There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
The key phrase here is "to test him". Was he really interested in the truth? It is Jesus who in turn will test him. Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?"
He said in reply, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being,
with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."
As a scholar of the law he knew the answer before he asked the question. He replied to him, "You have answered correctly; do this and you will live."
Jesus gives him the real answer to his question. Knowing the truth is not enough. One must act on the truth. But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
He continues to test Jesus. But his understanding of the scope of the command of God is limited. Jesus stretches his tent pegs. Jesus says your neighbor includes the one you most despise. Jesus replied, "A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
The presumption is that this person is a fellow Jew and to the priest and Levite he is dead. 　
The priest and the Levite observed the ritual laws of purification, which forbade them to touch the corpses of anyone other than family members. They were probably on the way back from the Temple and did not want to become ritually unclean.
Who is that person we try to avoid at all means?
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him.
Jesus specifically chooses to use a Samaritan in his story because of the animosity between Jews and Samaritans. Neither would have anything to do with the other.
Yet this Samaritan risks his life for his "enemy". He is moved with compassion. He goes out of his way to minister to the man. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, 'Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.' Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers' victim?" He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
The Fathers of the Church saw this parable as an allegory. It signifies "Christ’s restoration of mankind. Adam is the man attacked by Satan and his legions; he is stripped of his immortality and left dead in sin. The priest and the Levite represent the Old Covenant and its inability to restore man to new life. Jesus comes as the Good Samaritan to rescue man from death and brings him to the inn of the Church for refreshment and healing through the sacrament."
In this parable Jesus teaches how a true disciple of his should act towards others.
Jesus compares the failure of the ministers of God with the unselfishness of the hated Samaritan.
The Samaritan does not have the scribe’s learning. He does not have the concern for security and fear of ritual uncleanness. He had spontaneous love.
As God has been merciful to us, so we are called to merciful to others, even the least.

We live in the reality of mystery, in the reality of revealed truth and in the reality of the present moment. In this moment we experience the tension between good and evil. In the midst of this tension is the gift of free will, which itself is a mystery. Why would God give me a gift by which I can freely choose against him? Revealed truth tells me, so that I can choose to love God. Yet because of the law of sin within me, I don't always make that choice in the present moment. The mystery of God's grace is given to enable me to make the choice of love. What is this grace? It is the realization that God loves me  unconditionally and that I am called to respond in love. Embracing and responding in love enables me to act in selfless love. Without mystery and revealed truth the present moment would be difficult to navigate.

There is a difference between loving someone and being in love with that person. I can love many people, but I am in love with God and a spouse. I can love sincerely and deeply or merely on the surface. But when I am in love, I am all in. I desire nothing nor no one but this other. Nothing else matters except making the other central in my life. To love and to be in love are choices. When someone loves many people, that person is like a bee that goes from flower to flower. But when someone is in love, his needs are fulfilled in the other. Peter had a friendship love for Jesus. The Lord challenged him to fall in love with him, to have an agape love, an all in love. Only then would Peter be fulfilled. Is martyrdom a sign of such love? Wasn’t this what Jesus was intimidating to Peter about his future after Pentecost?

"With Christ we have nothing to fear. Nothing and no one can do us harm, if we ourselves do not allow it. After the coming of Christ, said an ancient Father of the Church, Satan is like a tethered dog: he can bark and fling himself as much as he wants but, if we do not approach him, he cannot bite. Jesus freed himself from Satan in the desert to free us from Satan." In other words, we are to keep our distance from temptations: these are the enticements of Satan. If we stay in the arms of Jesus, the Evil One can’t distract us or do us any lasting harm. Only when we give him any attention, listen to his offerings are we eventually caught in the grasp of his bite. The best defense against Satan is to flee and not to engage. Avoid doing hand to hand combat with him. Rather learn to laugh and not to take him at face value for he can’t take being unmasked as a fraud.

"I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I  have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance." (2 Tim. 4:6-8) On this the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul it may be could to reflect on his words. True, many of us may not be at the end of our physical life, but his perspective is important to maintain. We do not know the day nor the hour. So what does he tell us? 1) to compete well (which means to continue to witness our faith to others) ; 2) to keep the faith (which means to grow in faith); 3) to know a crown of righteousness awaits me (which means the fullness of a life of holiness); 4) to long for his appearance (which means to hunger and thirst for the day we will see him face to face.). These are some of our goals and this is our hope and desire and this is our reward.

"He loves, He hopes, He waits. Our Lord prefers to wait Himself for the sinner for years rather than keep us waiting an instant." (St. Maria Goretti ) God is waiting for us not only to return to him but to freely desire to remain with and in him. His love is unchangeable for us, whether we love him or not. But his unconditional love frees us to respond or not to respond. There is an end point: death. Our choice is then made final. If we don’t love him at that moment, we will not love him eternally. Yet, he will still love us, for that is his nature and choice. A Mystery we can’t comprehend.

"Spiritual life demands that you never turn back or stop going forward; but rather that, as soon as you taste it, you make progress day by day and, forgetting what lies behind, strain forward to what lies ahead." ( Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria) There is no plateau on the climb up the spiritual mountain. There may be pause times but no stopping times. For in the laws of spiritual gravity, if you are not moving upwards, you will begin moving downwards. The gravity of grace pulls us upward; the gravity of sin pulls us downward. The higher we climb a mountain, the slower the pace and the harder it is. So it is in the spiritual life. The initial climb was simple and easy. The more we surrender to the call of God to grow in holiness the more difficult life becomes. That is why a climber does not look back but forwards to the summit. The same is true in our spiritual journey. We don’t look back but keep our eyes on the prize which is ahead of us, life with God eternally.

"There is so much talk of wasted lives. However, wasted only is the life of a man who never realized that God exists and that he, his very self, stands before this God." (S. Kierkegaard) To the world those who try to live a godly life are considered to be losers, brain-washed, cultic and from the dark ages. To the world the enlightened, secular and progressive thinker is living on the cutting edge and forging history. But in the end the one who believes in God and the one who doesn’t need a god will one day both stand before God who will reveal whose life was wasted and whose was not. As Pascal once said, I rather wager that there is a God than there is not. For if I wager that there is a God and there is not, I have lost nothing, except a few pleasures on earth. But if I wager that there is no God and there is, then I have lost everything for eternity.

"Life in man is the glory of God; the life of man is the vision of God." (St. Iranaeus) What gives me life is your life in me. That life is your glory. My life is to reflect your vision of who I truly am. To live your life in me is to be your adopted son. In a lesser way he who sees me should see you in me, as it was so with Jesus, your only begotten Son. I should be the visible and physical reflection of your glory. What tarnishes that reflection is my tendency to sin. Continue to purify me, so that my life will  give you the glory that is due from me as your adopted son. I desire to consciously glorify you today with the strength of your grace.

          At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to      
\         every town and place he intended to visit. These seventy-two are disciples other than the twelve apostles who also are sent on mission. This number is significant because in the Old Testament Moses chose seventy men upon whom God poured out his Spirit and they prophesied. But there were two others who remained in the camp and they too received the same outpouring of the Spirit and manifested the same gift of prophesy. He said to them, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Notice he said to pray for more laborers. Is anything different today? The harvest is just as ripe today and the need for more workers in the vineyard of the Lord is equally as great. So what are we suppose to do? Are we? Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Besides asking them to pray, he also indicated that they were to do the work themselves. Is your call rooted in baptism and confirmation any different? How are you responding? Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. There is a sense of urgency and dependency. Do you have the same sense? Look around your family. How many truly are on fire for God? Look around at the people you associate with at work or other places. Is their faith alive? What do you think God may be saying to you? Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another. The focus of not moving from house to house was to avoid the appearance that they were looking for the best accommodations and meals. The proclamation of the message of salvation was more important than their comfort or well being. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.’ Here is the key to their missionary thrust: speak the truth and confirm it with signs and wonders. This was the same process Jesus used. To make sure that the people would believe the message he proclaimed, Jesus would follow it with some confirmation or use a sign or wonder and then give a teaching, so that the teaching would be better received.
The sign and wonder were essential in the ministry of Jesus. Should it be less for us? If Jesus sets the pattern for us, should we not follow his plan? Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, ‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you.’ Yet know this: the kingdom of God is at hand. I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town." It was not the task of the disciples to make the people respond to their message, but just to proclaim the message with confirmation. The burden of acceptance was on those who heard. Sometimes we think that we have to make people act on the message we share with them rather than just be faithful to the call God gave us and leave the response up to the hearer. The seventy-two returned rejoicing, and said, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name." Not only did they do signs and wonders, they also saw signs and wonders that God revealed. Jesus said, "I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky. Behold, I have given you the power to ‘tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven." They were not to focus on the results of their missionary activities but on what God did through them.
What message is God giving you upon reflecting on this passage?

"If the poison of pride is swelling up in you, turn to the Eucharist; and that Bread, Which is your God humbling and disguising Himself, will teach you humility. If the fever of selfish greed rages in you, feed on this Bread; and you will learn generosity. If the cold wind of coveting withers you, hasten to the Bread of Angels; and charity will come to blossom in your heart. If you feel the itch of intemperance, nourish yourself with the Flesh and Blood of Christ, Who practiced heroic self-control during His earthly life; and you will become temperate. If you are lazy and sluggish about spiritual things, strengthen yourself with this heavenly Food; and you will grow fervent. Lastly, if you feel scorched by the fever of impurity, go to the banquet of the Angels; and the spotless Flesh of Christ will make you pure and chaste."  ( St. Cyril of Alexandria) Do we approach the Eucharist with this much faith and conviction? What he is saying is that the more the Eucharist is truly the food of our spiritual journey, then the various bumps along the way can be dealt with more effectively through our intimate relationship with Jesus. He also is reminding us to receive the Eucharist as often as possible so that we will have the strength to deal with our struggles better. The Body and Blood of Jesus is not another food but THE Food and Drink we most desperately need.

To return to the heart means to return to what is most personal and interior to us. Sometimes we are afraid to return to the heart. We are afraid of the hurt memories that are stored up in our heart and the pain attached to those memories. We are afraid of the darkness we may encounter. And yet the heart is where we will find our true self, the self that longs to love and be loved, that seeks purpose and meaning. There we will find the presence of Christ revealing our true self in spite of the wounds and scars. The heart is the place of love and peace. But we must take time to be still in the presence of the Lord in the center of our heart for him to bring about the healing and freedom he desires for us.

"There are great people who make others feel small. But the real great person is the one who makes others feel great." Is this one of the differences between a sinner and a saint. The sinner looks after self even at the expense of others. The saint, on the other hand, seeks the best of others before self. In the eyes of the world, the sinner may be perceived to be greater. But in the eyes of God, the saint is truly the great person. That is why we recognize them as saints: their greatness. Do you want to be great in the eyes of God or in the eyes of the world?

Why is there suffering?

Since the Fall of Adam and Eve, since the entrance of sin into the world, suffering is part of the human experience. God said to Eve:"I will intensify your toil in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children." (Gen 3:16) And to Adam he said: "Cursed is the ground because of you! In toil you shall eat its yield all the days of your life. Thorns and thistles it shall bear for you, and you shall eat the grass of the field. By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread. "(Gen 3:17-19)

Pope John Paul II wrote an Apostolic Exhortation on suffering called: Salvifici Doloris (On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering)

In it he tells us suffering will always be a mystery and a question that human beings will seek to understand through their natural reason, but will fall shor. We may understand when someone suffers because of his own actions. But when others, who are innocent, also suffer, that defies rational understanding.

This is how the Pope begins to set the stage in looking at this mystery."In order to perceive the true answer to the "why" of suffering, we must look to the revelation of divine love, the ultimate source of the meaning of everything that exists. Love is also the richest source of the meaning of suffering, which always remains a mystery: We are conscious of the insufficiency and inadequacy of our explanations. Christ causes us to enter into the mystery and to discover the "why" of suffering, as far as we are capable of grasping the sublimity of divine love. In order to discover the profound meaning of suffering . . . we must above all accept the light of revelation. . . . Love is also the fullest source of the answer to the question of the meaning of suffering. This answer has been given by God to man in the cross of Jesus Christ." (SD 13)

We can only begin to glimpse into the purpose of suffering and its role in our journey, other than destruction, if we see suffering in the life of Jesus. Though innocent, he is condemned to the death of the cross. He is scourged, beaten, crowned with thorns, ridiculed and mocked, forced to carry his cross, stripped of his tattered, blood stained garments, nailed to the cross, left hanging for three hours gasping for air in a slow and painful death. To what purpose? To reconcile us back to the Father by sacrificing his life in our place, so that we may have eternal life.

Love
There is a good that can come from the evil of suffering, it is love. Here is how the Pope states it:

"We could say that suffering . . . is present in order to unleash love in the human person, that unselfish gift of one’s "I" on behalf of other people, especially those who suffer. The world of human suffering unceasingly calls for, so to speak, another world: the world of human love; and in a certain sense man owes to suffering that unselfish love that stirs in his heart and actions." (SD 29)
Out of love for the Father and for us, Jesus embraced the will of the Father even to the death of the cross, as Paul tells us. And that love, through suffering, brought the good which is our redemption.  

Not focused on self
In the same Letter to the Philippians, Paul tells us that Jesus, though he was God, emptied himself of his divinity and took the form of a slave. He embraced the form of a creature in relationship to God the Creator. What Adam and Eve would not do, submit to the will of God, Jesus, in his humanity patterned for us. Here is how the Holy Father stated it:

"To suffer means to become particularly susceptible, particularly open to the working of the salvific powers of God, offered to humanity in Christ. In him God has confirmed his desire to act especially through suffering, which is man’s weakness and emptying of self, and he wishes to make his power known precisely in this weakness and emptying of self." (SD 23)

Suffering leads to growth
Suffering can be seen as negative and debilitating. At the same time, it can be seen as transforming and renewing. Just as an operation may be painful, the beneficial healing that occurs afterwards make the time of suffering purposeful. Jesus put it this way: "When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world." (Jn 16:21-22)

Pope John Paul had this to say about the transforming purpose of suffering.

"Down through the centuries and generations it has been seen that in suffering there is concealed a particular power that draws a person interiorly close to Christ, a special grace. To this grace many saints, such as St. Francis of Assisi, St. Ignatius of Loyola, and others, owe their profound conversion. A result of such a conversion is not only that the individual discovers the salvific meaning of suffering but above all that he becomes a completely new person. He discovers a new dimension, as it were, of his entire life and vocation." (SD 26)

Sin can result in suffering, but not every suffering is caused by sin
There are consequences to every action. The same is true when we sin. If one drives in a drunken state, an accident may occur that causes the death or injury of the person and others. The sin of one person affects the lives of many. It is not a punishment as much as a consequence. But we can’t automatically conclude that every suffering is the result of sin. Jesus made this clear in the healing of the man born blind.
"As he passed by he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.
‘"(Jn 9:1-3)

Jesus manifested the works of God and the glory of God through his own sufferings for our sins. Through his death of the cross–the cruelest of all suffering–Jesus saved us from the eternal suffering of alienation from God, that justice required for our sins. Here are the words of Pope John Paul II:

"The only begotten Son was given to humanity primarily to protect man against this definitive evil and against definitive suffering. In his salvific mission, the Son must therefore strike evil right at its transcendental roots from which it develops in human history. These transcendental roots of evil are grounded in sin and death: for they are at the basis of the loss of eternal life. The mission of the only begotten Son consists in conquering sin and death. He conquers sin by his obedience unto death, and he overcomes death by his Resurrection." (SD 14)

Called to share in redemptive sufferings of Christ

There is a mystery in suffering that is only known through revelation. This is how St. Peter states it: "For whenever anyone bears the pain of unjust suffering because of consciousness of God, that is a grace. But what credit is there if you are patient when beaten for doing wrong? But if you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps.

"(1 Pet 2:19-21)

St. Paul went further. "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church." ( Col 1:24)

By God’s design, we are called to unite our sufferings to those of Christ, so that they may have value and purpose beyond the moment. Paul further stated this in Romans 8:18: "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us."

Our Holy Father puts it this way:

"Christ has in a sense opened his own redemptive suffering to all human suffering. . . . Christ has accomplished the world’s redemption through his own suffering. For, at the same time, this redemption, even though it was completely achieved by Christ’s suffering, lives on and in its own special way develops in the history of man. It lives and develops as the body of Christ, the Church, and in this dimension every human suffering, by reason of the loving union with Christ, completes the suffering of Christ. It completes that suffering just as the Church completes the redemptive work of Christ." (SD 24)

Suffering: a call to embrace the mystery of the cross

Realizing that after his death, suffering will continue to be part of the human existence, Jesus invited all to embrace the cross of the moment as a sign of being a true disciple. As he didn’t avoid the cross, so we are called not to avoid the crosses of our journey. Listen to the words of the Pope.

"Christ does not answer directly and he does not answer in the abstract this human questioning about the meaning of suffering. Man hears Christ’s saving answer as he himself gradually becomes a sharer in the sufferings of Christ. The answer that comes through this sharing, by way of the interior encounter with the Master, is in itself something more than the mere abstract answer to the question about the meaning of suffering. For it is above all a call. It is a vocation. Christ does not explain in the abstract the reasons for suffering, but before all else he says: ‘Follow me!’ Come! Take part through your suffering in this work of saving the world, a salvation achieved through my suffering! Through my cross. Gradually, as the individual takes up his cross, spiritually uniting himself to the cross of Christ, the salvific meaning of suffering is revealed before him." (SD 26)

In the end, the question is still there. "Why is there suffering?" It is a mystery that in and with Christ I have the answer. For some it may seem useless and for others it may still be viewed as a punishment. But for one who has embraced the life of Jesus, it is a path to a greater existence beyond suffering.

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　


　
　

　

"I die the King’s faithful servant, but God’s first" (St. Thomas Merton) Do we have our priorities in the same order? Is God first in my life or is there another in reality before God. Am I a business person first or a politician first or a sports fan first? Am I a people pleaser or God pleaser? Does faith supercede feelings and needs? Is the law of God higher than the civil law? Is life in and with Christ greater to me than life without Christ. Jesus asked: "For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his soul?" (Mk 8:36) Hopefully, one day we will be able to say: Though I die a citizen of this country, I am a citizen of heaven first. For my first and only Master is the Lord, my God.

"It is better to be a child of God than king of the whole world!" (St. Aloysius Gonzaga) This is a simple but profound insight into real life. Maybe that is why Jesus insisted that we become like little children. Life for a child of God is easier and uncomplicated. Life for one who is king of the whole world is full of fears and distractions, responsibilities and decisions. The child of God most often lives in the present moment, while the king lives in the past and the future. In one sense, as the child of God grows up to be king, the God of the child must still be the God of the king, not the world.

When the days for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him.  Jesus’ ministry in Galilee has been completed. Now, Jesus looks towards Jerusalem where he will suffer, die, rise and ascend back to the Father.
Sending messengers ahead of him was the norm that Jesus used. It was a way of preparing the people for his teaching and ministry. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. Samaria was a territory between Galilee and Judea. The inhabitants were a mixed-breed of Gentiles and Jews who intermarried after the earlier deportation of the Israelites in 721 BC.
When Jesus began his Galilean ministry, he experienced rejection by the people of his own town. Now, as he begins his ministry in Judea, he is at once rejected. In each case Jesus does not retaliate. He just moves on to the places that are open to him. This is the same thing that happens when an individual doesn’t welcome Jesus into one’s heart. Jesus moves on.
The reason why the Samaritans reject Jesus is because the Jews and the Samaritans were not on speaking terms. Jews considered the Samaritans as Jews who intermarried with non-Jews and who diluted the covenant. To the orthodox Jew, the Samaritans were ritually unclean. Recall the attitude of the Samaritan woman at the well when Jesus asked for a cup of water. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?" Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village. 
                    This thinking of James and John may be the basis why Jesus called them the "sons of                     thunder.
The disciples act from human motives of retaliation. Jesus expects a disciple to act with the same motivation as the Master: forgiveness and mercy, rather than condemnation and destruction. Can we see ourselves in this situation? As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus answered him, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head." Discipleship under Jesus involves not only following him but embracing the life of total dependency upon the Father for everything. Discipleship involves total dedication. How easy is that for us? And to another he said, "Follow me." But he replied, "Lord, let me go first and bury my father." But he answered him, "Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." And another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home." To him Jesus said, "No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God." To both Jesus reminds those called that their primary focus must be the Kingdom of God above all else, including family ties. Why would Jesus say this? The Kingdom of God—eternal life—is of greater value than even family ties. Is God first in your life or is something or someone more important to you than God in fact?                    As you reflect on this passage what do you think God is asking you to do in response?                    What needs to change in your life?

In the Gospel the Lord reveals a sobering truth: "the measure with which you measure will be measured back to you." We could say today: "choose your poison". In another passage in the scriptures we are told: "treat others the way you wished to be treated." If we want to be treated with mercy, then be merciful. If we want to receive love, then love. If we want to be respected, then respect. If we don't wish to be judged, then do not judge. (There is a difference between judgment and sincere correction out of love.) If we wish to be forgiven, then forgive. In a sense, the Lord is saying that if we follow his way of life, he will judge us by that standard. On the other hand, if we follow our human standard, contrary to his, then we will still be judged by the only true standard, his revelations in the scriptures. There is only one rule of life, his. He says this in scripture: "I will not judge you, but my word will."

I customarily say I love you, Lord. I do. But words need to be acted on, less they remain just words. There are times I do and times I don't. Love in action needs to be a conscious decision expressed in each present moment. This takes effort, but one that will bear fruit. The fruit is greater transformation into your image and likeness. This may be what St. Paul meant when he wrote: "I live now not I but Christ Jesus in me." You don't tell me you love me without showing it in some concrete way. Your love for me always comes from your being, who you are. That is the love I desire to show you, from my being, who I am, my true self, the self you accept and love.

"How do we wait for God? We wait with patience. But patience does not mean passivity. Waiting patiently is not like waiting for the bus to come, the rain to stop, or the sun to rise. It is an active waiting in which we live the present moment to the full in order to find there the signs of the One we are waiting for. The word patience comes from the Latin verb patior which means "to suffer." Waiting patiently is suffering through the present moment, tasting it to the full, and letting the seeds that are sown in the ground on which we stand grow into strong plants. Waiting patiently always means paying attention to what is happening right before our eyes and seeing there the first rays of God's glorious coming." (Henri Nouwen) Patience is one of the virtues that is hard to develop in today's society of instant gratification. Many of us are afraid of being in the present moment too long. We want to move on to the next, without fully savoring the present. We are like the bee that goes from flower to flower but never staying long in one place for fear that we may miss something elsewhere. But, in truth, we may be missing the treasure of the present moment. "Be still and know that I am God." Patience is learning how to be actively still.

We read in the scriptures that we are to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect or in another place we are called to be holy as our Heavenly Father is holy. These are not options, but mandates; not for a few but for all. What prevents us from reaching a greater degree of perfection or holiness? St. Paul reminds us of the law of sin within us or the effects of original sin. But he also assures us that in and with Christ we can overcome these and grow in perfection and holiness. The more we fall in love with Jesus and the more he is truly the Lord of our lives, the more we will then see the difference in our lives that he can and will make. This will not be easy, but very possible to reach if we begin and never give up. I can never equal God's perfection or holiness and I am not suppose to. But I can be more perfect and holier than I am now, yet only by his grace.

Once when Jesus was praying by himself, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"

Jesus is praying alone, even thought the disciples are with him. Jesus is aware that he is on the way to Jerusalem for his death on the cross. Maybe he is being comforted by the Father in his prayer. Maybe he is experiencing desolation. We don’t know.
To be a disciple is to be with Jesus.
In reality, he is not interested in who the people say he is, but, after being with him for these past months, who do the disciples say he is.
They said in reply, "John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’"

They respond what they have heard among the crowds. The response is the same that Herod Antipas in v 8 was given when he was inquiring about the identity of Jesus.
Jesus was aware of what others thought of him. That was not the real purpose of his question.
Then he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

He is more interested in whom did they know him to be. That is why he asks the question more directly.
It is really the same question he is asking of each of us. Not what we heard about him but who do we see him to be in our lives.
Peter said in reply, "The Christ of God."

Peter says the right words, without fully understanding the full meaning. In saying Jesus was the Christ of God, he was saying that Jesus was the promised Messiah.
In Matthew’s Gospel we have a fuller picture of this event. There Jesus said that Peter came to this realization by the inspiration of God.
He scolded them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.

Why did he scold them? Because they still did not fully grasp what it meant for him to be the Messiah, promised by God. They were still expecting a political Messiah, not one who would save them from the bondage of sin.
He said, "The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised."

So he once more reminded him that the Messiah would suffer, died, be buried but rise again. Still they did not want to embrace this.
Then he said to all, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." 
Jesus is no longer alone with his disciples but back with the crowd, who may have heard from the disciple what he said to them.
Jesus says that to be a true disciple of Jesus is not only to be with him but to live the life of total surrender by embracing the will of the Father, even it means the cross.
He ends with a paradox. In order to truly live forever in the life he promises, we must deny ourselves, embrace the cross of the moment. Then we will truly live.
Jesus is calling for radical discipleship.

"When we think about Jesus as that exceptional, unusual person who lived long ago and whose life and words continue to inspire us, we might avoid the realization that Jesus wants us to be like him. Jesus himself keeps saying in many ways that he, the Beloved Child of God, came to reveal to us that we too are God's beloved children, loved with the same unconditional divine love. St. John writes to his people: 'You must see what great love the Father has lavished on us by letting us be called God's children - which is what we are.' (1 John 3:1). This is the great challenge of the spiritual life: to claim the identity of Jesus for ourselves and to say: 'We are the living Christ today!'" (Henri Nouwen) Jesus has come to be the pattern for our relationship to the Father. He embraced his identity as the beloved Son of God. His food was to do the will of the Father. This is why St. Paul tells us to put on the mind of Christ Jesus. The more we seek to do this in our life, the more we will be the true sons and daughters of the loving Father.

"We are so obsessed with doing that we have no time and no imagination left for being. As a result, men/women are valued not for what they are but for what they do or what they have - for their usefulness." (Thomas Merton) How important it is to recognize and live out of our true being, our true identity than to be focused primarily on our achievements. My identity is not found in my accomplishments, but in living consciously the given reality that I am a son/daughter of God. My achievements are of this world and will remain here; my being is the only thing I take with me before the Lord. It is the being God gave me. What kind of son/daughter will he see me to be when I stand in his presence?

Lord, help me to be more attentive to you today, to be attentive to your grace and movement of your Spirit within  me. In the midst of all the sounds around me, let me be attentive to your inner, still voice. This is the way to true peace.

Father, what would my life be if I would let you write the script? What if I chose to follow your plan for me without question? It would be totally different. Did you not write the script for Jesus' life? It was full of struggles and hardships, pain and suffering, rejection and criticism, along with many joys and blessings. You wrote the script allowing others to exercise their free will wrongly. The difference between Jesus and myself is that he totally embraced your will and I have tried to rewrite my life according to my will. What a shambles have I made my life at times! At this point, I do not know the end of my story. But it is never to late to submit my will to yours, trusting, no matter what, you desire me to be with you forever. This can only be done moment by moment, following your script.

This Solemnity of your Sacred Heart gives me a moment of pause to reflect once more on your unconditional, life-giving love. Above all, I thank you for your love shown in many ways, but specifically in creating me in your own image and likeness, in redeeming me through your passion, death and resurrection, in your indwelling Spirit within me, in  your many graces and ultimately to be one with you forever in eternal glory and union. All of this and more because of your love, independent of any response I may give! I can understand why St. Paul exclaimed: "Who can separate us from the love of God." What response should I give, if not love, even knowing my love falls short? The other response, namely separating myself from you through sin is not an option of one who loves you.

"Very often we distance ourselves from Jesus. We say, 'What Jesus knew we cannot know, and what Jesus did we cannot do.' But Jesus never puts any distance between himself and us. He says: 'I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father' (John 15:15) and 'In all truth I tell you, whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself, and will perform even greater works' (John 14:12). Indeed, we are called to know what Jesus knew and do what Jesus did. Do we really want that, or do we prefer to keep Jesus at arms' length?" (Henri Nouwen) How true it is that we put Jesus many times at arms length, because we are afraid of what he may ask of us. It is like what St Augustine once said: "I want to be holy, but not now." In other words, we am not ready to give up that which prevents us from growing in holiness, namely our deliberate sins. In his mercy, Jesus waits for us, but not  forever. At some point, justice will enter in. Why wait? Now is the acceptable time to turn fully to the Lord and to surrender to his loving embrace.

"Stir into flame the gift of God you have through the imposition of hands." These words of St. Paul to Timothy are applicable to each of us. We have been given supernatural, spiritual gifts in Baptism, in Confirmation, in marriage (for those united through the Sacrament) and in Orders (for those ordained). These gifts are poured out upon us for our sanctification and for the service of others. But like our natural gifts, they must be exercised, or in Paul's words "stir  into flame". The more we are aware of these gifts and the more we activate them, following the lead of the Holy Spirit, the more they will fulfill their purpose. Pray for the grace to so act and live.