#78: Three symptoms of separation from God

The love between two people is manifested every day through faithfulness. Faithfulness is manifested through communication with messages filled with love.

Two people are thus united by a circle of love that binds them together. Love is the uniting principle and the couple remains faithful to each other through constant exchanges of loving messages.

The communication is made not only with words but with all the ways that people have to express themselves and by the acts done in favor of their loved one. Thus, the words, details and services rendered to the beloved, are ways to communicate love.

The same is with God, but with the difference that love, loyalty and communication are perfect in one direction and flawed in the other. From God to you, love is perfect and its manifestations are insurmountable. From you to God, infidelity, disordered attachments and infrequency in prayer, sometimes even breaking the circle of unity and deforming it.

Sin is like an infidelity in the loving relationship between two people. If God is first in your life, you will not allow sin in your life, nor will you even go near to places where people commonly go to sin.

Today's reflection is based on a passage from the first book of Samuel. The quote is 1 Samuel  4, 12-18. I recommend that you pray before you read ahead to ask the Holy Spirit for enlightment.

Symptoms of a person separated from God.

1. A person separated from God becomes a spectator of the negative changes occurring around him. While the apostle is a leader who looks after the beloved ones of his Beloved, the spectator just sits apathetically.

2. A person separated from God is found away from the road or at best on the roadside. In other words, this person spends much of his time in sinful activities or near those who are engaged in sin. Sin has shaped his body and has impacted on his physical appearance and mood.

3. A person separated from God loses, one by one, the temporal things to which his heart is attached and ends up neglecting his health and life of grace. At the end , his life is empty and his spiritual blindness does not allow him to regain the path to happiness.

These people separated from God need good advice, though often they do not want to listen. If this is the case, then at least pray for them.

Let us ask Holy Mary, Morning Star, to guide our steps towards full union with her Son Jesus Christ. Remember the motto: "To Christ through Mary."

Thank you for making this reflection with me. This is a place where you are appreciated and loved in Jesus Christ. You are the reason for my blog. God bless you abundantly.

I'd love to know what this reflection meant to you. Do not go without leaving your comments, your purposes, whatever you want.

#65: Easy method to live happy without much conflict

Every human being has a distorted self image.  This distortion is caused by sin.  Sin hinders our capacity to really know ourselves.

If we do not know ourselves correctly, then we accumulate false expectations as we go on with our lives. We hold false expectations in our relationship with God, our relationship with ourselves and in our relationship with others.  These series of false expectations lead to a series of frustrations that can manifest themselves through sadness, fury, bitterness and even violence.

Which then is the method to live happy without much conflict?

Before answering the question, I invite you to reflect upon a passage of the book of Judges, that might shed a light on the answer to the question.  Please pause for a moment to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you with the reflection so that you may bear fruit in your life.

20 In his anger toward Israel the LORD said, "Inasmuch as this nation has violated my covenant which I enjoined on their fathers, and has disobeyed me,

21 I for my part will not clear away for them any more of the nations which Joshua left when he died."

22 Through these nations the Israelites were to be made to prove whether or not they would keep to the way of the LORD and continue in it as their fathers had done;

23 therefore the LORD allowed them to remain instead of expelling them immediately, or delivering them into the power of Israel.[1]

Reflection points.
1. In order for our relationship with God to prosper we must honor the alliance that we have with Him, in other words we must obey His commandments; additionaly, we must learn to hear His voice.  You might think that God calls every once in while.  God actually calls all the time.  He calls in silence in every moment of your day to suggest His will.

2. If your behaviour is no different from the people that live distant from God, then do not expect preferential treatment, only because you made the sign of the cross over your forehead sometime in the past.  We must be constant and faithful.  Only our love of God will make constancy and faithfulness possible.

3. God allows trials to purify your heart.  He releases you from your disordered affections so that your heart will be vacant for God to occupy.  If God is number one in your heart then you can be faithful.

Which is the method to live happy without much conflict?

The easy method to live happy without much conflict is humility.  Humility is the virtue that helps us to know ourselves as God sees us.  Humility helps us to have reachable expectations.  Humility helps us in every relationship, be it with God, with ourselves and/or with others.

If you want to know more about humility, I recommend that you read the writings of:

• Mother Theresa of Calcutta, 
• Saint Francis of Assisi, 
• Saint Therese of Lisieux and 
• Saint Jean-Marie Vianney.

A couple of books are also very helpful to learn about humility:

• The practice of humility by Pope León XIII, and
• Imitation of Christ by Thomas Kempis.

Finally, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, is the best teacher of humility after Christ himself.

Thank you for reflecting with me this passage of Holy Scripture.  This is a place where you are appreciated.  This is a place where you are loved in Christ.  You are the purpose of my blog.  May God bless you abundantly.

I love to read your comments.  What do you get from this reflection? Just write about anything you want that could be helpful to you or someone else.

[1]   Judges,  2,  20 - 23

#63: Five Gifts That You Recieved From God and How to Correspond

In every day life, we are accustomed to giving something in exchange for another thing that we receive.  For example, we walk into a store, pick what we want, paid for the items and walk away with them to do as we please.  Another example is paid work.  We go the office, work for certain amount of hours and some days later we expect to be paid a salary.

In God's case, we are indebted to Him since the beginning of our lives.  God has given each one of us five gifts for which he has received no payment:

1. Life
2. Family
3. Liberty
4. The Church and the sacraments
5. The gifts of the Holy Spirit.

What are you going to give God in exchange for those five gifts that He has given you?

Today's reading is from the book of Joshua.  This reading can help us to find the answer to the question above.  Before you start reading, pause for moment of prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to help you to make a good reflection.

16 But the people answered, "Far be it from us to forsake the LORD for the service of other gods.

17 For it was the LORD, our God, who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, out of a state of slavery. He performed those great miracles before our very eyes and protected us along our entire journey and among all the peoples through whom we passed.

18 At our approach the LORD drove out (all the peoples, including) the Amorites who dwelt in the land. Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God."

19 Joshua in turn said to the people, "You may not be able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy God; he is a jealous God who will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.

20 If, after the good he has done for you, you forsake the LORD and serve strange gods, he will do evil to you and destroy you."

21 But the people answered Joshua, "We will still serve the LORD."

22 Joshua therefore said to the people, "You are your own witnesses that you have chosen to serve the LORD." They replied, "We are, indeed!"

23 "Now, therefore, put away the strange gods that are among you and turn your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel."

24 Then the people promised Joshua, "We will serve the LORD, our God, and obey his voice."[1]

Reflection points.

1. Do not waste time seeking wisdom in other religions and sects.  Do not abandon God's wisdom. Sometimes we are more familiar with celebrities' quotes than with the Word of God.  We must dedicate some time each day to approach God through the Bible, and as you read you can also chat with Him about anything that on your mind.

2. Every day we are exposed to temptation and we sin with more or less moral gravity. This is why it is important to keep up our motivation through prayer.  We must remain faithful to the Lord.

3. We must choose once and for all that God be the center of our lifes, the first in our hearts and truly the greatest love of our lives.  Only when we have made this choice, can we begin to be free from sin and happy.

May our Holy Mother in heaven teach us to correspond to God for His gifts and blessings by being faithful.

Thank you for reflecting with me this passage of Scripture.  This is a place where you are appreciated.  This is a place where you are loved in Christ.  You are the purpose of my blog.  May God bless you abundantly.

I would love to read your comments.  What do you get from this reflection? Just write about anything you want that could be helpful to you or someone else.

[1]  Jos, 24,  16-24