Dear friends,

In John's Gospel Jesus says: "In my Father's House there are many dwelling places...and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be." (John 14:2-3) Prior to His Passion Jesus gave out conditions for Discipleship: "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself and take up his cross, and follow me." (Mathew 16:21)

Self-denial, carrying the cross, and following Jesus are interconnected. The promise and the conditions of Discipleship seem contradictory in human logic; however, God's ways are not always like our ways. In another text Jesus said, "Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? (or) Am I not free to do as I wish with my money? Are you envious because I am generous? Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last." God does not abandon anyone. He shepherds His people with kindness. He leaves the ninety-nine and goes for the lost, idle and forgotten, and brings him or her to His vineyard. Imagine you are the hundredth!

The spiritual dynamics of responsibility, human failure, and divine justice can be understood only through faith and the acceptance of the unexpected generosity of God's Kingdom. God's love, mercy, and the gift of eternal life are not earned but given to us as a gift by God Himself. Human beings cannot enter into God's kingdom without undergoing an interior transformation initiated by God Himself. External religion, cultural belonging, or mere proximity to holy things does not make one fit for divine communion. God demands a heart that He Himself has renewed, purified, and configured to His Holiness.

God has promised us nothing less than interior recreation. The entire work of spiritual transformation is divine initiative. Human beings must cooperate, but cannot initiate the transformation.

Here lies Christianity's realism: We need God not only to forgive us, but also to configure us. The standard of the Kingdom of God is not merit, but mercy. God does not give us what we deserve; He gives us what we need: "If you, Lord, keep account of sins, Lord who can stand?, but with you is forgiveness and so you are revered."(Psalm 130:3-4)

I have chosen this weekend's article title from a children's song, Come and Go With Me to My Father's house because children are like angels and innocent in their own way. It is never too late for anyone to enter the Father's house. All that we ought to have in mind is this: Avoid human standards which make Christianity more superficial, the kind that claims God's promises but resists God's purification. Many people today want comfort without conversion, confession without changing lifestyles and patterns, or Holy communion without fully participating in the Eucharistic celebration; in other words, they want spiritual identity without moral transformation and blessings without obedience.

But God demands a heart He Himself has remade. It is not enough to be near sacred things; one must be inwardly configured to Christ. May the Lord give us the heart that He requires and the spirit that delights in His will. May God remove every hardness, resistance, and self-deception in us. May God clothe us with the life of His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ, so that we may respond faithfully to His invitation and enter the joy of His Kingdom. Amen.

Jesus, I trust in you.
Jesus, I trust in you.
Jesus, I trust in you.

BACK TO LIST