Behold I Stand At The Door And Knock.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This week we have been celebrating Catholic Schools Week with all the other Catholic Schools throughout the nation. I wish to thank the the students who gave wonderful reflections on what it means to be a part of Catholic Schools during all of the Masses last weekend. I also thank Brenda Foliagni and all those who helped with the displays and providing information about the school. It is a great blessing and a great responsibility to have a Catholic School as part of our parish.
Having the responsibility of being the Godparent to my niece and two nephews, I pray daily for them and all our children to receive a good upbringing in the Catholic faith. Our future generations are going to have tremendous challenges in living out their Catholic faith and passing it on to their children in a country that seems to be straying further and further away from God.
This is one of the reasons why I also pray daily for the Grace of Pentecost to sweep through the Church to bring about the necessary renewal and openness to the charisms of the Holy Spirit. God promised to lavish this gift upon us and all we need to do is be working on our own conversion and asking for a greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our lives. I have seen the miraculous change in people's lives when they discover this amazing Gift Jesus promised to send us. As they begin to live under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, lives are healed from the horror of sin, relationships are restored, and people are affirmed in their dignity as sons and daughters of God. This grace also enlivens their hearts to reach out to other people with love and respect and to share the Gospel with them so that they too might know the joy of having Jesus Christ be Lord of their lives. It certainly is an adventure with many twists and turns! But I couldn't imagine my life without Jesus. I am not even sure I would be here. He has led me through all kinds of challenges and trials and never turns away from me. I turn away from him but I can always find my way back through the beautiful Sacrament of Reconciliation.
If someone came up to you and asked you what being a follower of Jesus was like and what is your favorite thing in particular about being a Catholic, how would you respond? Would you talk about Jesus in a real personal way or feel uncomfortable and not be able to respond? Jesus wants to have a personal relationship with each and every person. Our life in Christ begins with Baptism, but at some point in our life we need to make the decision to invite Jesus into our hearts. This is a deeply personal reality, and if you've been around St. Brendan's for a little while, you will know that this happened for me during my junior year in high school. I will never forget the night I came home from a Confirmation program and knelt down by my bed and asked the Lord to take total control of my heart and life and help me to discover what He wanted me to do for His kingdom. Everything began to change, and as a friend once said during a retreat, "That was the best decision I have ever made!" It's not a one time thing, but the beginning of knowing Jesus in a real personal and life-changing way.
If you have never made this decision, I invite you to say the prayer below from your heart. I received it at a conference and it beautifully expresses the desire to let Jesus come into our hearts. Scripture states: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, [then] I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:20)." The picture below the prayer clearly shows Jesus knocking on the door, but there is no handle on His side. It is on our side. Obviously the artist wanted to show that we need to respond to the invitation. The prayer below is a simple way of doing this.
May God bless you and all of our families with a renewed faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and His plan of salvation for everyone. We are a blessed people!
in Christ,
Fr. Jim
Prayer of Salvation - Renewed Faith in Jesus Christ
“Lord Jesus come into my heart. I desire that You be the Lord of my life so that I may be a Child of the light to know you as my personal Savior – for I know and believe that You died on the cross for my sins. You rose again from the dead on the third day and You are coming again glory.
I believe in your forgiveness and I desire that You help me to refrain from any temptations that would keep me separated from Your everlasting love.” Amen.
