Seeing

The life of a Catholic is a rich life. Not only do we have very many beautiful prayers, but the Rosary and the Mass as well.

It is not like Jesus was among us and then departed back to heaven to leave us impoverished and abandoned in despair. Neither did He leave us inky blackness without His light or any inkling of His presence. 

Thinking persons can achieve a capacity to appreciate what they can see, enlightened by the light of Christ. Do not say, I cannot achieve enlightenment or unity with Jesus because I am a sinner and I have not been given the gifts of the saints by which to see. You have most certainly been allowed enough light to see the Lord in your life, if only you will distract yourself from things less than God long enough to turn you mind toward Him so He may mature your vision to see according to His grace.

As for sin, if you are aware that you have sinned, and others around you live in sin, then it is time to do something to atone for the sins and to enable you to live without the sins. Doing something instead of sinning is to give thanks to God for grace and for working in your life so you may mature and be able to perceive your life in His light.

That light is gentle but very powerful, and in spite of calamities and catastrophes, you cannot be cut off from it easilly. By means of His light He attracts your soul to Him and begins to make you desire Him more defintely than any earthly thing, so that the soul is not devastated to see wars or hear threats of destruction, because you know Jesus and are familiar with His love which makes up for the blustering evil in the world that works so hard to terrify you away from Him. Do not be frightened away from His light, but seek it out all the more diligently, the more the malicious monseter blusters to distract you from God and His light.

Mature vision comes through negotiating difficulties and trials so that your seeing improves. He will surely show you how you have grown and what you are now capable of that was impossible before.

A baby learns to speak because it desires to speak so much, and because it knows that the ability to speak will fill its parents with a great deal of joy. If you wish to see better and know better, then you need the exercise that comes from trials and difficulty.

Modern life certainly is full of trails and difficulties, but it is most important to know the function of trials and difficlties in life. In the past, life was simpler, though by way of comparison, certainly not more difficult. We worked harder, and our communications and entertainments were different and more difficult. But so often, the instant communication is merely an avenue for disappointment and despair as bad news overwhelms us and saps our strength, energy and faiths. Thus, the necessity of constant prayer as a habit. We can help each other by repeating the call to penance and prayer and the simplification of life by sacraficing things we think we need. 

I need to share in the passion-life of Jesus, and so He makes possible the sharing in accordance with His own needs and what is best for me. I have a lot pain which constantly renews itself to remind me of Jesus and the needs of His people, so I will be moved to offer prayers for them so they may have what they need of the treasures of His goodness.

He gives me deep peace, but from time to time, I endure periods of deep disturbance from one source or another, then I must renew my resolve to pray unselfishly for souls who are weakest and most intensely suffering. Though it all, I am reminded what is important and what is not of priority, and crisis passes as He had intended from the beginning.

Neither is my pain as intense as the Lord's, for I am not that strong. My strength is what is should be according to His Will, and whereas one man's strength may be sufficient against a great stone, that same man may be completely overwhelmed by a simple misfortune that would hardly trouble another man; our strength is appropriate to what His need is, and in accordance with what it is possible for us to endure. When maturity is of the essense, the trials are instructive for us if we apply ourselves and are willing to offer our sufferings for the intentions of His Sacred Heart. I am not St. Padre Pio by any means, but I admire him greatly and hope to be pleasing in his sight.. By such means we may be edified and gain the desire to grow in Christ.

Things do not need to be complex to be profound, though they may be complex from our perspective as His children. As the mature Christians we hope to be, some things are not complicated any more, since we have become greater than we were. It stands to reason that we will do greater things as we mature for Jesus in our daily life. It is good that He shows us what we need to be encouraged and even overjoyed, that we have pleased Him. We might be able to appreciate the grace by which we overcame a sin and live now in the peace of God which He wished to give us abundantly. We just have to be mature in the charity we have for God and others.

Seeing

The life of a Catholic is a rich life. Not only do we have very many beautiful prayers, but the Rosary and the Mass as well.

It is not like Jesus was among us and then departed back to heaven to leave us impoverished and abandoned in despair. Neither did He leave us inky blackness without His light or any inkling of His presence. 

Thinking persons can achieve a capacity to appreciate what they can see, enlightened by the light of Christ. Do not say, I cannot achieve enlightenment or unity with Jesus because I am a sinner and I have not been given the gifts of the saints by which to see. You have most certainly been allowed enough light to see the Lord in your life, if only you will distract yourself from things less than God long enough to turn you mind toward Him so He may mature your vision to see according to His grace.

As for sin, if you are aware that you have sinned, and others around you live in sin, then it is time to do something to atone for the sins and to enable you to live without the sins. Doing something instead of sinning is to give thanks to God for grace and for working in your life so you may mature and be able to perceive your life in His light.

That light is gentle but very powerful, and in spite of calamities and catastrophes, you cannot be cut off from it easilly. By means of His light He attracts your soul to Him and begins to make you desire Him more defintely than any earthly thing, so that the soul is not devastated to see wars or hear threats of destruction, because you know Jesus and are familiar with His love which makes up for the blustering evil in the world that works so hard to terrify you away from Him. Do not be frightened away from His light, but seek it out all the more diligently, the more the malicious monseter blusters to distract you from God and His light.

Mature vision comes through negotiating difficulties and trials so that your seeing improves. He will surely show you how you have grown and what you are now capable of that was impossible before.

A baby learns to speak because it desires to speak so much, and because it knows that the ability to speak will fill its parents with a great deal of joy. If you wish to see better and know better, then you need the exercise that comes from trials and difficulty.

Modern life certainly is full of trails and difficulties, but it is most important to know the function of trials and difficlties in life. In the past, life was simpler, though by way of comparison, certainly not more difficult. We worked harder, and our communications and entertainments were different and more difficult. But so often, the instant communication is merely an avenue for disappointment and despair as bad news overwhelms us and saps our strength, energy and faiths. Thus, the necessity of constant prayer as a habit. We can help each other by repeating the call to penance and prayer and the simplification of life by sacraficing things we think we need. 

I need to share in the passion-life of Jesus, and so He makes possible the sharing in accordance with His own needs and what is best for me. I have a lot pain which constantly renews itself to remind me of Jesus and the needs of His people, so I will be moved to offer prayers for them so they may have what they need of the treasures of His goodness.

He gives me deep peace, but from time to time, I endure periods of deep disturbance from one source or another, then I must renew my resolve to pray unselfishly for souls who are weakest and most intensely suffering. Though it all, I am reminded what is important and what is not of priority, and crisis passes as He had intended from the beginning.

Neither is my pain as intense as the Lord's, for I am not that strong. My strength is what is should be according to His Will, and whereas one man's strength may be sufficient against a great stone, that same man may be completely overwhelmed by a simple misfortune that would hardly trouble another man; our strength is appropriate to what His need is, and in accordance with what it is possible for us to endure. When maturity is of the essense, the trials are instructive for us if we apply ourselves and are willing to offer our sufferings for the intentions of His Sacred Heart. I am not St. Padre Pio by any means, but I admire him greatly and hope to be pleasing in his sight.. By such means we may be edified and gain the desire to grow in Christ.

Things do not need to be complex to be profound, though they may be complex from our perspective as His children. As the mature Christians we hope to be, some things are not complicated any more, since we have become greater than we were. It stands to reason that we will do greater things as we mature for Jesus in our daily life. It is good that He shows us what we need to be encouraged and even overjoyed, that we have pleased Him. We might be able to appreciate the grace by which we overcame a sin and live now in the peace of God which He wished to give us abundantly. We just have to be mature in the charity we have for God and others.

Listen

DAY'S SAINTS
Evette of Brittany, Hermit
Blessed Antoni Beszta-Borowski, Martyr

Gospel Mt 10:24-33
Jesus said to his Apostles:
"No disciple is above his teacher,
no slave above his master.
It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher,
for the slave that he become like his master.
If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,
how much more those of his household!
"Therefore do not be afraid of them.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father."

+

Listen; I permit you to hear
the beating of my Heart so you
may be alive, your own heart
beating with mine.

We are each here for a reason, and God has a purpose for our lives. He tells us not to be fearful of evil, but to trust in God instead.

If they crucified Jesus, and He says the pupil is not above the master, what will they do to us, but at the same time He tells us not to be afraid of evil. Jesus has placed out of reach, and He secured us by His love, and wishing for a guarantee of immunity will avail us nothing; we must love Him completely before we have any hold on Him.

If He decides to take our surrender and offering of ourselves to Him, He will make the best possible use of us to thwart evil and nourish His plans for our solvation. What servant of a king would think he was not blessed to be his servant, and in God, we have a servant of great esteem.

Our prayers and sacrifices, atonement and intercession will besiege His Heart so that He is overcome with love; you cannot hold Him or force Him to do anything. But there is little He would not do for one so completely dedicated and consecrated to become a powerful tool in His hands.

In the desolation in which you may often find yourself, do not distrust Him or succumb to doubts; ragrdless of how dark the night may be, there is always divine light enough to keep you close to Him. That is a promise to you. Remain faithful to Him in your thoughts and emotions, though they may be tumultuous; God is closest when He seems the farthest away. To live in Him means to abandon ourselves totally to Him and to discard doubts and emotions that do not think, but only feel. Until He has assumed us into Himself, we are subject to our senses and emotions, and He has taken them into consideration so that we are always enabled to will to serve Him regardless. We must trust in these truthes to remain close enough to Him to hear Him, so we know what He wants. Our reward is not rest in this world; true rests lies only in the next world and the next life neither of which changes. It is already eternal, and we approach eternity as we are, ready and equipped as He wants us to be. Trust in His love and forgive yourself and those who do us harm, for by doing so, we move closer to the moment all our desires are satisfied in Him.

Listen

DAY'S SAINTS
Evette of Brittany, Hermit
Blessed Antoni Beszta-Borowski, Martyr

Gospel Mt 10:24-33
Jesus said to his Apostles:
"No disciple is above his teacher,
no slave above his master.
It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher,
for the slave that he become like his master.
If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,
how much more those of his household!
"Therefore do not be afraid of them.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father."

+

Listen; I permit you to hear
the beating of my Heart so you
may be alive, your own heart
beating with mine.

We are each here for a reason, and God has a purpose for our lives. He tells us not to be fearful of evil, but to trust in God instead.

If they crucified Jesus, and He says the pupil is not above the master, what will they do to us, but at the same time He tells us not to be afraid of evil. Jesus has placed out of reach, and He secured us by His love, and wishing for a guarantee of immunity will avail us nothing; we must love Him completely before we have any hold on Him.

If He decides to take our surrender and offering of ourselves to Him, He will make the best possible use of us to thwart evil and nourish His plans for our solvation. What servant of a king would think he was not blessed to be his servant, and in God, we have a servant of great esteem.

Our prayers and sacrifices, atonement and intercession will besiege His Heart so that He is overcome with love; you cannot hold Him or force Him to do anything. But there is little He would not do for one so completely dedicated and consecrated to become a powerful tool in His hands.

In the desolation in which you may often find yourself, do not distrust Him or succumb to doubts; ragrdless of how dark the night may be, there is always divine light enough to keep you close to Him. That is a promise to you. Remain faithful to Him in your thoughts and emotions, though they may be tumultuous; God is closest when He seems the farthest away. To live in Him means to abandon ourselves totally to Him and to discard doubts and emotions that do not think, but only feel. Until He has assumed us into Himself, we are subject to our senses and emotions, and He has taken them into consideration so that we are always enabled to will to serve Him regardless. We must trust in these truthes to remain close enough to Him to hear Him, so we know what He wants. Our reward is not rest in this world; true rests lies only in the next world and the next life neither of which changes. It is already eternal, and we approach eternity as we are, ready and equipped as He wants us to be. Trust in His love and forgive yourself and those who do us harm, for by doing so, we move closer to the moment all our desires are satisfied in Him.

Interim

There is no place as suitable to God as
your heart because He made it so.

 According to the calendar, it has been several days since I posted last. In the meantime, I ugraded my iPhone, connected the watch to the iPhone and configured what needed configuring, which took some time. In addition, the apartment complex where I live is being inspected, though I have not seen anyone.
When I filled my prescriptions box I noted that I am running low on one pill, so I left a message for my provider at the VA requesting a refill. She replied that I needed to call the VA refill line, so I did. The lady filled my prescriptions, and told me she would notify my provider to refill the item that was low. It does seem stupid and lazy to put people through that kind of aggravation. At 76 years of age, I have seen too much of the world and the stupidity of people, and simply wonder that beings can devolve so absolutely.

This morning I tried to watch a Youtube video about Quantum computing and Artificial Intelligence, but just shook my head in disbelief, that grown people can swallow such a line of hogwash. All my life, I was taught that there were galaxies with planets. Now we are supposed to believe, that according to the latest observations of the heavens, the planet Pluto is no longer a planet and that the Big Bang never happened. Apparently, according to what they think they know, the whole galaxy appeared suddenly out of nothing fully formed, and did not form in the billions of years they said.

In the political realm, the government indicted a former president for violation of security laws and other laws concerning financial dealings with all kinds of people. The lies are so in-depth that it may take a lifetime to unravel it all to get the truth. Meantime, the offender continues offending as if it is perfectly alright and he did't commit a crime but had the right to do what he did, in spite of the Law saying that is wrong. He tried to overthrow the last election, and works continually to overthrow the government, and he wonders why he is heading to prison.

We have a political system that provides for free and fair elections, but some people bound and determined to overthrow the govenment continue propagating lies and trying to stymie efforts to help underprivileged people as if slavery were perfectly alright.

Well, I can't sit still and not say that wrong is wrong. Not only that, but God is the arbiter of what is right and wrong, and in spite of efforts to declare there is no god, He persists and we stand at the brink of annihilation. The control that kept the weather in check and regulated our climate to be beneficial to us, is being allowed to run wild, and gets more deadly an destructive as time goes on. We go from catastrophe to catastrophe and time is running furiousl into the distance.

People need to realize they can stop, sit down and reach out to God in spite of what is happening all around us, and that He will listen if we speak to Him, and our world will be under His control and our lives will not be torm up and disgarded.

Those forces in the world who want to take other countries by force and invasion lob missiles at other countries to intimidate, while other nations invade places for the fun of it and it goes on unchecked. 

The appearance that destruction is inevitable is incorrect, in case you did not know it. If you don't like the way the world is, change it by your prayers, love and penance, It is not written in stone that anything in immutable, because God controls it all and will listen and do what we ask. If it seems He doesn't care, when was the last time you told God you love Him? When we the last time you asked Him to help you or to change a situation, either for yourself of someone else? before you get ready to chuck yourself off a cliff because it all looks hopeless, you might ponder when the last time was you felt any hope, and when you told God you love Him or your loved ones.

Remember that the sounds of love don't just happen, you have to make them. So perk up; the Lord is very near and present and He cares deeply - more deeply than you can imagine. Try Him and see if asking can't remedy your troubles at least a little bit. He will not punish you for forgetting to tell Him of your love, but beginning to tell Him you love Him, again, will go a long way to making life more tolerable for you.

Unlike a good friend of mine, I believe there is a God and an evil being who opposes God in every way. I believe in His presence and the union of souls whom God loves immensely and to whom He will reveal Himself in great joy and peace. The love we seek begins in Him. he wishes to reveal Himself from within yourself. Far from being indifferent as we are, He cares a great deal, and especially cares that the world is cold and indifferent, not caring that we don't care. Inanimate matter has no feelings; they simply respond to nature's forces. It is man who can care and think and change the unverse because God created the universe so that we can.

So the next time you think you got a raw deal in life, pause to examine the situation. 

if God seems distant, who moved?

Interim

There is no place as suitable to God as
your heart because He made it so.

 According to the calendar, it has been several days since I posted last. In the meantime, I ugraded my iPhone, connected the watch to the iPhone and configured what needed configuring, which took some time. In addition, the apartment complex where I live is being inspected, though I have not seen anyone.
When I filled my prescriptions box I noted that I am running low on one pill, so I left a message for my provider at the VA requesting a refill. She replied that I needed to call the VA refill line, so I did. The lady filled my prescriptions, and told me she would notify my provider to refill the item that was low. It does seem stupid and lazy to put people through that kind of aggravation. At 76 years of age, I have seen too much of the world and the stupidity of people, and simply wonder that beings can devolve so absolutely.

This morning I tried to watch a Youtube video about Quantum computing and Artificial Intelligence, but just shook my head in disbelief, that grown people can swallow such a line of hogwash. All my life, I was taught that there were galaxies with planets. Now we are supposed to believe, that according to the latest observations of the heavens, the planet Pluto is no longer a planet and that the Big Bang never happened. Apparently, according to what they think they know, the whole galaxy appeared suddenly out of nothing fully formed, and did not form in the billions of years they said.

In the political realm, the government indicted a former president for violation of security laws and other laws concerning financial dealings with all kinds of people. The lies are so in-depth that it may take a lifetime to unravel it all to get the truth. Meantime, the offender continues offending as if it is perfectly alright and he did't commit a crime but had the right to do what he did, in spite of the Law saying that is wrong. He tried to overthrow the last election, and works continually to overthrow the government, and he wonders why he is heading to prison.

We have a political system that provides for free and fair elections, but some people bound and determined to overthrow the govenment continue propagating lies and trying to stymie efforts to help underprivileged people as if slavery were perfectly alright.

Well, I can't sit still and not say that wrong is wrong. Not only that, but God is the arbiter of what is right and wrong, and in spite of efforts to declare there is no god, He persists and we stand at the brink of annihilation. The control that kept the weather in check and regulated our climate to be beneficial to us, is being allowed to run wild, and gets more deadly an destructive as time goes on. We go from catastrophe to catastrophe and time is running furiousl into the distance.

People need to realize they can stop, sit down and reach out to God in spite of what is happening all around us, and that He will listen if we speak to Him, and our world will be under His control and our lives will not be torm up and disgarded.

Those forces in the world who want to take other countries by force and invasion lob missiles at other countries to intimidate, while other nations invade places for the fun of it and it goes on unchecked. 

The appearance that destruction is inevitable is incorrect, in case you did not know it. If you don't like the way the world is, change it by your prayers, love and penance, It is not written in stone that anything in immutable, because God controls it all and will listen and do what we ask. If it seems He doesn't care, when was the last time you told God you love Him? When we the last time you asked Him to help you or to change a situation, either for yourself of someone else? before you get ready to chuck yourself off a cliff because it all looks hopeless, you might ponder when the last time was you felt any hope, and when you told God you love Him or your loved ones.

Remember that the sounds of love don't just happen, you have to make them. So perk up; the Lord is very near and present and He cares deeply - more deeply than you can imagine. Try Him and see if asking can't remedy your troubles at least a little bit. He will not punish you for forgetting to tell Him of your love, but beginning to tell Him you love Him, again, will go a long way to making life more tolerable for you.

Unlike a good friend of mine, I believe there is a God and an evil being who opposes God in every way. I believe in His presence and the union of souls whom God loves immensely and to whom He will reveal Himself in great joy and peace. The love we seek begins in Him. he wishes to reveal Himself from within yourself. Far from being indifferent as we are, He cares a great deal, and especially cares that the world is cold and indifferent, not caring that we don't care. Inanimate matter has no feelings; they simply respond to nature's forces. It is man who can care and think and change the unverse because God created the universe so that we can.

So the next time you think you got a raw deal in life, pause to examine the situation. 

if God seems distant, who moved?

Freedom

DAY'S SAINTS
Agrippinus of Autun, Bishop
Alexander of Egypt, Martyr

Gospel Mt 11:25-30
At that time Jesus exclaimed:
"I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to little ones.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

+

We all fit together and stand out with God :)

How much we stand to gain so long as it is the Lord we anticipate and Him alone that we strive to be like.

There is no point to emulating anyone not the Lord, for we are destined to stand in eternity before Him, giving Him glory and receiving His love.

Evil strives to convince us we have the right to do as we please, and that the easy path is the one to walk, when Jesus is plainly carrying His cross, and manifesting the woundedness that was His death and out which He fashions our salvation. Evil can do no such marvel, so there is no use listening to anything he says. Where you perceive terror and horror on every side, turn your face to God and be filled with the light of His truth and you will know peace and want nothing else.

Martyrs were content with a shortened life and a final pain, but they were received into the loving arms of their creator and He gave them nothing but love, for they had paid the purchase price of salvation, to enter into His crucifixion and death in the hope of rising again.

The days are coming when a challenge will be cast at our feet and we will need to choose in His company with full knowledge and vision, able to forever belong to Him, and be therefore free for Him.

Forgive one another, and be forgiven; pray for those who persecute and kill us trying to annihilate us, for it will drive them into hell, for there is no escape from God who is everywhere. Those who love Him, will never fear to be lost, to be disconnected from Him, because they have entered into God who is everywhere.

Love the Lord and be free.