May the Lord bless with you peace and health in the Holy Spirit.
It is 17th September 2021.
We celebrate the Feast of Stigmata of our Holy Father Saint Francis. Describing the remarkable event in the life of St. Francis, St. Bonaventure put in black and white: “One day, while Francis was praying in a secluded spot and became totally absorbed in God through his extreme fervour, Jesus Christ appeared to him fastened to the cross. Francis’ soul melted at the sight, and the memory of Christ’s passion was so impressed on the innermost recesses of his heart that from that hour, whenever Christ’s crucifixion came to mind, he could scarcely contain his tears and sighs.”
We reflect on 1 Tim 6:2-12 and the Gospel of Luke 8:1-3.
Professing faith in the world and in our life is indeed a struggle. Yet, it is worth do it. There is contentment and happiness in believing the Lord.
The world is running after money, wealth, fame, riches, and pleasure. But to be a believer is to promote peace, unity, joy, and love to all people because we came with nothing, and we shall leave the world with nothing. Hence, let us spread the fragrance of love, peace, joy, and forgiveness to all the persons we encounter in our life. If the religion, we are in engages in the business of any sort then it is not a path that leads to God. The desire for material things directly opposes the desire for God. The desire for more breeds insatiable hunger for lust, power and control over others that deviates from God and faith in Jesus.
Some of us believe and live as though with money everything is possible. Money makes us depend not independent, indecent not reasonable, distant, and remote not discreet and deepen in our relationships, lustful, not loving. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.”
Our attraction towards having more never dies. Craziness and craving for more are the desire that spreads like a fire in us, in our families, churches and community we live and belong.
Our faith and the gift of healing that we received from God through the Church need to provide a resource for people around us as those who were healed by the Lord, “provided for them out of their resources.”
May the Lord help us to be faithful to the values of the Gospel by our charitable life. God bless you.