Month: July 2021

Hard but Satisfying Work

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Excerpt from Take Time For Him: Some More

by Angela M Jendro

Order your paperback or e-book from Amazon!

Order the kindle e-book (or paperback) to read the Christmas meditation, the meditation for Mary Mother of God, and to reflect on the meditations all year at your convenience.

18th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Read the Gospel of John 6:24-35

Meditation Reflection:

After Jesus exhorted the people work for the food that endures for eternal life, they responded with a smart follow up question, which in modern language could be phrased: “sure, but tell us the job description.” Jesus gave them a simple enough task – “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (John 6:29).

How is believing in Christ work though? If believing in Christ were merely an intellectual assent, then it wouldn’t be much work at all. However, believing in Christ means believing He is the Savior sent to transform our hearts and lives. This requires not merely an assent of the intellect, but the arduous work of aligning our will with His, and allowing Him to change our lives. Consider the life changing “yes” of Mary, Joseph, the Apostles, all the saints, and the transformation in lives of people you know who have accepted Christ and follow Him intentionally.

In his famous book, What’s Wrong with the World, G.K. Chesterton astutely stated the reason why so many people forsake believing in Christ and the reward that comes with it. He observed,

“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.”

Jesus did not say “I am the bread of life who will force feed you”. Instead, He offered that those who come to Him will never hunger. Still, you may ask, how hard is it to come to Christ? Well, how hard is it to make it to Mass every Sunday? How difficult is it to attend one or more daily masses a week? How hard is it to find 30 minutes to pray with Scripture? How hard is it to listen, with your full attention, to your child, spouse, or friend in need? How difficult is it to turn to Christ in prayer when you are feeling anxious, frustrated, or angry rather than escaping through t.v., drinking, or shopping?

Going to Christ and believing in Him is work, but like any job it gets easier as you get the hang of it. Imagine the career satisfaction you could experience in a job with that kind of reward. We all want happiness, especially the secure kind, and we go to great lengths to achieve it. Christ promised that if we are wise enough to put all of our efforts toward relationship with Him, we will be guaranteed an abiding happiness we can find no other way.

Consider:

  • In your daily life, what is your biggest challenge to seeking Christ? (time, distractions, tiredness, disinterest, lack of ideas or opportunities)
  • What do you hunger for most? How do you try to fill that hunger? How long does it last before feeling hungry again?
  • When was a time you experienced delight, satisfaction, peace, or happiness from God?

Practical Application:

  • Choose one way to be with Christ this week that has been difficult in the past. (wake up 30 minutes early to pray, spend 10 minutes with each of your kids, download a bible app to your phone, attend a daily Mass, make a holy hour at adoration)
  • Start a gratitude journal for God’s gifts to you each day. Before bed think back on your day and identify God’s grace at work in your heart and life.
  • The next time you feel anxious, frustrated, or angry, stop and sit in silence with God for 5 minutes. Find a quiet spot (even if it’s your car or bedroom), set a timer, and just turn your heart and ears toward God. Gently push away distractions and be in God’s presence. Let Christ fill your hunger and soothe your thirst.

All Rights Reserved © 2020 Angela M Jendro

The Extraordinary Ordinary

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Excerpt from Take Time For Him: Some More

by Angela M Jendro

Order your paperback or e-book from Amazon!

Order the kindle e-book (or paperback) to read the Christmas meditation, the meditation for Mary Mother of God, and to reflect on the meditations all year at your convenience.

14th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Read the Gospel of Mark 6:1-6

Meditation Reflection:

“And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.” (v. 4)

Growing up we tend to take our family members for granted and mistreat the ones we love the most – particularly our siblings!  A childish point of view sees siblings in competition with us – for resources, status, achievement, and affection.  A mature perspective appreciates the gift of a sibling – someone who shares your history, someone who knows your whole story, whose achievements do not diminish yours but rather should give you pride.

The people in Jesus’ town were His extended family relations.  They could not believe their eyes or ears which informed them that He was the long-awaited Messiah.  Pride revolted complaining that Jesus was too ordinary for such a role. 

Satan impresses the idea that we need to be big and important, powerful, famous, a person of clout to do any good work, and certainly someone from “out there in the world” not from “right here in town.” Yet, Jesus saved all of mankind through impoverishing Himself, living a hidden life for thirty years in a small family in a small town, and completing His public ministry with rejection, and a torturous crucifixion and death. The apostles’ pride and our own strains to believe such a mystery.  In fact, the only reason we accept this path is because of its fruit – resurrection.  As St. Paul said, (I Corinthians 15:17) had Jesus not risen from the dead, our faith would be in vain. But Jesus did, and we will too.

“Abba Anthony said, ‘I saw the snares that the enemy spreads out over the world and I said groaning, ‘What can get through from such snares?’ Then I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Humility.’”  Sayings of the Desert Fathers

The best vantage point for battle is sneaking behind enemy lines unnoticed and attacking by surprise or disrupting the supply chain.  This role is best done unseen and quietly.

The pride of the world cannot accept the humility of Christ, yet it continues to cripple us. Jesus offers healing but He does not force it.  “And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief.” (v. 5-6)

Christ began the beatitudes proclaiming, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).  Every saint and spiritual writer echo His insistence that humility is the foundation of holiness.  Here are just a few quotes to consider:

“If then pride be the beginning of all sin, whereby should the swelling of pride be cured, had not God vouchsafed to humble Himself? Let man blush to be proud, seeing that God has humbled Himself. For when man is told to humble himself, he disdains it…The Lord Christ therefore vouchsafed to humble Himself in all things, showing us the way; if we but think meet to walk thereby.” St. Augustine
“For that persecutor, when first he was created, raised himself up in the haughtiness of pride, throwing himself into death and expelling Man from the glory o Paradise; but God did not will to resist him by His power, but conquered him by humility through His Son…So let anyone who wishes to conquer the Devil arm himself with humility” St. Hildegard of Bingen
“The deeper our encounter with God, the more humble we become.  Humility is a sign of a real experience of God.” Jacques Philippe The Eight Doors of the Kingdom

Humility sprouts from authenticity – knowing one’s own littleness as a creature not the Creator, and at the same time one’s profound dignity as a child of God. It expresses itself in loving service, like Christ washing the feet of the apostles. A definition I once heard for humility (which really hit home!) was being teachable.  Humility opens one up for so much growth and freedom because we aren’t held back by the obstinacy or critical resistance of pride.

Begin by encountering God in prayer.  Then look around you – the secret to a life of greatness may be right in front of you, in your own family or your own town through loving service. 

Consider:

  • Consider how humble Jesus must have been for His extended family to find it so incredulous that Jesus would be anything but ordinary.
  • Humility can be like a weapon of stealth – it’s quiet, hidden, and undetected by pride.  How does a humble approach disarm prideful conflict?
    • Consider the non-violent protests of Martin Luther King Jr. or of Gandhi.
    • How might you apply it to your own relationships?
      • Instead of being defensive, try to be understanding. 
      • Small acts of love can soften hardened hearts. 
      • Caring for children is a humble task yet one of tremendous influence.
  • Humility and Love are inseparable.  Consider how humility springs from a love and appreciation for God, and how it inspires humble love toward others.
  • How has your relationship with your siblings (if applicable) changed over the years? How has it matured?  How might it still mature more?

Practical Application:

  • Pray the Litany of Humility by Cardinal Merry del Val
  • Make a gratitude list – one for God, and one for each of your family members.
  • Tell a sibling something you admire about him or her.

All Rights Reserved © 2020 Angela M Jendro