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"We live in a society that may appear to have many outward freedoms, but we are far from achieving interior freedom."

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It can be easy to receive the Eucharist frequently without realizing the power it can have in our lives. Let us never forget that when we receive the Eucharist, we receive God himself.

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Mary’s fiat was not a passive surrender, but rather a joyful abandonment and longing to fulfill the dreams of her beloved God.

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“One act of trust at such moments, gives greater glory to God than hours passed if prayer is filled with consolations.”- St. Faustina
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“What you get out of Hebrews is that the new covenant is not a text, it’s a living liturgical reality”

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Why does Matthew start his Gospel with a genealogy? If you look at it from the point of view of a first century Jew, it’s completely captivating. These names reveal a lot about the history of God’s chosen people, and builds up to reveal the identity of the new king and Emmanuel, Jesus.

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“Jesus is Christ the King and Emmanuel, God with us.”

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“We can’t experience God’s providence unless we let go, unless we have confidence in his promise, unless we are willing to jump.”

SHOWNOTES

John 4:46-54 - So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Caper′na-um there was an official whose son was ill. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Jesus therefore said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went his way. As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was living. So he asked them the hour when he began to mend, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live”; and he himself believed, and all his household. This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.

Fr. Jacques Philippe - As long as a person who must jump with a parachute does not jump out into the void, he cannot feel that the cords of the parachute will support him, because the parachute has not yet had the chance to open. One must first jump and it is only later that one feels carried. And so it is in spiritual life: “God gives in the measure that we expect of Him,” says Saint John of the Cross. And Saint Francis de Sales says: “The measure of Divine Providence acting on us is the degree of confidence that we have in it.” This is where the problem lies. Many do not believe in Providence because they’ve never experienced it, but they’ve never experienced it because they’ve never jumped into the void and taken the leap of faith. They never give it the possibility to intervene. They calculate everything, anticipate everything, they seek to resolve everything by counting on themselves, instead of counting on God. -Fr. Jacques Philippe

How to Trust God More

1. Admit your fear. Say, “God, I’m afraid to jump,” and give him your fears about the outcome.
2. Pick something you’re afraid to do (it can be small), and do it anyway. Trust that whatever the outcome, God has a hand in it.
3. Invoke the help of Mary and the saints. Ask a saint to pray for you and intercede on your behalf.

Resources

• Rejoice! Advent Meditations with Joseph Journal
• The Advent of Christ
• Dr. Sri is traveling to the Holy Land! Send your prayer intentions to info.edwardsri@gmail.com

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_Snippet from the Show
Whatever is burdening you right now, talk to Jesus, name your fear, and beg Jesus to give you the grace to open the doors of your heart to him.
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*Our Modern Condition
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How many of us live in fear and anxiety? We’re anxious about work, success, our relationships, our dreams for our family ... Pope John Paul II addressed this reality in his inaugural address:

“So often today man does not know what is within him, in the depths of his mind and heart. So often he is uncertain about the meaning of his life on this earth. He is assailed by doubt, a doubt which turns into despair. We ask you therefore, we beg you with humility and trust, let Christ speak to man. He alone has words of life, yes, of eternal life.”

So what did Pope John Paul II urge us to do? He prescribes a life-changing remedy for our anxiety:

“Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid to welcome Christ and accept his power…. Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ.”

What Christ Says about Anxiety:

Matthew 6:25-34
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.”

Questions to Ask Yourself when You’re Anxious or Afraid
What is God trying to tell me?
Is this a sign that something is off spiritually?
Am I too attached to something—someone’s esteem of me, my position at work, a plan for my children or family?
Do I want too much control in my life?

The First Step to Opening Your Heart Wider to Christ
In prayer, name your fear to Jesus. Tell him everything about it. Don’t ask him to resolve it; just be honest with him.

Admit your weakness and ask for his grace.
Ask Jesus if there’s something he wants to do in your heart surrounding the issue of your anxiety.
Pray a prayer of surrender. Tell Jesus you want to let go of your attachments and open the doors of your heart to him
Tell him you trust in his plan for your life! Repeat St. Faustina’s prayer of trust: “Jesus I trust in you.”

*Pope John Paul II: An Example of a Man Whose Heart Was Wide Open to Christ *
Think about Pope John Paul II risking his life to meet in clandestine Catholic small groups during the Nazi occupation. It was by taking that risk and opening his heart that his vocation took root. See the great fruit that has come from his surrender!
God will do incredible things with you as you surrender your life more completely to him. When you ask him to open your heart and help you overcome your fears, you’re going to be able to bless others in an incredibly powerful way.

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