Thieves that rob us of our gifts

From the Desk of Father David

Dear Friends in Christ,

             Do you want happiness, Christ’s peace, and zeal for life?  Do you want to experience the depths of God’s love?  Then you need to fight the items that rob us of these gifts.  Let us take a closer look at these thieves. 1.  Being so busy or going so fast we do not have time for ourselves and others.  We need to prioritize and focus on what is really important instead of trying to do everything.  2. Trying to see the Wonder and Awe of life.  There are thousands of miracles happening all around us and we can easily miss them.  A woman shared with me that ever since she cannot sleep, she decided to get up, make herself a cup of coffee and watch the sunrise.  She continued, she was amazed that no two sunrises are the same.  The key to Wonder and Awe is to slow down and focus our attention on the present moment.  3. Forgetting that life is fragile and taking life experiences for granted.  The moment we take a person for grated we poison the relationship.  If we take an opportunity for granted, we are forgetting that nothing lasts forever.  4. We have been taught that we are what we do.  The truth is you are valuable because you are a child of God and a gift from God to others.  You need to give the gift of yourself so that others can find life.  5.  We need to stop and listen to each other.  When we do so, our lives are enriched by the experience of entering the life of the other person.  So often we have experienced others who really didn’t hear us.  6. Don’t forget to have fun.  A rabbi told me that when we die God will ask us, “Did you enjoy My gifts?”  7. Don’t look at the faults of others, look for their good qualities.  8. Don’t allow the clock or electronic devices become your master.  Many times we become impatient and sin because we feel we are running out of time.  Other times it is that we are “glued” to social media or a phone instead of being present to others.  Let God be your master and He will take care of you.  9. Trust in God, He holds you in the palms of His hands.  These might seem like small things but they rob us of happiness and zeal for life.  Therefore let us always invoke God’s help in fighting these thieves and trust in His never ending love.

May the Trinity enable us to fight all these temptations and develop life giving attitudes so we can experience the life Jesus promised us abundantly here on earth and for ever in heaven.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. David