. 

It appears that your first response should always be God. You should be so in love with God.  When you are madly in love with someone, just as you have good news or bad news, you want to tell them first. That is the idea behind this, that God is the core - the center of our life. 

If I am going through a hard time, then I will come before Him. When all things are well, and I know that all things come from Him, I will praise Him. Sometimes we are not aware that He is the first love of our life. Actually it is our deep relationship with God, that James wants us to be aware of. 

We have a good example, Elijah. He was a man like us, he was no different from us. However, he was able to pray and God answered his prayer. I can do the same thing as Elijah did. Elijah was a human. So are you and I. He could pray and stop the rain, he could pray and call down fire from heaven! It is an amazing thought. 

We can ask ourselves, do we have that type of faith? Do we really believe that we have that kind of intimacy with God? And, do we believe that God will respond to our prayer like He did to Elijah?

 Reflection on James 5:13-20 by Sr. Merry CM

(Listen to the Podcast here)