Compiled by Bob Stanley, December 7, 1999 (Pearl Harbor Day)
From a talk given by Fr. Anthony Wall
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Here is how you can determine if Christ
is living within you.
Answer the following ten questions with a firm yes, a
weak yes, or no.
Mary is the person who possessed her Son within her
more than anyone else. If we imitate her by following her example, we will
surely have Christ living within us. She is our role model.
1. How important is it in your life to know GOD's will?
Mary, Luke 2:39, "And
when they had fulfilled all things prescribed in the Law of the Lord, they
returned to Galilee, into their own town of Nazareth."
2. Are you
responding to the will of GOD or to your own will?
Mary, Luke 1:38, "Behold
the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word."
3.
When you learn of a friend or family in need, do you drop everything to help
them? How well do you respond? Do you visit the sick and the imprisoned? Do your
feet rush to help them?
Mary, Luke 1:39, "And in those days Mary arose and
went with haste into the hill country, to a town of Judah. And she entered the
house of Zachary and saluted Elizabeth."
4. Does your conversation with
others bring healing hope and joy to them?
Elizabeth and Mary, Luke 1:41,
"And it came to pass, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe
in her womb lept. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit."
5. Do
you find yourself remarking of the goodness of GOD in your life and of giving
Him praise? Mary, Luke 1:46-49, And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and
my spirit rejoices in GOD my Savior; because He has regarded the lowliness of
his handmaid; for, behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed..."
6. Does your presence bring alive the best (yes), mediocre (weak yes)or
worst (no) in others? Elizabeth, Luke 1:41-45, And it came to pass, when
Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe in her womb lept. And
Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she cried out with a loud voice,
saying, "Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb! And
how have I deserved that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold,
the moment that the sound of thy greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb
lept for joy. And blessed is she who has believed, because the things promised
her by the Lord shall be accomplished."
7. Do you celebrate GOD's gifts
with open hands and are you ready to return them to GOD when He asks for them?
Mary, Luke 2:22, "And when the days of her purification were fulfilled
according to the law of Moses, they took Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to
the Lord..."
8. Are you ready to share in Christ's redeeming love that
comes through the love of others? Do you accept the pain as well as the joy
which goes with it?
Mary, Luke 2:34-35, And Simeon blessed them, and said to
Mary His mother, "Behold, this child is destined for the fall and for the rise
of many in Israel, and for a sign that shall be contradicted. And thy own soul a
sword shall pierce, that the thoughts of many hearts shall be revealed."
9. When you have lost contact with Christ in your life, do you know how
and where to find Him? Mary, Luke 2:46, "And it came to pass after three days,
that they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions."
10. Does Christ hold first
place in your mind, in your heart, in your memory, in your imagination, and in
your emotions?
Mary, Luke 2:51, "And His mother kept all these things
carefully in her heart."
If you can answer "Yes" to all ten of these
questions,
then you truly have Christ dwelling within you...
If you
cannot answer all ten with a resounding "Yes",
then this little self test
will show you the areas in which you need to improve.
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