Tag: #sinners

Be a Blessing

“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” – Genesis 12:2

You are blessed, abundantly, but do you feel blessed? Do you accept the blessings that God wants to bestow on you? Do you let those blessings flow through you to others?

In reading this morning, I was reminded that I am not simply blessed by God to be blessed; I am blessed by God for the sake of others, so that through God’s blessings, I may bless others. What that basically means is to pay it forward.

God blesses us each and every day, in immeasurable and uncountable ways. However, we don’t always accept those blessings. Oftentimes this is because we don’t recognize ourselves as worthy of all the goodness that God wants to share with us. We feel like we don’t deserve it. We feel like we are not good enough for God’s unconditional love. But it doesn’t matter if we believe we deserve it or not, God’s love and generosity know no limits. He wants to pour out his love upon us and bless us abundantly. He is simply that generous, that loving, of a Father.

One of the many blessings of New Year’s Day was making cannoli with my son

I know I regularly feel like I don’t deserve God’s blessings. I’m a sinner – big time, and I struggle a lot. I am certainly not worthy of the goodness God has given me. But there are also times that I fail to recognize the blessings in my life because sometimes those blessings look a lot like challenges and trials.

Cuddling with my dogs (3 of the 4 pictured here) is a daily blessing for me.

There have been blessings in my life that I didn’t understand, that I didn’t recognize as blessings until well after the moment had passed. These were times of pain and struggle, times of uncertainty and fear, and times of anger and sadness. From dealing with the deaths of friends and loved ones to battling cancer to testing relationships, I have experienced a number of events in the past few years alone that have been difficult. But each of those moments was wrapped up in God’s grace that helped me get through those times and come out stronger. Each of those experiences, each of those blessings, helped me learn and grow, and hopefully taught me how and allowed me to bless others in some way.

God’s grace has turned our challenges into blessings and strengthened our marriage

So today, accept all the blessings that God wants to give you, share them, and be a blessing to someone else. God has so much in store for you if you would just be open to accepting what He wants to give you, whether or not you feel you are worthy or deserving of his love.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—” – Ephesians 2:8. This is the greatest blessing of all, eternal salvation, and God gives it freely to each of us through faith. And today, please pray for me and I will continue to pray for you.

Worthy

“Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” These are the words of Peter from the Thursday morning gospel and they likely ring true for each one of us. How many times have you not felt worthy of a relationship with God, not worthy of the love that He has for you? It is easy to feel that way, we are human. We struggle, we fail, we sin, we repent. And then, if you are anything like me, you do it all over again (and again, and again). How could God possibly love me, why would He want a relationship with me, a repeat sinner. How many times have I said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am sinful.”? How many times have I pushed God away because of my transgressions?

But who were Jesus’ closest friends– outcasts, thieves, lawbreakers, delinquents, wrongdoers, in a word – sinners. These people were far from perfect, but that is exactly who God uses to build His kingdom, to spread the gospel and to share His love. I mean, Jesus chose Peter to be the founder of the modern church. Peter who was a married fisherman, who at times lacked faith, and who even denied knowing Christ – not once, not twice, but three times – in the moments prior to Jesus’ crucifixion. Yes, Peter was a sinner and Peter was the first Pope of the Catholic Church. Peter certainly didn’t feel worthy, but that didn’t matter. Christ chose Peter. God had greater plans for Peter than he could have ever imagined.

The reading from Thursday’s mass was from one of Paul’s letters to the Colossians. So let’s look at Paul, another sinner who was called by God for greater service. Prior to hearing God’s call, Paul persecuted the early followers of Christ. Paul sought out Christians. He encouraged the punishment of those who followed Jesus Christ and believed he was the Messiah. It is believed that he even supported the death penalty for Christians. Then he had his conversion on the road to Damascus. Talk about a sinful man, talk about not feeling worthy. This man decried Christ, denounced Christianity and persecuted those who followed Jesus. And God called him, God chose him. God had a greater plan for Paul.

I find it amazing, in the Bible alone, how God calls to sinners and makes them saints. How God uses people where they are to share His word, to spread His message, to build His kingdom. But I also find it amazing how God uses people today – everyday – to do the very same thing. Think about the people with whom you interact every day. Then think about the interactions that you have with them. Think about the little ways in which they are spreading the word of God. I bet it is in ways in which they don’t even realize. But if you take time to look at those interactions, I bet you will see God’s love for you and for others.

For example, I work in the Catholic Schools. When I tell you that our teachers and staff are selfless, I truly mean it. These are people to walking examples of Christ’s love. They don’t only teach the gospel, they live it. From taking time to help a student who is struggling with a particular subject, to checking up on co-workers, to spending time coaching, tutoring, and volunteering, to participating in mass, leading bible studies, or just sharing their faith with others. They are spreading the word of God with the Love of Christ.

And it is not limited to those who work in faith-based environments. It’s the server in the restaurant who makes that extra effort to make you feel special, or your son pouring a glass of juice for you when you wake up groggy in the middle of the night (yes, that is a real life experience, right there), or your spouse doing the dishes because you’re not feeling great (another real life experience), or your friend sending a text just to see how you are doing, or you Mom calling to tell you she loves you, or the neighbor bringing over fresh vegetables from their garden. It is all those random acts of kindness, those little moments where you can see Christ through the action of others, when others are being Christ to you.

While none of us may feel worthy of a relationship with God, or to be called by Christ, we are. God chose each of us. He sent his son to die for us. It is through Christ’s suffering and death that we are made worthy. God calls each of us to love (a direct quote from Fr. Tom’s homily), despite our sinfulness, or maybe because of our sinfulness. He has a greater plan for each of us. God wants us to share in the building of His kingdom, in spreading the gospel, in sharing His love. How are we going share and show that love to others? How are we going to be Christ for another person? Please pray for me and I will continue to pray for you.