Christ is the Answer

Friends of Faith:

Like many people living in our current culture I am constantly searching for peace in the answers of how to live as a Christian and not be discouraged by all of the divisions reflected in our culture. And I hear friends and acquaintances asking similar questions.

Philosophical questions as to why someone handles a tough circumstance so well, speaks the truth even when it isn’t what “everyone else is saying,” or accepts someone else’s wrongdoings that are covered up under the guise of “we have to accept everyone," "I can’t judge them," or "it doesn’t affect me” and how and where to find peace and joy in this troubled world.

And practical questions of what to do or say to a spouse when they seem to pay little attention to feelings you think really matter, how to raise their children to be “good” adults, how to stay calm while a family member or friend attacks your point of view or to be charitable when we’re affected by someone who fails to pay their bills or earn a living even though they have the means to pay or work.

I was privileged to listen to Fr. John Ricardo last week and his answer, the answer I know, but sometimes “hide,” reverberates in my head: CHRIST IS THE ANSWER!!

https://avemariaradio.net/program/christ-is-the-answer/

I am the LORD and there is no other, there is no God besides me. It is I who arm you, though you know me not, so that toward the rising and the setting of the sun people may know that there is none besides me. I am the LORD, there is no other. Is 45: 4-6

For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction. 1 Thess 1:5

Christ is the answer. There is no other. He speaks to us in Scripture, in power, AND in the Holy Spirit with much conviction.

Am I searching? Am I listening? Am I studying and constantly seeking a deeper understanding of Christ, the Answer? Do I stop long enough to pray, and am I patient enough to wait for His answer?

The culture constantly pulls us away from Christ because God has thrown the devil down to Earth and allowed that evil to test us while giving us His freedom to choose and seek His answer in our daily decisions.  Are we asking Christ and are we willing to listen to what HE has to say? Or are we trying to make our own way?

Am I willing to listen to the Answer of the One and Only Church Christ left on this earth, or am I menu picking and listening only to what I want to hear? And am I listening to the media, the culture, someone’s ego, or a half truth that is speaking louder than Christ’s whisper?

Fr. Ricardo said, “God gave us everything in this world, but the world often doesn’t seem to care or appreciate what we have been given as shown to Him because there is too much noise and we are too egotistical. But God WANTS HIS world BACK!!!”

Christ is the Answer! It is His Word (not everyone else’s); It is His truth (being judgmental does not mean acceptance of sin, and silence of wrongdoing says we accept the actions that are wrong); and we must know Him to become like Him.  He is The Way, The Truth and The Life!

May you find peace in Christ’s answer.

Blessings,

Charlotte

Hope in the Silence (Feb 6th entry not posted)

Friends in Faith:
More and more I find myself wanting silence. I find myself searching for a place and times where I can be alone, so that I can “hear” what it is that God wants me to say and do. I find myself choosing to escape work and avoiding the noise of cell phones, computers and the TV.

I used to be annoyed when I woke up early and could not fall back asleep. Lately I have taken this as an opportunity to lay and pray within the quiet of early morning.

Have you taken the time to be silent? For he says:

“I will come to you in the silence. I will lift you from all your fear. You will hear my voice. I claim you as my choice, be still and know I am here. I am hope for all who are hopeless, I am eyes for all who long to see, in the shadows of the night, I will be your light, come and rest in me.

“Do not be afraid, I am with you. I have called you each by name. Come and follow me, I will bring you home. I love you and you are mine.

“I am the strength for all the despairing, healing for the ones who dwell in shame. All the blind will see, the lame will all run free, and all will know my name.

"I am the Word that leads all to freedom, I am the peace the world cannot give. I will call your name, embracing all your pain, stand up now, walk, and live!

“Do not be afraid I am with you. I have called you each by name. Come and follow me, I will bring you home. I love you and you are mine.” You Are Mine by Daniel Haas

Then Paul spoke these words: “If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast, for an obligation has been imposed on me, and woe to me if I do not preach it! If I do so willingly, I have a recompense, but if I do so unwillingly,” (out of duty) “then I have been entrusted with a stewardship…. Although I am free in regard to all, I have made myself a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible. To the weak I became weak, to win over the weak. I have become all things to all, to save at least some. All this I do for the sake of the gospel, so that I too may
have a share in it.” 1 Cor 9: 16-19, 22-23

I want to be sure that everything I think, everything I do, and everything
I say is done in, for and thru His glory. But I can only do that if I can find time to be silent to hear what He is saying to me.

He calms me when I get impatient or the demands on my time seem overwhelming.

He gives me hope that I will be blessed with a share of His glory so that when I get discouraged by the laws of man and selfish attitudes of human nature I can ask forgiveness and seek change in my own attitudes. I pray for those who do not yet see.

And I watch in wonder as those who search for His grace are changed because their hearts have been opened and they are willing to be blessed by the gifts of the Holy Spirit: right judgment, knowledge, courage, reverence, wonder and awe, understanding and wisdom.

I feel blessed to know that many of us seek the same Godly wisdom. It is easier to walk the path of faith knowing that we are walking together, with God carrying us through the rough times and leading us when it becomes dark, or we cannot see our companions on the journey.

Heavenly Father, Your silence can be deafening; your call but a whisper. Give me the patience to wait for your call. Open my heart to be ready and willing to listen so that I do not miss a word of the wisdom you want to share. Help me to never fear sharing with others what Your Spirit reveals to me. Teach me to speak compassionately and in righteousness, never judging but as your servant. Thank you for allowing me to see Your light in the signs and gifts shared by our family and friends. Amen.

I am so in awe of Him, and in what He has revealed to me, and yet I know there is so much more still hidden from me. May we all have peace in our hearts to know Him, trust Him and to patiently wait for God’s call.

I look forward to silence so that my ears will be opened. And I want to be ready to answer God’s call by giving Him my ALL.

May we all find time for silence to hear and reflect on His blessings on us throughout this week,
Charlotte

Silence

Women of Faith:

I woke up this morning with a thought about how nice it would be to stay in bed in “the silence.”

With no cell phones, no computers, no constant “noise” of the world. Maybe I felt that way because I fell asleep frustrated by my computer and lack of a “good signal” on the internet. Or maybe I was hearing God “in the gentle voice” within me.

Matthew Kelly in “The Rhythm of Life” talks about how as children we hear the “gentle voice within us with great clarity and we live by what we hear. So we are immensely happy.

“As we grow older, we become aware of all the other voices around us—the voices of parents, siblings, friends, critics, television, strangers and experts.

“These voices have strength and confidence of experience, so we become fascinated and distracted from the gentle voice within.

“We start to question and doubt and gradually that voice within us becomes faint, we stop listening to this natural voice within.

“The gentle voice within us is your truest guide, because it has no self-interest. It is only interested in you becoming your best version of yourself.” (Paraphrased from Matthew Kelly)

What does this say about the silence? How do we fail to hear God’s truth and probably more importantly how have we come to believe in what the world says is normal, true, and more important, than what we know in our hearts is not “morally right?”

Why is it we are so ready to argue with what our inner voice says, with God’s truth? And why is everything else, and everyone else more important than taking the time to be silent so that we can listen to God’s voice in our life?

Yesterday’s gospel in Paul’s letter to Timothy called us to pray, saying: “It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument. 1 Tm 2:1-8

Dear God: Praise be Your presence in my life. Praise be your whispering call. Help me to be still and know that you are near. Thank you for those moments of quiet time, of silence. Let me appreciate them and not try to fill every moment with something “more important.” Thank you for meeting my daily needs. Give me opportunities to be silent, to listen, and to truly hear your Truth. Amen.

God is here, God is just waiting for you “to be still,” to be quiet, to be silent and to know that He is here. We can’t listen to Him, to the “gentle voice within us” if we fill every moment of every day, or if we are continuously arguing with that voice, ignoring it so that we can accept what we know is wrong, because the world is telling us—“everyone does it.”

Blessings in silence,
Charlotte