Category: Inspiration Daily

In today’s Gospel, Jesus said to his disciples, “I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.”

What a great message to receive from our merciful Jesus! He loves us and wants us to enjoy our lives. And how do we do that? Jesus says by following the commandments. The Ten Commandments are guidelines on how to live well and avoid sin, but they are also non-negotiable. We must follow them, as Jesus did when He was here on Earth as a man. Now that He is in Heaven, He expects us to do as He did so that we too can be with Him one day in Paradise. 

When you live right, joy is automatic, but many have a hard time following the commandments and the teachings of Jesus. As Peter says to the assembly in today’s first reading, they were putting God to the test. Doubters don’t believe so they might test Christians. But it doesn’t work that way. We are to have our own faith, not take it away from someone else. Faith is not earned, bought or transferred. Therefore, there should be no testing of God by seeing how a Christian reacts. That’s not how Jesus taught his disciples. He did not teach through pain or torture. If our lives are ordered, we have joy, not pain.

Here are the first three commandments:

1. I am the Lord your God, you shall not have strange gods before Me. In the Nicene Creed we proclaim that we believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. We sometimes say things that we shouldn’t, things that God wouldn’t approve of. We’re human and we still have sin in our hearts at times. Yet the name of our Lord is holy and we are asked to use it in a holy way. 
3. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day. Be sure to spend time with God every day but especially on Sundays. We never want to forget who is most important in our day and in our lives. No one can top God. We can have family, friends, relationships, and other people that we admire, but none of them can ever go above our relationship with God himself.

This is part of our roadmap to everlasting joy. Let us ask the intercession of St. Rita of Cascia, whose feast day we celebrate today, to have the strength to do as Jesus asks and follow His example, so that our joy might be complete. 

Contact the author

---

En el Evangelio de hoy, Jesús dijo a sus discípulos: “Les he dicho esto para que mi alegría esté en ustedes y su alegría sea plena”.

¡Qué gran mensaje para recibir de nuestro misericordioso Jesús! Nos ama y quiere que disfrutemos de la vida. ¿Y cómo lo hacemos? Jesús dice que siguiendo los mandamientos. Los Diez Mandamientos son pautas sobre cómo vivir bien y evitar el pecado, pero también son innegociables. Debemos seguirlos, como lo hizo Jesús cuando estuvo aquí en la Tierra como hombre. Ahora que está en el Cielo, espera que hagamos lo mismo que Él hizo para que nosotros también podamos estar con Él un día en el Paraíso.

Cuando vives bien, la alegría es automática, pero a muchos les cuesta seguir los mandamientos y las enseñanzas de Jesús. Como dice Pedro a la asamblea en la primera lectura de hoy, estaban poniendo a Dios a prueba. Los escépticos no creen para poder poner a prueba a los cristianos. Pero no funciona así. Debemos tener nuestra propia fe, no quitársela a alguien más. La fe no se gana, no se compra ni se transfiere. Por lo tanto, no se debe poner a prueba a Dios viendo cómo reacciona un cristiano. Así no fue como Jesús enseñó a sus discípulos. No enseñó a través del dolor o la tortura. Si nuestras vidas están ordenadas, tenemos alegría, no dolor.

A continuación se presentan los tres primeros mandamientos:

1. Yo soy el Señor tu Dios, no tendrás dioses ajenos delante de Mí. En el Credo de Nicea proclamamos que creemos en un solo Dios, el Padre, el Todopoderoso. Creemos en un solo Señor, Jesucristo, el único Hijo de Dios. Creemos en el Espíritu Santo, el Señor, el dador de vida, que procede del Padre y del Hijo.
2. No tomarás el nombre del Señor tu Dios en vano. A veces decimos cosas que no deberíamos, cosas que Dios no aprobaría. Somos humanos y todavía tenemos pecado en nuestros corazones a veces. Sin embargo, el nombre de nuestro Señor es santo y se nos pide que lo utilicemos de forma sagrada.
3. Recuerden santificar el día del Señor. Asegúrese de pasar tiempo con Dios todos los días pero especialmente los domingos. Nunca debemos olvidar quién es más importante en nuestro día y en nuestras vidas. Nadie puede superar a Dios. Podemos tener familiares, amigos, relaciones y otras personas que admiramos, pero ninguna de ellas puede superar nuestra relación con Dios mismo.

Esto es parte del mapa que nos guía a la alegría eterna. Pidamos la intercesión de Santa Rita de Casia, cuya festividad celebramos hoy, para tener la fuerza para hacer lo que Jesús pide y seguir su ejemplo, para que nuestra alegría sea plena.

Comunicarse con la autora

When the disciples are tasked with feeding five thousand men across from the Sea of Galilee, they are understandably dumbfounded: How can they feed so large a crowd with no food of their own, not much money, and five barley loaves and two fish? Yet, they do not bat an eye when Jesus tells them to prepare the crowd for a meal. Instead of relying on their own intuition and arguing with Jesus about the absurdity of feeding over five thousand people with such a small amount of food, they simply do what He says, knowing that He will provide for His people.

The disciples understand our Gospel acclamation, that “one does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). They have no idea how to approach the situation, but they have learned to trust in Jesus’ direction, even for matters of physical survival. His direction is better than anything they could come up with, even if it seems absurd at the time.

This outlook complements that of the psalmist, whose sole aim is to dwell in the house of the Lord rather than in other, more familiar places. And in our First Reading, we see Gamaliel saying something similar: “If [the gospel message] comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God” (Acts 5:39). He does not want to resist something that might come from God, even if he does not understand it.

Gamaliel, the psalmist, and the disciples see the point of remaining fixed on God, trusting in His direction even when it is difficult. They know that if God ordains something, guiding it with His hand, it cannot fail. If He gives direction, it will not be followed in vain. To dwell in His house is better than all else.

This is a profound trust that we need to adopt in our own lives. There is a subtle self-reliance that creeps in when we spend too much time seeking security by our own efforts alone. We plan far ahead, without consulting God concerning what He wants for our lives and for our loved ones. Inevitably, our best laid plans fail, and we make new ones, which fare no better. If we are not used to consulting God and trusting that He truly has things under control, we rely on worldly methods to maintain security, prestige, and wealth, so that we can have everything necessary for a good and peaceful life. Seeking easy steps to success, we look to social media and popular wisdom to solve our problems. If these solutions are divorced from spirituality, they never bring us the peace and security we seek.

Ultimately, we need to trust in what God has already told us through readings such as these. Even and especially when things look confusing and hopeless, God is in control. We must listen to Him and seek His will in these moments through prayer, Scripture, the sacraments, and spiritual direction, trusting in what He tells us, even if we cannot understand the reasons for it. We cannot expect to fully understand the ways of God, but that does not mean that they are inferior to the ways we can come up with on our own. Dwelling in His house is the goal, and His direction and protection are best for us in all situations.

Contact the author

---

Cuando los discípulos tienen la tarea de alimentar a cinco mil hombres al otro lado del Mar de Galilea, se quedan estupefactos: ¿Cómo pueden alimentar a una multitud tan grande sin comida propia, sin mucho dinero, cinco panes de cebada y dos peces? Sin embargo, no se inmutan cuando Jesús les dice que preparen a la multitud para una comida. En lugar de confiar en su propia intuición y discutir con Jesús acerca de lo absurdo de alimentar a más de cinco mil personas con una cantidad tan pequeña de comida, simplemente hacen lo que les manda, sabiendo que proveerá para Su pueblo.

Los discípulos entienden nuestra aclamación evangélica, que “No sólo de pan vive el hombre, sino también de toda palabra que sale de la boca de Dios.” (Mt 4,4). No tienen idea de cómo abordar la situación, pero han aprendido a confiar en la dirección de Jesús, incluso en cuestiones de supervivencia física. Su orientación es mejor que cualquier cosa que se les haya ocurrido, incluso si parece absurdo en ese momento.

Esta perspectiva complementa la del salmista, cuyo único objetivo es morar en la casa del Señor y no en otros lugares más familiares. Y en nuestra Primera Lectura, vemos a Gamaliel diciendo algo similar: “si lo que se proponen y están haciendo es de origen humano, se acabará por sí mismo. Pero si es cosa de Dios, no podrán ustedes deshacerlo. No se expongan a luchar contra Dios” (Hechos 5:39). No quiere resistirse a algo que podría venir de Dios, aunque no lo entienda.

Gamaliel, el salmista y los discípulos ven el punto de mantenerse fijos en Dios, confiando en Su orientación incluso cuando sea difícil. Saben que si Dios ordena algo, guiándolo con Su mano, no puede fallar. Si orienta a alguien, sus indicaciones no serán seguidas en vano. Morar en Su casa es mejor que cualquier otra cosa.

Esta es una confianza profunda que necesitamos adoptar en nuestras propias vidas. Hay una autosuficiencia sutil que se cuela cuando pasamos demasiado tiempo buscando seguridad solo con nuestros propios esfuerzos. Planeamos con mucha anticipación, sin consultar a Dios sobre lo que quiere para nuestra vida y la de nuestros seres queridos. Inevitablemente, nuestros planes fallan y creamos otros nuevos, y no nos va mejor. Si no estamos acostumbrados a consultar a Dios y confiar en que realmente tiene las cosas bajo su control, nos apoyamos en métodos mundanos para mantener la seguridad, el prestigio y la riqueza, para que podamos tener todo lo necesario para una vida buena y pacífica. Buscando pasos fáciles hacia el éxito, recurrimos a las redes sociales y la sabiduría popular para resolver nuestros problemas. Si estas soluciones están separadas de la espiritualidad, nunca nos traerán la paz y la seguridad que buscamos.

En última instancia, debemos confiar en lo que Dios ya nos ha dicho a través de las escrituras, como las lecturas de hoy. Incluso y especialmente cuando las cosas parecen confusas y sin esperanza, Dios tiene todo bajo control. Debemos escucharlo y buscar su voluntad en estos momentos a través de la oración, la Escritura, los sacramentos y la dirección espiritual, confiando en lo que nos dice, aunque no podamos entender las razones. No podemos esperar comprender completamente los caminos de Dios, pero eso no significa que sean inferiores a los caminos que podemos encontrar por nuestra cuenta. Morar en Su casa es la meta, y Su orientación y su protección son lo mejor para nosotros en todas las situaciones.

Comunicarse con el autor

“When they heard this, they became infuriated and wanted to put them to death.”

The Apostles were so convicted by their experience of Jesus Christ, that they continued to tell his story even when those in power wanted to put them to death. Let that sink in for a moment. They wanted them put to death. And the Apostles did not stop. 

We live in a time when we are taught not to discuss religion and politics. We have witnessed people shamed and brought down for standing up for their convictions. It is a time of “political correctness” and “cancel culture”. 

This hits home hard for me. It is hard for me to even write these words. I am ashamed to admit that there have been times in my life when I have not brought up my faith because I was afraid it would make for an uncomfortable dinner conversation. I have neglected to share the grace I have received, because I wasn’t sure how the person would react, they might think I was weird or worse. I had a job once where I was cautioned to tuck in my crucifix because I was around people who didn’t like Catholics and I complied. No one has threatened my life, but there have definitely been times when I didn’t tell the story of Jesus Christ and the wonders he has worked. For that I am ashamed. 

A personal encounter with Jesus Christ has the ability to transform us. A personal encounter with Jesus Christ is able to take us outside of ourselves and move us into meaningful encounters with others. It is our mission to go out into the world and tell the story of Jesus Christ and his mercy. We are not to tell it once and then go back home, we are to tell the story over and over. More than that, we are to live the story. We are to live in such a way that mercy is our hallmark; where telling others how much they are loved is part of just who we are and how we operate. 

So I will take comfort from John’s words in the Gospel. “He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.” As I bend my will to conform more and more to God’s will, I can trust that God will not ration his gift of the Spirit so that each day I can start anew and along with the Psalmist “bless the Lord at all times.” Even when it feels uncomfortable. 

Contact the author