"Nothing will be impossible to you"

Ch. 9 #1

The Israelites went about conquering Jericho in a very interesting way. God used this event to show that the conquest of the Promised Land would be a gift from him, and not gained by the merits of Israel or its military prowess. All the people of Israel had to do was to follow God’s orders and he led them to victory, even though it seemed the orders were not very oriented toward military strategy. What important lesson is God giving the people of Israel? What gift does God want to give everyone on earth in the same way he gave Israel the Promised Land? How might this affect the way we look at our daily lives and our obedience to God’s Word?

Through this story of the Israelites, conquering what seems like an unbeatable challenge, we can see that God wants the people of Israel to have complete trust in Him. Through this great act of faith God is showing them all they need is to trust Him and He will keep His promise. The way that God directs the Israelites to conquer the huge city seems crazy. However the people of Israel followed God and trusted Him completely so He did not let them down. By simply walking around the city of Jericho with the Arc of the Covenant and through the power of God Jericho was destroyed. After all this time spent wandering in the desert and by just trusting in God the Promise Land was theirs. The Israelites can see that God kept His promise to Moses about giving the Chosen people the Promise Land.

God wants to give everyone on earth the way to get to Heaven the same way he gave Israel the Promised Land. God wants us to trust Him the same way that the Israelites trusted Him when going into Jericho to conquer it. He has promised His people the great reward of entering into Heaven and all we need to do is follow his instructions and we will enter into it. Just as He had special instructions for the Israelites, He has special instructions and guidelines of just how we can make it into this new Promise Land.

This story shows us just how important it is that we are obedient in our daily lives to God’s word. Just as the Israelites were wandering and waiting in the desert, we go through problems and struggles in our own lives. We despair or feel like relief or a solution will never come, just as though we are the ones in the desert. By trusting in God’s will and his plan for us to go through these temporary struggles will help us to grow and become the person he wants us to be. A person he can use for His plan, whatever it may be. He knows us through and through. We can see that what God has planned for us is the best possible solution. It is crucial that we trust Him completely with our lives so that we can indeed live for his glory and in the end make it into Heaven. In Matthew 17 verse 20, Jesus says, “if you have the faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move hence to yonder place,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.” This shows us that with God’s grace and in doing his will we can accomplish anything through Him. Just thinking about this amazing gift of faith, realizing and knowing that God can and will take care of us is comforting and gives us hope. Listening to God’s word, living it and obediently following His direction can and will get us into Heaven.

"Oh, my Lord, send, I pray, some other person"

Ch. 7 The story of Moses offers us another opportunity to analyze how God calls each of us to fulfill a certain part of his plan. God chose Moses to lead the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, and Moses was at first unwilling. Read Exodus 4:1-17 and list all of the ways Moses tries to convince God that he would not be able to be free Israel. How does God respond? What does this tell us about what God may be calling us to do?

When God called Moses to guide the Israelites from Egypt he was unwilling and weary of the task that lay ahead of him. In Exodus 4:1-17 God is talking to Moses and trying to convince him to follow His will. Moses is trying to make God see he is just not the right man for the job. Moses then tries to convince God he must be mistaken. Moses first tells God that no one will believe him or listen to him. He claims they will not trust him when he says the Lord appeared to him. God gave Moses three things he could show the people so they will listen to his voice. The first sign God told Moses was to throw his staff on the ground. It turned into a snake, when Moses picked the snake up by the tail as God instructed him to, the snake turned back into his staff. The second sign God told Moses was to put his hand into his bosom. When Moses did this it turned the skin of his hand from the natural color into a leprous pale color. But just as God had done before, when Moses put his hand into his bosom again it was turned back to its original state. Finally God told Moses that if the first two signs did not convince the people that he had seen the Lord, he could pour water from the Nile on the ground and it will become blood.

After these three signs Moses was still weary about his ability to take on the huge job of leading God’s chosen people from bondage. Moses persisted still and told God he could not possibly manage to use his simple speech to convince the powerful nation of Egypt to let his people go and also persuade the Israelites to follow him. The Lord assures him that, as the creator of man’s mouth, He will be with him and will teach him what he needs to speak. God also told Moses to use the speaking talents of his brother Aaron to aid him in accomplishing this daunting task.

In our own lives we are just like Moses in being unsure about what we are undertaking by saying yes to God. There are times in our lives when it seems almost impossible to just keep moving forward. By reading the story of Moses it is comforting in a way to see that we are not alone in this fear. Following in Moses’ footsteps and looking at how many times God did indeed keep his word; we can see just how important it is to have complete faith in Him. When doing His will, God will probably not give us a staff that we can turn into a snake to prove we are right, but he will surely not let us down.

“You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good”

Ch. 6 #3 Joseph's brothers committed a terrible sin when they intended to leave Joseph for dead and then sold him into slavery in Egypt. God, however, used the situation to let Joseph assume a place of power in Egypt and eventually save his whole family from starvation. How does this relate to the story of Noah? How does this story relate to the suffering and death of Jesus Christ?

We can see through the stories of Joseph, the Flood, and Jesus, God can implement His plan through a ‘moral evil’ caused by a part of His creation. Not that the evil becomes good, but God uses an event to show that His good plan will triumph over any evil. He shows us that His goodness can come from the consequences of any evil in this world.

There are many similarities between the story of Joseph and his brothers and the story of Noah and the flood. When God sent the flood, like in the story of Joseph, God makes something bad happen so the outcome can have a positive effect. The idea of God sending a flood to cover the whole world is terrifying. God used this event to reclaim the world. To wash out the evil and to save the world for the good people, like Noah. Something bad had to happen in order for the will of God to take place.

This story can also be related to the death and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. God used the horrific crucifixion to bring His people to salvation. All of our sins caused the brutal death of Jesus. So in spite of the evil which took place on Calvary, God took it and made it into something wonderful.

So through all the hardships, temptations, and failings in life we should persevere and trust in God as we see Joseph, Noah, and Jesus do. God puts us through these trials and tests so He can show His wonder in our lives. The reward from suffering and persevering through what God’s will is for us is great.

"Sin is crouching at the door: its desire is for you, but you must master it." (Gn 4:7)

Ch. 3 Question 2

In the story of the fall, the serpent tempts Adam and Eve with the chance to be like God. Adam and Eve sin by choosing power for themselves instead of God's love. How is the fist sin like all others? What are some temptations that the devil uses to draw young people today away from God? Can these temptations be related to the one faced by Adam and Eve?

This first sin is like all other sins because it was done for selfish reasons. When we sin against God we are only thinking of ourselves. In sinning we are choosing to pull ourselves away from God. Some of the temptations the devil uses in today’s world to draw young people away from God are still based on our selfish tendencies. He makes us more concerned with how we have to live to make ourselves feel better than what is really right and good for us. He can trick today’s young into thinking only about the world and not what is after this life. He does this by glamorizing the idea that being more knowledgeable or experienced in the ways of the world will make you cooler or your life better. In today’s society more and more young girls are taught you have to be sexy and dress immodestly to fit in. Today’s role models promote all sorts of immoral behaviors and they are still praised and loved by many. By ignoring or promoting these changing ideas of how to live life we are giving into satan’s plan. His devious plan is to trick us into believing that “oh it’s not really that bad to do this” or “other people are doing the same thing” to make us believe that sinful ways are just the norm. If we just go along with the deteriorating ideals of how to live life without questioning whether or not we are doing what God would want us to be doing, we will fall into the devil’s trap. The devil can cloud our judgment and carry us away from God by filling our heads with the idea that our lives will be worthwhile if we have material things or shallow friends. These temptations can still relate to the one Adam and Eve faced because they only wanted more power for themselves. Their judgment was easily clouded by the serpent’s tricks. Instead of thinking what God’s love could give them or what He would want them to be doing, they only thought of how they could maybe make their lives a little bit better or easier. It is extremely hard to say no to the many temptations that fill our day. The devil is very tricky and good at appealing to what we want selfishly. God knows truly what is best for us and he give us what we need. Adam and Eve were given everything they needed but their desire for more led them to a life of hardship and pain. We need to stay strong in the face of temptation, even when people hate you for it and it is extremely unpopular to think the way we as Catholics do. Just feel comforted in the fact that if the devil is picking on you, you must be doing a great thing for the Lord. ­

"Pray without ceasing"

As God is our creator, we are drawn to Him. Prayer is a tool for us in our search for God. God calls all of us through prayer, and through prayer His glory and Will is revealed. In the Old Testament prayer is seen as God’s way of communicating to His people. Through the prophets He revealed the true drama of prayer, the test of one’s faith in God. Having complete trust and obedience is crucial to prayer. We can see through the prophets the importance of having complete faith in God. Abraham was obedient to the will of God; he was willing to sacrifice his only son. Moses, who after long debate with himself, aligns his will with God’s. Moses can be a great example for those who struggle with prayer or following and saying yes to the will of God. Before he conformed to the will of God he made excuses, and through his questioning the Lord answered him. David also had a joyful and loving trust in the will of God as he set out to build a Temple for God. And Elijah who confirmed the faith of many by showing them the power of prayer. By trusting in God like these Holy men of the Old Testament God will answer our prayers.

Not only did the great prophets teach us, God himself while on earth instructed us how to pray. We can see Jesus praying before any decisive moments in His life. His disciples see Jesus pray and ask to be taught. The way Jesus begins his prayers should be reflected in our own prayers, He always begins with thanksgiving. Jesus teaches us prayer by building on the prayers of the Old Testament as well as expanding on the act of prayer with promises of the kingdom. Jesus instructs us to have a love for our enemies, to forgive, and to seek the kingdom of God before all else. In seeking the kingdom first we can have a clear sight of what God’s will is for us, without being distracted by our own worldly desires. Like the prophets of the Old Testament Jesus tells of the great power of prayer. In prayer we are not only supposed to say the words but to engage our whole selves having complete faith. Also to know to have patience in receiving, all in accordance to God’s will.

Mary is also an important example in one’s prayer life; her whole life was a humble acceptance of God’s will.

There are many forms of prayer. The Psalms of the Old Testament can still be a relevant and effective prayer in today’s world even if it is reflecting an event of the old world. Psalms recall the past and the future, the promises God has already kept and the ones yet to come. They are full of hope and wisdom.

The life of prayer has a rhythm in daily life. There are a few different expressions of prayer vocal, meditation, and contemplative. Vocal focuses on words making our prayers take flesh. Jesus taught us the Our Father, a vocal prayer. However, successful vocal prayer is not reliant on the poetic sound or number of words but the fervor of the soul.

Meditation is a quest for God. With meditation we can use books, images, the rosary and other ways to struggle to understand the mystery of our faith. God uses meditation to stir our hearts, and with this meditation we can discern what he is trying to tell us through His holy scripture. With meditation, “This mobilization of faculties is necessary in order to deepen our convictions of faith, prompt the conversion of our heart, and strengthen out will to follow Christ”(CCC 2708).

Contemplative prayer is a form of prayer where one is totally alone and focused on God. St. Teresa of Jesus describes it as,”a close sharing between friends”. In this silence the mystery of prayer is further revealed.

With prayer there come battles. We battle against ourselves and temptation. Our concerns for our own will and our foolish pride result in failure in prayer. But when we struggle in failure this is just apart of the drama in prayer we are called to struggle, and through that struggle gain humility and perseverance. Distractions during prayer are a frequent problem and making a conscious decision to choose God over whatever else preoccupies our mind really shows which master we serve. The lack of faith we experience when praying is a huge temptation. By realizing “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”, can lead us to the desire to trust more and to persevere in prayer.

When praying for our petitions, I often times feel like giving up. I also realize I am more concerned with the outcome as opposed to what God really wants or has planned for me. We are selfish in only thinking of ourselves as opposed to the bigger picture, God’s will.

“Do not be troubled if you do not immediately receive from God what you ask him; for he desires to do something even greater for you, while you cling to him in prayer”(Evagrius Ponticus, De oratione 34:pg 79,1173). This quote describes the whole idea and importance of prayer. By persevering in prayer and putting our whole soul into it we will come to know God’s holy will. He truly knows what is best for us. Through true humility, trust, perseverance, hope, and love we can reach our full potential with prayer.