But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption. As proof that you are children, God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God. (Galatians 4:4-7)

If you had your choice to either be adopted by a king as his son or to live as his slave, what would you choose? I know this is a stupid question, but these are the choices we face every day. Adoption or slavery—what a contrast! Those images are used by St. Paul in both Romans and Galatians because he wanted to emphasize, in the strongest terms possible, the difference between living in “the flesh” and living in the Spirit.

When Paul talks about the flesh (Romans 8:12), he isn’t referring to our physical bodies—which were created by God and are “very good” (Genesis 1:31). No, he means the inclinations to sin that we inherited from Adam—those daily temptations to act in unloving, selfish ways toward ourselves and others. This is the “flesh” that we were set free from when we became children of God at baptism and through faith in Jesus Christ.

We may not remember being baptized, but something important and powerful really did happen then: The Holy Spirit came to live in us and made us members of God’s family. The stain of original sin—the mark of our alienation and slavery—was washed away, and now the Spirit is free to shine God’s love into the deepest corners of our hearts. He actually prays in us, teaching us to call out to our Heavenly Father in the most intimate way: “Abba! Father!”

Abba is an Aramaic word, very similar to our word, “daddy.” A friend of mine once told me of a day in a grocery store, when he noticed an Arab father and his little boy shopping. The boy got separated from his father and began running up and down the aisles yelling, “Abba, Abba,” until eventually his father heard him, ran to him, and took him up into his arms.

What was true for that little boy is also true for us and our Heavenly Father. So when we are feeling lost or feeling tempted or bound by sin, we can recall who we really are: beloved sons of God the Father. We can cry out, “Abba, Father.” When we do, we can experience his great love for us. We can experience the power of the Holy Spirit to put sin to death in our lives. And the more we internalize this truth in our everyday lives, the more we will find ourselves living in the Spirit and not in the flesh.

So today in prayer, ask your Heavenly Father to reveal to you in a personal way, deep within your being, that you are a beloved son. Ask him to give you the grace to live each day as his son, not as a slave to sin, so that you may do what pleases him. Ask the Lord Jesus to fill you afresh with his Spirit. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you recognize those things that may be binding you. Perhaps it’s an addiction, or a sinful pattern, or anxiety, or fear. Perhaps it’s your relationship with your own father. Then step out in faith and claim Jesus’ victory as your own by acting out your freedom as you go through your day. You’ll be amazed that you are able to live in the Spirit as a beloved son. You’ll be amazed at the freedom!

“Heavenly Father, thank you for adopting me into your family. Today, and everyday, I want to walk in the freedom your Son won for me. Fill me afresh with your Spirit. Through the power of the Cross, I will put to death the power of my flesh and I will live in the power of your Spirit.”

Maurice Blumberg was the founding Executive Director of the National Fellowship of Catholic Men (http://www.nfcmusa.org/ ), and is currently a Trustee. He is also the Director of Partner Relations for Partners in Evangelism , (http://www2.wau.org/partners/ ), a Ministry to the Military and Prisoners for The Word Among Us . Maurice can be contacted at mblumberg@aol.org .)

[Many thanks to The Word Among Us (http://www.wau.org/ ) for allowing me to adapt some material from daily meditations in their monthly devotional magazine. Used with permission.]

Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men

1. Take a few minutes to meditate on the Scriptures from Romans and Galatians at the beginning of this article. What do they tell you about who you are in Christ, and your relationship with your Heavenly Father?

2. Slavery or Adoption? Living in the Spirit or in the flesh? These are the choices we must make every day and throughout the day. How are you doing? What steps can you take to do better?

3. In the article, we hear these words, “So when we are feeling lost or feeling tempted or bound by sin, we can recall who we really are: beloved sons of God the Father. We can cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ When we do, we can experience his great love for us. We can experience the power of the Holy Spirit to put sin to death in our lives. And the more we internalize this truth in our everyday lives, the more we will find ourselves living in the Spirit and not in the flesh.” What has been your experience of God the Father’s love for you as a beloved? What difference has it made in your life?

4. If Abba is similar to our word, “daddy,” then “Abba, Father” is similar to saying “Daddy, Father.” What would keep you from crying out to your Heavenly Father, “Abba, Father”?

5. The article suggests we ask for the following in prayer:

· That our Heavenly Father would reveal to us in a personal way, deep within our being, that we are beloved sons.

· For the grace to live each day as his son, not as a slave to sin, so that we may do what pleases him.

· That the Lord Jesus would fill us afresh with his Spirit.

· That the Holy Spirit help us recognize those things that may be binding us.

What would hold you back from asking for these things in prayer?

6. If you are in a men’s group, take some time at the end of your meeting to pray for one another that each of you would be transformed by a deeper knowledge and experience of the great love of your Father in Heaven. Use the prayer at the end of the article as a starting point.

They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will become free’?”

Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains. So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free. I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are trying to kill me, because my word has no room among you. I tell you what I have seen in the Father’s presence; then do what you have heard from the Father.”

They answered and said to him, “Our father is Abraham.”

Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God; Abraham did not do this. You are doing the works of your father!”

So they said to him, “We were not born of fornication. We have one Father, God.”

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my own, but he sent me” (John 8:31-42).

He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God. (John 1:11-13)

As proof that you are children, God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” (Galatians 4:6).

Fatherhood and sonship seems to be the center of the debate here between Jesus and some of the Jewish leaders (John 8:31-42). Weren’t they sons of Abraham? Didn’t God choose them out of all the other nations of the world and call them to be his own?

The answer to these questions is both yes and no. There are two ways to understand what it means to be someone’s child. You can conceive a child, and genetically that child is yours. However, unless that child lives under your roof and takes on your reasoning, your outlook, and your approach on life, then an essential element of sonship is missing.

For many of the Jewish leaders, being a son of Abraham was a lot like the first kind of sonship. God had chosen them as his own, and that’s all there was to it. Because they didn’t try to take after their father, they missed out on the more intimate—and more satisfying—aspect of being a son of God. Of course not all the Jewish leaders approached their faith like this (for example, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimethea). But some were content in being a descendent of Abraham, yet they failed to experience the joy and freedom of being a true son of God.

Brothers, we can become sons of God the Father in the deepest, most powerful way possible. We can call him “Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6). We can begin to take on our Father’s habits, his likeness, and his philosophies. This is why Jesus came in the first place. He didn’t come just to do away with sin. He came to make us children of God (John 1:12-13). “Becoming a disciple of Jesus means accepting the invitation to belong to God’s family, to live in conformity with his way of life” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2233).

Every day is filled with opportunities to take on the family resemblance. It’s not always easy, but neither is it all that difficult. We can refuse to join in on gossip or negative and critical conversations. We can forgive someone who has deeply hurt us. We can lend a helping hand or perform anonymous selfless acts of service. As often as we do these things, we are showing the whole world that we have accepted the privilege of being members of God’s family.

“Father, thank you for sending Jesus to us. Thank you for filling us with your Spirit and making us your adopted sons. Help me to be faithful to your law of love so that I may become more and more like you.”

Maurice Blumberg was the founding Executive Director of the National Fellowship of Catholic Men (http://www.nfcmusa.org/), and is currently a Trustee. He is also the Director of Partner Relations for Partners in Evangelism, (http://www2.wau.org/partners/), a Ministry to the Military and Prisoners for The Word Among Us. Maurice can be contacted at mblumberg@aol.org.)
[Many thanks to The Word Among Us (http://www.wau.org/) for allowing us to adapt material from daily meditations in their monthly devotional magazine. Used with permission.]

Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men

1. Why do you believe there was such a strong, almost angry response by the Jewish leaders to Jesus’ words, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”?

2. The article says that “some were content in being descendents of Abraham, yet they failed to experience the joy and freedom of being a true son of God.” We too can be “content” in just being Catholic men without experiencing the full freedom and joy of our sonship in Christ. If this is true to some extent with you, what steps can you take to change it?

3. What impact did the article have on your understanding of what it means to be made in the image and likeness of God? How are you doing?

4. The article challenges us with these words: “Brothers, we can become sons of God in the deepest, most powerful way possible. We can begin to take on our Father’s habits, his likeness, and his philosophies.” How would you describe the attributes of our Heavenly Father? Which ones would you like to imitate? What steps can you initiate to “take on the family resemblance”?

5. In the upcoming weeks look for some opportunities to “resemble” more closely your Heavenly Father and Jesus. If you are in a men’s group, share the fruit of this at your meeting.

Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. (Matthew 13:47-50)

For whoever keeps the whole law, but falls short in one particular, has become guilty in respect to all of it. (James 2:10)

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest." (Matthew 9:37-38)

The parable of the dragnet can be a very sobering one, especially if we have a misguided or incorrect view of the love and mercy of our Heavenly Father. When we think about the fact that his angels will one day separate the good from the bad, it may cause us to get somewhat concerned about ourselves! When we contemplate how God the Father will judge us, we must surely pause for a moment and take stock of how we’re doing. Still, we want to be sure we’re using the right understanding of the nature and character of our Heavenly Father and the right measuring tools when we look at our lives!

If we read this parable in a legal way, we can end up seeing God the Father as an accountant who balances our spiritual ledger: If the sum of our good deeds is greater than the sum of our bad deeds, we’re safe. Otherwise, lookout! The problem with this approach, however, is that if we break even one commandment, we’ve broken all of them (James 2:10). If God the Father evaluated us according to our sins, none of us would make it! That’s why we should be very grateful that he uses a different standard to judge us—the standard of his love and mercy.

Our Heavenly Father does not want us paralyzed with fear at the thought of his judgment. And he doesn’t want us being fearful about whether we will be able to maintain the salvation his Son has won for us on the Cross. It’s his to give, and he has graciously given it to us! His Son has already overcome sin, and his forgiveness extends to all of us who have put our faith in him.

God has much more important things he wants us to spend our time and energy on—things like serving him and building his kingdom. Jesus once told his disciples that the harvest is ready, but the laborers are few (Matthew 9:37-38). He doesn’t want us to be so preoccupied with our own spiritual state that it paralyzes us, and we don’t go out and share the good news of his kingdom.

So in your prayers, praise your Heavenly Father for his love and mercy. He’s not some harsh cop in the sky or some harsh judge. He is the kindest, most generous, and most loving Father there is. Also in your prayer, ask him how you can join his angels in tending to that dragnet. Let the power of his salvation fill you with gratitude, but let it also move you into the world, confident that with Christ in you, you can move mountains.

“Heavenly Father, thank you for your mercy and forgiveness! As I meditate on your love for me, I am amazed that your love is so great that you were willing to send your beloved Son to die on the cross for my sins. Help me to know and experience your love and mercy in a deeper way. By your Spirit, show me how I can spread the good news so that even more people can come to know your love for them and love you in return.”

Maurice Blumberg was the founding Executive Director of the National Fellowship of Catholic Men (http://www.nfcmusa.org/ ), and is currently a Trustee. He is also the Director of Partner Relations for Partners in Evangelism , (http://www2.wau.org/partners/ ), a Ministry to the Military and Prisoners for The Word Among Us . Maurice can be contacted at mblumberg@aol.org .)

[Many thanks to The Word Among Us (http://www.wau.org/ ) for allowing us to adapt material from daily meditations in their monthly devotional magazine. Used with permission.]

Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men

1. What is your reaction to the parable of the dragnet?

2. In the article, we hear these words: “Our Heavenly Father does not want us paralyzed with fear at the thought of his judgment.” Do you agree with these words? Why or why not?

3. Why can an out of balance fear of God the Father prevent us from being a witness to others of our Christian faith?

4. In what way is your view of your Heavenly Father influenced by your own earthly father?

5. What is your reaction to these words from the article on the nature of our Heavenly Father? “He’s not some harsh cop in the sky or some harsh judge. He is the kindest, most generous, and most loving Father there is.”

6. If you are in a men’s group, take some time at the end of your meeting to pray for one another that each of you would have a deeper knowledge and experience of the great love of your Father in Heaven. Use the prayer at the end of the article as a starting point.

It wasn’t just Mary, either, who needed the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist had known Jesus all his life, but it wasn’t until the Spirit opened his eyes that he could see his cousin as the promised Messiah (John 1:29-34). Of course, all of the apostles were filled with the Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). The Scriptures also tell us that Elizabeth (Luke 1:41), Zechariah (Luke 1:67), Simeon (Luke 2:25), Stephen (Acts 6:5,7:55), Paul (Acts 9:17), and many others were filled with the Holy Spirit. St. Paul once wrote: “Even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer” (2 Corinthians 5:16) and “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). So Why is it so important to be filled with the Spirit. Well, without the Spirit, the apostles surely would have stayed hiding in Jerusalem, the Scriptures wouldn’t have been written, and you would not be reading this article today!

The best part is that the Spirit is still at work in the same way today. He wants to empower us just as he empowered Mary and other Christian men and women throughout their lives. He wants to guide us just as he guided them, walking beside us at every moment, inspiring us to follow God’s will. And he wants to fill us with his love so that we will evangelize. Perhaps you have already experienced him giving you his wisdom, understanding, counsel, and courage at different points in your life. But whatever you have experienced, he wants to do even more!

The Holy Spirit has been with you since your baptism. He’s the one behind those gentle nudges you get to say a kind word or call up a friend in distress. He’s also the one who prompts you to speak out against evil and avoid doing something that is displeasing to God.

Now is the time to get to know the Holy Spirit even better. Now is the time to ask the Lord to fill you more deeply with his Spirit. This is a prayer you can say every day. Remember, the Lord wants to fill your heart to overflowing with his Spirit, and through you and other Catholic men like you, to renew the face of the earth! So follow Mary’s example and look to the Holy Spirit every day.

“Lord Jesus, fill me afresh with your Spirit. Come, Holy Spirit, and strengthen me to be your disciple. Come, Holy Spirit, empower me, guide me, and give me the wisdom to know God’s will for my life today and always.”

Maurice Blumberg was the founding Executive Director of the National Fellowship of Catholic Men (http://www.nfcmusa.org/), and is currently a Trustee. He is also the Director of Partner Relations for Partners in Evangelism, (http://www2.wau.org/partners/), a Ministry to the Military and Prisoners for The Word Among Us.

[Many thanks to The Word Among Us (http://www.wau.org/) for allowing us to adapt material from daily meditations in their monthly devotional magazine. Used with permission.]

Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men

1. As the article notes, the Scriptures are full of examples of men and women who were filled with the Holy Spirit, including the Blessed Mother, Elizabeth, Zechariah, Simeon, Stephen, and Paul. What do you think it means to be “filled with the Holy Spirit”? How would you characterize the impact being filled with the Spirit had on each of them?

2. Why is it just as important for you and I to be filled with the Spirit as it was for those New Testament persons mentioned in the article?

3. How have you experienced the work of and power of the Holy Spirit in your life? Share some examples.

4. The last paragraph of the article begins with these words: “Now is the time to get to know the Holy Spirit even better. Now is the time to ask the Lord to fill you more deeply with his Spirit. This is a prayer you can say every day.” Do you believe you need more of the power of the Holy Spirit in your life? In what areas?

5. If you are in a men’s group, take some time at the end of your meeting to pray for one another for a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit? Use the prayer at the end of the article as a starting point.

What Does God’s Love Feel Like? Imagine a married couple sitting together on the front porch of their home. They are together, but hardly a word passes between them. They are simply enjoying being together; that’s all it takes to make them happy. Perhaps they are holding hands, perhaps not. The look in their eyes is one of peace, contentment, and satisfaction. They know each other’s weaknesses, flaws, and annoying habits, but none of that matters at this moment. Their love covers all of them (1 Peter 4:8). Sometimes a full hour can pass while they sit together, but the couple doesn’t care. They have lost track of time.

This is the way Jesus wants to be with us. Sometimes we like to use words—prayers, petitions, or statements of love and gratitude—and that can be very good. Sometimes Jesus wants to lift us out of some turmoil that we are in—as he did when he lifted Peter from the stormy sea (Matthew 14:31) or when he stopped a funeral procession and raised up a widow’s only son (Luke 7:11-17).

But there are also times when Jesus simply wants to pour his love upon us, and there are times when we simply need to receive that love. Perhaps Jesus wants us to be like Martha’s sister, Mary, who sat at his feet and listened to his words (Luke 10:38-42). Perhaps he is inviting us to come to him as little children, so that he can take us into his arms and bless us (Mark 10:14-16). Or maybe he wants us to be like John, confident enough in Jesus’ love to lay our head on his breast (John 13:23).

Sometimes we forget that Jesus already knows what is on our hearts: our sufferings, our joys, and the pressures of life. Nothing could be further from the truth! Jesus knows what is happening in our lives. He knows how we feel about him far more than that couple sitting on the porch know how they feel about each other. He knows how much we love him. More often than not, the problem is that our minds are focused on too many things. Distractions—like the demands of work or housekeeping—would mar the peace that the married couple experience as they sit together. But they realize this, and they have learned how to put these distractions aside.

Likewise, distractions in prayer can keep us from getting to the point where we are enjoying the presence of Jesus. So we need to learn how to quiet ourselves and come to Jesus just as we are.

It Doesn’t Take That Much Effort. It’s not all that hard to see how much couples who are in love want to be with each other. The feelings of unity, affection, and gratitude are overflowing, and it’s easy for them to engage each other. Jesus wants to make it easy for us to come to him as well. He is always reaching out to us. He promised that he would give us a heart that understands that he is the Lord and that his love endures forever (Jeremiah 24:7). He wants to call each of us, and all of us as a whole, “my people, my renown, my praise, my beauty” (13:11).

As we let these kinds of words into our hearts and minds, they replace the distractions of life that cloud our vision of the Lord. And something special begins to happen inside of our hearts as a result. Our hearts and minds are lifted up, and we find ourselves in the presence of God.

Why not stop for a moment right now and use the words from the psalms to see if you can experience a moment of peace and love with Jesus? Begin by calming your mind, then just pray these words—or something similar—over and over again. See your heart and mind yearning for Jesus: “‘Come,’ says my heart, ‘seek God’s face’; your face, Lord, do I seek!” (Psalm 27:8). Tell Jesus, “With all my heart I seek you. My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord” (119:10; 84:3). “You have given my heart more joy than they have when grain and wine abound” (4:8). “My heart is set on fulfilling your laws. To do your will is my delight” (119:112; 40:9).

After just a few minutes, you just might find yourself being lifted up. You just might experience an overwhelming sense of peace and joy, of confidence and hope. All it takes is a few minutes. It doesn’t take that much effort at all. Why? Because whenever we lift up our hearts to the Lord, he readily comes and takes us to his side.

Fix Your Eyes on Jesus. Brothers, God is not far from us. He is very near, and he wants to draw us to himself. He wants to lift us up to be with him. He wants to shower us with his love—a love that we can feel, a love that gives us peace, a love that transforms. If we lift up our eyes to Jesus, we will see him.

So what do you think? Can you let the Holy Spirit teach you inwardly what the church teaches outwardly? Can you let the Spirit teach you about God’s highest intentions for your life—to lift you up so that you can be drawn closer to Jesus?

Let us pray together:“Come, Holy Spirit, and open the eyes of my heart. Lift me up to heaven so that I can see the hope to which I have been called. Show me my glorious inheritance in Christ. Holy Spirit, transform me and fill me with God’s great power!” (Ephesians 1:17-19).

(Joe Difato is the publisher of “The Word Among Us” devotional magazine. To contact him, go to his website at www.joedifato.com. Many thanks to The Word Among Us (http://www.wau.org/) for allowing us to use his articles from their August issue. Used with permission.)

Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men

1. The article uses the love between a married couple as a way of illustrating the Lord’s great love for us. In what way is this a good analogy? In what ways does it fall short?

2. How would you describe the ways you have experienced Jesus love for you?

3. The article offers an approach to coming into the Lord’s presence. Take a few minutes to try this approach, using the following steps described in the article:

o  Calm your mind

o  Pray these words—or something similar—over and over again, while seeing your heart and mind yearning for Jesus: “‘Come,’ says my heart, ‘seek God’s face’; your face, Lord, do I seek!” (Psalm 27:8).

o  Tell Jesus, “With all my heart I seek you. My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord” (Psalm 119:10; 84:3). “You have given my heart more joy than they have when grain and wine abound” (4:8). “My heart is set on fulfilling your laws. To do your will is my delight” (119:112; 40:9).

4. What happened after trying the above steps?

5. The article goes on to say the following: “Brothers, God is not far from us. He is very near, and he wants to draw us to himself. He wants to lift us up to be with him. He wants to shower us with his love—a love that we can feel, a love that gives us peace, a love that transforms. If we lift up our eyes to Jesus, we will see him.” What steps can you take to make these words more of a reality in your life?

If you are in a men’s group, end your meeting by praying for one another for a new openness to “being lifted up in Christ.” Use the prayer at the end of the article as the starting point.

(The discussion questions were created by Maurice Blumberg, a Trustee of the National Fellowship of Catholic Men (http://www.catholicmensresources.org/), and currently the Director of Partner Relations for Partners in Evangelism, (http://www2.wau.org/partners/), a Ministry of The Word Among Us to the Military and Prisoners. Maurice can be contacted at mblumberg@wau.org.)

We really can experience God’s love. Is it possible for us to be lifted up into the presence of the Lord? Yes, it is! Can we really experience God’s love in a way that makes us feel we’ve found heaven on earth? Yes, we can! Scripture tells us that Jesus stands knocking at the door of our hearts, with an invitation: “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).

So as we ponder the hope of being lifted up into God’s presence, let’s look at two key considerations: First, God’s love is tangible; we can feel it. And second, if we want to be lifted up, we have to learn how to sense the presence of the Lord—and it is not all that difficult!

It’s Tangible. When we talk about being lifted up and experiencing God’s love, we are describing something that is invisible. We cannot point to it on an X-ray machine or find it with a CAT scan. But it is still something we can all know deeply. Just like the love between a husband and a wife or parents’ love for their children, the love of God is deep and strong, and the experience of it has the potential to be just as life changing.

How can we feel God’s love? Like all relationships, there has to be a connection. On one hand, love is a free gift, as seen in the way parents love a newborn baby. Think about Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son. The boy’s father was in a state of perpetual readiness, always waiting for his son to come home. In the midst of that “always,” the father’s love, compassion, and hope were constantly being poured out on his son, even though the son didn’t know it or experience it. In a similar way, God’s love is constantly flowing to us, even when we have turned away from him.

On the other hand, if we want to know the depth of God’s love, if we want to experience what it means to be lifted up, we have to put in some effort. Newborn babies experience their parents’ love without giving much in return. They may smile, squeeze our fingers, or calm down after we pick them up. But despite the beauty of these gestures, they are more superficial than the expressions of love that come from older children.

Think, for instance, about the expressions of gratitude that come from a teenager whose mother helps her work through relationship problems at school. Or think about the new father who finally realizes how his own father’s insistence on hard work, patience, and family unity have helped him be a disciplined and responsible husband and father. The more we become aware of the love that surrounds us, the more readily we will respond with our own expressions of love.

These are the kinds of responses that come to us as we discover more and more of what God has done for us. They are the responses that come when we find ourselves being drawn to Jesus, being lifted up by him, and being formed and shaped by his constant flow of divine love and providence.

In the next article, we will describe some of the tangible ways we can open ourselves more to being lifted up into the Lord’s presence and experiencing his great love for us.

(Joe Difato is the publisher of “The Word Among Us” devotional magazine. To contact him, go to his website at www.joedifato.com. Many thanks to The Word Among Us (http://www.wau.org/) for allowing us to use his articles from their August issue. Used with permission.)

Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men

1. The article opens with these two questions: “Is it possible for us to be lifted up into the presence of the Lord?” “Can we really experience God’s love in a way that makes us feel we’ve found heaven on earth?” How would you answer these questions?

2. What is your understanding of this Scripture quoted in the first paragraph? “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).

3. Have you ever sensed the presence of the Lord, e.g., at Mass, in prayer, or in a specific situation? How would you describe it? What impact did it have on you?

4. Many Scripture scholars think that “The Parable of the Prodigal Son” could also be called “The Parable of the Father’s Love.” Which one do you prefer and why?

5. In the article we hear these words: “The more we become aware of the love that surrounds us, the more readily we will respond with our own expressions of love.” Why is this true not only on a human level, but even more so when it comes to God’s love for us? Can you give some examples from your own life?

6. What do you think St. Paul meant by the following Scriptures, and how do you think they apply to your life?

And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. (Romans 5:5)

For the love of Christ impels us, once we have come to the conviction that one died for all; therefore, all have died. He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)

“I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:14-19). 

A Character Formed by Love. As moving as the descriptions were in the previous article of Biblical men and women who were transformed by God, there is, however, another dimension to being lifted up by the Lord that is even more inspiring and hopeful. Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians gives us an idea of the more immediate senses that we have when we feel God’s presence. They are the feelings and the convictions we experience as we are absorbed in prayer and filled with the love of God. But the other dimension has to do with the long-term effects that happen to us as we develop the habit of turning to Jesus and letting him lift us up every day. These effects go beyond the immediate senses and reach deeper into our hearts. They have to do with the way our character is shaped by our regular encounters with the Lord and his power.

In one letter, Paul describes this godly character as the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23). He lists nine key characteristics of people whose experiences of being lifted up have taught them to “live by the Spirit” (5:16). These characteristics include such traits as peace, kindness, gentleness, patience, and self-control. And, as you might expect, they are all reflections of Jesus’ own character.

In another letter, Paul gives a more poetic—and a fuller—description of our new character by talking all about the love that we encounter when we are lifted up by the Lord. This love, which is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, changes our character as it teaches us how to live in a new way (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). Drawing from an early Christian hymn, Paul paints a picture with words that have been treasured by believers for centuries.

This love, Paul tells us, is patient and kind. It is not jealous, pompous, inflated, or rude. It “rejoices with the truth,” and it is marked by faith, hope, and endurance. And, most importantly, “Love never fails.” Don’t these words describe the kind of character we all want for ourselves? Don’t we all want to display the fruit of the Spirit?

The Longing of Our Hearts. Why do these words move us? What is it about Paul’s description of godly love that makes it stick in our memories? More than anything, it’s the way these words describe the desires of our own hearts. God made us for love. He created us with the capacity to become like him, to mirror his patience, kindness, and compassion.

The only reason we find these qualities elusive is because we are fallen and sinful. If there were no sin in the world, there would be no obstacles to being lifted up and transformed by the Lord. But because of sin, we find it difficult. Because of sin, we all long for something that seems at times just outside of our grasp. We sense that we should be like this, but experience tells us that our own efforts at self-improvement fall short. We can make some progress on our own, but we know we have so much farther to go.

This is why Jesus came to earth and died on the cross. He came to put our sin to death. He came to remove the obstacles so that he could lift us up and make us into a new creation. It is also precisely why he gave us the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who comes to live in us and teach us how to lift up our hearts to the Lord. For he knows that it is only as we choose to lift up our hearts to him that he can draw us to himself and bring us into his presence.

Lift Up the Lord. Jesus promised that when he is lifted up from the earth, he would draw all people to himself (John 12:32). On Good Friday, he was lifted up—on the cross that overcame our sin. At the Ascension, he was lifted up to heaven, where he now sits in glory. So why haven’t we all been drawn to Jesus? Why is there still sin, suffering, and fear in the world?

I can’t pretend to answer this mystery completely. But we can say that while Jesus was indeed lifted up on the cross, and while he was indeed lifted up at the Ascension, there is still one more “lifting up” that has to happen. Jesus is waiting for each of us to lift him up in our own hearts. He is waiting for us to turn to him, acknowledge him as our Savior, and exalt him for rescuing us from sin. He is waiting for us to gaze upon his cross with gratitude and honor, elevating him in our hearts.

Day after day, Jesus wants to raise us up to his presence. Day after day, he wants to form us into his image a little bit more. He has so many gifts that he wants to give us. He has so much grace that he wants to pour out on us. All he is waiting for is us.

 (Joe Difato is the publisher of “The Word Among Us” devotional magazine.  To contact him, go to his website at www.joedifato.com. Many thanks to The Word Among Us (http://www.wau.org/) for allowing us to use his articles from their August issue. Used with permission.)

Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men

1. If you are in a men’s group take some time at the beginning of your meeting to pray for one another using St. Paul’s prayer from Ephesians 3:14-19.

2. What steps can you take to open yourself more: 1) “to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self,” 2) “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;” and 3) “that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God”? 

3. The article says that to experience the “long term” effects of Paul’s prayer requires us to “develop the habit of turning to Jesus and letting him lift us up every day. These effects go beyond the immediate senses and reach deeper into our hearts. They have to do with the way our character is shaped by our regular encounters with the Lord and his power.” Why is this so? 

4. Paul describes the nine fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. These are all reflections of Jesus’ own character. How well are you doing in manifesting these “fruits” to others? Which one do you struggle the most with and how can you overcome these struggles?

5. We are all familiar with the “love chapter,” 1 Corinthians 13. How well are you doing in reflecting this love to others, especially those in your family?

6. The article issues this important challenge to each of us as Catholic men: “Jesus is waiting for each of us to lift him up in our own hearts. He is waiting for us to turn to him, acknowledge him as our Savior, and exalt him for rescuing us from sin. He is waiting for us to gaze upon his cross with gratitude and honor, elevating him in our hearts.” Are you prepared to do this right now and become that new creation made in the image and likeness of Christ? If not, why not? If so, take a few moments to make that deeper commitment of your life to Jesus Christ.

 (The discussion questions were created by Maurice Blumberg, a Trustee of the National Fellowship of Catholic Men (http://www.catholicmensresources.org/), and currently the Director of Partner Relations for Partners in Evangelism, (http://www2.wau.org/partners/), a Ministry of The Word Among Us to the Military and Prisoners. Maurice can be contacted at mblumberg@wau.org.)

How does God work to transform us? Beginning with the story of Abraham, Scripture tells the stories of numerous men and women who were changed because God intervened in their lives and lifted them up to his presence. We can point to Moses, Joshua, and King David. There are Miriam, Ruth, and Hannah. There are Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Hezekiah. And there are so many more. Each of these people shows us a different reflection of what it is like to be lifted up by the Lord. If we look at the New Testament, we see even more examples: Joseph, Mary Magdalene, Peter, Bartimaeus, the centurion at the cross, and more.

Writing about twenty-five years after Jesus ascended to heaven, St. Paul offered some explanations of what these people and so many others like them experienced as they were lifted up. Surely, in addition to reflecting on his own experience, Paul learned much of what he wrote from talking with other believers and learning their own stories. Thus he was able to show us in a broad, encompassing way what it is like when Jesus touches human hearts. Let’s look at a couple of places where this happens.

May You Be Strengthened . . . In a letter he wrote to the Christians in Ephesus, Paul offered a prayer for them: “I kneel before the Father … that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:14-19, emphases added).

You can see in the italicized phrases the kind of words Paul used to describe what it means for a human person to be lifted up to Jesus. One aspect of this lifting up has to do with our feeling “strengthened.” When we are touched by the Lord, we find in ourselves a new confidence, a feeling that we can do all things in Christ. We are so filled with enthusiasm that we feel we can face any challenge that life puts in our path. We have tasted the power of Jesus’ love, and we sense that this power, this strength, can be ours as well.

Related to a feeling of strength is the trust that Jesus is actually “dwelling in our hearts.” When he touches us and lifts us to his presence, we sense that he is very close to us—closer, in fact, than our dearest friend. We sense that he has always been in us, waiting for us to turn to him. All we needed was a measure of faith and trust, just enough to motivate us to seek him in the sanctuary of our hearts.

Knowledge and Love. But there is more to receiving Jesus’ touch than simply feeling confident in his power and his presence. It’s not just what we feel but what we come to know as well. From the time when Moses received the Law on Mount Sinai to the time when John received his prophecy on the Isle of Patmos, we see people being lifted up by the Lord and coming to understand God’s ways, his mind, and his purposes more clearly.

Of course, we will never receive any new revelation that is not compatible with what is in the Scriptures or in our Sacred Tradition. But whenever Jesus lifts us up, he helps us understand more fully the core truths that have been given to the church—truths like those contained in the Apostles’ Creed or the Lord’s Prayer or the Scriptures themselves. We come away from being lifted up with a greater clarity about who God is, who we are, and how the Lord wants us to live.

Finally, and most importantly, Paul tells us that the experience of being lifted up by the Lord is an experience of love that “surpasses knowledge.” It is the experience of being loved, accepted, and affirmed by the One who created us. It is the experience of being welcomed into the kingdom of heaven—and into Jesus’ loving embrace.

(Joe Difato is the publisher of “The Word Among Us” devotional magazine. To contact him, go to his website at www.joedifato.com. Many thanks to The Word Among Us (http://www.wau.org/) for allowing us to use his articles from their August issue. Used with permission.)

Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men

1. The article begins with a list of Old and New Testament men and women “who were changed because God intervened in their lives and lifted them up to his presence.” In each case there is a huge difference between what they were like before and after being “lifted up.” How would you describe the difference in Peter and Paul’s lives before and after they were touched by the Lord and had a personal encounter with him?

2. How would you describe the difference in your own life before and after you were touched by the Lord or had a personal encounter with Him?

3. The article uses St. Paul’s prayer from Ephesians 3:14-19 to describe the various aspects of what it means for someone “to be lifted up to Jesus.” How would you describe it?

4. The article ends with these words: “Paul tells us that the experience of being lifted up by the Lord is an experience of love that ‘surpasses knowledge.’ It is the experience of being loved, accepted, and affirmed by the One who created us. It is the experience of being welcomed into the kingdom of heaven—and into Jesus’ loving embrace.” Have you experienced what it means to be “loved, accepted, and affirmed by the One who created us”? How would you describe that experience?

5. If you are in a men’s group take some time at the end of your meeting to pray for one another using the prayer from Ephesians 3:14-19.

(The discussion questions were created by Maurice Blumberg, a Trustee of the National Fellowship of Catholic Men (http://www.catholicmensresources.org/), and currently the Director of Partner Relations for Partners in Evangelism, (http://www2.wau.org/partners/), a Ministry of The Word Among Us to the Military and Prisoners. Maurice can be contacted at mblumberg@wau.org.)

Abraham’s Path

Let’s look at Abraham, one of the earliest figures in the Bible to have experienced God lifting him up and changing his life. When God first called him, Abraham was a wealthy but childless nomad living in Mesopotamia. Abraham didn’t feel needy at all. He was simply doing what he thought he should do with his life. But that all changed when God revealed himself and said: “Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk… . I will make of you a great nation” (Genesis 12:1,2).

Whatever happened then between God and Abraham must have been significant. Abraham left and moved to Hebron. God was so pleased with this response that he made a promise to Abraham: “Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so shall your descendants be” (Genesis 15:5). Now, if Abraham did not respond to the original encounter, do you think he would have heard this promise? Probably not.

When God wanted to confirm his promises, he simply asked Abraham to keep his covenant by setting himself apart for God and staying faithful to him (Genesis 17:9-14). Still, Abraham found it hard to believe that God would give him and his wife, Sarah, a child. He even laughed at the thought (17:17). But something in this encounter with God moved Abraham, and he decided to follow the path God had laid out for him, even though human logic told him that it was impossible. Sarah was no different. She too laughed at the prospect of conceiving a child—and when called to account for it by the Lord, she even lied (18:12-15).

Years later, when God told Abraham about his plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham felt comfortable enough with God to try to prevent such a catastrophe. With humility and persistence, Abraham interceded to the Lord and somehow altered God’s plan. His nephew, Lot, was permitted to escape unharmed (Genesis 18:17-–19:23).

Then came the time when God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Abraham must have been puzzled, for God had told him that it was through Isaac that all of his promises would be fulfilled (Genesis 21:12). How could he kill this son—whom he loved deeply—and still see the future unfold as God had promised? Despite the confusion and the heartache, Abraham made ready to obey. Seeing how faithful and trusting Abraham was, God intervened at the last minute and promised him: “Because you acted as you did in not withholding from me your beloved son, I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore; your descendants shall take possession of the gates of their enemies, and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing—all this because you obeyed my command” (22:16-18).

The Beginning of a Long Line

This is a remarkable story about a remarkable man who was led along a path of ever-increasing faith. Time after time, Abraham was lifted up and drawn closer to God. And each time, he grasped more clearly what God was doing—and that deepened his faith. Abraham’s entire life is an example to us of what happens when God works in a person’s heart—and when that person responds to God in faith, surrender, and trust.

We need to know that even when we question God as Abraham did, he still works with us. Even when we lie or commit some other sin, as Sarah did, he still reaches out to us. Even when we try to negotiate with God, as Abraham did for Lot, he hangs in there with us. Even when we laugh at God’s plans, he doesn’t abandon us. And when we finally entrust everything to God as Abraham did with Isaac, we find God faithful, and we find ourselves rewarded greatly.

Abraham stood at the beginning of a long line of patriarchs and matriarchs, prophets and prophetesses, kings and queens, as well as everyday people throughout the Hebrew Bible—heroes and heroines who were touched by God and lifted up to a new way of living. What’s more, with the coming of Christ and the gift of his Holy Spirit, this grace is no longer limited to just a chosen few. Countless saints of the church—both recognized and hidden—have been lifted up and transformed. From age to age, millions of believers have experienced God’s grace!

Lift Up Your Heart!

The story of Abraham and Isaac can help us understand just how much God wants to lift us up. More than two thousand years after God spared Abraham’s only son, Isaac, he chose not to spare his only Son, Jesus—even after Jesus prayed that “this cup” would pass him by (Matthew 26:39). Surely God loved his Son even more deeply than Abraham loved Isaac. But he loved us so much—and so did his Son—that he freely gave him up for us. God’s willingness to sacrifice his only Son for us demonstrates the lengths to which he will go to save us, to teach us, and to lift us up to his side.

At every Mass, we are invited: “Lift up your hearts,” and we respond by saying, “We lift them up to the Lord.” What do you think would happen if each of us used this moment to actually do just that? What would the church look like if we all set our position at every Eucharist, saying:

“Jesus, I want to be drawn closer to you. I don’t want anything to get in the way. Come, Lord, and lift all of us up so that we can know you better and love you more.”

( Joe Difato is the publisher of “The Word Among Us” devotional magazine. To contact him, go to his website at www.joedifato.com . Many thanks to The Word Among Us (http://www.wau.org/ ) for allowing us to use his articles from their August issue. Used with permission.)

Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men

1. The article describes how Abraham experienced God lifting him up and how it transformed his life. How would you describe what happened to Abraham?

2. Abraham is called “our father in faith” (see Romans 4:16,17). For Abraham, his faith was not only a belief in God, but it also required a response. Why is this necessary? Share a time when you responded in faith to a call of God. What were the results?

3. God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Because he is omniscient, God knew that Abraham would past this test. Could it be that the test was for Abraham’s benefit? Could it be that through this test, Abraham knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he had the faith to trust God in all circumstances? What do you think? Share a time when your faith grew as a result of being “tested.”

4. Even though God spared Isaac, Abraham’s beloved and only son, he did not spare Jesus, his beloved and only Son. He did not spare him out of his great love for you and I. What impact does this truth have on your relationship with the Lord and how you live your life?

5. The good news of Jesus Christ is that the grace of being “touched by God and lifted up to a new way of living” is for all of us. As the article puts it: “What’s more, with the coming of Christ and the gift of his Holy Spirit, this grace is no longer limited to just a chosen few. Countless saints of the church—both recognized and hidden—have been lifted up and transformed. From age to age, millions of believers have experienced God’s grace!” How have you experienced this grace?

6. The article reminds us that we respond at Mass to the invitation: “Lift up your hearts,” by saying, “We lift them up to the Lord.” Over the next few weeks make an effort to truly lift your heart to the Lord at this time during Mass. Share what happened with the men in your men’s group and others.

7. If you are in a men’s group, pray for one another that each of you would experience what it means to be lifted up to the Lord and to be transformed more and more into his image and likeness (see 2 Corinthians 3:18). Use the prayer at the end of the article as the starting point.

(The discussion questions were created by Maurice Blumberg, a Trustee of the National Fellowship of Catholic Men (http://www.catholicmensresources.org/ ), and currently the Director of Partner Relations for Partners in Evangelism , (http://www2.wau.org/partners/ ), a Ministry of The Word Among Us to the Military and Prisoners . Maurice can be contacted at mblumberg@wau.org.)

Jesus wants to make us more and more like himself. As Jesus neared the end of his public ministry, he made a prediction about his coming passion and death. “When I am lifted up from the earth,” he said, “I will draw everyone to myself” (John 12:32). These words, which are so full of promise and hope, show us that Jesus didn’t come just to forgive our sins. He also came to bring us into a relationship with him. He came so that we could be “drawn” to him and “lifted up” with him to the presence of his heavenly Father.

In this article, and the articles that follow, we want to take a look at what it means to be lifted up with Jesus. What happens when we are lifted up? What does it mean for us to lift up our own hearts to the Lord? As we examine these questions, we will discover that when God raises us up, he does so by giving us a taste of his own life and love. We will also discover how these experiences can bring about real and lasting change in our lives.

The Promise of “Divinization.” The first question we need to ask is what are we being lifted up from, and where are we being lifted up to? The simple answer is that God lifts us from earth to heaven. But we have to be careful here. We are not implying that everything in this world is evil and that God wants to separate us from the world. On the contrary, he lifts us up to heaven so that, filled with his grace, we can be a more effective force for good and holiness on the earth.

When we say that God lifts us up from the earth, we are really saying that he takes us out of the limited philosophies that are prevalent in the world. He lifts us out of our narrow self-focused concerns and gives us a sense of his grandeur, his power, and his love. He raises us above our limited expectations for our lives and shows us that we really can overcome sin and that we really can live holy, godly lives in this world.

Over time, as we experience God lifting us up more and more frequently, we find ourselves changing. We find the Holy Spirit making us more like Jesus. We find him delivering us from old ways of sin and limited vision so that we can live in closer union with the Lord. Some of the saints have gone so far as to call this process of transformation “divinization,” where God forms us into his image and likeness so fully that we begin to think and act like Jesus.

This process begins at baptism, but it doesn’t happen automatically. We need to cooperate with the Spirit. God wants us to yield to him and his ways, and for that we need the right disposition, one of dependence on God. What does this dependence look like? Well, children and babies are dependent on their parents and other caregivers — but especially in the case of babies, they aren’t really aware of this, and so they don’t make any decisions to remain dependent.

On the other hand, adults know when they need the help of someone else. It may be in times of sickness or financial need. It may be as they age and become infirm. Or it may simply be the case of a man acknowledging that he needs the love of his wife because he does not want to be alone.

All of these examples give us an indication of the way God wants us to come to him. He wants us to know that we need his grace. He wants us to confess that we need to be lifted up so that we won’t get dragged down to a completely worldly way of living.

In the next article, we will look at the life of Abraham and see how he experienced God lifting him up and transforming his life.

( Joe Difato is the publisher of “The Word Among Us” devotional magazine. To contact him, go to his website at www.joedifato.com . Many thanks to The Word Among Us (http://www.wau.org/ ) for allowing us to use his articles from their August issue. Used with permission.)

Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men

1. In the first paragraph of the article, we hear these words: “Jesus didn’t come just to forgive our sins. He also came to bring us into a relationship with him. He came so that we could be “drawn” to him and “lifted up” with him to the presence of his heavenly Father.” How would you describe your relationship with Jesus?

2. How would you answer the following questions from the article?

• What happens when we are lifted up?
• What does it mean for us to lift up our own hearts to the Lord?
• What are we being lifted up from, and where are we being lifted up to?

3. We also hear these words in the article: “Over time, as we experience God lifting us up more and more frequently, we find ourselves changing.” How would you describe the ways that God has changed you, as you have drawn closer to him?

4. How would you describe the term “divinization” that is used in the article?

5. The article says that the process of divinization requires us to “cooperate with the Spirit. God wants us to yield to him and his ways, and for that we need the right disposition, one of dependence on God.” What steps can you take to cooperate more fully with the Spirit, yield to God, and be more dependent on him?

(The discussion questions were created by Maurice Blumberg, a Trustee of the National Fellowship of Catholic Men (http://www.catholicmensresources.org/ ), and currently the Director of Partner Relations for Partners in Evangelism , (http://www2.wau.org/partners/ ), a Ministry of The Word Among Us to the Military and Prisoners . Maurice can be contacted at mblumberg@wau.org.)