Arise with Jesus


Arise with Jesus Every day, arise with Jesus. When awakening, even in the middle of the night, bring Jesus into your thoughts. Ask Him to be with you and bless your day. It is so important that we realize we cannot do anything without His help, so even before we get up, we ask Him to help us with all our struggles, temptations, and we place all these troublesome thoughts at the foot of His Cross. His Cross is our cross. He died for our sins. We're all guilty of sin. Everyone who ever lived was guilty of sin, except for the Blessed Mother, the Mother of God. And of course, Jesus himself did not commit sin; yet he asked His Father for forgiveness for us. On the Cross he asked: "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34). He was speaking about those who crucified Him. The guilty ones weren't only the people who were in Jerusalem and who participated in the act of putting Him to death, but all of us. He died for our sins, so that we have the possibility of getting into Heaven with Him for all eternity. (See 1 John 2:1-2, "My children, I am writing this to you so that you may not commit sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one. He is expiation for our sins, and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world." So when we get up in the morning, besides asking Our Lord to bless us, we should thank Him for His supreme sacrifice for us. He gave His life for us, so that we may live! As the day progresses, think of Him frequently, take Him with you wherever you go or whatever you do. There are times you will need His help, to keep you out of trouble. Always evaluate whatever you're planning to do, to make sure this is something Jesus would do with you. If you are going to tell someone a lie, well, that's something Jesus would not do - so why would you? Listen to that inner voice, but be careful. Satan has a way of interjecting himself into your innermost relationship with Jesus, and he can be most annoying. So evaluate what you hear in your soul, that this is indeed from God, and not from the evil one, or from a human spirit. How would we do this? Well, if the outcome of our action would be wholesome and good, we can believe that the Lord would be pleased. If the action could spurn something negative or evil, watch out! Also, and this is often when the human spirit comes in, Our Lord does not want fence-sitters. If we're going to please Him, do so all the way, without reservations, without "but, what ifs" - instead we do something pleasing to Him and we do so wholeheartedly. The morning progresses and we find we have a few minutes without something to do. Maybe you're in between meetings, projects, ideas in the business world, or at home, you're sitting down for a few minutes between housecleaning, doing dishes or doing a load of wash... and here we hope your thoughts will dwell with Jesus for a few minutes or with the Father. If we are praying to the Father, we could address Him as Dad or Daddy, or, if you prefer, as Mother, for God is Spirit and therefore is not burdened by Gender. Personally, I prefer Dad, but others may have other preferences, right? So we speak to Him, and ask Him, "Dad, please be with me this very moment, so I can share what I have been thinking about." Of course, He already knows what we're thinking about, but it is important that we show Him our humility - we don't tell God what to do, we listen to what He has to say to us. After sharing with Him for a few moments, from the innermost place in your heart, then sit quietly and listen to Him. Remember, Jesus told us when He was transfigured, "[Mark 9:7] Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." That's the voice of the Father, telling all the world to listen to His Son, Jesus. He does speak to us, even though many of us think this is just for holy people - no, He speaks to everyone, but in order to hear Him, we have to listen with the ears of our soul. We don't hear Him shouting, but He may or He could. Usually, we hear a quiet, persistent but patient voice. This voice may remind us of someone we know, but we hear Him all the same. But if, when He speaks to us, we are yapping away in conversation with someone else, we may not hear Him. That is why, our Lord said while he was on earth, "[Mat 6:6] ...when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you." Many people make a "prayer room" in their house. A quiet place, where we can be alone, maybe with some inspirational images or statues to remind us of some holy things, a place where we can sit or kneel and be with Him in prayer. When we pray a little, in normal conversation with Jesus, just as if talking to your dearest friend, and then, we allow some quiet time, so we can hear Him. Now if this is a place by the pool, fine, but make sure there are no distractions. I know that praying, at least deep prayer before the computer screen, usually ends up in a pile of distractions. And everyone experiences distraction, but we try to avoid them as much as possible. In my parish, there is a retired pastor, who always says - if you experience no distractions, please see me after Mass in the sacristy, and I will refer you to a psychiatrist - we all have them. Don't become anxious about distractions, just ask Jesus to help you avoid them. Live your day with God at your side. God is not a bully, as we have been led to believe to some extent in the days of old (when our parents grew up). Then in the mid-1960's the Church let in some light, actually a lot of light via the Second Vatican Council, and we all began to realize that God wishes for us to be his friend and He wants to be our friend. That's why it is so easy for me to address Him as the Father, and to address Jesus as my Brother. It seems very natural. And prayers then become conversations with them. There is nothing wrong with written or read prayers. Take the Liturgy of the Hours, the prayers of the Church, priests and religious are obliged to pray them each day, and for Secular Franciscans this is recommended but optional. We are to pray something, a choice of several forms of daily prayer, but most do use Christian Prayer, that one-volume edition of the Liturgy of the Hours with Morning and Evening Prayer, primarily. Those are beautiful prayers, many of them prayers of praising God. See Psalm 100, for example - it's all praise! We can also speak with God in other ways, and one of those is natural conversation - that is very easy once we try it. There is also meditation and contemplation, but those methods are discussed in other teachings and they are not for everyone although everyone can receive these gifts. Yes, prayer is a gift of God. It is given to all the baptized, so use that generous Gift and live with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit at our side each and every day. Amen. Fred Schaeffer, SFO July 30, 2009 P.S. I would like to thank Jesus here for His help this evening. I went to a prayer group earlier tonight, and I was very depressed because I had not heard the Holy Spirit tell me what to write for a while. See, the only way these reflections come out good is when they come from the Holy Spirit - and I had felt very depressed and alone as I was going through some personal weeks of darkness. So the folks I was with prayed over me, and when I returned home, I couldn't wait to sit down at the keyboard. Praise God! Thank You, Lord, for your healing! Return to Franciscan Reflection index

Arise with Jesus

Every day, arise with Jesus. When awakening, even in the middle of the night, bring Jesus into your thoughts. Ask Him to be with you and bless your day. It is so important that we realize we cannot do anything without His help, so even before we get up, we ask Him to help us with all our struggles, temptations, and we place all these troublesome thoughts at the foot of His Cross.

His Cross is our cross. He died for our sins. We're all guilty of sin. Everyone who ever lived was guilty of sin, except for the Blessed Mother, the Mother of God. And of course, Jesus himself did not commit sin; yet he asked His Father for forgiveness for us. On the Cross he asked: "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34). He was speaking about those who crucified Him. The guilty ones weren't only the people who were in Jerusalem and who participated in the act of putting Him to death, but all of us. He died for our sins, so that we have the possibility of getting into Heaven with Him for all eternity. (See 1 John 2:1-2, "My children, I am writing this to you so that you may not commit sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one. He is expiation for our sins, and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world."

So when we get up in the morning, besides asking Our Lord to bless us, we should thank Him for His supreme sacrifice for us. He gave His life for us, so that we may live!

As the day progresses, think of Him frequently, take Him with you wherever you go or whatever you do. There are times you will need His help, to keep you out of trouble. Always evaluate whatever you're planning to do, to make sure this is something Jesus would do with you. If you are going to tell someone a lie, well, that's something Jesus would not do - so why would you? Listen to that inner voice, but be careful. Satan has a way of interjecting himself into your innermost relationship with Jesus, and he can be most annoying. So evaluate what you hear in your soul, that this is indeed from God, and not from the evil one, or from a human spirit. How would we do this? Well, if the outcome of our action would be wholesome and good, we can believe that the Lord would be pleased. If the action could spurn something negative or evil, watch out! Also, and this is often when the human spirit comes in, Our Lord does not want fence-sitters. If we're going to please Him, do so all the way, without reservations, without "but, what ifs" - instead we do something pleasing to Him and we do so wholeheartedly.

The morning progresses and we find we have a few minutes without something to do. Maybe you're in between meetings, projects, ideas in the business world, or at home, you're sitting down for a few minutes between housecleaning, doing dishes or doing a load of wash... and here we hope your thoughts will dwell with Jesus for a few minutes or with the Father. If we are praying to the Father, we could address Him as Dad or Daddy, or, if you prefer, as Mother, for God is Spirit and therefore is not burdened by Gender. Personally, I prefer Dad, but others may have other preferences, right? So we speak to Him, and ask Him, "Dad, please be with me this very moment, so I can share what I have been thinking about." Of course, He already knows what we're thinking about, but it is important that we show Him our humility - we don't tell God what to do, we listen to what He has to say to us.

After sharing with Him for a few moments, from the innermost place in your heart, then sit quietly and listen to Him. Remember, Jesus told us when He was transfigured, "[Mark 9:7] Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." That's the voice of the Father, telling all the world to listen to His Son, Jesus. He does speak to us, even though many of us think this is just for holy people - no, He speaks to everyone, but in order to hear Him, we have to listen with the ears of our soul. We don't hear Him shouting, but He may or He could. Usually, we hear a quiet, persistent but patient voice. This voice may remind us of someone we know, but we hear Him all the same. But if, when He speaks to us, we are yapping away in conversation with someone else, we may not hear Him. That is why, our Lord said while he was on earth, "[Mat 6:6] ...when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you."

Many people make a "prayer room" in their house. A quiet place, where we can be alone, maybe with some inspirational images or statues to remind us of some holy things, a place where we can sit or kneel and be with Him in prayer. When we pray a little, in normal conversation with Jesus, just as if talking to your dearest friend, and then, we allow some quiet time, so we can hear Him.

Now if this is a place by the pool, fine, but make sure there are no distractions. I know that praying, at least deep prayer before the computer screen, usually ends up in a pile of distractions. And everyone experiences distraction, but we try to avoid them as much as possible. In my parish, there is a retired pastor, who always says - if you experience no distractions, please see me after Mass in the sacristy, and I will refer you to a psychiatrist - we all have them. Don't become anxious about distractions, just ask Jesus to help you avoid them.

Live your day with God at your side. God is not a bully, as we have been led to believe to some extent in the days of old (when our parents grew up). Then in the mid-1960's the Church let in some light, actually a lot of light via the Second Vatican Council, and we all began to realize that God wishes for us to be his friend and He wants to be our friend. That's why it is so easy for me to address Him as the Father, and to address Jesus as my Brother. It seems very natural. And prayers then become conversations with them. There is nothing wrong with written or read prayers. Take the Liturgy of the Hours, the prayers of the Church, priests and religious are obliged to pray them each day, and for Secular Franciscans this is recommended but optional. We are to pray something, a choice of several forms of daily prayer, but most do use Christian Prayer, that one-volume edition of the Liturgy of the Hours with Morning and Evening Prayer, primarily. Those are beautiful prayers, many of them prayers of praising God. See Psalm 100, for example - it's all praise! We can also speak with God in other ways, and one of those is natural conversation - that is very easy once we try it. There is also meditation and contemplation, but those methods are discussed in other teachings and they are not for everyone although everyone can receive these gifts. Yes, prayer is a gift of God. It is given to all the baptized, so use that generous Gift and live with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit at our side each and every day. Amen.

Fred Schaeffer, SFO
July 30, 2009

P.S. I would like to thank Jesus here for His help this evening. I went to a prayer group earlier tonight, and I was very depressed because I had not heard the Holy Spirit tell me what to write for a while. See, the only way these reflections come out good is when they come from the Holy Spirit - and I had felt very depressed and alone as I was going through some personal weeks of darkness. So the folks I was with prayed over me, and when I returned home, I couldn't wait to sit down at the keyboard. Praise God! Thank You, Lord, for your healing!

Return to Franciscan Reflection index