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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