GODS      LOVE      FOR      US

Have we ever given much thought to, the real meaning of what the love of God presents to us?  Firstly, let us look at the Holy Family.  Mary, a young girl of sixteen years, consents to a request from God, to become the mother of His Son.  Her positive response came from amongst feelings of confusion, fear, anxiety.  Her YES was the result of her love and devotation to God.  There was no great emotional outburst, just a simple, THY WILL BE DONE.  That attitude of our Blessed Mother She carried with Her throughout Her life.  A life fraught with sorrow, danger and suffering, yet Her love for God only grew stronger.  Joseph, Her husband, silent and resolute, committed to the protection and welfare of his family.  Despite the hardship of their calling, their happiness and joy lay in the knowledge that Gods love would see them through no matter what the consequence; they would remain loyal to carrying out His will. 

Through the gospels we have a very clear picture of the sort of life our Lord and Savour experienced.  A life that finally ended in torture and death on a cross.

Contrary to much of the teachings of today’s modern world, to say yes to God and live our lives accordingly, is just a stroll in the park, is misguiding.  Knowing the way of life the Holy Family went through, the exhausting public ministry of Christ.  The constant battles of our church down through the ages, even to this present time, is no dawdle in any park. 

God’s love is an interior motivation to open ourselves to His love and greater understanding of what He wants from us.  Each one of us has a role to play, not only in our own salvation, but for those immediately around us, our families, our neighbours, and our parish.  This is the foundation on which our faith is based on.  If we fully agree to the will of God, He will surely see us safely home.  We must try to change our hearts and our mind-set.  To embrace the great gifts Christ won for us-the SACRAMENTS- our love for God would truly start to blossom.  It would help to change our parish into a better place to live in, for us and our children.  Take note, nothing is ever gained without sacrifices.  Each conversion that takes place must begin within ourselves then and only then can we reach out to others.  Think about this, how many times have we felt rotten inside, by the things we say and do, like gossiping about others misfortunes, constant complaining, feelings of hatred, jealously etc.  Most of the time we feel good about ourselves.  So why can’t we do the same to others who have their faults, and persevere with them.  If you truly know of how weak you are and are able to show tolerance to others in their strife, you are well on your way to salvation.  If God loves everybody then he loves me.  This is the basis of the caring love we need to share with those less fortunate than ourselves.  To seek a fellowship with all who are seeking help.  To realise we are not above them but one with them.  That is the beauty of God’s love.   Our faith is not just about a bunch of rules to follow.  Because God is love, by our actions we can be witnesses to that love and hopefully change a lost soul’s life.  We put too big a burden on our church and our priests, who are the guardians and administrators of Gods gifts.  We must become more aware of GOD by reading the bible.  Priests cannot be expected to explain the scriptures in the fifteen minutes given to them. To become more learned of scripture, we must read the bible.  By doing so we would progress a lot faster in our spiritual growth.  If we have time to study the soaps, sports stars, showbiz world etc.   THEN WHY NOT OUR GOD.  OUR God outweighs everything.  We must not offend our God by evil or sinful actions, in thought, word and deed.  All sinful actions must be condemned, but we must avoid judging those who perpetrate these deeds.  The judge of all creation will administer true justice when the time comes.  Live a life honouring and serving God, because He is all merciful, all forgiving, and all love.        GOD  BLESS  EVERYONE.