Andrew’s Blog

Instinctively we all know that the opposites of love are selfishness and indifference. When people act selfishly they irk us. When we do the same we annoy them. When someone we once cared for becomes indifferent to us it hurts.

On the other hand we all know people who give a lot of themselves. Many times parents have made great sacrifices for their children.  A loving person is someone who knows how to give and someone who is not indifferent to others.

If as we believe and have experienced ‘God is Love’ (1 Jn 4:6) than God is perfectly unselfish and never indifferent towards us. Rather He is the God who feels deeply for us and who gives us not only His ‘blessings upon blessings’ (John 1:16) but most of all His very Self.

God’s love and His truth are inseparable. He is not an indulgent grandparent who wants to spoil his children but a loving Father whose love can also be tough. In 1 Corinthians 13 St Paul gives us a picture of authentic rather than sentimental love. This love is first and foremost volitional and always acts in the best interests of others. This is the love of God in Jesus Christ who died for us and rose again to give us His very life.

We too are called to love in this way. How? As we prepare for Pentecost we need to keep in mind that God’s love is poured into our hearts by the gift of the Holy Spirit (Rom5:5). If you have never had this personal experience ask the Lord to lead you to it. It enriches our spiritual life so that we can love God back in prayer.

It is His love which enables us to grow into people who are selfless, who give without counting the cost, who speak in a way which builds others up and not tears them down (in their absence too). We are called to become people who forgive always and who overcome indifference to serve others in love and truth. This is the fruit of Pentecost!

At the end of our life we will be judged on love, St John of the Cross reminds us. After all it is the first and essential commandment (Matt 22:37).

Many people enjoy visiting London. However no one was fooled by the sign on one of the bendy buses making its way through St Julians recently. It’s destination? Trafalgar Square. Quite obviously getting on that bus wouldn’t have got anyone there. But what if for a minute we imagine that I sincerely thought that the bus was going to stop by Nelson’s column. It still wouldn’t have got me beyond the War Memorial column in Floriana anyway. It is really a number 12. The truth about our destination and how we are to get there are vitally important.

This is the Good News of Easter. It addresses man’s most essential fear: death. There comes a time in life when one faces one’s mortality in a deeper way. Perhaps death in the family or of a close friend; or the recent news of the young 25 year old Italian footballer who collapsed and then died on the playing field or the 100 years anniversary of the Titanic; or we ourselves get very sick. It won’t go away. We can postpone death and we can ignore it but we cannot avoid it.

So Jesus shows us that death is no longer an enemy for those who believe in Him because of His own death and resurrection. Just as a little child comes out of the dark womb and beholds the mother who bore him or her for 9 months, face to face, so death is the canal we pass through to enter into the fulness of the gift of eternal life that Jesus has given us in baptism. This doesn’t mean that our natural repugnance to the physical death of our body will disappear overnight. It means that we are to remind ourselves that Jesus has conquered spiritual death (eternal separation from God) so that our physical death becomes but a passageway to heaven where we will see God face to face and He ‘will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain’ Rev 21:4.

But we need to remember also that the road to life is narrow. We need to make sure not only that we on the right ‘bus’ and not taken in by ‘every wind of teaching’ (Eph 4:14) but that we remain firmly put. Sincerity is no guarantee that we are in the right place. One can be sincere but still sincerely wrong. In the midst of the competition of voices within and outside us we need to stop, pray and listen to the One who tells us what He told Pilate:

I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” John 18:37

It is really a matter of life and death! Jesus wants nothing more than to bring us into eternal joy with Him. He is committed to our salvation. If we haven’t yet found Him we need to seek Him. If we have found Him we need to deepen our relationship with Him and to persevere. He has given us all that we need to do so.
The way we live our lives here on earth matters a lot.

As St Augustine says:

If we spend so much effort, so much care, and do so much in order to live a little longer, what ought we do when it is a matter of living forever? If we consider prudent those who do all they can to put death off and to obtain a few more days, how senseless are those who live in such a way that they forfeit the day that is eternal (De Verbo Domini,Sermon 64)

One of the most painful experiences of any human being is the rejection of love. Like countless other young people, in my youth, I was both victim and perpetrator, being rejected and rejecting. In some cases when the relationship with the girl was serious, the sense of betrayal and hurt was intense. In my years of youth ministry I have heard this story innumerable times.

What has all this to do with Holy Week? The human heart yearns to love and be loved. But what it craves for most is unconditional love, to be valued for who I am at my deepest self. No human being can give me that absolutely, only God can. And how do I begin to know the extent of that love? St Paul answers it:

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Rom. 5:8

This is how much God values us!

Who of us can claim that we were rejected for being perfectly loving all the time? No one – only Jesus can!  Yet He experienced rejection big time. After three years of healing, loving, welcoming, teaching, delivering and comforting the people and His disciples, He gets Judas’ treachery, Peter’s denial, the crowds’ mockery and the Romans’ unimagined cruelty. Yet look carefully at the prophetic words of Isaiah:

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows…  Surely he took up our infirmities… he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Is. 53:5

When it comes to God we are all guilty perpetrators. We are sinners and have sinned. In plain language, you and I are responsible for Jesus’ death on the cross. Sin is terrible indeed. He was pierced for my transgressions.  That is Good Friday. The wonderful truth however is that ‘if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness‘  1John 18-:9.

And there is healing for our deep wounds too. Yes there is life after rejection and with the Lord our suffering is ‘recycled’.  Jesus’ death was the pathway to His resurrection and now His resurrection life is available to us. In the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to let go of the hurt, receive His comfort and forgive those who have injured us – whether an ex, our parents, colleagues or close friends.

Through personal prayer, as well as the support of the christian community, the process of healing can actually mature us rather than harden us.  We are gently led out of the inner loneliness caused by relationship breakdown or strain and the subsequent ‘closing off’ of our hearts to the love of others. As we go along, our hearts begin to heal and we are able to open up and trust again. It may take time but our love begins to mature. We start to realise that to give ourselves as a gift to others, we need to turn away from selfishness and self-centeredness, our quick fixes and negative way of thinking.

Yet, it is not possible alone. We’ve tried. Real love is the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22), a cooperative work between God and my freedom. So as we celebrate the most important events in history this week,we need to make sure that they enter the history and story of our own lives.  What Jesus has won for us is eternal life in heaven but heaven begins now. It is our choice to live in His grace and to remain in His love. The stakes are high and the alternative is frightening. Yet the Lord has given us everything we need to persevere in the journey. Thank God for Holy Week!

Followship, Yellowship and Fellowship!  I’ve heard people call our group by various names throughout these years. What all of them got right at least was the ‘ship’ part. And perhaps not just by chance. I can liken my experience of leading Youth Fellowship to being on a ship. The interesting thing however is that I’m not the captain!

A question I’m often asked is whether I planned things so that Youth Fellowship would become the organisation it is today. My simple answer is ‘not remotely’. To be sure I always wanted the ‘ship’ to go places but in hindsight had I known where it was heading, I might have easily done the ‘Jonah thing’ and headed in the opposite direction. Yet in God’s providence it didn’t happen that way and today we are grateful to God for what He had done throughout these 25 years.

The ‘crew members’ of the vessel have changed as the years went by. Yet both the present and past ‘Service Team’ members and many others in the Cenacolo Community have dedicated a lot of time, energy and prayer to keeping the boat seaworthy. I take the opportunity to thank them all. After all building a Christian community where we could welcome people is what ‘fellowship’ is meant to be all about. Despite our less than perfect results, Youth Fellowship has been and still is a place where many youth and young adults can come together and form good Christian friendships. Considering we come from such diverse backgrounds, experiences and ages, we still marvel at the grace of God who can bring us together and form us into a family of believers.

The ship has sailed through amazingly beautiful waters and indeed it has been more than ‘we can ask or imagine’ (Eph 3:20). Perhaps there is no greater satisfaction than to see that in some way the Lord has used us to bring others to know His love and truth and to grow in their relationship with Him. We have seen His love, truth and healing break through in our own lives and in the lives of countless others so many times that it sometimes leaves us overwhelmed.

Yet we know that ships also pass through stormy waters, ours is no exception. There have been occasions when I made my own the words of the disciples, who when the waves threatened their boat on the Sea of Galilee, cried out:

Lord don’t you care if we drown?
Mark 4:38

Maybe under the little breath they had left they may have added: after all it was His idea to go over to the other side. Surely Lord you knew that there would be a tempest.

But Jesus never promised us a pleasure cruise and in these years on the ‘ship’ we’ve had our fair share of personal and communal ‘ups and downs’, disappointments, moments of weakness and frustrations. Yet Jesus was on the ship with us all the way reminding us that ‘peace’ is not the absence of suffering and turmoil but trusting wholeheartedly in His Presence within them when they come.  And this is why personal and communal prayer with God have been the foundation of all we do here at Youth Fellowship and the most important topic we teach on.

Why? Because the captain of the ship is Jesus. He is commander of the whole fleet, the Church and we are but just a small part of. Our part is to remain faithful to His call and to obey his directions. So far the journey has been exciting as well as challenging. We do not know all the ports of call but sail on we must for ships were not designed to stay in a harbour.

As we look back at the past with gratitude on the occasion of the 25th anniversary we also look to the future with hope. For Youth Fellowship needs to remain God’s workmanship

Created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Eph. 2:10

And we are always looking for recruits to come on board!

We have to face it, in more ways than one we all experience many struggles. The word can be understood in its various nuances but these are the ones that come to mind: a conflict, a difficulty in moving forward, an attempt to gain freedom by overcoming resistance.

Think first of the ordinary struggles we face everyday: to get up in the morning, to be punctual, to complete an assignment or to stick to my diet. But what should come to us as no surprise (but sometimes does) is that we have many internal struggles which given the choice we would actually do away with. We may even feel that it is unfair that our hearts have to battle with negative reactions, fear and insecurity compounded by all ‘those people’ around us which make them worse.

And as if all that is not enough who of us can claim to be exempt from the struggle with temptation that St Paul so aptly describes for us in his letter to the Romans: For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing. Rom. 7:18-19. Anger, jealousy, untruthfulness, lust, envy and the list can go on.

The proud and sinful nature we inherited with the compliments of Adam and Eve and the devil’s deceitful promises and lies are relentless foes. Indeed the Catechism leaves us with no doubt about this: The whole of man’s history has been the story of dour combat with the powers of evil, stretching, so our Lord tells us, from the very dawn of history until the last day. Finding himself in the midst of the battlefield man has to struggle to do what is right, and it is at great cost to himself, and aided by God’s grace, that he succeeds in achieving his own inner integrity (CCC 409).

But there is Good News. There is one Man who entered this arena and won an amazing victory. He was tempted but never sinned (Heb 4:15), He was exposed big time to the devil’s lies and schemes but did not succumb (Matt 4:1-11). Jesus, the Son of God, triumphed over sin, evil, the devil and death. The power of His Resurrection Life is available to us. It really is. But how do we make it our own?

First of all it a case of choosing sides, not once but daily. Lent is all about conversion, making sure that I am living in the Father’s ‘embrace of grace.’ (Luke 15:11-32). Yet repentance needs to be ongoing because God wants me to grow in holiness. So daily prayer, fasting and the Eucharist help me draw closer to Jesus and to be slowly but surely, transformed by His grace, Our ‘no’ to selfishness by acts of self-denial is to say ‘yes’ to God’s Love and to authentically love all those around us.

At the end of the day a lot is at stake. Our real peace, true happiness and unique mission can all be derailed in this life if we are not careful to cultivate a disciplined interior spiritual life. Let us take heart: our struggle will one day come to an end and the Bible says that we will then enter our eternal rest (Heb 4;11). However this is possible only if we persevere to the end. Lent which leads to the joy of Easter is an invitation to experience what Jesus says:

If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Matt. 16:24

Unspeakable joy awaits us.

You have to see it to believe it. My visit to the Grand Canyon in Arizona last month left me quite speechless. Its beautiful, vast and deep!
446km long, 29km wide and 1.6km deep. It inspires you to contemplate the Beauty of its Creator and your own smallness.

As we stopped at the various overviews to take in the breathtaking landscape, I am reminded of a few verses from Scripture: God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea Psa. 46:2 Amazing! Even if all we were seeing in front of us had to collapse, God’s love for us will not because it is firm and unchanging.

We need to be reminded of this over and over again. Life has its fair share of ups and downs, peaks and valleys. Yet God’s faithfulness to us will not be shaken. If anyone will move, unfortunately it is us not Him.

Corrie Ten Boom, a Dutch Christian who survived the atrocities of Ravensbruck Concentration Camp in World War II, travelled the world to share her experience of God’s love in the terrible years of imprisonment in the death camp. Her message: There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.’

Looking down in the chasm of the Grand Canyon imprints these truths deeper into my heart:

The Lord s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.
Psa. 32:10

When I visited Norway a number of years ago we drove through the world’s longest tunnel, 24.5 km long. The first few kilometers where OK but after a while the journey became a bit unnerving. For too long time it just seemed that there would be no light at the end of the tunnel after all. In my many years of youth ministry I’ve met countless people who feel that way about their lives.

In reality at times we are all tempted to give up for some reason or another: we’ve been hurt in relationships, disappointed with ourselves because of the way we dealt with a situation, experienced recurring health problems or even failed in our struggle with sin. At those moment we sink into a moment or even a season of disappointment and at times even despair.

It is especially at these times that rather than sink into self-pity or despair, we need to turn to God. I know some people who feel that it isn’t right to turn to the Lord when things are going wrong. Yet often it is through these difficult times that He gets our attention.

Go the the Lord and tell Him ‘Lord I’m your leper begging for healing (Mark 1:41-44), I’m Peter sinking in the water (Matthew 14:25-33), I’m the prodigal son who wants to return home (luke 15:12-32),  I’m the widow of Nain suffering a loss (Luke 7:11-17), I’m the Samaritan woman thirsty for life (John 4:13-26), I’m the paralytic finding it difficult to walk (Matthew 9:1-8), I’m the blind man needing to see the light (Luke 18:35-43) … your light at the end of my tunnel.

Jesus never turned any of these people away, He certainly won’t give up on you. So whatever your situation at the moment, don’t give up. There is light even at the end of the longest tunnel. If you need to, humble yourself and seek help from someone who can offer it. But most of all, turn to the Lord in prayer who tells us

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Matt. 11:28-29

From the possible looming economic crisis to the ridiculous prediction that the world will end, no one really knows what 2012 will be remembered in history for. Yet whilst some things are far beyond our control, there are others which are not.

Drawing close to God is not a passive enterprise but requires us to take some concrete initiatives. That is why the Scripture says ‘The nearer you go to God, the nearer God will come to you’  James 4:8. If we invest our time and effort in prayer we will certainly find that God will meet with us in a new and intimate way. We will be as close to God as we want to be.

This relationship goes far beyond time: 2012, 2013, 2014 and so on will all come and go. Eternity will not.  Really the best resolution we can all take at the beginning of this New Year is to seek God in truth more seriously than before being assured of His Promise: 

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jer. 29:13

Have a blessed New Year

Andrew

Happy Christmas!

In the coming days, we will hear these words more than we probably care to. Parities, drinks, food, gifts and bargains abound yet real happiness in Christmas may still remain elusive.

If we are empty, or sad,  or confused or lonely no amount of tickling will bring true joy to our lives. A good laugh may bring momentary respite until the party is over but it changes nothing in our state of being. So many people are in pain, suffer from boredom, frustration, lack of self-confidence that all this desperately needs to be masked. The selfish pursuit of pleasure-at-all costs is often the answer. It is of course self-destructive in the long run. But try and tell that to the people who want to legalise hash.  However it does show the underlying spiritual malaise of godlessness and hopelessness prevalent in society.

Yet when you read the passages in Scripture which announces the birth of Jesus one word stands out: ‘Joy’. Take for example the angel’s words to the shepherds:

Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:10-11

There it is. A Saviour. That is what we need. Someone to forgive the guilt of our sins, someone to bring light in our darkness, truth in confusion, peace in turmoil and direction in aimlessness.  This is the great joy. God Himself has come to do it. This is not a story that happened some 2,000 years ago. He still comes. Even now as you read these few words. It can be very very real to whoever wants it to be. Bethlehem is our hearts and Jesus “is able to save completely those who come to God through Him” (Heb 7:25).

Only if Jesus is present in our lives can the words ‘Have a Happy Christmas’ be true, authentic and efficacious.

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.
Matt. 1:21

Seven weekend was really an ‘up’ experience for the participants who attended the event held at Porziuncola Retreat House. Even though I have had the privilege of leading similar retreats over these past  25 years, each time I am amazed at how faithful God is with His people.  Many shared with me and their leaders how God touched their lives in a new way as is also obvious from the numerous comments posted on he SEVEN Facebook page.

Admittedly a lot of effort was put into organizing this weekend. The SEVEN Team was fantastic and really served us all wholeheartedly. The Small Group Leaders prayed, fasted and accompanied their members with great dedication. Each of the three bands of our group were instrumental in helping us raise our hearts and minds to the Lord in the communal times of prayer. And the participants were a wonderful bunch of people who were obviously very receptive to God’s Word and to what the Holy Spirit wanted to do in their lives.

Yet no man can change or renew the hearts of another. Only God can. The God who doesn’t love us out of duty but with great passion. The God who is totally and utterly unselfish and who wants to give us Himself. The God who is Almighty yet who is Emmanuel, God with us. This is the God who like a rushing wind overwhelms us with His care, love, mercy, healing, grace and strength. The God who is compassionate but calls for repentance and holiness in our lives.

Our team enjoyed organising SEVEN and we were encouraged by the response of the participants throughout the 7 weeks.  However we are already gearing up for the follow-up course.  ‘Making sense of it all’ is just the beginning. We need to live out our faith in our every day life. So the team together with many other youth from our community will be pleased to welcome you for the next course, ‘SEVENTY TWO , Living the sense of it All‘. If you have attended SEVEN or perhaps ‘Acquire the the Fire’ in the past we invite you to join us. You can find more information and an online application on this website…