Podcasts

Be a Witness

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

How to be a witness? Jesus tells the disciples just before He ascends into heaven that they will be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and throughout the world. What does it mean? What does it take to be a witness?

Let me ask you to approach it this way:  Take a moment and think about all the blessings in your life. What are they? Family, Job, Health are cited most often, and they’re big and important blessings. But did you also think of God’s unconditional love? Can you fathom that the God who created the universe created you. He knows you and He loves you. He gives you unmerited grace and mercy and forgiveness. He suffered and died on the cross for our sins so that we can have eternal life with God in heaven.

Oh My Goodness. It is overwhelming. 

Acknowledging these blessings elicits a response. And how else can we respond but in all humility, give praise and thanksgiving to God. To live our life with intention to honor God. We do that when we pray and when we give back, when we give courageously of our Time, Talents, and Treasure. This is how good stewardship is a witness.

Living stewardship sets a great example for others. People see you doing good which glorifies God (Mt 5:16). They see how your participation in the larger and more majestic mission of the church brings you such joy and happiness that they will want to learn more about how you get that. They want this for themselves. This is being a witness. This is evangelizing. This is creating your legacy. This is how we are the very disciples Jesus tells to be – His witnesses throughout Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Embracing the truth of God giving us everything, and so honoring Him by giving to the needs of others out of our love for Him is living stewardship. Living stewardship is one of the best witnesses we can make. How does your giving bear witness to God’s love for you and all the blessings and benefits He gives to you?

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Peace.

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

We think of peace as the absence of conflict, the lack of hostility and war. This is the world’s definition of peace. This is not the peace of Christ.

The peace that Jesus gives is a sense of tranquility of mind, a simplicity of heart. True, inner peace. We only get this peace from God. The world does not–cannot give us this peace. We have this peace only when God dwells in us. We know from John 14: 23 and 27 that Jesus says, “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…Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” He goes on to tell us that His peace is not the peace of the world.

We have peace when God dwells in us. God lives in us when we love Him. St. Isidore of Seville is quoted as saying, “Reading the Holy Scriptures confers two benefits. It trains the mind to understand them; it turns man’s attention from the follies of the world and leads him to the love of God.”  When we love God, we read Scripture and we keep His word. When we love God, we put Him first in our lives. Obedience to God’s word is the way to peace! 

Obedience to God’s commands to give is our intentional acknowledgement of His authority in our life. He is entitled to honor and respect. His Divine Lordship over every facet of our life, including our money, is not a threat, but a place of safety and security. A place of peace.

I have cited many scriptures in these posts that speak to God’s commands of us to give. So, Give in obedience to God’s word and see if in that you don’t experience His peace, the peace that is beyond understanding. 

                                                                                                                                                                                             Photo Credit: Robert Davis

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How Has Jesus Loved You?

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

How has Jesus loved you? In John 13:34 Jesus says, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.”

So – how has Jesus loved you? It is truly overwhelming to contemplate. His love is so vast. It is unconditional. His love is complete. It is so great that He gave His entire life for you. In chapter 15 of John’s Gospel we learn that no man has greater love than this–to lay down one’s life for a friend. 

God loves us so much that He gave us His son. And Jesus laid down His life for us on the cross. And then He rose, defeating death for us so that by believing in Him, and having faith in His resurrection, we may have eternal life. Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit and the church. He gives us Himself in the Eucharist. He gives us everything we are and all that we have. This is His legacy.

How can we ever give and love like that? Love is a verb. It is what we do for and give to others. Archbishop Aymond says that we show how much God loves us by how we live our lives. We live to love others, and we give to those we love. We love when we receive God’s gifts and make something beautiful of our lives as Jesus and the saints did. We love by giving our time, talent, and treasure to serve others and build God’s kingdom. 

Think about the presents you give. How do your gifts to family and friends compare to the gifts you give to colleagues and acquaintances? How do your gifts to God compare? Where does God rank on your list of loved ones? How does the way you live and the way you use and give back the gifts He gives you demonstrate how much you love Him?

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The Voice of the Shepherd

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

We know from Hebrews 4:12 that, “The word of God is living and effective.” It is the voice of the shepherd who we about read in chapter 10 of John’s Gospel this 4th Sunday of Easter. This voice, this word of God delights us. We read this in Acts 13: 48, “The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this.”  

Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.” It is the Word of God, the voice of the Shepherd that renews our mind. The Biblical truth of Jesus’s resurrection fills us with joy and gives us hope. It drives how we are to live. This is how we build our legacy.  

We know from Scripture that God owns everything, and God provides us everything. In overwhelming gratitude, we put God first in every area of our lives. We give Him thanks, praise, and glory. We spend time every day reading His Word. We spend time with Him in prayer. We develop the talents and abilities He gives us the best that we can. We use these talents to serve others and make something beautiful with our lives as Jesus and the saints did. With the treasure we earn by employing these talents in the time He gives us, we uphold the dignity of all people, especially the poor, those most vulnerable amongst us, by supplying their need and making an impact in our community. This is who we are as disciples of Jesus Christ.  

 St. Padre Pio said, “Joy, with peace, is the sister of charity. Serve the Lord with laughter.” Be filled with joy at the voice of the Shepherd. Be delighted by the blessings God gives to you. Be a good steward of these blessings by praising God and giving courageously.

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Worthy to Suffer Dishonor!?

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

Acts 5:41 reads, “So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.” What?! Happy to be found worthy to suffer dishonor? That sounds counter-intuitive. It is certainly counter-cultural today. Who enjoys suffering?

But isn’t that how it is sometimes as a disciple. It can be uncomfortable. Think of how Peter felt when Jesus asked him a third time if he loved Him. Not just once or twice – but three times, pushing him a bit, making him uncomfortable.  

Here’s a tough question–Do you worry that sacrificial giving will cause you some kind of suffering? Are you concerned that giving may require you to have to give up some comforts? Maybe you can’t buy that new suit. Maybe you can’t go on that excursion.   

There are always tradeoffs. Putting God first in the budget means I have to give up some things sometimes. Even so, I must admit how blessed I am. You? I have to admit how God gives me everything. All we are and everything we have is a gift from God. As good stewards, we want to emulate God’s generosity. In humble gratitude, we give and do for others as God gives to us, even if we may have to suffer a bit for it. We do this joyfully in response to Jesus being raised from the dead. The resurrection changes everything! 

Giving is a form of self-denial, our small-scale way to approach the self-giving of Jesus on the cross. Sacrificial giving, that amount that is at the edge of what you think you can’t afford, is laying our worldly desires at the foot of the cross and preferring instead to do God’s will. It is an act of worship. Give and trust in Jesus and be found worthy to suffer as the apostles were found worthy.  

                                                                                                                                                                                           Photo Credit: Robert Davis

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