Life in abundance

 

In this wonderful day, we want to make an appeal to life. Enough of dull life, meaningless life, unmotivated life, life without love, life without joy, life without passion, careless life, empty life, rotten life, ruined life, sick life, aimless life, directionless life, life without God!  

We want to experience and enjoy a full life, a life in abundance, filled with the grace of the Lord, full of meaning, full of purpose, full of ideals, full of dreams, full of persistence, full of courage, full of motivation, full of spiritual direction...  

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With all joy and motivated by the certainty of the Word of God, we want to follow Christ, love Him, praise Him, and give Him all the love of our hearts, confirming our journey each day through our choices for Him and through our actions, letting the Kingdom of God shine through in our lives: 

 “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” (1 Cor 4:20) 

Let us reflect today on the person of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He came to teach humanity a new meaning of the word love, showing with His own life what it means to love, how to love, and to show us the depth of His love for each one of us. Saint Augustine said that Jesus came to Earth, incarnated in our nature and became man, above all, to reveal how much God loves us. 

Because of this love, our Saviour, anointed and consecrated, spares no effort to save us from eternal condemnation, to deliver us from hell, to open the gates of paradise, to set the captives free, to heal the sick, to bring joy to those who live in sadness, to give courage and strength to the weak, light to those in darkness, hope to the lost, and life to those in the dark valley of death. And not just any life—but life in fullness, in abundance, without limits. 

If you want this life, just like us who are writing this, let us go deeper to understand this theme better. Together, let us declare that Jesus is the great Hero of life, the hero of our story, hero and saviour of all peoples—with this beautiful song by "Adoração e Vida" (click here to listen) 

What great joy we find, in fullness, in the powerful Word of God. When Jesus spoke about going to prepare a place in Heaven for us, and Thomas questioned Him about the way to get there, our great God and Lord said: 

“I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) 

I don’t know if you can fully grasp this short sentence spoken by Jesus. We’ve read it, heard it, repeated it many times—affirming it, reaffirming it, preaching it, singing it, and glorifying God because Jesus said it. However, it was only this week that we were graced with truly going deeper into it. In another time we will reflect on Jesus being the way and the truth, because today is the day of life. 

JESUS IS LIFE! THE PERFECT LIFE! HE IS THE MODEL, THE IDEAL, WHO GIVES US LIFE, WHO TEACHES US HOW TO LIVE, WHO SHOWS US THE TRUE WAY—HIMSELF—WHO LEADS US TO LIFE. IN OTHER WORDS, WITHOUT JESUS THERE IS NO LIFE! 

How many people we know no longer truly live, no longer understand the meaning of life, see no joy in life? How many are simply existing, just a body, just a shell, just an appearance? The depth and joy of life got lost in a negative past experience, in a moment that marked their life and froze them there. They're like people stuck in time—going in circles, always stuck in the same story, never moving forward. For them, it even seems like death is better than life.  

Unfortunately, the life of many people today is just depression—they live on medication and drugs. The life of others is consumed by the desire for revenge—they breathe threats, they eat the cold dish of resentment, and they sow poison hoping to reap power. These terms may sound humorous, but if we stop and look at the lives many people live in this crazy world, it’s truly shocking. 

By merely looking around you, you can see how life is devalued nowadays... 

The body is sold, profaned, prostituted, adulterated, crushed, destroyed, strangled, and martyred by drugs, alcohol, addictions, and by the choices—and lack of choices—of so many men and women. 

The soul is deceived, stripped of its essence, suffocated by the chilling trends of hell—by music, soap operas, movies, books, and a mind-numbing culture that feeds everyone with this stinking garbage, vomit of the devil, wrapped in the pretty packaging of sin.  

The spirit is vilified, offended, crushed, and corrupted by false religions, by the cheap convenience spirituality that portrays a relationship with God without commitment, so common and easy to find on every street corner. 

They are the speeches of wolves in sheep’s clothing, killing our spirit, the truth, the joy, the longing for the eternal, the impulses inside us that cry out for love.  

The atheistic and de-Christianized society that Satan designed is gaining ground and expanding more each day, with strength and at an astonishing speed, removing from everywhere and in every way possible the presence of the God who created us and loved us enough to die on the cross in our place—trying to erase the memory of this love.  

BUT HERE IS A MESSAGE THAT WILL MAKE THE DEMONS LOOSE ON EARTH AND IN THE DEPTHS OF HELL TREMBLE: THEY WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO REMOVE GOD FROM HISTORY, NEVER BE ABLE TO DESTROY GOD’S PLANS, NEVER BE ABLE TO STOP GOD’S WORK, NO MATTER WHAT THEY DO.  

God is Almighty, and nothing and no one in this corrupted world, or in hell, or in heaven, can prevent the fulfilment of what the Lord has prepared for our lives. 

Nothing and no one can block the grace of God that overflows in our lives—even with the sin to which we are subject, even with our free will so often used the wrong way, even with the coldness of evil that grows and the warmth of good that fades. Amen?!  

Brothers and sisters, the world, our sins, and our guilt killed our Lord Jesus Christ—nailing Him to the cross by the hands of the wicked, making Him suffer and go through every torment possible and imaginable, carrying the very high, precious cost of salvation. Let us now reflect on the poem of our brother Gustavo Munhon, posted on his blog (click here to go to the blog):

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Blood dripped from His head 

Blood dripped from His hands 

Blood dripped from His feet 

Blood dripped from His body 

Blood dripped from His heart 

Pure blood, holy blood 

Blood poured over humanity 

As a sacrifice – a holocaust 

The blood of animals was exchanged for His blood – in the new covenant 

For that reason, considered as an animal, He descended even below 

The level of a human being – to lift us from our misery 

And dignify us – as persons created in His image and likeness 

Giving us adoption by His Father – children of God 

We are more important than the rest of creation 

Weak and sinful people – empty without the truth 

Who have the price of Christ’s blood paid on the cross 

The truth that prevails against evil – as long as time exists 

The reality of redemption – for those who take hold and commit 

To a holy and pleasing life – before His eyes 

The longing to meet us and give us life in fullness 

Made Him humble Himself from the heights of heaven – before the Holy Virgin 

And take on flesh – causing revolt in His former right-hand angel 

The light that turned to darkness 

The love that blackened – and dragged so many to the abyss 

The mistrust that transformed him 

The pride that cemented him – essence of evil 

The example we have to avoid – the only one condemned 

For all humanity – the hope of Jesus cries out 

The power of His resurrection – dethrones death 

The power of His love and mercy – sets sinners free 

The power of His Spirit – teaches the desperate 

The power of His arm – brings justice to the chosen 

His sacrifice perpetuated – ongoing restoration 

Gives us a small taste of heaven 

And leads us to rejoice in the future – through present sufferings 

Small compared to the greatness – guaranteed – awaited 

And which He longs to offer us – such a price 

Secured for us the eternal – joyful dwelling 

Let us take hold of the holiness offered – sacred 

That comes from His hands, His feet, His head 

From His heart – from His most holy body 

From the heavenly drink – desire of the angels 

From His Spirit, from His most pure soul 

Through His glorious Mother… 

The high price of salvation! 

The message embedded in this poem, about the high price Jesus paid to rescue us (in future posts we will delve deeper into this theme of redemption), portrays the victory of the Lord, which gives us a taste of heaven. Saint Peter also speaks about this in the sermons he gave after receiving the power of the Holy Spirit, emphasizing the victory of our hero: 

"The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging Him on a tree. God exalted Him to His own right hand as Prince and Saviour, that He might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him." (Acts 5:30–32) 

 As the saying goes: He who laughs last, laughs best. The final word over all the efforts that the devil and all of hell make, that the world makes, and that we may also make—consciously or unconsciously, unintentionally or intentionally—is not death, but resurrection! And it comes from the Lord!  

We can always present ourselves poor, broken, and destroyed by sin before Christ, and He will always have reason and joy to restore our dignity, to fix our lives, to help us become better, to restore in us all that was destroyed, lost, or stolen.  

Speaking of stealing—which is the devil’s specialty—Jesus gives us a beautiful teaching, portraying Himself as the Good Shepherd and us as His sheep; this is the central passage of tonight:  

“Very truly I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. Therefore, Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” (John 10:1–18)  

Notice how important it is to listen to the voice of Jesus; to have our hearing healed so we can recognize the voice of the Lord who calls us by name. He is the Good Shepherd who feeds us, cares for our lives, and protects us from all evil. He protects us from the thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy—and gives us life in abundance. 

That is truly wonderful! Jesus is willing to give up His own life for His sheep—each one of us. See how much God loves you and be convinced of this truth! It was not enough for Him to exchange kingdoms, to surrender nations and riches for us, or to declare His love through the prophets and messengers. God sent His Son to speak to us, love us, and die in our place.  

As if that wasn’t enough, Jesus emptied Himself to the point where not a drop of blood remained in His disfigured body—so much so that when His heart was pierced, it poured out water. This is the total self-emptying of an all-powerful God who gives all He has—even Himself. He gave Himself—laying down His life where we should have been: on that cross!  

If you were lost in other sheepfolds, whatever they may be, today you have the opportunity to return and be led back to the sheepfold of Christ—that is, into His presence, into fellowship with Jesus. You don’t even need to do anything—Jesus already did it for you. The only question He asks is: Do you accept? Do you want to be brought back? Do you want the abundant life that only I can give you?  

It doesn’t matter what it is—there is nothing that God can’t do to give us life, to restore to us every good thing, every blessing that the thief has stolen. Jesus is life itself, restored to us a hundredfold. He gives us Himself. Only those who don’t want anything to do with God will live and die in death.  

Try it for yourself: give Jesus the worst part of you. Give Him all your bitterness, hatred, revenge, anger—even your blame toward Him. Maybe you’ve thought, "Why did God let that happen in my life?" or "Why did He do this or that to me?" Throw it all at Jesus. Tell Him everything you’ve been through that made you feel alone or desperate.  

Then wait and see what happens to you. He will bring sweetness from within you, from the depths of your heart—a love, a desire to forgive and be forgiven, a sense of relief and reconciliation with the Lord. You’ll begin to look at your life differently—through the eyes of a God who never abandoned you. He is our Good Shepherd!  

And the best part? All of this is infinite in Jesus. There is no limit, no restriction, no rule for when or how to start or end. There is no beginning or end. In Jesus is the life we try to find in sin, drugs, pornography, alcohol, parties, and people. In Him is limitless life!  

But the greatest tragedy the world has managed to cause is to corrupt our minds (as we reflected in the previous post) and make us believe that God doesn’t exist, that He doesn’t care, that He’s tired of us, that we shouldn’t seek or call on Him. And sadly, we must say: so many have believed these lies of the devil, which the world feeds into our minds.  

THE GREATEST PROBLEM IS NOT THE PROBLEMS, NOT THE EVIL, NOT THE DEVIL’S TRICKS, NOT SIN, NOT THE HARM WE CAN DO OR FAIL TO DO. THE GREATEST PROBLEM IS THIS DISTANCE, THIS LACK OF FAITH AND TRUST THAT JESUS CHRIST CAN DELIVER US FROM DEATH AND GIVE US LIFE.  

We need to be like the woman in the first image, lifting our eyes to heaven and seeking the God who illuminates us from within as the sun does from without. Let Him reveal our hidden life in Himself. Let us follow Saint Paul’s precious advice to live a life of fullness and quality:  

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.” (Colossians 3:1–11) 

For Jesus to be everything in us, we must follow the path of truth and life (which we’ll go deeper into in future posts) and allow Him to bring to life all He promised in His Word. His Word is alive and life-giving; it strips away what is old and renews us from the inside out. He can change everything in us—if we ask and allow Him.  

We must also be like that leaf in the second image: carried by the waters, planted in the heart of Jesus, so that our lives may bear fruit, flourish, and be strong—rooted in the Lord, who is our true identity—so we never lose the source of life that flows from Him.  

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:1–11)  

Our Lord wants to see us happy, loving, and filled with all grace so that we can live a life of complete and perfect joy. That is true life! It’s what Jesus gives us—and is always willing to give us, no matter how much time passes. He never grows tired of waiting for us, of being patient with us, of having compassion, and of walking at our same slow pace just to be with us.  

The saddest part is that, even with all of this—after He has taught us and shown us these truths—we often still don’t want to walk with God. We don’t want to follow or keep any commandments—nothing at all. We reject this full life, because we’ve settled for any small, shabby life we can manage to get, and sometimes it’s the very life the devil wants us to live. That’s the view of pessimists!  

But what about the optimists? They want a good life—easy, blessed by God; a life of fullness in every way: materially, spiritually, emotionally, in the family, and physically. Some even accept that such a life might come from God, but they often don’t accept that God Himself must be a part of it, because they want to live life their way.  

How many human beings want healing and freedom from their afflictions, the restoration of their families, want everything they’ve lost to be returned to them, and want to receive it directly from the hands of God… but they do not want the Author of all these blessings and wonders to come along with it!  

Thousands of preachers teach this “easy gospel,” this idea of playing with God, where you can get all the blessings you want without any commitment to Him or to the Church. You just follow a few silly rules and give some money, and boom—the blessing and grace arrive automatically. No! That’s wrong!  

God is not like that, and He doesn’t work that way! As we’ve said before in this blog: the things of God are free—but they are not cheap to maintain and live in. Salvation is free, and anyone can receive it quite easily—but we can also lose it. God’s gifts are irrevocable, but the prodigal son who abandons the Lord also abandons all that he could have or be—and ends up wallowing with the pigs until he comes to his senses and realizes he is nothing without God.  

Before we pray today, let’s end with a short story told by Father Léo, SCJ (in memoriam), to sum up this post... 

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There was a very rich man who had no heirs. One day, during one of his trips around the world, while walking the streets of London, he was enchanted by a woman who was, to him, breathtakingly beautiful. Later, she became his wife. Time passed, they married, and the man discovered that she had a chronic illness that prevented her from having children—the one thing he most desired, so that he could leave his fortune to a son rather than to the government.  

This man was very devoted to Our Lady and prayed the Rosary every day. And after some time, by the grace and miracle of God, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, his wife conceived and gave birth to the child he had longed for. But tragically, she died shortly after giving birth.  

Time went by, and the boy grew up. It became increasingly evident what the father had feared the most: the child had inherited the father’s looks—not his mother’s beauty—and each day he became more awkward and unattractive. Since looks weren’t his strong suit, the boy studied at the best schools, took courses at prestigious institutions, and learned many languages to accompany his father on business trips.  

During a trip to France, they met someone who made instant portraits of people. The boy was fascinated and asked his father to pay for one to remember that day. Tragically, the same chronic illness that had afflicted his mother was passed on to him, and just three months after that last trip, he died.  

The man lost all purpose in life. His wealth, assets, homes, and cars meant nothing. Not even the countless paintings he had collected from around the world brought him any joy anymore. So, he decided to hold an auction, thinking perhaps his treasures could bring happiness to someone else.  

The following week, his house was packed. People from around the world came to buy his rare and classic paintings—true treasures for collectors and art critics.  

The auction began. The first oil painting by Michelangelo was sold for £500,000. The second one fetched £750,000, and so it went on.  

Until they reached one painting—the portrait of his son, which he called “Self-Portrait of My Son.” When the crowd saw the bizarre, hand-painted image of that homely boy—ugly, and we mean really ugly—they mocked it. People laughed and whispered, “Who would buy a thing like that?” The first bid was £0.50. The rich man was deeply hurt and said:  

“This is the self-portrait of my son. It means a great deal to me. Please, show some respect. Who will buy the portrait of my son?” 

 After a moment of silence, a woman in humble clothing—far from the polished suits of the wealthy men present—raised her hand and said she wanted the painting. When asked why, she replied that it had sentimental value, as she had been one of the maids who cared for the boy until his last moments.  

She was told she needed to pay for it, but she had no money. She reached into her pocket and pulled out all she had: £4.32—her bus fare and a few coins. The auctioneer said: 

 “SOLD!” 

 The woman was overwhelmed with emotion. She didn’t even have a single painting at home—this would be her first. As she picked up the painting and walked away, the auction resumed. 

 While thinking about which wall to hang it on, she turned the painting around to look at the hook on the back—and noticed an envelope taped to it. Inside was the will of the rich man. 

 The will read: 

 “I leave all my assets, properties, vehicles, estates, and my entire fortune to whoever buys the self-portrait of my son. Use it well, and may God bless you.” 

 Everyone around her was filled with envy and regret. None of them could have imagined that behind that hideous image of his son was the father’s entire inheritance. 

  

That’s exactly what the Father does with us. In His love, He gives us all things—every blessing, material and spiritual. But to receive them, we must accept the portrait, the image, the person of His Son, who—far more than that ugly boy—lost even His human form in the portrait of the cross.  

It is in Christ, with Christ, and through Christ that the gates of heaven are opened to us, and through Him all the blessings of heaven are poured into our lives.  

Will you accept that image into your life?

Beloved Jesus, I want to embrace You in my life with all the strength of my heart. I want to live with You and be completely Yours. I want to belong to You and live only for You. Beloved Saviour, come to my aid to free me from this dull life, from the poor life that sin creates in me. Deliver me from the evil I’ve committed and from the evil that has remained in my life. Free me from the evil of the world that tries to settle within me. Make me free in You, Lord.  

At this moment, I ask for the grace to be freed from addictions, from all that is earthly in me and keeps me from seeking the things above. I ask for the grace to have a heart free from hatred, vengeance, depression, and all the evils that have tormented me and prevented me from living the full life that the Lord came to bring.  

I cut from my life, my home, and my family all oppression, all depression, and all evil pressure from spiritual contamination, from things that attack my soul and my body. I want to be free from every hypocritical and meaningless life, because, Jesus, You are my meaning, You are my ideal, You are my greatest reason, so I ask You: stay with me, Lord. And teach me to stay and remain in You.  

Help me, Lord, coming to my aid in my anguish and limitations. I want to surrender to You what is inside me and hurts at this moment (tell the Lord what hurts you most).  

Pour out upon me Your Holy Spirit of love and come seal all grace and blessing over my life, over my work, over my studies, over my family, over my home, my community, my prayer group, and over all the people around me. I want to be a better person. I want to radiate this life because You are with me and I am with You, wonderful and glorious Jesus.  

I want to give You glory and thanks for Your love, for Your presence, for Your goodness and mercy. Hallelujah. Praised be the Lord for all that You are and for all that You are doing in me at this moment. Glory forever to the Lord! Amen. 

Let's take this time and moment to sing and finish our prayer with Matt Maher, laying down our lives, everything we are and have at the feet of our Lord (click here to listen).

“To welcome the abundant life that Jesus came to bring, it is necessary to live with Him, because He Himself is that life.” (Future saint, Gustavo Munhon) 

Discovering this marvellous secret, may we live in the blessing of the Lord, but also live with the Author of the blessing; may we live in the joy of the Lord, but also live with the Lord of all joy; may we live in the love of God and love God with all our hearts; may we live in the holy peace of Christ and live with the Christ of peace. In short, let us desire and seek God first, and all the things that are proper to His person and nature will be added to our lives. 

Saint Augustine said: "The search for God is the search for happiness. The encounter with God is happiness itself." 

May we remain in this joyful encounter with the Lord and live this life in fullness until the fullness of life that awaits us—when we reach perfect and complete happiness in heaven. For now, before living in heaven, let us live heaven on Earth, with Christ. 

May God bless us and grant us the grace to embrace this abundant life! 

**Translated from Brazilian Portuguese and adapted from my other blog vounessadirecao.blogspot.com