Author: Lana Kaczmarek

“God proves His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Why does God have to prove His love to you, to any of us, or to any of our family members or friends? God is living and true. God is the very source and essence of love, an unquenchable fountain, unfathomable depth, overflowing glory. God is the origination of love, its originator. God is love’s continuation, the very existence of love extending love itself into all eternity. God is love, true love that pervades beauty and all that is beautiful, good, holy, and true. An unconditional love that lovingly overwhelms all, even those who may not feel so lovely or beautiful anymore. Scripture graciously informs us and honestly invites us to consider God’s love. To contemplate it, take to heart and prayer who God is and how He has already proven His goodness to all generations inviting us to not question but to trust in the boundless and limitless love, which remains inexhaustible and eternal. The Word of God says of love and of Himself, “Love is patient, love is kind… It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” Love draws its goodness and its pureness directly from God. Love derives from God, flows through Him, from Him and is itself like a stream of gentle water refreshing and renewing everything and everyone in its path. God is like light, gently, and quietly moving like the dawn bursting into daybreak into our hearts overflowing over everything. Love is true, good, beautiful and you. God’s love never fails. Then why must God prove His fidelity and covenant and faithfulness to you? Why must we continue to test God and ask Him to continue to prove His love for us and for all humanity? We might on occasion be requested or even challenged to prove our love, our response, a word of value or commitment to validate our love, our response to determine whether our oath is valid or true. Why? If our words were truly honest and sincerely from our heart, if our actions were consistent and truly willed the good of the other, if our yes was yes and our no was truly no, then chances would be great that we are considered creditable, believable, trustworthy, true. There would be no need to undergo a scrutiny, a challenge or test or need to defend, inflate, embellish, or stretch the truth. Love does not have to prove itself. God already has.

“Do not forget the LORD, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.” Where is your Egypt? You know – that place where God needs to rescue you from others and save you from yourself. That state of mind or frequented situation that causes you to resist God’s grace and solely depend on yourself and even permit others to take control of your faith and of your pursuit for all that is God, good, holy, and true. Your Egypt can be that habitual sin or that form of addiction that you do not want to be in but are not ready to leave or let go. For some, Egypt can be that unhealthy relationship that you understand and know is not good for you but perhaps considered the only means, possibility, or chance for some happiness. From their own personal Egypt, the People of God cried out in their need, their plight, and their great desperation and oppression. They needed to be rescued and freed not only from those who oppressed them and reduced them to slavery but also from their own self-oppression brought about by their own sinfulness and slavery to idols and false worship. They wanted God but they also wanted the freedom to sin. Although we have free will to choose or decide, sin is not from God. There is no freedom in sin. Even the Lord says he takes no pleasure in death but rather in life, in giving life and sharing life eternal. Sin enslaves us and places us in a prison like state. Rather than becoming free to love and free to be loved, our truest form of happiness, sin separates, takes apart, and renders us orphans and citizens of an oppressive state. God needs to rescue us from darkness, from evil, from the harmful effects of sin. God calls us children, beloved children, heirs to the Kingdom of God. We are not oppressed by God but rather free to share in His grace and in the glorious freedom of the Children and People of God. Love binds, mends, heals and graciously unites. Sin oppresses, abandons, isolates and separates. Love helps us to remember all the good that God has done personally to rescue us from the effects of our personal Egypt and sin. The oppressive enemy wants us to forget who God is and to remain in our Egypt and continue to recall our personal hurts, failures, and disappointments. Never forget the Lord your God, who graciously saved you from Egypt.

“If I find favor with you, O Lord, do come along in our company.” Embarking on a journey leads us to consider many points of interest and to consider many fascinating questions like where are we going, how long will it take, is the journey long, and are we there yet? A journey can be like an adventure, something we have been longing for, something we are looking forward to, something we are hoping to undertake. A journey can provide new prospects to visit, new opportunities to consider, new experiences to look forward to, new avenues to take, new insights to see. Conversely, a journey can also be an unwelcomed adventure. One that may require too much planning, involve too much uncertainty, and take too much time to prepare. As busy as we are, who has time for a journey or even want to take the risk that it might be an unpleasant trip? However, when we consider that life is an unexpected but amazing journey, and that the journey is leading us to a place that is familiar to our soul, and to a person who created us for Himself then the journey becomes something worthy, worthwhile undertaking and something we look forward to even when there are so many unknowns. We can consider heaven the ultimate destination or God to be the final stop or even the final resting place. But heaven is so much more. It is not an end but a new beginning. It is a journey within itself. For some, the journey itself is the most important aspect to consider. It is not about the arrival, but rather the experience of getting there. For others, it is not about the details, or points of interest or the experiences along the way, but rather about arriving safely naturally, after an on-time departure and expected arrival as well. For me, I wonder if it is not more about the One who says I am with you always until the end of the age, come follow me. The One who encourages us to consider that He is the Way that we must go, the Truth we must follow, and the Life we must undertake for all eternity. I am not certain if it’s truly about taking the road less traveled or avoiding pitfalls and obstacles along the way. It seems like the journey and destination are both one and the same. Jesus walks with us accompanying us along the way, drawing us closer to the Father our heavenly homeland and final resting place.

“It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established.” We say knowledge is power and so indeed in certain circumstances when we have knowledge that others do not possess, it is powerful. It seems to give us an upper hand like in career advancement possibilities as well as opportunities to grow and develop specialized skillsets. Knowledge is helpful in life’s negotiations and can even assist us in those unfortunate moments when we find ourselves having to defend our beliefs or defend the reason or rational for the decisions and choices we made. Learning or ascertaining certain details or obtaining more information than others can and does in fact provide a certain advantage over others and can be most helpful in navigating through life’s storms, developing daily strategies, and focusing on particular paths of discernment and even providing wisdom for better decision-making. So, what do we really know and is that information truly helpful to you? Will your knowledge and what you know help you to get to heaven? Will your decisions be based on information gathered from online posts, another’s point of view, personal judgements, or limited perspectives or will you seek the Lord for wisdom, knowledge, counsel, and assistance? Is your knowledge base and information sources reliable, trustworthy, true? As reliable, more trustworthy, or true as the Lord who is ever faithful in fidelity to His covenant and unable to misinform you, tell an untruth or provide any falsehood? Knowledge is power when used in a manner that is helpful for us to live in accordance with God’s will, intent, and desire. Knowledge of God and personally knowing Him, His way, His truth, His life better helps us to love God and love one another for love is who we are. Did you know that? Knowledge is the gift of the Holy Spirit. It provides us with the grace to know God in a very personal, intimate way and even to know God in and through prayer in a way that is even more intimate and most profound. Knowledge from God and of God helps us to trust that He really knows us. He knows everything about us. Since God knows everyone and knows everything about you, doesn’t that mean that God is more powerful and truly has the upper hand? If that is the case, which it is, we can trust God knows what is best for me, for you, for all our families. God does not want us to worry but to trust – He knows. 

“Blessed be God who refused me not my prayer or His kindness!” When the mind is agitated, heart heavy, thoughts and feelings gloomy, turn to prayer, turn to Our Lady for she gently hears us, cares for us, and graciously receives our poor little prayers then leads us ever so gently back to God. Mary understands us. She gets us. She knows where we are, where we have been and where we need to be. When we are lost or downcast, she shows us the miracle of the sun, of a cloudless day, of a deep blue sky, of the gentleness of a breeze and the grace and beauty of prayer when offered through Our Lady and Queen and Mother of Perpetual Grace. Mary helps us recall the Father’s loving embrace, the gift of a deep conversion, the grace of a good confession, the depth of heartfelt contrition, the room for true repentance. In prayer, the Father holds us. Never let Him go. It’s as if two individuals who have not seen each other for eons suddenly see each other after so many centuries and years. We hug as if to never let go. As prodigal children who left home seeking fortune and fame only to have squandered our inheritance, after so many years of searching and losing, losing, and seeking, seeking not finding until we remember to turn and walk towards home again. In prayer, we are back home in the Father’s house, in His home, in His heart, in His hand and grasp, in His loving touch and loving embrace and under His loving care. As prodigal children, we focus our attention on worldly things, gizmos, and gadgets, that only cause us to become lost faster, easier, cheaper, without ease. Until prayer, I never realized how beautiful being with the Father was. It is prayerful, dedicated time to reacquaint ourselves with heaven, with heavenly things and the joy and beauty of creation. It’s time to meet and serve with those who work in the Father’s vineyard. Time to rest and play by the meadow next to God’s house. Time to pray in His garden. To walk and worship in His field. God trusts us. It is a profound thing to consider. That God actually believes in you, has confidence in you. He really trusts in you. In prayer, love invites us to learn, to grow, to deepen our loving relationship with our heavenly Father. It’s a loving invitation to grow in God’s intimacy, through the heart and prayer of our beloved Mother Mary.   

Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you.” The word “repent” is an interesting yet important word to consider in our own individual relationship with God and our first and primary vocation as His beloved children. Repentance is important, necessary, and referred to several times in scripture and even highlighted as the theme for penitential services and certain liturgical seasons throughout the year. We hear scripture cry out to us when John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” However, what does that mean to you when you hear the word repent? Does repenting scare you or make you nervous or do you welcome it and are grateful to God for the gift and opportunity to repent? We hear Jesus in scripture echo John’s words to us and even begin every Lenten Season with the call to “Repent and believe in the gospel.” However, what does that mean and what exactly is Jesus asking you to do? It seems repenting is required in order to obtain the keys to unlock the doorway to heaven and enter the realm where angels get to sing, adore and play and all the holy servants of God get to worship, pray, and praise. We need to repent but why and how. Do you know how to repent? If asked to describe what repentance looks like, will you be able to do so with ease or even provide a helpful, useful definition to explain the concept of repentance off the top of your head and without using an on-line search? Can you explain the role of repentance with confidence and personally share with another the life-giving benefits derived from a life lived in a spirit of repentance? Repentance is significant to our spiritual pilgrimage leading us to the things pertaining to heaven. It’s also important in those deep revealing meditative earthly moments when on retreat or the deep contemplative state of divine intimate prayer. Repentance calls for true contrition, a change of heart, amendment of ways and behavior. The invitation we receive in our heart is for us to turn away from selfish disordered desires that give rise to disobedience and rebellion towards God and to “Repent, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away.” We repent when we feel sorrow or when we genuinely express sincere regret. We repent when we freely say we are sorry and humbly ask for forgiveness from the heart.

“Lord Jesus, open the Scriptures to us; make our hearts burn while you speak to us.” I am often amazed and filled with such wonder when God spiritually uses us, all of us as His holy instruments to gather light and wisdom, to record the loving responses and answers to our prayers and to become lifesaving scrolls and sacred journals to document God’s everlasting word. God graciously uses us as instruments to reveal His holy, sacred presence, to provide others with gentle reminders of the healing power of His word and provide the lifesaving remedy His word brings to those who are open to His will and receptive to the life changing truth His word always provides. God graciously uses us in spiritual ways to record and recite His words to those who need to hear or read them, and to respond to those who trustingly cry out to God for the remedy His life-giving gifts bring to broken hearted, poor in spirit, sin sick sinners like ourselves. God graciously includes us and faithfully calls upon each of us to gather His wisdom and capture His insights to instruct those who have become deaf to His presence and to announce His word and share His divine message to those needing spiritual formation or lack spiritual direction. God desires to use us to bring hope to those who faithfully cry out to Him in their need and heal those who do not know how to ask or pray or have exhausted the patience to do so. God uses us in such wonderful ways that we can become holy instruments in God’s hands, bringing light to those in darkness and love and newness of life to those who seriously need Him. God’s words burn inside of us as a purifying fire burning away all that is useless, hurtful, or not helpful in building up His kingdom and presence inside each of us and outside of us as well. God’s word heals brokenness caused by foolishness and hurtfulness caused by the selfishness of others. His word is like a gentle fire that radiates warmth, comforts souls, heals division and consoles us when we need a gentle glow to provide light to our journey and insight to keep going. God’s word is often compared to a seed that needs a little heat to break open and be set ablaze like a furnace to spread and grow. Open your heart and life to Scripture. God speaks to lighten your load, melt away your sadness and set your heart on fire.

“I was hard pressed and was falling, but the LORD helped me.” Scriptural images are helpful to us and enable us to see, relate, identify with, and more readily understand how we react or response to God’s loving invitation to communion with Him. These images provide us with the opportunity to consider whether our thoughts, feelings, words, actions, and/or desires are properly aligned with and reverently correspond to God’s goodness, grace, and generosity. For example, the image of God as a nurturing caring parent, a faithful spouse, a divine physician or as the Good Shepherd or Teacher. Do we respond as beloved children who attentively listen and remain lovingly obedient? Are we faithful in fidelity to our baptismal covenant and wedding vows? Do we give God permission to heal us from the effects of our sinfulness or provide the remedy for moments we lacked kindness or charity? The image of the potter and clay is one of the scriptural images that most challenges us in our perception of corresponding properly to God. What is helpful to note is that the clay belongs to the potter and that the potter does all the work. The clay must remain open, vulnerable, flexible, trusting that God as the Potter will make the clay into something or someone that is worthwhile, most needed, helpful, useful, functional, productive, valuable, beautiful, priceless, unique, one-of-a-kind, good, and awesome. God provides all the tools. He has all the necessary supplies. He has the vision, the mission, the strategy, the objective. It is His idea. He created it. He creates the purpose, the need, the desire, and outcome. He formulates the plan and brings it to a successful completion. God does not need to know how to do something correctly. God is perfect. God does not need us to remind Him how to do something or when to do something. God is faithful, reliable and can be trusted. God does not need your input on how to create you. God has done this before many times and is the best at it. No one can create out of nothing like God. Trust that God has this, truly cares and only wills your happiness and desires what is best for you. Trust God knows what He is doing. Remind yourself of that. Say, Jesus, I trust in you. Have faith and confidence in God. Everything He makes is very good. He made you. You belong to Him. Let Him chisel away what is not useful or helpful and make you His beautiful masterpiece once again. 

“Everyone who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins through His name.” From the very dawn of time, from the very first moment light streams into existence, God already proved His love for you and all humanity. Foreseeing and anticipating any creation brought forth into existence, humanity, His very personal creation would reject Him as Creator and rebel against Him as our heavenly Father. Even foreknowing the egregious depth and hatred an envious angel would have against beauty, goodness and truth would cause humanity to fall from God’s grace through sin, delusion, lies and deception, God still loved therefore God still created. Not that God creates us to fall or fail, rather in His perfect wisdom and immense love God desires freedom, free will, to freely share and freely respond to a life and a love with God. Fashioning creation in a way that constrains its will and subjects it to slavery of love is not love but enslavement, not freedom but imprisonment. God is the One who imprisons Himself and subjects Himself to the slavery of a sinful humanity so that by the humility of God, he may serve us, His precious creation in His love and in the very essence of His love, we can become through His grace the beloved of His heart and the apple of His eye. “The Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages” descends into our fallen state in a mission of the Father’s will to heal the broken hearted and to reconcile poor sinners to the Father’s grace once again. The name given to God’s beloved Son is the essence of His sacred mission. Jesus means He will save His people from their sins. Jesus descends into death to bring forgiveness and pardon to sinners. All sinners. Those who sin just a little, those who think they do not sin at all and even those sinners who habitually sin and rebel against God. God loves all sinners and desires correction and conversion of heart. Jesus freely submits to the Father’s desire to restore all creation once again. Jesus freely and lovingly suffers for us, dies for us, and rose on the third day for us. Jesus humbled Himself to the point of death on a cross to renew and restore what was lost through envy and sin in order that humanity may love perfectly once again and so enter ever more freely into a loving relationship and friendship with God as intended by the Father and Creator from the very beginning.  

When He entered Jerusalem the whole city was shaken and asked, “Who is this?” If we knew and really understood who Jesus is, truly we would shake inside. Those who came to know Jesus through His prayer life and through His healing ministry became afraid when they encountered the holy and divine in His presence and in His presence their own weakness, sinfulness, and insecurity. In His presence, we experience both our own smallness and need of salvation. How often Jesus encouraged and said to His disciples not to be afraid of Him. To not doubt or disbelieve but rather to be confident and trust He was the Son of God and the Son of Man who was coming into the world to heal the broken hearted, to reconcile poor sinners to the Father and to one another and renew our loving relationship with God as His beloved children and his beloved creation. Do you know who this is? Do you know, truly know the One who created you in beauty, redeemed you in love, restored you to innocence, sanctified you in grace, saved you from death and welcomes you to eternal life? Do you know the One whose words have the power to heal, the mercy to forgive, the strength to move mountains, the spirit to lift up, the grace to renew to help you to start all over again? Do you know Jesus, really know Jesus who taught us how to pray and said, “Let there be light,” “Love one another as I have loved you,” “Behold, your mother,” “I thirst,” “You will be with me in Paradise,” “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” Do you know the One who prayed to the Father for you, who intercedes to the Father for you, who asks that you will be one with Him as He and the Father are one? Do you know the One who asked the disciples to look deep within themselves and consider the truth about who He is when He asked them directly, “Who do you say that I am?” How do you respond to questions about His divinity or His identity when asked who do you say Jesus is? How will you respond to faith filled relatives, unbelieving strangers or fallen away friends you encounter on your own road or faith filled journey to Jerusalem, to Calvary or your own Emmaus? Perhaps we might need to rephrase the question to “who is this to you?” A valid response requires knowing Jesus personally and intimately through prayer.