When You Answer The Call…

I’m sure we all have received calls that have changed our lives. There are the kind we hope we
never receive etc. or something tragic happening to someone we love. There are also the ones that
change our lives in a good way. Some of you may have met a person at a friend’s house or a party
and you thought, “I would really like to get to know that person better.” After exchanging phone
numbers, the person gives you a call and as one thing leads to another you become the best of
friends. Your life has been changed and you are grateful for it.

There are many episodes in the Holy Scripture on how God called his Prophets. One of my
favorites is the calling of Samuel. Samuel got a call in the middle of the night His life was changed
and so were the lives of all God’s people for hundreds of years thereafter, especially since Samuel is
the person who established the monarchy and anointed Israel’s first two kings. Martin Luther King
received a call to the ministry and that led to other calls to struggle in a non-violent way for justice
for all the people in USA. Andrew and another disciple heard John the Baptist point out Jesus and
they responded to Jesus’ call to “come and see.” The next day Peter received his brother Andrew’s
call to meet Jesus. Their call was not dramatic as dramatic as Samuel’s was.

It’s very, very seldom that God calls out our name in the middle of the night as he did with Samuel.
Usually he speaks to us through others, through a religious person like John the Baptist or even
through relative or friend. Sometimes he speaks through someone we don’t like. If we answer when
God speaks, our lives will never be the same. Maybe that’s why many people avoid quiet prayer.
They might hear God say something they don’t want to hear. They’re comfortable with their life the
way it is.

As I look back from my past, I couldn’t think that my life was radically changed when God called
me to follow him, to assimilate him closer. I hoped I could be like everyone else and get married
some day and have children. But << the way of God is not our way, his thoughts are not our
thoughts >>. God just kept calling to me without recognizing it until finally I gave in and said
to God: “<< speak Lord, for your servant is listening”>>. I’m glad I answered “yes.” Giving up
marriage is hard at times, but so is being married hard at times. Following Christ in especial form of
consecration professing the Evangelical Counsel, has been very fulfilling and nothing to fear of, as
Jesus said to Peter: << Don’t afraid, from now on you will become fisherman of men >>.

At times we think maybe God is saying something to us but we’re not sure. God calls everybody
and it’s up to us to answer him or not. It maybe a call for marriage, to be some big thing like going
into religious life, to be a missionary, or as simple as volunteering for some kind of service to others
or praying a little more. We think, “is this really what God wants?”. God does reach us through
others. We see that through the Scriptures, he touches us and speaks to us. His eternal call to us is to
holiness, which we attain to an ever-greater degree as we come to know him and love him.

Try to think:

1. Have you ever tried to ask yourself: is this really what God wants to me?
2. Am I ready to answer His call?
3. Do you find it hard to say “yes” to Him?
4. Parents, are you an obstacle for the vocation of your children?

11 February 2013

Little Boy’s Explanation of God

Little Boy’s Explanation of God – Fabulous ! ! !
Out of the mouths of the Babes –
I certainly don’t think an adult could explain this more beautiful

THIS IS FABULOUS ! ! !

It was written by an 8- year old named Danny
Dutton, who lives in Chula Vista, CA. He wrote it
for his third grade homework assignment.
‘explain God. I wonder if any of us could have
done well?
(and he had such an assignment, in California, and some
published it, I guess miracles do happen!)

EXPLANATION OF GOD

‘One of God’s main jobs is making people. He makes
them to replace the others that die, so there will be
enough people to take care of things on earth. He
doesn’t make grownups, just babies. I think
because they are smaller and easier to make. That
way he doesn’t have to take up his valuable time
teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave
that to mothers and fathers.’

‘God’s second most important job is listening to
prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some
people, like preachers and things, pray at times
beside bedtime. God doesn’t have time to listen to
the radio or TV because of this. Because he hears
everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in
his ears, unless he has thought of a way to turn it off.’

‘God sees everything and hears everything and is
everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you
shouldn’t go wasting his time by going over your
mom and dad’s head for something they
said you couldn’t have.’
‘Atheists are people who don’t believe in God. I
don’t think there are any in Chula Vista. At least
there aren’t any who come to our church.’

‘Jesus is God’s Son. He used to do all the hard
work, like walking on water and performing
miracles and trying to teach the people who didn’t
want to learn about God. They finally got tired of
him preaching to them and they crucified him. But
he was good and kind, like his father, and he told
his father that they didn’t know what they were
doing and to forget them and God said O.K.’
‘His dad(God) appreciated everything that he had
done and all his hard work on earth so he told him

he didn’t have to go out on the road anymore. He
could stay in heaven. So he did. And now he helps
his dad out by listening to prayers and seeing
things which are important for God to take care of
and which ones he can take care of himself
without having to bother God. Like a secretary,
only more important.’

‘You can pray anytime you want and they are sure
to help you because they got it worked out so one
of them is only on duty all the time.’
‘You should always go to church on Sunday
because it makes God happy, it’s God!
Don’t skip church to do something you think will
be more fun like going to the beach This is wrong.
And besides the sun doesn’t come out at the beach
until noon anyway.’

If you don’t believe in God, besides being an
atheist, you will be very lonely, because your
parents can’t go everywhere with you, like to
camp, but God can. It is good to know he’s around
you when you’re scared, in the dark or when you
can’t swim and you get thrown into real deep
water by big kids.’
‘But…you shouldn’t just always think of what God
can do for you. I figure God put me here and he
can take me back anytime he pleases.
And…that’s why I believe in God.!

( have an awesome day, and know that someone has thought
about you ! )

Vision of our Life

The vision of our life in the light of Jesus died and risen is an optimistic vision of hope and become
a commitment, a response to the calling in giving himself/herself in joy and praise projecting
towards immortality, << nor death celebrate you; those who go down to the pit can hope no longer
in your constancy. The living, the living are the ones who praise you as I do today >> (Is 38:18-19).
As St. Paul says: << to God we are the fragrance of Christ ….>>; the smell of life leading to life >>
( 2 Cor 2:15-16 ).

How can we bring today hope and trust in life between terror and pessimism, between indifference
and egoism? A tramp confide to a volunteer: <<One time people if not always, gave money, gave a
smile and greeted you; but now they don’t care at all not even a smile nor greet you >>.
Following the Gospel, born compassion and good heartedness which is not goodsome. Walking
on this way and donating ourselves to others, we bear witness that to be human is not voted to
annihilation nor to desperation.

Today’s philosophy speak to us the death of God, of the faint thought which seems that the world is
overcome by nothing – an entropy, the end of all. But we are the revelation of God, visible sign of
his presence and realization of his project. It’s not enough to live << biologically >>, but we need to
discover the secret of life. Many are living in death and giving to death. A life unfold one’s self on
his/her own personal wants and put it in the center as an idol, makes one’s self “ fragrance of death
for him/her and for others and does not permit to discover the secret of life. << For these last, the
smell of death, leading to death >> (2 Cor 2:16 ). Jesus said: << I am the life >> and following him
we will enter to the secret of life and bear witness.

One thing that count is the way to discover life that pass across our choices, decisions, answers
but also through sufferings. Giving birth to life also means to suffer. On the way to discover the
secret of life, we have a privilege means though it’s not the only way: prayer as an encounter is
an immersion in God of life, whatever might be the status of soul in a moment of distraction and
fragility. It is a consolation of the heart that invoke the Holy Spirit.

It is common today and easy to lose the sense of life. The wants to live and wants to go down from
the train and put the journey to an end. Beyond any psychology and pharmacology aspects, the
serenity can be recovered accepting who we are, appraising the precious gift of life and the beauty
to donate it to others despite all; we need to discover in prayer the communion presence with God,
the presence of God that lives in us and heals us, and helps us to overcome all our fears, pessimism,
lack of sense of life and our distrust.

Try to think:
• Is your life is synchronized with the life that Jesus indicate you to follow?
• Do you read your life as a calling to be a gift for others?
• Which bandage or tomb still closed and tied and impede you to be a fragrance of life for life?

03 February 2013