“Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”
I have to laugh when I hear souls talking about the end of the Catholic Church. She can never end, because she will always be, as she has always been. Nothing can destroy what our Lord has already built. Nothing can change what He has achieved. Nothing can change what the Saints have already become. Nothing can change what already is.
Peace
“Before I knew it, my desire had made me the blessed one of the prince’s people.” – Song of Solomon 6:12
Desire. What is it that you desire?
“Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
It is You O Lord and my God alone, in whom my heart, mind and body desires.
Many years, further back on the journey to our Lord, for a few months, I was plagued with visions of our Lord, naked. At first I was astonished. What sort of vision was I seeing, that would show our Lord in such a way, as not to be clothed in glory and splendor in robes of gold and a crown. I would do all I could to not see, or to not be lead to see Him in this way, because I had been battling lust, and sins of the flesh. Lust sees only the body to be used for a self serving desire. Love sees the entire person in the great light of respect. Not only respect for the other, but for self and for all.
There was a part of me, that needed to be addressed and overcome which was still not true modesty. The first thought of a “naked” Christ, was that of a very immature soul, in need of becoming mature. I felt a need to cover His nakedness, by turning my eye and denying myself from entering into what may have gone in a direction I did not want to be taken. Was I embarrassed of Him? No. Of course not, He is our Lord and to see Him in such a way, as a friend, or as a brother, was just something that I felt a need to cover because I love Him. Our Lord was Crucified naked for the purpose of mocking Him and stripping Him of any human dignity. But what was truly revealed on the cross, was the glory of God in perfect human form. Not covered by anything to mask the Truth of His creation.
Why was I seeing our Lord in such a way, was something I had prayed about for some time. Was it a way to attract me close to Him? I think not, in one way, for the sake the attraction to our Lord is not of the flesh although He was clothed in the flesh. And that would indicate to me “lust”, and our Lord is not imperfect. Why then, should I see our Lord in this way but other than to open my mind more about Him. To reveal the humanity of Him. Once this took place, the attraction to Him intensified greatly. The distant Lord whom I had though of, whom I thought I had known, was right in front of me. I could then see with my heart, that no matter where I was, in the situations I had faced, or was going to face, He had truly been there first, my first Love, and was still there with me. It became another step in our “relationship”. Dare I say His offering to take the next step. Intimacy.
There comes a time in the spiritual life, when we need to look beyond His “nakedness”, which we see from our imperfect self and see His suffering. Where then, was this wound that needed to be addressed? It is the wound of Love. He suffers in love for us. Just as a nurse, or a Doctor does not see the nakedness of the patient, but rather the need to care for and dress the wound. How my Lord can I attend to You?
To truly fall in love with our Lord, one must overcome many obstacles of self. Especially in regards to how we perceive our Lord as God. Do we only see Him as Divine and completely miss His humanity? If we miss His humanity, we only perceive half of the entirety of Him and our perception is skewed as we are imperfect. We look for the Conquering Lord, the Glorious Lord, but we still often miss the Suffering Lord. When we resort to be satisfied in such a way, we miss out on knowing Him, and remain in a state of only knowing of Him.
If it is True Love, nothing could sway one from the other. Think of the song, “I only have eyes for you”. Temptation comes, and receives no reciprocation. The soul looks at temptation with disgust. It is seen for what it is, empty and an blatant attempt to damage or destroy the Lover the soul has found. Its not to say that we do not stumble, and fall, as we do. But the pain is much greater and its in an instant, that the souls looking to its Lover with the eyes of the heart in sorrow. The soul knows His Love for all. The soul thrives to return the love given by the Lover. To heal the wound she had inflicted, before the soul knew the Lover. The soul is attentive to His voice, His movements, His mannerism and regards the self and all others, as His. Unable to do a thing without Him, as His breath is breathed into our faith, and comes to life in Him, in us. The soul can not help but respond in love, because of Love, as the soul has been acknowledged by the Light that has shown on her true desire and He has revealed her desire to her.
It used to be the moment I woke, the awareness of our Lord’s presence abounded. Immediately I would speak to Him in prayer. I had a smile always on my face. It was the so wonderful “honeymoon” of faith. Joy filled my heart, and just before waking, I could hear His voice calling me to wake.
Lately, I seem to be losing the awareness and my thoughts have become rather distorted with “worldly” things and souls. I have been struggling upon waking for the past few weeks, and have noticed the strange distractions of other things, taking the place of Him. I’m not sure why, but I am aware of this taking place and I am fighting it. I can see it for what it is, and I begin to pray the moment the distractions try to overpower me. Jesus, I trust in You, Lord have mercy on me. The awareness is not completely gone, but more like something is trying to come between us to take my attention. Imagine being on a date, and someone coming up to your table and interrupting the private conversation. That is how I can see this distraction.
Earlier tonight, I had posted this with a prayer request for me, as I see my struggle and also know it to be pure grace to see it.
I took my girls out for ice cream tonight. On the way home, there was so much water on the street but it was as if someone was driving in front of me while dumping out a pitcher of water. It soaked the entire lane we were in and it had made its own river flowing onto the freeway. This huge “river” went from the ice cream shop parking lot where we had been, on to the freeway where we needed to go, flowed through and down the exit ramp to our street, through an intersection, where we made a left hand turn and up to our street. It was a HUGE water truck letting out water as it went and we were only a minute or so following behind it.
Just after Evening prayers, our Lord reminded me of that spiritual dryness I had asked for prayers about and I laughed with Him.
“It is the LORD who goes before you; he will be with you and will never fail you or forsake you. So do not fear or be dismayed” Deuteronomy 31:8
It’s so good to hear His voice. Like that water truck, spraying, He waters my soul and dismay is washed away.
Lord be with us, as we are trying to be with You this lent. That we may come to rise with You on the third day.
Beautiful advise from Fr. John S. Hogan, OCDS this morning on Twitter.
As Catholics, we are one Mystical Body of Christ. When we turn on each other, we become like a cancer cell, attacking Life and becoming a tumor which harms.
I am reminded of St. Paul and The Role of God’s Ministers
We, the laity, are all ministers of the Word in this world. Therefore, rather than turn and attack the Cardinals, Bishops and Priests, whom we “feel” are not saying enough, of what we already know, we need to be the mortar that holds the faith together. How we do this, is that IF we truly know the teachings of the Catholic Church, it is WE who need to present it to all. We are called to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord to all living creatures also.
Where one may “feel” the Bishop or the Priest has not said enough, it is we who need to turn to the crowd among us, and fill in the gaps that we think are missing with the deeper Truth of our Lord.
Here is the CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. Seek. Ask. Knock. Discern everything and give ANSWER. Feed the hungry!
We can easily stand on the shore of our faith and yell at those who are fishing, telling them how to fish, but until we get into the deep of our faith, we only catch what is washed up on shore. In the end, we shall not be judged by our Lord by what others did or did not do, but what we did, and did not do.
“Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”
“There are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that ‘an unjust law is no law at all.’
Now, what is the difference between the two? How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law.”
Signed,
Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Letter from a Birmingham Jail.”
Saturday, July 7th 2018, is the first day for the Novena to our Lady of Mount Carmel.
If you would like to pray along, please go to the Carmelite Website HERE
This coming Monday, April 9, the Holy See Press Office will release Pope Francis’s “Gaudete et Exsultate” (Rejoice and be glad) which is his Apostolic Exhortation on holiness, at noon. News came today HERE, via the Holy See.
I ask those who subscribe to my blog to read Gaudete et Exsultate themselves in detail. Ponder it. Pray before, during and after reading it. Do not be conformed to reading it from anyplace other than the original source. Do not feel comfortable reading it from anyone’s point of view, other than your own. Meaning, don’t allow the media to tell you what they think it says and means. Read it from where you are in life. If you are disturbed internally by reading it, ask our Lord in prayer, why. Seek a remedy that is in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Ask how you can grow to not be disturbed and accept the things you need to change within. Knock on our Lords door through prayer without ceasing, but we must repent. The word repent is a verb, which describes action needed on our part. ““Do whatever he tells you.”, becomes very clear.
The birth pains of holiness within a soul begin with the interior desire for Truth. ” “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”. Matt 7:7
Repent and believe in the gospel.
I am reduced to nothing, the moment this hymn begins. My throat closes. There is a tightness in my chest and the words can not pass my lips. I can never, as hard as I try, sing this hymn, as the tears well up and stream down my cheeks. I can only assume, for now, its the interior contemplation breaking out in a way I could never put into words.
This hymn is just a short part of Salve Mundi Salutare, a poem in honor of our Lords various members on the cross. I have shared this poem in previous posts, divided into seven cantos, “Ad Pedes”, “Ad Genua”, “Ad Manus”, “Ad Latus”, “Ad Pectus”, “Ad Cor”, “Ad Faciem” (To the Feet, Knees, Hands, Side, Breast, Heart, Face).
Please see the post below, To The Feet, and if you would like to continue, just click the next post.
Eternal Father, turn away Your angry gaze from our guilty people whose face has become unsightly in Your eyes. Look instead upon the Face of Your beloved Son, in Whom You are well pleased. We now offer You this Holy Face, covered with shame and disfigured by bloody bruises, in reparation for the crimes of our age, in order to appease Your anger, justly provoked against us. Because Your Divine Son, our Redeemer, has taken upon His Head all the sins of His members, that they might be spared, we now beg You, Eternal Father, to grant us mercy. Amen.
“When he arrived at the place he said to them, “Pray that you may not undergo the test.”
Stay awake…
Complete detachment, with reattachment only to our Lord.
I was watching a viral “feel good” video this morning of a little girl, who had been grieving the loss of her old cat and was given a “surprise” new kitten. Granted, thy typical click bait title was given: WATCH What Happens Little Girls Reaction is Priceless!
It was and she was overcome with many emotions and she cried, and the new kitten gets a hug from her new owner. But… What happens when that kitten grows up and runs the course of its life? Lather, rinse and repeat, in regards to the grief, loss and emotions of replacing that kitten again, which becomes a cat and so on. Its the vicious cycle of material attachments.
As I pondered this more deeply, I couldn’t help but post an update on my facebook page, not even linking the video or mentioning it in any way which simply said..
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Imagine this video… “This little soul lost everything she thought was hers. Her memories, her home, her friends, her children, her livelihood, and her own brothers and sisters, because of her faith in Jesus. Everything she lost God replaced with Jesus Christ. Her reaction is priceless”.
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As I pondered this more deeply, I began to think of how we were all called to give up everything and follow Christ. I strolled over to Twitter and Bishop Robert Barron “just happened” to tweet a new Word On Fire Show. I highly suggest listening to the entire podcast, as it completes my post. Praise, glory and honor to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Please see here:
“While he was still speaking, behold,
a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,
then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him.”
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him.”
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him.”
I hear you Lord
The Vocation of Marriage
What is a Vocation?
VOCATION
A call from God to a distinctive state of life, in which the person can reach holiness. The Second Vatican Council made it plain that there is a “Universal call [vocatio] to holiness in the Church” (Lumen Gentium, 39). (Etym. Latin vocatio, a calling, summoning; from vocare, to call.)
As a woman, married to my husband, and also one who has accepted our Lords call for me to the Third Order of Carmel, I can strongly attest to the importance of “Ongoing Formation” with my brothers and sister in Carmel. We meet once a month, now, after a few years of discernment on my part, and my orders, as to, is this the correct path for me? Am I doing this because of a call from our Lord or am I doing this for selfish ideal, or for some other purpose that our Lord has not designed? There is a lot of time spent, in prayer and pondering a big decision as this.
As a married woman, when I look through my entire life, now, I can attest to the strong need for formation, BEFORE the Sacrament of Marriage, starting at a young age, before one jumps into the Vocation blind. As a soul who has had my fair share of interaction of others, who did not understand the Sacred Bond of the Vocation of Marriage, I ate up all the false ideas of this vocation, including the one that the world tries to feed us, that if it doesn’t work, just leave. No. When we come to understand, that decision to leave, is nothing but toxic poison that kills family due our own underdeveloped conscious, and we end up making life worse for not only us, but for all the souls effected by the sudden departure of a new family destroyed by divorce.
When I was very young, I held the strong belief that if one were to have relations with someone, they were in fact married and nothing could take that bond back, that the two shared together. It was a bond no one else had a right to share with either of the two. The most toxic thing someone told me, not long after I presented that belief I held at a very young age, was, that was the dumbest thing I could ever think or believe. Today, at the age of 50, I forgive that person and know I was right. Hindsight is 20/20. Very clearly I can see that if I had souls in my life at that time, who backed up what we believe in our faith, my life may have been a lot less painful. Only our Lord knows. But I also see how merciful He is, to lead me back to Him and that train of thought which keeps me on His track. Able to teach my daughters how important it is, to preserve the gift of self for the time our Lord has laid out for us, be it Marriage or Religious Life and not just cast ourselves wherever and whenever.
Getting back to the Vocation, A call from God to a distinctive state of life, in which the person can reach holiness. With my Vocation in Marriage, I am called to help my husband get to heaven. As he is called in this Vocation, to help me get to heaven. Last year, we were so greatly attacked spiritually and physically, this call could have ended. Through the grace of our Lord, I held on tight knowing, His love, His mercy, His call, that there was no way, on my part, I could allow something like the demon of divorce to be allowed to part, what our Lord had placed together. The temptation to walk away came dangerously close, until I was able to see how “easy” the evil one was making it to leave. I dug in and held on to our Lord, and last weekend, my husband and I renewed our Marriage Vows. This was not something we planned or set up for us to do. I had accepted a fill in request to be an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion for the Saturday Holy Mass, which we very rarely attend, and it was a special event that had been a part of Saturdays Holy Mass, without prior knowledge of either of us.
Today, there is a report from Pope Francis:
Marriage prep should be more than just a few courses, Pope tells priests
I can not tell you how much support I have for this as I am one who truly believes that Marriage preparation begins in the home, the moment our children are given to us as parents. Formation is a life long process, which should be deeply taught to youth, before they even set out in search of a spouse.
I will leave this here, with a quote in which I find to be so true and one I see to, even today, in my current state of Life, in my Vocation of Marriage.
Once an old man spread rumors that his neighbor was a thief. As a result, the young man was arrested.
Days later the young man was proven innocent. After being released he sued the old man for wrongly accusing him.
In the court the old man told the Judge:
“They were just comments, didn’t harm anyone.”
The judge told the old man:
“Write all the things you said about him on a piece of paper. Tear it up on the way home and throw away the pieces. Tomorrow, come back to hear the sentence.”
Next day, the judge told the old man:
“Before receiving the sentence, you will have to go out and gather all the pieces of paper that you threw out yesterday.”
The old man said:
“I can’t do that! The wind spread them and I won’t know where to find them.”
The judge then replied:
“The same way, simple comments may destroy the honor of a man to such an extent that one is not able to fix it. If you can’t speak well of someone, rather don’t say anything.”
*”Let’s all be masters of our words rather than being slaves of our words.”*
“Write everything down, on the way home, tear it up and throw away the pieces” <— Its very important to understand, we just don’t cast it (sin) to the wind where it is taken all over and others read it and are influenced by it to do the same. We place it in the trash can when we get home. That “trash can” is the confessional and you know where home is. And when you place it there, leave it there.
When I read this above, which was shared on Facebook by a Catholic Priest, I can see myself as both the young man and the old man. The “old self” and the “new self”.
And what is a soul to do? Trust in our Lord. Place your faith in our Lord. Hope in our Lord. Believe Him. Love Him.
For God’s peace to fill the hearts of all who travel upon the path of adoption.
For those who have had to give up a child.
Although your heart breaks, as mine does as well, I ponder our Holy Mother and how she had to give up her Child, our Lord so we all may live, being driven by a true act of Love, and I join that pain with hers at the foot of His Cross.
May our Lord heal the bonds of Love that have been severed in this life. May our Lord bring His peace to us all and may we all be united again in our Lord Jesus Christ, for all time and eternity, with all His children, praising Him, as we trust in His Divine Providence. Amen.
O my God, I firmly believe
that you are one God in three divine Persons,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
I believe that your divine Son became man
and died for our sins and that he will come
to judge the living and the dead.
I believe these and all the truths
which the Holy Catholic Church teaches
because you have revealed them
who are eternal truth and wisdom,
who can neither deceive nor be deceived.
In this faith I intend to live and die.
Amen.
O Lord God,
I hope by your grace for the pardon
of all my sins
and after life here to gain eternal happiness
because you have promised it
who are infinitely powerful, faithful, kind,
and merciful.
In this hope I intend to live and die.
Amen.
O Lord God, I love you above all things
and I love my neighbor for your sake
because you are the highest, infinite and perfect
good, worthy of all my love.
In this love I intend to live and die.
Amen.
President Donald Trump today signed an executive order to defund International Planned Parenthood. Via LifeNews.com
Praise be to our Lord, Jesus Christ!
Today’s Antiphon from Divine Office: “Let us approach the Lord with praise and thanksgiving.”
Ant. 1 Lord, I have sought to do your will, through which you give me life.
From today’s Midday Prayer:
Psalm 119
In you, O Lord, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, free me:
pay heed to me and save me.
Be a rock where I can take refuge,
a mighty stronghold to save me;
for you are my rock, my stronghold.
Free me from the hand of the wicked,
from the grip of the unjust, of the oppressor.
It is you, O Lord, who are my hope,
my trust, O Lord, since my youth.
On you I have leaned from my birth,
from my mother’s womb you have been my help.
My hope has always been in you.
My fate has filled many with awe
but you are my strong refuge.
My lips are filled with your praise,
with your glory all the day long.
Do not reject me now that I am old;
when my strength fails do not forsake me.
For my enemies are speaking about me;
those who watch me take counsel together.
They say: “God has forsaken him; follow him,
seize him; there is no one to save him.”
O God, do not stay far off:
my God, make haste to help me!
Let them be put to shame and destroyed,
all those who seek my life.
Let them be covered with shame and confusion,
all those who seek to harm me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
O God, turn back, and bring us to life.
— Then your people will rejoice in you.
“Three wise men, three gifts, three offices (prophet, priest and king), three parts of the human soul (intellect, heart and will) because the Inventor and Designer of man is three. The medieval mind saw Trinitarian echoes everywhere, for a very good reason: Everything is made by the Trinity, and what is made must reflect its Maker.” – Dr. Peter Kreeft
Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
“He comes in splendor, the King who is our peace; the whole world longs to see him”
Merry Christmas
The foundation of all racism in the world, is giving society’s the decision to choose who is, and who is not, a human being.
End abortion. End Racism. Human Rights.
Very timely pondering from my retreat which took place on April 15 through the 17 that truly needs to be shared. May it bring healing to many.
Forgiveness and Family Reconciliation
[Adapted and reorganized from personal notes from a talk given by Fr. Peter Mary on 16 April 2016 as part of a retreat given at the El Carmelo Retreat House in Redlands, California.]
Question:
Do I have someone I need to forgive? Do I need to forgive myself?
How do I begin the process of forgiveness?
We are obligated to be merciful because God was merciful to us first.
Repay God’s mercy to us by being merciful to others.
The Lord’s Prayer (Mt 6:5-15) is explicit. Our forgiveness from the Father is conditioned upon our forgiveness of others.
St. Teresa of Avila’s Way of Perfection (chap. 36).
Defining Forgiveness:
What Forgiveness Is:
Forgiveness is act of will and intellect.
Forgiveness is a process which takes time and practice. That’s why it seems hard.
Forgiveness is a free gift.
It does not depend upon the actions or response of the offender.
It is distinct from reconciliation, a further step, which includes the offender.
What Forgiveness Is Not:
Forgiveness is separate from any need to challenge the offender’s destructive behavior.
Forgiveness does not guarantee we forget.
Forgiveness does not remove the pain.
Fruits of Forgiveness:
Forgiving leads to joyful living and peace.
Not forgiving leads to other problems.
It can lead to loneliness and isolation due to an inability to trust others.
It can destroy clear thinking.
It can destroy physical and mental health. The body and mind are connected.
Recognizing Who to forgive:
Consider the people within your own family.
Consider the people you need to forgive.
Consider the people who annoy you.
It is not possible to completely avoid people who annoy us. Trying to ignore them leads to loneliness and isolation.
We need to transform the annoyances.
Principles for Practicing Forgiveness:
Recognize you could be wrong or have misunderstood.
Take into account the difficulties the offender might have had in their life.
Weak offenders may be incapable of forgiving. Forgiveness does not depend upon the offender reciprocating.
Be careful not to limit forgiveness by placing conditions.
Recall how Jesus embraced the pain of his passion and the cross.
Good can come out of evil especially if we imitate the cross. We need to transform evil. (purification of memories is dealt by St John of the Cross in the Ascent.)
Forgive the offender immediately.
Depend upon God’s love to empower your forgiveness.
Nine Practices to Develop Forgiveness:
1. Pray for those you need to forgive.
2. Pray for your ability to forgive.
3. Receive regular confession in gratitude for God’s mercy on you.
4. Receive regular reception of the Eucharist for God’s mercy to be present within you.
5. Become more aware of a tendency to see only the bad in people and strive to see the good.
6. Imagine yourself into the other person’s situation and the pain and hurt they may have felt.
7. Avoid unreasonable expectations of yourself and others.
8. Be honest about yourself that you could be wrong.
9. Examine your conscience to recognize progress.
I am leaving for a silent retreat away, to spend time in prayer, silence and pondering with our Lord for three days. I am requesting prayers and know that I am keeping you all in mine.
Thank you and may our Lord bless us all.
“Our Lord spent 30 years of His life obeying, three years teaching, three hours redeeming! But how did He redeem? Suppose a golden chalice is stolen from an altar and beaten into a large ash tray. Before that gold can be returned to the altar, it must be thrown into a fire, where the dross is burned away; then the chalice must be recast, and finally blessed and restored to its holy use. Sinful man is like that chalice which was delivered over to profane uses. He lost his Godlike resemblance and his high destiny as a child of God. So our blessed Lord took unto Himself a human nature, making it stand for all of us, plunged it into the fires of Calvary to have the dross of sin burned and purged away. Then, by rising from the dead, He became the new head of the new humanity, according to which we are all to be patterned. The cross reveals that unless there is a Good Friday in our lives, there will never be an Easter Sunday. Unless there is a crown of thorns, there will never be the halo of light. Unless there is the scourged body, there will never be a glorified one. Death to the lower self is the condition of resurrection to the higher self. The world says to us, as it said to Him on the cross: ‘Come down, and we will believe!’ But if He came down, He never would have saved us. It is human to come down; it is divine to hang there. A broken heart, O Saviour of the world, is love’s best cradle! Smite my own, as Moses did the rock, that Thy love may enter in!” – Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen (The Fifteen Mysteries)
A blessed and glorious Easter to all.
May our Lord Jesus Christ, roll away the stones from our hearts and those of the entire world this Easter and replace them with His Flesh and Blood. Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my faith, trust and hope in You through the Immaculate Heart of our Holy Mother Mary. Amen
“And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart”
Just as our Lord was created for this, Mama, as were you. I thank our Lord for the gift of you, Immaculate Conception, to strengthen us, not only in that dreaded time of darkness, but in all time. On His Cross, as He spoke the words, “Woman, behold thy son. Son, behold thy mother.”, you “O most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven”, became our Mother.
From the Annunciation and the moment of your yes, it was your yes that carry’s all your children through the dark and into the Light of your Son, as your Son, our Lord, carries us through to our Father.
Thank you Mama, our Mother, O Most Beautiful Woman who the Holy Spirit had already descended upon to strengthen the Children of God in our days of darkness. Happy Mother’s Day. I love you.
I pray for all souls today, who do not know our Lord or what He has done. I pray Mama through your intercession, that all souls pull closer to listen, repent and to believe Him and in Him. “And the One seated on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”
Tuesday March 8, as I was on my way to visit a few souls I have been bringing our Lord in the Eucharist, who reside in a Nursing Home, I had my radio on in my car and heard a song I hadn’t heard for some time. “Make You Feel My Love” by Bob Dylan. As I listen to this song, various stages of our Lords passion came to my mind and heart, in such a way as I knew He was sharing His Life with me as I deeply seek to share every aspect of mine with Him…
When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love
When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love
I know you haven’t made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I’ve known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong
I’d go hungry, I’d go black and blue
I’d go crawling down the avenue
There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do
To make you feel my love
The storms are raging on the rollin’ sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowing wild and free
You ain’t seen nothing like me yet
I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn’t do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
To make you feel my love
And its as simple as saying, yes Lord and doing everything He tells you. Once you know Him, you see Him everywhere…
Beautiful refection this morning from Saint Leo the Great from Divine Office
Second reading
From a sermon by Saint Leo the Great, pope
Contemplating the Lord’s passionTrue reverence for the Lord’s passion means fixing the eyes of our heart on Jesus crucified and recognizing in him our own humanity.
The earth — our earthly nature — should tremble at the suffering of its Redeemer. The rocks — the hearts of unbelievers — should burst asunder. The dead, imprisoned in the tombs of their mortality, should come forth, the massive stones now ripped apart. Foreshadowings of the future resurrection should appear in the holy city, the Church of God: what is to happen to our bodies should now take place in our hearts.
No one, however weak, is denied a share in the victory of the cross. No one is beyond the help of the prayer of Christ. His prayer brought benefit to the multitude that raged against him. How much more does it bring to those who turn to him in repentance. Ignorance has been destroyed, obstinacy has been overcome. The sacred blood of Christ has quenched the flaming sword that barred access to the tree of life. The age-old night of sin has given place to the true light.
The Christian people are invited to share the riches of paradise. All who have been reborn have the way open before them to return to their native land, from which they had been exiled. Unless indeed they close off for themselves the path that could be opened before the faith of a thief.
The business of this life should not preoccupy us with its anxiety and pride, so that we no longer strive with all the love of our heart to be like our Redeemer, and to follow his example. Everything that he did or suffered was for our salvation: he wanted his body to share the goodness of its head.
First of all, in taking our human nature while remaining God, so that the Word became man, he left no member of the human race, the unbeliever excepted, without a share in his mercy. Who does not share a common nature with Christ if he has welcomed Christ, who took our nature, and is reborn in the Spirit through whom Christ was conceived?
Again, who cannot recognize in Christ his own infirmities? Who would not recognize that Christ’s eating and sleeping, his sadness and his shedding of tears of love are marks of the nature of a slave?
It was this nature of a slave that had to be healed of its ancient wounds and cleansed of the defilement of sin. For that reason the only-begotten Son of God became also the son of man. He was to have both the reality of a human nature and the fullness of the godhead.
The body that lay lifeless in the tomb is ours. The body that rose again on the third day is ours. The body that ascended above all the heights of heaven to the right hand of the Father’s glory is ours. If then we walk in the way of his commandments, and are not ashamed to acknowledge the price he paid for our salvation in a lowly body, we too are to rise to share his glory. The promise he made will be fulfilled in the sight of all: Whoever acknowledges me before men, I too will acknowledge him before my Father who is in heaven.
What do homosexuals, masons, communists, socialists, and ______________ (fill in the blank) all have in common, that so many fear may have infiltrated the Catholic Church?
Be it that the Church has been “infiltrated” or not, its been infiltrated by SINNERS since our Lord founded it, 2000 years ago. He is the Head. “Be not afraid”. He has been dealing with US SINNERS before He was Conceived. As He deals with us today and the Church remains. Fear only Him.
Walk For Life!
This weekend, the Parish I belong to and our Pro Life Ministry held our Annual “Baby Shower” Charity Event to collect items for women and children in need. We hold this event every year in hopes of collecting items for women who have decided not to abort their children and donate the items to various Pro Life Pregnancy Centers in the area.
As the event ended yesterday, I volunteered to bring some items to Pregnancy Care Center east of San Diego , in El Cajon California. They are currently trying to build another location to provide pro-life services for women in the southern region of San Diego.
As I arrived with the donated items, they were holding their open house and truly didn’t have a place to put all the donated items. I advised them that I would be more then willing to return today to drop them off.
They normally were not open on Mondays, but in ringing the bell, I was greeted by the Executive Director, Josh McClure who was able to graciously take the donated things. He advised me of their upcoming charity event. One in which he hopes to get as many Groups to walk as Groups to raise funds to build the new facility to take care of the woman who do choose life. The date of this event happens to fall on the date that I had lost my own child to abortion. I could not let this go without sharing this event and I pray they can help as many women as they can, NOT to make the decision I did. If you are in the San Diego area, I please ask you and your entire group to join in this wonderful event to help save a life! It truly is a matter of life and death to our precious children in the womb.
From their site:
Each spring, Pregnancy Care Clinic holds an annual, “stroller to wheelchair” Walk for Life fundraiser. Participants obtain sponsors who pledge a total amount for walker’s participation in the event. This, in turn, helps raise important funds for the ongoing operation of the Clinic. On the day of the event, walkers will gather at Santee Lakes and Walk for Life while praying to end abortion in this country. Those not able to attend can walk on their own wherever they are-so this is truly something everyone can do. Not only is the Walk a fun and fit way to raise money for the Clinic, but it also makes a statement, letting the world know that the Culture of Life is alive and well in San Diego County! Please join us immediately following the Walk for a celebratory picnic. THE HOT DOGS ARE ON US! Call (619)442-4357 or email Robin Brust for more information.
V.I.P. (Very Important Points)
We’re cooking the hot dogs – you bring the chips!
As I sat with our Lord tonight in Exposition, I had SO many questions about my trials. UNTIL I pondered and asked Him why am I allowing any of this to bother me. I have You Lord. Then came – I may not THINK I am worried, nor unsettled but in reality, that is what it is, for others. I became quiet. At that moment I began to ponder St. John and how beautiful it was for him to rest his head on the chest of our Lord. But, that too (for those moments) were only temporary moment for St. John. BLAMO This scripture than came to my heart. “I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” We are still in the world, although in exile, while living in the Spirit there is complete tranquility. Think about how spending one hour with our Lord in Exposition is truly time to rest your head on His chest and lean into Him. My work in my interior life needs to reflect more on His peace while I am still here, in an unsettled world, I must be “settled” in Him.
Praise, glory and honor to our Lord Jesus Christ
(From our time together Friday January 22, 2016 )
There is a new “cute and fuzzy” animal video going viral on facebook, in which we see a little boy and a bear, “Bonding”. Once again like so many times, viewers comments are based on a delusion that the giant wild bear wants to be “friends” with the little boy overlooking the obvious, that being the bear sees the little boy as a simple and easy snack.
Video Here: “Boy And Bear Bonding” actually posted two years ago.
My children and I were at the zoo yesterday and I captured a video of a California Condor trying to attack my daughter through the glass. Although extremely funny and a great education, I thank God today for the glass that separated the two, along with having intellect and reason to build the glass in the first place.
There is a trend lately with people today who need to equate humans on the same level as animals and forget which side of the glass they are on and who built the enclosures. We see this time and time again with wild animals and the “oh how cute” comments from the very people who would be eaten by them. Animals are incapable of reason and do not understand and can not THINK, if I attack that child, there will be consequences to my actions. They see things in the way of, food, fight, breed, survive. They can not think and reason. Although many humans have taken on this way of living, it does not mean it is right.
Animal worship is rampant in secularism. So much so it loses sight of the fact that animals still kill to eat. Humans included. Man may be able to brainwash man into believing we are one in the same, but he will NEVER brainwash a wild Grizzly bear into thinking about anything, nor will he be able to “guilt trip” him into thinking he is anything other than a grizzly bear. That my friends is Secularism Utopia crushed.
Might I bring up a documentary called *Grizzly Man* 2005, a Werner Herzog documentary about Timothy Treadwell, a man who lived for several years with grizzlies in Alaska, “protecting” them from encroachment. Spoilers: He was mauled by Grizzly’s. Not only was he mauled, but placed the life of his girlfriend in danger who also, was mauled.
What is more horrific is he wasn’t alone and placed another human life in danger which is no different then what we are seeing over an over again today in a society filled with cuddly emotions rather than Truth driving the bus they are on.
When we look at the lives of Saints who were confronted by God’s “cuddly creatures”, we see distinctly, what is missing today in secular society. A society so in love with His creation, self, above that of love for Him. Which in fact, is bringing secular society itself, by their own hand, lower than the image in which man and woman were created, to that of animals. If we are left in the hands of a society that does not protect and nurture their own, through worshiping self, continuing to abort and euthanize, how then, can we protect and nurture anyone or anything?
Today begins a Nine Day Novena and reflection to end Abortion.
Please see here: The American Bishops Are Asking ALL Catholics Do This One Thing
Intercession: For the conversion of all hearts and the end to abortion.
Prayers: Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, Glory Be
Reflection: Today’s Gospel reading (Mk 2:13-17) recounts Jesus dining with tax collectors and sinners. When the Pharisees question Jesus about this, he responds, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” In a society where millions of people have fallen prey to the false promises of the culture of death, let us witness to the mercy of Jesus and invite all who’ve been wounded to experience his abundant love and healing.
Acts of Reparation (choose one):
Go to an abortion clinic and pray, or set aside an hour today to pray for those who are struggling with a decision of life or death for their unborn child.Spend some time reflecting upon today’s Gospel passage.
Use Facebook or another form of social media to post something that builds up the culture of life.
Please click on this LINK for all 9 Days and more for today, including the Novena in Spanish
Please join us and pray for the end of abortion and do something to end it.
“I was naked and you gave me clothing” – Matthew 25:36
This is #MercyInMotion
Click link below
WATCH: NYC subway rider gives shirt off his back to shivering man
Please see Moments of Mercy HERE
Peg Pondering Again 