Return to your first love!

 

One of the passages of the Bible that has caught my attention the most while reading it is found in the Book of Revelation. It's the message to the Angel of Ephesus. In it, he's asked to return to his first love, to remember where he has fallen. My life has been full of spiritual ups and downs, and it seems that when I read it, I was a little angry with God. However, through this reading, He reminded me of my first love, Jesus. I remembered my history within the Church, within its doctrine, and little by little I returned to that first love. Although I will never again have the innocence of childhood, a prayer in one of the prefaces of the Mass says that God returns it to whomever He desires. Hopefully, if we stray from that first love, we will return with renewed innocence and not forget why we learned to love God and His Church. Innocence because Jesus already said that we must be like children to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Revelation 2:1-7

1

1 2 "To the angel of the church 3 in Ephesus, write this: " 'The one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks in the midst of the seven gold lampstands says this:

2

"I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate the wicked; you have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and discovered that they are impostors. 4

3

Moreover, you have endurance and have suffered for my name, and you have not grown weary.

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Yet I hold this against you: you have lost the love you had at first.

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Realize how far you have fallen. Repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

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But you have this in your favor: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, 5 which I also hate.

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" '"Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the victor 6 I will give the right to eat from the tree of life that is in the garden of God."'

St. Mary of Magdala

 “The story of Mary of Magdala reminds us all of a fundamental truth. A disciple of Christ is one who, in the experience of human weakness, has had the humility to ask for His help, has been healed by Him, and has set out following closely after Him, becoming a witness of the power of His merciful love that is stronger than sin and death.”

– Pope Benedict XVI

The Story of Paisia

 

Extracted from the stories of the desert fathers :

This story was also told about Father John: A young girl named Paisia was orphaned by both her father and mother. She then considered converting her house into an inn for the guests of her parents in Scetis. For a considerable time she stayed there, offering hospitality and serving the priests. But in time, when she had consumed her wealth, she began to suffer hardship. Then, stray men attached themselves to her and diverted her from her good purpose, so much so that she began to behave badly, even to the point of prostitution.  The priests heard about this and were very sad. They called Father John the Dwarf and said to him: "We have heard that this sister is behaving badly, the same one who, when she could, showed us her love. We too would like to show her our love now by helping her. Take the trouble to go to her and, according to the wisdom that God has given you, take charge of her." Father John then went to her and said to the old doorkeeper: "Announce your mistress for me." But the doorkeeper tried to dismiss him with these words: "First you devoured her riches, and now she is in misery." Father John said to her: "Tell her precisely that I can be very useful to her." The servants, laughing, said to him: "What do you have to give him, for her to want to see you?" And he replied: "How will you know what I am going to give her?" The old woman went up to her and told her the story. The young woman said: "These monks always pass by the shore of the Red Sea and find pearls." She dressed herself and said: "Yes, send him to me." When she had gone up, she, warning him, placed herself on the couch. Father John went and sat down beside her and, looking into her face, said: "What reason do you have to complain about Jesus, that you have come to this point?" Hearing these words, she was completely frozen. Father John, bowing his head, began to cry profusely. She asked him: "Why are you crying, Father?" After a small gesture, he drew back again, weeping, and said to her: "I see Satan playing on your face, and should I not weep?" The woman then asked: "Father, is there penitence?" He said to her: "Yes." And she: "Take me wherever you want." He said to her: "Let's go." And she got up to follow him. Father John noticed with amazement that she gave no orders or said anything about her house. When they arrived in the desert it was late; he made a small pillow of sand, made the sign of the cross on it, and said to her: "Sleep here." He went a little way, recited his prayers, and lay down. Awakening around midnight, he saw something like a path of light descending from heaven to her, and saw the angels of God carrying her soul on high. Getting up, he approached her and touched her with his foot; and he saw that she was dead. Then he fell face down on the ground, praying to God. And he heard that the Lord had accepted one hour of her repentance more than many of those who are not animated by such fervor.

Alms

  Long ago, in England, a damsel wrapped in a torn dress walked through the streets of a village, knocking on doors and begging for alms. Many addressed offensive words to her, others incited the dog to let her escape. Someone poured pieces of moldy bread and rotten potatoes on her lap. Only two old people let the poor woman in.

«Sit down and warm up,» said the old man, while his wife prepared a bowl of hot milk and a large slice of bread. As the woman ate, the two elders gave her some words and a little comfort.

The next day, an extraordinary event occurred in that village. A royal envoy brought to every house a card inviting all families to the king’s castle. The invitation caused a great stir in the village, and in the evening all the families, dressed in the robes of the feast, arrived at the castle. They were introduced into an imposing dining room and each was assigned a seat.

As everyone sat down, the waiters began to serve the dishes. They immediately rose from a murmur of disgust and anger. The diligent waiters indeed poured into the plates potato skins, stones, bits of moldy bread. Only on the plates of the two elderly people, sitting in a corner, were delicately deposited refined foods and exquisite dishes. Suddenly the maiden with torn robes entered the room. They all shut up. «Today - said the woman - you have found exactly what you offered me yesterday».

She took off her dirty clothes. Underneath, she wore a golden dress. It was the Queen.

A rich man came to heaven. He first walked around the market and was surprised to see that the goods were sold at very low prices. He immediately grabbed his wallet and began to sort out the most beautiful things he saw.

At the time of payment he gave to the angel, who was a salesman, a handful of bills of great value. 

The angel smiled and said, "I’m sorry, but this money has no value".

"How?" surprised the rich man.

"Here only the money that on earth has been donated is worth," answered the angel.

- Mr Bruno Ferrero

From "Cerchi nel Acqua"

Jesus Uses the Broken

 Mary Magdalene had SEVEN demons. Seven. Sis was walking around like a whole haunted house—and yet she was the first to see the empty tomb. 👀🙌🏼

The woman at the well? Married five times and still flirtin’ in the heat of the day. And yet, she’s the first person Jesus ever told, “Hey, I’m the Messiah.” Not a priest. Not a king. A woman with a past and a pitcher.

Let that sink in.

So before you disqualify yourself because of what you did, who you were, or what they still call you behind your back—remember this:

Your past doesn’t cancel your purpose. Your past points to your purpose.

God isn’t intimidated by your mess. He specializes in it. That addiction? That heartbreak? That jail cell, bad relationship, or wild season you barely crawled out of? He uses that to reach the people still stuck in it.

And to the ones sittin’ on the pew polishin’ halos instead of bringing people to the baptism pool… ask them gently:

👉🏼 “So… how many folks have YOU led to Jesus this year?”

Go ahead. I’ll wait. ⏳😇

Don’t you dare give up on yourself. You haven’t gone too far—you’re exactly who He came for.

He left the 99 for the 1.

And baby, sometimes you are that one. 💜

~Nicole Pearso  Chatagnier

The Mission of My Life

 God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it if I do but keep His commandments. Therefore, I will trust Him, whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, He knows what He is about.

- Beato John Henry Newman

Two by Two

 A Gospel hymn says, "The harvest is plentiful, the need is great, and few laborers go to the fields. Today many are lost, wandering aimlessly, like sheep without a shepherd. Here I am, send me, I will go to those who live without you." And the truth is, yes, we need to go out to evangelize, which is nothing other than speaking about Jesus to those in need. I read in my parish bulletin that we can offer to pray for someone in need or even pray with them. The deacon told us today that those of us who are baptized have the commitment to tell others about Jesus. And it's a mission that Jesus himself asks of us. And he's been asking it of us forever. Yesterday, I saw a very moving example. I saw a film about the Italian Chiara Lubich and how her "Focolari" movement began. It began during World War II in Trento, Italy, under the Gospel principle that Jesus asked: if you have two cloaks, give one to the one who doesn't have one. Thus, she evangelized an entire town, and organized them so that together they might be stronger, so that together they might be one in Christ Jesus. And although she suffered opposition, her movement is now found throughout the world. We may not be Chiara Lubich, but we can all lead by example, with kindness, with prayer, with charity. I remembered when I was part of the Legion of Mary and we carried out our apostolate two by two. In my case, by taking the rosary and the Pilgrim Mother to different houses. It was a very beautiful experience. So there is always a way to carry out our mission, which is above all to love our fellow human beings, to let them know that God loves them from eternity, that Jesus died for us and paid for our sins so that whoever believes in Him should never perish but have eternal life. That He rose again and went to the Father to prepare a place for us in His Kingdom.

A Prayer

 My God

Today I ask you

For all those affected

Due to the floods

In the Texas Hill Country

You know Lord

Why do you allow these things?

I ask you Lord

For the souls of those

Who lost their lives,

For their families,

Give them comfort, Lord,

Dry their tears,

For those 

That they have not yet rescued 

Don't let them get lost

Hope.

I know it's been a long time.

But I also know that you are

The God of miracles.

And to all those who have lost their homes, their things,

I pray for them, Lord,

For the rescuers, for the authorities, for all the people along the water cause, 

For the volunteers,

And for all Texans, 

Protect them Lord.

Saints Peter and Paul

 This Sunday, Mass was celebrated for Saints Peter and Paul. The priest told us that despite being very different, Jesus chose them to be the first missionaries of the Church. Saint Peter was a fisherman, and despite having been with Jesus proclaiming the Kingdom of God, Peter denied Jesus three times. However, it was Peter who, moved by God the Father, recognized that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God. It was he to whom Jesus said he would build his Church. It was Peter who led the early Church and evangelized the first communities. Paul was a scholar, an expert in the Holy Scriptures, and an avid persecutor of Christians. However, Jesus chose him to be the evangelizer of the pagans, of the first Christian communities. Paul, before being called Paul, was called Saul. But on a journey, he fell—I don't quite remember the animal that was carrying him—a bright light blinded him, and he heard, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" He asked who was speaking and heard, "It is Jesus whom you are persecuting." From then on, Paul converted to Christianity and began preaching the gospel, now with his sight restored. Both died preaching the truth. Saint Peter died crucified upside down, and Saint Paul was beheaded. The priest tells us that they show us how we are all called to be missionaries, no matter where we come from or where we are. They say that God doesn't choose the prepared, he prepares those he chooses, no matter how you feel at the moment. He has a mission for you. I was listening to a priest the other day advising a man to join the night worshippers. The Lord listened to his advice, and his life changed; it made sense. Take heart; there are countless groups in the church you can participate in. You'll see how God strengthens you and you'll be happier. I've been in several groups, the choir, and I currently proclaim the Word of God at Mass (I read the readings). And God has offered me His friendship and sustains me when I think I can't go on. He has always been with you. Encourage yourself to be a missionary of God's love; you will see that you will not regret it. As Saint Paul said, "Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel."