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What If …
Or if Joshua didn’t believe God and said to the people of Israel, ‘Let’s go - we all know you can’t knock a wall down by shouting’? (Jos 6:1-5)
When Jesus asked his Apostles “Are you going to leave me too?”; what would have happened if Peter said ‘Yes, I’m leaving I’d rather be fishing’ (Jn 6:66-71)
We all know what happened in those stories, and we all know in each one God’s Word wasn’t only listened to, but believed. So now I ask; Why are there so many of us who simply don’t believe Jesus when he says “This is my body”, “This is my blood” (Mark 14:22-23) and “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 feeds upon my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day?” (John 6:53-54)
Do we not believe him when he references “eternal life”? Do we not know that God cannot make a false statement?
We are all somewhere on our spiritual journey; some of us may be just beginning, others may be getting towards the end. Regardless, NOW is the time to do something to improve your relationship with Jesus so that when you meet him face-to-face he will want to present you to the Father as his beloved and as an adopted son/daughter of God claiming their inheritance.
I hope you realize when you receive the Eucharist in Communion, you are closer to Jesus than you would have been sitting at the table during the last supper?
That same Jesus is waiting for you at this very moment in the Adoration Chapel. Go to him; sit quietly in his presence and experience the change in your heart.
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Looking For A Change?
There is no 11th Commandment that says if you visit Jesus in His Eucharistic Presence you have to spend this amount of time. Nor is there a recommendation as to the proper way to pray. Jesus is happy when you simply stop by for a visit and let Him do the work. You can start with just a few minutes; but if you start with that, it won’t be long before your heart will be rewarded and you will want to spend more time with Him.
Starting this new year may be your ‘right time’ to step up and show God you want to better your relationship and will make the effort to visit him often in the chapel. Chapel time is not the only way to show God how much you love Him, but it is a way near and dear to His Sacred Heart. The harder it is for you to find time to visit, the greater the benefit. God knows how precious our ‘time’ is, and when we offer a portion to Him its repaid a hundred times. Give it a try and see for yourself.
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What Do You Do With An Icon?
In 325 CE a council of bishops was convened in Nicaea at which it was decided that, since Jesus had both a human and a divine nature, so inextricably intertwined that they could not be separated, looking at the face of Jesus was equivalent to looking at the face of God. St. Paul, in his epistle to the Christian community in Colossae, wrote “Christ is the image of the invisible God”. Thus the council decided that representing the human face of Jesus was deemed permissible and the veneration of icons was officially approved by the Church.
Icons and the people depicted in them are meant to be venerated, but not worshiped or adored. The icons in the chapel are there to be picked up, taken back to your seat and used as an aid in your prayer life. It’s a good idea to pick up a prayer card associated with the icon and read the description about that icon then spend some time looking at the icon and finding what is described on the prayer card.
Icons are sometimes described as “Windows into Heaven.” A good window is clean allowing you to see through it in both directions. If you are making eye contact with a holy person depicted in the icon it’s thought the subject is also confronting you. In the very personal space between the person of faith and the icon, an exchange happens. One sees the image but also is seen. What a priceless opportunity to say a prayer.
Using icons to enhance your prayer life is not for everyone, but the more you use them the more benefits realize and you begin to look forward to spending time with your favorite icons.
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