In the Gospel of Mark, we hear the very well-known verse: "whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it." Mk 10-2-16. What if we allowed ourselves to be vulnerable like children? Christ Jesus allowed himself to be vulnerable and became man. Born of the Virgin, he depended solely on the love and care of His mother and Father. With that he paved the way for us so we too can trust. Specially allow ourselves to be shaped by the experiences God gives us in life., the Providence of God.
“With the confidence of a son {daughter}, rest in the care and love that divine Providence has for you in all your needs. Look upon Providence as a child does its mother who loves him {her} tenderly. You can be sure that God loves you incompatibly more." St Jane Frances de Chantal
Having a Child like faith is about trust. According to Merriam-Webster Trust is the firm believe in the character, strength, or truth of someone or something. Confident hope. What if we firmly believed in Christ? What if we totally trusted that God is our Father and that There is a show called "What If..." by Marvel playing. This show is based on well-known superheroes deciding a different path to themselves and the consequences that carries. As Christians our Lord Jesus invites us to change our reality by trusting in the will of God for us. Trust that He has our backs because he created us and He loves us? What would our lives look like? What would our actions look like? I believe then our lives would truly reflect God's love to all. We would give witness of his love to those around us by our actions. Because God's love would compels us to love with an open heart and to trust that our actions in some way are building a better world.
Trust is also about hope. Is not a wishing hope. It's complete trust that we do our part and God is doing His. It might not look the way we imagine it, it usually turns out better than we expected. Yet, it all starts with trust. Pope Francis has been inviting us to live this trust and hope by embracing our baptismal call. As baptized Christians God has hoped to change the world through our actions. So let's live out that hope and become the people God has created us to be. Let us share our hope by being present to those around us.
"If you embrace all things in life as coming from the hands of God...assuredly you will die a saint." St. Alphonsus Liguori
Meditato
Take a moment and meditate on Blessed Calo Acutis words: "Sadness is looking at ourselves, happiness is looking towards God." What is God telling you about trusting in his love for you?How can you share that love with others and live out your Baptismal call?
Make a list on were in your life you are seeing God's presence.
Now make a list of the situations in your life where you are in need of God's light. Where is it that you are looking for God to help you?
Make a commitment to continue looking to see how is God acting in your life.
Thank God by being of service to others that might be looking for hope in their life.
If you belong to a young adult group, invite your group members to share how God is actively working in their lives. Then invite them to share where do they need God's light and pray together for those needs. You might want to invite them to live out their baptismal calling by doing an act of service to others.
If you would like to plan a service project, here is a guide to help you. La guia esta disponible en español.
Let us Pray:
I invite you to put yourself in a spirit of Prayer. . Breathe and imagine that you are before the Lord. Ask him what he wants from you, where he wants you to go to witness his love and bring hope. Offer yourself your fears and uncertainties and tell him with an open heart what troubles you. Tell him make my faith like a child. So I can trust in you completely Listen to this song by Jesse Manibusan - Hold On to Love
Help me believe Lord
Join me in praying this prayer of St. Ignatious of Loyola: Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will. All I own and all I have, You gave to me, to you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours, dispose of it according to your will. Give me your love and grace, this is enough for me. Amen.
You can pray an Our Father and a Hail Mary slowly breathing between sentences.
Finish by asking for the needs of your family, your friends. For the Holy Father and his intention for the month of September: so "we all will make courageous choices, the choices necessary for a simple and environmentally sustainable lifestyle, taking inspiration from our young people who are resolutely committed to this".:
Pray for Bishops, priests, men and women religious. So that the Lord will fill you with joy. We end by asking Our Lady, a model of charity, to cover us with her mantle and pray for us so that we may be generous; and through the intercession of our patron saints: Saint Gema Galgani, Saint Joselito, Blessed Chiara Badano and Blessed Carlo Acutis. Pray for us.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.
