Messages from God

My topic today is messages from God.

We often say that prayer is a conversation with God and we know that it takes two parties to have a conversation. We often have a list of things that we tell God; but that is not my topic for today. Rather, I want to look at what God is telling us.

I will begin with our First Reading taken from Isaiah chapter 2. In the eighth century before Jesus was born, God was upset with his people. Why? Because they had placed their trust in treaties with kings who had big armies and they were praying to silver and gold idols which were hollow substitutes for God. God said to his people, “Put your trust in me. Can’t you bring yourself to say, ‘In God we trust?’” God said, “Cancel your man-made treaties. Get rid of your man-made idols. Put your trust in me. If you don’t put your trust in me you will miss out on the Day of the Lord, that great and glorious day of harmony and peace when people will beat their swords into plowshares and never train for war again.” That is the message God gives us in today’s first reading: Put your trust in God.

What is God’s message in today’s Second Reading? God says to us, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Put on his virtues. Just as you might put on a sweater or jacket, put on the virtues of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is a peacemaker; so become peacemakers. He is the light of the world; so set aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. He did his Heavenly Father’s will; so do the Father’s will and conduct yourselves properly.

Put on the mind of Christ. That is how we put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Saint Paul says in Philippians, Chapter 2, if you place the needs of others higher than your personal needs you are putting on the mind of Christ. That is God’s message for us in today’s Second Reading. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Moving now to today’s gospel, God says: “There is Reason for Hope.” What is that reason? Why should we be hopeful? Because Jesus will return. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. He might return at a time that you do not expect. But he will return. He might return when people are working in the fields. He might return when people are grinding wheat and turning it into flour. He might return when people are baking bread. There is reason for hope because he definitely will return. That is the final sentence of today’s gospel: The Son of Man shall return!

We need to hear that message from God because there are times when we have our doubts. We might have very serious physical pain and we can’t see beyond our pain. We might have very serious emotional pain caused by anxiety or depression or fear that the future will be worse than today. We might have serious emotional pain such that we can’t see beyond our pain. And then we have relationship pains. We feel lonely because a good friendship has ended. Or we struggle with poor communication within our families. Or we feel left out because we just moved into a new community and we don’t know anyone. Sometimes we have relationship pains such that we can’t see beyond our pain.

So, is all that pain bad for us? It feels bad. But is it totally bad? Perhaps that pain is the point where Jesus connects with us on a heart-to-heart basis. That is what Saint Paul says in Second Corinthians.

Saint Paul had many times of great suffering. He said, “I have endured beatings, imprisonment, sleepless nights and hunger.” Second Corinthians, Chapter 6. “Five times I received forty lashes, minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked.” Second Corinthians, Chapter 11. Saint Paul summed it up this way: I was CRUCIFIED WITH Christ. Galatians, Chapter two, verse 19. His suffering was the point where he experienced connection with the suffering Christ. His suffering was not totally bad because that is where he connected with the crucified Christ on a heart-to-heart basis. Suffering is where he experienced Emmanuel: God is with me!

It was Saint Paul who said, “Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again!” The one who suffered has risen from the dead and has returned to this earth and now is walking with me in my times of suffering. Jesus meets me precisely in my suffering.

I will close by repeating God’s messages for us today. Perhaps one of these messages will help you today.

1. Put your trust in God.

2. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.

3. There is reason for hope because Jesus has returned. He is with you. He is Emmanuel.

He is with you when you join your suffering to His suffering and join your rising to His rising.

There is reason for hope!