Thursday, July 30, 2015

There's No Place Like Home

     “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor 2 vs 9).


     As we journey through life, we sometimes forget our eternal destiny. To make the most of our lives, we keep busy trying to fit in all that we can – unfocused on what truly matters.

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Gratitious Love

     “Since all our love for God is ultimately a response to His love for us, we can never love Him in the same way He loves us, namely, gratuitously. But we can love our neighbor in the same way that He loves us -- gratuitously – not because of anything the neighbor has done for us or because of anything we owe him, but simply because love has been freely given to us by God.”                                         Ralph Martin


 
     God calls us to love one another as He loves us – totally and freely. We are to let go of expectations of “getting something back” for our efforts, while at the same time, not counting the cost. Naturally speaking, this is impossible! Even on our good days, there is a small part of us that does expect to gain something: love, recognition, a feeling of satisfaction and most probably, gratitude from the recipient.

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Delighting in Last Place

     “Among all the creatures in which we take pleasure and toward which our nature seems to be attracted the most, self undoubtedly holds the first place. There is no one, no matter how limited in talents and good qualities, who does not love his own excellence, and who does not try, in one way or another, to make it shine forth to himself and to others. It is for this reason that we often spontaneously exaggerate our own worth, and as a result are demanding and pretentious. This makes us haughty and arrogant, as well as difficult in our relations with others. Humility is the virtue which keeps within just limits the love of one’s own excellence. Whereas self-esteem often induces us to make ourselves too evident, or to occupy a place which a higher than our due, humility keep us in our own place. Humility is truth: it tends to establish in truth both our intellect – by making us know ourselves as we really are – and our life, by inclining us to take, in relation to God and to men, our proper place and no other.”                                                                                                                                           Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D.


     A story is told that when asked which virtues were needed to grow in holiness, St. Augustine answered, “There are three, humility, humility and humility.”

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Untie These Knots

     As I hung up the phone, my heart was gripped with fear! The situation, which had started out as a concern and had turned into a worry, was now moving toward becoming a full-fledged disaster!

     “I do not want to deal with this,” I cried out to God. “I cannot go down this route again. Why, Papa? Why?” I knew from the past, there was nothing I could do to resolve this situation. Intervention did not work, but only complicated matters. I felt alone, afraid, and overwhelmed! If the world opened up at that moment and swallowed me, I would have welcomed the action: but it did not. I had to stay just where I was, and not disappear into another world -- free from disaster!

Saturday, July 4, 2015

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.

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Transformed by Love

     “Holiness doesn’t consist of knowing much, or doing much, but of loving much.”                                            Mother Angelica



     Holiness does not come easily. It is not something that we can obtain by wishing for, or reading a book. It is received when we are able to empty ourselves of all selfishness. It happens when our hearts resemble the Heart of Jesus – His Sacred Heart!

     We are in great need of a heart transformation. Our good God calls us to love as He does and that is very difficult for us to accomplish -- day in and day out. There are many circumstances when we see it as impossible; our love is wanting.