THE DIVINE SEARCH

One night, alone, after a long work day, I asked myself what I would be, where would my family be, if I had not found God along the way?

I came to the conclusion that I am here because the Lord Himself drew me to Him. As a result, I am on a path towards Christ with Mary. My need for God was always obvious. God looked for me and found me really quickly because I have always needed Him. I can see this now; having Him close to me has been the greatest benefit in my life and can be yours as well.

“God’s wish is written in the heart of man. For man was created by and for God. God does not cease to draw man to Him; and man can only find in God the truth and joy that they search for nonstop”. Catechism (27).

Saint Paul wrote “From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek Him for He is not far from anyone of us. For in Him we live and move and have our being. “(Acts of the Apostles 17:26-28). Saint Augustine wrote a slightly shorter version of Saint Paul’s sentiments “You have made us, oh Lord, for You, and our hearts will be restless until they rest in You”.

Don’t look for replacements for your need of God

God created us with a great spiritual yearning so that sooner or later we can figure out that only He can satisfy our soul. It is sad to see how we can easily fall into the temptation to meet this God given need with the various illusions of this world that will only destroy us in the end.

I have said, in many of ESNE’s live events, that people with addictions are really searching for God, they want their needs to be met, but they mistakenly think that by satisfying their body that their soul will be satisfied too. And sadly, they became trapped by an addiction that will slowly destroy their body and leave their soul unfulfilled.

This distraction occurs in other ways as well, not only with addictions but with obsession, like when we think that we cannot live without someone. It is true that we need to love and be loved, but this should be done consciously so we do not depend on someone to be completely happy.

It is for this and other reasons that in the Old Testament we find God asking the Israelites not to worship idols. The Creator knows the risks we run into when, in our search for fulfillment, we take the bait of something that may give us temporary joy but eventually turns into the enemy’s trap.

When a child of God decides to pursue fulfillment in things or people they can easily fall into idolatry, when we instinctively know that worship is only for God, Himself. Today, in this illusionary world in which we live, anyone can be tempted by idolatry. Current false gods are even more powerful than before and able to destroy us more completely like greed, material stuff, vanity, gambling, compulsive shopping and superfluous things such as the pursuit of celebrity to name just a few.

We must learn to distinguish the needs of the body from that of the spirit. The needs of our spirit may only be satisfied by God, by God’s presence in our lives through the Holy Spirit. We can only reach fulfillment when being with God in eternal life, which is meant to begin now, at its inception. As Saint Paul puts it: “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house, not built by human hands”. (2 Corinthians 5: 1). So, we must live fully until the end of our time. Now, remember that Christ promised not to leave us alone in our pilgrimage in this world of illusion but to provided us with the Holy Spirit; and with that divine inspiration to be able to overcome the temptations and through Mary’s wonderful presence, understand who God is and the value of His unconditional Love in Christ.

God bless the need in me! for such needs make me restless and pushes me continuously towards Christ, to find Jesus in the Eucharist, His Word and prayer. For it is in Jesus that I find peace and quiet for my spirit so I can begin eternal life here and now; it is Jesus who makes me hope that one day I will completely resurface filled with His Love and presence forever with the power and understanding of what I have come into the world to transform in myself and the world.

So, let’s not seek the living among the dead. Let’s not seek illusions of any kind for they will surely not work in the end. Do not seek God outside of yourself, find God within you; for God is there. Remember, Jesus did not heal anyone; rather, he brought out the healing from within each person. So too for you, where ever you are; the hospital, nursing home or jail. I assure you that He will turn you into a new person in Christ.

Thank you for saying yes to evangelization

Millions of Spanish speaking people in 20 countries are dying to hear the message of Hope that ESNE brings everyday to them but that is only possible with your continued financial support and the fulfillment of your pledges of financial support made in the past. This is the time to store up for yourself treasure in Heaven for the Kingdom of God where it will not decay but will bring forth life, eternal life for you, your love ones and your neighbor far, far way. Thanks to your faithfulness in these trying times of economic uncertainty and pandemic ESNE has expanded the reach of God’s message of Hope and Love to Texas, Colorado and Utah while strengthening our radio presence in Illinois and California as well as now present on the top two cable networks in the USA. All thanks to you.

Why does ESNE do evangelization? Pope Francis said it best at a recent Vatican event with lay Christians. “Evangelization is a mandate that comes from Baptism. Whoever has been Baptized has the task of evangelizing”.

“Lay Christians should not wait for the priest to come and evangelize, because every believer partakes in this task. The whole Church is apostolic, and all members of the Church share in this mission. The Christian vocation is, of its nature, a vocation to the apostolate as well”.

“Reborn as sons and daughters of God, the Baptized must profess before humankind the Faith they have received from God through the Church and participate in the apostolic and missionary activity of the People of God. Lay Christians are entrusted by God with the apostolate by virtue of their Baptism and Confirmation and therefore have the right and duty, individually or grouped in associations, to work so that the divine message of salvation may be known and accepted by all humankind throughout the earth”.

“To make them bear fruit, confident that it is God who works everything in all and that our true good bears fruit in ecclesial communion. Thank you for your presence as lay people, men and women, young and old, committed to living and bearing witness to the Gospel in the ordinary realities of life, in your work”.

In recent months, you have seen with your own eyes and touched the suffering and anguish of so many men and women due to the pandemic. I am grateful to you because you did not stop; you did not stop bringing your solidarity, your help, the evangelical witness even in the hardest months, when the infections were very high. Despite all the difficulties, you have not given up, on the contrary, I know that many of you have multiplied your commitment”.

“Despite the limitations and sins of every day, you are a clear sign of the vitality of the Church; you represent a missionary force and a presence of prophecy that gives us hope for the future”.

In the love of the Holy Mother of God, our Lady of Guadalupe, I pray for you many blessings and for ESNE as well as an Apostolate designated a Private Association of the Faithful by the Holy See made up of lay Christians. May God reward your support and collaboration with ESNE a hundredfold as we work together to fulfill the words of the Holy Father.

In Christ,