A Closer Walk With God

Good News and Bad News

For the past few weeks, the American public held its breath to find out what the Congress will be doing by August 2. Would the Senate, the House and the President come to an agreement so that the country will not default on its debt? No matter which commentator one would listen to there was bad news. Not only was there bad news, but one group would excoriate the other for not producing results. In talking with my friends, some of them became so involved that they listened to the news every waking moment, while others decided to turn to the news again on August 2, when they would find out what happened.

In the midst of this constant barrage of bad news, it sounds almost ostentatious to produce a series of concerts called The Good News at the Gazebo! Yet throughout his earthly journey Jesus proclaimed the good news. The Gospel of Mark opens with these words, “The beginning of the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Mark 1:1) The Gospel of Luke introduces the beginning of his ministry in the Nazareth synagogues when he says, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)

In all four gospels, the good news about Jesus is proclaimed. The good news is the presence of Jesus, God among us. The good news is in the teaching and the healing of Jesus. The good news is on Good Friday when Jesus Christ dies on the cross. The Good News is on the Resurrection Sunday when he rises from the dead. The Good News is on The Day of Ascension when he ascends to the throne of God the Father. The Good News is on Pentecost when he sends the Holy Spirit to guide, teach and protect his church. The Good News is that the same Jesus who was on this earth and ascended to the Father, will come for the second time as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

This Good News was entrusted to those who love Jesus and wanted to follow Him. Before His ascension to the Father, he told the disciples. “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation (Mark 16:15). The same concept is in the Gospel of Matthew where we read, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Mt.

A closer walk with God through spiritual direction

“Sometimes, when we find that we cannot tolerate an aspect of a person, that is a mirror that shows us something about ourselves,” said my spiritual director, Sister Jessica. “It may be something we dislike about ourselves or our family.”

That was illuminating, I thought, but it did not lift the obstacle that prevented me from disliking a particular person I was struggling to accept. I had been meeting Sister Jessica, a Canossian sister, once a month, and most of our sessions surrounded issues about people. “Relationships,” she said, “are the most important thing in life.” Besides giving me food for thought about my interpersonal relationships, Sister Jessica gave me a set of daily reflections about my relationship with God.

Some people may think that a spiritual director is unnecessary for a lay Catholic. I, too, thought I didn’t really need it. In fact, I was introduced to Sister Jessica by another religious sister who thought she might be helpful in discerning my vocation. However, I now think that her guidance was instrumental in my spiritual formation.

The path I walked with Sister Jessica was very different from when I started faith journey more consciously after joining a Catholic community. From being mission-like, the path led to a dirtier, crooked route of forgiveness and learning to love people. It was a path that God had led me to walk, shown to me by kind guides along the way.

I say “guides” because besides Sister Jessica, there have been other people from whom I have received spiritual direction. I made two silent retreats, both with spiritual direction. Silent retreats are conducted with minimal talking to allow the retreatant to be sensitive to God’s gentle promptings.

I would meet with the spiritual director daily when she would give me bible passages to reflect upon. We also discussed what happened during my reflections. Spiritual direction during my retreats led me to experience God’s immense love for me as His precious child, and paved the way to loving and forgiving.

However, I am always aware that while God sends His messengers to show me the way, I am ultimately the one making my journey with Him. It takes persistence to keep going at daily reflection and prayer, especially when I have had a long day. It takes a good deal of willpower to convince myself from saying or doing hurtful things, especially at the workplace. Plus, as a religious sister once said, “Forgiveness is a long process and one may need to forgive repeatedly — seventy times seven times!

A Closer Walk with God

A closer walk with God

A Closer Walk with God

A Closer Walk with God, Daily Readings from Matthew Henry

A closer walk with God, an examination of a model of spiritual formation in the African-American tradition and its implications for the practice of ministry in the local church