Author Topic: Forgive So We Can Live and Let Live (Read 1781429 times)

cassini · « **Reply #90 on:** January 29, 2025, 11:16:51 AM »

Fr Sean again.
Mary and Joseph Presented the Infant Jesus to God in the Temple

The Catholic Church celebrates the event of Jesus’ presentation to God in the Temple by Mary and Joseph. They did this in accordance with the Law of the Lord as obedient Jews. Mosaic Law required that the first born in every family and in every herd of animals were to be consecrated to God signifying that he possessed them. The Church celebrates this event because it is the first public recognition that Jesus is the Promised Messiah. This event is remembered in the 4th Joyful Mystery of the Holy Rosary. It is celebrated with the blessing of candles reminding us that Jesus is the “Light of the World” and promised that “Anyone who follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (Jn 8:12). The blessed lit candle in churches and in homes is a sacramental that leads us to realize that Jesus is the light that enlightens everyone.

Four hundred year or so before the birth of Jesus the Old Testament prophet Malachi prophesied the presentation of Jesus in the Temple. “Thus says the Lord God: Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me; and suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek, and the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Yes, he is coming…He will purify the sons of Levi, refining them like gold or like silver that they may offer due sacrifice to the Lord” (Mal 3:1-4). The Temple represented God’s presence for the Israelites and that was where they offered sacrifice in their worship of Him. The Messiah and the Temple are directly connected and this was affirmed by Jesus when He went missing in Jerusalem after the Passover celebration and Mary and Joseph found Him in the Temple. When scolded by Mary, Jesus responded, “Did you not know that I had to be in my Father’s House?” (Lk 2:49). When the Temple was replaced by the ѕуηαgσgυє and the ѕуηαgσgυє was replaced by the Church founded by Jesus He promised to be with His Church until the end of time (Mt 28:20). By presenting the baby Jesus in the Temple Mary and Joseph were presenting Him to God the Father. Similarly in Baptism when parents present their child in the Church they are presenting him or her to Jesus who in turn asks His Father to adopt the child as His child. The Church is the sign of Jesus’ presence amongst us.

In the Presentation not only was Jesus revealed as the Messiah and Saviour of the world for both the Jews and Gentiles but also that He would cause division. In the Temple Mary and Joseph were greeted by two holy people, Simeon and Anna. Both were waiting for the Messiah to come and now, inspired by the Holy Spirit, recognize the infant Jesus as the One promised by God. Simeon took the baby Jesus from Mary and holding Him in his arms “blessed God saying: ‘Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to Your word, for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You prepared in the sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory for Your people Israel’” (Lk 2:28-32). Both Mary and Joseph “were amazed at what was said about Jesus” and both Simeon and Anna were overjoyed by this divine revelation that God had once again fulfilled His promise to personally save His people by coming among them Himself. But then, Simeon, after blessing Mary and Joseph, while still holding the infant Jesus in his arms, looked directly at Mary and said, “Behold, this child is destined for the rise and fall of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted – and you yourself a sword shall pierce – so that the thoughts of many may be revealed” (Lk 2:34-35). The Holy Spirit revealed that Jesus would set the standard that would determine salvation or damnation and that He would suffer piercing Mary’s motherly heart.

The presentation of Jesus in the Temple is a central part of our Catholic Faith because it sets the stage for what is to come in terms of Jesus’ mission and that of His Church. Our relationship with Jesus determines whether we rise or fall, whether we live sinfully or gracefully, whether we prepare ourselves for Heaven or hell. He sets the standard that shows us what is good and what is evil. He is our Judge. As religiously faithful parents Mary and Joseph followed the Mosaic Law. As religiously faithful Catholics we must follow Jesus’s Law that includes the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes. By living according to them we will continue Jesus’ mission to save mankind. But, like Mary, we must be willing to endure suffering imposed by those who reject Jesus and His Church. The day we were presented to Jesus in His Church to be baptized we received the capacity to be what God wants us to be, namely intentional disciples of Jesus constantly giving both private and public witness to His presence in and among us in and through His Church. This we show the world that Jesus is the Light who enlightens each of us as to what is real, true, good, and beautiful. Thus we, in Jesus’ company, help to save the world. Only Jesus can raise us up from suffering and death, otherwise we sink into the depths of suffering and death – the death of supernatural faith, hope, and love. As you enter the Church building this Sunday, reflect on Mary and Joseph as they brought Jesus to the Temple along with your own presentation in the Church the day you were baptized and publicly declared a Christian and a gifted child of God. (fr sean)

cassini · « **Reply #91 on:** February 05, 2025, 11:19:38 AM »

Fr Sean again.
God Always Equips Us to Do What He Asks

Someone said that God doesn’t look for qualified people to do His will; rather he qualifies those whom He calls. I thought about this when reading the story of Peter and his fellow fishermen who were encouraged by Jesus to cast their nets for a catch of fish once again even though they had caught nothing all night (Lk 5:1-11). He gave them the necessary faith to try again. At the sight of the catch Peter “fell at the knees of Jesus and said, ‘Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.’” In response Jesus said to Peter, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” Probably Peter and the other disciples didn’t have a clue as to what Jesus was saying. They would no longer be netting fish but rather spreading the net of Jesus’ Church to bring more people to Him so that He could save them from sin. Jesus called them to participate in this mission not because they were qualified but because He would give them what they needed to do what He asked. The Old and New Testaments are filled with examples of unqualified people whom God qualified to do His bidding. God called Isaiah to speak His word. Immediately Isaiah recognized his incompetence: “Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips…” To qualify Isaiah for the task God sent an angel to free him from his incompetence and immediately he responded: “Here I am, send me!” (Is 6:1-8). Similarly Jeremiah protested when called to be a prophet, “Ah, Lord, I am too young…” and the Lord responded, “Have no fear … because I am with you to deliver you…” (Jer 1:6-8). Inspired by the Holy Spirit, St. Paul tells us, “It is not that we are entitled of ourselves to take credit for anything. Our sole credit is from God, who has made us qualified ministers of a new covenant, a covenant not of written law but of spirit … the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor 3: 5-6). God asks each of us to bring the Faith to others and we excuse ourselves by saying, “Oh, I could never do that!” or “I don’t know enough about my religion!” We must remember that God qualifies the unqualified, so we have no excuse.

God calls each of His children to be faithful members of His Church. In the Preface of the Holy Mass the priest proclaims on our behalf that, “It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give You thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Christ our Lord.” We give thanks to God especially in the Holy Mass but also in our daily prayer and through sharing the gifts God has given to us. The most important gift He has given to us is that of supernatural Faith because it’s the foundation of our relationship with Him and with one another. Without faith there’s no hope and without hope we’re closed to God’s love. God gives us this gift of supernatural Faith to demonstrate to the world that Jesus is our Saviour and that we, through active membership in His Church, are being saved by Him. It’s this Faith that empowers us to pray with the Psalmist (138:1-8), “I will give thanks to You, O Lord, with all my heart, for You have heard the words of my mouth: in the presence of the angels I will sing Your praise; I will worship at Your holy temple and give thanks to Your Name…Your right hand save me. The Lord will complete what He has done for me; Your kindness, O Lord, endures forever; forsake not the work of Your hands.” It’s this Faith that motivates us to share the contents of this prayer with others.

As dutiful Christians who care about the salvation of others, you and I have an obligation to tell others about this Faith and how to receive it. St. Paul told the Corinthians (15:1-11) regarding the Gospel: “I handed it on to you as of first importance what I also received.” What he received was the knowledge of Jesus who died to save mankind from sinfulness and rose again showing that He had conquered sin and death. Handing it on was his first priority. Given the fact that Jesus’ Church has cells all over the world, why haven't the majority of the earth’s citizens converted to Jesus over the past two thousand years? Given the social media coverage of the world today there’s no excuse for anyone to claim that they haven’t heard of Jesus Christ. The problem is that it’s not enough to hear about Jesus; people need to be able to meet Jesus. How and where can that happen? It happens through Christians witnessing their Faith in Jesus through living the Faith at home, at work and through evangelization and catechesis that foster and reflect the supernatural gifts of Faith, Hope, and Charity. Why don’t Catholics witness the Faith that God has given to them? All too often, as I said, their excuse is that they don’t feel qualified. Whose fault is that? There’s no doubt that today ignorance of the Catholic Faith by even baptized Catholics is at an all-time low. Why?

The Church has produced Catechisms down through the centuries to help the members of the Church to understand the Catholic Biblical Faith and how to live it. Just as St. Paul saw that handing on the Faith was of first importance to him so the Pope, bishops, priests, deacons, parents, and godparents must see that handing on the Faith is of first importance to them. Because God qualifies those whom He calls, people in positions of authority in the Church, such as those mentioned above, have no excuse for not handing on the Faith, not a watered-down version or a culturally-friendly version but the true faith in all its authenticity and traditional integrity and continuity. Jesus’ teaching hasn’t changed. His Church’s teaching hasn’t changed because she is His Bride. Today it seems that the only sin that must be avoided is the truth enshrined in Jesus’ Church. Ignorance of Jesus and His Church’s teaching is the greatest enemy of Catholicism because it leaves Satan’s lies without any exposure. The Catholic schools and universities used to be instruments of the Church in her mission of handing on the Faith and helping to form Christian students. Sadly, that’s no longer true since most of these schools have consented to teach what the Church considers as immoral. The Church has always taught that parents are the primary educators of their children and at the baptism of their children they promise to raise them “in accord with the teaching of Jesus and His Church.” Thus they have a duty in justice to faithfully fulfil this promise. The bishops, priests, and deacons have a moral duty to assist the parents in evangelizing and catechizing their children. There’s a serious faith crisis in the Church today, namely a lack of belief that when God gives us a task He also provides the wherewithal to accomplish it. God always more than compensates for our feelings of inadequacy if we have faith in Him. Where there’s a will there’s a way. Therefore God gives the necessary graces to each of us to do what He asks of us and so we have no excuse when we don’t exercise our responsibilities. Each of us is responsible for bringing others to the Lord, beginning with our family. We are our brother’s and our sister’s keeper (Gen 4:1-9). Imagine someone going to hell because you didn’t share the Faith with him or her??? Remember the parable of the talents (Mt 25:14-30) and what happened to the man who buried his talent? (fr sean)

cassini · « **Reply #92 on:** February 13, 2025, 06:57:30 AM »

Fr Sean again.
Do You Feel Blessed or Cursed?
Do you feel blessed or cursed at this point in your life? How do you know? You’re blessed when you’re grateful. Gratitude signifies that a person feels blessed. What is a blessing? Biblically a blessing is a favor from God. The world sees a blessing as simply good luck. The root meaning of “blessing” is to be made holy. A curse is to impose evil on oneself or on others. It’s safe to say that no reasonable person wants to be cursed. Everyone wants to be blessed. But do they understand that to be blessed means to be made holy? When God favors you it’s not because you’re special but that He wants to make you holy. To be holy is to be like God, who is all-Holy and the only source of holiness. Remember that when you ask for a blessing you’re asking God to make you holy, through what you’re doing or will do. What does it mean to be holy? It means to be Christ-like. That is why God sent His Son to show us how to be holy like Him.
In the Old Testament God entered into a series of covenants with His people telling them, “I will be your God and you will be my people” (Jer 30:22). The covenant carried with it blessings and curses. The blessings followed fidelity to the covenant agreement and curses followed infidelity. Whether people were blessed or cursed depended on their choices to either be faithful to God. All blessings come from God while curses are brought down on the people through their freely chosen rejection of God’s love. So faith and blessings go together. Infidelity and curses go together.
Blessings are usually seen as coming from God. People pray to God to bless them. But many people also think that God curses them. There’s no doubt that blessings come from God because only God can make us holy. But curses do not come from Him. God doesn’t impose or wish evil on anyone. Neither does He deprive anyone of any good thing if they trust in Him. He is a provident God. His love for every human being is unconditional, and He wants to bless everyone to make them holy. The problem is that people don’t realize that because of their unrepentant sinfulness they bring curses on themselves. So to benefit from God’s blessing a person must be willing to change through repentance, seek forgiveness in the Sacrament of reconciliation, and bring his or her lifestyle in line with God’s will. God does not bless anyone who refuses to be holy. He cannot bless sin nor does He bless the sinner who remains in his or her sin. He blesses the sinner who is striving to be reconciled with Him and His Church. Sadly, some Church leaders have given false teaching concerning blessings saying that a priest can bless people in a sɛҳuąƖ relationship outside of marriage between a man and a woman or those involved in an adulterous relationship. Such teaching lacks a true understanding of blessing and causes scandal.
Since evil is the opposite of holiness, and cursing is the imposing or wishing of evil or harm on another, a curse is the visitation of the unholy whether it be on oneself or on others. Curses originate in ourselves. We bring curses on ourselves when we sin and continue to curse ourselves when we refuse to repent and seek reconciliation with God and His people. Jesus taught that it’s not what goes into a man’s mouth that makes him impure, but what comes out, since what comes out comes from his mind and heart (Mt 15:11). Blessings come from God, but we curse ourselves by being unfaithful to Him.
The Prophet Jeremiah tried (17:5-8), as God’s messenger, to raise the consciousness of his people regarding blessings and curses. He told them, “Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the Lord.” We curse ourselves when we make our ego, a creature or a thing the center of our lives. When we make God insignificant in our lives we become unholy and curse ourselves with inevitable disappointment and failure. The more we rely on God as the only source of our power and meaning the holier we become – the more blessed we are. The more we rely on ourselves or others or things as the source of success the more we turn away from God and the more unholy –cursed – we become. Why? Anyone or anything we look to for power and meaning other than God leads to disaster. No creature can fulfill the needs of another creature. Fulfillment of the creature is the remit of the Creator alone.
Jeremiah goes on to tell them what they need to do to be blessed. “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is in the Lord.” God blesses us, but to be the beneficiaries of His blessing we must be willing to trust and hope in Him to make us holy. If we’re not properly disposed, we won’t allow ourselves to benefit from His grace. It’s like offering a pearl to a pig.
Jesus’ Church gives us Jesus’ teaching regarding blessings and curses in St. Luke’s Gospel (6:17.20-26). Jesus tells us what is necessary in order to receive God’s blessing and how people bring curses on themselves. Jesus tells us that the blessed are those who are poor, hungry, grieving, and hated because of their faith. Being poor, hungry, sad, and persecuted don’t seem like blessings to reasonable people. They aren’t. Jesus isn’t endorsing poverty, hunger, sorrow, and persecution? What is He saying? God blesses those who have a spirit of poverty, namely an attitude whereby a person shares his or her time, talents, gifts, and money with those who don’t have the bare minimum demanded by human dignity. To be poor is to realize that every good thing comes from God and isn’t so much given to us as it is through us to others. Those who grieve for one’s own sins and the sins of others and hunger for God and the purification of a sinful world are blessed. Those who empathize with the suffering in this world are blessed. Those who stand up for their faith regardless of the obstacles or persecution are blessed by God. Such people rely on God as the center of their lives and source of their hope for the salvation of everyone.
Jesus goes on to identify those who deprive themselves of God’s blessing and curse themselves in the process. Who are they? Those who rely on their wealth to gratify their desires while ignoring those in need. The self-satisfied who are so obsessed with themselves that they ignore the hungry. The good-timers who are so caught up in their own entertainment that they ignore the grieving and those in sorrow. The populists who are so addicted to applause that they compromise their principles and lose their integrity.
We have to be careful that what we think is a blessing in this world doesn’t turn out to be a curse. What the world considers a blessing may very well be a curse. Jesus points out clearly that all these people whom he identified as ignoring the materially or spiritually poor, the hungry, the grief-stricken, and the weak will have the tables turned on them. Let’s make sure that when we ask God to bless us we’re not heaping curses on ourselves. It is the difference between seeking holiness and being selfish – between being God-centered and being self-centered. (fr sean)

Count Your Blessings
When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings—money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
(Johnson Oatman, Jr. 1897)

cassini · « **Reply #93 on:** February 19, 2025, 01:26:39 PM »

Fr Sean again.
Are You an Earthly or a Heavenly Thinker/Feeler?

Jesus has made Christianity, visible in the Catholic Church’s teaching, worship, and service, the only hope for the salvation of mankind. G.K Chesterton noted that, “The problem with Christianity is not that it has been tried and found wanting; rather it has been found difficult and not tried.” In other words, Christianity is found difficult because it moves people from earthly to heavenly thinking. Even those of us who belong to Jesus’ Church are more earthly in our thinking than heavenly. Why? Because we live in the world and we are constantly exposed to worldly thinking. Christianity is found difficult because it doesn’t fit worldly thinking. Jesus founded His Church and calls us to be members in order to expose us to heavenly thinking. Christianity calls us to focus on the things of Heaven rather than on the things of this world (Mt 6:33). Paradoxically, the more we focus on getting to Heaven the more we’ll use earthly things in a manner that expresses our love for God.
I remember a bumper sticker that read, “Don’t get mad, get even”? We live in a worldly culture that says, “Please yourself.” The golden rule of, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Mt 7:12)” has been turned upside down to say, “Do unto others before they do unto you” “Look out for number one!” This is all earthly thinking. Christianity is foolishness to self-centered people. Why? Because they think they can perfect themselves and don’t need Christ. Christianity’s heavenly thinking preaches and demands charity, which demands generosity which demands love without expecting a reward.
St. Paul explains that the difference between Christian and worldly thinking is the difference between Adam and Christ Jesus (1 Cor 15:45-49). “The first man, Adam, became a living being, the last Adam (Christ) a life-giving spirit. … The first man was from earth, earthly; the second man, from Heaven. As was the earthly one, so also are the earthly, and as the Heavenly one, so also are the heavenly.” The first Adam sinned. The second Adam (Jesus) brought forgiveness. The earthly man thinks selfishly and sinfully. The heavenly Man thinks charitably. You and I bear the image of the earthly Adam, but through Jesus’ gift of Baptism into His Church, we now bear a new image – the image of Christ and a new way of thinking that is heavenly rather than earthly.
We see an example of Heavenly thinking in the story of how David spared the life of Saul who had sworn to kill him (Sam 26:2 -23). He found Saul asleep. His military leader, Abishi, urged David to kill the sleeping Saul. But, David refused saying, “Do not harm him, for who can lay hands on the Lord’s anointed and remain unpunished.” David expresses heavenly thinking. He replaced revenge with mercy and justice by being charitable toward his enemy.
To be a Christian is to be anointed by Christ in Baptism into His Church and, as a result, graced to think like Him. The meaning of the word “Christ” is “The anointed One” – specially chosen by God to be His representative on earth. Christ Jesus wasn’t only God’s special representative, He was His Son – His Word-made flesh. As God’s anointed One, Jesus bore the image of God over His earthly image. He is the perfect image of God in human form. The same is true of Christians. In Baptism God placed the image of Christ over our earthly image making us His adopted children, and heirs to His Kingdom. This makes us different in our thinking and action from all others who don’t bear the image of Jesus Christ over their earthly image.
Jesus points out (Lk 6:27-38) how the bearing of His image over our earthly image transforms our thinking and attitudes. Here we clearly see the difference between the worldly man and the stance of the spiritual man. We can also see why the world considers Christianity as senseless. The world mocks Christianity as “pie in the sky” or as Marx called it, “the opium of the people.”
Jesus taught His disciples to practice heavenly thinking. “To you who hear what I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” The world hears this and says, “Are you crazy? Do you know how long you would last in the world with that mentality? Don’t get mad, get even.” The world views the Christian way as the surest way to be a victim. Enemies must be killed, not loved; curse those who hate you, or hate them back; get revenge on those who mistreat you! This is the only way to win. Heavenly thinking, on the other hand, decries this attitude because it makes things worse.
Heavenly thinking calls us to show our enemy what God calls him to be. Christians, then, displace hate with love, revenge with mercy and justice, violence with peace, hurt with forgiveness, selfishness with generosity, etc. “To the one who strikes you on one cheek, offer him the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic.” Earthly thinking views this as weakness and silliness. “Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.” The world says, “What will you have left for yourself? Don’t you know that people will take advantage of you? People are basically selfish. What will happen when you have given away everything and are destitute? You must look out for yourself and not for others.” Ironically, the world makes itself a victim of its illusion of self-salvation. As Christians we’re never victims because we believe with St. Paul that, “if God is with us who can be against us” (Rom 8:31). As Christians we’re always victors because our heavenly thinking assures us of who alone can save us and we’re not dependent on the world for our security. The Christian way enables us to be in control because we know that God is in control of everything.
Christian thinking enables us to rise above the worldly fray by outdoing others in doing good and giving good example. “For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even unbelievers love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even unbelievers do the same.”
Jesus tells us, “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.” As Christians we must judge character, actions, and relationships to determine whether they’re good, right, and just. However, we never judge the person since we know that’s reserved to the individual and to God. Enlightened by Jesus we condemn bad character, wrong actions, and unjust relationships, but we never condemn the person since that’s God’s domain. The focus of Christian thinking and action is always on the improvement of one’s witness to the success of the Way of Christ in a world that scoffs at it.
Worldly thinking focuses on taking while Christian thinking emphasizes giving. “Give, and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in turn be measured out to you.” Here we find the answer to the question why does Christianity lead to happiness while a worldly outlook doesn’t. Christianity focuses on giving, which requires reliance on God’s providence. The world focuses on taking because it never has enough. It’s in giving that we become aware of our riches and give thanks to God for them. It’s in grabbing that we impoverish others and take what doesn’t belong to us. What we do to others we do to ourselves. If we don’t give, we won't get. The giver is always a winner. To help Jesus save mankind we must practice heavenly rather than earthly thinking (Col 3:2). (fr sean)

cassini · « **Reply #94 on:** February 26, 2025, 11:53:59 AM »

Fr Sean again.
Are You Living According to the Jesus’ Wisdom

Wise living follows from making decisions that ensure we gain more than we lose, especially in the long term. Foolish living is about losing more than we gain. It’s therefore very important that we determine what’s gain and what’s loss for us. Reasonable people would probably say that gain is anything that enhances life and loss is what undermines it. But what enhances life and what undermines it? The purpose of life is to die well, and that means dying in the friendship of Jesus Christ since He is the door to Heaven.

The Dictionary defines wisdom as the ability to make a decision based on the combination of knowledge, experience, and intuitive understanding or the ability to know and apply spiritual truths. Where do we find spiritual truths? Lots of religions, groups, and individuals offer “spiritual truths,” but they don’t specify where they come from. So how do we know they’re true? Spiritual truths come from the Author of truth, namely Jesus Christ who revealed Himself as “the Truth” (Jn 14:6). Reason says that to discern what’s spiritual truth, we must go to the origin of Truth, namely Jesus Christ. Living wisely, then, means living according to what Jesus teaches about what perfects our life, brings us happiness, and assures that our life won’t end and that we will be fulfilled, free from sin and death.

Wise living involves making choices that combine knowledge and experience of Jesus who frees us from our human limitations that are either imposed or self-imposed upon us. Freedom is probably our most important value, maybe even more than life itself. It’s the ability to be what God created us to be, namely His image and likeness. Wisdom and freedom go hand-in-hand. From a secular perspective, Don Miguel Ruiz, in his book, “Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom,” identifies what he calls “four agreements” that help a person live wisely. 1st: “Be impeccable with your word” by speaking with integrity, making sure that what you say is true, helpful, and kind. 2nd: “Don’t take anything personally” by realizing that what other people say and do reflects their choices, not yours, and so avoid needless suffering. 3rd: “Don’t make assumptions” by communicating with others as clearly as possible in order to eliminate misunderstandings, sadness, and drama. 4th: “Always do your best” in every circuмstance and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret. Ruiz thinks that, from a psychological and emotional perspective, by making these four agreements with yourself and expecting others to do likewise people live wisely. This seems insightful but there’s more to us that the psyche and emotions. We are body-soul creatures with a spiritual soul that yearns for God. Therefore we need to know how to live wisely as spiritual persons created by God.

Spiritual wisdom is the ability to know and apply spiritual truths. Spiritual truths reflect the nature of the Holy Spirit and His impact on our human spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. Our human spirit reflects our identity, attitude, character, worldview, what we say and do at any given moment in our life. The truth about the Holy Spirit is that He is the third Person of the Holy Trinity and is the personification of the unconditional love shared by God the Father and God the Son. The truth about our spirit is that it is imperfect and prone to selfishness and sin. Our spirit needs the Holy Spirit to purify, strengthen, inspire, and perfect it. Our spirit reflects what’s in our heart, which in turn reflects the state of our soul that is either fulfilled or deprived in its yearning for God. Therefore, knowing and applying spiritual truths means allowing the Holy Spirit to envelop our spirit and bring us to Jesus present in His Church. We know God personally through Jesus Christ. We come to know our self through self-discovery in our relationships and experiences. The more we come to know God the more we come to know and understand our self as His image and likeness. The more we know God the more we know our strengths and weaknesses. Jesus, the model of what it means to be perfectly human, teaches us the truth about what we need to be a fully human and fully alive person, imagining and acting like Jesus.

Knowing and applying spiritual truths make us aware that we need Jesus if we’re to live wisely and freely. Experience, if we’re honest, tells us that to be impeccable in our words, avoid taking things personally, avoid making bad assumptions, and committed to doing our best in every situation requires help that we can’t give our self. That help comes from God. Jesus asks us, “Can the blind lead the blind … can the disciple be superior to the teacher … can good fruit come from a rotten tree …?” (Lk 6:39-45). The answer is a resounding “No!” Jesus points out that “a good man out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but and evil man out of the store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks” (Lk 6:45). What’s in our heart comes from the thoughts we put in our mind. “The fruit of the tree shows the care it has had, so too does one’s speech disclose the bent of one’s mind” (Sir 27:4-7). Our human thoughts are influenced by the world and the culture in which we live and are changeable as the world and culture changes. Our human thoughts aren’t sufficiently grounded in truth without the help of the Holy Spirit. It’s the Holy Spirit who leads our spirit to embrace Jesus Christ who is truth personified. By following Jesus, present in His Church, we’re able to use His truth as the filter to distinguish truth from lies. Making Jesus’ truth the lens through which we view everything, we can, in the words of St. Paul, “be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord. Knowing that in the Lord (y)our labour is not in vain” (1 Cor 15:54-58), and we will make wise decisions. Jesus promises us that, “Any man who follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (Jn 8:12).

By living according to Jesus’ teaching nothing that we say or do is in vain. Then we’ll speak with integrity and courage; we won’t be victims by taking things personally; we won’t assume what we don’t know, and we’ll put our heart into doing our best. Through meditating on God’s Word as interpreted and taught by Jesus’ Church we’ll fill our mind with thoughts that open our heart to divine goodness and the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Then with joy we’ll proclaim with the Psalmist, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praise to His Name, Most High, to proclaim Your kindness at dawn and Your faithfulness throughout the night … they that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God…They shall bear fruit even in old age; vigorous and sturdy shall they be, declaring how just is the Lord, my rock, in whom there is no wrong” (Ps 92:2-3, 14-16). This expression of Faith generates enthusiasm and a zest for eternal life.

The Christian life is a life lived wisely. It’s a productive life because the decisions always lead to gain rather than loss, especially regarding perfection, happiness, and a life that lasts forever. The application of spiritual truths revealed by Jesus defines and refines us so we can withstand the trials and tribulations of life on earth. Christianity makes us wise with the truth that comes from God who never fails us and is ever-faithful to His promises to love us unconditionally. The person living wisely makes the most of the present and looks forward with high hopes to the future – a future that brings a perfection, a happiness, freedom, and a peace, and a love that never ends. (fr sean)

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