Jesus is knocking at the door of our hearts right now. To open the door to Him, we must repent of being lukewarm or cold toward Him (Rv 3:16). Jesus calls us to love Him with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength (Mk 12:30). Anything other than that nauseates Jesus (see Rv 3:16).
To love Jesus with all our heart and to open the door, we must not trust in our own riches and security but realize how wretched, pitiable, and poor we are (Rv 3:17). No matter how much we possess, without Jesus we can do nothing (Jn 15:5).
As a tangible way of showing we are not possessed by our possessions, we are often called by the Lord to give alms extensively. For example, Zacchaeus "said to the Lord: 'I give half my belongings, Lord, to the poor' " (Lk 19:8). Jesus told the Pharisees: "If you give what you have as alms, all will be wiped clean for you" (Lk 11:41). Jesus was not saying we could buy forgiveness for our sins. Rather, He was indicating that, for many people, extensive almsgiving is an expression of total love and deep faith in Him.
Jesus is knocking at the door. The key is faith, often expressed by almsgiving. Turn the key.
| PRAYER: | Father, use my almsgiving to deepen my faith in You as my Father. |
| PROMISE: | "Today salvation has come to this house." –Lk 19:9 |
| PRAISE: | St. Margaret learned the faith from her English father and Hungarian mother and taught it to her Scottish husband and children. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College