Each Voice - November 30, 2010

"Their voice has gone forth to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world." Romans 10:18

Each time I speak or write a word, a choice has been made. One word, one choice, one voice. Being Christian means lowering your gaze, lowering your voice, kneeling down. Being Christian is an inward journey, listening for sounds from God within prayers, announcements, conversations; listening for comments from God within the wilderness of neon lights; listening for the music of God within crowded bars filled pints of beer and floating television screens. Being Christian means searching and striving for goodness, kindness, holiness. Being Christian will often be difficult. Each word, each choice, each voice can be important for our individual salvation and for the salvation of our neighbors. Being Christian means following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ and asking others to do it also. Within each Christian there is a voice haunting, a voice heavenly, a voice comforting. Within each of us is God's love and we are encouraged to share this news and to rejoice.

Each day presents many of us a battle of choices, ideas, actions. Do we make time for prayer? Do we take time to praise and thank God? Do we simply have another cup of coffee, another cigarette, another two minutes of office chitchat. Each prayer is worth a million jokes. Prayer illustrates our faith, our hope. Prayer illuminates our charity, our humility, our obedience when it is done honestly, lovingly, kindly with reverence. Prayer asks only for our truth, in emotion, in spirit. Prayer offers patience, kindness, wisdom. We can choose to live each day filled with prayer. Prayer is both harmony and melody. Prayer is passionate. Prayer is creative. Prayer offers tranquility. All's prayer that loves prayer.

As Christians each day that we are alive is a day for discernment, a day for giving thanks and praise to God. Our search for goodness, holiness, kindness never ends. Our journey to charity, humility, obedience never ends.

Each day we are given opportunities to improve our lives and the lives of our friends, families, neighbors. This is a wacky culture of conflicting moral messages. This is a time when goodness, kindness, holiness are often seen as the voice of dissent, the voice of the minority. Here is a world, pernicious and licentious, starving for attention, acceptance, love. Here is a world of pill-popping, make-believe, instant solutions with many dangerous side effects written in extra fine small print. Every day this world, our culture attacks us, tempts us, tries to seduce us, tries to lead us away from goodness, holiness, kindness. Every day our culture tries to lead us away from God for a second, an hour, a day.

Every day we must use each word, each choice, each voice to remain steadfast with charity, humility, and obedience within our hearts, minds, and souls.



How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!

The Spirit

How interesting this conversation between the Pharisee named Nicodemus and Jesus was! How simply did Jesus describe the sacrament of baptism. How beautifully did Jesus describe the call, the desire for conversion which we hear throughout our lives, leading us toward God! It is easy for us to forget this today! We always are searching for evidence. We always are seeking new solutions to old problems. We always are listening to all types of theories and assumptions about ourselves, our lives, our future. If we stop for a minute, and instead of talking to our friends about the things which concern and trouble us, we would pick of the Bible and read it, and concentrate on what we have read, then if our hearts and souls are pure and sincere, real answers, loving answers would appear before us. The Spirit is always around us but we must each individually nourish it, allow ourselves to listen to it, remember to greet the Spirit with reverence. For all that we do, we must offer it to God, for the Spirit leads us to God; allow the Spirit to teach you how to give thanks and praise to God; allow the Spirit to teach you how to be a loving, humble servant of God; allow the Spirit to teach you how to pray. The Spirit is there to help with your continuing education of humility, charity, obedience, forgiveness, mercy, and love. As Christians we must remember and acknowledge the importance of the Spirit in our lives.

“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

We are all trying to get to heaven. This journey provides our lives with meaning. All are actions, all our prayers, all our good deeds are done for us to one day gain admittance to heaven. We cannot go there in the flesh with our Botox injections, Prada shoes, or credit cards. We can only go there with the hope, love, faith that governs and guides us toward goodness, toward holiness. We can only go there when our spirit is sincere, pure, reverent. We can only go to heaven when God is pleased with our service during our lifetime. Each thought, each action is important. What we keep in our hearts hidden away is important. As Christians please all love to flourish and nourish your mind, heart, and soul. Avoid all worldly temptations, all worldly desires. Remember that temptations and desires are temporal. Think of God, think of ways to love your neighbor. When we think of God with love and reverence in our hearts and souls, the Spirit expands, provides answers, displays goodness and holiness which often goes unnoticed and unappreciated.

“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.”


Each day we must thank God for the wonderful gift of our Baptism. Each day we must we must thank God for the wonderful gift of the Spirit.