Trust Me, Receive and Be Satisfied.

 

       “Create a clean heart in me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me.”

 

     We were already into the second week of Lent, and I was a failure!

Grief Exposed

      “We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you do not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with Him those who have fallen asleep.”                            1Thessalonias 4:13-14

     I was struggling! I knew Sarah was experiencing eternal life, be it purgatory or heaven, yet I was grieving in a way I had never done before. 

The Best Gift Ever

     I was so looking forward to Advent this year! I was tired of straddling the fence in several areas in my life, and saw Advent as a perfect opportunity to rid my heart of clutter. I intended to work hard to purify and cleanse my heart, making it ready to receive Jesus on Christmas morning.

     But as we lit the pink candle on our Advent wreath last Sunday, I quietly cringed inwardly. On some fronts, I was doing very well, but in one area in particular, I was ashamed.

Be the Face of Mercy

     “Let this be the pattern for all men when they practice mercy: show mercy to others in the same way, with the same generosity, with the same promptness, as you want others to show mercy to you.” St. Peter Chrysologus


     We desire and expect, when we offend someone, that they excuse and shrug off our offense,  if not immediately, at least within a reasonable time: maybe we were under stress, in a bad mood, distracted, tired, not feeling well, just not thinking, or many other excuses that we graciously permit   ourselves.

Eternal Designs

     “The action of God upon His saints is most gentle. How He respects our liberty! How He condescends to our weakness! He does not run or jump or act violently. We, being weak creatures, rush; but God works slowly, because He deals with eternity. We bewail the passage of minutes; but God serenely watches the flow of years. We wish to achieve the goal of our desires with a single rush; but God prepares His work gently, nor does our inconstancy weary Him, nor do our failures startle Him, nor do the complicated vicissitudes of life overturn His eternal designs.”                 Archbishop Luis M. Martinez



          Our soul is priceless and fragile, created to spend eternity with God, and we must begin to treat it as such. We need to become gentle with ourselves, as God is. We often beat ourselves up because we fall, without taking into account the times we overcame our weakness. We have to learn to be patient with ourselves, and not expect sainthood to be achieved overnight.

Cherish the Gift

     “If My people humble themselves and pray and seek My presence, I will revive their land.” 2 Ch 7 vs 14


     Today, as we gather to commemorate the anniversary of our country’s independence, let us get on our knees and ask God’s continued blessing upon us. Let us beg God’s forgiveness for the many ways we have walked away from His ways and truths. Let us ask for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit to convict us of sin. May we repent of the ways we have offended Him and one another. May He give us a new heart on which He sits as King. May we never take for granted the great freedom we have to worship God by giving Him the honor and glory He so deserves. Our religious liberty is a gift that we cannot take for granted. We must cherish it, practice it and defend it with our lives.

Poison for the Soul

     “The recollection of an injury is a rusty arrow and poison for the soul.”                                       St. Francis of Paola


     How the Evil One relishes in his ability to engage our memory by recalling a hurt or injury that was afflicted upon us. He will tempt us time and time again, to play it over and over in our minds, until it is once again festering and the pain is acute.

The way it shapes my life

     I can't even fathom, nor would want to imagine, what my life would be without God and my Catholic faith! The impact they have had, has been all encompassing. . .most especially in my adult years. I don't believe I would be the woman I am today without them.

     I have been shaped, formed, and stretched in ways that I would not have chosen on my own. I have been called to love, when I would have preferred to lash out; to seek forgiveness; when I did not think I was the guilty party; to give, when I just did not feel like it. I am called to love others as God loves me, which will be a challenge until the day I die - it may kill me trying to do that!