Salutare

 Our love of God and the sweetness of His relationship is not measured by the sweetness of our consolations, but our acceptance of the unacceptable and unbearable. Nevertheless, we would not be human if we did not complain, or cry out once in a while for the pain we endure. 

If you complain, remember that He knew beforehand that we might complain; it does not indicate we are lost. He knows where we are and our condition, otherwise we would be overcome.

Peace be with you.

A Reflection from Youtube, the part time hermit

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Salutare

 Our love of God and the sweetness of His relationship is not measured by the sweetness of our consolations, but our acceptance of the unacceptable and unbearable. Nevertheless, we would not be human if we did not complain, or cry out once in a while for the pain we endure. 

If you complain, remember that He knew beforehand that we might complain; it does not indicate we are lost. He knows where we are and our condition, otherwise we would be overcome.

Peace be with you.

A Reflection from Youtube, the part time hermit

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Flitting

Swallowtail at rest amongst flowers.

It is really sad the way history repeats itself. The facts reveal themselves inexorably, and Donald Trump is being stripped and revealed for who he is, and in my mind, is not qualified to be the leader of our country.

Other people have been caught up in the vile things that have their hooks in Donald Trump, and they will pay the price for their association and collaboration. Adolph Hitler seized upon the methamphetimines of his time, in order to try to achieve super human power to control the world. He got the power he wanted, but was destroyed by it, and Donald Trump is also being destroyed in a similar way. For all we know, perhaps Vladimir Putin is too. None of them realize who they are, and it is not fame that engulfs them, but infamy.

To be someone totally driven by ego and drugs and paranoia is sad to say the least, but even worse, they are being led by others on whom they are totally dependent.

The bottom line is that we do not need or want such people leading our country. We are still great. Our nation has not dissolved into chaos the way so many third world countries have. We can still provide example and leadership for the world, and correct our errors along the way, by working and thinking together, but we can't do it by promoting promiscuity, immorality and selfish greed for power. 

God gave us what greatness we have preserved, but we preserved nothing on our own; GOD is the one whose plan included us and we are who we are today because of our good and bad choices in life.

Nations cannot engage in the immorality destroying so many young lives without stumbling and bad judgement, killing the unborn as an inconvenience in our modern life. He will not bless or tolerate our weaknesses if we are prejudiced and seeking to use power against the poor and disadvantaged. Such behaviour will be punished; He will allow us to do what we want rather than hinting that we should do differently. 

Lent is soon upon us. Use the time to reflect who Jesus was, how He acted, and the things He did. Discern how we have allowed ourselves to be shaped by evil, and how to correct our errors. 

The mystical spiritual world is very real, but we scarcely notice it unless we have strained and worked hard to learn to see Him in our will and mind, so as to do the things that make a person sensitive to God.

That sensitivity is hard to see, like a butterfly flitting from tree to tree  in the wind. Taking a good photograph of a butterfly requires patience and wits to anticipate where it will go next and when it will launch itself into the breeze again. They know when the flowers they visit, have nectar or are emptied of it already and ready to shrivel and fall.

Our life with Jesus requires thoughtfulness and patience. We think so often that we are forming our life by our own efforts, and can hardly control our feelings and desires, and all too often, sin when we thought we were going to do some good thing. He allows us to stumble and fall so we learn. As long as we keep on moving, we are alright. He guides our steps gives us confidence by revealing Himself to us bit by bit, until we begin to live in His proximity and to be glad for being by His side.

In order to reflect sufficiently, a person needs peace and quiet, to be still, and to listen to our heart. That means turning things off, praying and listening within ourselves, skills acquired slowly over time. We will not achieve any progress without silent stillness in our lives that occur regularly, and turning our to Him to listen and try very hard to catch every word and every intonation of every word.

We can build a peaceful world by persevering and making wise decisions.

Flitting

Swallowtail at rest amongst flowers.

It is really sad the way history repeats itself. The facts reveal themselves inexorably, and Donald Trump is being stripped and revealed for who he is, and in my mind, is not qualified to be the leader of our country.

Other people have been caught up in the vile things that have their hooks in Donald Trump, and they will pay the price for their association and collaboration. Adolph Hitler seized upon the methamphetimines of his time, in order to try to achieve super human power to control the world. He got the power he wanted, but was destroyed by it, and Donald Trump is also being destroyed in a similar way. For all we know, perhaps Vladimir Putin is too. None of them realize who they are, and it is not fame that engulfs them, but infamy.

To be someone totally driven by ego and drugs and paranoia is sad to say the least, but even worse, they are being led by others on whom they are totally dependent.

The bottom line is that we do not need or want such people leading our country. We are still great. Our nation has not dissolved into chaos the way so many third world countries have. We can still provide example and leadership for the world, and correct our errors along the way, by working and thinking together, but we can't do it by promoting promiscuity, immorality and selfish greed for power. 

God gave us what greatness we have preserved, but we preserved nothing on our own; GOD is the one whose plan included us and we are who we are today because of our good and bad choices in life.

Nations cannot engage in the immorality destroying so many young lives without stumbling and bad judgement, killing the unborn as an inconvenience in our modern life. He will not bless or tolerate our weaknesses if we are prejudiced and seeking to use power against the poor and disadvantaged. Such behaviour will be punished; He will allow us to do what we want rather than hinting that we should do differently. 

Lent is soon upon us. Use the time to reflect who Jesus was, how He acted, and the things He did. Discern how we have allowed ourselves to be shaped by evil, and how to correct our errors. 

The mystical spiritual world is very real, but we scarcely notice it unless we have strained and worked hard to learn to see Him in our will and mind, so as to do the things that make a person sensitive to God.

That sensitivity is hard to see, like a butterfly flitting from tree to tree  in the wind. Taking a good photograph of a butterfly requires patience and wits to anticipate where it will go next and when it will launch itself into the breeze again. They know when the flowers they visit, have nectar or are emptied of it already and ready to shrivel and fall.

Our life with Jesus requires thoughtfulness and patience. We think so often that we are forming our life by our own efforts, and can hardly control our feelings and desires, and all too often, sin when we thought we were going to do some good thing. He allows us to stumble and fall so we learn. As long as we keep on moving, we are alright. He guides our steps gives us confidence by revealing Himself to us bit by bit, until we begin to live in His proximity and to be glad for being by His side.

In order to reflect sufficiently, a person needs peace and quiet, to be still, and to listen to our heart. That means turning things off, praying and listening within ourselves, skills acquired slowly over time. We will not achieve any progress without silent stillness in our lives that occur regularly, and turning our to Him to listen and try very hard to catch every word and every intonation of every word.

We can build a peaceful world by persevering and making wise decisions.

Need

The hermitage where I used to live.

You don't get what you need by taking what you want. Many times, something less expensive is more comfortable and useful than the thing someone is hawking in the marketplace.

In fact, one does not get a long life without risking it, and making considerable sacrifices. One does not get freedom by taking it from someone else, even if they have committed great wrongs. One does not get children, for instance, without sacrificing considerable freedom over time, safeguarding the infant, and welcoming the child into your life, in spite of the demands made on your time and resources.

Speaking lies is not without risks, and cheating does not ensure power. There is always someone smarter who can see through the lie and alert their friends and loved ones to avoid the trap. Going through life always looking for the advantage is a sure way to eventually lose it all. While it might be regrettable that one did not get some prize thing, low hanging fruit isn't always ripe or palatable. And if the only person you spend any effort pleasing is yourself, you have had your pleasure, and soon enough it fades and withers like a rose.

We have fought two wars that engulfed the whole world and the entire human race, and still, people react to their anger and the transgressions of others with ever-increasing, efficient violence and destruction. Now we can do it in a fraction of the time it used to take.

The people who were killed in the wars we have fought cannot come back to tell you to your face, what it was like to be torn to bits by bullets or to be shot out of the sky, or be blown up in a bombing raid on a ship. They will tell you of the extreme cost, and warn you that to take their lives for granted is not a way forward as a civilization, that leads to fruitful, satisfying life. 

Too many times, too many people have had their lives cut short, and are cutoff from the happiness that for a moment was all too close. Their opportunity to hold their sleeping infant son in their arms was snatched away from them forever, and they will do all in their power to make you recognize the depth of the pain of their sacrifice.

If we take the easy road in life all the time, and consider nothing but out own pleasure and happiness, no one will be happy, and there isn't a drug strong enough to swallow up regret.

If you have the opportunity to make a sacrifice to God, then do so; the opportunity may not be yours again, and the one whose suffering might have been lessened will have to endure without relief.

People have made tremendous sacrifices so you can enjoy a life happiness, but you cannot always be happy, and the most unhappy persons in the world lived selfishly to the extreme, and perhaps dodged the finger of chance, but we will be judged by God and our fellow human beings, because everything will be plain to see. Make it easier on yourself by doing penance, making sacrifices and atoning for your sins, so at least you may be clothed in happiness when your time comes to stand before God.

The most dangerous people on earth do not believe in God or morality or treating others with dignity and equality. You must be the just person who stands before God now as if it were the judgement day, and pleads for others as well as himself.

Need

The hermitage where I used to live.

You don't get what you need by taking what you want. Many times, something less expensive is more comfortable and useful than the thing someone is hawking in the marketplace.

In fact, one does not get a long life without risking it, and making considerable sacrifices. One does not get freedom by taking it from someone else, even if they have committed great wrongs. One does not get children, for instance, without sacrificing considerable freedom over time, safeguarding the infant, and welcoming the child into your life, in spite of the demands made on your time and resources.

Speaking lies is not without risks, and cheating does not ensure power. There is always someone smarter who can see through the lie and alert their friends and loved ones to avoid the trap. Going through life always looking for the advantage is a sure way to eventually lose it all. While it might be regrettable that one did not get some prize thing, low hanging fruit isn't always ripe or palatable. And if the only person you spend any effort pleasing is yourself, you have had your pleasure, and soon enough it fades and withers like a rose.

We have fought two wars that engulfed the whole world and the entire human race, and still, people react to their anger and the transgressions of others with ever-increasing, efficient violence and destruction. Now we can do it in a fraction of the time it used to take.

The people who were killed in the wars we have fought cannot come back to tell you to your face, what it was like to be torn to bits by bullets or to be shot out of the sky, or be blown up in a bombing raid on a ship. They will tell you of the extreme cost, and warn you that to take their lives for granted is not a way forward as a civilization, that leads to fruitful, satisfying life. 

Too many times, too many people have had their lives cut short, and are cutoff from the happiness that for a moment was all too close. Their opportunity to hold their sleeping infant son in their arms was snatched away from them forever, and they will do all in their power to make you recognize the depth of the pain of their sacrifice.

If we take the easy road in life all the time, and consider nothing but out own pleasure and happiness, no one will be happy, and there isn't a drug strong enough to swallow up regret.

If you have the opportunity to make a sacrifice to God, then do so; the opportunity may not be yours again, and the one whose suffering might have been lessened will have to endure without relief.

People have made tremendous sacrifices so you can enjoy a life happiness, but you cannot always be happy, and the most unhappy persons in the world lived selfishly to the extreme, and perhaps dodged the finger of chance, but we will be judged by God and our fellow human beings, because everything will be plain to see. Make it easier on yourself by doing penance, making sacrifices and atoning for your sins, so at least you may be clothed in happiness when your time comes to stand before God.

The most dangerous people on earth do not believe in God or morality or treating others with dignity and equality. You must be the just person who stands before God now as if it were the judgement day, and pleads for others as well as himself.

Splendid

Day's Saints
Alberic of Citeaux, Benedictine
Conan of Iona, monk

Gospel Mk 4:26-34
Jesus said to the crowds:
“This is how it is with the Kingdom of God;
it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land
and would sleep and rise night and day
and the seed would sprout and grow,
he knows not how.
Of its own accord the land yields fruit,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,
for the harvest has come.”
He said,
“To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God,
or what parable can we use for it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,
is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants
and puts forth large branches,
so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”
With many such parables
he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
Without parables he did not speak to them,
but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

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His creation is indeed splendid, and you
are part of what makes it so :) +

Do not judge by appearances. While it seems as if there is an eternity of time to make right our ways before God, there is no such thing. When the new kingdom is at hand, it will appear and no one will be spared. For those who love the Lord, that is not a problem, because they knew the only thing worthy about them was God's choosing to dwell in them.

Yes, everything will change, and the day before the correction, there will be the warning and then it will indeed be time to repent.

Guard against irrational rejection of the truth, for stubborn men go down into the abyss and do not emerge again. Having your own way all the time is not only boring, but entrenches a lie in your heart and one grows to reject God and His Law, to his downfall. The way of righteousness is not to judge other people as if they were lost, but seeing them in error, the loving man, who is just, tries to persuade this brother of the truth, and goes as far as to risk his own life to save him, for the love of a brother, just like Jesus Christ.

Jesus was crucified, actually died, and was resurrected to ascend into heaven to rejoin His Father.  the manner of His death was unpleasant and uncomfortable in the utmost extreme. So much so, that some He loved unusually well, and He joined them to Him in the Passion so others might have eternal life and His saving act be extended in time until today. They, in the excess of love, suffered as Jesus suffered, and died, patiently waiting for the end, so they may hand intact, their sacrifice to Jesus to join to His own so they might be well.

St. Padre Pio, Capuchin

God will illumine you to know what He wants. Wait for Him, and watch steadfastly faithful to Him, and you will not fail to please or be useful to Him, no matter how ordinary your life. In fact, there is no such thing as an ordinary life, for God's love, given us abundantly, is extraordinary in His Heart and Mind. Thus, whether you live in a single room, or in a splendid castle on a hill, both people live to please God, and out of pure love, sacrifice many things to Jesus, to reveal that He is the good shepherd and Lord of all. 

Do not halt your prayers or be interrupted in them by anything else, but the more you are tempted to give up, cry out to Him all the more, that you love Him, and you will always be at His side to please Him, and on the last day, will have nothing to fear, since love has defended you against evil which is foul hatred and lies, murderous acts and violence. In order to put these things to death, He died, and we will be resurrected and awaken to His love as a consequence.

St. Gemma Galgani, Passionist

I know these things as one who has lived what he relates. I do not claim to be perfect or spotless, for I have made mistakes as all men do, but the Lord who loved me, did not cast me aside, but cherished me all the more for my distance, and in time, overwhelmed my sins with His love, and He made my sacrifices fruitful. Thus, in the end, love is all there is that is worthy, and we are privileged to live in perilous times so that we may see the triumph of good over evil and a world free of evil, and abundant with His love.

You have but to reach out to heaven and cry out your love, and you will encounter love, and deprivations and desolation will not matter, because He has emphatically proclaimed His love for all people, great and small.