My birthday is December 7th, the feast of St. Ambrose. On some social media sites, they have an app to have money donated for a specific cause that one has. Well, I have one, but it’s up to you to do it. I will leave this here until that day. Remember, we are entering into the Season of Advent. Be the Light.
For my birthday this year, I am asking that everyone donate what you can to your Catholic Parish, to be honest with everyone in your life, to see the good in others and when the bad is seen, that you see it within yourself first, knowing that our Lord can heal it if you ask Him, because He healed it in you and place yourself last. I pray it brings you face to Face with our Lord and you recognize Him.
Without hesitation, I responded: “And He asks still: Where are you? Not to condemn, but to help us fix the problem.”
I therefore, found myself being pulled in to ponder the scripture of Genesis 3. As I read and pondered the text, although read it thousands of time, what jumped out to me was verse 22.
22 Then the LORD God said: See! The man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil! Now, what if he also reaches out his hand to take fruit from the tree of life, and eats of it and lives forever?
It was in that moment, the love our Lord has for us peaked in my heart. If Adam and Eve were allowed to stay, in the state they were in, having already disobeyed our Lord, and had eaten the fruit from the tree of Life, disobeying again, would it then have made them unsaveable? I am reminded of the words, I’m doing this for your own good.
You can read the same Scripture passage a 1000 times, and only in His time, are you able to see what He has been saying and doing, all along. It was after the fall of Adam and Eve, after our Lord asks, “Where are you” and before Adam & Eve are banished. He protected them from eating of the tree of Life in the fallen, out of grace state they were in. And the plan of Salvation was spoken. The plan of Salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ, as John wrote:
– “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” –John 1:1
Going further to verse 14:
And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father’s only Son,
full of grace and truth.
As I continue to ponder this and pray, 1 Corinthians 11 – Tradition of the Institution becomes even more paramount for us all, taking into consideration, we have the gifts of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which is detrimental, to use, to repent and to use, as so not to receive in a manner unworthy, the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which if we did so, would keep us hiding and ashamed. So when our Father asks us: “Where are you?”, He already knows where we are. He wants to know if we know where we are, as we are not where we belong. That being with Him.
Be not afraid to answer Him, do not continue to hide from Him, or to bring all your shame from sin to Him. He is there for you to help you fix it all because He loves you so.
“Go and announce the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand”.
I promised my daughters that I would bring them something home from my Retreat this weekend. I purchased two sheep rattles on my way home. Although I knew what I was bringing them was much more than stuffed toys. What they can’t see yet, but I do clearly, is their mom is coming back with a firm guard on the lambs our Lord has given to me to give back to Him. Just as the Good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep, so I must lay down my life for the lambs our Lord has entrusted me with, to care for until I can no longer. This is the job of a mom. This is the vocation of Motherhood. Yes, I care for all the souls placed in my life, but my top priority is for the two lambs in my own pen. As was my parents job when I was a “lamb”.
The story of my becoming aware of my conversion is one in which took place when my dad lay dying. When we are at a loss as to what we can do, our Lord is ever there to guide us. At that moment, as he was dying, I shook and prayed. Never thinking anything about it until it all became clear. We should never fear death, as we should only have fear of our Lord as we are living.
As I arrived home yesterday afternoon from the beautiful retreat, I handed my daughters their little sheep. A little while later my daughter Violet came to me as said with excitement “Mommy! It rattles!”. Immediately the words flowed back to her. I began to tell her that she should always, for the rest of her life, remember and never forget that she has received our Lord in the Eucharist. That she was in fact a “sheep”. When ever she gets lost, no matter how far she walks away from our Lord, our Lord can hear her shake from the inside. The second she becomes afraid, she should remember that our Lord always knows where she is because she has Him everywhere she goes and just like that little rattling sheep, He hears her and will lead her back home too. She should never be afraid of the Shepherd and should tell Him everything through the sacrament of Reconciliation. In the Confessional, so she knows for a fact, He healed her when she gets into the tangles or covered in burs of sin, which are poisonous. Then to never get into those tangles again but to stay close to Him. Walking His path.
“Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.”
Peg Pondering Again 