SHouT out Series: To the “Christians”

The Eastern MV Shout here in Toronto was two weeks ago, yet I’m still running on a Spiritual Hangover of sorts. Throughout the whole week, everything (for me) kept pointing to two things:

1. I am the way, the truth and the life.
2. Build Me

The Lord kept bringing up these two themes in my prayer time, my scripture reading, my conversations with fellow MVs, and even at my workplace.  I kept myself open to the Holy Spirit and made sure to be more sensitive to its leading. Sure enough, in the last twelve hours of the SHOUT, He showed me a glimpse of the greatness that He has been working on.

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I AM THE WAY. Everything He ever did always fell on one thing: love. This was his only motive, and so it should be ours as well. His way gives us the opportunity to pour out into the world the love which God has placed in our hearts. Jesus, even in His full splendour never failed to serve those around Him. The scene of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet always provokes such a strong emotion out of me every time I picture it; you cannot get any more personal than that. Each relationship he had with his followers was important. It is never a question of whether or not He can do much for us, rather how much we allow him to do things for us. His only desire is ours.

“Our neighbor’s spiritual need transcends every commandment. Everything else we do is a means to an end. But love is an end already, since God is love.” – St. Edith Stein

Christ said, “I AM THE TRUTH“; he did not say “I am the custom.” (St. Toribio)
Oftentimes our religion is accused of being too rigid and strict, however as St. John Paul II points out ‘Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.‘ The truth sets us free; Jesus is truth. Living out our life as God intends us to (re: ten commandments and the Beatitudes) frees us from our vices which chains us and weighs us down. 

“When we speak God’s word, Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” – Jeremiah 23:29

Speaking His word and declaring it with conviction allows God’s kingdom to be built right here on Earth. We must not be afraid to speak the Truth. Through our fearlessness, More people will come to know heaven even while they are still alive.

I AM THE LIFE.  The way of the cross is the way of life. The words ‘To live is Christ, to die is gain’ (Philippians 1:21) . Jesus did not suffer so that we didn’t have to, rather so that we KNOW how to because “apart from the Cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.” (St. Rose of Lima). When we share in Christ’s suffering, we allow His beautiful and most Sacred Heart to beat in unison with ours. We allow Christ to dwell in us thus bringing life to those we encounter as well.

“Before they were known as Christians, the first disciples of Jesus were known as followers  of The Way. The ‘way’ of Jesus is the way of self-giving service. When we serve our neighbour, our service makes God’s Word visible and believable. Like the apostles and first deacons, our service to others helps them to experience Jesus as ‘the way’, the one who teaches us the truth about ourselves and brings us abundant life.” – St. Philip Neri, May 18 bulletin

Praise God that He allowed me to come across all of these things in just one week. He sees my desire to understand Him and to know him, and now that He has shared to me this bountiful and beautiful blessing I have a responsibility to share it.
Lord, give us the courage to follow your way, conviction to speak the truth, and the joy to live the life you give to us. Amen.