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Saturday, October 22, 2011

Wait! God is Still Working Here!

Posted on October 22, 2011 from http://www.torahslight.org/blog

You may find this hard to believe, but I am not always that easy to get along with. The other thing is, sometimes I do something wrong. You know, I sin. Yup. I am not perfect. My guess is that neither are you, right?

The thing is, we are not expected to be perfect. We are works in progress. When we came to Jesus, we were black-hearted sinners and headed for Hell. Then, the Master entered our lives and began His work. Each day, He patiently build His character in us. Each day we look a little more like Him.

That He is patiently working means that He understands that sometimes we fight Him in the process. Sometimes, we want to be in charge. We dethrone Him and make a mess of things. But upon being invited to continue, He cleans the mess as sets about making us like Him.

He has given us wonderful examples to follow: other humans who followed Him and messed up and kept following. We have St. Francis of Assisi, St. Teresa of Jesus, St. Paul the Apostle, and St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio). Yet, even with these holy people who preceded us, no example shines as brightly as our Lord, Himself. He lived a human life–without messing up–so that we could know He really understands.

Let us be patient with ourselves. Jesus is still working. Let us remember St. Paul’s words of encouragement: “being confident of this very thing, that he which began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1.6)

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Get Excited

Tomorrow is Simchas Torah, a Jewish holiday celebrating the first five books of Sacred Scripture.  People gather in the synagogue and toast and bless Torah as a Scroll is passed from man to man.  If a day filled with joy and love for God and His Word.


In addition to this holiday celebrating Torah, there is a protocol to how to treat a copy of Torah.  It must always be set on top of all types of books.  It may never be set on the floor or on a cushion where people sit.  It must always be handled with clean hands.  Such is the respect Jews have for the Holy Writ.


Conversely, Christians often treat the Bible with disregard.  They will set it on the floor, toss it aside, stack other books on top of it, and spill things on it.  Worse, Christians often go days, weeks, or months without ever opening the Bible.


Sacred Scripture is a gift to us from God.  It was inspired by Him for the purpose of teaching us about Him and how He wants us to live.  It is a love letter from Jesus to His Bride.  Let us remember this. Let us love the Scriptures.  Let us fall in love with its Author.