Herz

You who wish to cleanse yourself of sin,

draw near my heart of burning love

and be made whole again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Herz

You who wish to cleanse yourself of sin,

draw near my heart of burning love

and be made whole again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Come What May

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Come What May

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Worthy Sons

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Worthy Sons

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Repentance

The sacrifice of Isaac.

I arranged for a ride to Christ the King Church yesterday afternoon with a friend of mine. We arrived early and I got out of the car to try to go inside, but all the doors were
locked. My friend did not want to stick around and I didn't feel like sitting in the cold rain until someone came to open the church. In the past, I have walked up to the church with the same result. On my way back home, the last time it happened, I felt a strong presence of the Lord and His admonition not to worry.

This time, there was peace, and a mild rumbling anger in me. It seems to be a sign of the times, that there are not enough priests, and the ones there are, have a different theology than I do, having been taught differently in the seminary.

The trouble is, that with the difference, one has to question the old teachings and the new teachings, which may leave people disconcerted; what DOES Jesus want of me?

Certain sins are mortal sins, and one must confess those sins and make atonement for them. 

There was  no room for a lackadaisical approach to the Sacrament of Penance for the likes of St. Padre Pio; he rather rigorously expected a penitent spirit from sinners, and anyone who was careless and sloppy oftentimes was rather abruptly dismissed until they  had changed their mind. Padre Pio had an understanding of sin from the perspective of Jesus on the cross. It cost Jesus great pain to be crucified, and Padre Pio participated in the passion to a great depth. Hence, it cost him something. If a person is not cost anything. it is likely they may not be absolved until they change their attitude.

These modern times which take Christ so for granted are stupid in the extreme. It should matter to every human being, that wars can annihilate everyone on earth, and those who died must stand before Jesus and account for their life.

What, thus, can be said about people who don't care if someone has made the effort to be reconciled with God? They can hardly elicit pity from the Lord.

In world war two, naval fleets opposed each other, and the stupidity of the opponents led to their ship being bombed out of existance, blown up in burning aviation fuel. Now we can launch missiles at each other, and the annihilation is total and instantaneous; there is no time to avoid what happens in a nuclear fireball. The world is fragile, its climate uncertain, and the dread and fear of sin sickens the heart of humanity and chills the love of anything and all things.

How can we face God in that state? If a person has not made any examination of their life yet, they should soon; do not wait for the instant before a blinding flash produced disintegration of everything into oblivion.

A person should want to care, and indeed, TO care, what happens to every life and every soul, and people should dispose themselves as we would hope others would do. This perspective is the proper one towards God and our neighbor. 

Be afraid if you cannot recall making any effort to encounter God and be awakened to the truth of our relationship. Perhaps you don't care about others, and if not, then you may not care what happens to you, and may not care what God is going to do while people are finding it easier to live a sinful life.