Normandt' Catholic Meditations

[Normandt]

291. Jealousy

A word that is often used by people is the word "jealousy". This word is simple to say, but it is sad to count the number of people hurt by this word.

Then there is the word "judge". It is better never to say these words, because all too often we do not know the real meaning of them:
"Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice." James, chapter 3, verse 16



On the other hand, this evil goes away when we are open to the grace of God:
"The wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity." James, chapter 3, verse 17

Let's deepen these last wise words and recognize them in the people we meet, since God has placed them in them. Let's recognize these qualities in others, instead of camping on their faults.

Book: Let's be Loved
Normand Thomas

[Normandt]

[Normandt]

292. A fulfilling life

Who receives from God and truly lives in his heart wisdom, peace, righteousness, understanding, benevolence, mercy, and is fruitful in benefits?
Without being too deceiving, we all have a little bit of a difficult time working to achieve a fulfilling life of faith.

Let's discover the qualities that God places in others to encourage and value them.



Flagging people with what we think are their faults only make the relationship worsen between us:
"Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show his works by a good life in the humility that comes from wisdom." James, chapter 3, verse 13

James is telling us that. He knows that the grace of God, when it is received and transmitted, shows in our words and by our actions.

Book: Let's be Loved
Normand Thomas

[Normandt]

293. The work that pleases

Faith accompanies the works. To love in thought, words and gestures is the work that pleases the Lord.

He continues:
"The wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace." James, chapter 3, verses 17 to 18



Let's ask Jesus to change our lives and teach us how to live as he wants. Let's become more and more humans sharing the Word with inspired gestures as the Lord wants.

Book: Let's be Loved
Normand Thomas

[Normandt]

294. They just don't know

Jesus wants to purify us. But he also asks us to enter into a movement of wisdom, words and gestures that will help to insert goodness in hearts. This way, the world will learn to live with the Trinity and move away from evil and sin.

Jesus invites us to try to reach people in their hearts in a sober way. Let's be on the move:
"They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic." Mark, chapter 6, verse 9



He says:
Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them. Mark, chapter 6, verses 10 to 11

If we find hospitality in people's hearts, let's get closer to them.

But if we feel that they refuse us, let's go our way and pray that these people will find Jesus in their hearts. Let's ask Jesus to touch their hearts with his Love. These people do not refuse us personally. They just don't know what they're missing by not daring to let Jesus enter their hearts.

Let's ask Jesus to touch the hearts of the people we meet. May the Holy Spirit come before us and let the Father's Heart become their home.

Book: Let's be Loved
Normand Thomas

[Normandt]

[Normandt]

295. To love with Jesus

John is so interesting. He tells us:
"Beloved, let us love one another, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God." 1 John, chapter 4, verse 7

To love keeps us on the road with God, since God is Love. Love is from him and never from us. God Loves in us and through us our family and our friends. To discover that it is God who Loves is to recognize what we can transmit to our surroundings.

To love is the treasure, the unheard-of riches of the Heart of God. And this treasure, God offers it all to us. He wishes for us to accept and appreciate his gift (giving).



Nothing is easier for God than touching hearts, but there is nothing more difficult for us because we often block Love. Love is on everyone's lips, but often abused because many of us do not allow Love to Love. We try to love in God's place.

The degree of love passed from person to person varies. We observe that there is more or less love flowing between us. Well, it is difficult to measure it.

We need Jesus to love. May Jesus be the Love in our life and Love the world through our words, our actions, but also by our silence and our prayers. His Love is always perfect. All opportunities are good to let God Love us.

Let's find the means that allow us to let the Love of God flow. Only Jesus can Love without measure in us and overflow toward all people.

We have nothing to lose and everything to gain by welcoming Jesus into our lives. He will transform us with respect, slowly and surely.

Let's dare to receive Jesus in our life. Let's concede to Jesus his right to Love.

Book: Let's be Loved
Normand Thomas

[Normandt]

[Normandt]

296. Our relationship with Christ

Paul tells us:
"Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that of ourselves we are qualified to take credit for anything as coming from us; rather, our qualification comes from God." 2 Corinthians, chapter 3, verses 4-5

In short, our trust in God comes from God.



It's nice to know that everything real and good comes from God. This is the best assurance we have, divine assurance. And it doesn't cost anything.

Book: Let's be Loved
Normand Thomas

[Normandt]

297. The basis of faith



Ah! Humility:
"My son, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts." Sirach, chapter 3, verse 17

Fulfill all things in humility ... in the humility that God offers us. It is the basis of faith, from its awakening to its fulfillment. To live in humility, we are invited to develop observation.

Being attentive to one's self enables one to develop listening to the other, to others. To know how to observe Jesus in our heart, to know how to observe Jesus in each person, is to reveal Jesus in their heart.

We decentre on ourselves and turn to our heart, to humbly open it to the one who can heal it, Jesus. To reconnect us to the reality of people is an open path to holiness.

Book: Let's be Loved
Normand Thomas

[Normandt]

298. Through humility

The healing of the heart is through humility. Humility before others, before ourselves and before our Creator. Ben Sirach continues:
"Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favour with God." Sirach, chapter 3, verse 18

To humble oneself is not to fall under the others, it's not to let us fall sharply, it is to recognize that human beings are marvels of God, starting with ourselves. God is the master of these wonders.

When we approach God, we recognize that we are very tiny. Our child's heart marvels of who we are before the Creator, before the Creation and before the creatures of God. We have the grace to observe God's beauty in the human being and give the difficulties to Jesus.

All of God is beyond us. To recognize it is to place others where they are in the Heart of God. Let's become friends of God ourselves. Let's receive what God gives us.

Book: Let's be Loved
Normand Thomas

[Normandt]

[Normandt]

299. Humbled and exalted



Jesus tells us:
"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke, chapter 14, verse 11

Whoever raises himself in the will and wisdom of God humbles himself before the splendour of God's presence in his neighbour. He enters into a relationship with God and he discovers Jesus in the life and heart of others. Jesus raises us in his Light so that we can see clearly in our life and with the wish that his Light will spring up and be lowered onto others.

To rise and to lower oneself, if it's God's will, it's exactly the same reality. To humble oneself before God is to be lifted up in God. To be lifted up in God is to lower oneself before God.

We lower ourselves before God to recognize his Kingship in our life. Jesus is Lord of our existence and we recognize him as such. Our humiliation before Jesus is a testimony of the humility received from God, a testimony of faith received from God for others. We affirm with all our being that there is no one superior to Jesus.

Then, we are raised in Jesus since his Love lifts us up and leads us into reality and truth.

To humble oneself before Jesus and to be raised in Jesus allows humility to become our sister.

Book: Let's be Loved
Normand Thomas

[Normandt]

[Normandt]

300. Childlike



There are elements of life that become grand. Life itself is a grace of which it is necessary to be aware and thankful of. We do not see life, it is discreet, but life is much more important, much more to appreciate than it seems to be.

Joy is a reality that we do not see, except when it is manifested through the emotions of a person. Joy is grace and it leaves us much more than just being there.

Peace is a favoured grace, because it leaves us with a sense of heavenly comfort.
Love is the proper of all these graces and it belongs to God. God invites us to live with his Love, to share his graces between us. We discover that there are small gestures and simple words that provoke a lot of good:
"Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Matthew, chapter 11, verse 25

Where the Body and Blood of Jesus is present in small elements of everyday life, we receive infinitely more than we can hope for. We receive everything from the Trinity. Let's receive the Eucharist and let's marvel from within.

May Mary and Joseph, who knew how to give little Jesus to the world, teach us to look at the little and humble, in order to discover God in his infinite Love.

Book: Let's be Loved
Normand Thomas