“Go home to your people and tell them all that the Lord in His mercy has done for you”. (Mk 5:19)

The beauty of sharing “all that the Lord in His mercy has done for you” with others. In our “Love and Life” Programs this is an important part of the retreat.

We share to praise God’s work. He is with me every day and takes care of me. It is good to be conscious of that and sensitive to recognize His presence in our life.

We share to get to know ourselves. Our thoughts without words are like planning a busy day without a “to-do” list.

We share to support and strengthen the others. Especially other marriages. Our Lord said: go home. Home is the natural environment for sharing.

“O chosen people, proclaim the mighty works of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (Entrance antiphon).

“…a sign that is opposed…” (Lk 2:34)

Good News. The most expected message: “a light of revelation for the gentiles and glory for your people Israel” (Lk 2:32). Good News has also a wonderful content: “the blind see again, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life and the good news is proclaimed to the poor” (Mk 11:5).

And yet, He is opposed. Even more – rejected and killed. Good News IS the Good News not because we deserve it, but because we need it. It is an initiative of God, not ours.

Rejected Jesus Christ loves us. And He has given His life for our life.

“Your merciful love, O God, we have received in the midst of your temple. Your praise, O God, like your name, reaches the end of the earth, your right hand is filled with saving justice”. (Cf. Ps 48 (47):10-11).

“But He was in the stern, His head on the cushion, asleep.

They woke him and said to him, ‘Master, do you not care? We are lost!’ And He woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Quiet now! Be calm!’ And the wind dropped, and there followed a great calm.” (Mk 4:38-39)

Lord asleep.

Meeting people, preaching, sharing with others your time and dedication, proclaiming the Good News, healing and casting out demons, and praying – are those kinds of activity which could make you sleep even when “began to blow a great gale and the waves were breaking into the boat so that it was almost swamped” (Mk 4:37). This is one perspective.

Taking care of Our Lord, listening to Him, protecting Him, defending Him against crowd, worrying about food, moving from place to place, sometimes in danger could make you angry: “Master, do you not care?”.

Maybe “Quiet now! Be calm” is not only to the wind and to the sea. Maybe it is also for me. Change the perspective. Broaden your thinking. Your husband is not tired because of you, he is tired because of such a stressful work, and he needs time to rest. NOT from you. Even if happens in front of you. Your wife is secure enough in your house or apartment, with enough money to live, needs to feel secure because of you, not because of the objects or bank statement.

He needs rest, she needs to feel she’s loved, they were afraid because the “boat was almost swamped;” I need this, you need that – and all of us need to listen: “Quiet now! Be calm”. He is always with us, even asleep.

“Then he said to them, ‘Why are you so frightened? Have you still no faith?’ ” (Mk 4:40)

“It is like a mustard seed which, at the time of its sowing, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth.Yet once it is sown it grows into the biggest shrub of them all and puts out big branches so that the birds of the air can shelter in its shade.” (Mk 4:31-32)

Beginning and end. Between them – God. His eye always sees the edges. He is the Alfa and the Omega. When He looks at us and our even smallest efforts, He can see the beautiful end. For us it was the smallest minute spend on prayer, for Him it is the eternity of us united with Him in Heaven.

Perspective. We are born to perform great actions, take up fantastic challenges, heroic deeds. But this is so often the end of a fulfilled life, the effect of my fidelity for many years. Begninning is small, ordinary, not attractive, needs time.

“Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom” (Alleluia versus)

“Anyone who has ears for listening should listen!” (Mk 4:23)

Ears for listening!

Generally ears ARE for listening. The problem with ears is – to whom to listen. My internal dialog or to what the others are saying in the real, external world. Do I listen to MY interpretation or do I listen in order to understand another person. Those who have taken part in Program 1 remember the mistaken patterns of interpretation in the internal dialogue. And we remember that ears are for listening to get to know to know each other in depth.

My daily meditation is about the same. To listen in order to get to know each other in depth. To know Him better, but also in the same moment to know myself. My reaction to the message is also a part of getting to know myself. The most exciting moment in the morning is opening His Word – like opening a letter or e-mail, knowing that your beloved one is away and promised to send you a message. Like my Mom asking for sending a text when I arrive at my travel’s destination in the middle of the night.

“The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you…” (Mk 4:24)

“…hear the word” (Mk 4:20)

Daily word. Daily food. A daily love-letter from Him. A manual, an instruction, orientation, word-of-support or just a sign from Him – I love You, I am close to You, I am Your Protector, Savior, Redeemer… If You look at the litanies, you will be amazed how many names He has to express His love to us.

“Hear the word”. One word daily. One minute from your busy schedule to listen to Him, to His word.

When I started to listen to Him as the first thing in my day, I found how it changed my world. You listen differently to the news, to your family, friends and co-workers. You listen to the message, not to the words. You hear the word.

“The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower; all who come to him will live for ever”. (Alleluia versus)

“Anyone who does the will of God, that person is My brother and sister and mother.” (Mk 3:35)

Could you imagine? We can be His siblings. Officially. Anyone.

Well. One condition: “who does the will of God”. And probably you will start thinking about some extremely difficult God’s will which orders you to do some very important choices and will make your life very radical. Maybe you are right. But God’s will, even if it is radical, is simple: “I give you a new commandment: love one another; you must love one another just as I have loved you. It is by your love for one another, that everyone will recognize you as my disciples.” (John 13:34-35). Love one another. This is “the will of God”. Love your wife as Our Lord loves her, love your husband like Our Lord loves him… “Just as I have loved you”.

“Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth ; you have reviled to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.” (Alleluia versus)

“And if a household is divided against itself, that household can never last.” (Mk 3:25)

A divided household.

Ono of the biggest sufferings in family life. A divided couple, divided parents, divided children… The main temptation: I am right. True love is not about who is right. It is about… love. Beyond who is right. What we can do for our children is to give them a united household. United thruough the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of love. When we can’t see, when we can’t hear, when we can’t feel the other person, it is the ultimate time to pray to the Holy Spirit. He will not tell us who is right, He will tell us how to love.

“Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought light to life through the Gospel” (Alleluia versus)

“…at once … followed him” (Mt 4:20.22)

The answer to God’s look – “He saw” (Mt 4:18.21).

God’s look. “He saw…”. When a priest raises Our Lord’s Body and the chalice of His Blood during the Mass, we look at Him, but also He looks at us.

Simon and Andrew, James and John were so radical: “At once”. And Christ’s answer is also so radical – “I will make you fishers of men” (Mt 4:19). He recognized future apostles in the fishermen. God’s lookseeing far beyond “now” and what is possible for us to think.

I need new eyes to recognize the true face of my brother/my sister.

“I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (Communion Antiphon; Jn 8:12)

“…you are to be His witness before all humanity, testifying to what you have seen and heard.” (Act 22:15)

Saul. A persecutor. “Sent women as well as men to prison in chains” (Act 22:4).

St. Paul. A witness. “HIS witness before all humanity”.

They look like two different people. From our perspective. From God’s – the same love for Saul and to St. Paul. And He repeats the same message: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15).

Me and St. Me. It sounds like an opposition from our perspective, but not from God’s.

“O God, who taught the whole world through the preaching of the blessed Apostle Paul, draw us, we pray, nearer to you through the example of him, whose conversion we celebrate today, and so make us witnesses to your truth in the world…” (Collect)