Why Should I Care?
MARCH 6 Tuesday
Jeremiah,
Chapter 1, verse 8
Do
not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you—oracle of the
LORD.
Jeremiah in this chapter received the call of God
and he was afraid. Jeremiah as a young man felt inadequate to do the call of
God. Moses on the other hand was a much older man but like Jeremiah when he
received the call of God he felt inadequate. When Peter received the call from
our Lord Jesus he felt insignificant and cried out, “Leave me Lord. I am a
sinful man.” (Luke 5:8b). The lesson here is that when we are called it will be
scary. Christ asks us to not be afraid. The perfect example of what our
attitude to the call should be was the attitude of Mary at the annunciation
when God called her to be the mother of Christ. Mary’s fiat was "Behold, I
am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."
(Luke 1: 38).
An interesting thing in this verse, is the use of
the word presence. Worldly people are masters of presence or the
projection of power. When called do not fear powerful people for is not God
greater than the world? Talk to God, let him take control for our Lord will
empower us and deliver us to accomplish his word just like he did Jeremiah and
all the Saints. We for our part must be, ready for change, for God will prepare
us for the challenges of our calling. We must be open to the promptings of our
Lord and be willing to give up any of our own façades of presence or false
images of power we may have developed over time.
We may have, at times, found ourselves projecting a
presence, which is actually just an overreaction to our fears and
self-doubts. Let us follow the advice of Father J. Brian Bransfield and
realize:
To find the depths of our identity we
must pass through our fears.[2]
While
the horror of slavery is thankfully dead as an institution, it sadly lives on
in many other forms in many lives today, all around us, in ways maybe not
considered slavery by some. I hope to get you to reconsider. But let’s first
define our terms:
Slave: “One that is totally subservient to a
dominating influence.”~ Merriam-Webster-There are 5 basic areas of life in
which we can become totally subservient to dominating influences, and thereby
live less-than-ideal and something less than happy lives.
5 Ways Slavery is still with us
1.
Slavery to addictions: Whether we are talking about
being enslaved to tobacco or alcohol, or whether we’re talking about
enslavement to illicit material online or simply to the TV or to junk food or
gossip, any addictions rob us of a measure of freedom and independence. But
freedom is required for happiness. So anything that enslaves us limits the
degree of joy we can have in life.
2.
Slavery to the office: When spouse and family and
our spiritual lives are playing second fiddle to the office, things are likely
out of whack. Of course, there will be times, like the first few years of starting
a business, when things will be lopsided. But if the office always is master
and you are always its servant, then change may be needed for the fullness of a
happy life to be experienced. Remember, your family is not a footnote to your
journey. They are there in the thick of things, experiencing it with you,
alongside you, maybe, in some ways, because of you. So give them the time of
day, from time to time!
3.
Slavery to success: When success becomes more
important than integrity or honor or self-respect, then our subservience to the
call of the dollar sign becomes self-destructive, as all addictions are.
Happiness is robbed of its internal rewards when our insides are all twisted
inside out as we compromise our values in the pursuit of wealth.
4.
Slavery to pleasure: Is the pursuit of pleasure
hurting your relationship with your spouse? Are you pursuing pleasure at the
expense of your spouse’s pleasure? Is that pursuit violating sacred vows and
trusts? Are you spending your family into debt as you chase pleasure from one
mountain top to another – or one casino to another – or one vacation to another
– or one, well, you get the idea.
5.
Slavery to fear: Does fear and worry prevent you
from taking steps to break free of a dissatisfying life? Do you wish for something
more, but keep the door closed and locked and continue to do what you’ve always
done? Are you trapped in a cycle of sameness, worried that if you tried to
start a business, or tried to learn a skill, or tried an adventure on for size,
or tried to learn to write or sing or climb, that you would fail and fall and
sink and drown?
Afterthoughts
Slavery may be dead as a formal institution of
human bondage, but it is alive and well in the hearts and minds and lives of
too many people who have the ability to loose the shackles, but haven’t
exercised the courage to do it yet.
Worship is a spiritual weapon. When we worship God, we enter into His presence
in a powerful way. Because demons tremble at His presence, they are reluctant
to follow us there. Frequent Mass attendance, then, is an effective weapon of
our warfare.
Lenten Calendar[5]
Read:
Yesterday, we read about the corporal works of
mercy, and today we will focus on the spiritual works of mercy, which have long been a part of the
Christian tradition, appearing in the works of theologians and spiritual
writers throughout history.
Reflect:
Forgiving others is difficult at times because we
do not have God's limitless mercy and compassion. But Jesus teaches us
that we should forgive as God forgives, relying on him to help us show others
the mercy of God. Are there grudges you are holding on to that you should let
go of?
Pray:
Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy today.
Act:
In practicing one of the spiritual works of mercy,
forgiving others, make an effort to go to Confession before Easter.
Daily Devotions
·
Manhood of
the Master-Day 3 week 6
·
Do
30 min. in front of the Blessed Sacrament.
·
Please
pray for me and this ministry
[2] J. Brian Bransfield, Living the
Beatitudes-A Journey of Life in Christ.
[3]
http://meanttobehappy.com/quote-13-from-the-great-emancipator-slave-part-1/
[4]Thigpen,
Paul. Manual for Spiritual Warfare. TAN Books.
[5]
http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/lent/march-6.cfm
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