The Serenity Prayer is a beautiful prayer that was first written by Reinhold Niebuhr.
This is how you pray it:
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
This prayer was given to St. Gertrude by Jesus. Jesus promised that every time it was said, 1,000 souls would be released from Purgatory and allowed into God's Presence.
This is how you pray it:
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family.
The listing of the 12 can be found in Genesis 49. It contains the following:
Jacob called his sons and said: "Gather around, that I may tell you what is to happen to you in days to come. "Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob, listen to Israel, your father.
"You, Reuben, my first-born, my strength and the first fruit of my manhood, excelling in rank and excelling in power! Unruly as water, you shall no longer excel, for you climbed into your father's bed and defiled my couch to my sorrow.
"Simeon and Levi, brothers indeed, weapons of violence are their knives. Let not my soul enter their council, or my spirit be joined with their company; For in their fury they slew men, in their willfulness they maimed oxen. Cursed be their fury so fierce, and their rage so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob, disperse them throughout Israel.
"You, Judah, shall your brothers praise - your hand on the neck of your enemies; the sons of your father shall bow down to you. Judah, like a lion's whelp, you have grown up on prey, my son. He crouches like a lion recumbent, the king of beasts - who would dare rouse him? The scepter shall never depart from Judah, or the mace from between his legs, While tribute is brought to him, and he receives the people's homage. He tethers his donkey to the vine, his purebred ass to the choicest stem. In wine he washes his garments his robe in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk.
"Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore (This means a shore for ships), and his flank shall be based on Sidon.
"Issachar is a rawboned ass, crouching between the saddlebags. When he saw how good a settled life was, and how pleasant the country, He bent his shoulder to the burden and became a toiling serf.
"Dan shall achieve justice for his kindred like any other tribe of Israel. Let Dan be a serpent by the roadside, a horned viper by the path, That bites the horse's heel, so that the rider tumbles backward. "(I long for your deliverance, O LORD!)
"Gad shall be raided by raiders, but he shall raid at their heels.
"Asher's produce is rich, and he shall furnish dainties for kings.
"Naphtali is a hind let loose which brings forth lovely fawns.
"Joseph is a wild colt ,a wild colt by a spring, a wild ass on a hillside. Harrying and attacking, the archers opposed him; But each one's bow remained stiff, as their arms were unsteady, By the power of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, The God of your father, who helps you, God Almighty, who blesses you, With the blessings of the heavens above, the blessings of the abyss that crouches below, The blessings of breasts and womb, the blessings of fresh grain and blossoms, The blessings of the everlasting mountains, the delights of the eternal hills. May they rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.
"Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; mornings he devours the prey, and evenings he distributes the spoils."
All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said about them, as he bade them farewell and gave to each of them an appropriate message. Then he gave them this charge: "Since I am about to be taken to my kindred, bury me with my fathers in the cave that lies in the field of Ephron the Hittite, the cave in the field of Machpelah, facing on Mamre, in the land of Canaan, the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite for a burial ground. There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, and so are Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there, too, I buried Leah - the field and the cave in it that had been purchased from the Hittites." When Jacob had finished giving these instructions to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and was taken to his kindred.
Jesus is the single most influential figure in the history of the world. You cannot find a facet of society or an area of the globe that has not felt the ramifications of His life and death.
What was so different about Jesus? Why did He inspire such devotion? How did He develop such monumental influence? I think a great place to start is by answering the question: Who is Jesus?
This post will explore what type of person Jesus was, who He was to those around Him, and what Jesus meant to world.
Jesus is the Son of God
The Gospels report that at two solemn moments, the Baptism (Mark 1:9-11) and the Transfiguration of Christ (Matthew 17:5), the voice of the Father designates Jesus his "beloved Son". Jesus calls himself the "only Son of God", and by this title affirms his eternal pre-existence. He asks for faith in "the name of the only Son of God". In the centurion's exclamation before the crucified Christ, "Truly this man was the Son of God", that Christian confession is already heard. Only in the Paschal mystery can the believer give the title "Son of God" its full meaning. ~ CCC 444
Jesus being the Son of God changes everything. His words become promises. His actions become the will of God. His sacrifice becomes infinitely more humbling.
It also transforms God's relationship with man. God sent His only son to die for us. It's the story of Abraham all over again only this time the son is actually sacrificed. What kind of love must He have for us to do such a thing?!
Jesus is the Messiah
"The woman said to him, 'I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Anointed; when he comes, he will tell us everything.' Jesus said to her, 'I am he, the one who is speaking with you.'" ~ John 4:25-26
"Messiah" is the Hebrew word for "Anointed One". References to "the Messiah" are scattered through out the Old Testament. The Messiah was the title of the savior that would come to rescue Israel. Moses and the prophets predicted the coming of the Messiah and the events of His birth, life, and death.
Jesus is the realization of every single one of these predictions and is, thus, the savior of Israel whose coming was foretold through the Old Testament. The prophesies were fulfilled, the promises kept, and Israel was saved.
In addition, this also means that Jesus is the Christ because "Christ" is the Greek translation of "Messiah".
Jesus is the Bread of Life
"Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst....'" ~ John 6:35
Just as food sustains the body, Jesus sustains our soul. We need Him in order to live. In receiving the Eucharist each Sunday we enter into communion with Him, anticipating eternal life.
Jesus is the Light of the World
"Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'" ~ John 8:12
We humans stumble around blindly when in darkness. And so it was without Christ, the entire human race was without direction and lost in sin. Jesus came and brought light to the world. We can see the truth in Him and follow in His footsteps to live righteously.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd
"I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." ~ John 10:11
There is perhaps no better analogy to describe our relationship with Jesus. We humans are weak, stupid creatures that will follow anything that moves. And Jesus, being a good shepherd, patiently guides us and defends us.
Jesus is the Gate to Salvation
"I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture." ~ John 10:9
We are beings made of body and soul. When our mortal bodies die, our souls will remain for eternity in salvation (heaven) or damnation (hell). Jesus is our entry point for heaven. Without Him we cannot enter Heaven. We enter into salvation by following Him.
Jesus is the Vine
"Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing." ~ John 15:4-5
My favorite analogy! I cannot do anything without Jesus. I can struggle all I want, but if all-powerful God is against me, what can I ever hope to accomplish? Conversely, if I am working for all-powerful God, who can stop me in any endeavor?
Jesus is the Son of Man
"And he said to him, 'Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.'" ~ John 1:51
Jesus was fully human. He was birthed into the world just like every other human being in history. At the same time this title also marks Jesus as the savior foretold in Daniel 7:13-14.
Jesus is the Lamb of God
"The next day John was there again with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God.'" ~ John 1:35-36
Throughout the Old Testament, as per God's covenant with the Jews, animals were sacrificed to God in reconciliation for sins. God sent Jesus to forge a new and everlasting covenant, where His blood would be shed in reconciliation for our sins.
As a result, the price has already been paid for our sins. If we accept the gift that Jesus offers and welcome Him into our life we are washed clean. This means we are freed from slavery to sin and can enter into Heaven with God.
Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me...'" ~ John 14:6
In a world filled with lies and doubt, Jesus is the one true thing.
Jesus is the King of Israel
"Nathanael answered him, 'Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.'" ~ John 1:49-50
Jesus is the ruler of the kingdom of God. Its an interesting point that both the "king" and the "kingdom" were not what they were expected to be. The truth ended up being much larger. The kingdom was not just Israel, but the entire kingdom of God, all creation. The king was not a lion of a warrior who took vengeance, but a lamb who loved so much He gave His life for us.
Jesus is the Word of God made Flesh
"And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth." ~ John 1:14
"In giving us his Son, his only Word (for he possesses no other), he spoke everything to us at once in this sole Word - and he has no more to say. . . because what he spoke before to the prophets in parts, he has now spoken all at once by giving us the All Who is His Son [Jesus]. Any person questioning God or desiring some vision or revelation would be guilty not only of foolish behaviour but also of offending him, by not fixing his eyes entirely upon Christ and by living with the desire for some other novelty" ~ CCC 65
Jesus...Is
The examples above are just a few selections of the countless things that Jesus was and is to His followers. He is all things to all people.
However, the last thing I want to leave you with is the most important:
What is Advent?
Advent is the time of preparation for Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ.
Advent is just over 4 weeks long, beginning four Sundays before Christmas and ending on Christmas Day, when the Christmas Season begins.
Advent is the beginning of the new liturgical year in the Catholic Church. The liturgical year follows the life of Christ so it would, naturally, start with the birth of Christ.
As a result, Advent is also the end of the period known as ordinary time (ordinal time) in the liturgical year. While ordinary time is spent focusing on the message of Jesus and preparing for His second coming, Advent is a time spent preparing for and celebrating the first coming of Christ 2000 years ago.
It is a time especially focused on Jesus Christ. It can be looked at as a sort of "spring cleaning," a time to prepare your mind, body, and soul to welcome the Lord of all Creation.
"I Desire Mercy not Sacrifice"
This dedication to renewal and improvement over the course of Advent is customarily viewed as a gift to be given to Jesus on His birthday, Christmas. This makes advent a time of great joy, celebrating and using the blessings you have been given.
In this way Advent is different from Lent, another period of preparation for a monumental period in history. During Lent we practice sacrifice and focus on repentance, whereas during Advent you focus more on practicing mercy and grace.
In doing so we give freely of the blessings we have been given in time, talent, and treasure! Rather than abstaining from a favorite food as a sacrifice, we might share that food with those in need because as we all know, Jesus said:
...Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me ~ Matthew 25:40
The Reason for the Season
Another popular practice that captures the spirit of both, spring cleaning and a birthday gift, is becoming a better Christian by dedicating time each day to prayer and reading the Bible. However you should know that success in this pursuit should be measured by the fruit it bears.
It should result in you reflecting the graces you have been given to your loved ones, freely granting the mercy you have been granted to those who wrong you, and being an example of Christ's sacrificial love to those around you.
If there is no impact on those around you, what good is it that you became better? As Jesus said:
You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father. ~ Matthew 5:14-16
The end goal of any endeavor in Advent is to put Jesus in your mind, in your heart, and on your lips. It is a time to recenter yourself on the only thing that matters.
This is slightly ironic as you could argue it is the hardest time of year to keep Jesus in focus...what with the gifts, the visits, the carols, and parties.
So prepare your heart, share your joys, enjoy the season, but always be sure you don't lose sight of the reason for the season.
Keep Pursuing
Additional Resources for Your Advent Season
Per usual, Bishop Robert Barron has some incredibly insightful things to say on Advent:
The moral life of Christians is sustained by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These are permanent dispositions which make man docile in following the promptings of the Holy Spirit. ~ CCC 1830
Please note, the Gifts of the Holy Spirit should not be confused with the Fruits of the Holy Spirit.
[The Gifts of the Holy Spirit] belong in their fullness to Christ, Son of David. They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations. (CCC 1831)
The Church gets the list of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit from the following Bible passage:
The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD. ~ Isaiah 11:2-3
Here are some additional Bible verses that speak to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit:
Now in regard to spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be unaware. ~ 1 Corinthians 12:1
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. ~ 1 Corinthians 12:4-6
To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. ~ 1 Corinthians 12:7
To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit; to another mighty deeds; to another prophecy; to another discernment of spirits; to another varieties of tongues; to another interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes. ~ 1 Corinthians 12:8-1
Please note, the Fruits of the Holy Spirit are not the same thing as the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Here is a great Bible verse that speaks to the Fruit of the Holy Spirit:
Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. ~ Galatians 5:19-23
The fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory. ~ CCC 1832
The prayer to Saint Michael is one of my favorite prayers. I cannot help but be moved by its power each time I pray it.
This is how you say the prayer to Saint Michael:
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
And do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God,
cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen
The original version of the prayer was penned by Pope Leo XIII in 1884 and was much longer. The current version of the prayer was penned by Pope John Paul II in 1994.
Saint Michael is one of the three archangels mentioned in the Bible. Here are some of the verses about Saint Michael the archangel:
"Fear not, Daniel," he continued; "from the first day you made up your mind to acquire understanding and humble yourself before God, your prayer was heard. Because of it I started out, but the prince of the kingdom of Persia stood in my way for twenty-one days, until finally Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me. I left him there with the prince of the kings of Persia, and came to make you understand what shall happen to your people in the days to come; for there is yet a vision concerning those days." ~ Daniel 10:12-14
"At that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince, guardian of your people; It shall be a time unsurpassed in distress since nations began until that time. At that time your people shall escape, everyone who is found written in the book. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; some shall live forever, others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace. But the wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, And those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever. ~ Daniel 12:1-3
"Then war broke out in heaven; Michael 8 and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven." ~ Revelations 12:7-8
The discovery of my favorite Bible verse was a transformative experience. It was one of the first times in my life when I could actually feel God's presence.
It was a cold winter morning in the second semester of my freshman year in college. Sunlight was pouring through the window of my dorm room. I rolled out of bed, grudgingly, to read my Bible and go running before class. I started reading John 15 and the following line woke me up:
I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. ~ John 15:5
That was it! For years I had been searching for a simple way to summarize what I thought my relationship with Christ should be. And this visual nailed it! It was like finding a puzzle piece you have been looking for.
That's not my favorite Bible verse...
But it got my attention. I was now fully awake and invested...no longer grudging. I kept on reading. Every single verse built on the one before it...I get my power from Jesus...bearing fruit glorifies God...God loves Jesus...Jesus loves me...love one another as Jesus loved us...
And then it all culminated in this:
No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. ~ John 15:13
I stopped reading, stunned. This verse meant infinitely more when taken in the full context of John 15. (Go read it, it all goes together.)
The full meaning of this verse really sank in. The greatest love one can have is to sacrifice one's life for another. And everyone knows Jesus gave his life for us. Jesus died for me...because of me.
I put down the Bible, numbly got dressed, and went running. I ran, not seeing anything, my mind focused on the fact that Jesus, this man I didn't know, had died for me because he loved me. What used to be just words became real to me for the first time. And it didn't compute.
The Bible verse drifted through my head again and I thought of my brother, Garrett. I thought of how much I loved him. Would I give my life so that he might live? The answer, I was surprised to find, was yes...that was terrifying.
The discovery slowly began to dissolve into understanding. Jesus loved me like I love my brother. That made Jesus' love tangible. I knew what Jesus felt for me. I experienced it in the love I had for my brother.
That was incredible. The most powerful love I knew and that was how Jesus felt about me...even when I was ignoring Him. And this love led to His death. He sacrificed His life because of the love I felt now.
It made my heart long for Jesus. For the first time in my life, I really loved Jesus back.
I ran until my eyes cleared. Exhausted, I started walking back to my dorm. I started seeing the people around me again. And I was shocked to see the purple backpack in front of me had "John 15:13" stitched into the back of it!
I couldn't believe it. I wanted to tell her, but I was scared. (Yes, I've always loved talking, but I had never talked about my faith before.) I decided that this couldn't be a coincidence and it warranted overcoming the trepidation I felt.
I tapped her on the shoulder. I bumbled my way through a brief chat about our shared favorite Bible verse and how amazing God was for lining her up in front of me on the day I discovered the verse. It was the first time I shared my faith, something we are all called to do. And it was rewarding!
And that is the story of how I discovered my favorite Bible verse: John 15:13!
Post Script
You might be reacting with disbelief. I know that this might be the most famous and widely quoted verse in the Bible, but I was really uninformed about my faith at that time. I really didn't know it. And, being that uneducated allowed this verse to hit me with all the force of someone discovering it for the first time.
It is so nice being able to have a clear answer (and a great story) when people bring up favorite Bible verses. Do you know your favorite Bible verse? If not, you should go find it.
