Normandt' Catholic Meditations

Started by Normandt, September 20, 2020, 12:33:44 PM

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Normandt

301. God's help



Elijah is a man of faith. He listens to God and prophesies in his name. After announcing a drought to the people of Gallad, Elijah hears out the Lord:
"So he left and did as the Lord had commanded. He went and remained by the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan." 1 Kings, chapter 17, verse 5

Despite the drought, Elijah does not lack food or water as it is written:
"Ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the stream." 1 Kings, chapter 17, verse 6

If Elijah knew the next passage, he would surely have recited it, since he has so much faith in God:
"I raise my eyes toward the mountains. From where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. God will not allow your foot to slip; your guardian does not sleep. Truly, the guardian of Israel never slumbers nor sleeps. The Lord is your guardian; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. By day the sun cannot harm you, nor the moon by night." Psalm 121, verses 1 to 6

The only way to be so deeply rooted in God, as Elijah is living it now, is to adjust our life to his freely given Love. Elijah listened to God.

Jesus gives us other ways, with the Beatitudes, to abide in His Love:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit," "the meek," "they who mourn," "they who hunger and thirst for righteousness," "the merciful," "the clean of heart," "the peacemakers," "the persecuted for righteousness" (See Matthew, chapter 5, verses 1-12).

Jesus adds to our good will:
"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven." Matthew, chapter 5, verse 12

Let's enter the promised Bliss of God's Love and let ourselves be guided to his Heart. Our "reward is great" right now, with Jesus.

Book: ... for Love
Normand Thomas
God says : I Love you
___

Thank you Lord for Loving me
and thanks for your Love
passing through me
into others hearts.

Normandt

God says : I Love you
___

Thank you Lord for Loving me
and thanks for your Love
passing through me
into others hearts.

Normandt


302. We did some wrong



Let's return briefly to what distances us from God and from ourselves.
Who among us could say that they do not have these defects, before God? We have a good reflection here:
"We have sinned, been wicked and done evil; we have rebelled and departed from your commandments and your laws." Daniel, chapter 9, verse 5

Sometimes we miss the opportunity to truly be children of God.
Confession of Daniel's journey:
"Ah! Lord, great and awesome God, you who keep your merciful covenant toward those who love you and observe your commandments." Daniel, chapter 9, verse 4

God Loves us even when we are at fault. He waits for our return every time with open arms. He Loves us beyond everything. It is our faults that keep us away from him. We simply stay away.

It's up to us to check if we love each other and if we want to walk forward in God's Love. Many people do not like this reality that God Loves every person, whatever sin they did. Why? Because God cannot be any other than Love!

Book: ... for Love
Normand Thomas
God says : I Love you
___

Thank you Lord for Loving me
and thanks for your Love
passing through me
into others hearts.

Normandt


303. Damned? No... Loved!



We all know this popular phrase: "Damned if I do, damned if I don't." There are moments in life when we feel that everything we try to achieve seems to be compromised without really knowing why. This is a good sign, the right time to return to our inner self and allow more precious time with God.

But this English expression is transformed with God: "We are Loved by God if we do it, Loved if we do it not." We are Loved even with our failings, mishaps, bad luck, mistakes, because God is Love.

Does this mean that God encourages the harm we do? That we can do anything wrong? Never. Does that mean to do nothing more? Not at all. And this is not the question.

God Loves us and he wants his Love to take us back to the path of life and truth. It is we who cause evil and succumb to sin. We freeze away from God. But still, God Loves us, forever! When we shy away from him, we block his Love.
Jesus tells us, as to the crowd:
"Be merciful, just as (also) your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven." Luke, chapter 6, verses 36 to 37

Whether we love God or not, he continues to Love us. Our decision to be with God or against God leads us either in Love or away from Love. We are the only ones responsible for our decision. And this is a decision we must make as soon as possible.

Book: ... for Love
Normand Thomas
God says : I Love you
___

Thank you Lord for Loving me
and thanks for your Love
passing through me
into others hearts.

Normandt


304. Let's dive in



It's quite difficult to believe that one person would not want God's Love. Let's dive into his Love now.
Let's read:
"Remember your compassion and love, O Lord; for they are ages old." Psalm 25, verse 6

Why should we say, "Remember your compassion and love, O Lord; for they are ages old?"

Wouldn't it be better to say: "Lord, your compassion, your Love is always with me!"

But what is written in the Psalm is, "Remember, Lord." Does the Lord need to remember about his Love? No need for him to remind himself of it. He is Love.

It's certain that when we are suffering, it is possible to think that God has let us down. We would like him to remember, we plead him to not let us down. But it isn't so.

Even in suffering, the Lord is always with us, with the same infinite Love, with the same tenderness and compassion, the same mercy at every moment, totally and continually. We think that God will remember, but it is we who must remember that God is here, now, with us.

Shouldn't we be remembering his Love?

God's Love is priceless. God is not a mystery. Nor is he a mystery to himself. The greatest mystery is that we don't really understand God. We're still not totally convinced that he is Love. The mystery is on us. It is we who don't understand how deeply God Loves us. This is a mystery! Jesus wants us to do exactly as he does, to Love.

Book: ... for Love
Normand Thomas
God says : I Love you
___

Thank you Lord for Loving me
and thanks for your Love
passing through me
into others hearts.

Normandt

God says : I Love you
___

Thank you Lord for Loving me
and thanks for your Love
passing through me
into others hearts.

Normandt


305. We are forgiven



Peter doesn't seem to be aware that Jesus will answer that his Love is infinite. The answer that Jesus will give to his question on forgiveness shouldn't surprise anyone. Peter approaches Jesus and asks him:
"Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Matthew, chapter 18, verse 21

We might have submitted our proposition: "Once?" To forgive once is enough! Forgiving sincerely is effective. But when mistakes are repeated, we can go up to seven times, too, like Peter.

Thanks to Peter, we get an answer. Peter offers him his idea, which is already a good idea: "Up to seven times?" Jesus answers him:
"I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times." Matthew, chapter 18, verse 22

It's not easy to forgive, it takes practice. The less we practise forgiving, the more difficult it will be to forgive. All our life, we need to forgive, we need to be forgiven, we need to forgive ourselves. We need God's forgiveness to stay sane, in holiness.

Honestly, we wouldn't have known that Jesus's response would be as demanding as his Love is Mercy. Yet we cannot expect less from Jesus than the answer he gives us. He is God!

So, Jesus delivers the challenge on a silver platter and offers it to us. Forgive God 100% because God has never hurt anyone. Forgiving others to help us and also help them to improve, to become the image of God. We personally forgive ourselves to touch the Love of God in us and to become a complete child.

God doesn't have to remember his Love for us, since he is eternally Loving. There is no failure in his Love. May we discover it. We only need to believe, remember and embrace it.

Book: ... for Love
Normand Thomas
God says : I Love you
___

Thank you Lord for Loving me
and thanks for your Love
passing through me
into others hearts.

Normandt

God says : I Love you
___

Thank you Lord for Loving me
and thanks for your Love
passing through me
into others hearts.

Normandt

306. God seduces



Jerusalem continues to be unfaithful. The people are unfaithful to God. The inhabitants take unspecified paths, which keep them away from an authentic relationship with God.

God wants to conquer us as he does with his people, because he knows that we are beings of love, since we are beings created by Love:
"[My unfaithful wife], I will allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak to her heart." Hosea, chapter 2, verse 16

God wants to seduce, not to force. He wants to seduce his unfaithful wife. We recognize ourselves in this unfaithful wife towards Love, when we move away from him by ways contrary to his will. God goes beyond our unfaithfulness.

Book: ... for Love
Normand Thomas
God says : I Love you
___

Thank you Lord for Loving me
and thanks for your Love
passing through me
into others hearts.

Normandt

God says : I Love you
___

Thank you Lord for Loving me
and thanks for your Love
passing through me
into others hearts.

Normandt


307. To listen


God knows that the strength of his Love can do anything. God wants to drag us to the desert, in the silence of our heart:
"So I will allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak to her heart." Hosea, chapter 2, verse 13

We just need to listen. We often think that living a personal desert is painful and that there seems to be a growing void. We feel so alone.

The desert is rather the ideal place where we can enter into a relationship with God. A heart to Heart relationship is never a refusal for him. God wants to be in touch with us all.

Book: ... for Love
Normand Thomas
God says : I Love you
___

Thank you Lord for Loving me
and thanks for your Love
passing through me
into others hearts.

Normandt

God says : I Love you
___

Thank you Lord for Loving me
and thanks for your Love
passing through me
into others hearts.

Normandt

308. More faith


God keeps on giving:
"I will give her the vineyards she had, and the valley of Achor as a door of hope." Hosea, chapter 2, verse 14

Only God can give us hope. Today we see churches half-filled. And we see sufferings in the world. It's not necessary to describe them. We observe them, we know them, their misfortunes.

But God tells us to open the door to hope. He wants to unite us with him. God adds:
"I will allure her [unfaithful]; I will lead her into the desert and speak to her heart." Hosea, chapter 2, verse 13

God will make of what we think to be a misfortune in a "valley of Achor [tears] (v. 13)", an air of youth, faith and freedom. Whatever our age, human youth comes from inflamed faith for God and in God.

Let's ask for more faith in God so that our life reaches its inner youth, so that people around us reach it too and that our Church enters a turning point of constant faith, hope and charity, rejuvenated in the Heart of the Trinity. May everyone benefit because we are created for God and live it forever.

Book: ... for Love
Normand Thomas
God says : I Love you
___

Thank you Lord for Loving me
and thanks for your Love
passing through me
into others hearts.

Normandt

God says : I Love you
___

Thank you Lord for Loving me
and thanks for your Love
passing through me
into others hearts.

Normandt


309. Peace


Paul's salutation:
"To all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Romans, chapter 1, verse 7

It is realistic to say that holiness leads to grace and peace from God. Let's continue to place our trust in Jesus and walk with him on the road to holiness. Jesus doesn't lead us anywhere else. He is merciful and even though we are at fault, he wants us to stay with him, to improve ourselves and that he leads us to holiness.

If we see people in churches who are not perfect, let's say they're in the right place. It's in the Church that we find ways to improve ourselves with Jesus and with others. We are in the Church for this reason, because we know that we are sinners and we want to improve on a path of faith and hope. People are usually in Church for that reason.

In the beginning, when we start going to church, it's more our mistakes that make us not want to go back. We think we're not worth it. On the contrary, we are worth the joy! Let's give our sins to Jesus and walk in the Church. May we convert day after day. This is the pathway to enter eternal life.

Book: ... for Love
Normand Thomas
God says : I Love you
___

Thank you Lord for Loving me
and thanks for your Love
passing through me
into others hearts.