To achieve “order” in life, one must seek appropriate “priorities”.
In yesterday’s reflection, we learned how to prioritize our lives through the words and examples of God the Father, Jesus, and Mother Mary. The Pharisees often say, “the most important thing to me is God”. If we say something is important, we cannot only talk the talk but we must also walk the walk; otherwise, like the Pharisees, we become hypocrites. However, do we truly deem Jesus Christ the core and centre of our life and regard our relationship with Him as the primary and most important one; or do we seek God only in our spare time when we have finished everything else? Only our heart would know whether God is the big rock, gravel or sand in our life.
We need to recognize that God desires us to seek Him first and place Him at the centre of our life. Not only has He created us, wants us to share in His love, and accompany and live with us on our journey, but He also knows that we need to rely on His grace and power in order to overcome the challenges of our time with peace, joy, and courage! Therefore, we need to constantly seek God and listen to Him, for this will bring us the greatest benefits. What the Father wants for us reveals Him as a giver without condition or bottom line.
For this reason, the busier we are and the more things we need to manage, the greater our needs of returning to God. Like our cell phone, the more we use it, the more battery it consumes; therefore, it needs more time to be recharged. Such is, indeed, a simple truth.
You may have heard of this: We cannot give to others what we don’t have. How true is this! When we don’t have food, we cannot help the hungry; without clothes, we cannot clothe the naked. In the same way, if we have not received love, peace, and strength from God, how would we be able to serve the least of Jesus’ sisters and brothers (Ref. Matthew 25:31-46)?
From the Old Testament miracle of God’s gift of manna, to Jesus’ miracle of the “multiplication of five loaves and two fish” in the New Testament; subsequently sacrificing Himself for us and offering His body to be our daily bread, God has never stopped caring for our physical and spiritual needs. In truth, God, who has also gifted us with free-will, does not force us to seek fulfillment of our physical and spiritual needs from Him. However, the Father’s heart is pained by our stubbornness when we continue to rely solely on our insufficient strength against our struggles.
Indeed, the Father desires us to set appropriate priorities in our lives as we learn how to make better choices, so that we may find the necessary order in our life. Life’s natural rhythm constantly brings us back to the fountain where we may refresh our life with the living water.
As we strive to return to our Father with a humble heart, we need to know our needs first, and have the humility to recognize our limitations and helplessness.
In the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 1, Verses 30 and 31, it says,
“Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them”.
A life without Jesus is a life that is lacking and lost; a life that is constantly wasting away, as well, a life that doesn’t recognize its own disorders.
If we constantly seek strength and healing in Jesus, like Simon’s mother-in-law, we will be empowered to serve Jesus and those who need our service and care, the ones Jesus described as the least of our sisters and brothers.
Prayer is the most effective way to take care of ourselves; it is an invitation to let God dwell in us. As discussed earlier, we can’t give to others what we don’t have. If God is our best gift to others, we ourselves need to be constantly filled with God; such that our cup overflows and pours over others.
Mother Teresa once said,
“Prayer enlarges the heart until it is capable of containing God’s gift of himself.”
Reflection
Do you recognize the connection between the order in your life and God’s place in your heart? If today’s reflection has enlightened you in any way, how would you reorganize the priorities in your life?
Do you think you could obtain what you lack in life through your relationship with God?
Please take a few moments of silence and allow the Father’s generous gaze overshadow you; let your exhausted body be healed, and let His peace and grace overflow you.
Today’s Prayer
My Abba Father in Heaven, today’s reflection has awakened me to see that Your deepest concern is not about how we may become Your instruments or to collaborate with You, but about our every need. You want me to be whole, body, mind and soul. You desire to sooth my pain, heal my wound, comfort my heartbreak, encourage me when I am in distress! You never remain indifferent to even my smallest concerns. Thank you for allowing me to truly understand Your concerns for me. Let me never forget that whatever awaits me in the future, if I know how to return to You, You will welcome me back into Your embrace; my spirit will be revived. Grant me the eyes of faith and learn to hold on to You! Father, I thank You! I love You!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
這四旬期最大的收獲，是和母親的修和。
萬事萬物皆是天主的安排，未到要來的時刻是不會顯現的。
我很感恩,平心,平安,祈禱,今日遇到危險的驶車片刻,有一輛車轉彎,我在直上路面,因沒留心是從公路出口来的車,幸好這部車有慢下来,沒有撞倒,我真感到平安是福
全能的天父，
我的生命中有很多波動，既有犯罪過，亦有行善過，慶幸行善比犯罪多，這全靠天父的寬恕及糾正。🙏🙏🙏
My mom used to tell me that ‘the more you give, the more you’ll have’. I had no idea what seems a contradictory statement means back then. It was not until my baptism and launching on some voluntary work did I have time to reflect on this again.
We will be more willing to give what we have, e.g. talents, wealth, time, if we consider those are all gifts from God. And through sharing, not only shall we not losing what we have, we will get back much more in return.
Oh Lord, You know my needs and please help me to know the others’ too!
在今天反思中提到：你的生命裡有什麼欠缺，是可以從與天主的關係中獲取呢？
「無信」是我們最容易欠缺的一環，我們往往被「許多事」所困擾，為了解決它，常以自我為中心，忘卻了天主才是我們生命的真正主宰，因而沒法接納祂所賜予的大禮——愛的生命。
主，求祢補足我的無信，尤其當我們以為自己最有能力的時候。
我要把天主放在第一位，我要常常祈禱使我不間斷地被天主充滿，這樣才能去幫助他人。天主，我為俄羅斯烏克蘭戰爭下的老百姓祈禱，求祢保祐他們少受點苦，多一些祢的護祐。阿門
主！求祢賜給我敏銳的心，感受祢時刻伴隨著我，並以祢為我的中心最重要的位置，無論遇到任何的挑戰，祢都給我指示，讓我投靠祢，相信一切的結果，都是祢的安排，用平心去對待順境和逆境。主，請祢讓我常常專注於祢的目光，以祢的心為心，做祢喜悅的事。主，我愛祢！
回到活水頭，
再投主懷抱；
生活主愛中，
快樂永無憂。
聖神，求祢賜予我能力，在生活上能合適地安排「次序」，以致生命中達到有「秩序」。好能靜心下來去領受天主的恩竉。我需要耶穌的寶血神糧給我力量和醫治。阿爸父，祢無限的慈愛吸引著我，叫我不斷的渴望得到祢的平安和憐愛，我要向祢訴說我的心情，在祢懷內心靈得到安慰，我願意放棄自由，換取祢的治癒和滋養。請在我的祈禱中賜我恩寵。
記憶中去服務時，看見修女們一早起來明供聖體才出去工作，晚間回來時一起祈禱歸光榮於主，原來，她們早已向我示範優先順序。現在，有時能抽空參加平日彌撒，一天由天主開始，那感覺真好。感謝主讚美主！
慈愛的天父
當生活上乏力和心灰意冷時，聆聽祢的話語，我得到啟示和安慰，在祈禱中我找到方向，感謝祢常在我左右，陪伴我。讓我不吝嗇與人分享祢賜我的一切恩佑，好能悅樂祢。祢是我生命力量的泉源，在順逆境中也會抓緊祢。因我們的主耶穌基督。亞孟。
I need to put Jesus and Virgin Mary first in everything i do in order to have order in my life. Jesus and Mary, teach me to love You each day more and more.