Series on The Ascension Lenten Companion by Fr. Mark Toups (Part 6)
Our expectations and what God is doing can be totally different, so how should we respond to that? In the raising of Lazarus, the response of the Pharisees was to have Jesus killed. This was the tragic response of the heart when they were not open and unable to receive the mysterious and unconditional love of God. We can sometimes share the same humanity as the Pharisees too. We sometimes prefer to have Jesus out of our lives completely because of the changes, experiences, and difficult things that are happening in our lives that weren’t what we expected them to be. We want it to be a certain way but then it’s not that way.
But despite all that, we are invited to stay in relationship with Jesus through any difficulty, change, or experience. In this episode we’re gonna do a recap on the raising of Lazarus and dive into its mysterious reality and our response to that.
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Ordinary But Extraordinary
It is easy to fall into the temptation and believe that we can’t do it, that we can’t live a holy life. Although the ordinary life is simple, hidden, and seems kind of normal, there’s so much sanctity in our vocations that are being lived faithfully. It might not be flashy or spectacular but it’s one of the most real ways we can grow in holiness. We may not be in the chapel or church making a eucharistic holy hour, but no matter what our day-to-day experiences look like or what daily lives we are accustomed to, God is there.
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Freedom Greater Than Circumstances
What makes us most free is this submission to God and this dependence on Him. Yes, freedom is dependent on obedience rather than doing whatever I want. When we fall in love with God and experience that love, this profound interior freedom takes place, and it becomes the most important thing in our lives — even to the point that it…
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Unceasing Prayer
With the abundance of noise in our world, there can be a lot of interruptions to our ongoing conversation and relationship with the God. The habitual, silent and secret conversation we all dream to have with God, all seems to be very difficult to…
