Devotional Thought of the day

5 “The purpose of my covenant with the Levites was to bring life and peace, and that is what I gave them. This required reverence from them, and they greatly revered me and stood in awe of my name. 6 They passed on to the people the truth of the instructions they received from me. They did not lie or cheat; they walked with me, living good and righteous lives, and they turned many from lives of sin.
7 “The words of a priest’s lips should preserve knowledge of God, and people should go to him for instruction, for the priest is the messenger of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.(Mal 2:5–7 NLT

758    The wholehearted acceptance of the will of God is the sure way of finding joy and peace: happiness in the cross. It’s then we realize that Christ’s yoke is sweet and that his burden is not heavy.  (1)

Yesterday I ha the blessing of baptizing a young man named Aiden.

And then I was able to give to 60 or more people Christ’s body and blood.  Somewhere in the middle I delivered a sermon,   This is what I live for in life when I am consistent with the Spirit given me in baptism some 50 years ago.

It’s what i do, it is, in many ways, what I’ve invested my life in, at least the investment that is worthwhile.

I have invested time in other things, some that were fun, some that were silly, some that caused suffering, my own or someone else’s. Are some of those things good?  Well, God promises that all will work for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.

It is when we see God’s will when we see His presence, His mercy, and His love made manifest, those are the times of the greatest peace, the most incredible joy. Which is why giving and yes receiving the sacraments, or studying God’s revelation of love is so much a time of blessed peace. It is when we are praying with someone, asking for God to reveal Himself, to reveal His mercy, whether that person is 98 and on their death bed, or 2 years old and crying because she doesn’t want to leave church, or with a bunch of friends at lunch that we see this.

You see the work of a pastor/priest is different, but no different in that God is working through us all, reconciling the world to Himself.  That is His desire, that none should perish, but that all are transformed into this life.

He is here, He is with us, He brings us life and peace… this is what we all are to pass on,  That is the greatest investment we can make… giving someone else the peace of God, found in life united to Christ.

And may we rejoice as we turn many from their sin because of this gospel message, lived out in Christ.

Escriva, Josemaria (2010-11-02). The Way (Kindle Locations 1766-1767). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.