Normandt' meditations

[Normandt]

334. Learn with the Spirit

Let’s be constantly on a mission to learn with the Holy Spirit, with Jesus and his Church, and the Father, and gradually become the evangelizers of the Love of God. All people are waiting on Jesus’s teaching, without exception, whether they are aware of it or not.

It is written:
“They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.” Acts, chapter 2, verse 42

Together, in fraternal communion “to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers”. In the early days when we were aware that Mass was important, that the teachings of the Church were necessary for our faith and that participating in prayers helped us understand salvation and then live to move toward salvation, we felt the presence of God in us, just like the first christians following the Apostles, have their hearts turned toward Jesus.

Let’s ask Jesus to bring us back to the grounding of our first conversion, our first loving experience with God, the spiritual honeymoon we were naturally immersed in. If we have not experienced this first conversion of the heart, let’s ask Jesus to take our life in hand and show us how to follow him. Let’s be aware of his movements inside us.

Book: Watch with faith
Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

335. Our concern is to teach

Paul recommends dedication to his beloved son, Titus:
“You must say what is consistent with sound doctrine, namely.” Titus, chapter 2, verse 1

Titus also receives some guidance for the homily. Paul says to him:
“Showing yourself as a model of good deeds in every respect, with integrity in your teaching, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be criticized.” Titus, chapter 2, verses 7 to 8

Paul teaches (evangelizes) his best in the days that is his. What he proposes are good recommendations for everyone:
“Our saviour Jesus Christ, gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people as his own, eager to do what is good.” Titus, chapter 2, verses 13 to 14

Jesus seeks in each person the one who will transmit his message to the world.
The Church has always had the concern to teach in the midst of customs, cultures, people of her time. Let’s adjust to the people of our time. We are with them, now.

With what was raised earlier in the text, we see that there are many beautiful attitudes that we can already include in our lives with healthy, caring gestures and words.

Book: Watch with faith
Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

336. Teaching is necessary

Jesus is with the Apostles and he wants to find a better place to speak to the crowd gathered around him to listen to his Word. He gets into Simon Peter’s boat and asks him to paddle from the shore so that his voice is better heard:
“Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.” Luke, chapter 5, verse 3

Simon’s boat represents the craft of the Church. And Jesus wants to teach Simon Peter that teaching is a necessity to make known the will of God. The Church, in foundation, in becoming, will be invested to teach (to evangelize) the Gospel to numerous crowds.

Book: Watch with faith
Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

338. Help people


Let’s focus on this passage:
“Refuse no one the good on which he has a claim when it is in your power to do it for him.” Proverbs, chapter 3, verse 27

This sentence is surprising. Often, we think that we should never refuse our help. It’s full of common sense. But there are two nuances here.

The first nuance is that we should not refuse our help to someone, “which he has a claim”. Who deserves our help? Let’s say that each person deserves our help and deserves to find the Lord.

It might be easier to understand it as follows: “Where it is possible for us to help a person and we’re able to do so, let’s help them, whether they deserve it or not.”

The second nuance is wise: “when it is in your power to do it”. We’re not told to become needy to help or offer what is not ours, such as material, but to know how to recognize our personal resources and help as best we can, at the best of who we are. With discernment, we will know the percentage of what we can offer, if not everything. It is, however, enjoyable to share the graces that God gives us. They are always available, totally.

When we develop the service resources we have in us, we become more willing and effective in our interventions. Acknowledging our strengths and weaknesses is also a blessing within ourselves. Just thinking about it, we start helping ourselves.

We have only few resources. But together, when we form a helping group, we develop the resources and skills to better help others.

In the end, we must help our neighbour. But we must also know our strengths and limitations. Otherwise, we may be hurting more than we’re helping. But this should not stop us from trying to help others in the best way we can. May we accept to learn at our own pace and be more precise of what we can offer. We do not all have the same resources, but our resources are used when they are well used and shared.

Book: The Fruit that lasts
Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

339. God’s light shines


Jesus illuminates our lantern:
“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.” Luke, chapter 8, verse 16

When we pray and deepen our faith through readings and teachings, the Light of Christ will go through our life to enlighten us.

The following may seem surprising:
“To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away.” Luke, chapter 8, verse 18

Let’s put this sentence before the light of God. He who receives Light through his relationship with God will enlighten more, since God will come through him for the good of his people. It becomes like the stained-glass windows of a church, illuminated by the sun. He allows the Light of the Trinity to pass through him.

But the person who’s not walking or even slowing down and moving away from the Light of God, he even loses the glimmer of what he thinks to hold back for himself.

Let’s let God’s Light shine in us so that receiving the best from him becomes light for our contemporaries. Let’s find ways to keep up with Jesus. It will be a wise step into the Light, as the rays of the sun pass through the clouds.

Book: The Fruit that lasts
Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

340. Humility


Paul tells us:
“Nor, indeed, did we ever appear with flattering speech, as you know, or with a pretext for greed - God is witness - nor did we seek praise from human beings, either from you or from others.” 1 Thessalonians, chapter 2, verses 5 to 6
We are christians, we never need to look for honours. This is interesting to find out if we are walking in the Lord’s will. These are christian values to place in our suitcase, for the road.

It’s too easy to take ourselves for someone else and not be ourselves. It’s easy to get into characters that are successful, that we see on TV or that we hear singing, and stop being ourselves. But the way of another person will never be our own personal way. We will never walk in his shoes.

We must not seek to build our personal kingdom, it would be wrong. We already have everything in the Kingdom of God:
“Happy those who (…) who enjoys the law of the Lord is their joy; God’s law they study day and night. They are like a tree planted near streams of water, that yields its fruit in season.” Psalm 1, verses 1 to 3

To reach wisdom that comes from God, may we let God be God in our life. Better still, may we don’t rely on our own strength and let the wisdom of God pass through.

For that, let’s become very good friends of God. May we recognize the difference between our thinking and that of Jesus. Let’s become more and more filled with his presence. May we know when it is us or Jesus speaking through us.

By the way, we know when we’re talking or the person next door is talking. It should be the same for Jesus who goes through our words. We know when our thoughts come from Jesus or from us. There’s a difference.

Book: The Fruit that lasts
Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

341. Peter’s humility


Our first Pope is full of humility:
“When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and, falling at his feet, paid him homage. Peter, however, raised him up, saying, ‘Get up. I myself am also a human being.’” Acts, chapter 10, verses 25 to 26

Even if Peter is the Pope whom Jesus has chosen, he knows his rightful place. Already in the Church that is beginning to form, Peter is aware that Jesus continues to be Lord and God. It’s amazing!

Peter knew Jesus and lived with him. He was appointed by him the head of the Church. He’s also responsible for the Apostles. He would have all the reasons to “brag about”, to become proud and to become someone else.

For every missionary, Peter has just realized an important teaching with a testimony worthy of a Pope. He sees Cornelius coming and throwing himself at his feet. He could say, “You’re a good disciple,” or “get up now and let’s have a drink”.

But by his words, Peter presents himself in a different way. He said to Cornelius, “Get up. I myself am also a human being.”

What a beautiful grace of humility! May we ask this grace to Jesus. By his gesture and words, he helps Cornelius to understand that Jesus is Lord. Peter recognizes himself as a simple man and therefore gives full opening to Jesus. He evangelizes.

Peter cannot do anything by himself and he knows it. He’s on a mission, but not for himself. He’s a missionary for Jesus, for the announcement of the Good News.

Book: The Fruit that lasts
Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

342. We’re improving


The couple’s challenge is that each person has his own rhythm and definition of love. The ideal is that each person of the couple improves in the faith. Jesus will ignite Love as it should be. It takes time for someone to realize it, but the experience will be beneficial.

Moreover, every teaching of faith is for each person in the couple, for each spouse. Marriage will be joyful and holy to the extent that each person advances in faith and improves by contact with Jesus.

Each person is responsible for improving his relationship with God, who will, in turn, give graces, a hundredfold, to the spouses. The opening of each one in the couple allows the grace of God to pass into them. This is the only way of a true journey between spouses.

If each person tries to love the other, it’s lost. But if each person connects to God and asks Jesus to go through his heart to love, then there’s joy that progresses every day, even without their knowledge. Each person in the relationship will have a good reason to give more to each other. Jesus transforms the relationship between them.

It’s the same basis for every personal relationship to Jesus:
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love.” John, chapter 15, verse 9

God Loves us. Let’s stay in his Love. God Loves us first, we only need to welcome and accept his Love. It sounds demanding, maybe. But there’s nothing simpler to achieve than to remain in God’s Love. Let’s love. It is demanding to stay away.

Abiding in the Love of God allows us to discover and gradually recognize the reason we live, the reason we are created. Sticking to God’s Love makes us more and more like him.

We have not acquired anything by ourselves. We’re not perfect, but we gradually become “love” thanks to God’s “Love”. When we accept to approach Jesus, we accept to let ourselves be more Loved by him. It takes us away from evil, fear, anxiety and purifies us, meeting after meeting, with him.

Book: The Fruit that lasts
Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

343. Only men


To know ourselves to be Loved by God and to let him Love others through us is a miracle in itself. We allow Love to touch people. We understand more and more the will of the Trinity.

A man listens to Paul’s words:
“He listened to Paul speaking, who looked intently at him, saw that he had the faith to be healed, and called out in a loud voice, ‘Stand up straight on your feet.’ He jumped up and began to walk about.” Acts, chapter 14, verses 9 to 10

In a leap, the man walks! What faith does Paul demonstrate in his Lord and how much he listens to the man’s faith that he’s brought back on his feet! What seems extinguished in this man was waiting only for a thoughtful look from the Apostle, in the name of Jesus, to set his faith on fire and “give him back his legs” to walk.

Paul discovers gifts he didn’t know, perhaps. Paul gives what he receives, the gift of healing, but even more, he receives the gift of perceiving faith in people. Paul saw that this man had faith in the words he said, received from Jesus.

The crowd is amazed by what Paul realizes before their eyes:
“When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they cried out in Lycaonian, ‘The gods have come down to us in human form.’” Acts, chapter 14, verse 11

We can imagine that Paul didn’t expect what has just been proclaimed. The danger against faith is to believe that there are gods, idols, even humans who think they take the place of God or give to humans God’s place.

This is perhaps the most corrosive tendency that exists against faith, that is, placing our faith in anyone or anything but Jesus. And even worse, thinking about taking ourselves or giving them God’s place.

Paul declares his faith by his enlightened reason of the divine Light. He defends himself vividly, immediately, to be a “god” at the whim, to the fantasy of humans. He seems aghast, demolished and he tells them:
“Men, why are you doing this? We are of the same nature as you, human beings.” Acts, chapter 14, verse 15

Paul is a man like all men. No better, no worse. He did not heal anyone. The good news that Paul conveys is that the human is transformed by faith in Jesus Christ. It’s Christ who heals this man. Jesus heals. Paul believes it for saying these words.

Let’s look deeper into our hearts and we will understand that only Jesus is God. This is not a healing operated by Paul:
“We proclaim to you good news that you should turn from these idols to the living God, ‘who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them.’” Acts, chapter 14, verse 15

With these words, many converted.

As for Paul, Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit so that we can live with contagious faith. Jesus sends us help, support:
“The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name - he will teach you everything and remind you of all that (I) told you.” John, chapter 14, verse 26

Jesus announces that there will be people like Paul to intercede with others:
“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” John, chapter 14, verse 23

Jesus dwells in Paul to proclaim the truth and the Word with tenacious faith, but with human words. Paul conveys the truth and the Word of Jesus and it is Jesus who heals.

Of all that Jesus teaches it invites us to welcome him, then to understand and live it. Paul understood it very well. We also know holy people now who work according to the will of God.

Let’s ask Jesus to adjust our faith to our reason and our reason to our faith, so that we may be more and more in the image of our Saviour and Lord, in the midst of the world into which he sends us.

Book: The Fruit that lasts
Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

344. Peace to the people


Jesus says to the Apostles:
“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.” Luke, chapter 10, verses 23 to 24

We’re sent to our contemporaries, not to say the same words as them just to make them comfortable, but by speaking a different language. If it’s possible for us to get used to their language, it’s also possible for them to get used to the language of faith and reason.

We can see Jesus in our hearts and receive our mission from him. Let’s ask him to help us prepare ourselves and to illuminate the mission, so that we may walk and evangelize with his words.

Let’s pray that our moods and attitudes become holier, so that we may remain peaceful people for ourselves and for those we meet.

Book: The Fruit that lasts
Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

346. Evangelization doesn’t tire


Isaiah thought to himself:
“I thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength.” Isaiah, chapter 49, verse 4a

It would not be surprising that many faith people have this thought someday during their life: “I uselessly spent my strength.”

Of course, sometimes we’re exhausted, sometimes we feel like going in circles. And even sometimes we run everywhere, in all directions, and we lose time. These are opportunities to learn how to properly manage our efforts and the time we’re allowed.

It’s important to ask whether Jesus was evangelizing with us, or whether we were all alone. Were we thinking of getting everyone to convert to Jesus, for example, but trying too hard to convert and not enough to unite ourselves to Christ who is the only one who can convert people? Have we placed our trust in Jesus or tried to do his work?

God thinks differently. Isaiah reflects on what God says to him:
“You are my servant, he said to me, Israel, through whom I show my glory.” Isaiah, chapter 49, verse 3

It’s very sweet to the ears: “through whom I show my glory”. God passes in us.
It would be important to give ourselves time to meditate and return to the importance of Jesus in our lives, so that Jesus has plenty of room to touch the hearts of those around us. Only Jesus converts.

Book: The Fruit that lasts
Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

347. Free for Jesus


Paul seems to be proposing a wise phrase to free us from tension and its consequences and keep us in peace as much as possible. By not having too many worries, we will also be freer to walk and follow Jesus:
“The world in its present form is passing away.” 1 Corinthians, chapter 7, verse 31

Time passes, our existence on earth passes. All we currently have is going to stay here. May nothing hold us back, may nothing disturb us.

Sometimes we create our difficulties searching for what we cannot get. But, let’s trust in Jesus. All the relationships we have built with people will remain. The love shared and received remains. Let’s be happy as we are, with the Trinity. To be happy in God keeps us in reality.

We may have been hurt during our existence, but our existence is not an injury, it’s a person. A person Loved by God. A person who, in the present, adjusts to the will and joy of God. Evil and suffering last only in time, our life in God is eternal.

Book: The Fruit that lasts
Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

348. Return to Jesus


We have a good example when Jesus says, “woe to you”. He doesn’t make a judgment saying that the person will be unhappy, he rather reveals truth. He knows what remoteness from the Love of God produces:
But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. But woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep. Luc, chapter 6, verses 24 to 25

He observes that the person who moves away from the good, the beautiful, the true, the Love of God, becomes unhappy. He becomes unhappy in evil. He’s unhappy and he loses his joy. He becomes unhappy, scared. Finally, fear takes over. This fear isn’t of God, but the result of a distance from him.

Let’s always receive God’s joy, let’s return to Jesus, in order to remain happy, in spite of the pains and the temporary difficulties of existence.

Book: The Fruit that lasts
Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

349. Let’s go !


Jesus invites the disciples:
“Let us cross to the other side.” Mark, Chapter 4, verse 35

The Apostles are on a boat and Jesus offers them to continue rowing, not to look back. This is normal, since Jesus wants to evangelize new people who will be on the other side, people whom the Apostles probably don’t know.

He invites them to row once more to join the people. And he will invite them down from their boat to walk in the crowd. It’s as if he’s telling the Church right now, to us, to dare to go to others, to welcome them and to talk to them about values until we are comfortable talking about the faith. Let’s descend from our established security and move together, in a common project of faith, to people thirsty for God’s Love.

The security we have will be transformed into new means and they will help us to remain confident while we learn to evangelize. The experience gained will help to organize the foundation of the testimony we’ll bring to the people.

We cannot talk about faith all of a sudden to a person we don’t know, but we can listen and detect in him where he is at in faith. We can go one step further with each person we meet. A little word there, a little phrase here of peace and joy. We can help a person to improve their faith little by little.

It would be interesting, when we go to our home church and when we meet other people from our parish, to ask, “How is your faith doing?” This could involve in sharing the discoveries and learning of the faith. It would help us to get used to talking about it to each other.

Even without questioning, for people who are not in church, it would help us to dare to discover more where their faith is at, just listening to them. We can pray Jesus to join them where there is a fault, the one that prevents them from converting to Jesus. Jesus knows where the fault is. May he take care of it.

Also, we can discover in a person in church or not, that his greatest quality of faith is in his joy, the love he has for others, how he receives them. We can tell him that what he does touches us. He would discover that he has talents from God.

By recognizing and encouraging an aspect of faith in people who are far from church, we allow them to discover that they have qualities. This will bring them to be more aware.

This will replace the traditional: “I like your hair, I like your dress, or your coat and your shoes”. We can change this simple habit and talk about the values we discover. By “crossing to the other bank”, let’s let people know that we are aware of their personal values. This will create an evolution in our parish and it will spread in neighboring parishes.

Then, when we feel the storm, the fear of speaking, we can ask Jesus to lower the wind that rattles us. Jesus will be happy to say:
“Quiet! Be still!” Mark, chapter 4, verse 39

Relax, come back to what’s simple. And the wind of our bad habits will calm down. The wind of the Holy Spirit will be revealed in silence and this will allow us to reach people in a renewed way.

May the Spirit renew us in Jesus under the Father's lovingness and we’ll do a lot of good to people.

Book: Up! Let's go!
Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

350. Values


Nothing is simpler than what Jesus tells us:
“Of all the nations make disciples, baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew, chapter 28, verse 19

“Make disciples”. It's easy to invite someone to have a drink with us. We can also simply invite people, friends who trust in us to convert and become believers in Jesus Christ. Jesus only asks us that. The attention, the gestures and the words, the listening and the living of faith with the people, it’s the mission that Jesus proposes to us.

What is more difficult is to convert ourselves and find ways for people to gradually adhere to Jesus. Today is no different than when Jesus passed on the mission to the Apostles. The world we’re in is not very different. People always have the same thirst, the same desire to find meaning in their lives, to discover true Love.

Love, values and the meaning of life are in God and nowhere else.

Book: Up! Let's go!
Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

351. God-like


John tells us:
“Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” 1 John, chapter 3, verse 2

We are children of God. Our parents offered us the grace of Baptism and we became children of God.

We grow in faith every day. We come to Mass, we listen to the Word and we live the Eucharist. We are privileged: “We are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed”. We know at least that by abiding in God we will freely enter, through the resurrection of the Son, into his Kingdom.

We’re always between two realities; God's children and at the same time, we are not yet complete in the faith. Faith allows us to hope in God and to feel his Love in our hearts, but it’s not complete for us simply because we’re not fully restored. We hope, however, to experience the fullness of Love in God.

We want to be totally transformed into God. Some people are quickly transformed and others are transformed gradually, according to the rhythm of each person. We are never stationary when we walk with others in the Church.
Sometimes people are already saints, but it’s because they dare a conversion of each day strongly supported on the graces received at their baptism.

The more we find ways to walk with Jesus, the more our lives are transformed, often without our knowledge. We have everything in us to become saints. We have everything in ourselves to follow Jesus indefinitely. The more we are with him, the more we are connected to the essence of existence.

Book: Up! Let's go!
Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

352. Jesus is real food

Jesus confirms to us that he is God:

“I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John, chapter 10, verse 11

Jesus is the true Shepherd. We have no other shepherd than Jesus. Yes, there are people in the Church who help as shepherds, who help in conversion and keep the flock together to lead it to fresh pastures.

But Jesus alone gives real food. Jesus is also the only one who gave his life for us, who saves us and guarantees eternal life.

Book: Up! Let's go!

Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

353. To be released


Jesus says that we are not the only ones to be saved:
“I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.” John, chapter 10, verse 16

People follow Jesus without knowing it and Jesus welcomes them as they are. As christians, we’re invited to seek, with Jesus, the people who don’t seem from his enclosure, to encourage them to follow and talk to them about his Love.

Too many people today live in fear and rejection, violence in many forms. Let’s pray for these people to be released from the tormentors of violence, scorn, hatred.

Let’s pray also for the violent and unhappy people to become converted and models of faith, love and peace. May their hearts be healed from the injustices they also experienced in their childhood.

Let’s continue to evangelize them with values, joy, hope, peace. Because these values are worth more than gold. The presence of Jesus in a life is worth more than anything.

Happy are we to know that Jesus is in our life! Let’s pray for Jesus’ presence to spread in the world. Joy will grow in us each time we present to the Trinity a person interested in adhering to his Love.

Book: Up! Let's go!
Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

354. Hopefully


Paul speaks of Abraham's faith:
“He believed, hoping against hope, that he would become ‘the father of many nations,’ according to what was said, ‘Thus shall your descendants be.’” Romans, chapter 4, verse 18

We know about the mission of Abraham and the promise of God to give him many descendants. Now let’s imagine that we’re evangelizing and that many people are converting to Jesus Christ. We too will have many descendants.

For this, we must carry on, let ourselves be lifted up by the Spirit and set to work. We must accept to evangelize if we want God to give us strength. It’s when we are in motion that we receive God’s graces. Otherwise we’ll not discover the missionary grace that God offers us.

We may have the grace to pray. The grace of the missionary is also to be discovered, to remove the cover of what closes and freezes us to receive all the graces of evangelization.

"Hoping against all hope," Abraham believed. Let’s imagine if we believe it too, the spiritual descendants we’ll have, and the grace we’ll live every day! We too can, we too must hope.

Book: Up! Let's go!
Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

355. A happy exchange



Jesus reminds us of what the grace of evangelization confers on us:
“Everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God.” Luke, chapter 12, verse 8

We will enter into a happy exchange, between us and the Trinity, then between us and the people on the road.

We invite our families and friends to come for coffee, a meal, shop, play, practice recreation and sports, we can also invite people to a mass, to a teaching of faith, to an evening of prayer.

Book: Up! Let's go!
Normand Thomas