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Sunday After Christmas 12/26/2004 "Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, - and He shall strengthen your heart!" Psalm 27:14 This powerful phrase was spoken by the Psalmist David in his 27th Psalm. He openly places his complete and unquestioned faith and trust in the Lord, - and of course advises everyone to do the same. Here we are my beloved Friends, already at the portals of the New Year! I think that this is one more opportunity given to all of us, and to all humankind, to pause long enough to take stock of ourselves, and our actions in life. Taking stock, -- not as some would think of the material, but regarding the matters pertaining to our spiritual counterpart, -- our soul! If we ever took the time to pause, and to seriously meditate, we shall no doubt discover, that we have much, for which to be thankful to God. And when we do think about this, we shall additionally discover, that to think, is to thank. There is no question, that looking back we may recognize losses, failures and sorrows; and these perhaps may have formed threatening clouds in the sky of our life. But, these losses, failures or sorrows, are never without compensation. That is, if our faith in God is truly well grounded. The end of every year is decidedly a very good opportunity, not only for taking stock of ourselves, but also taking steps to equip ourselves, to meet new challenges, and even the days of uncertainty. Really, we do not know what lies ahead in our private concerns, nor in the outside world beyond us; And when we think of it, there is very little distinction between them, -- that is, between our world, and the world beyond our immediate environment. Indeed, with the mass and instant communications today, the whole world can be considered our own parish. In reading the 27th Psalm from which we quoted the 14th verse, we may assume that the Psalmist David may have come to a bad patch in life's journey. Life seemed to have turned against him; and it appeared difficult to face the future with any assurances. I think, that so many people today can also identify with this situation. But, David was not about to give up. He did not lose his faith. He persevered, and ultimately he recovered his full perspective. As he looked back, he realized, that the one thing that kept him going, was his religious faith. Many of us today are fortunate, because we can identify with the Prophet David's experience. History has recorded the life of countless heroes and personalities. To be sure, there are countless others, - average people, who have suffered misfortunes so devastating, that it seemed as if the whole world had crumbled around them. But, in spite of this devastation, these known and unknowns regained their composure, and re-armed themselves with courage and patience. They firmly believed, that God would see them through. This is what David chose to do; and that's why he admonishes all of us by stating: "Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart!" So dear Friends, having approached the close of the Year 2004 I would strongly suggest, to keep in mind 5 watchwords, which we implant in our heart, and give them substance, to be used as a compass to guide us in life. The first watchword is, "Have Faith! " This may sound commonplace; but, it is the exhortation, which meets us on every page of the Bible. Have Faith! Perhaps we should ask ourselves, what does faith means to us. Is faith something that we merely accept? Or, is it something we live by, and always use as our unshakable support in life, so, that if faith ever faded from our hearts, it would be equal to the undermining of the very foundations of our life? Faith, in the Biblical sense, is an unquestioned commitment. It means, that whatever happens, - no matter how drastic, we should be prepared to hold on, and endure with patience; St. Paul says it in a simple phrase: "having done all, to stand firmly." After Faith, the second watchword is: "Have Courage!" If we have undaunted faith, we surely will have to put it into action, in the face of any fear, any hesitation, or any trial. You may recall, that when Jesus appeared to His Disciples after His Resurrection, they immediately overcame their fear of being hurt;--of their fear of being desolate, and their fear of being unpopular, or outcasts. These fears in some form, affect many people today, and the only way fear can be overcome, is by courage, which springs forth from faith. The type of faith, that no matter what happens to us, we firmly believe, that there are resources within us, which are waiting to come into play. But, these resources within us, and the untapped power which we all possess, do not come into play, until our unquestioned faith in God blossoms into courage, - the courage, which stands firmly against the things that chill the spirit, or cloud it with anxiety. It is proven, that most of the things, which we fear in life, never come to pass; but, if they do, and we are able to meet them with courage founded on faith, - then, these have something to give us, which brings gain instead of loss. The 3rd watchword, so vital to our spiritual well-being is "patience!" How many times, we ourselves have admonished others suffering some trial, by saying: "Have Patience!" "Be Patient!" We do advise others, but when it comes to some personal occasion, we don't follow our own advice, which we so freely offer to others. Patience is a great virtue. Our Lord very emphatically stated, that "By virtue of our patience, we shall become masters over our own soul!" When the Lord taught the Parable of the Sower, He emphasized that the seed, which fell in the fertile soil, that is, in Godcentered souls by receiving His word, the seed would bring forth one hundredfold of good deeds, - provided, of course, that the souls would be cultivated with patience. The 4th watchword, so vital to our life is "Hope!" Really, --what would life be without hope? Hope is truly the anchor on life's ship. As we know, without an anchor, a ship cannot be stabilized or docked. In a comparable manner, our life can never be stabilized without the anchor of hope! It is said: "Give me the hope of tomorrow, and I can endure anything today!" Christian hope fortifies the soul. It makes it invincible. I very much like the 5th verse in the 146th Psalm: "happy is the person, whose hope is in the Lord." Perhaps some of us may recall some tragedy in life, or even some great trial we went through, but succeeded in emerging victoriously, because of our steadfast hope, the hope of our looking forward to a better tomorrow, and never wavering in our faith. The dedicated Christian always looks with hope to the future! Isn't this the case for the approaching New Year? I would assume, that all of us, in a comparable manner must have expressed ourselves with hope, that 2005 will be a better year for all of us and for all the world! Without question, hope is so very vital to our well-being in life. Lastly, the 5th, and I may say the crowning watchword, which should adorn every Christian soul is Agape, or charity, or love. Who can ever disagree with St. Paul's masterpiece on Agape in the 13th Chapter of 1st Corinthians? In his ode to love among the many descriptions, St. Paul says: "Love conquers all things. Love endures all things. Love never fails. Love is the supreme of all virtues!" Love is the main identifying factor with God. St. John in his 1st Epistle (4:8) defines it simply, but most eloquently in just three words when he states: "God is Love!" It is this love, which God showered upon us so profusely, when He gave us His Only-Begotten Son, so that we would be able to achieve salvation. How unfortunate it is, that so many souls are devoid of love. Still others, have a warped sense of love, whether it's selfishness or possessiveness. But, regardless of what interpretation anyone may have, the truth remains, that the love of God, and for God, is clear, and pure, and simple. The Commandment reads loudly and clearly: "We shall love our God with all our heart, and all our mind, and all our soul, and our neighbor as ourselves." So it is, my beloved, that as we are embarking on another year, the questions will remain: "Have we profited by our life in the past? Have we made any contribution to help make this a better world? Have we kept our conscience in tune with our Christian obligations? Or, have we succeeded in pacifying our conscience, as so many do, by convincing ourselves, that we are not the worst of people? Or, what is worse, have we nullified our conscience, so that it does not stand in our way to satisfy our sinful instincts?" My beloved! Let us fully grasp the new opportunity, which the New Year affords us, and let us pledge ourselves before God, - honestly, and conscientiously, - not as a routine custom, or act, - that we shall earnestly make every effort to live up to the lofty ideals, in which we believe. To be sure, our life can be radically improved and be perfected, by giving substance to the 5 watchwords we just mentioned, and give them unlimited application in our life: "Faith, - Courage - Patience - Hope, --- and Agape, Love! back to sermons |
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