The new year provides us with an opportunity to reflect on our past and envision how we would like to shape our future. When we rely only upon ourselves for improvement, we overlook the one thing that guides us to true contentment and success. That, of course, is turning toward God to elevate our good works into great works.
The season of Advent gives us an opportunity to prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of Christ at the end of time, on the anniversary of his birth, and every day in between. “The Lord is coming, always coming,” notes the Reverend Henri Nouwen. “When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize him at any moment of your life. Life is Advent; life is recognizing the coming of the Lord.”
An anonymous author observes: “Money will buy a bed but not sleep, books but not brains, food but not an appetite, finery but not beauty, a house but not a home, medicine but not health, luxuries but not culture, amusement but not happiness, and a crucifix but not a Savior.” Our greatest treasure is found not in our material wealth, but in the richness of our faith in God. While our financial treasure should be used to support our spiritual treasure, the contribution we offer to God is a small token compared with the great blessings He bestows upon us.
In gratitude for all of the talents with which we are blessed, we use those skills to benefit others, to benefit the world, and to benefit God’s eternal Kingdom. “As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1 Peter 4:10).
We can’t stop it, we can’t store it, we can’t touch it, and we can’t change it. Time is one of our most precious gifts from God. This month, we explore the stewardship of time. In gratitude for all of time that God freely gives to us, for each of our earthly lives, and for the promise of eternal salvation, we dedicate a portion of our time to God through prayer, sacred studies, and execution of His good works.
Although a miracle truly occurs every time the Eucharist is celebrated, the term “Eucharistic miracle” typically refers to an extraordinary private revelation, approved by the authority of the Church for devotion, where an unexplainable phenomenon involving the Eucharist is attributed to divine power.
Eucharistic Adoration is the practice of reverent devotion to and worship of the Blessed Sacrament, which is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. It is there, says Pope Saint John Paul II, that “we meet the merciful love of God that passes through the Heart of Jesus Christ.”
All Christians are universally qualified and individually called to proclaim the Kingdom of God. By living well and sharing our personal encounters with the Lord, we can help others experience the healing love of Jesus Christ.
Rest, an essential component of growth and development, is a gift from God. It leads to improved performance and health by allowing the body and mind to recover, repair, and rejuvenate. Rest promotes emotional and spiritual well-being by offering an opportunity for reflection, prayer, and renewal of the soul.
Renew your trust in the Lord during this Holy Week and Easter Season. Look to the cross, and trust in Christ’s love and mercy for us. He will give us the strength to endure our struggles, and he will turn our disappointments into triumphs. Jesus, I trust in you!
