Strong

 

A post from the internet of Facebook.

I need not be afraid; the Lord, the God of Heaven and earth has made me strong as
Himself, without asking, but knowing my soul and the echoes of trepidations that so often haunt the darkness that so often surrounds me.

Not only am I strong, gazing at death and hell, but I am joyful, knowing He will lead me to His side to be with Him forever, with His presence and His love to clothe me and His love to keep me warm.

Do not be afraid; be close to God who loves you and will never abandon you.

Strong

 

A post from the internet of Facebook.

I need not be afraid; the Lord, the God of Heaven and earth has made me strong as
Himself, without asking, but knowing my soul and the echoes of trepidations that so often haunt the darkness that so often surrounds me.

Not only am I strong, gazing at death and hell, but I am joyful, knowing He will lead me to His side to be with Him forever, with His presence and His love to clothe me and His love to keep me warm.

Do not be afraid; be close to God who loves you and will never abandon you.

Gratitude

I remain in the hands of God, under His control and direction as I anticipate the pieces of my life falling into place, when it seemed completely impossible and that no good outcome was at hand. 

I have an African Violet plant that is a remnant of several starts I made, and it has blossomed, and continues to blossom even though all I do with it is water it once in a while. 

I have lived to see people in the government, former officials, answer to the courts like all other citizens can expect, if they do wrong and flaunt laws and rules established  by our fathers for our sound governance. Historically, we have not had such major happenings as occur from time to time when matters have shifted drastically and our governance has been gravely challenged.

For the uniformed, the United States fought a civil war, and the legacy of those who opposed the law of the land have had a tradition they have passed on from generation to generation to oppose all that happened as that war was carried out. Their dream is of people disenfranchised and enslaved through fear and ignorance and the systematic corruption of the government, and in ages past, instances of equal gravity have been resolved by further wars which only served to perpetuate worse outcomes for whole nations and their allies. We have a choice to make, and if we make the wrong one, freedom and the right to express the general opinion could be lost and very difficult to restore without general destruction.

I am certain that God hears our prayers, and guides events so that tragedies can be avoided, and peace and freedom continue. Never doubt the power of your prayers. Never doubt the desire of God to make  His children happy.

No one can ask that enslavement be preserved because God does not grant such things since they are contrary to His nature, and His Will is contrary to that of evil and evil is awaiting an end which leaves men free as He is free.

Peace with those who desire God's peace.

Gratitude

I remain in the hands of God, under His control and direction as I anticipate the pieces of my life falling into place, when it seemed completely impossible and that no good outcome was at hand. 

I have an African Violet plant that is a remnant of several starts I made, and it has blossomed, and continues to blossom even though all I do with it is water it once in a while. 

I have lived to see people in the government, former officials, answer to the courts like all other citizens can expect, if they do wrong and flaunt laws and rules established  by our fathers for our sound governance. Historically, we have not had such major happenings as occur from time to time when matters have shifted drastically and our governance has been gravely challenged.

For the uniformed, the United States fought a civil war, and the legacy of those who opposed the law of the land have had a tradition they have passed on from generation to generation to oppose all that happened as that war was carried out. Their dream is of people disenfranchised and enslaved through fear and ignorance and the systematic corruption of the government, and in ages past, instances of equal gravity have been resolved by further wars which only served to perpetuate worse outcomes for whole nations and their allies. We have a choice to make, and if we make the wrong one, freedom and the right to express the general opinion could be lost and very difficult to restore without general destruction.

I am certain that God hears our prayers, and guides events so that tragedies can be avoided, and peace and freedom continue. Never doubt the power of your prayers. Never doubt the desire of God to make  His children happy.

No one can ask that enslavement be preserved because God does not grant such things since they are contrary to His nature, and His Will is contrary to that of evil and evil is awaiting an end which leaves men free as He is free.

Peace with those who desire God's peace.

View

Good living and good fruit are the same thing.

Perhaps you have had the experience of being told to come closer, to look more deeply and to let me awaken your faith? It is like Harry Potter and the encounter with the train to Hogwart's, getting to the station to board the train.

At one point, in a certain episode, Harry and Ron are trying to get to the platform but the wall does not disappear, but Ron and Harry both come to a brutal stop in front of the platform 9 and 3 quarters. At that point, they were a victim of the well-meaning Dobbie, trying to prevent them from getting to Hogwarts because of Voldemort's vicious plots.

But faith opens doors. Padre Pio went on living, breathing, seeing and eating just like all other human beings, and in spite of not eating more than a spoonful of his meal, still managed to gain weight and continue life.

God will see to our life; we need to be able to trust Him and get on with living. 

We can go through life half alive, but that is just about the same as mostly dead. A life that originates from God is fragrant, vibrant and peaceful, awash in light, and overflowing joy.

In spite of being assailed by a myriad of visions of catastrophe, I have seen the sun beat down abundantly, the wind blow briskly, and the warmth of a summer's day , in spite of the most dire assurances assailing me, that death was in the next breath.

But if the dead cells do not get removed, we would be dead. The Contrary is the overwhelming case; dead cells are removed, and we continue to live without our having to think about it. Unfortunately, there is a certain amount of attrition that takes place in life, and little by little we come closer to failing than succeeding, and in the end, we surrender our body to God, and our lives are safeguarded in His Heart for the day we are in paradise with Him.

He would not bring us this far and fail to provide for the rest of the journey. The person who can read a book is blessed in so many ways; how is it that we fail so miserably in trusting Him? But we continue. We can continue being like Him, or give in to despair and be like our enemy who is so empty and so full of misery at the same time. Jesus is our Lord, Our Champion who perpetually renews us and His joy in us in spite of everything arrayed against us to fill us with the darkness of despair.

The darkness of the Lord is merely our living through an adjustment to our vision so that we can more easily perceive the Lord and the spiritual world around us. His intent is that we achieve deeper trust and love so that we can endure greater trials, offer more reparation for sin, and salvation more abundantly for His children.

If we fail to achieve deeper dimensions to our existence, we become filled with impatience and frustrations, even jealousies and despair. That is why it is said, the way of the Lord is steep and slippery. Padre Pio came to the point where he ate so little because it was not necessary, and there were other things to be done in place of eating. He was too sick, often, to be able to eat, and so he learned to forego eating. We can achieve similar things in similar ways.

Love be the fruit of our life's efforts; if it is not, then either the fruit will be too hard and bitter, or it will be too ripe, rotten and unpalatable. If we are going to gather souls for eternity, then our fruit must be sweet and our labors too. A tree that has much fruit and is sweet and flavorful is a delight, nourishing and refreshing us. Our lives need to be good fruit, good example and good reward.

View

Good living and good fruit are the same thing.

Perhaps you have had the experience of being told to come closer, to look more deeply and to let me awaken your faith? It is like Harry Potter and the encounter with the train to Hogwart's, getting to the station to board the train.

At one point, in a certain episode, Harry and Ron are trying to get to the platform but the wall does not disappear, but Ron and Harry both come to a brutal stop in front of the platform 9 and 3 quarters. At that point, they were a victim of the well-meaning Dobbie, trying to prevent them from getting to Hogwarts because of Voldemort's vicious plots.

But faith opens doors. Padre Pio went on living, breathing, seeing and eating just like all other human beings, and in spite of not eating more than a spoonful of his meal, still managed to gain weight and continue life.

God will see to our life; we need to be able to trust Him and get on with living. 

We can go through life half alive, but that is just about the same as mostly dead. A life that originates from God is fragrant, vibrant and peaceful, awash in light, and overflowing joy.

In spite of being assailed by a myriad of visions of catastrophe, I have seen the sun beat down abundantly, the wind blow briskly, and the warmth of a summer's day , in spite of the most dire assurances assailing me, that death was in the next breath.

But if the dead cells do not get removed, we would be dead. The Contrary is the overwhelming case; dead cells are removed, and we continue to live without our having to think about it. Unfortunately, there is a certain amount of attrition that takes place in life, and little by little we come closer to failing than succeeding, and in the end, we surrender our body to God, and our lives are safeguarded in His Heart for the day we are in paradise with Him.

He would not bring us this far and fail to provide for the rest of the journey. The person who can read a book is blessed in so many ways; how is it that we fail so miserably in trusting Him? But we continue. We can continue being like Him, or give in to despair and be like our enemy who is so empty and so full of misery at the same time. Jesus is our Lord, Our Champion who perpetually renews us and His joy in us in spite of everything arrayed against us to fill us with the darkness of despair.

The darkness of the Lord is merely our living through an adjustment to our vision so that we can more easily perceive the Lord and the spiritual world around us. His intent is that we achieve deeper trust and love so that we can endure greater trials, offer more reparation for sin, and salvation more abundantly for His children.

If we fail to achieve deeper dimensions to our existence, we become filled with impatience and frustrations, even jealousies and despair. That is why it is said, the way of the Lord is steep and slippery. Padre Pio came to the point where he ate so little because it was not necessary, and there were other things to be done in place of eating. He was too sick, often, to be able to eat, and so he learned to forego eating. We can achieve similar things in similar ways.

Love be the fruit of our life's efforts; if it is not, then either the fruit will be too hard and bitter, or it will be too ripe, rotten and unpalatable. If we are going to gather souls for eternity, then our fruit must be sweet and our labors too. A tree that has much fruit and is sweet and flavorful is a delight, nourishing and refreshing us. Our lives need to be good fruit, good example and good reward.

Sharing

Behold the light :)

A word about sharing. It is difficult to share when the cross touches everything with its shadow, and is constantly making it self apparent. To put it bluntly, you cannot share the cross with anyone else; it is a solo performance. You must hurt it is in His Will that you should suffer. At least, it tests your love, and is assertive. Every moment that you toss in bed is another experience of pain, which, though minor compared to His cross, is dominant.

People can share in your joy and your love, however, so if you are sharing the cross, share also your joy and love. There are times when I don't know which is harder, the solitude or the pain, because they are so with me in so many moments.

No one owes me anything, but, rather, it is I who owes so many others, supporting me with their intentions and prayers. Slight though they may be, the pains can be more than a person can bear, under the circumstances.

Being grateful supports love, and being grateful makes the difference between totally dessicated, and merely arid.

In the darkness is a secret light; it is the discovery that He is very near and wants to hear from me. Should it always be tearful? It should, at least, be grateful, because He also shares His light  in the darkness, and His presence in the solitude. There is no other reason to be alone or to be in darkness except to shine light into the darkness and love into the solitude, for Him, in a secret moment, and in for His children, some of whom have known all too much of the cross.

Wherever I am and wherever I look, there He is, like a reflection of mirrors in the mirror of now. There will always be only  one moment when we are one with Him forever at last. We should live in such a way as to anticipate that with the greatest joy.

May you find Him supporting you as you hang in suffering, and may you be granted to gaze into His eyes fore always.

Sharing

Behold the light :)

A word about sharing. It is difficult to share when the cross touches everything with its shadow, and is constantly making it self apparent. To put it bluntly, you cannot share the cross with anyone else; it is a solo performance. You must hurt it is in His Will that you should suffer. At least, it tests your love, and is assertive. Every moment that you toss in bed is another experience of pain, which, though minor compared to His cross, is dominant.

People can share in your joy and your love, however, so if you are sharing the cross, share also your joy and love. There are times when I don't know which is harder, the solitude or the pain, because they are so with me in so many moments.

No one owes me anything, but, rather, it is I who owes so many others, supporting me with their intentions and prayers. Slight though they may be, the pains can be more than a person can bear, under the circumstances.

Being grateful supports love, and being grateful makes the difference between totally dessicated, and merely arid.

In the darkness is a secret light; it is the discovery that He is very near and wants to hear from me. Should it always be tearful? It should, at least, be grateful, because He also shares His light  in the darkness, and His presence in the solitude. There is no other reason to be alone or to be in darkness except to shine light into the darkness and love into the solitude, for Him, in a secret moment, and in for His children, some of whom have known all too much of the cross.

Wherever I am and wherever I look, there He is, like a reflection of mirrors in the mirror of now. There will always be only  one moment when we are one with Him forever at last. We should live in such a way as to anticipate that with the greatest joy.

May you find Him supporting you as you hang in suffering, and may you be granted to gaze into His eyes fore always.

Awake!

Bring forth love from your heart,
and you will draw close to the Lord.

My gouty foot is continuing to heal slowly, and my back has been behaving, for the most part. The weather has been cool, breezy and rainy for some time now, but to me it is normal for this time of year.  There is a progression of growth in the trees and wildflowers. It is hard to imagine a river like the Amazon or the Mississippi running so low as to be unnavigable, but so it is. I have prayed that places that need the rain receive it from the hands of the Lord. If the rains return, I hope they make the work of the Holy Spirit abundantly fruitful so that the work of the Lord does not fail to bear fruit in His children.

The more sensitive a person is, the more it hurts, it take little to ignite a firestorm within. While the Lord does not impose much on us, He insists. This may be aggravating, but I hope it brings people to life who have grown hopeless, listless and and cold. We can do something about our coldness, but it takes enough faith to overcome our negative emotions

We need the exercises of the Holy Spirit to keep us alive, literally, and to make us lovers of God. Everything is arrayed against us to discourage and cool the fire of our heart's love.

Do not let it go out. If consenting to some pain will guarantee a lively and loving heart, then we should be eager to receive. We cannot expect all our encounters with God to be blissful and exciting allowing us to wallow in our elation, to the neglect of the Lord. If that befalls us, pray to be brought back to life because you are close to death.

Any time that we allow our hearts to fade, we need the light of God to awaken us and enliven us, and I don't say for a minute that it will be easy. After so much ease, we could use a little austerity.

We might even grow fervent in prayer, asking with the zest of the Holy Spirit to fill us again, so we are aware of how much we need the Lord, who so often professes His own love of us. 

Priests and bishops pf the Church should always be eager to serve their children, because they are, after all, the children of GOD. It is a cold place where a priest does not want to witness any sign of a spiritual awakening, lest he be obliged himself, to be awakened, to shake off the coils of sweet slumber and tedium.

The way to stay alive is to move. It may hurt like all get-out, but the heart that is enkindled by pain to love, turns pain to love and enlivens spiritually.

Some people think their eyes are wide open and the minds and hearts lively and energetic, but you would be surprised beyond enduring, if you knew how Jesus sees, and how much He wishes we could ALWAYS see as He sees. 

He was crucified, died in agony and rose from death the third day to ascend into heaven before their eyes. He also wanted those who watched, to relate the experience, with others.

Somewhere down long ages and dim dusty corridors, people got the idea that the priest did the Sacrifice and we sat motionless and without any feeling, and would be safe from having to do anything strange of a religious nature. we need not touch the people around us, or share the spiritual life within us, or lay hands on those sick and discouraged elders to make them well. Our christianity had all the zest of a plate with a hamburger patty on that was covered in grease. I hope you never get to the point where you think that is normal or excusable, because no one excused the Lord His crucifixion, much less His scourging. What courage did it take see how quickly the fire of His love would diminish in people who sought not to catch on fire in His love. 

Do not wonder that the world is cold, inhospitable or rude and uncaring; it is the inevitable result of our life being allowed to burn down like a like pathetic match stick and go dark and smolder.

There is a secret.

God is always close by with a torch burning with His love to enliven us again and rouse us to vivid life by touching the earth and set the world ablaze. One fruit of thinking about the passion-life of Jesus is that can get lost in His presence, and feel life coursing through us like a 50,000 volt current. Warm to His love, and life will seem less insipid and boring. But there is nothing boring about a perception of His passion in your body, or wondering what He might ask of us. We will only be able to acquiesce to the extent the Spirit moves us to transform dread of pain into the pain of His Sacred Heart which is so full of love.

If you feel cold, draw near to Him in your heart.

Awake!

Bring forth love from your heart,
and you will draw close to the Lord.

My gouty foot is continuing to heal slowly, and my back has been behaving, for the most part. The weather has been cool, breezy and rainy for some time now, but to me it is normal for this time of year.  There is a progression of growth in the trees and wildflowers. It is hard to imagine a river like the Amazon or the Mississippi running so low as to be unnavigable, but so it is. I have prayed that places that need the rain receive it from the hands of the Lord. If the rains return, I hope they make the work of the Holy Spirit abundantly fruitful so that the work of the Lord does not fail to bear fruit in His children.

The more sensitive a person is, the more it hurts, it take little to ignite a firestorm within. While the Lord does not impose much on us, He insists. This may be aggravating, but I hope it brings people to life who have grown hopeless, listless and and cold. We can do something about our coldness, but it takes enough faith to overcome our negative emotions

We need the exercises of the Holy Spirit to keep us alive, literally, and to make us lovers of God. Everything is arrayed against us to discourage and cool the fire of our heart's love.

Do not let it go out. If consenting to some pain will guarantee a lively and loving heart, then we should be eager to receive. We cannot expect all our encounters with God to be blissful and exciting allowing us to wallow in our elation, to the neglect of the Lord. If that befalls us, pray to be brought back to life because you are close to death.

Any time that we allow our hearts to fade, we need the light of God to awaken us and enliven us, and I don't say for a minute that it will be easy. After so much ease, we could use a little austerity.

We might even grow fervent in prayer, asking with the zest of the Holy Spirit to fill us again, so we are aware of how much we need the Lord, who so often professes His own love of us. 

Priests and bishops pf the Church should always be eager to serve their children, because they are, after all, the children of GOD. It is a cold place where a priest does not want to witness any sign of a spiritual awakening, lest he be obliged himself, to be awakened, to shake off the coils of sweet slumber and tedium.

The way to stay alive is to move. It may hurt like all get-out, but the heart that is enkindled by pain to love, turns pain to love and enlivens spiritually.

Some people think their eyes are wide open and the minds and hearts lively and energetic, but you would be surprised beyond enduring, if you knew how Jesus sees, and how much He wishes we could ALWAYS see as He sees. 

He was crucified, died in agony and rose from death the third day to ascend into heaven before their eyes. He also wanted those who watched, to relate the experience, with others.

Somewhere down long ages and dim dusty corridors, people got the idea that the priest did the Sacrifice and we sat motionless and without any feeling, and would be safe from having to do anything strange of a religious nature. we need not touch the people around us, or share the spiritual life within us, or lay hands on those sick and discouraged elders to make them well. Our christianity had all the zest of a plate with a hamburger patty on that was covered in grease. I hope you never get to the point where you think that is normal or excusable, because no one excused the Lord His crucifixion, much less His scourging. What courage did it take see how quickly the fire of His love would diminish in people who sought not to catch on fire in His love. 

Do not wonder that the world is cold, inhospitable or rude and uncaring; it is the inevitable result of our life being allowed to burn down like a like pathetic match stick and go dark and smolder.

There is a secret.

God is always close by with a torch burning with His love to enliven us again and rouse us to vivid life by touching the earth and set the world ablaze. One fruit of thinking about the passion-life of Jesus is that can get lost in His presence, and feel life coursing through us like a 50,000 volt current. Warm to His love, and life will seem less insipid and boring. But there is nothing boring about a perception of His passion in your body, or wondering what He might ask of us. We will only be able to acquiesce to the extent the Spirit moves us to transform dread of pain into the pain of His Sacred Heart which is so full of love.

If you feel cold, draw near to Him in your heart.

Off Grid

 

Meteora

I was watching On "off-Grid" person driving home from a shopping spree in town. 

These adventurers indeed strive to provide, for themselves and others, with everything a person needs to live in isolation in the wilderness.

There are sacrifices that need to be made to live that way, and to handle the demands of life without amenities we take for granted, such as, hot and cold running water, toilet facilities, a cabin of some sort to live in with an iron stove, everything necessary for hunting and fishing and some means of producing electricity for everything and facilities for farming or growing a garden.

I admire them. Some share their experience in videos on Youtube, and we get to watch them carve a place for themselves away from the turmoil of modern life and modern people.

But the fact is, all of them who appear on Youtube need contributions to enable them to live in the solitude they seek and to do the things they went into the wilderness to do.

I don't begrudge them the income, because no matter how you slice it, creating a place to  live in the wilderness takes far more strength and energy than I possess myself, not to mention the personal interior resources to live as they wish, in peace and quiet.

But, there are different perspectives. The Desert Fathers aimed to live in unbroken silence and solitude, performing acts of penance and working honestly with their hands to support themselves and to establish an environment in which they could be silent, still, quiet and alone, free of the demands of society with the aim of replacing those demands with an attention to God, and listening and resting interiorly to achieve some semblance of union with God and the world in which He lives.

Eventually, God revealed to the Desert Fathers how He wished a community of hermits could be established in various places, dedicated to God and to each other according to a spiritual domain.

The truth is, regardless of how severe their penances were, they remained men ( and, if I am correct ,there were a few female hermitesses).

One might pause to ask themselves, why it was good to live in hard physical labor, eating only vegetables and living with only what they can fashion with their own hands.

Many a monk has asked themselves the same question. A few have relied on their wife and children to support their psychological needs as well as their physical needs, and have employed every bit of intelligence and strength to create what they seek.

The desert fathers lived in a desert and not a plush forest. Some hermits who decided to imitate them, found places atop limestone pinnacles very difficult to climb, and completely shut off from contact with others. For some, it was necessary to be so remote given the challenges to the spirit which impose themselves on those tough souls who wished as absolute an isolation as possible in which to encounter God. Making one's own mind and heart behave as if in the presence of God, bore that fruit when the Lord looked at their souls and marvelled. Some returned to the cities they left to spread the Good News of the Resurrection and Union with God

Some are not the harsh on themselves, and that is good, for God is good and gentle and whether we see it or not, He loves us completely wherever we and however we live.

The goal, as I see it, is to live and reflect quietly and ask very little of existence and in the meantime, to learn to love God in others and to attracts others to God.

We need not ask what we need to give up, but rather live without satisfying ourselves as much as is possible, in order to love, serve and admire God and His children.

One need not set aside years to such endeavors when one follows the Will of God and does it. 

Holy desires often follow holy dedication to great ideals and the quest to experience God, freely, and without fear of deception, seeking to be as holy as the Lord Himself, if He will open your being and shine His light within. 

This happens because it is what He wills. We need not fret that we may not catch on immediately what He wants. There are many saints, some lay people and some monks and hermits and nuns who were drawn by the most difficult of paths but with the sweetest presence and light. Ask yourself what He wants of you and listen. Turn everything off, and let that time be for you and God alone.

One need not fast himself into illness, although, if He wills that we share His cross in desolation and illness, it will happen surely enough. The goal is to be so obsessed with God, that it would be impossible to speak or even think, and to cherish His love more than life itself.

There are plenty of books one might read about this endeavor, but there are plenty of holy men and women we might meet with whom to share the sweetness of the Lord who is near.

Off Grid

 

Meteora

I was watching On "off-Grid" person driving home from a shopping spree in town. 

These adventurers indeed strive to provide, for themselves and others, with everything a person needs to live in isolation in the wilderness.

There are sacrifices that need to be made to live that way, and to handle the demands of life without amenities we take for granted, such as, hot and cold running water, toilet facilities, a cabin of some sort to live in with an iron stove, everything necessary for hunting and fishing and some means of producing electricity for everything and facilities for farming or growing a garden.

I admire them. Some share their experience in videos on Youtube, and we get to watch them carve a place for themselves away from the turmoil of modern life and modern people.

But the fact is, all of them who appear on Youtube need contributions to enable them to live in the solitude they seek and to do the things they went into the wilderness to do.

I don't begrudge them the income, because no matter how you slice it, creating a place to  live in the wilderness takes far more strength and energy than I possess myself, not to mention the personal interior resources to live as they wish, in peace and quiet.

But, there are different perspectives. The Desert Fathers aimed to live in unbroken silence and solitude, performing acts of penance and working honestly with their hands to support themselves and to establish an environment in which they could be silent, still, quiet and alone, free of the demands of society with the aim of replacing those demands with an attention to God, and listening and resting interiorly to achieve some semblance of union with God and the world in which He lives.

Eventually, God revealed to the Desert Fathers how He wished a community of hermits could be established in various places, dedicated to God and to each other according to a spiritual domain.

The truth is, regardless of how severe their penances were, they remained men ( and, if I am correct ,there were a few female hermitesses).

One might pause to ask themselves, why it was good to live in hard physical labor, eating only vegetables and living with only what they can fashion with their own hands.

Many a monk has asked themselves the same question. A few have relied on their wife and children to support their psychological needs as well as their physical needs, and have employed every bit of intelligence and strength to create what they seek.

The desert fathers lived in a desert and not a plush forest. Some hermits who decided to imitate them, found places atop limestone pinnacles very difficult to climb, and completely shut off from contact with others. For some, it was necessary to be so remote given the challenges to the spirit which impose themselves on those tough souls who wished as absolute an isolation as possible in which to encounter God. Making one's own mind and heart behave as if in the presence of God, bore that fruit when the Lord looked at their souls and marvelled. Some returned to the cities they left to spread the Good News of the Resurrection and Union with God

Some are not the harsh on themselves, and that is good, for God is good and gentle and whether we see it or not, He loves us completely wherever we and however we live.

The goal, as I see it, is to live and reflect quietly and ask very little of existence and in the meantime, to learn to love God in others and to attracts others to God.

We need not ask what we need to give up, but rather live without satisfying ourselves as much as is possible, in order to love, serve and admire God and His children.

One need not set aside years to such endeavors when one follows the Will of God and does it. 

Holy desires often follow holy dedication to great ideals and the quest to experience God, freely, and without fear of deception, seeking to be as holy as the Lord Himself, if He will open your being and shine His light within. 

This happens because it is what He wills. We need not fret that we may not catch on immediately what He wants. There are many saints, some lay people and some monks and hermits and nuns who were drawn by the most difficult of paths but with the sweetest presence and light. Ask yourself what He wants of you and listen. Turn everything off, and let that time be for you and God alone.

One need not fast himself into illness, although, if He wills that we share His cross in desolation and illness, it will happen surely enough. The goal is to be so obsessed with God, that it would be impossible to speak or even think, and to cherish His love more than life itself.

There are plenty of books one might read about this endeavor, but there are plenty of holy men and women we might meet with whom to share the sweetness of the Lord who is near.

Ascending

A Swedish White Beam Tree.

I have read numerous stories of the life of Saint Padre Pio.

The reality which he lived is obvious in his face, and in his dealings with people around him. 

It would have been a tremendous grace to have been present at the Masses he celebrated, but can celebrate no longer. The majesty of God and Heaven shone on his face, and the mysteries of His passion came to life as he celebrated the mysteries, with the terrible burden of sin and the pains of the passion lived vividly for those to see who were privileged.

Suffering goes on in the world as if one long sigh of the Lord's breathing and living nailed to the cross. In Padre Pio, in the descriptions of those who witnessed the holocaust of His suffering, people could see the reality of the passion revealed before them. People could stand in wonder beholding what he willingly chose to embrace in reparation for our sins, and to give testimony to the joy which awaits those who have lived so as to be saved from the waste of this world, in favor of the next, where it is as if  no one shares the love of Jesus with anyone else. The glory of the heaven of Jesus was present in the midst. 

This exceptional man gave his all and more to Jesus in all he did. That in itself was an admonition to everyone that salvation matters and is worth every  moment we suffer, when we do. The cross he bore was a share of the cross Jesus Himself shared with those whose lives were meant to be an exposition of real Body and Blood.

Life exacts a toll from each of us. It is not possible to escape suffering while we live in this world, but we can rise above what we endure in life, long enough to catch a glimpse of glory and the majesty of the Lord and miracle of His passion. He does not ask very many to join Him and share with Him the life and moments of His life and death.

To each  of us is given a role to play, and few are they who share Golgotha as He lived it. Joined to the lives of those who do, is His own peace undiminished in any way, to savor in the challenges of life and share with others as we are given the opportunity to do.

The revelation that reveals His love to us is meant to make us like Him, sharing love with others, regardless of the grief to be lived in company with it, making the love revealed and enshrined in us, a monument to Him.

There is one Self that matters in this world, the Body Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus free of death and suffering, living in the bliss of our union with Him which engenders His love in a blighted world. Erasing every blemish on this world was the goal of Jesus in the world. If He shows us the glory He created, it will change the world and us in it forever, so that we understand His life and all our lives, and the evil in the world might be deprived of the satisfaction He thereby gives to His children.

Some of that glory was given me to see and share through many sorrows and much pain, but I continue to dedicate my existence to the sharing of that vision of His goodness with you, His children. I pray that He  may succeed in revealing His love to you and enable you sanctify the lives of others in any way He gives you to do. If you succeed in seeing the vision to which I refer, God's Will shall have been accomplished and I will be rewarded by Him for my small love.

Ascending

A Swedish White Beam Tree.

I have read numerous stories of the life of Saint Padre Pio.

The reality which he lived is obvious in his face, and in his dealings with people around him. 

It would have been a tremendous grace to have been present at the Masses he celebrated, but can celebrate no longer. The majesty of God and Heaven shone on his face, and the mysteries of His passion came to life as he celebrated the mysteries, with the terrible burden of sin and the pains of the passion lived vividly for those to see who were privileged.

Suffering goes on in the world as if one long sigh of the Lord's breathing and living nailed to the cross. In Padre Pio, in the descriptions of those who witnessed the holocaust of His suffering, people could see the reality of the passion revealed before them. People could stand in wonder beholding what he willingly chose to embrace in reparation for our sins, and to give testimony to the joy which awaits those who have lived so as to be saved from the waste of this world, in favor of the next, where it is as if  no one shares the love of Jesus with anyone else. The glory of the heaven of Jesus was present in the midst. 

This exceptional man gave his all and more to Jesus in all he did. That in itself was an admonition to everyone that salvation matters and is worth every  moment we suffer, when we do. The cross he bore was a share of the cross Jesus Himself shared with those whose lives were meant to be an exposition of real Body and Blood.

Life exacts a toll from each of us. It is not possible to escape suffering while we live in this world, but we can rise above what we endure in life, long enough to catch a glimpse of glory and the majesty of the Lord and miracle of His passion. He does not ask very many to join Him and share with Him the life and moments of His life and death.

To each  of us is given a role to play, and few are they who share Golgotha as He lived it. Joined to the lives of those who do, is His own peace undiminished in any way, to savor in the challenges of life and share with others as we are given the opportunity to do.

The revelation that reveals His love to us is meant to make us like Him, sharing love with others, regardless of the grief to be lived in company with it, making the love revealed and enshrined in us, a monument to Him.

There is one Self that matters in this world, the Body Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus free of death and suffering, living in the bliss of our union with Him which engenders His love in a blighted world. Erasing every blemish on this world was the goal of Jesus in the world. If He shows us the glory He created, it will change the world and us in it forever, so that we understand His life and all our lives, and the evil in the world might be deprived of the satisfaction He thereby gives to His children.

Some of that glory was given me to see and share through many sorrows and much pain, but I continue to dedicate my existence to the sharing of that vision of His goodness with you, His children. I pray that He  may succeed in revealing His love to you and enable you sanctify the lives of others in any way He gives you to do. If you succeed in seeing the vision to which I refer, God's Will shall have been accomplished and I will be rewarded by Him for my small love.

Warning

The many facets of Mt. St. Helen's eruption
are a focus of continuing study.

The month of May is here; fog, wind and rain. it seems as if hurricane season will arrive unexpectedly and be abnormally strong. We have already endured day after day of mid-west storms and tornadoes, tore everything up as sustained explosions blasted away homes and cars and lives, without end.

Mount Saint Helens is remembered for its symmetrical beauty, and the catastrophic explosive eruption that blew away the side of the mountain in a monumental  landslide that uncorked the violent magma within and raced out over the countryside in every direction, while at the same time, a pyroclastic flow ripped through the surface of the countryside, erasing entire forests and stripping everything for miles. Fifty seven people died in the event. and millions of dollars of property were laid waste far and wide. 

I was living in Kelso, Washington at the time, and remember these things vividly as the mountain's glaciers were melted into oblivion by the hot ash, and rivers originating on the mountain tore through river basins all the way to the Columbia River, so that it became necessary for ocean going ships stranded by the flow of mud, to wait for the chanels to be dredged. On that day, May 18th 1980 around 8 am, ash exploded into an eruptive column straight up  in the air for miles. Only a few other volcanoes in the world surpassed that eruption, and they were responsible for thousands of deaths and tsunamis. 

It is hard to say whether our sinfulness was responsible for any part of these things, or whether it was simply an act of nature that happened on the human scene. I remember the fear I felt as we were warned of flooding from the rivers and torrents of water mixed with ash, as I was living in an apartment near the Cowlitz river. two weeks after the eruption, there was another lesser eruption which blasted ash up and over the countryside, covering everything in ash mixed with spring rain. The weight of ash in gutters caused the gutters to be ripped off the sides of buildings. As the rain passed, warmer weather arrived, and the ash blew everywhere inside or outside. Powerful jets of water were used to clear the ash, but it remained in the air as very fine dust for sometime afterward. It looked as if it had snowed, yet it was not white, but dull grey.

Trees are springing up  in the blast zone, fish have returned to Spirit Lake, and herds of elk have found their way back. The old forest is gone, fallen on the ground stripped of limbs and needles, laid in neat rows by the force of the wind in the blast. Yet wildflowers have returned, and tiny animals.

Much was learned in the explosion of the mountain. Mt. St. Helens periodically erupts violently, so we have not seen the last of the mountain's violence. Three mountains in the Cascades form an ominous triangle; Mt. St. Helens, Mt Adams, and Mt. Rainier, which rises over 14 thousand feet, some fifty miles or more from Seattle. Very little warning can accompany the eruption of these  peaks, and little opportunity to flee are available.

Life continues, and we are warned about our sins, so that we always have an opportunity to change our ways. God waits for us to change and helps us prepare for what is awaiting us. His love is our shield, but it is one that can help others as much as us.

Warning

The many facets of Mt. St. Helen's eruption
are a focus of continuing study.

The month of May is here; fog, wind and rain. it seems as if hurricane season will arrive unexpectedly and be abnormally strong. We have already endured day after day of mid-west storms and tornadoes, tore everything up as sustained explosions blasted away homes and cars and lives, without end.

Mount Saint Helens is remembered for its symmetrical beauty, and the catastrophic explosive eruption that blew away the side of the mountain in a monumental  landslide that uncorked the violent magma within and raced out over the countryside in every direction, while at the same time, a pyroclastic flow ripped through the surface of the countryside, erasing entire forests and stripping everything for miles. Fifty seven people died in the event. and millions of dollars of property were laid waste far and wide. 

I was living in Kelso, Washington at the time, and remember these things vividly as the mountain's glaciers were melted into oblivion by the hot ash, and rivers originating on the mountain tore through river basins all the way to the Columbia River, so that it became necessary for ocean going ships stranded by the flow of mud, to wait for the chanels to be dredged. On that day, May 18th 1980 around 8 am, ash exploded into an eruptive column straight up  in the air for miles. Only a few other volcanoes in the world surpassed that eruption, and they were responsible for thousands of deaths and tsunamis. 

It is hard to say whether our sinfulness was responsible for any part of these things, or whether it was simply an act of nature that happened on the human scene. I remember the fear I felt as we were warned of flooding from the rivers and torrents of water mixed with ash, as I was living in an apartment near the Cowlitz river. two weeks after the eruption, there was another lesser eruption which blasted ash up and over the countryside, covering everything in ash mixed with spring rain. The weight of ash in gutters caused the gutters to be ripped off the sides of buildings. As the rain passed, warmer weather arrived, and the ash blew everywhere inside or outside. Powerful jets of water were used to clear the ash, but it remained in the air as very fine dust for sometime afterward. It looked as if it had snowed, yet it was not white, but dull grey.

Trees are springing up  in the blast zone, fish have returned to Spirit Lake, and herds of elk have found their way back. The old forest is gone, fallen on the ground stripped of limbs and needles, laid in neat rows by the force of the wind in the blast. Yet wildflowers have returned, and tiny animals.

Much was learned in the explosion of the mountain. Mt. St. Helens periodically erupts violently, so we have not seen the last of the mountain's violence. Three mountains in the Cascades form an ominous triangle; Mt. St. Helens, Mt Adams, and Mt. Rainier, which rises over 14 thousand feet, some fifty miles or more from Seattle. Very little warning can accompany the eruption of these  peaks, and little opportunity to flee are available.

Life continues, and we are warned about our sins, so that we always have an opportunity to change our ways. God waits for us to change and helps us prepare for what is awaiting us. His love is our shield, but it is one that can help others as much as us.

Brother Michael of the Cross

 In case anyone didn't know, I am not a charitable organization. I do not loan or give money to anyone. I live on Social Security - period. I pray, I meditate and I fast and do penance. Do  not ask me for money, because I cannot give to anyone. I am a Lay member of the Roman Catholic Church, and not a clerical member. I am not a priest, nor am I a member of a religious order or organization. What I do is not directed by anyone else. I try to do what I think God is asking me to do.

Thank you

Brother Michael of the Cross

 In case anyone didn't know, I am not a charitable organization. I do not loan or give money to anyone. I live on Social Security - period. I pray, I meditate and I fast and do penance. Do  not ask me for money, because I cannot give to anyone. I am a Lay member of the Roman Catholic Church, and not a clerical member. I am not a priest, nor am I a member of a religious order or organization. What I do is not directed by anyone else. I try to do what I think God is asking me to do.

Thank you

Unknown

What would you ask? Behold the
answer :) I love and so you are.

 My foot is remarkably improved. there is still pain and a little swelling, and the inflammation is subsiding. It all makes me wonder. On one hand, I had the opportunity to spend some time with Jesus on the cross, and on the other, to wonder at His mercy and His love, renewed as healthy.

If only people could be persuaded to be more like Jesus, there would be a different world and a different humanity.

If nothing else, He has been revealed as one who takes off His cloak of invisibility to reveal a  love that is incandescent. He took off His clothes so He could be crucified, and died so He could rise from the sepulcher, ending all doubts and discussions by the wise or anyone else. All malignant loneliness gives way to union with Him in the state of His Being.

One enters into sharing the divine life by beginning to share in the divinity as much as in the mortality. All arguments are ended by the simple act of making us well.

He stood out in singularity, utterly unique, and yet distressingly the same as all other men. He could have been hacked to pieces, burnt alive or simply shot with an arrow. But it ended according to His desire. I desired well-being at the same time as I desired to share in some manner He determined, in His passion, and so I did. As it turns out, my share in the passion was delimited by demonstrations of His mercy, by first being made utterly helpless. But it was in a caring environment. One must participate, and will to be as disposed and participating in the offering of a will and a heart to God who has no need for them, but who accepts them as a mother accepts what her son offers her.

We are forever caught in the cross of both willing and actively resisting so that the healing may take place, and as we are healed ( we do not heal ourselves), matters are resolved for those who could not believe in healing forgiveness or believe. In a word, He is our Savior. 

Churches and monasteries become as irrelevant as senates and kings and empires. We stand at the cusp of a moment when His Will can emerge from darkness and blindness. Prosperity can blossom, but not out of dictatorship, nor does it emerge from defiance and pride. When humility leads a soul to God, it is disarmed and its basic relationship to God is confirmed, and it starts to receive. We have learned both humility and gratitude so that we are positioned to receive salvation.

Whatever else we may believe, the essential need of humility and love assert themselves utterly unique to each soul. We determine that we will humble ourselves and as a result, we learn to love perfectly, and everything we do fits into His economy of peace which settles in gentle silence over us, ignites love within us ultimately consuming everything we are so instead we may share in His divinity.

Whatever we have determined must be, cedes to the Will of Him who was crucified according to His divine Will, and all destruction emerges from annihilation in such a way that all that is left is peace; all destruction becomes creation. The slate is wiped clean in a terrifying moment that silences and disposes creation, but since we knew not, neither do we see or experience aside from the presence of our God. Our very flesh becomes something different for His Will's sake and our sake as well.

O souls, my brothers and sisters, pay no attention to reality, except  to utter one "alleluia"  to join in His triumph.

Unknown

What would you ask? Behold the
answer :) I love and so you are.

 My foot is remarkably improved. there is still pain and a little swelling, and the inflammation is subsiding. It all makes me wonder. On one hand, I had the opportunity to spend some time with Jesus on the cross, and on the other, to wonder at His mercy and His love, renewed as healthy.

If only people could be persuaded to be more like Jesus, there would be a different world and a different humanity.

If nothing else, He has been revealed as one who takes off His cloak of invisibility to reveal a  love that is incandescent. He took off His clothes so He could be crucified, and died so He could rise from the sepulcher, ending all doubts and discussions by the wise or anyone else. All malignant loneliness gives way to union with Him in the state of His Being.

One enters into sharing the divine life by beginning to share in the divinity as much as in the mortality. All arguments are ended by the simple act of making us well.

He stood out in singularity, utterly unique, and yet distressingly the same as all other men. He could have been hacked to pieces, burnt alive or simply shot with an arrow. But it ended according to His desire. I desired well-being at the same time as I desired to share in some manner He determined, in His passion, and so I did. As it turns out, my share in the passion was delimited by demonstrations of His mercy, by first being made utterly helpless. But it was in a caring environment. One must participate, and will to be as disposed and participating in the offering of a will and a heart to God who has no need for them, but who accepts them as a mother accepts what her son offers her.

We are forever caught in the cross of both willing and actively resisting so that the healing may take place, and as we are healed ( we do not heal ourselves), matters are resolved for those who could not believe in healing forgiveness or believe. In a word, He is our Savior. 

Churches and monasteries become as irrelevant as senates and kings and empires. We stand at the cusp of a moment when His Will can emerge from darkness and blindness. Prosperity can blossom, but not out of dictatorship, nor does it emerge from defiance and pride. When humility leads a soul to God, it is disarmed and its basic relationship to God is confirmed, and it starts to receive. We have learned both humility and gratitude so that we are positioned to receive salvation.

Whatever else we may believe, the essential need of humility and love assert themselves utterly unique to each soul. We determine that we will humble ourselves and as a result, we learn to love perfectly, and everything we do fits into His economy of peace which settles in gentle silence over us, ignites love within us ultimately consuming everything we are so instead we may share in His divinity.

Whatever we have determined must be, cedes to the Will of Him who was crucified according to His divine Will, and all destruction emerges from annihilation in such a way that all that is left is peace; all destruction becomes creation. The slate is wiped clean in a terrifying moment that silences and disposes creation, but since we knew not, neither do we see or experience aside from the presence of our God. Our very flesh becomes something different for His Will's sake and our sake as well.

O souls, my brothers and sisters, pay no attention to reality, except  to utter one "alleluia"  to join in His triumph.

Come Forth

Life moves on eh? The gout in my left foot is diminishing slowly. I need to get to the store to buy groceries.

We need not trouble the Lord with  our curiosity, acting as if He had no rights. What rights we have, are given us, by a Being we cannot comprehend, and even if we could see Him as He is, we could still not comprehend unless He helped us to. If it will help His cause, He  

The sweetness of lingering to listen is the
love that is called to come forth into the  world.

may reveal things to us in a manner we can understand, but we must remember that it is an approximation of reality, a reality we cannot comprehend.

Blessed the gentle soul that can hold His secrets unseen within their heart, for it makes the heart stronger, beating so, and enlarges, it so that it has room for Him.

He holds surprises in store for us, and safeguards our secrets for us so they are not spoiled or lost in mortality. Sometimes He leads us into His garden to be with Him. There He unburdens His Heart to us, and speaks what we long to hear, and our poor heart becomes like a great balloon, on the verge of exploding for the delight of it all. He would never let it burst. We have miles to go and things to do, and we must make a visible world for all the people to observe, creating with our hands, what remains  invisible and hidden within us. All the love and all the strength and all the logical beauty of our inner selves built up out of the materials of earth to live in and share with others.

There is no person lonelier than one who can share nothing of what exists within. Through neglect we lose the ability to imagine or to build or to even so much as imagine. It is a sad, drab place where no candle is ever lit, and where stars are never gazed at. The whole world lies before our wondering eyes, and we are not supposed to stop wondering. The tear rolling down our cheeks is the beginning of a new life, if we follow the urgent longing in our hearts, if we have not already extinguished them.

Blessed is the man who sees the world and realizes it is the same there as everywhere. beautiful, waiting to be shared and to cause us to exclaim the excellence of God's way. Blessed is the man who makes others glad, for he is making room for more inside, and each impulse is a share in God's own life.

Life on His cross gives life, and the pain accompanying life is a constant tone that remains insisting that we love no matter what. To learn to love is to share the pain of others, and to love the Lord is a share in His life, His cross where He lives for us, ready to respond to all our love and all our curiosity and the impulses of life.

It is such a mystery, this life, but we become aware, little by little, the more we build, that the mystery holds a greater mystery, waiting to unfold. enjoy the anticipation.

Come Forth

Life moves on eh? The gout in my left foot is diminishing slowly. I need to get to the store to buy groceries.

We need not trouble the Lord with  our curiosity, acting as if He had no rights. What rights we have, are given us, by a Being we cannot comprehend, and even if we could see Him as He is, we could still not comprehend unless He helped us to. If it will help His cause, He  

The sweetness of lingering to listen is the
love that is called to come forth into the  world.

may reveal things to us in a manner we can understand, but we must remember that it is an approximation of reality, a reality we cannot comprehend.

Blessed the gentle soul that can hold His secrets unseen within their heart, for it makes the heart stronger, beating so, and enlarges, it so that it has room for Him.

He holds surprises in store for us, and safeguards our secrets for us so they are not spoiled or lost in mortality. Sometimes He leads us into His garden to be with Him. There He unburdens His Heart to us, and speaks what we long to hear, and our poor heart becomes like a great balloon, on the verge of exploding for the delight of it all. He would never let it burst. We have miles to go and things to do, and we must make a visible world for all the people to observe, creating with our hands, what remains  invisible and hidden within us. All the love and all the strength and all the logical beauty of our inner selves built up out of the materials of earth to live in and share with others.

There is no person lonelier than one who can share nothing of what exists within. Through neglect we lose the ability to imagine or to build or to even so much as imagine. It is a sad, drab place where no candle is ever lit, and where stars are never gazed at. The whole world lies before our wondering eyes, and we are not supposed to stop wondering. The tear rolling down our cheeks is the beginning of a new life, if we follow the urgent longing in our hearts, if we have not already extinguished them.

Blessed is the man who sees the world and realizes it is the same there as everywhere. beautiful, waiting to be shared and to cause us to exclaim the excellence of God's way. Blessed is the man who makes others glad, for he is making room for more inside, and each impulse is a share in God's own life.

Life on His cross gives life, and the pain accompanying life is a constant tone that remains insisting that we love no matter what. To learn to love is to share the pain of others, and to love the Lord is a share in His life, His cross where He lives for us, ready to respond to all our love and all our curiosity and the impulses of life.

It is such a mystery, this life, but we become aware, little by little, the more we build, that the mystery holds a greater mystery, waiting to unfold. enjoy the anticipation.