As he moved on, Jesus saw a man named Matthew at his post where taxes were collected. He said to him, "Follow Me." (Matthew 9:9)
As Jesus called St. Matthew (and his other disciples) to follow Him, he also calls us to follow Him.
In John 6:38 Jesus says: ...it is not to do my own will that I have come down from heaven, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.
So, if we are to follow Jesus, and Jesus did what the Father wanted Him to, then our goal should also be to do the will of God the Father in our lives.
Jesus calls us to follow Him. If we want to follow Him, then we should live our lives as He lived His life--in obedience to the Father's will.
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Is There a "Right" Way to Pray?
Have you ever wondering if there is a "right" way to pray? Should you kneel, sit, stand or lie prostrate on the floor? I don't think there is a "right" way, but we may want to see how Jesus prayed when He was on earth.
In Mark 7:34, when Jesus prayed for the healing of a deaf man, He "looked up to Heaven." In John 11:41, standing in front of the grave of Lazarus, He again "looked upward" and prayed. In John 17:1 He again "looked up to Heaven" and prayed to the Father.
When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemani before He was arrested the Scripture says He "went down on his knees and prayed." (Luke 22:41) In Matthew 26:39, at the same time, it says He "fell prostrate in prayer." In the parallel passage in Mark (14-35) it says He "fell to the ground." Whether "prostrate" and "fell to the ground" means kneeling or lying prostrate, I don't know.
That's all I could find in the Bible about how Jesus prayed, but I do know that it was the Jews custom at that time to stand during their communal prayer in the Temple.
So is there a "right" way to pray? We know Jesus knelt, stood or lay prostrate. Apparently He prayed in different positions for different kinds of prayer. I think that the most important thing is that we are reverent and respectful whenever we pray, remembering who we are in relation to the greatness of God.
In Mark 7:34, when Jesus prayed for the healing of a deaf man, He "looked up to Heaven." In John 11:41, standing in front of the grave of Lazarus, He again "looked upward" and prayed. In John 17:1 He again "looked up to Heaven" and prayed to the Father.
When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemani before He was arrested the Scripture says He "went down on his knees and prayed." (Luke 22:41) In Matthew 26:39, at the same time, it says He "fell prostrate in prayer." In the parallel passage in Mark (14-35) it says He "fell to the ground." Whether "prostrate" and "fell to the ground" means kneeling or lying prostrate, I don't know.
That's all I could find in the Bible about how Jesus prayed, but I do know that it was the Jews custom at that time to stand during their communal prayer in the Temple.
So is there a "right" way to pray? We know Jesus knelt, stood or lay prostrate. Apparently He prayed in different positions for different kinds of prayer. I think that the most important thing is that we are reverent and respectful whenever we pray, remembering who we are in relation to the greatness of God.
Thursday, July 7, 2016
On Raising Children
Raising children is like raising plants--they all require different care. The challenge is to learn what works best with each child.
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