My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.
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YEAR OF THE COVID-19 WORLDWIDE PANDEMIC
As soon as churches open up again, I think it would be a matter of life or death for us all to make a point of making time to go to church together all of us, particularly families with children, little ones, teenagers, and young adults. Worshipping the Lord and taking the whole of the Lord's Day to rest is not a suggestion from God, but it is the 3rd commandment. These are serious truths, that if we go against them, we do ourselves mortal harm, to our spirits and to our whole lives, as well as to all those we influence by example through our decisions, words, actions, attitudes, choices and behaviours.
God doesn't need our worship, but if we don't give it to him, we are harming ourselves. We cannot take anything away from God, but we can choose to live and have more life or we can choose to die and waste away... the choice is ours every day of our lives. Thankfully, as Pope Francis keeps repeating, God never tires of forgiving us. To this we too can give witness by accepting what God offers.
One of the greatest obstacles the enemy of all mankind puts in our spirits is the impression that even thinking about going to church is a burden, a chore, stealing or wasting time to do more important things like rest. The danger of these thoughts and feelings is that the enemy is a liar, Jesus told us, and the father of lies. His favourite trick is to slip these dark thoughts into our minds in such a way that we have the impression that these are our own thoughts, feelings, opinions, and convictions.
The truth is that the more we turn to God and make a point of putting our trust in the Lord, and not in ourselves, then the more God can refill us again and again with his Holy Spirit and give us the vitality we otherwise lack. Our very breath comes to us from God, the Source of all life.
Jesus wasn't kidding or speaking symbolically when He said that unless we eat his flesh and drink his blood we HAVE NO LIFE within us. In Reconciliation God restores our loving relationship with the Father and fills us anew with his life and vitality, and in Holy Communion, Jesus gives us a TRANSFUSION of the divine life He has with the Father in the Holy Spirit. These realities may be spiritual and often invisible to our senses, but they are more real than what we can see.
Take great care, dear Parents, not to scandalize your children by harming them with contradictions. On the one hand you are telling them how important it is to receive God's life and love in Confession and Holy Communion, but then, by not going on Sunday to church, your actions will tell them the opposite, that it's not important at all, and that anything and everything else is more important than God. Such actions on the part of too many parents cause their children to learn to distrust God and to no longer believe in Him and then to close their minds, hearts, and spirits to Him. The divine life bleeds out of their souls and they begin to die a long and lonely dying....
Jesus warned us not to scandalize the little innocent ones, because their angels are constantly standing in the Presence of God.... Let these words not frighten you, but rather strengthen your resolve to ask Almighty God to help you and your spouse make the resolution to go to Church to worship the Lord. Let it be a resolution to go together and manifest your gratitude for his countless blessings and the strength you need to get through the hard times. Thank Him as well for the ability to really enjoy the good times. Make Sunday worship part of your Sunday ritual and custom and remain faithful to it.
You can expect the enemy to try to discourage you, because he seeks to destroy the children of God and keep they out of heaven for all eternity. However, the tougher the resistance within you and the countless obstacles the enemy throws onto your path, all the more go in the opposite direction of the temptation and go... go... go.... I am eternally grateful to my parents for going to Church with us all my growing up years into young adulthood until I left home and beyond. They never stopped....
Peace to you all, and Blessed Solemnity of Pentecost!
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My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.
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© 2004-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC
© 2004-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
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