Journey

Let it be done for you according to your faith

Posted on by MSFriend
let it be done
BELIEVE!

Let it be done for you according to your faith! Think about that for a moment. There’s faith and then there’s FAITH!

matthew 9:27-31

And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying out, “son of David, have pity on us!” When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they said to him.

Then he touched their eyes and said, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one know about this.” But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.

faith

Let it be done to you according to your faith. How deep is your faith? Do you often feel like prayers are not being answered? Maybe it’s “being done for you according to your faith.”

In life, we often play the blame game. Our prayer life is no different. If we pray for something in particular and it doesn’t come to pass we say: “God didn’t answer my prayer” or “it wasn’t meant to be.”

This Gospel leads me to think deeply on the role our faith plays in our prayers being answered. Maybe before blaming God for unanswered prayer, we should take stock of the depth of our faith. Do you really BELIEVE that what you’re praying for will come to pass? Or are you not praying for it at all because you don’t believe it can happen?

infancy

In my own life I notice how my faith has grown. I have always felt a strong connection to God – always being called to worship and pray. But my “faith”, in this case my firm belief that NOTHING is impossible for God, was not as strong as I would have liked to think.

I believe part of the problem was my lack of awareness. The “infancy phase” of my faith simply had me going through the motions. Attend mass on Sunday, keep the ten commandments, know the precepts of the Church, pray (by paying lip service) – check, check, check!

hindsight is 20/20

God doesn’t want us to go through the motions. He wants a relationship with us. However, because He’s not in our face we neglect the relationship. We fail to nurture the relationship. How do you nurture any of the other relationships in your life you regard as important? So why not God?

I think back to the days when my husband and I were trying to conceive and I know that my faith wasn’t strong enough to believe that God could make that happen. I wrote it off as “not meant to be” when, in fact, my faith or lack thereof didn’t allow me to participate in God’s will for my life.

Part of me wonders what it would have been like to be a mom and part of me is relieved that my emotions were spared. I do wish I knew then what I know now because I would have loved to have another miracle to confirm my theory!

I have no regrets though. My infertility actually gave me an opportunity to stop and think about what it meant to bring a child into this world, as opposed to simply checking off another box from my list of life’s goals.

go deeper

Faith is about intimate relationship with God. The depth of faith I’m talking about here depends on whether you’re practicing a faith or a religion. In other words, are you nurturing your relationship with God or are you over-identifying with an institution you “belong” to? Because the only one we belong to is God!

Despite the fact that each waking moment of our lives is a miracle, we fail to see the miracles that surround us! I can’t say this enough – our God is a God of miracles! Our God is the Divine Physician! Our God is an AWESOME God! I “knew” this before but I’m AWARE of it now!

believe

I see NOW how He wants us to participate in His plan. He wants us to truly BELIEVE that he can give us what we want. (On this Feast day of St. Nicholas – it makes me think of the spirit of Christmas and how, as children, we are told all we need to do is BELIEVE!) Hmmm? As I write this I make the connection with Jesus asking us to be child-like. Goodness, I can go on and on!

To further drive this message home, Jeremiah 29:11-14 tells us: For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope. When you call me, when you go to pray to me, I will listen to you. When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you, says the Lord, and I will change your lot. WITH ALL YOUR HEART is the operative phrase here!

ponder this!

Oh, one more thing: Jesus says: let it be done for you according to your faith. Mary said: Let it be done to me according to your word! BAM! Ponder that! There’s a connection there somewhere. Yesterday we looked to Joseph as an example. As we continue the Advent journey, let’s look to Mary today as an example of true FAITH – a firm belief that what seems impossible is totally possible with God!

God bless you!

Bonus: as I listened to my Lauren Daigle album I was struck with her song Rebel Heart and thought it was appropriate to include here.

Jesus provides what we want and need!

Posted on by MSFriend
jesus provides

Jesus provides what we want AND need! What a comfort it was to read the Gospel this morning. It was especially comforting as I prepared to sit before the tabernacle with a special intention! Here’s what it says:

Matthew 15:29-37

Moving on from there Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there. Great crowds came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others. They placed them at his feet, and he cured them. The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the deformed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind able to see, and they glorified the God of Israel.

Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way.” The disciples said to him. “Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place to satisfy such a crowd?” Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” “Seven,” they replied, “and a few fish.” He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over – seven baskets full.

They placed them at his feet

“They placed them at His feet and He cured them.” THAT, my friends, brought me comfort this morning. I promised my friend that I would place her prayer intention in my heart and sit before the tabernacle this morning for that special intention. I, in a sense, am placing it at the feet of Jesus and to read this passage this morning brought tears to my eyes. I hope it brings you comfort too YP!

We often hear that sometimes our prayers aren’t answered as we wish and that we have to trust that what God has planned is better than we could ever imagine. While I believe that to be true, I also believe that we have to firmly believe in miracles. Our God is a God of miracles. Nothing is impossible with Him. So when we are met with a situation that seems defeating against all odds, THAT’s when we truly have to believe that our God is who we claim He is. THAT’s when we have to believe that He is capable of performing a miracle on our behalf!

my experience

I know this from experience. My 83 year old dad had liver cancer surgery last year. The doctors tried to convince him that the surgery was risky and expressed concerns about his heart health, his diabetes and all kinds of negative statistics. But he wanted the cancer OUT! So he made the decision to move forward with surgery. I can’t tell you how many people were praying for that old man (laugh out loud) but it was powerful and he defied the odds! Thanks be to God!

My brother (I’ve written about this before – see here) was placed in an induced coma after having suffered complications from hernia surgery. Who could have known? I had a choice to make – go stand at his bedside or continue to Canada on a pilgrimage that would span several days. Several days of heartfelt prayer. I chose Canada! Another powerful experience. I was steeped in prayer for the entire time. Always carrying my brother and his intentions in my heart. By the end of my retreat, my brother was back! Thanks be to God!

Prayer works, intention is powerful and believing in miracles is a necessity if we are going to receive what we want from Christ! Ask and you will receive.

the feeding

As I read the second portion of the Gospel and how Jesus took the bread and broke it, I was reminded of the last supper. This portion of the Gospel spoke to the disciple in me. We are called to share our faith with others, to share our joy in Jesus Christ. We are nourished through the Eucharist. Not only do we become what we receive, but it gives us the strength we need to live a Gospel life.

The feeding should remind us that our God is not a God of scarcity, He is a God of abundance. He gives us what we want AND need. So when you approach Him in prayer, approach Him with the knowledge that there is more than enough to go around. Approach Him with confidence that He is going to give you not only what you want, but also what you need!

God bless you!