LIVE | Special Contemplation of the Holy Shroud of Turin
Tag: Hope
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From a letter by Saint Leo the Great, pope
(Epist. 28 ad Flavianum, 3-4: PL 54, 763-767)The mystery of man’s reconciliation with God
Lowliness is assured by majesty, weakness by power, mortality by eternity. To pay the debt of our sinful state, a nature that was incapable of suffering was joined to one that could suffer. Thus, in keeping with the healing that we needed, one and the same mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ, was able to die in one nature, and unable to die in the other.
He who is true God was therefore born in the complete and perfect nature of a true man, whole in his own nature, whole in ours. By our nature we mean what the Creator had fashioned in us from the beginning, and took to himself in order to restore it.
For in the Savior there was no trace of what the deceiver introduced and man, being misled, allowed to enter. It does not follow that because he submitted to sharing in our human weakness he therefore shared in our sins.
He took the nature of a servant without stain of sin, enlarging our humanity without diminishing his divinity. He emptied himself; though invisible he made himself visible, though Creator and Lord of all things he chose to be one of us mortal men. Yet this was the condescension of compassion, not the loss of omnipotence. So he who in the nature of God had created man, became in the nature of a servant, man himself.
Thus the Son of God enters this lowly world. He comes down from the throne of heaven, yet does not separate himself from the Father’s glory. He is born in a new condition, by a new birth.
He was born in a new condition, for, invisible in his own nature, he became visible in ours. Beyond our grasp, he chose to come within our grasp. Existing before time began, he began to exist at a moment in time. Lord of the universe, he hid his infinite glory and took the nature of a servant. Incapable of suffering as God, he did not refuse to be a man, capable of suffering. Immortal, he chose to be subject to the laws of death.
He who is true God is also true man. There is no falsehood in this unity as long as the lowliness of man and the pre-eminence of God coexist in mutual relationship.
As God does not change by his condescension, so man is not swallowed up by being exalted. Each nature exercises its own activity, in communion with the other. The Word does what is proper to the Word, the flesh fulfills what is proper to the flesh.
One nature is resplendent with miracles, the other falls victim to injuries. As the Word does not lose equality with the Father’s glory, so the flesh does not leave behind the nature of our race.
One and the same person—this must be said over and over again—is truly the Son of God and truly the son of man. He is God in virtue of the fact that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He is man in virtue of the fact that the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.
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Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven;
To be poor in spirit, for me, is to be filled with humility. The virtue at odds with being full of pride. When we live in humility, we are able to accept that we are not God, although we are created in His image and shine His Light. We then, do not act in a way which would diminish the Joy of our Lord and in turn are filled with His joy.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.Mourning is grief. Grief is never premiant for one with faith in our Lord. We know without a doubt that death does not have the final say. There is great joy in knowing that our loved ones have just stepped into the other room and one day, we will also.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.To be meek, is not to be weak, but strong in the virtue of love for neighbor. When love of the other is lived, there is peace in the land. Thus, we work together with others and are not filled with a desire to overtake for selfish ambition. If we quell selfish ambition, there is joy shared with all in society.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.What is this hunger? It is the hunger for our Lord. Our Lord is all that can satisfy the soul. If we truly hunger for righteousness, we stay on His path and follow Him intently, this leads to joy. His joy! Everlasting joy.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.It is mercy which is the driving force of the pure form of happiness. No one who has ever been shown mercy, was ever enraged. Rather, they are relived and are at peace. Peace and Joy are sisters who go hand in hand
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.A clean heart, is also a clean conscious, clear sight, clean hands and nothing “unclean” can see God. When one can see Him, He can not be unseen and thus, joy can not e taken away. We then strive to stay clean.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.What great joy we obtain by being called children of God! The greatest joy obtainable.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.We are called by our Lord to follow Him. How persecuted to death He was. So we should also and be filled with JOY as we follow Him to the resurrection!
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I found myself tagged in a note today, from someone I greatly admire. Someone who lent me a merciful ear to listen to me and in kindness offered words to guide me on my parlous journey through discernment. This is the note. Thank you Father John P. Mack. From the note, dated: January 24, 2011
St Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor, patron of writers and journalists
From The Introduction to the Devout Life by Saint Francis de Sales; bishop
When God the Creator made all things, he commanded the plants to bring forth fruit each according to its own kind; he has likewise commanded Christians, who are the living plants of his Church, to bring forth the fruits of devotion, each one in accord with his character, his station, and his calling.
I say that devotion must be practiced in different ways by the nobleman and by the working man, by the servant and by the prince, by the widow, by the unmarried girl and by the married woman. But even this distinction is not sufficient; for the practice of devotion must be adapted to the strength, to the occupation and to the duties of each one in particular.
Tell me, please, my Philothea, whether it is proper for a bishop to want to lead a solitary life like a Carthusian; of for married people to be no more concerned than a Capuchin about increasing their income; or for a working man to spend his whole day in church like a religious; or on the other hand for a religious to be constantly exposed like a bishop to all the events and circumstances that bear on the needs of our neighbor. Is not this sort of devotion ridiculous, unorganized and intolerable? Yet this absurd error occurs very frequently, but in no way does true devotion, my Philothea, destroy anything at all. On the contrary, it perfects and fulfills all things. In fact if it ever works against, or is inimical to, anyone’s legitimate station and calling, then it is very definitely false devotion.
The bee collects honey from flowers in such a way as to do the least damage or destruction to them, and he leaves them whole, undamaged and fresh, just as he found them. True devotion does still better. Not only does it not injure any sort of calling or occupation, it even embellishes and enhances it.
Moreover, just as every sort of gem, cast in honey, becomes brighter and more sparkling, each according to its color, so each person becomes more acceptable and fitting in his own vocation when he sets his vocation in the context of devotion. Through devotion your family cares become more peaceful, mutual love between husband and wife becomes more sincere, the service we owe to the prince more faithful, and our work, no matter what it is, becomes more pleasant and agreeable.
It is therefore an error and even a heresy to wish to exclude the exercise of devotion from military divisions, from the artisans’ shops, from the courts of princes, from family households. I acknowledge, my dear Philothea, that the type of devotion which is purely contemplative, monastic and religious can certainly not be exercised in these sorts of stations and occupations, but besides this threefold type of devotion, there are many others fit for perfecting those who live in a secular state.
Therefore, in what situations we happen to be, we can and we must aspire to the life of perfection.
–From the Office of Readings, January 24
Father,
You gave Francis de Sales the spirit of compassion
to befriend all people on the way to the salvation.
By his example, lead us to show your gentle love
in the service of our fellow men and women.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. AMEN.
St Francis de Sales, early modern Roman Catholic bishop and doctor
St Francis de Sales is patron of writers and journalists.
+Live Jesus+
fjm
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Do not let our Lord’s gift of peace remain unopened. Do not be afraid.
There is no better time than now, to put away the failed political ideas and the political ideology’s behind them and to put on the armor of Christ. Nothing and no one but our Lord can save us. Turn back to Him and may you find the eternal peace He alone can give. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” John 14:27
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
His peace within ensures His peace abounds.
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Have you ever heard someone say, “If Jesus was here”, or have you said or thought this saying yourself? If we truly believe, we know He is here. He is with us always. It is our own lack of faith that tells us and others, when we say this, that He is not.
In today’s Gospel we hear our Lord’s proclamation:
“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.Remember when you were a child. You were cared for and all the “worries” you may have today, back in childhood, were nonexistent. You went about life doing what a child would do. You just KNEW you were cared for. Such is the faith we have in our Lord when we know He is with us always.
When our Lord Ascended into Heaven, although He was gone, the Holy Spirit made known the reality of His continued presence. The Apostles did not preach saying “If Jesus was here right now”. No. They preached saying, The Kingdom of Heaven is here, our Lord Jesus Christ, is here STILL right now, repent and believe. As we still this day preach, because He truly is.
Our Lord is not a far away God. It is we who are far away in our knowing Him. We may know of Him, which keeps us distant from Him but He is not far from us at all, as He knows us. We must make the decision, as in all relationships, to know Him better. When we do this, we move closer to Him.
At the Wedding of Cana, our beautiful Mother Mary, intercedes for the Wedding Couple, when she says to our Lord, “They have no wine”. The guests, those who were there to be served, never knew. They continued on celebrating. Who knew the of the intercession? Who SEEN with their own eyes what took place? The servants who carried out the orders by our Lord. So too do we continue to see the work of our Lord, when we carry out the orders of our Lord and to see His hands at work in this world, is cause for joyful celebration that the “world” can not understand.
Please go to today’s Novena HERE
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Today’s pondering is a focus on silence. On quiet. On listening and not speaking during prayer.
Do you find yourself aimlessly reciting prayers, without pondering what you are saying, because your mind is clouded with distractions? Be the distractions of what your plans are later, what is troubling you, what you had experienced at some other time or even trying to focus on the words themselves, so not to make a mistake while reciting them?
What one can try is very simple. Stop everything. Keep the focus on what you are doing right now. You are in prayer. Be in prayer. Place 100% into the prayer. Sit and be mindful. Turn off what your distraction is, and “turn on” what you are doing. Slow down what you are saying, so that each word perminates you. Allow the fragrance of the prayer to envelop your entire being. When we bend down to smell a flower, do we bend down without thinking of what we are doing, while thinking of all our troubles? No. We are captivated by the beauty of the flower, while taking in the lovely scent. Thus, we stop to smell the flowers. The same must be done with prayer.
In practicing this always, that same focus takes in the beauty of our Lord. He becomes our focus, while all else, falls away.
Please see today’s Novena HERE
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Keeping the Word no matter what. In today’s Gospel, we hear our Lord say: “one’s enemies will be those of his household” . Do you find yourself at odds with those closest to you because you truly practice the faith? You are not alone. The more we pray, the more we adhere to our Lord’s commands and the more we come to believe in our Lord, the more we grow in the faith, and die to the world, the more we become like sandpaper to those around us, who do not believe. Oh, they often say they believe in our Lord, but they often add that “BUT” to their answer when you ask if they do.
All the “buts” they can give us, are very telling. Its generally a fear of wanting to move closer to the cross of our Lord. Moving closer to the cross, seems to souls that they will have more suffering, more struggles, more storms, more heat and who want’s that? The reality is, we have these things anyway, even far away from the cross, but closer to His cross, we find we are able to bare them because we are with our Lord.
How do we not become “sandpaper” to those around us? Through accepting the fact that we are all on this journey. We do not shove a soul nor demand them to believe in our Lord. We allow them to decide for themselves while we are living the faith deeply. Yes, you will be hated because of His name and we know that this is not against us, but the soul who finds fault with our Lord, is reveling the faults of themselves. They will hate you anyway, because they do not accept Him.
What they need, as a little sprout, is more water, more heat, or more sun. Fear keeps them from moving, growing into Him. Why is it, that humans are the only creatures that try not to reach out for what we need most and reach for what we want instead? Our Lord knows what we need. It is always Him.
On to today’s Novena HERE
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In my pondering of today’s novena and Gospel, we hear talk of “seeds”. We all start off in this life, each one of us, as as something considered insignificant to the world. Consider the seed, before it sprouts, it is just a seed. The seed changes drastically in its short span of being a seed when planted and becomes something much different.
Have you ever bumped into someone you have not seen for many years, and in speaking with them, all they seem to focus on is how you were back twenty or so years ago, without any care of what has taken place in the past twenty plus years? The spouse you have, the children and grandchildren that are now part of your life? As if the focus is constantly on the husk of the seed that was tossed aside, rather than the family tree that came forth from it.
Our spiritual life, begins the same way. As much as we focus on our temporal needs, food, housing, family, etc, we should spend that same time, focusing on our spiritual needs, so as to grow beautifully into who we were crated to be. Imagine if you will, how many today call for “Separation of Church and State”. Lets call the worldly part of your life, the State, and the spiritual part of your life, the Church. Although there truly is, only one life. How long do you think it would take, for your spiritual life to fall away and turn to dust, like the husk of a seed, if you were to separate the two? Very quickly. When this happens, there is no spiritual growth, and when that Friend (our Lord) from long ago (when you were Baptized) comes to you (moment of death) there is nothing to say, there isn’t any new fruit to give, because you have not grown.
“Grant, Lord, that I may listen attentively and remember constantly Your teaching, that I may put it into practice forcefully and courageously, despising riches and avoiding the worries of a worldly life… Grant me Your strength and that I may meditate on Your words putting down deep roots and purifying me of all worldly perils (St. John Chrysostom, A Commentary on the Gospel according to Matthew 44:3-4).“
Please go to today’s Novena HERE
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As I woke this morning and walked into our living room, I was greeted by one of our pet rats. She seen me coming and I greeted her with a warm “Good Morning”. She stood on her hind legs looking at me and it was adorable. This little creature of our Lord’s put a smile on my face. I seen her just as that. A creature of our Lord. Lesser no doubt than a human, as she is unable to reason as a human, but she brought me joy just the same. Was my greeting to her received as joy? No. Lesser creatures can not experience joy as we do as true Joy is a gift of our Lord. Joy is the gift that one retains even if it is not given in return. It’s the peace of our Lord, come to rest in the heart.
Have you ever greeted another human with joy, who does not know you, whom you have never met, in this way? Generally a smile is given in return. The gift of Joy when given to others, is no doubt the gift that keeps giving. Be it that it is given in return, or not.
As I contemplate today’s Novena, I can see the joy in the Wise Men, at finding our Lord. That gift of Joy they possessed without knowing at the time, which they tried to give to King Herod, who utterly despised it, returned to them, as they continued to seek our Lord where He was.
Today’s Gospel reading of Matthew 10:16-23, also a correlation to this gift of Joy, states: whoever endures to the end will be saved. This joy, is a finality of knowing our Lord. No matter what takes place, we know that our Lord is King. We know that our Lord sustains us. Our Lord gives us life giving water. We find ourselves swimming in His love. When we know this, all that we do, is for our Lord. One can not see that we are not swimming in this love, and simply we know where we are. Thus, in all that we encounter, we are in prayer. We know that our Lord’s love for us, prevails over all. The gift of joy, is our Lord Himself.
For today’s Novena see HERE
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May we take this time we have been given today, to look deeply within our lives, and see where all our own dead parts are. What are dead parts, but that which sin has taken root, behaviors that cause us harm, unhealthy attitudes about others and ourselves, but especially actions that harm not only us, but all those around us.
Today’s Novena focuses on the red rose and “pruning”. I am brought to the Gospel of John.
“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.
To remain in our Lord, is to love Him above all else. To continue daily to carry out His will and His commands. All that we love above our Lord, needs to be pruned or cut away, as it can not produce anything for our Lord. Again we hear in the Gospel of John:
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.2 He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
On to today’s reflection:
Day 3 – Novena for Our Lady of Mt Carmel by Fr. Gregory Houck
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From a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop
(Sermo 47, 12-14, De ovibus: CCL 41, 582-584)“If I wanted to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ
This is our glory: the witness of our conscience. There are men who rashly judge, who slander, whisper and murmur, who are eager to suspect what they do not see, and eager to spread abroad things they have not even a suspicion of. Against men of this sort, what defense is there save the witness of our own conscience?
My brothers, we do not seek, nor should we seek, our own glory even among those whose approval we desire. What we should seek is their salvation, so that if we walk as we should they will not go astray in following us. They should imitate us if we are imitators of Christ; and if we are not, they should still imitate him. He cares for his flock, and he alone is to be found with those who care for their flocks, because they are all in him.
And so we seek no advantage for ourselves when we aim to please men. We want to take our joy in men—and we rejoice when they take pleasure in what is good, not because this exalts us, but because it benefits them.
It is clear who is intended by the apostle Paul: If I wanted to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. And similarly when he says: Be pleasing to all men in all things, even as I in all things please all men. Yet his words are as clear as water, limpid, undisturbed, unclouded. And so you should, as sheep, feed on and drink of his message; do not trample on it or stir it up.
You have listened to our Lord Jesus Christ as he taught his apostles: Let your actions shine before men so that they may see you good deeds, and give glory to your Father who is in heaven, for it is the Father who made you thus. We are the people of his pasture, the sheep of his hands. If then you are good, praise is due to him who made you so; it is no credit to you, for if you were left to yourself, you could only be wicked. Why then do you try to pervert the truth, in wishing to be praised when you do good, and blaming God when you do evil? For though he said: Let your works shine before men, in the same Sermon on the Mount he also said: Do not parade your good deeds before men. So if you think there are contradictions in Saint Paul, you will find the same in the Gospels; but if you refrain from troubling the waters of your heart, you will recognize here the peace of the Scriptures and with it you will have peace.
And so, my brothers, our concern should be not only to live as we ought, but also to do so in the sight of men; not only to have a good conscience but also, so far as we can in our weakness, so far as we can govern our frailty, to do nothing which might lead our weak brother into thinking evil of us. Otherwise, as we feed on the good pasture and drink the pure water, we may trample on God’s meadow, and weaker sheep will have to feed on trampled grass and drink from troubled waters.”
First Martyrs of Rome, pray for us
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Via Pedro Marrero –
A Meditation after praying the Divine Office:
As Deitrich Bonhoeffer reminds us, when Christ calls us he bids us die, to ourselves and to the world, and still at rarer times, in true martyrdom of the body for the sake of the Faith.
Some Christians will be crucified spiritually, others, as in the middle-east of our days, quite literally upon a Cross of Spiritual Battles or upon the wood of a roughly hewn beam under the watch of our old enemies, certain followers of a man who set us in opposition 1,400 years ago.
The Way, the Way of a Christian is along the Via Dolorosa towards the Cross.
The Gospel isn’t merely a set of books, as meritorious as their spiritual guidance is, but a profound sacrifice of ourselves through the grace gifted to us by the Persons of Love, as expressed through the Paraclete, the Comforter, who resides in an especially intimate way in the hearts of those called forth to the Altar worthily. The Word of God is dynamic, is alive, brings forth existence itself, is Scripture, Christ, His Church and all who follow the will of the Father. The Word of God is Love, and Love is a Person who invites us to His Presence. The Universe itself owes its existence to this effulgence of Love which could not help but call us forth to participate in this Love – And this is why Christ is King. This gift of the virtue of courage in martyrdom to ourselves and the world for love of God and neighbor for the Advancement of the Kingdom of True Love ( Agape ) is the Gospel, and that we can participate in it through the power of the Comforter is the Good News. That we have been overcome by grace and have become chalices overflowing with grace to bring new life into the world against the Cultures of Death and Darkness, which do not reside in the Truth since Truth is the Person of Love in the Most Holy and Blessed Trinity. The gaze of Love between the Father and the Son, eternally.
FROM TODAY’S OFFICE OF READINGS IN THE LITURGY OF THE HOURS:
From a homily by Pope Paul VI-
“Not to preach the Gospel would be my undoing, for Christ himself sent me as his apostle and witness. The more remote, the more difficult the assignment, the more my love of God spurs me on. I am bound to proclaim that Jesus is Christ, the Son of the living God. Because of him we come to know the God we cannot see. He is the firstborn of all creation; in him all things find their being. Man’s teacher and redeemer, he was born for us, died for us, and for us he rose from the dead.
All things, all history converges in Christ. A man of sorrow and hope, he knows us and loves us. As our friend he stays by us throughout our lives; at the end of time he will come to be our judge; but we also know that he will be the complete fulfilment of our lives and our great happiness for all eternity.
I can never cease to speak of Christ for he is our truth and our light; he is the way, the truth and the life. He is our bread, our source of living water who allays our hunger and satisfies our thirst. He is our shepherd, our leader, our ideal, our comforter and our brother.
He is like us but more perfectly human, simple, poor, humble, and yet, while burdened with work, he is more patient. He spoke on our behalf; he worked miracles; and he founded a new kingdom: in it the poor are happy; peace is the foundation of a life in common; where the pure of heart and those who mourn are uplifted and comforted; the hungry find justice; sinners are forgiven; and all discover that they are brothers.
The image I present to you is the image of Jesus Christ. As Christians you share his name; he has already made most of you his own. So once again I repeat his name to you Christians and I proclaim to all men: Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega, Lord of the new universe, the great hidden key to human history and the part we play in it. He is the mediator – the bridge, if you will – between heaven and earth. Above all he is the Son of man, more perfect than any man, being also the Son of God, eternal and infinite. He is the son of Mary his mother on earth, more blessed than any woman. She is also our mother in the spiritual communion of the mystical body.
Remember: it is Jesus Christ I preach day in and day out. His name I would see echo and re-echo for all time even to the ends of the earth.”
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The tomb is empty. He is not here. Nor should you be..
LIVE as He has and does still today.
Blessed Easter to all.
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This will be the first time, since my conversion back home, that I will miss attending the Easter Triduum.
I can pour out my feelings here about missing it, but it wouldn’t change anything. I can only accept what is. What I can do, is REMEMBER all the times I was able to attend, and be grateful to have been there. To remember how our Lord touched my heart and help me come to realize how much my sins hurt Him, but more so, how much He had forgiven me. To remember the first time I had ever attended, and cried for all the times I had missed attending because I had so many other things that were, at the time, better to do. How foolish I was. When it became clear to me, everything had come to these three days, every day became a priority, to be with our Lord.
I remember Lord. I remember it all. I also remember the last Holy Mass I was in attendance. I remember how prolific the grace was, to see for myself, the Last Supper.
This day, as I can not be there, I will pray for all our Lord Priests. I will pray for all our Lords Deacons. I will pray for all our Lords Seminarians. I will pray for vocations to the Priesthood.
Lord, through Your most Holy Spirit, inflame the hearts of your friends with Your Divine Love. Touch their hearts as you have touched mine, that they may come to love you deeply above all else, in all souls and never be afraid to love as You have loved us. Give them Your Divine Courage to carry their crosses with You and to never leave You. Give them Your Divine Mercy, that they may be merciful as You have been merciful with us. I ask this through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, to Your most Sacred Heart and may the glory be always our Father in heaven, for all time and all eternity. Amen
Taken from USCCB:
Gracious and loving God, we thank your for the gift of our priests.
Through them, we experience your presence in the sacraments.Help our priests to be strong in their vocation.
Set their souls on fire with love for your people.Grant them the wisdom, understanding, and strength they need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
Inspire them with the vision of your Kingdom.Give them the words they need to spread the Gospel.
Allow them to experience joy in their ministry.Help them to become instruments of your divine grace.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns as our Eternal Priest.
Amen.
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We have many good lessons to learn, through this tragic event…
Sunday morning, my youngest daughter came to me in tears, showing me her iPad and asking me if it was true! She really took me by surprise and was yelling at me to tell her. I asked her a few times before looking down, what? What? Is what true? She proceed to walk to my husband and show him and he picked up the TV remote, changed the channel and yes. It was true. Kobe Bryant was killed that morning in a horrific helicopter crash. My daughter was inconsolable. I held her as she cried, and asked her if she wanted to pray for him and we did together. My daughter is extremely sensitive when news breaks of anyone’s death.
She walked into her room sobbing while my husband, who happens to be an air traffic controller, and myself, sat in shock watching the news unfold. Later that day, hearing Kobe and his daughter attended Holy Mass, brought us all great comfort. We attended the evening Mass that day, and the Priest added Kobe and Gianna, his 13 year old daughter, along with all who had died in that horrific crash, in the prayers of the faithful. My daughter looked at me during that moment and smiled. She was at peace again.
First spiritual lesson to learn. I can not stress the importance of receiving our Lord in the Sacraments before we die. We never know when our Lord is going to take us home. If we become sick, or if we have sick loved ones, who are Catholic, PLEASE, before they slip into a condition to where they can not longer receive our Lord in the Eucharist, call a Priest to administer the Sacraments! There is a great post here on this subject: A Guide to the Last Rites May take this time for granted and wait until the loved one has already died, or is in a vegetative state. Please, the sooner the better that they may take our Lord with them on that final journey.
Getting back to the news of Kobe. I must admit, I am not a fan of basketball. Not even a fan as I was living in Chicago, when the Bulls took the Championship five times with Michael Jordan and the rest of the crew. What I am a huge fan of, is repenting sinners. Another spiritual lessons to learn in this, is repentance. In learning more about Kobe and his charities, his regular attendance of Holy Mass and even attending daily Mass, my heart leaped knowing he sure looked like a repenting soul to me. At that point in anyone’s life, the moment of repentance, turning back to our Lord, what we ONCE WERE, is no longer who we are at this moment. It’s gone, as we allow our Lord to build us into what He created us to be. Letting go of what we want to be, accepting the good and the bad. What our Lord has already forgiven, can no longer be held against us. The sin is gone, although the residual effect of the sin may remain. Its not easy to find souls in this society we are exiles in, willing to forgive us, as our Lord has. Holding on to His is forgiveness through the sacrament of reconciliation, hearing the words “I absolve you”, is key to moving through all society holds against the repenting soul, and not allowing the world to take away the joy of being forgiven, getting that second chance in life in Christ to do what is right and just again. Society often holds on to the bitterness, unable to move past others sins, because it lacks the ability to forgive and heal, although society (the world) could never be burdened with thinking of its own sins first.
It no longer mattered to me what he may have done, but my hope for him and all was what may be. His continuing the journey on into eternal life with our Lord.
Another spiritual lesson to be learned, is not constantly looking at the ugliness of one another, and finding the good in each soul. Anyone can see the dirt in their neighbor, be the one who finds the gold. We must remember that what we hold against our neighbors, will be held also against us. We are called to forgive as we have been forgiven. We are called to see the good in others, and not continually focus on the bad. A repenting soul, knows their own sins and do not need others to help them remember them, especially when they have already been forgiven. I’m not saying Kobe is a Saint, although I hope he is, as that is a judgement left to our Lord. What I am saying is he definitely was working on his salvation, while he was still here. That is another key to our salvation. We live the faith now, repent now, so not to regret later. Eternal life begins in this life. CS Lewis said: ‘Die before you die, there is no chance after.’
I pray for everyone, during this tragedy, to remember the words our Lord spoke, directly after teaching us how to pray:
I hope others see how important it is to forgive as we ourselves have been forgiven.
I pray for the souls of all who have lost their lives in this horrific tragedy, and I also hope that more souls, still here, can see the joy of repentance and forgiveness and begin eternal life, now. Lord have mercy on us all.
Prayer for The Eternal Rest
Eternal rest grant unto them,
O Lord, and let perpetual light
shine upon them. May the souls
of all the faithful departed, through
the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen
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Please read above at the link
Today: Via Vatican News:
Amazon Synod: The Church committed to be an ally with Amazonia
Related posts:
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Under my bio (About Peg), on this blog, is a quote I love and live by, from our new, soon to be Saint.
With Christians, a poetical view of things is a duty. We are bid to color all things with hues of faith, to see a divine meaning in every event.
– Blessed Cardinal John Henry NewmanIt is a simple message, but carries with it the importance of being aware, in each of our lives, of the perpetual presence of our Lord, and putting His word into use at all times and places. Under all circumstances, our Lord is first.
If you are not familiar with his works, I highly suggest seeking them out, and spending some time getting to know him in his works.
Below taken from: Desires for Laity
Lecture 9. Duties of Catholics Towards the Protestant View
As troubles and trials circle round you, He will give you what you want at present—”a mouth, and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to resist and gainsay.” “There is a time for silence, and a time to speak;” the time for speaking is come. What I desiderate in Catholics is the gift of bringing out what their religion is; it is one of those “better gifts,” of which the Apostle bids you be “zealous.” You must not hide your talent in a napkin, or your light under a bushel. I want a laity, not arrogant, not rash in speech, not disputatious, but men who know their religion, who enter into it, who know just where they stand, who know what they hold, and what they do not, who know their creed so well, that they can give an account of it, who know so much of history that they can defend it. I want an intelligent, well-instructed laity; I am not denying you are such already: but I mean to be severe, and, as some would say, exorbitant in my demands, I wish you to enlarge your knowledge, to cultivate your reason, to get an insight into the relation of truth to truth, to learn to view things as they are, to understand how faith and reason stand to each other, what are the bases and principles of Catholicism, and where lie the main inconsistences and absurdities of the Protestant theory. I have no apprehension you will be the worse Catholics for familiarity with these subjects, provided you cherish a vivid sense of God above, and keep in mind that you have souls to be judged and to be saved. In all times the laity have been the measure of the Catholic spirit; they saved the Irish Church three centuries ago, and they betrayed the {391} Church in England. Our rulers were true, our people were cowards. You ought to be able to bring out what you feel and what you mean, as well as to feel and mean it; to expose to the comprehension of others the fictions and fallacies of your opponents; and to explain the charges brought against the Church, to the satisfaction, not, indeed, of bigots, but of men of sense, of whatever cast of opinion. And one immediate effect of your being able to do all this will be your gaining that proper confidence in self which is so necessary for you. You will then not even have the temptation to rely on others, to court political parties or particular men; they will rather have to court you. You will no longer be dispirited or irritated (if such is at present the case), at finding difficulties in your way, in being called names, in not being believed, in being treated with injustice. You will fall back upon yourselves; you will be calm, you will be patient. Ignorance is the root of all littleness; he who can realise the law of moral conflicts, and the incoherence of falsehood, and the issue of perplexities, and the end of all things, and the Presence of the Judge, becomes, from the very necessity of the case, philosophical, long-suffering, and magnanimous.
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Blessed are those who hear the word of God
and observe it.A Synod is simply dialogue my friends. It does not mean EVERYTHING will be implemented. When we talk as friends, we discuss everything, no? This is how a relationship is built. That does not mean we do everything. It is how we hear one another and see what our friend needs are. It means, we talk about everything and with the teaching authority, do what we believe. Live the faith and preach the gospel. That is all. It is sad to see so many jumping to conclusions through the illusions of false notions.
Today’s Gospel:
If you are anxious, or fearful, add more “Mary” to your life, meaning, pray more and sit at the feet of our Lord, bringing with you all that frightens you. Empty yourself of all that is not His, and allow Him to fill you with all that is Him. Peace Be not afraid.
Pray without jumping to conclusions and falling for the illusions produced through lack of faith in our Lord. The illusions of “what if” are drawn through placing our faith in ourselves and grow huge in a society that refuses to sit and listen to our Lord, choosing to run around and do things, sharing false notions, rumors, etc, one may think is more important. This causes irrational fear and it takes away from our Lord where our fear should actually be, alone in Him (Fear of the Lord). Make yourself busy in Him.
My prayer today is for all to spend more time sitting at the feet of our Lord, instead of the world, hanging on His every word without fretting, and putting them into action, so to be both Mary and Martha, at His promptings. If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts.
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October 5, 1979, Chicago’s Grant Park. I was here with (now) St. John Paul II, celebrating Holy Mass. I have spoken about this before in this blog. The other day, it finally dawned on me. The bigger picture. Before arriving for Holy Mass, the I, twelve year old me, was blessed on the side of the road, by a passing Pope John Paul II. I stood in awe that moment.
This day was amazing. Like a lot of things we take for granted, the day came and went, and I continued on my path of self destruction for another 17 or so years. Until the death of my father. At that moment was the realization that I needed to change my life. Although I turned back to our Lord that day, the journey out of that pit I placed myself in was rather deep. We do not realize how far we fall, until we try to get out.
Another 12 years had passed, and that Easter Morning came when our Lord talked to me in my heart asking me “Where are you? What are you doing”, in which I responded by returning back to Holy Mass, Divine Mercy Sunday and never missing Mass again, nor receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation before receiving our Lord.
What does any of this mean? To me, it is a completed puzzle and that one piece I had been looking for was placed into the big picture.
You see, October 5th is the Feast day of Saint Faustina Kowalska, “Secretary of Divine Mercy”. No one believed this beautiful Saint, when she, Helena Kowalska, told them she needed to dedicate her life to our Lord, because He had called her.
In 1924, at the age of 19 years, Helena went with her sister Natalia to a dance in a park in Łódź. Faustina said that, while at the dance, she had a vision of a suffering Jesus. She then went to the Cathedral. From there, she said Jesus instructed her to depart for Warsaw immediately and to join a convent.
No one wanted her, even being told, “we do not accept maids here”. The Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, took her in. St. Faustina knew nothing about them, but knew our Lord opened the door and needed her there. On 30 April (Keep that date in mind) 1926, at the age of 20 years, she received her habit and took the religious name of Sister Maria Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament.
On (the anniversary of taking the habit) Sunday, 30 April 2000, the now St. John Paul II, canonized this wonderful Saint, and proclaimed that the Second Sunday of Easter would be known as Divine Mercy Sunday.
4. It is important then that we accept the whole message that comes to us from the word of God on this Second Sunday of Easter, which from now on throughout the Church will be called “Divine Mercy Sunday”. In the various readings, the liturgy seems to indicate the path of mercy which, while re-establishing the relationship of each person with God, also creates new relations of fraternal solidarity among human beings. Christ has taught us that “man not only receives and experiences the mercy of God, but is also called “to practise mercy’ towards others: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy’ (Mt 5: 7)” (Dives in misericordia, n. 14). He also showed us the many paths of mercy, which not only forgives sins but reaches out to all human needs. Jesus bent over every kind of human poverty, material and spiritual.
His message of mercy continues to reach us through his hands held out to suffering man. This is how Sr Faustina saw him and proclaimed him to people on all the continents when, hidden in her convent at £agiewniki in Kraków, she made her life a hymn to mercy: Misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo.
We never can see what our Lord is doing to us, we only know its something good. Even through the extremely dark times, His mercy endues forever. The key is trusting His Divine Mercy. Not allowing our own ideas to quash His. Forty years ago, I was blessed by this Saint. Sometimes it takes us a very long time to realize the GOOD is all of what our Lord is trying to do for us because we ourselves, stand in the way.
Forty years I endured that generation.
I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray
and they do not know my ways.”On this coming Feast of St. Faustina, I ask her to intercede for us all today, along with St. John Paul II, to bring us closer to our Lords Sacred Heart, through His Divine Mercy. May He replace our hearts of stone, with His Heart of Flesh and may be be open to receive Him, without hindrance, without saying no, without fear and may we be filled with Holy Desire, to do His will.
Lord, come quickly. Save souls.
I love these two wonderful Saints of our Lord. I am grateful for them.
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I need to share this. We always struggle with our faith. We hear Him calling us, and yet, we put off “going home” because we think we know better. We listen to the “world”, and think it is better. It is not. We are not. Our Lord knows EVERYTHING and knows what you need before you even ask Him.
I could not understand why those around me, didn’t want to believe my conversion story. This: Just one-third of U.S. Catholics agree with their church that Eucharist is body, blood of Christ – Tells me why. If souls do not believe Him, why would they believe me? I refuse to stop there. I know without a doubt it is Him and nothing in this world, will ever get me to not listen to Him and not believe Him again. Hearing Him has left a mark on me that I can never deny Him again.
This is a huge part of my conversion back home to the Catholic Church. I had been struggling for MANY years with this sin. I hope it brings other to face their fear of their own sins, and overcome them, returning to our Lord who waits for you with open arms.
Easter 2008 – My husband was home from Yuma (USMC separated us for a time), and I went into the yard to water. There is a protestant church behind our home and as I watered the trees and grass, I watched all these cars pulling in for “Easter” services. I stood and chucked a bit, as a Catholic, and said to myself: What did they even do in there? Its not real worship! – THAT VERY SECOND – In my heart, I heard our LORD ask me: Where are you? What are YOU doing? – That voice ROCKED my world. Destroyed it! Where was I? What was I doing? I certainly wasn’t at Mass! I certainly wasn’t where I was supposed to be! It bothered me for a WEEK. I could NOT stop thinking about it. By the time the following Sunday came, I found myself NEEDING to get to Mass. It was Divine Mercy Sunday, and I NEVER stopped attending Holy Mass again. The following December, I heard that voice in my heart again! The post below is what He said. The YEARS since, is what He has done to me ❤ I share this to give Him the praise, glory, honor and all the power. Thank you LORD. I love You too.
Cohabitation And Holy Communion
If today your hear His voice, harden not your hearts
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For the many souls outraged over the “decor” of the new Christ Cathedral.
Ponder if you will
Imagine a new married couple. They purchase their first house. Is that house automatically furnished and full of memories? No. Over time and years, that house is transformed into their home.There are good times and bad, building expansion, downsizing, and rest.
What makes it a home? The souls who reside in it. Its not the decorations that should grab our attention, but the fact that our Lord now resides here and is inviting all of us to reside with Him also
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Flos Carmeli Prayer
O beautiful Flower of Carmel, most fruitful vine,
Splendor of Heaven, holy and singular,
who brought forth the Son of God,
still ever remaining a Pure Virgin,
assist me in this necessity.
O Star of the sea, help and protect me!
Show me that Thou art my Mother.O Mary, conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to Thee!Mother and Beauty of Carmel, Pray for us!
Virgin, Flower of Carmel, Pray for us!
Patroness of all who wear the Scapular, Pray for us!
Hope of all who die wearing the Scapular, Pray for us!
St. Joseph, Friend of the Sacred Heart, Pray for us!
St. Joseph, Chaste Spouse of Mary, Pray for us!
St. Joseph, Our Patron, Pray for us!
O sweet Heart of Mary, Be our salvation!
Amen.Blessed feast of our Lady of Mount Carmel to all
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Thank you Abba, Father. I love You too.
O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference’s by which He is offended.
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Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in You and I love You too.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus can be traced back to the eleventh and twelfth century. For more information, please see:
Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart
Devotion to the Heart of Jesus
Month of the Sacred Heart
Most Sacred, most loving Heart of Jesus,
You are concealed in the Holy Eucharist,
And You beat for us still.
Now, as then, You say: “With desire I have desired.”
I worship You with all my best love and awe,
With fervent affection,
With my most subdued, most resolved will.
For a while You take up Your abode within me.
O make my heart beat with Your Heart!
Purify it of all that is earthly,
All that is proud and sensual,
All that is hard and cruel,
Of all perversity,
Of all disorder,
Of all deadness.
So fill it with You,
That neither the events of the day,
Nor the circumstances of the time,
May have the power to ruffle it;
But that in Your love and Your fear,
It may have peace.(Blessed John Cardinal Henry Newman)
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Pondering: Religion is the cause of more problems today than anything!
When I hear that statement, I can’t help but think of Nero blaming the Christians for the burning of Rome. Granted, he ordered the burning and if one in his army had been baptized, but was only following his orders, he is a follower of Nero, and not our Lord.
“This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” . Lv 19:18 “Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your own people. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.”
If someone states, I am a christian, and rams his car through people on purpose to kill them, he is either seriously psychotic or demonic or, he is not a Christian, but rather follows his own design and not that of our Lord. To BE a Christian, is to be what our Lord called us to be. His follower. His disciple. His children. Remember: “He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire. ”
What the world assumes to be “christian” is nothing more then secularism looking directly back at them in the mirror. “Don’t JUDGE ME”! Well, “By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?” I do judge you by the actions you take and words you say. Its how a conscious is formed through right reason and logic, with grace.
The constant blame today toward Christians being bigots, when they refuse to go with the flow of the Religion of Secularism, in which Politicians and “Scholars” (in quotes because Wisdom never changes but knowledge does) assume to present “their” truth, that a human being in the womb has no rights, or that a man can be a woman, or a woman can be a man, or marriage does not mean one woman and one man for the growth and strength of a prosperous society, that we must be able to pass legislation to make it easier for people to kill themselves through assisted suicide, is the religion of secularism. Not Christianity. Its time to check the facts of the faith in which we place in our Lord.
“Your truth is not my truth.” No! Your truth is not Truth at all, but its truly misplaced faith placed in society and political leaders and not in Jesus Christ. Bigotry is intolerance toward those who hold different opinions from oneself. Truth is not an opinion. Its the Truth.
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
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Two Cups
As I sit and pray during this Palm Sunday at Holy Mass, after receiving our Lord, my mind turned to the Cup of Salvation.
What exactly is the Cup of Salvation, I pondered.
As I sat in prayer, my heart grabbed on to Life in Christ. The Cup of Salvation being the Cup of Life given to the only begotten Son. His Life! As I pondered more, the cup of wrath came to my thoughts. Wrath being what comes to us, when we do not live in Christ. When we do our own will. When we disregard the other. This came, as we have free will, with a choice to make. Wrath? Or Salvation?
I pondered more deeply, how wrath has been my way (sinfulness) in this world without our Lord, and how Salvation is what we work on as we continue to drink His cup. As we take on His Life, passing over our own, therefore with His joy and His peace, the wrath we deserve, has already been paid.
Thank you Lord, I love You too.
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As I am pondering this coming Sunday’s Gospel in Lectio Divina: ” “Master, it is good for us to be here!” And they do not want to get off the mountain any more! When it is question of the cross, whether on the Mount of the Transfiguration or on the Mount of Olives (Lk 22:45), they sleep! They prefer the glory to the cross! ” – I have been struggling with the subject of allowing children of same sex couples seeking admittance into Catholic schools, from the moment I first heard it.
First, let me say that the very fact these children have been robbed of the natural right to a home with their biological mother and a father, is the first thing that concerned me. If parenting didn’t require the attributes of both man and woman, natural creation would in fact be very different. Each of us, has that natural right of God at the moment of conception. When our natural rights are stripped away, its always due to the selfishness of others, who seek to legitimize their own “idea” of Love and compassion, with regard for legitimizing their own sin to make it look more acceptable not only to themselves, but to others.
The sin of the parents, can not be held against the child. Someone brought up the point of how others, heterosexual parents and single parents are allowed to place their children in Catholic Schools. I would like to address one point here again which comes to mind regarding same sex parents: The sin of the parents, can not be held against the child.
I want to add to the discussion, why I have struggled with this. Someone made a point in saying it, (Allowing children of same sex marriages into Catholic Schools) would drive souls away from sending their children to Catholic School. What no one is addressing is the amount of children from Practicing Catholics who are Home schooled now, due to the problems we already have in our Catholic Schools. That problem being over population of Non-Practicing Catholics who falsely believe its the schools job to teach the faith. Its a false hope many have. Catholic home schooling is growing in large numbers. Very pious Catholic family’s who either can not afford Catholic Education, or Catholic family’s who have already seen, what can and has taken place in Catholic Schools, in which parents do not practice the faith, and their children not living the faith, becoming a “stumbling block” for placing their children into the system, which peer pressure becomes an added cross placed into the “nest” and seriously threatens the faith of the entire family.
There is a large group here in San Diego who would rather teach their own children and socialize with the Home School’s family’s then to place their children into the Catholic School system. Mainly due to the issues all mentioned here. For the LONGEST time, I felt a need to make sure my children, although we are completely broke, attend Catholic School. Its only now that my daughter is in 8th grade and about to graduate, that I have come to find out, NONE of her close friends attend Mass every Sunday nor do they regularly receive the sacraments, nor are even trying to live the Catholic Faith. I started to notice how my daughter didn’t want to join the Catholic Youth Group, because her friends were not joining. Not wanting to hang out with any of the clubs that often do community service, because her close friends were not. I understand it now, why the home school groups are a tight nit group. Its a matter of protecting the “Nest”. What happened or is happening with my daughter? We can always chalk it up to peer pressure, but when the peer pressure is coming from the Catholic School to NOT participate in the faith, its already a failed system in which many are trying to figure out this exact question. The Catholic School is not the teacher of the faith. Parents are responsible for teaching the faith to their children and in fact, living it with them. Think of our faith in regards to it being like a different language. If you seek to learn a new language, but no one at home speaks this language, what becomes of all you are learning? What becomes of the soul who does not practice, does not put it to use? It is tossed aside and forgotten. A Catholic School is ONLY as good as the parents living the faith within it. The Catholic School is there to REINFORCE the faith of the Church.
Another question that comes up is why would a same sex parent even want to place a child they have taken in, into a Catholic School that does not teach what they believe? Is it for attention? Is it spite? Is it to prove a point? Is it because they truly seek to have the child live a faith filled life in which they themselves are struggling with? Here again is the issue of assuming the Catholic School is there to teach the children the faith. Its not. Again, the Catholic School is there to reinforce the faith of the Church. The children and the parents are a Pastoral issue. No different than nonpracticing Catholics who have placed themselves out of communion.
Why have I personally been struggling with this, when its not even an issue with me? Because I love. Not only do my sins effect me, but they effect everyone, not just who I am around, but everyone. Although the sin may be forgiven, the residual effects of that sin can not be taken away. When we sin, it is against our Lord and every soul in Christ.
Why have I been struggling at all? Because I have become “comfortable” with the suffering I already have. Like St. Peter at the Transfiguration, I wanted to stay there in “my comfort” with the Glorious Messiah, and not continue on back down the mountain to finish this journey with the Servant Messiah. How can I not allow more suffering, if it is for the glory of our Lord? If my suffering is joined to our Lord’s, it is in fact no longer my suffering. My suffering is not even mine, but His, and to this I my heart demands that I let our Lord lead the way and continue on to the cross with Him. This is the struggle I believe we all face, in regards to something “different” entering in our “normal” lives. The more we struggle with it, the more painful it becomes as we fight between God’s will and our will. “My Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass without my drinking it, your will be done!”. My wants for others to be holy and great Catholics, living the faith daily, placing our Lord first, loving and serving Him, although good, does not mean that others want it. “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”
If our faith is placed in our Lord, we can not be overcome by the world. Mercy is the answer, as the Son of Justice will come to us all. To not receive a child in His name, (anti-life- not open to receive another life, the life of another who is sick with sin and suffering) would not benefit any of us. And we would simply be clinging to our fears of sin, and our fears of “sinners”, over our fear of the Lord. This does not mean we skew the Truth as we take on those who do not Believe. We adhere to the Truth of our Lord, teaching as it is, Truth, in love and mercy, allowing others to use their free will to accept it, or reject it. Just my two cents. I surrender to our Lord. His will be done.
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If you want to know what is going on, why there is SO much visible evil today, the answer to your question to what is going on is very simple.
Grace. God’s grace to see things as they are, to repent and to run back to Him. That is what is happening – “Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more”
Use this time wisely. Get things in order. Get back on His path. Make a change for the better. For the good.
Repent
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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.”
Peg Pondering Again 