Vision

DAY'S SAINTS
Archangels Gabriel, Michael and Raphael
John of Dukla, Franciscan Hermit
Blessed John of Ghent, Hermit

Dn 7:9-10, 13-14
As I watched:
Thrones were set up
and the Ancient One took his throne.
His clothing was bright as snow,
and the hair on his head as white as wool;
His throne was flames of fire,
with wheels of burning fire.
A surging stream of fire
flowed out from where he sat;
Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him,
and myriads upon myriads attended him.
The court was convened, and the books were opened.
As the visions during the night continued, I saw
One like a son of man coming,
on the clouds of heaven;
When he reached the Ancient One
and was presented before him,
He received dominion, glory, and kingship;
nations and peoples of every language serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed.

Gospel Jn 1:47-51

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,

"Here is a true child of Israel.

There is no duplicity in him."

Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?"

Jesus answered and said to him,

"Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree."

Nathanael answered him,

"Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."

Jesus answered and said to him,

"Do you believe

because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?

You will see greater things than this."

And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you,

you will see heaven opened

and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

+

Presumably, Daniel knew Jesus was the Son of God in the vision, and He was recognized when He was presented to the Father. Otherwise, how are we to take the passage describing the vision?

Jesus saw Nathaniel under the tree, although evidently, Jesus was not close enough to have actually seen him?

In both cases, things hidden can easily be seen by God, and perhaps we can avoid sin by remembering that God sees everything we do. If we are forgiven our sins, He does not remember them any more. Think well on this when you are angry with your brother, before you take action. He is everywhere, and sees everything and can remember what we can not. Blessed are we when He points out our sins and faults to us, because then we might take action to atone before we die.

Perhaps those who abandoned the Church can take the meaning of the visions too, that the absence of His children grieves Him, and we impoverish ourselves when we forsake our Mother.

God can do marvelous things with us in an instant. We can be snatched up to heaven in ecstasy to accomplish His Will and Purpose. What we suffered for years can be undone in an instant so we are perfect again. If He forgives our sins, we shall be perfect again.

If the world is a frightening place, we should pray for protection and ask to be defended as His child.

If the world is a frightening place, perhaps it could be different if we became different, close to God and of a like disposition, loving and affectionate toward our Creator.

I have a warning for the world; it is time to reconcile with your brothers and make peace where there is war, so that on the day He comes to reveal Himself to us, we may be as He intended we should be seen, as His children and beloved of Him. 

The Lord did not dismiss or excuse Himself from the passion, but embraced the cross and won our redemption. Let not war exist between our brothers and sisters, nor in any conclave, allow dissension and vileness pervade the friendship intended. Those who deliberately try to do others harm will be punished and what was entrusted to them will be removed. Then you must make a deal with the enemy to provide for yourself, and if you do, you will be cast out into darkness and fury.

Vision

DAY'S SAINTS
Archangels Gabriel, Michael and Raphael
John of Dukla, Franciscan Hermit
Blessed John of Ghent, Hermit

Dn 7:9-10, 13-14
As I watched:
Thrones were set up
and the Ancient One took his throne.
His clothing was bright as snow,
and the hair on his head as white as wool;
His throne was flames of fire,
with wheels of burning fire.
A surging stream of fire
flowed out from where he sat;
Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him,
and myriads upon myriads attended him.
The court was convened, and the books were opened.
As the visions during the night continued, I saw
One like a son of man coming,
on the clouds of heaven;
When he reached the Ancient One
and was presented before him,
He received dominion, glory, and kingship;
nations and peoples of every language serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed.

Gospel Jn 1:47-51

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,

"Here is a true child of Israel.

There is no duplicity in him."

Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?"

Jesus answered and said to him,

"Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree."

Nathanael answered him,

"Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."

Jesus answered and said to him,

"Do you believe

because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?

You will see greater things than this."

And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you,

you will see heaven opened

and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

+

Presumably, Daniel knew Jesus was the Son of God in the vision, and He was recognized when He was presented to the Father. Otherwise, how are we to take the passage describing the vision?

Jesus saw Nathaniel under the tree, although evidently, Jesus was not close enough to have actually seen him?

In both cases, things hidden can easily be seen by God, and perhaps we can avoid sin by remembering that God sees everything we do. If we are forgiven our sins, He does not remember them any more. Think well on this when you are angry with your brother, before you take action. He is everywhere, and sees everything and can remember what we can not. Blessed are we when He points out our sins and faults to us, because then we might take action to atone before we die.

Perhaps those who abandoned the Church can take the meaning of the visions too, that the absence of His children grieves Him, and we impoverish ourselves when we forsake our Mother.

God can do marvelous things with us in an instant. We can be snatched up to heaven in ecstasy to accomplish His Will and Purpose. What we suffered for years can be undone in an instant so we are perfect again. If He forgives our sins, we shall be perfect again.

If the world is a frightening place, we should pray for protection and ask to be defended as His child.

If the world is a frightening place, perhaps it could be different if we became different, close to God and of a like disposition, loving and affectionate toward our Creator.

I have a warning for the world; it is time to reconcile with your brothers and make peace where there is war, so that on the day He comes to reveal Himself to us, we may be as He intended we should be seen, as His children and beloved of Him. 

The Lord did not dismiss or excuse Himself from the passion, but embraced the cross and won our redemption. Let not war exist between our brothers and sisters, nor in any conclave, allow dissension and vileness pervade the friendship intended. Those who deliberately try to do others harm will be punished and what was entrusted to them will be removed. Then you must make a deal with the enemy to provide for yourself, and if you do, you will be cast out into darkness and fury.

Disappointment

Day's Saints
Justina of Antioch, Martyr
Blessed Kasapr Stanggassinger, Martyr
Gospel Lk 8:19-21
The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him
but were unable to join him because of the crowd.
He was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside
and they wish to see you."
He said to them in reply, "My mother and my brothers
are those who hear the word of God and act on it."

+

What did you come out into the desert to see, a
reed shaken in the wind?

Disappointment can be difficult to endure. Expectations only heighten one's anticipation, and when things do not turn out the way we wanted them to do, it is easy to get disgusted and let down. This can even happen regarding spiritual things. Mary was disappointed that She could not get to see Her Son. That does not mean we will not be compensated, but we must not give up hope in the life that awaits us.

This life can be bitter, cold and dreary, just like the weather, but just like the weather, things can change in a heartbeat. One of the delights in life is when something changes in an instant into a moment that lifts up the soul out of itself into God.

God, on His part, does not wish us to be disappointed or to get discouraged, and for that reason, after testing us, He gives us what we wanted, but better than our expectations. 

Do not tire of praying for one another, and trying to encourage those who have despaired. Do not grow tired of higher expectations, because when God fulfills us, we will never be hungry in that way again.

Disappointment

Day's Saints
Justina of Antioch, Martyr
Blessed Kasapr Stanggassinger, Martyr
Gospel Lk 8:19-21
The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him
but were unable to join him because of the crowd.
He was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside
and they wish to see you."
He said to them in reply, "My mother and my brothers
are those who hear the word of God and act on it."

+

What did you come out into the desert to see, a
reed shaken in the wind?

Disappointment can be difficult to endure. Expectations only heighten one's anticipation, and when things do not turn out the way we wanted them to do, it is easy to get disgusted and let down. This can even happen regarding spiritual things. Mary was disappointed that She could not get to see Her Son. That does not mean we will not be compensated, but we must not give up hope in the life that awaits us.

This life can be bitter, cold and dreary, just like the weather, but just like the weather, things can change in a heartbeat. One of the delights in life is when something changes in an instant into a moment that lifts up the soul out of itself into God.

God, on His part, does not wish us to be disappointed or to get discouraged, and for that reason, after testing us, He gives us what we wanted, but better than our expectations. 

Do not tire of praying for one another, and trying to encourage those who have despaired. Do not grow tired of higher expectations, because when God fulfills us, we will never be hungry in that way again.

Companions

Day's Saints

Gunthildis Of Sufferheim
Blessed Joseph Marchandon, Martyr

Gospel Lk 8:1-3
Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another,
preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God.
Accompanying him were the Twelve
and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities,
Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,
Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza,
Susanna, and many others
who provided for them out of their resources.

+

What sign will we leave behind that we existed at all?

The Lord kept interesting company. They, in their turn, showed their respect and gratitude and surpassing belief. Anyone who wants salvation must do likewise.

Perhaps none can fathom deeply enough, the love of God for His children than those who were possessed and lived to see the light of day again.

Likewise, those afflicted by evil know full well, how beautiful is the love of Our Lord.

We may not be called to great or memorable deeds, but if we have lived a life that blessed His Name in every circumstance, we have done well, and certainly, those around such people benefitted greatly, for the world has little concern for them.

Indeed, it is said that early Christians were notable for their love and charity toward the poor and destitute. And if anything can be distributed to the poor, it is because someone gathered the wherewithal to feed the hungry out of their wealth. St. Francis knew full well the pleasures of wealth, and it is thus notable that he made such a radical change in his own circumstances to attend to the needs of the poor. If his preaching had any effect, it was only because of that change in attitude, for those charged with leading the faithful had been unfaithful in their duty, and those who were doing what the leaders should have been doing, were a breath of fresh air in a Church grown cold and stagnant.

Let us ask the Lord to refresh us so that our brothers and sisters in the world might renew the face of the earth. The world is in so much despair that it has grown frozen and rigid and needs the warmth of the blood of His followers in truth. Jesus left us an example in the shedding of His very last drop of Blood on the hill of His execution. Whatever He asks us to do, we must do fearlessly on account of His spilled Blood.

Do we have the courage to do as He asks?

Companions

Day's Saints

Gunthildis Of Sufferheim
Blessed Joseph Marchandon, Martyr

Gospel Lk 8:1-3
Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another,
preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God.
Accompanying him were the Twelve
and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities,
Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,
Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza,
Susanna, and many others
who provided for them out of their resources.

+

What sign will we leave behind that we existed at all?

The Lord kept interesting company. They, in their turn, showed their respect and gratitude and surpassing belief. Anyone who wants salvation must do likewise.

Perhaps none can fathom deeply enough, the love of God for His children than those who were possessed and lived to see the light of day again.

Likewise, those afflicted by evil know full well, how beautiful is the love of Our Lord.

We may not be called to great or memorable deeds, but if we have lived a life that blessed His Name in every circumstance, we have done well, and certainly, those around such people benefitted greatly, for the world has little concern for them.

Indeed, it is said that early Christians were notable for their love and charity toward the poor and destitute. And if anything can be distributed to the poor, it is because someone gathered the wherewithal to feed the hungry out of their wealth. St. Francis knew full well the pleasures of wealth, and it is thus notable that he made such a radical change in his own circumstances to attend to the needs of the poor. If his preaching had any effect, it was only because of that change in attitude, for those charged with leading the faithful had been unfaithful in their duty, and those who were doing what the leaders should have been doing, were a breath of fresh air in a Church grown cold and stagnant.

Let us ask the Lord to refresh us so that our brothers and sisters in the world might renew the face of the earth. The world is in so much despair that it has grown frozen and rigid and needs the warmth of the blood of His followers in truth. Jesus left us an example in the shedding of His very last drop of Blood on the hill of His execution. Whatever He asks us to do, we must do fearlessly on account of His spilled Blood.

Do we have the courage to do as He asks?

Sandals

Let us be used up like a pair of old sandals, as we
live our life as given to us, according to His life as 
we have come to  know it.

https://www.littlehouseofreflectionhermitage.com/

A few days ago, my back was hurting really bad, so I decided to use my cane, and as I walked across the room to come back to my desk, somehow I managed to mis-step and slammed my right foot into the cane with the full force of my stride, causing intense pain and bruising in three toes. How I managed to do that I do not know, but I don't use my cane very often, mostly because of my back or some injury to my feet. The thought has crossed my mind that this was another occasion when the Lord allowed something to happen because of my fervent prayers to participate in the suffering of His cross. sometimes evil takes a delight in inflicting severe suffering owing to our frailty and the ease with which we might be injured.

As if that were not enough, I was booted into windows 10 the other day, and the computer was taken over and I had all sorts of difficulty rectifying the problem. I removed windows 10 from the boot order, removed the windows 10 partition and formatted the partition after extending the remaining partition and adding its space to the windows 11 partition. Once windows was reinstalled, I restored the latest image.

Unless confronted in some way with the pain of His cross and passion, a Christian will remain somewhat indifferent to them, and thus, to Jesus as well. Unless one is willing to consider His passion, he will advance very little in spirituality. Remember that the spirit needs nourishment just as much as our body, and if we intend to be a part of Jesus in Heaven, it will have to be by way of a personal passage through the cross and passion of the Lord, Jesus.

We receive very great nourishment all the time from Jesus, though we may not realize it. Inexplicable little moments of utter exaltation and child-like joy burst into our day like a star exploding in the night to engulf everything in light. The light is not one our eyes can see, only our spirit, and since our life emanates from the spirit, we can ill afford to neglect our spirit in life.

Some people derive a great lift from a simple bottle of beer or a glass of wine, or even from a cigarette, and so they treasure these things for their relaxation and the pleasure they impart as they consume them. But if you have received the Eucharist well, by previously confessing and fasting and doing other penitential things, you may well derive bliss from the realization of the presence of Jesus as you kneel before Him concentrated on Him. Then we can appreciate the depths of His suffering and kindness to us in answering our prayers and preserving us from evil's intents.

Perhaps you can appreciate His suffering because He has drawn close to you, having died on the cross in the Mass, and rising again to stand alive. How to appreciate the Lord in His passion? Picture in your mind, that centurion thrusting the lance into the side of Jesus, piercing it all the way through so it came out the back. As you watch His hands being pulled into the place for the nail to be driven into the wood of the cross, you might find you can feel some part of His pain as the hammer beats the nails driving them into His hands and feet. One need not be too intense about it; a simple acknowledgement that you realized that it happened and what the consequences were, will suffice. Then if He asks anything of you, it is not so difficult a thing to do, and the peace that you enjoy will not soon be forgotten. The concurrence of such pain and equal bliss of happiness are the hallmarks of the mystical life in which, whether we understand the mysteries or not, we are able to experience them by His dispensation.

I don't think a life spent with the mind intent upon the mysteries of His life can be fruitless. Neither do I think that it can hurt our efforts to atone for our sins so we might be forgiven, if we appreciate how personal it was for Jesus to be nailed to the cross. appreciation is something He needs the same as ourselves. We like being appreciated; We need the love of those that mean the most to us, but do not let anything less than God have more appreciation than Jesus Himself. When a child draws a picture for us, he brims with joy to give it to us, as a token of his appreciation and love which he desires most intensely to give to us, as an expression of his human childhood. The saints were those whose child-like love never faded or went away, and the deeper they dove into his life, the deeper they plunged into His infinite love.

We are mortal beings, weak and helpless in many ways, so that when Jesus calls us His children, it is no exaggeration. A holy person is one who nurtures his love of Jesus as the pristine love of our childhood which He treasures the most above all other kinds of love. He even said that if we did not have the love of a child at heart, we could not enter the kingdom of Heaven. 

Approach prayer with a child-like attitude of simplicity and love, with joy, with grief for our sins and the sufferings of others, and you cannot go wrong or be lost, because His love will seek out ours, and He will linger with us to enjoy our company.

The child-like love that can embrace the cross itself is more powerful than any other force in existence.

A child might look upon the cross and be smitten with the pain he recognized existed on it. All the more a person whose whole life has been an appreciation for the gravity of the cross, will be one who will bring light, joy and peace to the lives of everyone around him or her.

I can tell you I appreciate the Lord, and His passion and He visits me when I say the Rosary, and I find the answers I need, and the strength to bear with my own participation of the passion. For a little while, as I live my life here, I find myself in great pains, and yet a little while longer, and I am simply lifted up by Him and glad for all of it. All the more so if I bear His pains, and undeserving, He makes me happy for my trouble. Holiness is in these simple little things, so that a valid life is simple and small and appreciative and grateful. You will find you can see solutions to problems that have vexed your life, and your prayer for others so bound, will live the solutions that the Lord found for them. If you realize it is so, and know the source of the solutions, you will be doubly glad and happy no matter the pain that insisted on being in your life.

The grace that comes from a crucified life is so great as to solve all the problems of spirit of all beings. If the world wants to sleep in peace at night and rise the next morning to go to work, then a person must immerse himself in the cross of Jesus and expressing gratitude for His cross and the passion He lived in it.

Sandals

Let us be used up like a pair of old sandals, as we
live our life as given to us, according to His life as 
we have come to  know it.

https://www.littlehouseofreflectionhermitage.com/

A few days ago, my back was hurting really bad, so I decided to use my cane, and as I walked across the room to come back to my desk, somehow I managed to mis-step and slammed my right foot into the cane with the full force of my stride, causing intense pain and bruising in three toes. How I managed to do that I do not know, but I don't use my cane very often, mostly because of my back or some injury to my feet. The thought has crossed my mind that this was another occasion when the Lord allowed something to happen because of my fervent prayers to participate in the suffering of His cross. sometimes evil takes a delight in inflicting severe suffering owing to our frailty and the ease with which we might be injured.

As if that were not enough, I was booted into windows 10 the other day, and the computer was taken over and I had all sorts of difficulty rectifying the problem. I removed windows 10 from the boot order, removed the windows 10 partition and formatted the partition after extending the remaining partition and adding its space to the windows 11 partition. Once windows was reinstalled, I restored the latest image.

Unless confronted in some way with the pain of His cross and passion, a Christian will remain somewhat indifferent to them, and thus, to Jesus as well. Unless one is willing to consider His passion, he will advance very little in spirituality. Remember that the spirit needs nourishment just as much as our body, and if we intend to be a part of Jesus in Heaven, it will have to be by way of a personal passage through the cross and passion of the Lord, Jesus.

We receive very great nourishment all the time from Jesus, though we may not realize it. Inexplicable little moments of utter exaltation and child-like joy burst into our day like a star exploding in the night to engulf everything in light. The light is not one our eyes can see, only our spirit, and since our life emanates from the spirit, we can ill afford to neglect our spirit in life.

Some people derive a great lift from a simple bottle of beer or a glass of wine, or even from a cigarette, and so they treasure these things for their relaxation and the pleasure they impart as they consume them. But if you have received the Eucharist well, by previously confessing and fasting and doing other penitential things, you may well derive bliss from the realization of the presence of Jesus as you kneel before Him concentrated on Him. Then we can appreciate the depths of His suffering and kindness to us in answering our prayers and preserving us from evil's intents.

Perhaps you can appreciate His suffering because He has drawn close to you, having died on the cross in the Mass, and rising again to stand alive. How to appreciate the Lord in His passion? Picture in your mind, that centurion thrusting the lance into the side of Jesus, piercing it all the way through so it came out the back. As you watch His hands being pulled into the place for the nail to be driven into the wood of the cross, you might find you can feel some part of His pain as the hammer beats the nails driving them into His hands and feet. One need not be too intense about it; a simple acknowledgement that you realized that it happened and what the consequences were, will suffice. Then if He asks anything of you, it is not so difficult a thing to do, and the peace that you enjoy will not soon be forgotten. The concurrence of such pain and equal bliss of happiness are the hallmarks of the mystical life in which, whether we understand the mysteries or not, we are able to experience them by His dispensation.

I don't think a life spent with the mind intent upon the mysteries of His life can be fruitless. Neither do I think that it can hurt our efforts to atone for our sins so we might be forgiven, if we appreciate how personal it was for Jesus to be nailed to the cross. appreciation is something He needs the same as ourselves. We like being appreciated; We need the love of those that mean the most to us, but do not let anything less than God have more appreciation than Jesus Himself. When a child draws a picture for us, he brims with joy to give it to us, as a token of his appreciation and love which he desires most intensely to give to us, as an expression of his human childhood. The saints were those whose child-like love never faded or went away, and the deeper they dove into his life, the deeper they plunged into His infinite love.

We are mortal beings, weak and helpless in many ways, so that when Jesus calls us His children, it is no exaggeration. A holy person is one who nurtures his love of Jesus as the pristine love of our childhood which He treasures the most above all other kinds of love. He even said that if we did not have the love of a child at heart, we could not enter the kingdom of Heaven. 

Approach prayer with a child-like attitude of simplicity and love, with joy, with grief for our sins and the sufferings of others, and you cannot go wrong or be lost, because His love will seek out ours, and He will linger with us to enjoy our company.

The child-like love that can embrace the cross itself is more powerful than any other force in existence.

A child might look upon the cross and be smitten with the pain he recognized existed on it. All the more a person whose whole life has been an appreciation for the gravity of the cross, will be one who will bring light, joy and peace to the lives of everyone around him or her.

I can tell you I appreciate the Lord, and His passion and He visits me when I say the Rosary, and I find the answers I need, and the strength to bear with my own participation of the passion. For a little while, as I live my life here, I find myself in great pains, and yet a little while longer, and I am simply lifted up by Him and glad for all of it. All the more so if I bear His pains, and undeserving, He makes me happy for my trouble. Holiness is in these simple little things, so that a valid life is simple and small and appreciative and grateful. You will find you can see solutions to problems that have vexed your life, and your prayer for others so bound, will live the solutions that the Lord found for them. If you realize it is so, and know the source of the solutions, you will be doubly glad and happy no matter the pain that insisted on being in your life.

The grace that comes from a crucified life is so great as to solve all the problems of spirit of all beings. If the world wants to sleep in peace at night and rise the next morning to go to work, then a person must immerse himself in the cross of Jesus and expressing gratitude for His cross and the passion He lived in it.

Fearless Love

Day's Saints
Hildegard von Bingen
Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi

Gospel Mt 18:21-35
Peter approached Jesus and asked him,
"Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive?
As many as seven times?"
Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.'
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
'Pay back what you owe.'
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'
But he refused.
Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master
and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?'
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart."

+

Join me n fearless love.

My back was trying to go into a full-blown spasm again, so I got my cane and was walking back to my desk when I somehow misstepped and bruised three of my toes in a very painful injury. I prayed for healing to St. Padre Pio and it quit hurting. My back is still giving me fits. I offered it all to the Lord for the souls in purgatory and those most in need of the mercy of the Lord.

This was permitted by the Lord so I would have something to offer Him for souls, and to teach me humility. It also gave me something to offer the Lord for your needs and intentions. Do not neglect to do similarly what will please the Lord greatly, for if you are not permitted to do great things, at least do humbler things with more love, and you will catch sight of the Lord and know the joy of being lifted up in the conflagration of the love in His Heart, for He treasures and gathers to Himself, all that is loving and noble.

Take care with what you read, and toss aside news that is sensational and obviously untrue, so you may abide in peace and tranquility and worship the Lord unimpeded. For if evil gets a chance to disturb you in your prayers and rests before the Lord, he will, and you will have a hard time of it.

Part of of our misfortunes in life are permitted to teach us lessons that will become part of our armor of combat so we may remain strong and unperturbed in battle. for we must expect, as servants of the Lord, to distinguish ourselves in the field of valor, from time to time.

I have suffered greatly in various ways, and marveled that I got free of snares that ought to have been my undoing, and suffered genuine miseries to atone for others' sins. He trains us up so we may be soldiers and so it may be obvious that is so, and we offer ourselves to Him to shield others, while exposing our tenderness to mortal blows while pleasing the Lord. Thus He accords honor to the humblest of us, and so He may recount bravery on our part, baring our very hearts to His love and painful blows by which we also share in His passion. Honor and glory be to the Lord for His salvation of His people, redeeming everyone by His cross. 

Think not that having a cross in your hands, you have satisfied His desires for your salvation, for which would be greater, to hold a golden cross, or to have spent a portion of your time on earth fastened to his Heart by being fastened to His cross? Therefore show forth your gratitude to the Lord with courage by embracing our opportunity to be with Him on the cross, when such opportunity affords itself.

Insights are gained by such a vantage point, looking out from an exalted height, to see all His works accomplished through love and faith for us, His children. He set people free of evil so they might enjoy the happiness of the Lord which He was glad to share. Thus He may share His cross in many ways, each suited to the person longing for His love and presence in spite of all they may lose of earthly joys.

The great sufferings of the cross are the occasion to immerse a valiant heart in love which is unspeakable and which sheds so much light into the world, that no one should remain that was not touched by it. It is more contagious than any disease of evil, and healing us as we are lifted up, find ourselves edified as well, so that we no  longer mind the little we entertained of His sorrows.

Some sensations are of wounds inflicted from the cross, and some are the piercing desolation of His agony, as He went to His death forgiving and delivering from the grip of evil.

For I believe that He is freeing nations and delivering His children from oppression because of love. When the impossible comes to pass, the children of God leap up in joy, caught up in His joy by peace which overcomes evil. For evil gloats when it sees us suffering misfortune, but falls back in shame when it sees the glory the Lord has shared with them, and the honor He has bestowed on all lovers of His Heart. Thus, how can it be evil to suffer for Jesus Himself, when He suffered more than we can know out of a great depth of good? Obviously, a little thing is a nail, and something smaller a thorn, and in the end He has built a cathedral out of a humble man who had the audacity to confront his fear of pain and surrender completely to His passion and the sharing of it in His Will. Are you afraid of the pain of His nails? It will all be swallowed up in a great fire of love which will engulf and overwhelm it it utterly, if you are simply patient and docile in His hands. He shares from His hands, the wounds and the pain you fear, and bore it first, so you  may see what a small thing it is to share thus in your love; your love stands to be magnified until it is brighter than any sun, and rather than being burned by so great a conflagration of love, you are illuminated and exalted to utter happiness which you cannot understand or describe. Thus the future is one of light, and not despair, for the simple things that fastened His earthly Body to the wood of the cross. He was taken down, the nails removed and He was laid to rest on the stone of the sepulcher, and when He rose, the light of His divinity imparted an image on the burial clothes in which He was laid there. Light blazed forth, and it imprinted the image of His resurrected Body on the cloths. Do you doubt He will do the same for you? Get ready to endure unspeakable happiness, for He intends to do the same. The world of death and evil will be confined to a place from which there is no escape. The tormented and persecuted will be rewarded with an eternally happy moment, in which all the wounds that Christians suffered at the hand of evil will become deeds of glory and light united to that of Christ Himself. Thus, do not fear the cross, for He did great things from it, and rose from the dead so we might follow Him on the given day.

Triumph following victory, and each man's debt is paid by love, and therefore I offer my poor body to emulate Him on the cross if He wishes it, and I do not doubt the joy that will be mine, even as I hurt. If I may hurt for you and He permits it, perhaps we may share together in His bliss.

Fearless Love

Day's Saints
Hildegard von Bingen
Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi

Gospel Mt 18:21-35
Peter approached Jesus and asked him,
"Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive?
As many as seven times?"
Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.'
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
'Pay back what you owe.'
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'
But he refused.
Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master
and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?'
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart."

+

Join me n fearless love.

My back was trying to go into a full-blown spasm again, so I got my cane and was walking back to my desk when I somehow misstepped and bruised three of my toes in a very painful injury. I prayed for healing to St. Padre Pio and it quit hurting. My back is still giving me fits. I offered it all to the Lord for the souls in purgatory and those most in need of the mercy of the Lord.

This was permitted by the Lord so I would have something to offer Him for souls, and to teach me humility. It also gave me something to offer the Lord for your needs and intentions. Do not neglect to do similarly what will please the Lord greatly, for if you are not permitted to do great things, at least do humbler things with more love, and you will catch sight of the Lord and know the joy of being lifted up in the conflagration of the love in His Heart, for He treasures and gathers to Himself, all that is loving and noble.

Take care with what you read, and toss aside news that is sensational and obviously untrue, so you may abide in peace and tranquility and worship the Lord unimpeded. For if evil gets a chance to disturb you in your prayers and rests before the Lord, he will, and you will have a hard time of it.

Part of of our misfortunes in life are permitted to teach us lessons that will become part of our armor of combat so we may remain strong and unperturbed in battle. for we must expect, as servants of the Lord, to distinguish ourselves in the field of valor, from time to time.

I have suffered greatly in various ways, and marveled that I got free of snares that ought to have been my undoing, and suffered genuine miseries to atone for others' sins. He trains us up so we may be soldiers and so it may be obvious that is so, and we offer ourselves to Him to shield others, while exposing our tenderness to mortal blows while pleasing the Lord. Thus He accords honor to the humblest of us, and so He may recount bravery on our part, baring our very hearts to His love and painful blows by which we also share in His passion. Honor and glory be to the Lord for His salvation of His people, redeeming everyone by His cross. 

Think not that having a cross in your hands, you have satisfied His desires for your salvation, for which would be greater, to hold a golden cross, or to have spent a portion of your time on earth fastened to his Heart by being fastened to His cross? Therefore show forth your gratitude to the Lord with courage by embracing our opportunity to be with Him on the cross, when such opportunity affords itself.

Insights are gained by such a vantage point, looking out from an exalted height, to see all His works accomplished through love and faith for us, His children. He set people free of evil so they might enjoy the happiness of the Lord which He was glad to share. Thus He may share His cross in many ways, each suited to the person longing for His love and presence in spite of all they may lose of earthly joys.

The great sufferings of the cross are the occasion to immerse a valiant heart in love which is unspeakable and which sheds so much light into the world, that no one should remain that was not touched by it. It is more contagious than any disease of evil, and healing us as we are lifted up, find ourselves edified as well, so that we no  longer mind the little we entertained of His sorrows.

Some sensations are of wounds inflicted from the cross, and some are the piercing desolation of His agony, as He went to His death forgiving and delivering from the grip of evil.

For I believe that He is freeing nations and delivering His children from oppression because of love. When the impossible comes to pass, the children of God leap up in joy, caught up in His joy by peace which overcomes evil. For evil gloats when it sees us suffering misfortune, but falls back in shame when it sees the glory the Lord has shared with them, and the honor He has bestowed on all lovers of His Heart. Thus, how can it be evil to suffer for Jesus Himself, when He suffered more than we can know out of a great depth of good? Obviously, a little thing is a nail, and something smaller a thorn, and in the end He has built a cathedral out of a humble man who had the audacity to confront his fear of pain and surrender completely to His passion and the sharing of it in His Will. Are you afraid of the pain of His nails? It will all be swallowed up in a great fire of love which will engulf and overwhelm it it utterly, if you are simply patient and docile in His hands. He shares from His hands, the wounds and the pain you fear, and bore it first, so you  may see what a small thing it is to share thus in your love; your love stands to be magnified until it is brighter than any sun, and rather than being burned by so great a conflagration of love, you are illuminated and exalted to utter happiness which you cannot understand or describe. Thus the future is one of light, and not despair, for the simple things that fastened His earthly Body to the wood of the cross. He was taken down, the nails removed and He was laid to rest on the stone of the sepulcher, and when He rose, the light of His divinity imparted an image on the burial clothes in which He was laid there. Light blazed forth, and it imprinted the image of His resurrected Body on the cloths. Do you doubt He will do the same for you? Get ready to endure unspeakable happiness, for He intends to do the same. The world of death and evil will be confined to a place from which there is no escape. The tormented and persecuted will be rewarded with an eternally happy moment, in which all the wounds that Christians suffered at the hand of evil will become deeds of glory and light united to that of Christ Himself. Thus, do not fear the cross, for He did great things from it, and rose from the dead so we might follow Him on the given day.

Triumph following victory, and each man's debt is paid by love, and therefore I offer my poor body to emulate Him on the cross if He wishes it, and I do not doubt the joy that will be mine, even as I hurt. If I may hurt for you and He permits it, perhaps we may share together in His bliss.

Pouring

May your heart pour out love into
my Heart so I may fill you up with my love.

Conversation about St. Padre Pio

God is a God of compassion. He is all that is good, and He sees us in Himself, and works to reveal Himself to us in healing kindness.

We who are caught up in sins, need to remember who He is, and to desire most fervently to feel that compassion which He wishes to give.

The gift of intercession is one in which a person is united to His compassion, His love and His longing in such a way that He can touch us, and heal us, and allow us again to be born again in Him, to become an entirely renewed person who can pour out his heart and be filled back up with His love.

It requires emptying as He experienced emptying, being brought down low and crushed into the earth, and yet intimately, fruitfully in the same Heart of Love which was Christ's. 

Give to one another what you can, and don't concern yourself so much with things you need to live, because He has preceded you into the wilderness to encounter Him pointing out what He had already placed where you needed it at just the right moment.

But if you are called to that sacrament which is compassion as Jesus was compassionate. give yourself to Him utterly, and in any case where you discover you have not yet given it to Jesus, hasten to give it to your brother, for in so doing, you will be doing it to Jesus. He never forgets a kindness nor does He ever deny us His kindness, if we seek forgiveness, because He then is able to give even more to us.

We need not worry about what we are worth, what people think of us or our deeds, or whether in any case we are acceptable, because we are always acceptable to Him.

Let these thoughts heal you and comfort you and give you soothing peace. no matter the bitterness or despair that engulfs your soul, for it will end one day and from then on, you will be with Him receiving what you desired all your life but could not name. He knows what it is; it is Him.

Our road may be trod through darkness, but our destination is the light. We may trod through suffering that is almost unbearable, but we are not bearing it alone, for Jesus knew from the cross, that you would endure suffering, and joined it to His to bury it in His Heart so that it would be remembered forever, and so he may give you His love and His compassion because He wished you to be redeemed forever.

And He gifted someone with compassion with which to stand in your place of desolation to intercede for you and for your freedom. No one is alone in the world, there are millions in the world in any given moment. You are not alone in the world, because Jesus is everywhere at all moments and will always be, because He wished to be available to you to call out and weep into His hands.

Pouring

May your heart pour out love into
my Heart so I may fill you up with my love.

Conversation about St. Padre Pio

God is a God of compassion. He is all that is good, and He sees us in Himself, and works to reveal Himself to us in healing kindness.

We who are caught up in sins, need to remember who He is, and to desire most fervently to feel that compassion which He wishes to give.

The gift of intercession is one in which a person is united to His compassion, His love and His longing in such a way that He can touch us, and heal us, and allow us again to be born again in Him, to become an entirely renewed person who can pour out his heart and be filled back up with His love.

It requires emptying as He experienced emptying, being brought down low and crushed into the earth, and yet intimately, fruitfully in the same Heart of Love which was Christ's. 

Give to one another what you can, and don't concern yourself so much with things you need to live, because He has preceded you into the wilderness to encounter Him pointing out what He had already placed where you needed it at just the right moment.

But if you are called to that sacrament which is compassion as Jesus was compassionate. give yourself to Him utterly, and in any case where you discover you have not yet given it to Jesus, hasten to give it to your brother, for in so doing, you will be doing it to Jesus. He never forgets a kindness nor does He ever deny us His kindness, if we seek forgiveness, because He then is able to give even more to us.

We need not worry about what we are worth, what people think of us or our deeds, or whether in any case we are acceptable, because we are always acceptable to Him.

Let these thoughts heal you and comfort you and give you soothing peace. no matter the bitterness or despair that engulfs your soul, for it will end one day and from then on, you will be with Him receiving what you desired all your life but could not name. He knows what it is; it is Him.

Our road may be trod through darkness, but our destination is the light. We may trod through suffering that is almost unbearable, but we are not bearing it alone, for Jesus knew from the cross, that you would endure suffering, and joined it to His to bury it in His Heart so that it would be remembered forever, and so he may give you His love and His compassion because He wished you to be redeemed forever.

And He gifted someone with compassion with which to stand in your place of desolation to intercede for you and for your freedom. No one is alone in the world, there are millions in the world in any given moment. You are not alone in the world, because Jesus is everywhere at all moments and will always be, because He wished to be available to you to call out and weep into His hands.

Undoing

 

We go to great lengths to uphold our opinions, even though, often they are incorrect and can lead to error or violence, even the moral undoing of our soul.

In the world, all sorts of violence and vile actions take place everywhere until we are destroyed, from the inside out.

I plead for prayers to unite us back to Christ and through Christ, back to one another, and friends and brothers and sisters, finally, children of God.

I pass on a warning too; if we cannot preserve our brotherhood and sisterhood, we will perish having not accomplished what the Lord Our God has willed. Then, when it is too late, we will see what we let slip through our fingers, and weep for the ease with which we were parted.

The world is fragile, and the balance that preserves the equilibrium in which we live will be snuffed out and we will be sorry.

How shall we answer for our choices? Will we have tomorrow to choose differently? God holds out the promise of peace and grace to us, and waits  patiently for us to see the excellence of His Will in contrast to the decrepit state of our own choices.

Some things are so wrong and so deadly that having an opinion let a lone a will, are a hazard to our continued existence. If it only leads to violence and twisted thinking and foul lying, what outcome can there be? Consider the world you are building, and what God i building. We must make a choice between the two.

I have very little to offer so that others might be forgiven, be healed and be saved to enjoy the friendship of the Lord.. I have my pains and disappointments and the sorrow that I do not understand better than I do.

It will have to do, for we have little time left.

Undoing

 

We go to great lengths to uphold our opinions, even though, often they are incorrect and can lead to error or violence, even the moral undoing of our soul.

In the world, all sorts of violence and vile actions take place everywhere until we are destroyed, from the inside out.

I plead for prayers to unite us back to Christ and through Christ, back to one another, and friends and brothers and sisters, finally, children of God.

I pass on a warning too; if we cannot preserve our brotherhood and sisterhood, we will perish having not accomplished what the Lord Our God has willed. Then, when it is too late, we will see what we let slip through our fingers, and weep for the ease with which we were parted.

The world is fragile, and the balance that preserves the equilibrium in which we live will be snuffed out and we will be sorry.

How shall we answer for our choices? Will we have tomorrow to choose differently? God holds out the promise of peace and grace to us, and waits  patiently for us to see the excellence of His Will in contrast to the decrepit state of our own choices.

Some things are so wrong and so deadly that having an opinion let a lone a will, are a hazard to our continued existence. If it only leads to violence and twisted thinking and foul lying, what outcome can there be? Consider the world you are building, and what God i building. We must make a choice between the two.

I have very little to offer so that others might be forgiven, be healed and be saved to enjoy the friendship of the Lord.. I have my pains and disappointments and the sorrow that I do not understand better than I do.

It will have to do, for we have little time left.

Seeing

 The glory of creation is not to be held close to possess, but to share as far and wide as possible. It is the revelation of the Lord to our impoverished eyes, the light of first revelation we never forget, and which accompanies us freely forever, to step across the abyss to heaven.

And so we may never forget, nature repeats itself in grand displays that show us the grandeur of our place in the universe, small, small, profoundly small, so the universe may embrace us  to recall forever.

Planets circle round, and rising, fall again in the great circle of their journey, so that we may welcome them over and over, year by year.

Yet as grand as all this is, the closeness of the Lord is unforgettable, and gives us courage to step  out of our boat and walk to Him, across the tumult of the sea.

Shining brightly in the high sky, moon and stars and planets take their turn walking by us, vying to astonish in their magnificence.

Yet the revelation of the Lord, containing it all within, is never far from us, and the Lord Himself unforgettable. But, come close, and linger and see what He has to show today, and what is hidden like a sweet kiss, from our eyes.

Seeing

 The glory of creation is not to be held close to possess, but to share as far and wide as possible. It is the revelation of the Lord to our impoverished eyes, the light of first revelation we never forget, and which accompanies us freely forever, to step across the abyss to heaven.

And so we may never forget, nature repeats itself in grand displays that show us the grandeur of our place in the universe, small, small, profoundly small, so the universe may embrace us  to recall forever.

Planets circle round, and rising, fall again in the great circle of their journey, so that we may welcome them over and over, year by year.

Yet as grand as all this is, the closeness of the Lord is unforgettable, and gives us courage to step  out of our boat and walk to Him, across the tumult of the sea.

Shining brightly in the high sky, moon and stars and planets take their turn walking by us, vying to astonish in their magnificence.

Yet the revelation of the Lord, containing it all within, is never far from us, and the Lord Himself unforgettable. But, come close, and linger and see what He has to show today, and what is hidden like a sweet kiss, from our eyes.

God Is With Us

Day's Saints
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Blessed Adam Bargielski, Martyr

Gospel Matthew 1:18-23
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
"Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins."
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means "God is with us."

+

How quickly you forget what I showed you,
and you fall down. Stand up and walk
with me.

Why do we so often act as if God was far from us? He is close to us, very near to us, physically as well as spiritually, in His affections and feelings, and we do well to guard against hurting Him who has been hurt for us already too much.

We have committed sins, offending and repulsing Him, whom we should be intent on worshipping. What else should the children of God do in the presence of Almighty God? Do we take advantage of the grace to be close to Him in our affections and feelings? Granted, the work of God sometimes calls for sacrifices, and some of them, severe sacrifices, but given our proclivity toward sin, it is the least painful path to being freed of sins, particularly repetitive sins, habitual sins. Do not act as if we have been left no defense, because that is not true. If He seems to stand off, it is to see if we can walk yet, and whether we will. If a sinner is repentant and shows signs of resistance, the Lord will watch to see our first steps as a free child.

And who wishes to forever be a toddler? A child strives with all its might to speak when spoken to, even though the brain lacks the substance to enable speech; still the child will mimic every nuance of speech directed toward him. Evil wishes to convince us that sinful acts bear fruit immediately and strives to blind us to the truth, that the fruit of sin is death and is bitter to the taste.

No sin produces true happiness. It lacks the dimension of divine satisfaction and contentment, though the excitement of living as part of Jesus  overwhelms the soul with delight. Equally compelling is the realization that life with God is eternal and unfading and lacks the weakness of earthly satisfactions which quickly fade and are forgotten, until something stirs desire in  us again, imperiling our soul.

How to get an entire planet to desire God's goodness? He will love the human race forever, and work to give us or place with Him in Heaven. He does not forsake or abandon us, and those who will practice abandonment to the Will of God will find themselves promoted to a higher place, from which vantage point, we may see more and the more we see, the more we will love Him, and the more He will love us. He will love us without reserve, as He has always. If we saw the splendor of the Lord, there would be no question in our mind that He is superior in every respect to any earthly thing, or any earthly friend. He is not like the fickle hearts that flare up flames of love for a time, until some other fascination captures our imagination and he flies off leaving us to grieve.

The Lord grieves if we abandon Him, and He will point out what we abandoned and that we will only know happiness if we return to Him.

Do not wait until the universe is dissolving around us, to make up your mind how much you love Him. If your love is weak, ask Him to strengthen it, then do not grow discouraged of the strengthening makes you work as you have not worked before. You will learn to walk, and then to run until you can fly and be anywhere you want. You should want to fly with all your heart. The view from high is breathtaking in the Heaven of God, which is your homeland.