Sin

"Use sin as it will use you; spare it not, for it will not spare you; it is your murderer, and the murderer of the world: use it, therefore, as a murderer should be used. Kill it before it kills you." -Richard Baxter

"But a little sin is like being a little pregnant: It will eventually show itself." -Rick Warren

"Son of man, say to the house of Israel, 'This is what you are saying: "Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?" ' ¹¹ Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?'

¹² "Therefore, son of man, say to your countrymen, 'The righteousness of the righteous man will not save him when he disobeys, and the wickedness of the wicked man will not cause him to fall when he turns from it. The righteous man, if he sins, will not be allowed to live because of his former righteousness.' ¹³ If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but then he trusts in his righteousness and does evil, none of the righteous things he has done will be remembered; he will die for the evil he has done. ¹⁴ And if I say to the wicked man, 'You will surely die,' but he then turns away from his sin and does what is just and right- ¹⁵ if he gives back what he took in pledge for a loan, returns what he has stolen, follows the decrees that give life, and does no evil, he will surely live; he will not die. ¹⁶ None of the sins he has committed will be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he will surely live.

¹⁷ "Yet your countrymen say, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' But it is their way that is not just. ¹⁸ If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, he will die for it. ¹⁹ And if a wicked man turns away from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he will live by doing so. ²⁰ Yet, O house of Israel, you say, 'The way of the Lord is not just.' But I will judge each of you according to his own ways." -Ezekiel 33:10-20

"And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life." -Romans 2:16

"The enemy isn’t really as concerned about our sin as he is our response to it. His intent is that through our collapse, we will simply give up. So he seeks to discourage us to the point at which we lose all hope and even the desire to try anymore." -K. P. Yohannan

"Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save,
nor his ear too dull to hear.
² But your iniquities have separated
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
so that he will not hear." -Isaiah 59:1-2

"You can’t fight sin with religion. You need Jesus." -Mars Hill Church

"How should we handle moments of faith-failure, when we’ve damaged the kingdom of God in the eyes of our friends and family or dishonored God in our actions?

We can learn from King David after his humiliation in the Bathsheba scandal. Though the terrible consequences of that sin could not be avoided, he found his way back to a relationship with God that made it possible for him to continue to serve Him. We too can find our way back.

David’s pattern in 2 Samuel 12 serves us well: We need to declare our error candidly (v.13) and seek God’s forgiveness. Then we can ask God that others be spared the consequences of our actions (v.16). Finally, we need to recognize that sometimes the consequences simply cannot be avoided and must be endured. While we always mourn those consequences, we can’t allow them to so consume us that we cease to be servants of God (vv.20-23).

Satan not only delights in the moment of our failure but also in the spiritual inactivity that sometimes snares us in our remorse. When we’ve blown our witness, we are and should be humbled. But we should not multiply the damage by retreating into silence and obscurity as ambassadors of Christ. We can move past failure.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9" -Randy Kilgore

I'm tired... tired of sacrificing God's love and peace for a few moments of acceptance from someone who I'm not even too sure will stay in my life.

Talents

“Every one to whom much is given, much will be required.” -via Erin Tangco

"Talent is God-given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful." -John Wooden

Freewill

"Did you ever wonder why I don't use my power to make people do what I want?

I wanted a real relationship with you. That's why I gave you a freewill. I wanted you to have freedom to choose me. If I had to force you to love me, would your love mean as much?

Sometimes you will make the wrong choices. But I'm willing to risk that, because when you finally choose my plans for you, I know it will be your decision." -God

Intercede

"God is watching over you. I know because I asked Him to."

Insecurity

"It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you." -Proverbs 29:25

"...I only seek to please Him who sent me." -John 5:30

Maturity

"Maturity is the ability to express one’s own feelings and convictions balanced with consideration for the thoughts and feelings of others." -Hrand Saxenian

"When I was a child I used to wet the bed, now that I am older I wet my pillow." -Ate Candy

Knowledge

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge..." -Proverbs 1:7a

"My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, ³in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." -Colossians 2:2-3

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." -Romans 1:20

"The only knowledge that can hurt you is the knowledge you don't have." -Anonymous

"Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. ¹⁰ For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? ¹¹ So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. ¹² When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ." -1 Corinthians 8:9-12

Reflection

“As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.” -Proverbs 27:29

Evil

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." -Romans 12:21

Anger

"In your anger, do not sin." Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.” -Ephesians 4:26-27

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." -Proverbs 15:1

"But the Lord replied, 'Have you any right to be angry?'" -Jonah 4:4

"Every man has his moment of weakness; better that I yell at a wall than at somebody I could hurt." -John Ray Catingub

Hate

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. ¹⁹If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. ²⁰Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed My teaching, they will obey yours also. ²¹They will treat you this way because of My name, for they do not know the One who sent Me. ²²If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. ²³He who hates Me hates My Father as well. ²⁴If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both Me and My Father. ²⁵But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated Me without reason.'" -John 15:18-25

"Let God deal with the things they do cause the hate in your heart will consume you too." -Will Smith

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." -Martin Luther King Jr.

"Hate is just the intense desire to be loved." -Rocky Nguyen

"Hate may have gotten me into this mess, but love will set me free." -via Kim Nguyen

Eucharist

“Go to Communion not only to receive Jesus, but to also let Him receive you.” -Father Larre

"Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.” Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." -John 6:32-35 // NLT // WOW. (via adarkhorse)

“Give us this bread always.” (John 6:34)

The crowd was excited. Jesus had just used a couple of fish and a few loaves of bread to feed thousands! Now, having eaten their fill, you can almost hear them thinking: “Maybe we could get Him to keep on providing for us just as Moses kept giving our ancestors manna. We would never have to worry about food again!”

But Jesus had come to the earth to be much more than a divine breadbasket! He tried to tell this to the people, but His conversation with them seemed to be happening on two different planes. The people were thinking about their material needs, but Jesus wanted to raise their thoughts to the things of heaven. He had just cautioned them not to work for the food that perishes but for the food that leads to eternal life, but they still seemed focused on their pressing needs (John 6:27).

Jesus knows that we need food and drink. He didn’t think it beneath Himself to feed His listeners when they got hungry. But He also knows that whether we are starving or satisfied or anywhere in between, we are always hungering for peace, security, forgiveness, and dignity. He knows that whatever our physical state may be, the bread that He offers can meet our inner needs. His bread, the bread of life, can empower us to face any situation. It can fill us with the strength and clarity that come from knowing we belong to Him.

Sharing donuts after Mass can be a wonderful opportunity for fellowship and a good way to have a morning snack, but Jesus offers us something even more life-giving. Every day, He offers Himself to us on the altar. Every day, He seeks to draw us deeper into His life so that we can be transformed. As we receive Him in the Eucharist, He can satisfy our deepest hunger. He can give us the wisdom and courage we need to meet any challenge. He can fill us so much, in fact, that we have plenty left over to share with the people around us. Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, is the bread come down from heaven, giving life to those who receive it!

“Lord Jesus, I want to pursue You for Who You are — the lover of my soul, the One Who can satisfy the deepest longings of my heart!” Acts 7:51–8:1; Psalm 31:3-4,6-8,17,21