This sentence can make us think of all those who dare to recognize that God is their only possible path to holiness:
“‘Come! let us go to implore the favour of the Lord’; and, ‘I too will go to seek the Lord.’” Zechariah, chapter 8, verse 21
Me, whatever the case, I will seek the face of the Lord, I will look for it and I will find him. I have decided that my will, I will place it in a safe place, in God’s Heart. Let’s find him, together!
The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: … for Love, Normand Thomas

Jesus Loves us, he doesn’t force anyone and he sets us free. Jesus accepts what we want and he will not give more than we ask. Freely, if our request is not precise, we risk finding ourselves with very little.
Sometimes we ask, but we don’t believe in it. Sometimes we want to follow Christ, but there are too many things or people who hold us back, or we aren’t vigilant enough.
Sometimes the Lord will take his time, because we are not in a hurry to change lanes. Sometimes asking something from the Lord will lead us where we would not want to go. It helps us to grow in faith because we have to learn to adjust to God as true disciples. Let’s check carefully whether our requests really lead us to the house of the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit.
God can do anything and everything is offered to us. But it is still necessary that we accept what comes from him. When the priest says, at the beginning of Mass: “The Lord be with you,” the Lord is already with us, but he always leaves us …More

The fire of earth [Jesus in our heart] shines in heaven. It enlightens all those who take refuge in God, welcome him and accept to live with his light. To the young people gathered in Rome in 2000, Pope John Paul II said of Jesus:
“He is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is he who provokes you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is he who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is he who reads in your hearts your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle. It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives.”
World Youth Day, Prayer Vigil at Tor Vergata, August 19, 2000, number 5. Vatican Site:
World Youth Day: vigil (Tor Vergata, August 19, 2000) | John Paul II
Let’s put on the garment of light that leads us to the dawn of the new day. Let’s have the courage, the will, the desire to transform the world through Love, with God.
The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: … for Love, Normand …More

The light illuminates our way when we are driving. It would be very risky to venture on a road at night without headlights on. We may not get very far. And the danger of damage and injury is great.
This is what happens in our lives when we do not give God the leisure to enlighten it. We are at great risk. Instead of opening ourselves to life, we may close our hearts. Then fear becomes imminent.
When our road is lit, it becomes more visible. The only temporary errors that remain are the fact of moving away from the light again or not being cautious enough.
Let’s enter happily into the light that God gives us. Let’s get back to it quickly. Let’s thank God for his light, enter into communion with him and our hearts will open ever more. We are also invited to go deeper into our hearts, to thank Jesus for the treasures we find there.
Let’s take some time to discover these treasures and offer our thanksgiving to Jesus. The treasure that has greater value is our heart, since Jesus lives in it. …More

This sentence reminds us that God is here:
“He will be gracious to you when you cry out, as soon as he hears he will answer you.” Isaiah, chapter 30, verse 19b
God answers us as soon as we cry. This is the sign that he is close. When we have enough, when we stop wanting to do everything alone, when pride accepts the transition to simplicity, peace and joy, when we are saturated with being exploited with injustices, it’s no longer necessary to cry out to the Lord.
We then cry for joy since we have turned away from our closures or the injustices we suffered. We turn to God. We shout for joy, because we understand the difference between the harm others are doing to us (or ourselves) and the pure, just, true, and righteous Love of God. We open ourselves again to grace, to the Love of God. Our heart becomes interested to being in his presence.
We read in the Gospel:
“Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing …More

Sometimes, to come back to God, we think we have to cry out, because suffering holds us and doesn’t let us go. But we don’t have to scream.
Shouting is a sign that we have gone too far. We have moved away from God. God is here, let’s trust! God chases us with his Love! And his arrows are joy, peace, hope, mercy, life, love, etc.
We cry because we don’t want to live in the negation that keeps us away from God. We shout because we forgot that God is always with us. Within the walls we have created for ourselves, we believe that God is no longer there.
We locked ourselves in and closed the windows. After our cry, the storm will calm down, the dust will fall and we will have no reason to cry if we turn our heart to God.
It’s a good reflex to turn to him. Shouting is not a fault, but it’s not the end result.
The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: … for Love, Normand Thomas

This passage is clear:
“The natural person does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God.” 1 Corinthians, chapter 2, verse 14
The person who only relies on his strengths and abilities is like a discount battery rapidly losing energy. He is not aware of what God is doing.
A person has reserves of love. But if he’s not connected to the Love of God, if he’s not connected to the source, he comes to believe that love comes from him. He may also believe that love comes from his family or from others, without reference to God. He is divided (disconnected) from God.
comes only from others. We place the merit on the person and we do not think to thank the source of Love. We may become proud.
We can say of a person that he is good, but kindness comes from God. We can say that a person is beautiful, but beauty comes from God. We can say that he is strong, but strength he receives from God. Everything that makes life good, beautiful and strong is God’s. Although we try to love as best we can,…More

Paul also invites us to a relationship with God:
“We have not received the spirit of the world [wordly] but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given to us by God.” 1 Corinthians, chapter 2, verse 12
The Spirit we receive is God’s. Paul is convinced and convincing. He’s living so deep the presence of God that he recognizes and receives his action in his life.
To leave to God a place in our life supposes that we have left something out, that we’re achieving some cleaning of the past of certain harmful or even destructive habits. Thus, the future will not clutter our minds.
As soon as we leave the Holy Spirit a unique place in our hearts, our habits are transformed, our attitudes become charitable, we develop healthy and holy ways of thinking, seeing, understanding the reality of the world and the heart of the person.
As soon as we ask the Trinity to help us and to enter our lives, we progress for the better, immediately. We feel a light breeze guiding …More

Paul offers us a moving sentence:
“I kneel before the Father.” Ephesians, chapter 3, verse 14
We fall to our knees, we stop in our footsteps with Paul, because the Father’s Love is eternal, infinite, quite simply. We fall to our knees to lower ourselves before the length, width and depth, before the movement of his Love.
We don’t lower ourselves because we are oppressed or submissive by an overwhelming force, we do not lower ourselves because we are crushed by a proud person, by a selfish person.
We lower ourselves, because we recognize that the Father is all that we hope for, everything we dream of. It’s all there is to it. We fall to our knees to offer ourselves to God, since we are nothing without him. We recognize it.
By going inside our heart, we have a multitude of reasons to give thanks to the Father. We are amazed in front of him.
In all humility, we also lower ourselves before Jesus who has lowered himself to come into the world and lead us to eternal life. Jesus also lowered …More

James tells us:
“Everyone should be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, for the wrath of a man does not accomplish the righteousness of God.” James, chapter 1, verses 19 to 20
One of the practices that help us become better, through a life of faith in motion, is to slow down. Slowing down isn’t necessarily laziness. Being slow to talk or get angry, for example, allows us to be more vigilant to the internal movement of our lives. Often, what is done in a hurry doesn’t yield much result except in necessity and urgency.
It’s an invitation to change lanes:
“Therefore, put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.” James, chapter 1, verse 21
God’s Word saves. Let’s welcome the words of wisdom for the well-being of our body and soul:
The one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, such a one shall be blessed in what he does. James, chapter …More

Paul reveals how to recognize the grace of God in people who are experiencing hardships:
“In a severe test of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their profound poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.” 2 Corinthians, chapter 8, verse 2
We note that Paul did not say that God subjected them to “a severe test of affliction”, but that they were “in a severe test of affliction”. This “severe test of affliction” comes from them or other people, not from God.
This affliction is “testing” them. And there are trials in life. What characterizes the grace of God in these people is that “the abundance of their joy and their profound poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part”.
Of course it’s not easy. But, in spite of the trials and sufferings, Paul experiences God’s grace simply because of the abundance of the joy, the extreme poverty which characterizes them and which overflows “in a wealth of generosity”.
They knew how to ignore their trials and let …More

Whether we are with Jesus or not, the difficulties of life will arise and we will have to go through these trials. It’s in fact much better to go through a trial with Jesus than without him.
How many times have we met a person in Jesus who walks freely through trials, while others who do not know him feel the weight of suffering that often seems insurmountable; suffering that is often linked to the past.
The difference is impressive. To live our trials without Jesus gives us the impression of being abandoned, alone. Then, the test becomes devastating.
To live our trials with Jesus is to grow in faith trusting in him. To trust Jesus is the sign of a healthy faith, despite the trials. So we will get better passing through the pitfalls of life.
When it’s stormy and we still dare to go somewhere, when we arrive, we’ll tell ourselves that we did well to go after all.
The storms of life are sometimes difficult. Of course, it’s not always easy. With the decision to continue with Jesus, the road …More

Jesus says:
“This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Mark, chapter 1, verse 15
If the kingdom of God is near, we are also close to God. Very often, when we make a small mistake, we think we are very far from God.
But God did not move. He did not make this mistake for us and by us. However, he is right next to us. He remains close to us. More than that, he is in us. He Loves us and he wants us to be in him too.
The best way to remain holy is to realize everything with Jesus, to keep him close to us, everywhere, to include him in our research, our thoughts, our activities. In spite of the fault, any fault, let’s return constantly to God.
Jesus will convert us if we invite him to be our Lord and Saviour. We can also invite him to make himself present in the lives of all the people around us, at work, at home, at school, in the parish church, at the grocery store, in our travels.
Keeping Jesus in our life guarantees us a simpler …More

If we let ourselves be trapped by sin regularly, and often the same ones come back, let’s put them in order of priority, the worst ones first. Then, let’s strive to eliminate them from our life experience.
We can decrease sugar consumption, stop wasting time, for example. The efforts we make to eliminate the small mistakes help us practice to deal with the bigger sins, later on. Also, they will have less influence, because they will not be supported by the smallest sins. We must never underestimate the smallest sins! They are vigorous!
Often it’s just a bad habit. Let’s replace it with a healthier one. We can also play tricks on ourselves. As we go, let’s change our habit and move on. If it’s the sugar-filled drink, for example, let’s cut the pace and the amount with another healthier drink that will eventually replace it. These are ideas. You can find ideas that suit you better.
We propose above all to be creative, in order to eliminate as much as possible what can keep us away from a …More

Sooner or later, and we may have heard it, we hear people who seem to have taken control of their lives. They will say things that seem to place them above God. The most fragile will often follow or begin to act or live like them.
The habit of evil, the one we no longer see in ourselves, leads others to turn away from good. All that’s against God leads the most vulnerable to move away from him. May we not reject God. He is the one who Loves us.
Here is a striking example of an intermission during the broadcast of a major news station in the United States. A man is promoting for atheist people, paid by his association. He speaks for them and at the same time, he makes fun of christians. He initiates and strongly invites to become an atheist (although the “atheist” does not really exist), to deny their christian faith. He adds that he is not afraid of burning in hell. These are his last words.
May we pray for him and for those who could follow his ideal.
He turns people away from christianity …More

The Holy Spirit helps us in faith as Paul says:
“In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groaning. And the one who searches hearts knows what the intention of the Spirit is, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will. We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Romans, chapter 8, verses 26 to 28
To love God is first of all to welcome him in us. Paul tells us that there is a reality that we’re going to live, whether we know Christ or not:
“The world in its present form is passing away.” 1 Corinthians, chapter 7, verse 31b
This world in which we live, this world visible to our eyes will not remain. Our eyes will one day see the reality and the truth, as well as our forthcoming transformation, until then more or less successful, when entering into eternal life.
We go through life to learn …More

God knows that, despite efforts, we are sometimes at fault and we are struggling. Nobody is perfect and Jesus doesn’t necessarily demand perfection of who we are and in what we do. Let’s accept to not be perfect. We will make mistakes, we will sin. He simply asks us to share his Love. His Love will do its work and triumph in our heart, and we will feel its benefits, and we will see its deployment.
He wants us to be more and more like him and work toward the perfection of our being. Let’s accept to be where we are right now. We move forward with who we are and what we live with. We’re doing our best.
Let’s abide in Jesus who embraces our heart despite the sorrows, the sickness, the errors, the lack of interest, the forgetfulness, the mistakes.
Let’s be quick to ask for the graces of the Holy Spirit in activities, really all activities, so that it illuminates, inspire our efforts and our sharing. May the Lord remain with us at work, at home and while participating in activities.
Let’s pray …More

Listening to ourselves will help us greatly. To offer ourselves a little time to check our interior can avoid many unpleasant situations. Taking time to watch our daily movie will be the best movie we’ll see every evening and for life.
There is no more “reality” than the unfolding of our life. It will teach us a lot about our thoughts, our attitudes and our actions. Let’s appreciate these moments that allow us to adjust, to know ourselves better and this practice will help to continue on the road, to live joyfully.
Before we get to bed, we can check how the day went. Who did we meet during the day? Where did we meet people? How did we welcome them? How did they greet us?
To live with the desire that God may be the only master of our life requires efforts to live in reality, in search for truth and goodness. To pray with an open heart to God is also a way of keeping us from harm.
Have we listened to ourselves and to others? We learn a lot when we are in small groups sharing on topics of …More

In the Gospels, there’s a lot of information about Jesus. His presence, at the heart of our history, is particularly relevant to the history of his time. He is Jewish and he is surrounded by people who testify to his presence.
There are libraries lined up with books about him. From all that we can read about Jesus and to discern how he really is, may we ask a Person who knows him well to inform us. We want the Spirit of Truth!
Only the Holy Spirit and the Father truly know Jesus. Well, Jesus knows himself too. But how do we grasp the Holy Spirit if we do not see him? Let’s ask for his Love on us and in us, and we will gradually discover the truth Jesus is.
The more we develop our relationship with Jesus, the more we will know him. Lesser we approach Jesus, lesser we will know him.
Jesus gave us the Church to help us know him better. The Church will offer us the best documents to get in touch with him. Surely, our welcoming the Church and the Trinity will be necessary.
Only the Love of …More

Jesus declares to his disciples:
“Everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God.” Luke, chapter 12, verse 8
That’s true! But what does Jesus want us to say about him? The truth.
But what is the truth for us? This is much more delicate. To talk about Jesus (or a person), we need to spend time with him, walk together, share together and read what is said about him, enter into communion and communicate with him. May we dare a conversion to his Heart.
Above all, if we want to talk about Jesus, let’s make sure we know ourselves well enough. Because a person who has not taken some time to listen to his own life will hardly put into perspective the reality of another person, especially Jesus’s life. It’s a daily reflection to discover ourselves and to know ourselves in reality and truth.
The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: … for Love, Normand Thomas