IT’S A TIME OF HOPE AND GRACE. LIVE IT!
Do not fall into the trap that society sets for you through the secular media; because tuning in for even a few minutes is enough for you to get sucked into their narrative and lose the Hope that is within. The majority of their news is about violence, crime, murder, unemployment, bankruptcy, etc.; bad things happen in this fallen world but we can’t build our lives around them. Instead, the Word of God is given to enable us to build our lives around good and positive news that drives us and leads us to the Happiness and Joy God has arranged for us embodied in Jesus “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, for He has anointed Me to bring the Good News to the afflicted. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to captives, sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim a year of favor from the Lord” Luke 4:18-19
Those who believe in God are optimistic by Faith and assured that the Divine Will of the Lord will solve their problems. That Hope affirms our existence and gives us the security that only the Holy Spirit grants to those who love Jesus.
Believing and trusting that God shaped who we are and who we can become. It provides identity; identity is under attack today with transgenderism, transhumanism, globalism, and other kinds of new religions all meant to cause a lack of identity, first as male and female created by God, human and individual with freewill; the intended purpose of these “isms” is to create a lack of certainty, lack of reassurance, lack of firmness, lack of joy, and lack of peace because the world wants to strip us of what we know, where we came from and where we are going. Losing the meaning of your life’s identity is probably one of the most serious problems of our time. These false narratives have given rise to doubt and mistrust in the mired of human systems, programs, and projects that all fall short of meeting our needs; therefore, we must remain convinced by Faith that only God, through Christ, can fully meet the deepest longings of humankind and society by us first identifying fully as His Creation by His Grace.
Time of grace and thanksgiving
Every year when November rolls around, I can’t help but – and it might happen to you too – associate this month with the Thanksgiving holiday we celebrate here in the U.S.
Gratitude has been a hallmark in my life; I discovered that it is the secret to true peace and happiness that our hearts yearn for. The thought I entertain when meditating about gratitude is “It is not happiness that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us happy. We all know people who have everything they need to be happy. Yet, they are not, simply because they are not grateful for what they have. On the other hand, we also know people without fortune that nevertheless exude joy simply because they are grateful even in the midst of their misery. Thus, gratitude is the key to happiness”.
(David Steindl-Rast, Benedictine monk and author).
We can give new value to our lives, especially those things we usually take for granted. By receiving them with the same gratitude, we would show it when we receive a valuable and unexpected gift for the first time; this is vitally important because the Lord is new each dawn. So, we should greet each dawn as if it is our first with joy and gratitude for God’s gifts. We can even keep a “gratitude journal” to write down all the moments we recognize and appreciate those gifts. If, every day, we manage to make small gestures of gratitude, it will be enough to have a positive impact on our lives and the lives of those around us.
Let gratitude follow around us and define who we are. Let us attempt to give thanks to God or someone every day. Let’s remind ourselves to be kind and recognize those who deserve recognition. Let us praise generosity with courage and authenticity. Let us start a wave of gratitude and appreciate the difference this action can make in the world.
Let us never get tired of thanking God for the precious and marvelous gift of His Son to us and our Eternal Salvation. As the apostle wrote, “Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in His great Mercy has given us a new birth into a living Hope through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into a heritage that can never be spotted or soiled and never fade away. It is reserved in Heaven for you who are being kept safe by God’s Power through Faith until the Salvation, which has been prepared, is revealed at the final point of time. This is a great Joy to you, even though for a short time yet, you must bear all sorts of trials.” 1 Peter 1:3-6
When a person is grateful, one of the first things they want to do is give back, this is evidenced by all our Sowers. Their hearts are grateful to God for all the blessings received through ESNE’s Radio and TV programming or ESNE’s massive Live Events (Metanoia, conferences) that out of gratitude they made a decision to join and support financially God’s Work, His Voice to all Spanish language Catholics in the world as designated by the Holy Father and with their prayers so that the Spirit of Christ continues to save, liberate, and heal His people.
If you are reading this letter, you are most likely a Sower of Hope, and I want to say, thank you very much! I pray to our Gracious God, our sweet Mother Mary, and to Jesus Christ, our Lord, to pour out all kinds of blessings and graces on you and your family.
Finally, let us keep in mind this appeal by St. Paul to the Thessalonians “and for all things give thanks; this is the Will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18