Normandt' meditations

[Normandt]

97. Ask for help


We have probably experienced this feeling where nothing seems possible for us. We are tired, exhausted. We lack energy. And suddenly, we have a “flash of genius” to turn to Jesus and ask for his help.

And what a surprise we had when we felt something deep happen in us. From that moment, our life was awakened and it was transformed delicately, joyfully, from within.

We had felt Jesus’s presence. All was unclear, but we knew, from a certain intelligence and wisdom, that something gloriously had happened, something luminous in us.

It’s like the intense joy of a moment that overwhelms us and that we fully live. Our life makes sense with Jesus. We want to remain in this state. We want to celebrate and pray this new momentum of life.

Let’s ask God, again, to come and touch what needs to be healed in our life.

The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: Let’s be Loved, Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

98. Pride is near


The impasse is on the watch:
“Because you have thought yourself to have the mind of a god.” Ezekiel, chapter 28, verse 6

The king of Tire is in a proud phase of his life, since he believes he has everything necessary. He judges himself superior to others. He lends himself superior thoughts to others. He convinces himself to be a “god”.

Sometimes things accumulate, but we forget to deepen what we need most, the Presence of God in our life and in the world.

This is a calling not to let ourselves go to pride. When all is well, we feel light. Every day becomes an enchantment. Do be careful, because pride is looking at us through the optical hole of the door, by the “Judas”.

The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: Let’s be Loved, Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

99. Leave evil


The devil exists. He is a person, because of his movement, according to the thought of Thomas Aquinas. The devil fatally refuses the Love of God. The evil-doer refuses Love.

It is the responsibility of each person not to get caught, then to lose oneself and move away from God. The temptation for the human is to confine, then to isolate oneself in evil.

The devil totally refuses the Love of God. When we turn our backs on ourselves, on others and on God, we are moving toward division, the devil, the abyss of misfortune. He’s amused and looks forward to seeing us moving toward him.

Negative habits of some lead other people into harmful attitudes. We are often in solidarity with evil because we become accustomed to it. This bad way keeps us prisoners.

If we sin, we lead others to evil. If we pray to God, we lead people to good. At the very end of our lives, the Lord will reveal to us the sum of our good deeds. Prayer is like money in the bank and the time of retirement is eternal in the Kingdom of God.

This is why prayer is so important, even if sometimes we do not see any apparent results. Let’s accept to change our heart and our attitudes. A change for the better will come. As soon as we pray, God helps us because we allow him to Love us.

The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: Let’s be Loved, Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

100. Love him or not


John, who was very close to Jesus and received his Love, offers an important reflection that should lead us to reconsider our understanding of the judgment of God:
“God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” John, chapter 3, verse 17

According to John, God does not judge. How did he come to such a conclusion? Surely that John has understood Love as he is. He also listened to Jesus.

If Jesus did not come to condemn the world, it means that God never judged the world. God does not judge, he Loves. If we speak of the judgment of God, his judgment can only be Love. It means that God will Love us whether we love him or not.

Let’s welcome Jesus to live in joy. Let’s acknowledge that we are sinners, that we are empty, that we are destitute without his Love.

Let’s ask him for forgiveness, for when people place their failures and faults on his back. Let’s recognize that humans cause their own misfortunes, since they succumb to temptations. They let themselves be attracted by tempters. They become lukewarm, they neglect faith, then they move away from God.
Let’s thank Jesus for reminding us that he alone saves us and may we dwell in his Love and joy.

The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: Let’s be Loved, Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

101. God Loves through us


Our faith can be affected by shadows, by interrogations, but it is raised in Jesus:
“’To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself’ is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices”. Mark, chapter 12, verse 33

What matters is to love. How to love? By following Christ.
But what confirms to us that we are really following Christ? By allowing Christ to become the centre of our lives and recognizing his manifestations of Love: joy, peace, mercy...

In truth, we are incapable of loving. God Loves through us.

The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: Let’s be Loved, Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

102. May Jesus wash us


When we are not aware of evil, it spies on us. With the multiplicity of means to feed it, evil transforms like a blanket. This cover is cunningly transformed and becomes more and more difficult to remove. This cover of evil extends to us and onto others. The Lord of the universe reminds us of what is good to do to get away from evil:
“Consider your ways! Go up into the hill country; bring timber, and build the house that I may take pleasure in it and receive my glory, says the Lord.” Haggai, chapter 1, verses 7 to 8

To get out of the trap of evil and to learn to love ourselves better, it is about serving the Lord, with the fear of doing harm. This fear is the signal to continually adjust our heart toward Jesus.

The only way to build the house of the Lord and stay there is to move away from all forms of evil that we smoulder, often in spite of ourselves and sometimes because of us. Let’s rebuild and gather together with the Lord.

Let’s ask Jesus to uncover where we let evil dominate us. Let’s offer him our discoveries, in a process of forgiveness and reconciliation. May Jesus wash us from his side with his Precious Blood and Water.

The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: Let’s be Loved, Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

103. Oh, love!


Oh, love! Everyone is looking for it and thinks they have found it. In life, there is always a choice between loving or not loving. I love one thing, I do not love another. For things the choice is often easier. But for people, we often consider them, more or less, depending on our preferences.

In reality, it’s impossible for us to love, since Love is from God. Without the Love of God in us, we have no love to offer.

We are created to receive Love and allow it to pass through us to love. Sometimes we do not accept everything in one person, but we are invited to open our hearts for God to pass through. All people are Loved by God, without exception.

There are also judgments about what people wear, about their ways, their way of speaking, their way of life. There are many reasons to get around people. But James tells us:
“Show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.” James, chapter 2, verse 1

James proposes that we see people, all people as children of God. If all relationships begin and continue this way, God’s Love will cover the world.
The Love of God already embraces all people of the earth, but we give the impression that God is not Love because of our resistance to him.

Let’s accept that the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, that God is Love, and people will simply find out that they are Loved.

The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: Let’s be Loved, Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

104. A joyful transformation


We know it, persecution is not new. We find it at home, in schools, at work and on the street. Bullying is physical and verbal abuse.

Persecutions, divisions, God does not provoke them, but inhuman foolishness covets it. Some work hard to keep the power on them. They manage everything in their heads and by pride they persecute people. The persecutors do not need anyone to collapse, to self-destruct, considering they do not need God. The persecutor hurts himself whenever he hurts another. A double hurting.

Persecution and loss of meaning are awaiting us. Whether we are practising believers and celebrants or non-believers, we will be persecuted.
The difference is great for those who follow Jesus. They receive graces to live better, avoid persecution and pass through divisions that shake the world.
Jesus recalls that persecution is real:
“They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defence beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.” Luke, chapter 21, verses 12 to 15

We are invited to receive the Love of God, to allow us a joyful transformation, to live in peace. We can, afterward, bring this joy and peace to others, even to the persecutors.

The solution Jesus offers is to always bear witness to our faith in God. If we leave God more room in our lives, we will have the strength and courage to persevere in faith, especially during trials.

The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: Let’s be Loved, Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

105. The flowing grace


God offers us a servant. He is Love:
“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight; I shall place my spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not contend or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

A bruised reed he will not break, a smouldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory.” Matthew, chapter 12, verses 18 to 20

Let’s be touched and moved by the unconditional Love of God. The more we distribute the Love of God, the more we receive. May we let the flowing grace of the Love of God descend on us. Let’s let it flow into the crowd and we will receive plenty of it.

The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: Let’s be Loved, Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

106. Trusting in our Saviour


A phrase like this helps us to discover God in the Bible:
“Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.” Isaiah, chapter 40, verse 1

The people will sin against himself, the world will sin so much against God that he can no longer see God in his environment, because he believes that God is the one who disturbs him.

Yet God constantly reminds us that he watches over us: “Comfort, give comfort to my people.” Whether we sin or not, he wants to join us and touch our heart. Let’s continue with Isaiah:
“The grass withers, the flower wilts, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it. (So then, the people is the grass.) Though the grass withers and the flower wilts, the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah, chapter 40, verses 7b to 8

To move away from God is like a plant that dries up. It fades. So, as water raises the flower, the only one that can give strength to humans is God.

To receive the Eucharist is like the plant that is nourished with vitamins and receives what it needs. He who offers eternal life is God. The Eucharist and the Word guarantees eternal life when we receive them with heart. They awake and elevate us.

God invites us. He wants to console us of what can hurt. He wants to lead and feed us at the source, in green pastures.

Jesus makes unceasing calls to distant hearts. The Lord is the Good Shepherd who wants to gather all the sheep and lead them into the community of saints, in his Kingdom.

Let’s be attracted by our Father and trusting in our Saviour, the Good Shepherd of heaven and earth, Jesus Christ. May we be led to the Altar of the Gift of God, the Altar of Love for each person, to the Word and the Eucharist.

There is joy in heaven and peace on earth, since the promised Saviour liberates and consoles the one who really seeks him, wholeheartedly.

The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: … for Love, Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

107. Spiritual improvement


Paul tells us:
“We know that all creation is groaning in labour pains even until now.” Romans, chapter 8, verse 22

Many women can share their feelings about the pain of giving birth. They know what Paul is talking about. But this pain is much more stinging, even if it doesn’t seem perceptible, when we are away from Jesus.

Sin in us is stubborn and constantly assails us. But we are invited to return to awareness and accept healing, so that we may live happily and unite in God.

When we read God’s recommendations in the Bible, we find that they always lead to avoid problems. The Bible is full of examples. Yet it’s necessary not to twist, to bend the good to the point of thinking that it’s wrong and to not sublimate evil and think to succeed in transforming it into a good deed.

Let’s face it, a person who doesn’t know that he’s doing wrong is getting trapped. But a person who likes to live peacefully, when evil comes, does everything possible to avoid it, circumvent it or, ideally as soon as possible ask Jesus to help him pass by it.

Let’s read:
“Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil.” Isaiah, chapter 1, verse 16

We often give our faults, our sins to Jesus, and we know the good he brings us and the healing that follows. We give it to him because we trust him. God purifies then consoles us beyond our expectations.

Every time we confess, Jesus’s Precious Blood washes us, cleanses us. He makes the hurting part of our confession white as snow. It provides well-being.

To this is added a way to repair, a way to become better. After the forgiven fault, these are attitudes that help us to improve:
“Learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.” Isaiah, chapter 1, verse 17

We tend to move away from God, and that is evil, and ultimately we hurt ourselves. It requires discernment to fully understand the difference between what is really bad or good. Let’s return and God will do his work in us.

Getting people to become truthful could be disastrous, if it’s not well framed, with patience and gentleness. We must not make people flee as much as to pray for their spiritual improvement. We hope they’ll find themselves in the grace of God. God will do his work in them.

The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: … for Love, Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

108. The good we perceive


Many people are alone, even in groups, because they feel misunderstood, judged, left out too. Let’s defend the lonely person's cause. Offering charity helps others and helps us too. There is a clear advantage. While we are doing good, we are freeing ourselves from evil.

The Bible often offers ways to improve our faith, to reach God. This sentence is timely, while Jesus speaks of some scribes and pharisees:
“Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practise.” Matthew, chapter 23, verse 3

Let’s be careful not to judge people but gather their qualities, the gifts they’ve received from God. Thus, if we cannot trust the actions or words of some people, we can however retain their good counsel and perseverance in following Jesus. So, we shouldn’t take apart what they might not be doing good, it’s more about making sure we move forward and do good. We too are not perfect.

It’s up to each person to discern and be empowered to become better christians and truly God’s children. The good we perceive in others teaches us to become better ourselves.

But let’s be careful not to mix up good and bad. Discovering the evil in others is also a great way to avoid slipping into the same evil. We learn from their failures. This teaches us and it’s an opportunity to pray for them. Learning from their failures helps us and will help them eventually.

The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: … for Love, Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

109. Love is the journey to our salvation


God offers us his creation. We are the fruit of his creation. He offers us life, joy, peace and above all the freedom to choose. But we often live as people who stay away from God.
This freedom to choose, we often seem not to know what to do with it. The proof is that with our freedom, we could feel free to choose something other than God. Or we just stay far enough, so as not to be afraid of God, which is a totally useless fear.
We are especially afraid of being afraid of God. We believe that God is the cause of our fear. However, he cannot scare us because Love is not scary. Fear is the sign of us leaving the Lord.
God’s Law is simple. Let’s remain suspended to his Love and we will be saved. We’re already in his Love. Jesus shares with us his law of Love. Let’s love Jesus. It’s an easy choice.
God’s Law is related to his Perfect, True, and Real Love. The word “law” may seem to mean something strict and caging. Yes, we can say that for a badly practised law that becomes dehumanizing, but never for the law of God.
God’s Law of Love is the real journey to our salvation. If it seems strict and stifling, we’re not grasping it. Such an interpretation prevents us from living peacefully in God.
Let’s ask Jesus for healing and purification, in order to advance in faith. May fear and suffocation stay away from us. Let’s get closer to Jesus.

The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: … for Love, Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

110. To meditate on


Someone has this question for Jesus:
“‘Lord, will only a few people be saved?’ He answered them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.’” Luke, chapter 13, verses 23 to 24

We will be saved to the extent that we find the narrow door.
There are many people who wonder, in the light of this passage, whether their families, their friends will be saved if they don’t find this door, if they don’t open to the will of God. The question is launched. Do we want to live this passage toward, then in God’s Heart? Jesus tells us how easy it is:
“It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Matthew, chapter 19, verse 24

Jesus says that it’s necessary to go through the hole of a needle to enter the Kingdom of God. The camel succeeds easily. This is a message he sends us. It invites us to go beyond the conceptions, the sense that we usually give to things and to meditate on what he proposes.

The narrow door, the hole of the needle, is to be aware of what God asks of us. We must dare to rise and walk in Jesus’s steps, so that we may always find the unique pathway to truth and Love that leads to the Father’s house. Anyone can find it, because that’s the easiest thing to do.

Let’s ask Jesus if we are on the right path. Are we on the right track, Jesus?
Are we doing what is right? Do we live in the present moment as something precious, to cherish and celebrate with good deeds and good words?

Are we watchful of the poor? Not only to throw money at him, but to help him on his way and help him walk in your footsteps, Jesus. The answer Jesus offers us is in our heart.

The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: … for Love, Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

111. He opens our heart


For people who cannot be involved a lot, prayer is the answer. Prayer helps us to stay focused on the Trinity for the world.
It is up to us, who have found the narrow door in our heart, to let it stay open and let God’s Love pass through. We will be saved to the extent that we find the door and let Jesus open it.
The narrow door is to always move forward to God by following Jesus; it is hoping to adjust ourselves to what Christ wants us to achieve in us and around us; it’s becoming so united to Christ that people see Christ in us; it’s wanting to be at the service of the neighbour, because Christ invites us to love, with his Love. This is the only path that leads to the narrow gate. Many other trails lead out of Love.
Let’s trust and walk with Jesus. We will evolve to the extent that we will keep him with us.
For the Love of God, everything is possible. It’s too easy. The needles hole and the narrow door represent the path, the tunnel that leads to the Trinity. If we really think about it, it is possible for Love to make us pass into eternal life, in the Heart of God. Love doesn’t suffer restrictions. It goes anywhere. It opens the main door of the Kingdom of God at the same time it opens our heart.

The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: … for Love, Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

112. Discernment is a grace


We can observe what we do, what we say, how we live, and here we have the basis for discovering and correcting many small annoyances we’re living in.

Discernment is a grace that we can ask to the Holy Spirit. Discernment allows us to fully observe all facets of our lives and stay in a fair path. Better still, it’s a grace we already have, which comes with the gift of life. We only need to accept it and practice discernment. Grace will do the rest. Everything is simple when we only need to ask and receive.

James tells us:
“For one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, it is a sin.” James, chapter 4, verse 17

It’s clear that if we enter the good path, we move away from evil, we move away from sin.

We are faced with multiple choices every day, but we also have the possibility to sort through our memory, clean our habits. In this way, we will learn to become more ourselves by avoiding clutches and traps.

The freedom we have is to choose the right passage, the road that leads to the Heart of God and let go of the empty, illusory and useless.

If there’s someone who does good in the name of Jesus:
“do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me.” Mark, chapter 9, verses 39 to 40

Jesus assures us that if the person does good, according to the Heart of God, he is a person who discerns, makes good choices and does Jesus’s will. This is the path that leads to God’s Heart.

The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: … for Love, Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

113. True freedom


“For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich.” Matthew, chapter 25, verse 29

If the question of talents mentioned by Jesus, moreover, was the movement of our freedom? Because what freezes us prevents us from being free. But by receiving the Love of God in our heart, everything becomes possible.

We have the opportunity to do everything in life, but it is not everything we do that leads us to happiness. We experience suffering that is sometimes linked to choices that have not been well thought out, to desires that have not been identified or contained, to actions that are contrary to charity toward ourselves or others, or that we have suffered.

Every day we have the freedom to choose or refuse what is presented to us. We have the choice between this new TV or another one. We have the choice of different programs. We also choose our friends according to criteria that resemble us. The choice of our work depends on the skills that we possess and that have shaped us over the years:
“Freedom is the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one’s own responsibility.” Catechism of the Catholic Church, number 1731: Catechism of the Catholic Church - IntraText

However, choosing requires thinking first. We know that when the choice we make is not well thought out, we are prone to making mistakes, hurting ourselves, hurting others. The less we understand it, the more likely it is to deceive us and cause useless mistakes. The less we know the Trinity, the more likely it is to enter a tortuous path. In the life of faith:
The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. There is no true freedom except in the service of what is good and just. The choice to disobey and do evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to “the slavery of sin”. (cf Rm 6, 17) Catechism of the Catholic Church, number 1733, website:
Catechism of the Catholic Church - IntraText

We have a choice between the tortuous or the virtuous way. One leads to evil, the other to the Heart of God. Becoming a slave to sin is so easy, but climbing the Mount of Beatitudes requires attention and consistency, no matter which street brings us there. Effort in good will makes the road much easier than slavery in evil. We only need to recover, to pray in the silence of our heart, to find the way and the Trinity.

The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: … for Love, Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

114. Inner joy


Obedience to the will of God is a great way to keep our intentions orderly. Obedience to God may not be the most popular virtue today, but it makes us free and responsible. Obedience to God keeps us awake. This obedience is always linked to Love, never to the evil that is opposed to it. Obedience is always keeping us in line with the narrow door, the Heart of God.

Realizing good around us gives people a pleasant feeling and helps them continue to offer a well-being around them. Then, another person will receive and share it. It’s the wheel of happiness. We will become free and we will feel a deep inner joy that will indicate to us that our accomplished action is directly related to the love of the neighbour and wanted by God. This is how we reach our family and friends, as well as the people we meet. Let’s stay in God.

On the contrary, sinking into evil or because of the evil of another, causes a feeling of not succeeding, a feeling of guilt and sadness that can lead to depression and distress. Evil suffocates, while goodness frees.

We have the freedom to do good or not. We understand that the freedom we possess as humans leads to the different actions we accomplish throughout our life, every moment.

The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: … for Love, Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

115. The vital movement of Love


It’s simple to enter into a certain spiritual laziness, for example, and tell ourselves that we have freedom, without verifying the consequence of our actions and our words, without being responsible.

In the Parable of talents, we read that people have the freedom to multiply their gifts or bury them in a closed heart that will become heavier than a basket of unshared fruits. Evil freezes the heart of the person and makes it so heavy that it can become frozen like stone:
“The man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.” Matthew, chapter 25, verse 18

To keep the basket of fruits in hand, to keep the graces received from God for ourselves, is to remain fixed on the spot at the expense of faith. In our hands the basket becomes heavy. The unshared fruits of the trees will not serve and they will rot, like the fruits of the Holy Spirit remain in our hands.

While the fruits of the Holy Spirit are not shared, they remain in our consciousness. They’re waiting to be shared. Not to share them cuts us off from the vital movement of Love. Love just won’t pass through us.

The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: … for Love, Normand Thomas

 

[Normandt]

116. Nourished by Love


The heart of flesh is one who is nourished by the Love of God and shares it with his neighbour:
“To everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich.” Matthew, chapter 25, verse 29

The one who has shares, the one who has and does not share, has nothing. That is to say, the one who blocks the talents that God offers him closes up and he will go so far as to believe that he has nothing to share. This sentence can be a good indicator: “Ah, I’m never doing anything good… I’m not able. It’s impossible.” Do continue and you’ll get there! Give yourself small goals and, with experience, you will achieve bigger ones.

Blocking God’s Love prevents him from circulating in us and sharing it. This causes us personal suffering and distress.

Graces will become numerous when they are passed on to others by the one who shares the Love of God. Let’s continue with the catechism:
“Freedom is the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one’s own responsibility.
By free will one shapes one’s own life. Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness; it attains its perfection when directed toward God, our beatitude.” Catechism of the Catholic Church, number 1731, website: Catechism of the Catholic Church - IntraText

Our freedom becomes total when our whole life is given to God for the neighbour. This attention to the other teaches us to become also charitable toward ourselves. Our freedom becomes mature when it is also engaged by the mercy of God. He seeks mercy givers.

The new American Bible, 2011-2014
Book: … for Love, Normand Thomas