Words of Life
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Luke 21:33)
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Luke 21:33)
What happens when someone that you love passes away, a family member, friend, or colleague? If you are like me, you go through various emotions, grief, confusion, and anger. As human beings, those are all natural responses.
When my father passed away unexpectedly at the age of 62, I was filled with grief, not only for myself but for my mother as they were inseparable. As I worked through all of that, I leaned even more so on my faith and those around me who I consider to be warriors of their faith. When I was asked by many people why I looked so calm, so at peace, of course, I was not totally at peace but, what I did say to them was, “My dad is where we all long to be. He is home with our Lord.”
How can you get to that point where you too can have that same type of response, that same level of faith? Very simply, open your heart to a deeper relationship with the Lord. Allow His words to permeate every part of your being. Spend time with Him every day, time in prayer, time in Eucharistic adoration, time in gratitude, and thanksgiving for His presence in your life. All those material things that we feel we need to live our lives do not compare to what we truly need, and I pray that we desire, a loving and intimate relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
What will you begin to do, or continue to do, so when heaven and earth pass away, His words will not pass away?
Come Holy Spirit, fill my heart with the words of life that I need to hear, the words that only you can give. Amen.
Deacon Mike Ryba was called to further share the love and mercy of Jesus Christ when he entered Diaconate Formation for the Diocese of Joliet, IL in 2011. In 2016 he was ordained a Permanent Deacon. Up through 2022, he worked in IT for 40 years in a variety of industries, the last 30 years in management. He has since taken on a pastoral position as Director of Parish Life at St. Timothy's in Lutz. He was born and raised in the Chicagoland area and that is where he met his wife, Lisa. They have 3 children and 6 grandchildren. He and his wife relocated, for the second time, to the Tampa area in 2018. He is an avid sports fan and although he still follows his Chicago teams, he now cheers on the teams of “ChampaBay;” especially the Lightning as that is his favorite sport to play and to watch. His favorite scripture passage is John 3:16; “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.”
