Because

 

I wrote because He asked me to.

What happened three days after He was crucified? The stone sealing the sepulcher was rolled aside to open it up, and Mary Magdalen encountered Jesus, not recognizing Him. Somehow His appearance was different, and Mary did not recognize Him. 

I am a creature of  God, and He has risen, and has revealed Himself to me day by day over 76 years. Sometimes it was through harsh pain, deep abandonment and profound silent solitude, resonating with the Spirit of a risen Lord, at a time when my soul was drier than a desert emptiness. 

The desert was too vast; I could not take it in, yet I was abandoned here, waiting for His command. He was silent as no one else can be silent - after He has spoken calling you, no one tells you how silent it is when He stops speaking, and my soul was in agony to hear again, the voice Whom I loved.

I wanted to enter into the mystery of a man alive with deadly wounds pouring forth blood like Jesus; I did, but not the way I'd hoped. It was ever so hidden and mundane, almost to the point of feeling I had died. But I had and it took me a while to recognize the landscape and orient to a new life.

O how I wish that resurrection would burst forth within you, pain and desolation and all, so you might catch at least a fleeting glimpse of real glory you could remember forever.

The miracle was that was changed in subtle ways, uplifted, glorified and transfigured until I scarcely recognized myself.

I am different; my soul wants to cry out so people who cannot hear will hear me, and so people who cannot see, might glimpse sight again and realize the life that He is waiting to given them. It is nothing like what people force themselves to see; it is more subtle than merely getting what you want. It is enough to ask Him "Crucify me, Lord so I may serve you ! "But He says, you are already crucified, you need nothing more but to follow me."

Sometimes I ache so badly, that no one sees. Neither in a word I say, nor in a drop of blood, do I proclaim what He bids me say, but angels in heaven kneel before the word of God and raptured up into heaven high, all heads are bowed low before the living God. They stood in disbelief to see what was revealed, and I did not realize, or recognize the Lord at first. I still stand before Him offering my poor self and bodily me, trembling prayers on my lips. Sometimes my mouth was too dry to swallow, and sometimes the pain pressed me hard against the unyielding rock, caring nothing for my distress. Yet, under the blazing sun, He told me to enter the cave, and I waited just inside as cataclysms flew by in terrifying roars. Me, of all persons I know who deserved more to see what was shown.

Now is the time to standard in ordinary daylight listening to sparrows singing in the trees, and wondering at the Spirit flowing in the wind through me.

It all boils down to one saying: "He is risen."

Because

 

I wrote because He asked me to.

What happened three days after He was crucified? The stone sealing the sepulcher was rolled aside to open it up, and Mary Magdalen encountered Jesus, not recognizing Him. Somehow His appearance was different, and Mary did not recognize Him. 

I am a creature of  God, and He has risen, and has revealed Himself to me day by day over 76 years. Sometimes it was through harsh pain, deep abandonment and profound silent solitude, resonating with the Spirit of a risen Lord, at a time when my soul was drier than a desert emptiness. 

The desert was too vast; I could not take it in, yet I was abandoned here, waiting for His command. He was silent as no one else can be silent - after He has spoken calling you, no one tells you how silent it is when He stops speaking, and my soul was in agony to hear again, the voice Whom I loved.

I wanted to enter into the mystery of a man alive with deadly wounds pouring forth blood like Jesus; I did, but not the way I'd hoped. It was ever so hidden and mundane, almost to the point of feeling I had died. But I had and it took me a while to recognize the landscape and orient to a new life.

O how I wish that resurrection would burst forth within you, pain and desolation and all, so you might catch at least a fleeting glimpse of real glory you could remember forever.

The miracle was that was changed in subtle ways, uplifted, glorified and transfigured until I scarcely recognized myself.

I am different; my soul wants to cry out so people who cannot hear will hear me, and so people who cannot see, might glimpse sight again and realize the life that He is waiting to given them. It is nothing like what people force themselves to see; it is more subtle than merely getting what you want. It is enough to ask Him "Crucify me, Lord so I may serve you ! "But He says, you are already crucified, you need nothing more but to follow me."

Sometimes I ache so badly, that no one sees. Neither in a word I say, nor in a drop of blood, do I proclaim what He bids me say, but angels in heaven kneel before the word of God and raptured up into heaven high, all heads are bowed low before the living God. They stood in disbelief to see what was revealed, and I did not realize, or recognize the Lord at first. I still stand before Him offering my poor self and bodily me, trembling prayers on my lips. Sometimes my mouth was too dry to swallow, and sometimes the pain pressed me hard against the unyielding rock, caring nothing for my distress. Yet, under the blazing sun, He told me to enter the cave, and I waited just inside as cataclysms flew by in terrifying roars. Me, of all persons I know who deserved more to see what was shown.

Now is the time to standard in ordinary daylight listening to sparrows singing in the trees, and wondering at the Spirit flowing in the wind through me.

It all boils down to one saying: "He is risen."

Trust

Will you come?

 Perhaps we can take a lesson in humility from the circumstance of Holy Saturday. None of us was at Golgotha, let alone the sepulcher, and certainly none of us was privy to anointing and  clothing of the Body of Jesus. That mystery is for the human race, like a great stone wall through which none of us can see. Death itself is a great enough mystery to terrify the whole world, and Jesus faced it, and passed through it to realms of which we know nothing.

Yet, Jesus can be with us who wish to be, and to be His possession, so that we can pass through the mystery of death and life and our transformation.  

We must make ourselves utterly available to Him, and pliant in His hands. That is to say, we need faith which Jesus Himself wishes to give personally to each of us, sufficient for whatever He asks of us. If it will be sufficient, then the mystery is, for us, already revealed and accomplished; there is no need for fear or apprehension. The number of ages through which our existence was summoned no longer matter; we already exist, and we will continue to exist, and the way of our existence is safe in His hands, so we may learn trust, and love and faith. If we have matured in Christ, then we no longer need to worry that we have not fulfilled our part of the bargain. Jesus has died, and while we wait to die, we prepare to live in Him, according to His promises.

Christianity is not about ego, vanity or despair nor disappointment. He is not troubled with our disappointment, because He holds  our belief in His hands where it can be safe, so that our security is no longed founded in this life, but already exists in Christ.

What security can we provide Jesus in the matter of a loan He has granted us? We can only pledge our life, and our weakness and sinfulness, against His certainty and His own pledge of salvation. The matter of failures must be swallowed up in the accepting love of God which assures us of His love, a love that covered us with divine life so we would be well-supplied before our passage has been accomplished.

My Jesus We trust in You. 

Trust

Will you come?

 Perhaps we can take a lesson in humility from the circumstance of Holy Saturday. None of us was at Golgotha, let alone the sepulcher, and certainly none of us was privy to anointing and  clothing of the Body of Jesus. That mystery is for the human race, like a great stone wall through which none of us can see. Death itself is a great enough mystery to terrify the whole world, and Jesus faced it, and passed through it to realms of which we know nothing.

Yet, Jesus can be with us who wish to be, and to be His possession, so that we can pass through the mystery of death and life and our transformation.  

We must make ourselves utterly available to Him, and pliant in His hands. That is to say, we need faith which Jesus Himself wishes to give personally to each of us, sufficient for whatever He asks of us. If it will be sufficient, then the mystery is, for us, already revealed and accomplished; there is no need for fear or apprehension. The number of ages through which our existence was summoned no longer matter; we already exist, and we will continue to exist, and the way of our existence is safe in His hands, so we may learn trust, and love and faith. If we have matured in Christ, then we no longer need to worry that we have not fulfilled our part of the bargain. Jesus has died, and while we wait to die, we prepare to live in Him, according to His promises.

Christianity is not about ego, vanity or despair nor disappointment. He is not troubled with our disappointment, because He holds  our belief in His hands where it can be safe, so that our security is no longed founded in this life, but already exists in Christ.

What security can we provide Jesus in the matter of a loan He has granted us? We can only pledge our life, and our weakness and sinfulness, against His certainty and His own pledge of salvation. The matter of failures must be swallowed up in the accepting love of God which assures us of His love, a love that covered us with divine life so we would be well-supplied before our passage has been accomplished.

My Jesus We trust in You. 

Acceptance

 

I am sensitive to rejection, and in thinking about the last supper of Jesus, I encounter Him pondering the depth of rejection by human beings, that led to His dying. How He could go on to finish what He began in such a humiliating way, I cannot fathom.

In the face of the passion-life of Jesus, from the triumphant entry into Jerusalem to the rolling of the stone to seal His sepulcher, the physical component was devastating enough, but to be able to persevere and endure until His death, is unimaginable in merely human terms.

Let us not forget how much He loved the human race, including those who rejected Him and sought His death by crucifixion from Pontius Pilate.

One can make no sense of the suffering without a feeling for the love. To imagine one could cooperate with being nailed to a cross is impossible, because it only exists as an outcome of a Will that is divine and totally dedicated to love.

Neither can a man desire and achieve the crucifixion without a grasp of love, especially divine love. St. Padre Pio described how Jesus appeared to Him during his prayers, holding a lance which He thrust into the side of Padre Pio, and the imposition of nails into his feet and hands. There is also the matter of the suffering of the crown of thorns, the scourging and the physical abuse He endured. These too he encountered and suffered with for at least fifty years, quietly, silently and patiently amongst a humanity drowning in sin without realizing what was happening. That has not stopped, nor has it diminished until this moment.

Jesus still endures this in all the ages since until right now. Our prayers are weak, but we still must say them, and to say them we must want to say them, in order that His love might pervade reality until we do love and want to pray.

There are certain truths which we cannot reject and still call ourselves Christians. Men avidly embrace spurious creeds and beliefs that go counter to logic, reason and God's truth, and they reject the creed of Jesus which He handed down to us which can be used to make us saints and assure a place at His side in triumph. The rejection of the truths of Jesus in arrogance is equally painful to Him, and He will do all He can to counter lies with truth, but men who reject the truth have fallen off the earth and are adrift in darkness until the new reality begins. Until then, those willing to atone are few but very well blessed. Padre Pio could not accept what Jesus brought him the day Jesus penetrated his side, and pierced his hands and feet so he could be like Him and He could be with him as He was as he prayed to save souls. His acceptance of the Will of Jesus was accomplished by the same love with which Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.

So, if you are sad with an endless sorrow, suffer loneliness and emptiness in the desert that is life, we should realize how close we are to sharing with the love that enabled Jesus to receive crucifixion. We cannot love enough on our own to be able to accept the offer of the cross, regardless of what it means. For Jesus, it meant suffering beyond imagining and a labor of divine love to incorporate the cross into the divine life, from whence all suffering of His passion comes forth from Him.

One might reflect that his own personal share in the cross this Lent does not amount to much, no matter how deeply we suffer pain and rejection in life.

Yet, enough people evidently have received enough love to accept a great deal, or life as we know it might already have been extinguished in the world. The light we have and that is, emanates from the love in Jesus and His cross and the adherence to the Faith and the truth. No one can say they are Christian, let alone Catholic, who are actually willing to accept as truth, what is a lie and contrary to what He has revealed to us.

Do not fear that you realize your weakness, but fear that anything might separate you from the suffering Jesus and a participation in His passion life.

To be saved means not to cease to exist separate from Jesus. The whole universe will change in an instant to a new reality we cannot imagine; Scripture tells us so. Jesus bore the agony of their loss and the loss of their love. We cannot imagine not being, but it is possible to not be. To be missing from the  universe would be bad enough, but to be suddenly aware that we also are separated from Jesus is incomprehensible. Our enemy who hates truth and hates love hates us and Jesus as well. We must be  counted one way or the other, do we accept the truth, and union with Jesus, and all that must be endured in order to be with Him forever, or not? At some momentous point in life we will be asked; pray that you may say the word that saves you and fulfills His Will at the same instant of His love.

Acceptance

 

I am sensitive to rejection, and in thinking about the last supper of Jesus, I encounter Him pondering the depth of rejection by human beings, that led to His dying. How He could go on to finish what He began in such a humiliating way, I cannot fathom.

In the face of the passion-life of Jesus, from the triumphant entry into Jerusalem to the rolling of the stone to seal His sepulcher, the physical component was devastating enough, but to be able to persevere and endure until His death, is unimaginable in merely human terms.

Let us not forget how much He loved the human race, including those who rejected Him and sought His death by crucifixion from Pontius Pilate.

One can make no sense of the suffering without a feeling for the love. To imagine one could cooperate with being nailed to a cross is impossible, because it only exists as an outcome of a Will that is divine and totally dedicated to love.

Neither can a man desire and achieve the crucifixion without a grasp of love, especially divine love. St. Padre Pio described how Jesus appeared to Him during his prayers, holding a lance which He thrust into the side of Padre Pio, and the imposition of nails into his feet and hands. There is also the matter of the suffering of the crown of thorns, the scourging and the physical abuse He endured. These too he encountered and suffered with for at least fifty years, quietly, silently and patiently amongst a humanity drowning in sin without realizing what was happening. That has not stopped, nor has it diminished until this moment.

Jesus still endures this in all the ages since until right now. Our prayers are weak, but we still must say them, and to say them we must want to say them, in order that His love might pervade reality until we do love and want to pray.

There are certain truths which we cannot reject and still call ourselves Christians. Men avidly embrace spurious creeds and beliefs that go counter to logic, reason and God's truth, and they reject the creed of Jesus which He handed down to us which can be used to make us saints and assure a place at His side in triumph. The rejection of the truths of Jesus in arrogance is equally painful to Him, and He will do all He can to counter lies with truth, but men who reject the truth have fallen off the earth and are adrift in darkness until the new reality begins. Until then, those willing to atone are few but very well blessed. Padre Pio could not accept what Jesus brought him the day Jesus penetrated his side, and pierced his hands and feet so he could be like Him and He could be with him as He was as he prayed to save souls. His acceptance of the Will of Jesus was accomplished by the same love with which Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.

So, if you are sad with an endless sorrow, suffer loneliness and emptiness in the desert that is life, we should realize how close we are to sharing with the love that enabled Jesus to receive crucifixion. We cannot love enough on our own to be able to accept the offer of the cross, regardless of what it means. For Jesus, it meant suffering beyond imagining and a labor of divine love to incorporate the cross into the divine life, from whence all suffering of His passion comes forth from Him.

One might reflect that his own personal share in the cross this Lent does not amount to much, no matter how deeply we suffer pain and rejection in life.

Yet, enough people evidently have received enough love to accept a great deal, or life as we know it might already have been extinguished in the world. The light we have and that is, emanates from the love in Jesus and His cross and the adherence to the Faith and the truth. No one can say they are Christian, let alone Catholic, who are actually willing to accept as truth, what is a lie and contrary to what He has revealed to us.

Do not fear that you realize your weakness, but fear that anything might separate you from the suffering Jesus and a participation in His passion life.

To be saved means not to cease to exist separate from Jesus. The whole universe will change in an instant to a new reality we cannot imagine; Scripture tells us so. Jesus bore the agony of their loss and the loss of their love. We cannot imagine not being, but it is possible to not be. To be missing from the  universe would be bad enough, but to be suddenly aware that we also are separated from Jesus is incomprehensible. Our enemy who hates truth and hates love hates us and Jesus as well. We must be  counted one way or the other, do we accept the truth, and union with Jesus, and all that must be endured in order to be with Him forever, or not? At some momentous point in life we will be asked; pray that you may say the word that saves you and fulfills His Will at the same instant of His love.

Purpose

What keeps you from seeing His light?

A Hermit's Response to Life

The purpose of solitude is not so you can enter into yourself and drown, but so you are free to love God besides all other things. Being intent on yourself is a trap so long as it does not lead to union with God.

If God is leading you into yourself, there is something He wants you to see. If you do the fasting and privations called for to live the solitary life, you will have a sense of God leading you, revealing you to yourself so that you can see the obstacles that stand between you and the perfect vision of God.

If the fasting and privations lead you relentlessly back into yourself, then you should be busy with your hands, perhaps encouraging someone else and healing those in need of healing. For those activities, one needs to be aware of the presence of God, and to be motivated by His love, since that is where all good things have their origin. Helping someone fix a tire, or buying someone homeless a meal is a good choice.

To perform the works of mercy only means to realize what other people are going through, and doing what you can do for them. 

To perform the works of mercy only means to see the passion of the Christ and how the world has been drawn into it. It was easy enough to see the works of mercy Jesus did while He was with us, preaching and teaching and healing and delivering people across the width and breadth of Israel. He sent out disciples because He could not be physically present to them all to preach the coming of the Kingdom of God.

It is still that way. Each of us participates personally in the passion of Jesus. Make room in the time you have available to you to encounter your participation in Jesus and His passion. It is uncommon for most to see vividly enough the wounds of His death so as to inform our hearts how we love the Lord. Too often we have injured our relationship with God, sinned, and become so broken hearted about it we forget the offense we committed or the need to get past the all too real pain of guilt or shame. Acknowledge sin, ask forgiveness and make atonement and your heart will be free, and then you are ready to embrace Him as in the Garden. There, time is still, and quiet lets us hear His love, and rest invades out mortality to comfort us.

Jesus does not begrudge anyone rest or peace or comfort. He endured a great deal to be able to give it to us, but in return He wishes us to actually give ourselves to Him as we have not before, so that He can give Himself as He wishes, He might have been able to give Himself to us.

You who feel the burden of your sins, forget them. Remember instead how Jesus loves you and the visibly certain signs that He loves us all infinitely.

Purpose

What keeps you from seeing His light?

A Hermit's Response to Life

The purpose of solitude is not so you can enter into yourself and drown, but so you are free to love God besides all other things. Being intent on yourself is a trap so long as it does not lead to union with God.

If God is leading you into yourself, there is something He wants you to see. If you do the fasting and privations called for to live the solitary life, you will have a sense of God leading you, revealing you to yourself so that you can see the obstacles that stand between you and the perfect vision of God.

If the fasting and privations lead you relentlessly back into yourself, then you should be busy with your hands, perhaps encouraging someone else and healing those in need of healing. For those activities, one needs to be aware of the presence of God, and to be motivated by His love, since that is where all good things have their origin. Helping someone fix a tire, or buying someone homeless a meal is a good choice.

To perform the works of mercy only means to realize what other people are going through, and doing what you can do for them. 

To perform the works of mercy only means to see the passion of the Christ and how the world has been drawn into it. It was easy enough to see the works of mercy Jesus did while He was with us, preaching and teaching and healing and delivering people across the width and breadth of Israel. He sent out disciples because He could not be physically present to them all to preach the coming of the Kingdom of God.

It is still that way. Each of us participates personally in the passion of Jesus. Make room in the time you have available to you to encounter your participation in Jesus and His passion. It is uncommon for most to see vividly enough the wounds of His death so as to inform our hearts how we love the Lord. Too often we have injured our relationship with God, sinned, and become so broken hearted about it we forget the offense we committed or the need to get past the all too real pain of guilt or shame. Acknowledge sin, ask forgiveness and make atonement and your heart will be free, and then you are ready to embrace Him as in the Garden. There, time is still, and quiet lets us hear His love, and rest invades out mortality to comfort us.

Jesus does not begrudge anyone rest or peace or comfort. He endured a great deal to be able to give it to us, but in return He wishes us to actually give ourselves to Him as we have not before, so that He can give Himself as He wishes, He might have been able to give Himself to us.

You who feel the burden of your sins, forget them. Remember instead how Jesus loves you and the visibly certain signs that He loves us all infinitely.

Refresh

DAY'S SAINTS

Patrick
Blessed Gertrude of Trzebnica

Yellow crowned sparrow in a dense tree.

We may not see the fruition of our dreams, but God's Will is more than a match for any dream, and if we allow Him, He surpasses all our expectations. A subtle nuance is all we have to go on, sometimes, Then  someone shows up on our stage, and the air is suddenly cool and clear and our soul refreshed by what someone is being, and in the being, we are bid to go forth and evangelize the world for Jesus who chooses not to be so easily accessible to us. 

We may not be aware of just how refreshing we are to souls when we have embraced the Lord and He transformed us. All our little labors seems so inconsequential, but what does it hurt us if His coming could not be anticipated, and in all our unworthiness, He chooses to let us be refreshed as we were refreshing others. Labors are never meant to be fruitless. All our feeble gesticulations may not catch anyone's gaze, but God has no trouble being visible to us when He wants.

I may not be bleeding so that men may see, but whatever I am doing, He ratifies in me when it pleases Him, and what was hidden is made visible, accessible to me, so I may still serve Him however humbly.

What was, still is, and if we seek Him we will become like Him, and that is always a refreshing moment. They may not do what we ould want, but What God has in mind is always better, the choicest part, even the unspeakable pain. To love enough to please Him, we must hurt and awful hurt, but let it not be because we saddened Him with our sin and selfishness.

Make offerings of love, for they will be received, and if we have given indeed, we shall be pleased ourselves.

There is only one of us. Let us be like Jesus. Let us rest, and when they come for Him, let us respond by being at His side at least in our desires.

Refresh

DAY'S SAINTS

Patrick
Blessed Gertrude of Trzebnica

Yellow crowned sparrow in a dense tree.

We may not see the fruition of our dreams, but God's Will is more than a match for any dream, and if we allow Him, He surpasses all our expectations. A subtle nuance is all we have to go on, sometimes, Then  someone shows up on our stage, and the air is suddenly cool and clear and our soul refreshed by what someone is being, and in the being, we are bid to go forth and evangelize the world for Jesus who chooses not to be so easily accessible to us. 

We may not be aware of just how refreshing we are to souls when we have embraced the Lord and He transformed us. All our little labors seems so inconsequential, but what does it hurt us if His coming could not be anticipated, and in all our unworthiness, He chooses to let us be refreshed as we were refreshing others. Labors are never meant to be fruitless. All our feeble gesticulations may not catch anyone's gaze, but God has no trouble being visible to us when He wants.

I may not be bleeding so that men may see, but whatever I am doing, He ratifies in me when it pleases Him, and what was hidden is made visible, accessible to me, so I may still serve Him however humbly.

What was, still is, and if we seek Him we will become like Him, and that is always a refreshing moment. They may not do what we ould want, but What God has in mind is always better, the choicest part, even the unspeakable pain. To love enough to please Him, we must hurt and awful hurt, but let it not be because we saddened Him with our sin and selfishness.

Make offerings of love, for they will be received, and if we have given indeed, we shall be pleased ourselves.

There is only one of us. Let us be like Jesus. Let us rest, and when they come for Him, let us respond by being at His side at least in our desires.

Truth

 Youtube video about gender

It is refreshing to hear the truth and to witness it being defended. Children are not objects of sexual manipulation in any sense. Bravo for defending the truth.

Truth

 Youtube video about gender

It is refreshing to hear the truth and to witness it being defended. Children are not objects of sexual manipulation in any sense. Bravo for defending the truth.

Ora et Labora

Today is Wednesday, but I can't shake a feeling of dread. There has been so much negative news, that it is difficult to maintain your head above water, and I am telling you, that you must speak to the Lord for assistance, and set aside time in your day for Him alone, and probably, you would feel better if you did so more than once a day.

It is like my potted plants. None of them are blooming, because it is not the season for blooms, but they should be appreciated whether they bloom or not, and it is important to water them regularly so  that when the season arrives for blossoming, the flowers will reward me.

In my case, for the moment, I am satisfied that He has me in a good place and I feel reassured that I please Him and I will be safe. That is important, because the evil in the world hates peace and quiet, and will do whatever is necessary to stir up a person's emotions in order to take attention off of Jesus, even though it cannot abide His presence at all. Since God is everywhere even though He does not affect what is real, from our perspective, it is like an itch you cannot reach. 

Every time there is a general election, the republican party threatens retired people with a reduction in their Social Security benefits. This is an evil and pernicious tactic by ignorant and heartless people. The benefits came from wages and was set aside for elderly retirement, and is not welfare item; it was actually acquired because the person worked for wages, and the benefit was set aside so people could retire.

No doubt, republicans would be upset if they lost their jobs or their businesses failed, so it is a small mind that could conceive of reducing what people need to live since everything is going up in price.

I am careful with my money and I do not go into debt with a credit card. But food and rent take up so much, that there is nothing extra or left over. Doubtless, if the congressmen were to be fired and denied benefits, they would be dismayed. If they had any greatness at all, they would recognize that the elderly person and the congressman are in reality in the same position and ought to be careful that they don't bring harm on one another by their actions.

Ora et Labora

Today is Wednesday, but I can't shake a feeling of dread. There has been so much negative news, that it is difficult to maintain your head above water, and I am telling you, that you must speak to the Lord for assistance, and set aside time in your day for Him alone, and probably, you would feel better if you did so more than once a day.

It is like my potted plants. None of them are blooming, because it is not the season for blooms, but they should be appreciated whether they bloom or not, and it is important to water them regularly so  that when the season arrives for blossoming, the flowers will reward me.

In my case, for the moment, I am satisfied that He has me in a good place and I feel reassured that I please Him and I will be safe. That is important, because the evil in the world hates peace and quiet, and will do whatever is necessary to stir up a person's emotions in order to take attention off of Jesus, even though it cannot abide His presence at all. Since God is everywhere even though He does not affect what is real, from our perspective, it is like an itch you cannot reach. 

Every time there is a general election, the republican party threatens retired people with a reduction in their Social Security benefits. This is an evil and pernicious tactic by ignorant and heartless people. The benefits came from wages and was set aside for elderly retirement, and is not welfare item; it was actually acquired because the person worked for wages, and the benefit was set aside so people could retire.

No doubt, republicans would be upset if they lost their jobs or their businesses failed, so it is a small mind that could conceive of reducing what people need to live since everything is going up in price.

I am careful with my money and I do not go into debt with a credit card. But food and rent take up so much, that there is nothing extra or left over. Doubtless, if the congressmen were to be fired and denied benefits, they would be dismayed. If they had any greatness at all, they would recognize that the elderly person and the congressman are in reality in the same position and ought to be careful that they don't bring harm on one another by their actions.

Trust

We have had a long and stormy winter, and spring waiting unpent in time. These storms are reflected  in our souls, and we can only marvel at the twists and turns involved. TSo do otherwise would be to weaken resolve and test faith when it was  unnecessary. God's Will will be done, and we ought to seek Him out while it is possible.

He insists that His Will be done, not for the sake of domination, but for the sake of the salvation of  our souls. We are blind when it comes to trying to see spiritual realities, and  our guides are  uncertain, and God never waivers. Certainty is elusive, so we dare not place our faith anywhere but God.

Anyone who is doubtful or lacks trust, should ask earnestly for  it, and stay very near Him. This is accomplished by merely desiring it, for He wishes us to trust Him. He will set our feet on solid grounds and our keep us safe from false paths, so we follow Him with fidelity.

How shall we proceed  on  life otherwise, with the horizon forever at a distance from us and subject to the mists of time? Is there any certainty in life without Him?

We were born into life from our mother's womb, and we felt certainty in her embrace, so that we learned that to become fully human we must watch her every move and always seek our comfort at her breasts. As we grew up, we learned to trust our parents and be  unafraid of things harmful in the world. As we have been reborn we must learn to trust.

Seek the garden of His solitude, and listen in the silence as you have always done, and your hands will be strong enough  to share in His passion.

Trust

We have had a long and stormy winter, and spring waiting unpent in time. These storms are reflected  in our souls, and we can only marvel at the twists and turns involved. TSo do otherwise would be to weaken resolve and test faith when it was  unnecessary. God's Will will be done, and we ought to seek Him out while it is possible.

He insists that His Will be done, not for the sake of domination, but for the sake of the salvation of  our souls. We are blind when it comes to trying to see spiritual realities, and  our guides are  uncertain, and God never waivers. Certainty is elusive, so we dare not place our faith anywhere but God.

Anyone who is doubtful or lacks trust, should ask earnestly for  it, and stay very near Him. This is accomplished by merely desiring it, for He wishes us to trust Him. He will set our feet on solid grounds and our keep us safe from false paths, so we follow Him with fidelity.

How shall we proceed  on  life otherwise, with the horizon forever at a distance from us and subject to the mists of time? Is there any certainty in life without Him?

We were born into life from our mother's womb, and we felt certainty in her embrace, so that we learned that to become fully human we must watch her every move and always seek our comfort at her breasts. As we grew up, we learned to trust our parents and be  unafraid of things harmful in the world. As we have been reborn we must learn to trust.

Seek the garden of His solitude, and listen in the silence as you have always done, and your hands will be strong enough  to share in His passion.

Herz

You who wish to cleanse yourself of sin,

draw near my heart of burning love

and be made whole again.

I received a phone call right after I got into bed and had finished my Rosary. My friend had called to return my call, but when I tried to tell him what I wanted, I could not think or speak, I was suddenly overcome with an upwelling of love that prevented thought or speech. 

It blows my mind that people do not believe God loves that way, or that mysticism is true and real; it is about the loving of God, that He loves us so much, and we return so little to Him.

If you tried to spend some time just with Him, you might be overwhelmed as well. It is so freeing not to need to say anything or need to do anything special except merely love.

All philosophy and all theology are wiped away and annihilated by the simple fact of the presence of divine love. So many times, I have been floored with that love, and it coincided so perfectly with pain strong enough to immobilize me. Nevertheless, I did not mind it at all, and curiously, I was willing to endure as much of it as was wanted.

Why would anyone, realizing they could love that way too, dismiss the Lord if He approached and made known His love or a simple desire to be near us, or to be near someone else suffering at the same time. Two   people, in different places at the same time both overcome with pain and love at the same time, unmistakably suffused with divine affection.  A moment in time yet  outside it, and whose love is unquenchable, and the sadness of the pain is suffused with the gratitude of a soul come down from the cross to give thanks to God for their healing and relief.

If you started praying today, I could not guarantee that you would experience what I have related. Yet it would not take much persuasion to be encouraged to prayer for the joy of a few moment's peace that rests every corner of your being. 

People have trekked into high mountains exposed to the tremendous storms and violence of the Himalayas for the opportunity to at least seek that peace and to afford it for everyone who is willing to turn to the Lord silently, within themselves.

People have fought with temptations and distractions for the opportunity of losing the world long enough to hear His passing and what He has to say. Others found out and began trekking up the mountain to a man's cave for the privilege of simply being bear the being who lives within, to the point he might have to trek farther up into some place even more obscure to fast and pray so as to gain control of their thoughts and feelings so they may be disregarded.

So if you ever wondered what the hermits in the mountain caves were on to, you might be surprised if you were to make the effort to go find him. In their quest for God.

The universe obeys its own rules, but it does not feel anything; we might be called the feeling part of it, and yet in its obedience, people get annihilated by storms and volcanoes and cold and heat. Those who might be called saints figured out that being still in the presence of the Lord is all that is necessary to live a religious life, a life seeking God. Add to that a little fasting and a little solitude and some silence, and you would be included too in the brotherhood of those seeking God and finding HIm, who found the cave and the mountain were only a coincidence that just so happened to coincide with when His Heart burst open inside you to fill you with the fire of His love.

Herz

You who wish to cleanse yourself of sin,

draw near my heart of burning love

and be made whole again.

I received a phone call right after I got into bed and had finished my Rosary. My friend had called to return my call, but when I tried to tell him what I wanted, I could not think or speak, I was suddenly overcome with an upwelling of love that prevented thought or speech. 

It blows my mind that people do not believe God loves that way, or that mysticism is true and real; it is about the loving of God, that He loves us so much, and we return so little to Him.

If you tried to spend some time just with Him, you might be overwhelmed as well. It is so freeing not to need to say anything or need to do anything special except merely love.

All philosophy and all theology are wiped away and annihilated by the simple fact of the presence of divine love. So many times, I have been floored with that love, and it coincided so perfectly with pain strong enough to immobilize me. Nevertheless, I did not mind it at all, and curiously, I was willing to endure as much of it as was wanted.

Why would anyone, realizing they could love that way too, dismiss the Lord if He approached and made known His love or a simple desire to be near us, or to be near someone else suffering at the same time. Two   people, in different places at the same time both overcome with pain and love at the same time, unmistakably suffused with divine affection.  A moment in time yet  outside it, and whose love is unquenchable, and the sadness of the pain is suffused with the gratitude of a soul come down from the cross to give thanks to God for their healing and relief.

If you started praying today, I could not guarantee that you would experience what I have related. Yet it would not take much persuasion to be encouraged to prayer for the joy of a few moment's peace that rests every corner of your being. 

People have trekked into high mountains exposed to the tremendous storms and violence of the Himalayas for the opportunity to at least seek that peace and to afford it for everyone who is willing to turn to the Lord silently, within themselves.

People have fought with temptations and distractions for the opportunity of losing the world long enough to hear His passing and what He has to say. Others found out and began trekking up the mountain to a man's cave for the privilege of simply being bear the being who lives within, to the point he might have to trek farther up into some place even more obscure to fast and pray so as to gain control of their thoughts and feelings so they may be disregarded.

So if you ever wondered what the hermits in the mountain caves were on to, you might be surprised if you were to make the effort to go find him. In their quest for God.

The universe obeys its own rules, but it does not feel anything; we might be called the feeling part of it, and yet in its obedience, people get annihilated by storms and volcanoes and cold and heat. Those who might be called saints figured out that being still in the presence of the Lord is all that is necessary to live a religious life, a life seeking God. Add to that a little fasting and a little solitude and some silence, and you would be included too in the brotherhood of those seeking God and finding HIm, who found the cave and the mountain were only a coincidence that just so happened to coincide with when His Heart burst open inside you to fill you with the fire of His love.

Come What May

We do not need soothsayers or protective amulets to protect us from evil; God will protect us so that no true harm will come to us.

We should not treat religion like a shield of armor from magic spells and potions; that is not prayer and therefore not the way we should act.

What are we telling Jesus if we take every promise He made to be a means of fending off disasters, even wars? Do you love God or not? If you do, direct your aspirations toward God. Approach God in humility and love, letting Him fill your mind and heart with His love, and do not worry about things which are less than Him. Everything is less than God. After catastrophes, the power of God is evident to all, and one needs no degree in theology to see His passing by.

The messages of prophets and seers are, more than anything else, a call to God, "Come close and speak to me because I love you and miss the sound of your voice."

Youtube is full of videos about God's promises, warnings of disasters to come, and wars to be fought, even threats if you do not watch a specific video. That is not the behavior of mature Christians who love God, respect Him for who He is, and desire with everything they have, to love Him more perfectly day by day.

The weather here has been stormy, windy and cold for weeks, but we have had no snow such as California has been having, where ten feet or more of snow has piled up everywhere, stranding people under many feet of snow so that it is impossible to drive. God is still there, the same as He was before, snd the water held in monumental snow drifts will be necessary for the summer months, when things can be like the Sahara desert.

God is still there. When Elijah went into the cave to seek God, terrible things were happening outside, rocks were being broken by the wind, but he says in Scripture, "God was not in the wind". When the Lord passed by in a whisper, that is when Elijah knew the Lord was near, and not in the disasters.

We will leave this world, this body, this universe to be in God forever, if we have striven all our lives to love Him more. How could it be otherwise? Loving HIm more and more is something which continues, and should be the direction of our lives.

Do not be afraid if God is warning you to cease sinning, repent of sin and make atonement by your love, especially the love you lavish on others. Simplicity and humility go together well with silence and solitude. and from them the world should be able to see the goodness of God shining irresistibly from us, drawing us to the Lord.

The man who stops sinning and asks to be forgiven and repenting, seeks the Lord as a friend, is one who will know happiness as the outcome of his life. It is never too late to seek God or to repent so as to be able to love God as He deserves to be loved.

Come What May

We do not need soothsayers or protective amulets to protect us from evil; God will protect us so that no true harm will come to us.

We should not treat religion like a shield of armor from magic spells and potions; that is not prayer and therefore not the way we should act.

What are we telling Jesus if we take every promise He made to be a means of fending off disasters, even wars? Do you love God or not? If you do, direct your aspirations toward God. Approach God in humility and love, letting Him fill your mind and heart with His love, and do not worry about things which are less than Him. Everything is less than God. After catastrophes, the power of God is evident to all, and one needs no degree in theology to see His passing by.

The messages of prophets and seers are, more than anything else, a call to God, "Come close and speak to me because I love you and miss the sound of your voice."

Youtube is full of videos about God's promises, warnings of disasters to come, and wars to be fought, even threats if you do not watch a specific video. That is not the behavior of mature Christians who love God, respect Him for who He is, and desire with everything they have, to love Him more perfectly day by day.

The weather here has been stormy, windy and cold for weeks, but we have had no snow such as California has been having, where ten feet or more of snow has piled up everywhere, stranding people under many feet of snow so that it is impossible to drive. God is still there, the same as He was before, snd the water held in monumental snow drifts will be necessary for the summer months, when things can be like the Sahara desert.

God is still there. When Elijah went into the cave to seek God, terrible things were happening outside, rocks were being broken by the wind, but he says in Scripture, "God was not in the wind". When the Lord passed by in a whisper, that is when Elijah knew the Lord was near, and not in the disasters.

We will leave this world, this body, this universe to be in God forever, if we have striven all our lives to love Him more. How could it be otherwise? Loving HIm more and more is something which continues, and should be the direction of our lives.

Do not be afraid if God is warning you to cease sinning, repent of sin and make atonement by your love, especially the love you lavish on others. Simplicity and humility go together well with silence and solitude. and from them the world should be able to see the goodness of God shining irresistibly from us, drawing us to the Lord.

The man who stops sinning and asks to be forgiven and repenting, seeks the Lord as a friend, is one who will know happiness as the outcome of his life. It is never too late to seek God or to repent so as to be able to love God as He deserves to be loved.

Worthy Sons

Agnes of Prague
Angela of the Cross Guerrero ,Congregation of the Cross

Gospel Lk 15:1-3, 11-32 The Prodigal Son

There were three: Father, Prodigal Son and Brother, and God pleaded with the elder son to be forgiving and merciful.

We each see the attraction of distant things, and if given half a chance, we will do as the prodigal son, spending our wealth.

When we have exhausted ourselves in pleasure, and our wealth has all been spent, we awaken and are ashamed, and seek a way back to where we were before.

At least, if there still exists some decency in us, we will set about to seek a way to support ourselves while we find a way to live with our sin. God was always ready to receive us, whether from our birth, or only after we woke up and saw the state to which we have fallen.

Jesus does not mind forgiving us, for then it is possible to receive all our love, and for us to receive all of His, and of the two bargains, the last is by far the choicest part.

A wise person learns moderation in all things, and that at least mitigates the danger to our soul. Yet. we discover that in some things, there is no moderation possible, because His love in infinite, and  ours is but a trifle of His.

The point is, if we are forgiving of sinners and help them mend their ways, they might live to be of great benefit to society and to God, whereas, if we insist on penalties and punishment and mercy is never a part of the plan, needless suffering is the fruit of our labor.

Of one thing we should be very careful: not to get our way in all things. Some things are not a matter of sin, but of the value of our merit, for it is in tending to seek more and more to be of greater value to the Lord, we grow to love Him for whom we have expended ourselves.

He seeks those who will give themselves to His flock. He puts a man in charge of them who have mastered virtue and giving good example. They are the friends of God, not them whose sole  purpose in life is to look splendid in rich and fancy clothes who are always ready to party and waste the opportunity to attract souls.

Do not judge one another, for each of us is a mirror reflecting the Lord, and if we have nothing of ourselves obscuring our vision, we will see God clearly and distinctly in our brothers and joy will be in that place.

Worthy Sons

Agnes of Prague
Angela of the Cross Guerrero ,Congregation of the Cross

Gospel Lk 15:1-3, 11-32 The Prodigal Son

There were three: Father, Prodigal Son and Brother, and God pleaded with the elder son to be forgiving and merciful.

We each see the attraction of distant things, and if given half a chance, we will do as the prodigal son, spending our wealth.

When we have exhausted ourselves in pleasure, and our wealth has all been spent, we awaken and are ashamed, and seek a way back to where we were before.

At least, if there still exists some decency in us, we will set about to seek a way to support ourselves while we find a way to live with our sin. God was always ready to receive us, whether from our birth, or only after we woke up and saw the state to which we have fallen.

Jesus does not mind forgiving us, for then it is possible to receive all our love, and for us to receive all of His, and of the two bargains, the last is by far the choicest part.

A wise person learns moderation in all things, and that at least mitigates the danger to our soul. Yet. we discover that in some things, there is no moderation possible, because His love in infinite, and  ours is but a trifle of His.

The point is, if we are forgiving of sinners and help them mend their ways, they might live to be of great benefit to society and to God, whereas, if we insist on penalties and punishment and mercy is never a part of the plan, needless suffering is the fruit of our labor.

Of one thing we should be very careful: not to get our way in all things. Some things are not a matter of sin, but of the value of our merit, for it is in tending to seek more and more to be of greater value to the Lord, we grow to love Him for whom we have expended ourselves.

He seeks those who will give themselves to His flock. He puts a man in charge of them who have mastered virtue and giving good example. They are the friends of God, not them whose sole  purpose in life is to look splendid in rich and fancy clothes who are always ready to party and waste the opportunity to attract souls.

Do not judge one another, for each of us is a mirror reflecting the Lord, and if we have nothing of ourselves obscuring our vision, we will see God clearly and distinctly in our brothers and joy will be in that place.