"Here I stand, knocking at the door. If anyone hears me calling and opens the door, I will enter his house and have supper with him, and he with me." Rev. 3:20
He knocks at our door because of his great love for us. God reveals this love in many ways, by many examples and analogies:
Creation; Incarnation; sanctification.
Shepherd--sheep; he leaves the ninety-nine in the desert and goes after the lost sheep.
Even after we have alienated ourselves; God lures us back into the desert, purifies us and weds us to himself as if we were his virgin bride.
He loves us in spite of our sinfulness. God again and again covenants us to himself because he loves us. The theme of his great love for us is constant in the scripture. How much more can he do to show his love?

In the painting, notice that the door is closed. It has no door handle on the outside. It can only be opened from within.  That the door is closed is a sign of our relationship to God; not openness but blockage; but the blockage and obstruction is from our point of view. Someone has asked, if we noticed that there is a distance between ourselves and God, who moved away?

How do we know God is standing at the door? God is calling us by name. God is crying out to us. Many times the scriptures talk about our crying out to God and a sense that he doesn't answer. "How long, O Lord, how long? I cry out to you but you do not answer."  But the reality is God is calling us by name, waiting for us to respond in a fresh, new way. (to be continued)

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"Here I stand, knocking at the door. If anyone hears me calling and opens the door, I will enter his house and have supper with him, and he with me." Rev. 3:20

It is Jesus who knocks. Why would he knock? He is Lord of all, King of Kings. He doesn't need us. We need him. Shouldn't we be the ones knocking at his door, pleading to be let in.

Story of a vision: A man saw his heart as a mansion with many rooms. Jesus came and knocked at the door of his heart. After some time the man welcomed Jesus and invited him into the front room. After a while, Jesus moved to the next room and began knocking at that door and the doors of all the rooms in the house. At times there was hesitancy to open a particular door because of what was in that room. At other times, there was refusal. He went to each door, knocked, and waited until he was invited in. When finally he was invited into a particular room, his presence brought light and healing love into the darkness and the darkness began to dissipate.

Parable of those foolish virgins who were not prepared to greet and welcome the bridegroom, because they had to go and buy oil for their lamps. When they finally came they found the door closed. The cried out to be allowed in. There were told "I do not know you."

One day Jesus said: "None of those who cry out, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of God, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. When that comes, many will plead with me, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? Have we not exorcised demons by its power? Did we not do many miracles in your name as well?' Then I will declare to them solemnly, 'I never knew you. Out of my sight, you evildoers." Mt. 7:21-23  (To Be continued)

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary: Gospel Reflections B

When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus,
they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. 
· The fact that they came from Jerusalem meant that they were an official delegation sent to observe this new Rabbi and his disciples to see if they were strictly following the Law. They were checking his orthodoxy.
For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands,
keeping the tradition of the elders. And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed,
the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds.
· The Pharisees and observant Jews were keen on ritual purity, that is, to do nothing that would make one unworthy to enter into the temple or to offer sacrifice. There were many laws regulating ritual purity. The Pharisees pride themselves on their strict observances of all these laws. They expected, and seemingly demanded others to do the same.

So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him,“Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” 
· This tradition was at the heart of their understanding of righteousness, based on works. This offended their sense of righteousness before God.
· Here we have another point of contention between the Pharisees and Jesus over his disciples’ behavior.
· The issue is Jesus’ interpretation of the Law and their interpretation and between the commandments of the Law and human traditions of their elders.
· This was another attempt to discredit Jesus before the people who flocked to him.
· They were not so much concerned about hygiene but ritual impurity.

He responded, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts. You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” 
· Jesus was aware that they had come to undermine his ministry.
· What is the distinction Jesus makes in his response? Jesus knows that there is nothing in the commandments demanding this ritual of washing but was added later by human tradition.
· What upsets Jesus is that these leaders were laying more emphasis on their own ritual requirements than on what was far more important, such as obedience to God’s word.
· In quoting Isaiah Jesus indicates the degree of their hypocrisy. They placed more emphasis on human interpretation than on the actual word of God.
· The question Jesus raises is this: Is the interpretation of the Law, made by the teachers down through the centuries, which at times reinterpret the Word of God even to the point of altering it somewhat, equal to the Law itself?

He summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand.  Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile. “From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.” 
· When we reflect on this passage do we see an application in our lives?
· Do we sometimes focus on the external trappings rather than the interior transformation that God desires?
            How conscious are we of the roots of sin within us? What are we doing about them?

Freedom to
GAL 5:1 For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery
JN 8:31-32   "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
a) freedom to know the truth: God; God’s love; God’s plan for us; our own self-worth and purpose in life; the freedom of love
b) freedom to choose to be faithful disciples of Jesus
c) freedom to stand firm by remaining true to the word of God as revealed to us by Jesus and not to put on the yoke of slavery again.

ROM 6:22 But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit that you have leads to sanctification, and its end is eternal life

1PT 2:16 Be free, yet without using freedom as a pretext for evil, but as slaves of God.
d) freedom to serve the Lord, to be slaves of God
e) freedom to lead a life of holiness
f) freedom to share eternal life now and forever.

2 Cor 3:17-18  Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit.
g) freedom to live in the Spirit and follow the lead of the Spirit
h) freedom to become transformed and to reflect the glory of God.

GAL 5:13 For you were called for freedom, brothers. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love.
i) freedom to serve one another through love.

Jn 13:15 I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.
j) freedom to set others free through forgiveness and love.
The freedom from that Jesus gives us is complete. However, we must grow into the fullness of that freedom.

              WHAT ARE THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?
                                               PART 2
                                

Jesus sets us free.
Freedom from

The journey of Israel from Egypt to the promised land to exile and back is a symbol of the freedom Jesus has given each of us. It is not that we will never sin again once we taste the freedom of Jesus Christ. It is that we will choose not to stay in sin, not to let the web of sin become a chain bringing us further away from the truth of who we are.

ROM 8:1-2  Hence, now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed you from the law of sin and death.

a) Jesus freed us from the law of sin and death by his blood.

RV 1:5-6  Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father, to him be glory and power forever (and ever). Amen.
b) He has freed us from the slavery of sin with its eternal consequences

ROM 8:19-21 Indeed, the whole created world eagerly awaits the revelation of the sons of God. Creation was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but by him who once subjected it; yet not without hope, because creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.

c) not only have we been set free from sin but all of creation is destined to be freed from the slavery of corruption and share with us. There will be a new heaven and a new earth. (To be continued)

The story of the eagle who grew up as a chick with chickens. Like the chickens it pecked and pecked on the ground for food. It never went further than the environment it was accustomed to and it flew only for a few feet like the other chickens.  One day as it looked up, it saw an eagle soaring high above. As it gaze at the sight, it said aloud: “I wish I could fly like that, but I can’t because I am a chicken.”  It never knew it was an eagle and could soar.  All the other chickens laughed at the eagle and said you can never do that. You are a chicken like us.” Full freedom comes from true self-identity and accepting and acting on that true self-identity. Be who you are in fact. Don’t accept the lie which limits you.  Don’t buy into the lie that keeps you from being fully who you are and are meant to be and who you can become.(To be continued)

What are we looking for? What is the desire in the deep recess of our being? What do we want as we see the different chains, shackling us in the darkness of a dungeon prison of our own making? What is the cry of our hearts that we are afraid to shout because there may not be anyone listening or caring?

You remember that famous line from Braveheart uttered courageously by Mel Gibson in the role of Bruce Wallace: FREEDOM! That’s what Jesus has come to give us: FREEDOM!  Can you make that your own personal cry? FREEDOM! Again! FREEDOM! Can you cry out: JESUS? The two are synonymous.  When Jesus is in our life, there is freedom. Where there is true freedom, there is Jesus, the source and summit of all freedom.

This freedom was promised by God to his chosen people enslaved in Egypt for 400 years. This freedom was his gift to them. But first they had to get rid of their gods. They had to leave behind in the desert all that was sinful and embrace the covenant of freedom with him. They did and they did not. Their history is like our history. We want to be free but are not sure if we will be able to pay the cost of freedom. The truth is: we can’t pay the cost and we don’t have to pay the cost. It has been paid for by Jesus on the cross through the shedding of his blood and the gift of his own life for our lives.

Jesus did this because he loves us so much. As Paul tells us he didn’t lay down his life when we were friends and deserving of this act.  He chose to give his life, to die in our place when we were his enemies. He loved us that much.  As a result we are not slaves any longer.

He calls us to be who we are meant to be: Adopted sons and daughters of a Father who loves us and desires us to live in the freedom of his love. For it is real, authentic, selfless love that sets us free. Jesus manifested this love on the cross. It is love that will enable and empower us to remain free in him.  And it is our response to love with love that guarantees that this gift of freedom will last.

The word of God in the scriptures of love reveals this truth again and again.  (To be continued)

Jesus sets us free!
Another image: hot air balloon, tied down by strong ropes and weighed down by large sand bags draped over its side. Even though the ropes are cut by someone outside of the hot air balloon and the balloon rises a little off the ground now freed, it can’t soar higher without some of the sand bags being jettison overboard. The more this is done the higher the balloon rises.

What is the message? The ransom has been paid! That’s the reality! That’s the truth! That’s the Good News!  “For there is one God. There is also one mediator between God and the human race, Christ Jesus, Himself, human, who gave Himself as ransom for all.” (1 Tim 2:5-6)

But there is another reality! In spite of this undeniable truth, we are still bound by sin of choice and we are still bound by the lies around us. We are bound by our guilt and shame, our fears from the past and for the future and we are bound by our insecurities. We are bound by the perceived or real hurts and scared memories from the past. We are bound by the isolation from peers. We are bound by additions–sexual, alcohol, drug, overeating. We are bound by the demands and fads of our environment and society. We are bound by the music we listen to, the TV programs we watch, the movies and dvd’s we view, by the conversations we have. 

Who is setting the standards of our lives? Who is setting the moral agenda of right and wrong?  Who tells us that there is nothing wrong with premarital sex, with pornography, with overdrinking? Who encourages us to abuse  our bodies to look more sexy, more attractive, more acceptable, more in? Who tells us if it feels good it is alright; if everybody is doing it, it is cool? Who feeds our darkest feelings and sinful desires for their own profit? Who tells us there is no hell, no consequences for our actions? (To be continued)

Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary: Gospel Reflections B Jn 6:60-69

Many of Jesus’disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?”
· “This saying” was the teaching of Jesus in the last two Sundays’ Gospel readings concerning his gift of his body and blood as food and drink leading to eternal life.
· Notice those who were having a hard time accepting this teaching of Jesus were disciples—that is some of the very ones who had committed to walk and learn from him.
Earlier, it was the Jews in general who followed Jesus after the multiplication of the loaves                and fish.
· What does that say to you?

Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?  It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” 
· Though they had been disciples following Jesus, they had not yet made that final faith commitment in him. Are you an uncommitted disciple or a “no-turning back” disciple?
· What does Jesus mean when he says: “What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending…”? They couldn’t believe his word because they couldn’t see him beyond the fact that he was a man just like them. They were not open to the fact that he was more than what they saw and thus more than what they could understand. His words do not make sense if he is no more than a man, if he is not also the Son of God. What is the role of the Spirit is this? Our human knowledge without the gift of understanding by the Spirit cannot comprehend or accept the mystery of the gift of Jesus’ Body and Blood as food for our journey. From the Spirit comes the gift of faith that empowers us to accept in faith this gift of Jesus.

Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him.
· How did Jesus know this? Over the period of time and in prayer he was discerning (gift of the Spirit) who was going to continue to walk with him and who was going to betray him.

  And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father.” As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. 
· Do we know people who have done this even among our acquaintances? How do we react to their decision?
· Notice Jesus didn’t try to stop them or to explain the mystery any further to them. No one can be forced to accept and believe. It must be a free choice.
· Even today, our understanding and acceptance of the Eucharist divides us from others who cannot accept the reality of Jesus’ words.

Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”  Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”
· What separated the twelve from the others who left Jesus? Why did they remain in his company?
· What do you take from this passage and apply to your life?

Someone had a dream. In the dream she saw a bird cage with a bird inside the cage flying to an forth, from one side of the cage to the other, looking like it wanted out. So the person in the dream saw herself go to the bird cage and rip the door off its hinges, leaving a large gaping hole in one side of the cage. She stepped back and waited for the bird to fly free. But the bird remained in the cage, flying from one side to the other, never leaving its self-captivity. And she heard God say to her in the dream. “I gave you salvation through my death on the cross, but you remain still enslaved by your own sinful ways.”

Another image: four birds in a large enclosure, like in a bird sanctuary. Two are flying from one side to the other seemingly trying to get free of the enclosure. One is sitting in a melancholic state on a perch, neither flying, nor singing, nor eating–almost in a cationic state. A fourth bird is eating and eating and getting fatter and fatter, flying less and less because it is becoming more difficult to do.

Ps 124: “Our life, like a bird, has escaped from the snare of the fowler. Indeed the snare has been broken and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

One day someone comes and makes a gaping hole in the enclosure. One bird sees the hole and escapes, flying freely away; another bird continues to fly from one side of the enclosure to the other, never accepting nor acting on the opportunity given for true, full freedom. The bird on the perch is so full of fears that even though it sees the opening it is afraid to leave the enclosure for fear of failure, guilt, shame, self-condemnation, etc. It shivers on the perch, neither eating nor flying, just slowly dying. The fourth bird just keep enjoying the limited food of its captivity, getting fatter and fatter, until it cannot fly if it wanted to. Thus it remains in the self-contained bondage of its addiction.

Jesus sets us free.
A man was on the side of the road with a large birdcage. A boy noticed that the cage was full of birds of many kinds. "Where did you get those birds?" he asked.  "Oh, all over the place," the man replied. "I lure them with crumbs, pretend I'm their friend then when they are close, I net them and shove them into my cage."  "And what are you going to do with them now?"  The man grinned, "I'm going to prod them with sticks, and get them really mad so they fight and kill each other. Those that survive, I will kill. None will escape."  The boy looked steadily at the man. What made him do such things? He looked into the cruel, hard eyes. Then he looked at the birds, defenceless, without hope.
"Can I buy those birds?" the boy asked.  The man hid a smile, aware that he could be on to a good thing if he played his cards right. "Well," he said hesitantly, "The cage is pretty expensive, and I spent a lot of time collecting these birds, I'll tell you what I'll do, I'll let you have the lot, birds, cage and all for ten pounds and that jacket you're wearing."  The boy paused, ten pounds was all he had, and the jacket was new and very special, in fact it was his prized possession. Slowly, he took out the ten pounds and handed it over, then even more slowly he took off his jacket, gave it one last look then handed that over too.  And then (well, you've guessed it) he opened the door and let the birds go free.
The Enemy of the world, Satan, was on the side of life's road with a very large cage. The man coming towards him noticed that it was crammed full of people of every kind, young, old, from every race and nation. "Where did you get these people?" the man asked.  "Oh, from all over the world," Satan replied. "I lure them with drink, drugs, lust, lies, anger, hate, love of money and all manner of things. I pretend I'm their friend, out to give them a good time, then when I've hooked them, into the cage they go."  "And what are you going to do with them now?" asked the man.  Satan grinned. "I'm going to prod them, provoke them, get them to hate and destroy each other; I'll stir up racial hatred, defiance of law and order; I'll make people bored, lonely, dissatisfied, confused and restless. It's easy. People will always listen to what I offer them and (what's better) blame God for the outcome!"
"And then what?" the man asked.  "Those who do not destroy themselves, I will destroy. None will escape me."  The man stepped forward. "Can I buy these people from you?" he asked. Satan snarled, "Yes, but it will cost you your life."  So Jesus Christ, the Son of God, paid for your release, your freedom from Satan's trap, with His own life, on the cross at Calvary. The door is open, and anyone, whom Satan has deceived and caged, can be set free.

"God lies in wait for us with nothing so much as love. For love resembles a fisherman's hook. Once the fish takes the hook, the fisherman is sure of the fish, the fisherman is assured of the catch, twist and turn as it may, this way or that. And so I say of love; the one who is caught by it has the strongest of bonds, and yet a pleasant burden....he can cheerfully forgive whatever evil is done to him. Nothing brings you closer to God or makes God so much your own as the sweet bond of love. the one who has found this way need seek no other. The one who hangs on this hook is caught so fast that foot and hand, mouth and eyes and heart, and all that is the person, belongs to God...watch for this hook so as to be blessedly caught: for the more you are caught, the more you are free." (Meister Eckhart)

I love this quote. Like a fish, we often swim away from the bait of God's love out of fear or out of something more attractive to us. At other times, we just enjoy nibbling at it, not ready to go for it. But once we are caught by the love of God, even though we still resist, eventually we learn to surrender to that love and find the freedom that love gives us. Once we know real love, why would we want to settle for imitation love?

How great is our God! How great is his creation! How great are we to be created in his own image and likeness, to be so loved by him, to be call good from the first moment of our existence and until the last, to be shown in so many ways, especially through the sacraments, God’s direct and intimate personal love. Do we have a reason to celebrate? You better believer. Do we sometimes forget this most important revelation of God’s love? Unfortunately, we do. When we allow ourselves to be depressed and to feel or think that nobody loves me, nobody cares, I am unlovable, we are denying the truth of God’s word and actions. We are buying into the lie of the Evil One, who has chosen to reject the goodness of God and to alienate himself forever from God. Because he is forever alienated from God by choice, he seeks to create in us a sense of not being loved, of not being good, of needing to satisfying ourselves no matter the cost. The I becomes the center of our world, not God. What makes me feel good, what satisfies me, what I desire and want is more important than anything else. He tells me to grab for it, because no one else really is going to give it to me.

Today, God wants us to hear the truth. God wants us to get real. God wants us to see and be open to his intimate love for each of us. He wants us to rise up from where we are and to know that there is more. There will always be more.  Expect God to do something new in your life, if not this today then very soon. It is like going to Niagara Falls. Don’t come with a thimble or a cup or a bucket, come with a vat. God wants to give you more than you can receive at any one time. His love is boundless, more than the energy of a thousand suns. (To be continued)

Jesus on the cross becomes a sign of the Father's love. Jn 15:13 " No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." But that happened 2000 years ago. What about today? What tells us today that God loves us. Jesus left us the sacraments as signs of his eternal love manifested personally to us today, here and now. “Sacraments are outward signs, instituted by Christ, which gives grace.”

He communicates his real love through the sacraments, which are real signs of his love. To bring us into a share of his divine life, to free us from the alienation of original sin, to hold us in his creative hand and to say, you are my son or daughter, I love you with an everlasting love, he recreates us in the saving waters of baptism. We are reborn, no longer dead in sin, but reconciled and restored to our original beauty and goodness. He feeds us with his Body and Blood so that we may grow in his love. When we sin and are repentant, he forgives us and heals us in the core of being through the sacrament of reconciliation. As we grow as disciples, he commissions us as witnesses of his love through the anointing power of the Holy Spirit through confirmation.  When we are in need of physical healing, he shows his love by anointing us in the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. When we choose to celebrate the gift of married love with another, he sacramentalizes our committed, exclusive, perpetual love through his sign of love in the Sacrament of Marriage. When he calls some to be to offer the sacrifice of the Mass, to forgive sins and to proclaim the Gospel all in his name, he ordains and consecrates them for the sake of the  Kingdom of God.

In the words of CCC #1116 Sacraments are “powers that come forth” from the Body of Christ, which is ever-living and life-giving. They are actions of the Holy Spirit at work in His Body, the Church. they are “the masterworks of God” in the new and everlasting covenant.

Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary: Gospel Reflections B Jn 51-58

Jesus said to the crowds:“ I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” 
· How dependent are we upon physical food to sustain our physical life? Do you see the connection                between the real, spiritual food Jesus offers us to sustain our spiritual life?
· Why does he give us his flesh to eat and his blood to drink? The key word is “life.”
To live forever is not to remain on earth but to live eternally with God.

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying: “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 
· Why do you think the people had a hard time comprehending what Jesus was revealing?
· Why do many people today have the same difficulty, even Catholics?
· Either he meant it or he didn’t?

Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.  For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.
· Could Jesus make it any clearer what he was revealing to them? He didn’t say I will give you food that          would be symbolic of my flesh, but I will give you my flesh to eat and my blood to drink.
· He gives us himself so that he can have intimacy with us and we with him, an intimacy that enters into              union, not just closeness.
· How else can we experience life eternally if we don’t share in eternal life now, in his divine, eternal life            now?

Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. 
· Jesus connects what he does with the plan and will of the Father for us. Why do you think he does this          repeatedly?
· The ultimate desire of God for us is union with him. But this does not take place after death if it is not a          reality in this life!
· He is not talking about human life but divine life.

 This is the bread that came down from heaven.  Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
· The bread of their ancestors was the manna in the desert that God provided during their 40 year                    sojourn. This was merely physical food that took care of their physical body.  This in itself was a                    miracle.  Jesus is talking about a far greater miracle.  Jesus is concerned about our life with God—our            spiritual life.  He provides in the Eucharist the real food and drink—himself—to nourish our relationship          with God now into eternity.
· Spend some time reflecting on this passage.
· What do you take from this passage and apply to you?
o How will  you approach the Eucharist this Sunday?

Why did God create us in his image and likeness? Why did he create his goodness and beauty within us?  Eph 1:4-6 tells us: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved.”

But the sad thing is that even though God created us good and sees his love and life reflected in us, many of us come into awareness later on in life, not of our goodness but of our unworthiness. Somewhere we have the perception that we are not good, that we are not lovable, that we have to earn the love of others; that we are flawed. For some of us we are broken and wounded.

But God who is love, who is good, desired his original plan to be fulfilled. To show us how much he loves us and how love can transform us and enable us to see the truth of our self-worth, he chose to give us many signs of his love—the greatest of which is himself becoming one like us in all things but sin. Jn 3:16 tells us: “For God so loved the world that he gave  his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”

Since love is convey through signs: words and actions. Jesus became the sign of the Father’s love for us. It was hard for human beings to experience the visible sign of God’s love in a way that would convict us and convince us beyond a shadow of doubt that God loves us unconditionally. When someone says to you: I love you. You are not sure if this is just mere words or they are a genuine reflection of truth. Words along are not sufficient. We look for external signs or manifestation of that love. (To be continued)