A few years ago, some Christian friends in our parish were studying a book entitled Divine Renovation by Father James Mallon about parish renewal.  The book was about bringing Catholic parishes from “maintenance to mission.”  Its purpose was to bring renewal to a person’s life by encouraging a personal encounter with Jesus Christ and a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit, thereby bringing renewal to the parish.    

When I first heard what they were doing, I didn’t respond initially to get involved.  One of the tools they were using was the Alpha program, a series of high impact videos followed by small group discussion.  The videos deal with life’s biggest questions such as Is There More to Life than this? Why Did Jesus Die? What Does the Holy Spirit Do? How Can I Resist Evil? How Can I Make the Most of the Rest of My Life?  It runs for eleven weeks plus a Saturday retreat about the Holy Spirit. 

While I was initially reluctant, I attended the first Alpha program and saw that it was indeed leading people to the renewal of their faith.

There is the Old Testament story of Naaman, who was the commander of the Army of the King of Aram and who had leprosy.  A young girl from Israel in his household told his wife about the prophet, Elisha who could heal Naaman of his leprosy.  Naaman traveled to Israel, expecting Elisha to say a fancy prayer over him with lots of ritual, but Elisha sent a messenger instructing him to go wash himself seven times in the Jordan River.  Naaman grew angry and went off in a rage, rejecting the opportunity to be healed.  His servants persuaded him to reconsider.  He did as Elisha instructed, and he was healed of his leprosy.  (1 Kings 5:1-14)

How often do we not recognize opportunities that God puts in our lives to bring about his presence more fully in us and in others?  After attending the first Alpha course, I joined the team, and we have been conducting Alpha courses for the last five years. Hundreds of parishioners have attended.  Many have reported experiencing Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in a way that has deepened their faith.    

Is God offering you an opportunity to grow closer to him, or to bring his presence to others? 

“If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.  My Father will love him, and we will come and make our home with him.” (John 14:23 NIV)

This has to be one of the great promises of scripture.  This is not about being with Jesus and the Father in heaven in the future.  This is about now.  Jesus is saying that if we open our heart, soul, and mind to him and follow his teaching that he and the Father will take up residence in us.  They will live with us and be present to us like family. 

Jesus answers the further question of how this can come about in his additional promise in Revelation 3:20 when he says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me.” He promises a special friendship if we open the door of our hearts to him.

We can ask Jesus about anything – our daily choices, our decisions at work, how we relate to people, how we respond to a neighbor sharing a need, and how we love our families and the people in our lives.     

A few years ago, at a Catholic ministry outreach to the county jail, an inmate asked about how a person can relate to Jesus.  I’m thinking about how I should respond to him.  The thought came into my mind to share about a personal encounter I once had with the Lord that changed the course of my life.  I thought, “is that what you want me to do, Lord?”   I felt like he said yes, so I shared my experience.  After I shared, two other inmates who had been attending our sessions, shared their personal stories of having a personal encounter with Jesus.  Inmates are very cautious about what they share in front of other inmates so as not to show any weakness. Their stories made my story even more credible to the inmate who asked the question.  It was one of the best discussions we ever had.    

Jesus is available to us 24/7.  If he has taken up residence in us, we can ask him any question any time.

Have you opened the door of your heart to Jesus and invited him to take up residence?   

“If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.” (Mt. 6:14)

Jesus spoke these words immediately after giving the disciples the Lord’s Prayer, apparently to highlight the importance of the petition on forgiveness — “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”  We can’t expect God to forgive us of our sins if we are not forgiving others of their sins against us.

Many years ago, a friend and I joined a music group playing our guitars for a Saturday evening mass at a small parish in Armonk, New York. After a couple of months, we were abruptly asked to leave without any explanation.  We were angered by the summary dismissal and dwelt on it for several months.  At a Christmas Eve mass during the sign of peace I felt the nudge to walk over to the music group leader and offer the sign of peace, which led to a hug of forgiveness.    The leader and I became close Christian friends and still stay in touch. My guitar playing friend continued to remain angry.  

When Peter asked how many times we should forgive, Jesus said “not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”  Jesus then shares the parable of the unforgiving servant who, after having his debt forgiven by his master, did not do the same with a fellow servant. When his master learned of this, he responded, “You wicked servant!  I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.  Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?” (Mt. 18:21- 35)

We remember the example of Jesus’ unforgettable words from the cross, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34) Forgiveness is absolutely essential for the advancement of the kingdom of God on earth.

Without God’s grace, our nature is not to forgive. We hold a grudge or seek revenge, “an eye for an eye.” But unforgiveness is like a cancer.  It gives rise to anger and resentment, robbing us of our peace and affecting us as negatively as the original wrong.  This effect applies to groups, tribes, and nations as well as individuals, and has led to a never-ending cycle of violence throughout human history.

Are you brooding over a past hurt or wrong that God is waiting for you to forgive?