Homily on the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity

The Community of God: A Challenge To Individualism  

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily on the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Church

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

June 3, 2012

St Augustine of Hippo was said to have been preoccupied with the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity. He wanted to understand the doctrine of three persons in one God and be able to explain it logically. One day as he was walking along a sea shore reflecting on the matter, he suddenly saw a little boy all alone on the shore. The boy had dug a hole in the sand and was running back and forth from the sea to the hole.  Armed with a little cup, he would scoop some water with it and then ran up and poured it into the hole. Augustine drew up and said to him, “Hey boy, what are you doing?” He replied, “I am trying to empty the sea into this hole.” “And how do you think you can empty this immense sea into this tiny hole and with this tiny cup?” Augustine asked him. Then he fired back, “And you, how do you suppose that with your small head you can comprehend the immensity of God?” With that the child disappeared. 

Dearest beloved, today we celebrate one of the deepest mysteries of our faith: the fact that God is a Trinity of persons. While many religions worship one God, only Christians believe that God is three distinct persons sharing one life- the divine life. We believe in Three Persons in one God- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father is not greater than the Son; the Son is not greater than the Father; the Father and the Son are not greater than the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit is not greater than the Father and the Son. The three are equal; they have one nature and one essence. We believe not in three Gods, but one God. This is the mystery of our God.   

The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is about the inner relationship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It teaches us that our God does not exist alone or in isolation.  Our God is a community! Now, if we expected today’s readings to give us a clear and elaborate presentation of the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity, we have found out that they simply do not.  In fact the very word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible. But in today’s Gospel, Jesus referred to the reality of the Trinity when he said, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” 

Like St. Augustine, we will find the doctrine of the Trinity hard to comprehend. But our inability to understand it completely should not derail or impede our faith in God. It should rather make us to believe even more in God, for it only exposes the immensity and the greatness of our God. No one, no matter how smart and intelligent can comprehend God completely. St. Augustine himself once said, “If you know him (God) as he truly is, then it cannot be God.” God is greater and vaster than whatever we say he is. We may not be able to comprehend the “how” of the Trinity, but I think it is very important to understand the “why.” Why did God reveal the very nature of his being?  Why is our God three persons instead of one person? The importance of this doctrine lies in this: we are made in the image of God, therefore, the more we understand God the more we understand ourselves. Experts in religion tell us that people always try to be like the god they worship. People who worship a warrior god tend to be war-mongering, people who worship a god of pleasure tend to be pleasure-seeking, people who worship a god of wrath tend to be vengeful, and people who worship a god of love tend to be loving and lovable. Like a god, so the worshippers. Therefore, the more important question for us to ask today is: What does the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity tell us about the kind of God we worship and what does this say about the kind of people we should be?

God does not exist in solitary individualism but in a community of love, fellowship and sharing. God is not a loner. This means that a Christian in search of godliness must shun every tendency to isolationism and individualism. Isolation can lead to loneliness and loneness, that is, alone from self, from God and from others. We become who God created us to be when we are in a relationship with God and with the people of God.

True love requires three partners. You remember the old saying “Two is company, three is a crowd.” The Trinity shows us that three is community, three is love at its best; three is not a crowd. We are made in God’s image and likeness. Just as God is God only in a Trinitarian relationship, so we can only be fully human in a relationship of three partners- God, others, and yourself. Put differently, it’s Jesus, Others, and You- JOY. The self needs to be in a horizontal relationship with others and a vertical relationship with God. In that way our life becomes Trinitarian like that of God. Then we discover that the so-called “I-and-I” principle of unchecked individualism which is acceptable in our society today is not desirable to take home with. The doctrine of the Blessed Trinity challenges us to adopt rather God, neighbor, and I principle. I am a Christian insofar as I live in a relationship of love with God and other people. In striving to survive in this fast changing world, the Christian should realize that he or she does not exist alone. Whatever good one desires is equally desired by many others. The principle of I and I results in selfishness. While the principle of others and I results in live and let’s live. Instead of selfishness, we have self-giving and sacrifice. In Matthew 20: 28 Jesus says that “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 

Make it your turning point!

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily on the Feast of the Pentecost 

St. Gerard Majella Church

May 27, 2012

Beloved in Christ, today we celebrate the feast of the Pentecost. Today, we celebrate the fulfillment of the Lord’s promise in John 14:18: “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” On the eve of his Passion, Jesus promised to send the Advocate, the Counsellor, the Helper and the Teacher who will stay with us until the end of time. When he comes, the Lord assured us, he will help us remember and understand all that he had taught us: “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth” (John 16:12-13). Today, we celebrate the profound action of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and on the Church. 

Having received the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Father and the Son, the once confused and fearful Apostles, fearful of the Jewish leaders, fearful of the killers of Jesus, confused of what next to do after the “exit” of Jesus suddenly experienced something extraordinary. Having received the Holy Spirit, the Apostles could not stay in hiding anymore. With the power of the Holy Spirit, they broke out from the spirit of fear and timidity. With the power of the Holy Spirit, all doubts, all hesitations and all uncertainties disappeared. From the hiding place of the Upper Room, they made their exit to the streets of Jerusalem, preaching that Jesus is Lord. With the power of the Holy Spirit the Apostles were able to speak in different languages. With the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, they were able to speak in new language- the language of love. People who speak different languages may not be able to understand themselves; but they will certainly understand the language of love. When the language of love is spoken, everybody understands it. With the language of love, the Apostles tell powerfully the mighty deeds of God. With the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in the Apostles, all fears disappeared; all emotions of timidity vanished; all confusion and hesitation vamoosed. In 2 Timothy1:7, St. Paul says, “God did not give us a spirit of timidity but that of power, love and self-control. And in Romans 8:15, he also says, “We did not receive a spirit of fear, but the Spirit of sonship that enables us to cry out, Abba, Father.’”

Dearest beloved, as Christians, we have all been given the Holy Spirit. As people born anew, baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we have been given the Holy Spirit. As the people of God, confirmed and commissioned as soldiers of Christ through the sacrament of Confirmation, we have been given the fullness of the Spirit and sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. If this Spirit is not active in our lives, if we are not manifesting the gifts of the Holy Spirit, if we are not bringing people to Jesus through words and good deeds, if we are not walking in the Spirit, if we are not courageous to undertake the mission of Christ, if we are not able to say clear and loud “Jesus is Lord!” and mean it, if we are not firebrand members of the Church, if we are not renewed inwardly and outwardly, if the hope of an everlasting peace and joy in heaven does not keep us steady in our Christian journey, if we are not filled with the fruits of the Holy Spirit- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control, then it is possible we have grieved the Holy Spirit. St. Paul in Ephesians 4:30 warns, “Do not grieve (do not offend, vex or sadden) the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed (marked, branded as God’s own, secured) for the day of redemption.” How do we grieve the Holy Spirit? We do so by living a sinful life; living a double-standard life, living as if God is not there and does not matter. We grieve the Holy Spirit by being hateful, by being bitter and angry, by being restless because of the cares of the world, by being impatient, by being unkind and mean, by being immoral/sinful/vicious, by being proud and by being “other-control.” Other-control means that one is not in charge of himself/herself, something else- drink, food, bad habits are in control. The person is controlled by things other than God.  

But today can be the turning point! Today can be the turning point of waking up from our spiritual slumber. Today can be the turning point of living in the Spirit. Today, we can resolve to reawaken the Giant in us. Today can be the turning point in our life as Christians. Today can be the turning point of breaking away from those shackles that hinder us from growing in our faith. Today can be the turning point if we stir the cup of salvation filled with the water of life so as to taste the sweetness of the Spirit of God. If you drop a cube of sugar in a glass cup of water without stirring it with a spoon, you are likely not going to feel the taste of the sugar. We are the cup, the water is the life given to us by God. The sugar is the Holy Spirit deposited in us at our baptism and confirmation. We need to wake up the Giant. In 2 Timothy 1:6, St. Paul says, “ ... I remind you to fan into flame the gifts of God, which is in you through the laying on of hands.” If the flame of fire of the Holy Spirit is dimming, fan it. If the gifts of the Holy Spirit are not being manifested in you, fan and fan into flame those gifts. St. Paul knew the consequence of walking in the flesh. When the blazing fire of the Christians in Galatia started dwindling, St. Paul wrote: “O you foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?... Are you so foolish that after beginning in the Spirit, you are trying to end up in the flesh?” (Galatians 3:1,3)

Sisters and brothers, as we sing and pray, “Lord, send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth,” let us submit to the promptings of the Spirit. Today, let us ask the Love of the Father and Son to transform us once again. Let us ask him to make today the turning point in our lives. Let us ask him to come into our lives, change us, mold us into the image of Jesus and take away from us what does not give glory to God. Let us allow the Holy Spirit to do something new in our lives. Remember 2 Corinthians 3:17 tells us, “The Lord is Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” Where he is, there is righteousness, peace, and joy.

Happy Pentecost!

Fr. Marcel’s Bulletin Message On The Solemnity Of The Ascension Of The Lord, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Parish

Baton Rouge, LA, USA

May 20, 2012

Beloved in Christ Jesus, today we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord. As we celebrate the Lord’s Ascension into heaven, three points may be considered. Number one: Jesus is going up to heaven but not exactly as he came. From heaven he came as the Son of God, now he goes up as the Son of God and also the Son of Mary. He came from heaven as the only Son of God, but now returns as our Brother and Redeemer. In one sense, he is the only begotten Son of God, but in another sense, he is not the only begotten of the Father, for through his own suffering and death, he has ransomed and begotten each of us as sons and daughters of God. Through his redemption, we all have become God’s adopted sons and daughters. We have become brothers and sisters of the Lord. Number two: Jesus goes up to heaven without really leaving us. He stays with us as the Risen Lord. Although he is not physically present with us, he is spiritually present in and among us. He is present in the Holy Spirit who he sent to us, for it is the Spirit of the Father and the Son. He also continues to be with us supremely in the Eucharist, in common and private prayer, in our neighbor, in the poor and in those who evangelize for the Lord. In Matthew 21:20, Jesus promises us “And behold I am with you always until the end of time.” 

The Ascension of the Lord is not really a change of place for Jesus. We must avoid the danger of boxing Jesus into heaven, away from us. After all, heaven is living in God’s presence, a presence which begins here and now with the grace of the Lord and then culminates in the glory of heaven. Jesus knew this all too well and that’s why in John 17:3 he defines eternal life (that is the glory of heaven) like this: “And eternal life means to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ who sent.”

The third point to consider as we celebrate the Lord’s Ascension is that his Ascension into heaven reminds us of the destiny of his followers. A Christian is a pilgrim. We are on a journey, and when someone begins a journey, he or she wants to get to the destination. The hope of the Christian pilgrim is the destination of heaven. 

Writings about heaven do not get a press coverage. You can hardly read an article on heaven in the New York Times Magazine. Even in the Church, homilies or sermons on heaven are seldom preached about. Some people argue that we know little or nothing about heaven. Theologians continue to argue whether heaven is a place or a state. Heaven, most conclude is a mystery. Because no one has come from heaven to earth to tell us how it looks like, we shy away from talking about it. Even when the rich man in hell wanted Father Abraham to send Lazarus to his brothers on earth so as to warn them to change their lifestyles or else they would end in hell, his request was immediately turned down. What is in heaven is not adequately known. Some people have asked me questions like, “How is heaven like?” “I hope there will be food in it?” “What are we going to be doing in heaven?” “I hope heaven is not going to be a boring place?” I read about the story of a doctor and his terminally ill patient, who was very scared of dying. Out of fear of death, the patient asked his doctor: “What is there in heaven?” The doctor answered: “I don’t know.” In amazement, the patient said: “You do not know? But you are a devout Catholic and you attend Mass daily, yet you don’t know what is there in heaven?” At that time, there was a big noise produced by someone who wanted to force the door of the clinic open. It was a big dog, the doctor’s dog. Entering the clinic, the dog runs, jumps, and kisses the doctor. The entrance of the dog provided a teaching opportunity for the doctor. The doctor said to his patient: “Did you see my dog? He did not know what was in this room, but he knew that someone, his master was here, and that was enough for him. I do not know what is in heaven, but I know one thing: God my Father is there, Jesus my Redeemer is there, and that is enough for me.”

Some theologians tell us that heaven is a place, while others argue it is a state. While we wait on them to figure out whether heaven is a state or a place, I can categorically, emphatically and certainly tell you that heaven is the reward of righteousness. Heaven is the reward of compassion. It is the reward of love- love of God and love of neighbor. Heaven is the reward of holiness and purity. Heaven is the reward of uprightness. It is the reward of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, welcoming the strangers, visiting the sick, the shut in and the imprisoned for the sake of Jesus. Heaven is the reward of forgiveness and tolerance. It is the reward of not getting tired of doing what is good. It is the reward of working for justice and peace for the sake of Jesus, the Prince of peace. Heaven is the reward of prayer which is talking to God. It is the reward of looking up to God and touching God through prayer. Heaven is the reward of simplicity and humility. Heaven is the reward of not giving up on God even in the face of unspeakable suffering and hardship. Heaven is the reward of keeping the Lord's commandments. Heaven is the reward of working for God wholeheartedly with no regrets. Heaven is the reward of joy drawn drawn from a profound relationship with God. Heaven is the reward obedience- God's centered obedience. Heaven is the reward of being a faithful witness of God. It is the reward of not clinging too much on the things of this world. Heaven is the reward of depending and relying on God. Heaven is the reward of following Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Heaven is the reward of honest living devoid of hypocrisy. Heaven is the reward of saying yes to God on a daily basis. Heaven is the reward of looking heavenward on a daily basis. It is the reward for those who spend their earthly life storing up treasures in heaven.  

Heaven is our goal and our target! Over there, our tears will be wiped away. Over there, all our limitations will be gone. Over there, we will see Jesus, our Brother and Redeemer. Over there, we will see our loving Father. Over there, we will see the Holy Ghost our Comforter. Over there, we will see our awesome Mother Mary. Over there, we will be in their company and in the company of all the saints and angels. Over there, we will not hunger anymore; we will not be sick anymore. Over there, there will be no more trouble again. Over there, all people of different races, nations and tongue will be united in one big family. Over there, our song is not going to be composed by Jay-zee, Beyonce, Michael Jackson, Tu-Pac, Mariah Carey, the Backstreet Boys, Bob Marley, Boyz II Men, Bryan Adams, Tu Face, P Square Cyndi, Lauper etc. but by the Angels.  

Do you wanna go? Join me as we walk over there with the steps of love! 

The Lord’s Chosen are chosen for joy, love and friendship

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

May 13, 2012

Today’s Gospel message flows from what Jesus said in last Sunday’s Gospel: “I am the vine and you are the branches.” The vine and the branches have a deep relationship of togetherness and love. The branches depend on the vine tree for life; and the vine relies on the branches to issue out its fruits. A tree usually bears fruits through its branches. Those who are called by the name of Jesus Christ, those who have faith in him, those who believe in, those who have surrendered to his lordship are the branches of the true vine. To them Jesus says: “I no longer call you slaves because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.” 

Sisters and brothers, we are not slaves, not even to our Lord and master. We are rather friends of Jesus. You know, slaves do not have to love their masters. In fact, slaves hardly love their masters. Slaves do not sit on the same table with their masters, eat and dine with them. The master does not die for his slaves. If anything, he would sacrifice the lives of his slaves just to keep his. Slaves live in squalor while their masters live in affluence and pleasure. We are friends of Jesus. He did not only tell us everything he heard from the Father, he even died for us. Like I said before, love does not have to exist between a master and his slaves; but between friends, there is love and intimacy. Between friends, there is a desire to please each other. Between friends, there is a yearning to make sacrifices for each other. Between friends, there is obedient love. Between a master and his slave, there is just blind obedience, obedience generated not by love but by fear. Jesus calls us friends because he does not want us to be scared of him but to love him. And let’s remember that he first loved us. In the beginning of the Gospel of today, he says, “As the Father loves me, so I also love you.”  To highlight the fact that he was the first to love us, he said, “It was not you who chose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain (last)...” 

Yes, Jesus chose us first. He chose us because we need him and he needs us as well. We need him to survive. And guess what? We are chosen by the Lord for joy. No matter how hard the Christian way is, it is still the way of joy, happiness and peace. There is a great joy in serving the good God. There is joy in doing what is right, that is why St. Paul says in Galatians 6:9, “Do not be tired of doing what is god, for in due time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we do not give up.” A Christian is a person of joy, joy rooted in the Son of God who died to set us free. It is a joy generated by faith in a good and awesome God. A sad or gloomy Christian is a contradiction in terms. A Christian is a possessor and a spreader of good news. Good news is good news. It brings joy; it makes happy and causes delight. So, when a Christian is not joyful, then something is wrong. A sad and gloomy Christian is loudly saying one thing: I am not saved, and I do not have the joy of salvation. When King David indulged in adultery and repented, part of his prayers was “Restore to me the joy of your salvation; and uphold me with your Holy Spirit” (Psalm 51:12). One clear thing that salvation brings to a believer in Christ is joy. St. Paul knew this too well that’s why in his letter to the Philippians 4:4, he declares: “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice.” A Christian is a person of joy and delight because she understands that though a sinner but she is a redeemed sinner, and it is this realization that causes her  to be joyful. That makes her rejoice in the Lord at all times. 

We are also chosen by Jesus for love. In the Gospel of today, the Lord says, “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.” We have been sent into the world to love one another and to love the other. Love is our Christian identity. Love is our habit. Love defines us and defines our relationship with Jesus. We were created in love and chosen for love. Love brings life in the society. It enthrones the reign of God in our society. It makes the whole creation new. Love can remove crimes, violence and reduce human suffering. It lightens both our burden and that of others. In today’s world of violence and hate, we are called once again to love just as Jesus loves us. There should be no discrimination in love. God is love and any person who loves is godly. “Sometimes we live as if we were chosen and sent into the world to compete with one another, or to dispute with one another, or to quarrel with one another.” But Jesus tells us today that we are chosen primarily for love. And we are to teach others, by our life of love how to love with no strings attached. Remember, no matter how much we love, we can never love like Jesus. In fact he says, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down his life for his friends.” But that’s what Jesus did. Jesus never gave a commandment that he himself did not keep. Whatever he has asked us to do, he has already done himself. 

Beloved in Christ, we are also chosen to be the friends of Jesus. Jesus says he is not going to call us slaves but friends. And he says we are his friends if we keep his commandments. So, what makes us the friends of Jesus is not just the verbal expression of “I am a friend of God” rather the keeping of his commandments. Since the one who created and owns us is not calling us slaves, no one should be called slaves either. We are all God’s children; we are all friends of Jesus. In Galatians 3:28, St. Paul says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, for we are all one in Christ Jesus.” 

You know, being a slave of God was a title of honor. It was nothing to be ashamed of from the beginning. Moses, Joshua, David etc were known as slaves of God. Even St. Paul thought that being called a slave of God was a huge honor. Men and women of God in the past were proud to be called slaves of God. But Jesus tells us he has something greater to call us, “You are no longer slaves but friends.” With this, Jesus offers us the greatest intimacy with God. He chose us to be his friends. This means we no longer have to look at God from a distance. We are not like slaves who have no right to enter into the presence of their master. We are not spectators or a crowd of people who only look at men and women of authority from a distance. Jesus, our Lord and Brother has given us the permit to enter freely into the presence of the King of kings without any harassment from the secret service. “In him we live and move and have our being.” We are no longer strangers or aliens but intimate friends of God. Glory be to God! 

Bearing good fruits in Christ

Bearing good fruits in Christ

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Church

May 6, 2012

In last Sunday’s gospel reading taken from John 10:11-18, Jesus says of himself, “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” In today’s gospel which is taken from John 15:1-8, Jesus declares, “I am the true vine...” Our Lord is the Good Shepherd who cares and loves the sheep so much to the point of offering his very life for the sheep. And if we want him to be our Shepherd, then we must remain a sheep, for a wolf has no shepherd. Jesus is also the true vine, and his Father, our Father is the vine grower. And we his disciples are the branches. The branches cannot bear fruits unless they remain part of the vine tree. The vine tree, its branches, and the grower of the vine have a relationship of love. The branches need the vine tree to survive, the vine and its branches need the grower to look after them. Throughout his earthly ministry, Jesus was constantly in touch with his Father through prayer. On earth, he was not doing his own thing but the will of his Father. His Father’s will was his own will. His Father’s wish was his command. His Father’s will was his food. The relationship between him and his Father was so close and so deep that he declared, “Whoever has seen me, has seen the Father” (John 14: 9). Jesus’ relationship with his Father is never questionable. The Father’s love for the Son is not in doubt. In Matthew 3:17, the Father says, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.” Even Jesus testified of his Father’s love for him in John 10:17, “My Father loves me because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.”

What is questionable sometimes is our love and relationship with Jesus. Jesus says he is the true vine and we are the branches. Therefore, for us to bear good and lasting fruits, we must remain in the vine- Jesus: “Whoever remains in me, and I in him will bear much fruit because without me you can do nothing.” The image of electricity and the bulb will help us understand more what our Lord is saying. Just as electricity provides the power necessary for the bulb to burn, so the vine provides the life necessary for the branches to produce fruits. A house cannot have light unless it is connected to the very source of electricity. We cannot have the virtuous fruits of the Spirit unless we are connected to Jesus the true vine. As long as we are connected to Jesus, the power of the Holy Spirit can run into us keeping us alive and thriving. But if we dismember ourselves from Jesus, we will not be able to produce life-sustaining and life-giving fruits. This could lead to spiritual dormancy and inactivity. In the end, it can lead to loss of faith; it can lead to loss of the sense of the sacred  and the loss of the sense of God. Catholics who do not produce fruits expected of the children of the resurrection are a threat to Christianity; they can harm the Body of Christ and expose our faith to ridicule. Their action can make more converts for atheism than atheists are able to do. What are the fruits expected of a Christian? Galatians 5:22 says, “The fruits of the Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” 

To bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit, we must remain in Christ Jesus. We must renew our relationship with him on a daily basis through prayer. The secret to the faithfulness of Jesus was his constant contact with his Father. Over and over again, he would withdraw into a lonely place to pray. For us to be able to keep and maintain constant contact with Jesus, we must pray and attend Masses. At Mass we  encounter Jesus both in the Word and in the Eucharist. Prayer doesn’t have to be about asking. Asking for one favor or the other is just one aspect of prayer. Prayer is being in the presence of God. It involves making out time to be silent and to acknowledge the presence of God. We must make out time to turn off the TV, radio, the phones, the computer and just think about God. For those of us who find it very difficult to concentrate, to meditate and to pray, let me suggest a practice that can help. Place two chairs (seats) facing each other. Sit on one, then invite Jesus to sit on the other. Believe in your heart that he is sitting on the other. Close your eyes and then talk to him. If you have nothing to say to him, still shut your eyes and remain silent for a while. If you want to talk to him but don’t know what to say, you can say repeatedly, “Jesus, I love you” or “Jesus, I need you” or  something else. Remember the injunction of St. Paul, “Walk by faith and not by sight.”

A good disciple of Jesus Christ makes out time for the Lord. He/she understands that prayer is touching God. Prayer is the oil of the Christian life. If there is no oil in a running car, it is only a matter of time before there is a mechanical meltdown. In the same way, when a Christian goes on without prayer, without connecting with Christ, it is only a matter of time before he or she suffers spiritual meltdown. With constant contact with Jesus through prayer, studying and meditating on the Word of God (Bible), and attending Masses regularly, the Christian enriches his or her life, and his or her contact with the Lord enables him or her to be a fruitful branch. In the end, he or she radiates the glory of God. His or her life makes others want to serve the God that makes him or her the way he or she is. The life of a fruitful child of God gives glory to God. Such a life demonstrates the goodness of God; it bears testimony to the good God. Our greatest achievement is that by remaining in Christ and producing good fruits we bring glory to our God who is good at all times.