Month: January 2014

by

MID-LIFE CRISIS

“At the turn of the year, when kings go out on campaign, David sent out Joab along with his officers and the army of Israel…David, however, remained in Jerusalem.” —2 Samuel 11:1
 
For many years, David had been a strong, successful warrior. He fought many battles, even after becoming king. Eventually, the powerful David reached middle-age. The time came for kings to fight (2 Sm 11:1), but now David stayed behind in Jerusalem.
It’s possible the manly warrior David might have been wondering if he had “lost it.” Perhaps David felt a need to prove his manliness and usefulness. David suddenly had lots of free time on his hands during the fighting season. Instead of using his “free” time to pray for his army, help his subjects, grow in spiritual strength, or worship God, David let his idle mind and eyes wander. The weakened warrior was also too spiritually weak to fight off the sexual temptation of seeing the beautiful Bathsheba. This resulted in the grave sins of adultery and murder (2 Sm 11:4, 17).
David’s fears came true. He was losing strength, but not because of his middle-age. He lost strength to fight spiritual battles because he wanted to be something other than what he was. Thus, he was unable to die to himself, pick up his cross (Lk 9:23), and let God’s power be made perfect in his weakness (2 Cor 12:9).
Are you growing in maturity as you grow in age? (see 1 Cor 3:1ff) Do you place your hope in advertisements and products which promise a return to the vigor of youth? God alone restores your youth (Ps 103:5; Is 40:29-31). “Be on guard” (Lk 21:34), trust in God alone (Ps 62:9), and pray for final perseverance.
 
Prayer: Jesus, I lose myself in You. Make me a new creation.
Promise: “He kept explaining things privately to His disciples.” —Mk 4:34
Praise: St. John Bosco trusted that, with God’s help, he could reach even the most seemingly hopeless. Many of the poor boys whom John reached became priests.
by

“NO GREATER LOVE” (Jn 15:13)

“Who am I, Lord God, and who are the members of my house, that You have brought me to this point?” —2 Samuel 7:18
 
David was awed by the graces the Lord had given to him and his family. Yet, “the least born into the kingdom of God is greater” than David (Mt 11:11). David was a king, but he was not an adopted child of God, as is each Christian. It was prophesied that the Messiah would come from David’s line. However, David could not even dream that the Messiah would be God, Who would live among us, change our human nature by dying on the cross, rise from the dead, and live within us.
The Lord promised that David’s house would last forever (see 2 Sm 7:16, 29), but David had no idea that God would raise from the dead those who believe in Jesus, the son of David (see Jn 11:25-26). Of course, David never had any opportunity to receive the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus, God Himself. It would have been impossible for David even to conceive of such a thing.
David was blessed, but we as Christians are much more than blessed (Mt 13:16-17). No one has ever been loved more than we are (see Jn 15:13). Thank, live, and love accordingly.
 
Prayer: Father, I will live in Love and live in You (1 Jn 4:16).
Promise: “Listen carefully to what you hear. In the measure you give you shall receive.” —Mk 4:24
Praise: Ralph awoke with a terrible headache and couldn’t see out of one eye. After attending Sunday Mass, his wife urged him to approach his priest for prayer. His priest prayed for him right on the street outside the church. A moment later, Jesus restored his sight and the headache vanished.
by

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF SELFISHNESS

“Nathan reported all these words and this entire vision to David.” —2 Samuel 7:17
 
David, like all of us, was very selfish. We’re that way from the moment of conception. We are naturally selfish. One day, a great miracle occurred in David’s life: he had an unselfish thought. He thought of building a house for the Lord (2 Sm 7:2). Although David was not chosen by the Lord to do this, the Lord took this unusual moment of unselfishness to reveal to David an astounding prophecy. Through the prophet Nathan, the Lord told David that his house, kingdom, and throne would stand firm forever (2 Sm 7:16).
Sometimes, by the grace of God and in our new life through Baptism, we too have unselfish thoughts. Like David, we will also receive amazing revelations from God when we cross over to the other side of selfishness. In that land of unselfishness — so strange to us — we are no longer under the thick cloud of selfishness (see Is 60:2). On the other side of selfishness, the Lord shines and over us appears His glory (Is 60:2).
Come to Jesus; repent; deny yourself; cross over to the other side.
 
Prayer: Father, the life I live now is not my own. It is a life of faith in Jesus (Gal 2:20).
Promise: “Those sown on good soil are the ones who listen to the word, take it to heart, and yield at thirty- and sixty- and a hundredfold.” —Mk 4:20
Praise: Rico gave his life to Jesus and quit smoking after ten failed attempts.
by

DANCING IN THE AISLES

“He sacrificed an ox and a fatling. Then David, girt with a linen apron, came dancing before the Lord with abandon.” —2 Samuel 6:13-14
 
Most of us don’t dance that much, especially at church. If we did dance at church, we probably wouldn’t do it at the time for the collection. However, David danced after sacrificing an ox and a fatling every six steps of the ark’s progress into Jerusalem (2 Sm 6:13). The total of this offering could add up to hundreds of oxen and fatlings, which could cost very many thousands of dollars in today’s economy. After David danced, he “offered holocausts and peace offerings” (2 Sm 6:17). “He then distributed among all the people, to each man and each woman in the entire multitude of Israel, a loaf of bread, a cut of roast meat, and a raisin cake” (2 Sm 6:19). David’s further offerings and his generous provision of supper for a multitude cost him at least several thousand more dollars.
Few of us have David’s monetary resources. We can’t give the Lord thousands and hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, we can give with David’s attitude. We can dance as we empty our pockets, close our savings accounts, sell what we have (Mk 10:21), and give sacrificially to the Church. We must give “not sadly, not grudgingly, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:7).
Give and dance; dance and give. Rejoice that God has given you something to give, and that He will mercifully accept your gift.
 
Prayer: Father, send the Spirit to give me dancing lessons. May I dance as David danced.
Promise: “Whoever does the will of God is brother and sister and mother to Me.” —Mk 3:35
Praise: St. Thomas’ family opposed his vocation and held him captive for two years. Thomas used this time to memorize much of the Bible.
by

INTIMACY OR BLASPHEMY?

“I give you My word, every sin will be forgiven mankind and all the blasphemies men utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven.” —Mark 3:28-29
 
The Holy Spirit is pictured as a dove, a symbol of Israel (see Ps 74:19), re-creation (see Gn 8:11ff), love (e.g. Sg 5:2), and peace. The Holy Spirit knows the depths of God (1 Cor 2:11) and the depths of our hearts, from which He cries out “Abba” (“Father”) (Gal 4:6). The Spirit dwells within our bodies as His temple (1 Cor 6:19) and is the Spirit of truth (e.g. Jn 14:17), that is, of true, faithful love. We can have a true, deep, tender, intimate relationship with the indwelling Holy Spirit.
On the other hand, we can refuse intimacy with the Spirit and abuse Him by blaspheming (Mk 3:29), grieving (Eph 4:30; Is 63:10), quenching (1 Thes 5:19), insulting (Heb 10:29), and “always opposing” Him (Acts 7:51). We can lie to the Spirit (Acts 5:3) and even evict Him from the temple of our bodies by “trashing” His temple through committing mortal sin.
In our relationship with the Holy Spirit, we tend to go to extremes — a docile tenderness and intimacy or a brutal, violent, blasphemous rejection. Let us stop our abuse of the Holy Spirit. Let us love the Spirit, Who is Love (see 1 Jn 4:16).
 
Prayer: Holy Spirit, You are all the Love I will ever need. Teach me to love You.
Promise: “David grew steadily more powerful, for the Lord of hosts was with him.” —2 Sm 5:10
Praise: St. Angela’s parents and older sister all died when she was a young teenager. Angela then dedicated her life to discipling and caring for troubled girls.