Yesterday began the beautiful season of Advent. The Church in her Wisdom recognizes that the human person needs reminders to wake up in their walk with God....to ignite a New Fire of The Holy Spirit to support a better life...a life filled with more giving, loving, kindness and as my Pastor Fr. Carlo spoke at Masses yesterday, a life with "less grumbling" and growth spiritually. Even Joel Olsteen, who i do not think celebrates an Advent Season, was inspired to speak of "holding the tongue" from James 1 and changing. Advent is the sister of Lent. Both are a serious season of growing, converting either for the first time or a revert back to God's Road. Enter into this season in a spiritual way and Christmas will have much more meaning than giving gifts, food and pressure. Take time to fast, pray more, go to confession, get back to Mass/Church on Sunday and each day work on things to improve in your life and your relationship with God. There are many great Catholic resources to assist you in this. Here are a few sites you can look at and maybe subscribe to that have daily morning prayer and evening prayer, Mass readings for the day, and saints' stories. Dynamic Catholic has a great day to day video, music and stories, etc to help us celebrate Advent in a new way.
http://dynamiccatholic.com/best-advent-ever/?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWkRaaU1qVXpaREJpT1RjeiIsInQiOiJtYmJVVWpWOERwY1JnU01UOEcyNW9YU1h5V2h3YXZyWTRGNTZ2OUJMWFhNMHRkSks2QmZYcUxpc0UrVGZLcVVvV1JsbkpBQ0c0ODBWTlgxQ21mTXg0cmdkXC9oV0VsemNZdGtiSDRScmtxU0k9In0%3D
http://us7.campaign-archive2.com/?u=88e1e53d7262719bee7f23be0&id=b47167b346&e=4838735909
http://www.ucatholic.com/
This is a time for preparations for 3 things....first, to celebrate and rejoice that Jesus was born because without Him we would not be saved and Heaven would never be accessible to us remembering that this is past, second to have Jesus born in our hearts in a new way..to kind of cushion a manger in our hearts for Him to make His dwelling..this is now....and finally to prepare for His Final Coming when He will come as Judge...future. The most important for today is the second, for if we prepare ourselves to meet God each and every day by our Beliefs and practicing those Truths we will surely be ready, as the Mass prayer the priest says each and every time we are at Mass:
"Deliver us Lord from every evil and grant us peace in our day. In Your Mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety, AS WE WAIT IN JOYFUL HOPE FOR THE COMING OF OUR SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST!"
Maranatha, come Lord Jesus! If you do not know what Maranatha means, look it up...we need to start to use our computers more to look up spiritual things ....we live at a great time in history...so many great resources to support our journey toward God. Happy searching....a fruitful Advent to all of us! til next time....psalm 122:1
"I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!”
Monday, November 28, 2016
Friday, November 25, 2016
6. A Walk into Church
Yesterday in the afternoon i wanted to see if the church was open. i wanted to have some prayer time with God alone. How excited i was when my own parish was open for private prayer even on Thanksgiving. As i entered the main church, all lights were out except those on the Main Altar and no one else was there. The visual beauty was immediately conducive to a deep and beautiful prayer experience. Let me explain...first there are 5 small stained glass windows depicting 5 scenes from the Bible: Jesus' birth, Melchizedek from the Old Testament, the Crucifixion, The Last Supper, and The Resurrection. Each one gave me a long length of time to pray meditating on these stories....these Truths from our faith. Then there is a main Icon above the Altar of Our Lady of Perpetual Help...St. Mary holding the Savior (her Son). Each and every Icon has so many deep and meaningful parts to it that go way beyond the art itself. An Icon is prayed and then created and there are many little secrets hidden in each of them. One is suppose to pray an Icon and so look up Icons on your computer and research them. Check out:
http://www.loyolapress.com/our-catholic-faith/family/catholic-teens/religious-art/icons-as-religious-art
Look up Our Lady of Perpetual Help and learn the meaning behind so many things depicted in this particular famous piece of art.
https://www.redemptorists.net/icon.cfm
https://www.catholiccompany.com/content/our-lady-perpetual-help-icon-meaning.cfm
And so i got to pray with the Icon's help, if you will, raising again my mind and heart to God in prayer reflecting on the Truths depicted there. Then there were 5-6 paintings of great Saints and i could meditate on their lives and how they chased God and made Jesus the Center of their lives.....St. John Paul II, St Clare of Assisi, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Catherine of Sienna, St. John Neumann....just beautiful..These are our brothers and sisters who made it to the end of the race. They succeeded in life because of their faith and therefore were successes in death and their legacy still goes on today. Another beautiful thing to help me meditate on these heroes i love. The Main Altar had the last supper below the Altar, the Gold Tabernacle where the Consecrated Hosts we believe are Jesus Himself are stored for prayer and to bring to the sick, and the red candle similar to the one our Jewish Friends have by The Torah in Synagogue as a sign that God is here...sometimes called the Perpetual Light. On the Altar itself here were very small paintings of Seraphic Angels with 6 wings as spoken in Scripture and St. Peter and St. Paul. The gold adornment just reminded me of what the Bible says about God's Altar in Heaven....absolutely beautiful!
How beautiful to have at my disposal these visual aides to help me enter into a dialogue with my God. This is what i am referring to when i speak of surrounding yourself with beauty and how it can aid us in our prayer life. They can be springboards into deeper waters. Different images and things feed different people, so make your prayer space and home personal in what can assist you visually to lift your eyes to Him. Follow your heart and recognize that they change over the years. What speaks to you today, may be different in a yr, or more...so be flexible to what feeds you and helps you enter deeply into prayer and cooperate with that Godly inspiration.
next time....we will cover the other senses...for now i have opened this up to comments that i will view privately in case you want to share something or contact me...click comments below.......in the meantime, a Scripture for our meditation....Jeremiah 29:12-13 til next time...
12"When you call me, and come and pray to me, I will listen to you.13When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart."
,
http://www.loyolapress.com/our-catholic-faith/family/catholic-teens/religious-art/icons-as-religious-art
Look up Our Lady of Perpetual Help and learn the meaning behind so many things depicted in this particular famous piece of art.
https://www.redemptorists.net/icon.cfm
https://www.catholiccompany.com/content/our-lady-perpetual-help-icon-meaning.cfm
And so i got to pray with the Icon's help, if you will, raising again my mind and heart to God in prayer reflecting on the Truths depicted there. Then there were 5-6 paintings of great Saints and i could meditate on their lives and how they chased God and made Jesus the Center of their lives.....St. John Paul II, St Clare of Assisi, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Catherine of Sienna, St. John Neumann....just beautiful..These are our brothers and sisters who made it to the end of the race. They succeeded in life because of their faith and therefore were successes in death and their legacy still goes on today. Another beautiful thing to help me meditate on these heroes i love. The Main Altar had the last supper below the Altar, the Gold Tabernacle where the Consecrated Hosts we believe are Jesus Himself are stored for prayer and to bring to the sick, and the red candle similar to the one our Jewish Friends have by The Torah in Synagogue as a sign that God is here...sometimes called the Perpetual Light. On the Altar itself here were very small paintings of Seraphic Angels with 6 wings as spoken in Scripture and St. Peter and St. Paul. The gold adornment just reminded me of what the Bible says about God's Altar in Heaven....absolutely beautiful!
How beautiful to have at my disposal these visual aides to help me enter into a dialogue with my God. This is what i am referring to when i speak of surrounding yourself with beauty and how it can aid us in our prayer life. They can be springboards into deeper waters. Different images and things feed different people, so make your prayer space and home personal in what can assist you visually to lift your eyes to Him. Follow your heart and recognize that they change over the years. What speaks to you today, may be different in a yr, or more...so be flexible to what feeds you and helps you enter deeply into prayer and cooperate with that Godly inspiration.
next time....we will cover the other senses...for now i have opened this up to comments that i will view privately in case you want to share something or contact me...click comments below.......in the meantime, a Scripture for our meditation....Jeremiah 29:12-13 til next time...
12"When you call me, and come and pray to me, I will listen to you.13When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart."
,
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
5. Don't lose focus...
As Thanksgiving closes in, let's not lose focus. This day is not a day to have anxiety or stressors about anything especially food. Save your high stress for when someone is bleeding or on their way to the hospital or someone is dying. Those are the big deals in life and yet even then we can remain in peace if we continue to evolve and journey with God. We can learn to take these issues/people in this world with "a side glance". My Spiritual Director was Fr. James Carroll for many many years til he moved far away and that was his phrase. 'Take everything with a side glance in life with eyes focused on God Front and Center. Only flinch if you offend Him.' How lovely and truthful a perspective like this is.
This day is about thanking the One and Only Who is there 24/7, Who loves you and i in a way no one in this world will ever. Even if we add up all those who love us that does not come close to God's Love for us.
You know as i spoke earlier about using beautiful things for our eyes to see in our homes, cars, work and prayer spaces, i got to spend some time praying in front of a Life Sized Crucifix. That is a Cross with the Body of Jesus on it. What a help to meditate looking at or holding a crucifix. It is one of my favorite ways to pray. This has two reminders for me. One, it reminds me of The Great Suffering Jesus underwent for me! This musters up sincere love and gratitude for so Great a God Who would pay my debt and take my place which is also why we as Catholics like the Stations of the Cross too which depict Jesus' Walk to Calvary in 14 images. We pray at each one thanking Him for all He did to save us. The second thing i am reminded of as i behold Him on the Cross is, i beg Him ,"Jesus,please teach me to love like that!" You see, in and of ourselves we have no clue how to love another. But as the Word so beautifully puts it, "No Greater Love hath any Man than to lay down His Life for a friend!" "I will not be able to do anything unless You teach me how to love like that Lord!". Add a Crucifix to your prayer collection,home,car and work, along with candles, flowers, pictures, statues, a pet, all good and holy things that can raise your mind to God when you see them. And ask Jesus to teach you to Love how He Loves. To be willing to "die" for another to help them thru. The rewards of learning how to do this are 'out of this world!" It is a painful and most difficult thing to work on but surely it is so worth it. i promise you that!
Remember, the doors of Heaven were shut. No one could enter because nothing that is not perfect and pure can be in front of the Almighty. So God sent His Only Son to die for all our sins. He paid our price so that the doors of Heaven were blast open so you and i have the opportunity to enter if we believe, Love and Trust Jesus as our Lord and Savior. i tell kids that a debt is like going to Toys r Us and filling three baskets full of stuff and when we go to pay, a man steps in front of us and says i will pay this bill for you. 'How do you feel about this man who paid your debt?'..."We love him and are very grateful and thank him."....that's what we feel about Jesus paying a much bigger debt for us. Just like the children's song says, "OH HOW I LOVE JESUS, OH HOW I LOVE JESUS, OH HOW I LOVE JESUS BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED ME!" til next time....i thank God for you and your gifts and your faith. Go Higher...and let's meditate on a verse that is very well known and treasured by believers in John 3:16:
"For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have Eternal Life."
This day is about thanking the One and Only Who is there 24/7, Who loves you and i in a way no one in this world will ever. Even if we add up all those who love us that does not come close to God's Love for us.
You know as i spoke earlier about using beautiful things for our eyes to see in our homes, cars, work and prayer spaces, i got to spend some time praying in front of a Life Sized Crucifix. That is a Cross with the Body of Jesus on it. What a help to meditate looking at or holding a crucifix. It is one of my favorite ways to pray. This has two reminders for me. One, it reminds me of The Great Suffering Jesus underwent for me! This musters up sincere love and gratitude for so Great a God Who would pay my debt and take my place which is also why we as Catholics like the Stations of the Cross too which depict Jesus' Walk to Calvary in 14 images. We pray at each one thanking Him for all He did to save us. The second thing i am reminded of as i behold Him on the Cross is, i beg Him ,"Jesus,please teach me to love like that!" You see, in and of ourselves we have no clue how to love another. But as the Word so beautifully puts it, "No Greater Love hath any Man than to lay down His Life for a friend!" "I will not be able to do anything unless You teach me how to love like that Lord!". Add a Crucifix to your prayer collection,home,car and work, along with candles, flowers, pictures, statues, a pet, all good and holy things that can raise your mind to God when you see them. And ask Jesus to teach you to Love how He Loves. To be willing to "die" for another to help them thru. The rewards of learning how to do this are 'out of this world!" It is a painful and most difficult thing to work on but surely it is so worth it. i promise you that!
Remember, the doors of Heaven were shut. No one could enter because nothing that is not perfect and pure can be in front of the Almighty. So God sent His Only Son to die for all our sins. He paid our price so that the doors of Heaven were blast open so you and i have the opportunity to enter if we believe, Love and Trust Jesus as our Lord and Savior. i tell kids that a debt is like going to Toys r Us and filling three baskets full of stuff and when we go to pay, a man steps in front of us and says i will pay this bill for you. 'How do you feel about this man who paid your debt?'..."We love him and are very grateful and thank him."....that's what we feel about Jesus paying a much bigger debt for us. Just like the children's song says, "OH HOW I LOVE JESUS, OH HOW I LOVE JESUS, OH HOW I LOVE JESUS BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED ME!" til next time....i thank God for you and your gifts and your faith. Go Higher...and let's meditate on a verse that is very well known and treasured by believers in John 3:16:
"For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have Eternal Life."
Sunday, November 20, 2016
4. Thanksgiving reminder
Reminder for all of us....it is easy to reach for the multitudes...easy to give to the poor, go out and worship as i do for many at churches and homes, go to a soup kitchen and feed the great numbers for Thanksgiving, assist at a food pantry....these are all good and holy things, but never should we do these things at the cost of ignoring our own who are in need. The elderly and disabled in our families, friends and neighborhoods are pushed aside and we think a visit 3 times a year (if that much) satisfies. Oh the loneliness and sorrow of those confined to home and we neglect them. Not even calls in good and holy circles of families and friends to these, the least! They often will say, people wait for when i will die to show up and then it is too late.
And beyond this small category is everyone else...in every choir or group i have ever served there is brokenness in each and every member..They all come to confide in me asking for help and counsel..illness, PTSD, loneliness and isolation for those who are different, parents with ill and disabled children, the widow, the single parent, the caretakers, the one who is great at everything and expected to be super person , the mentally ill, the list goes on and on. Everyone is hurting and there are many opportunities in our circles, family, friends and neighbors where we find those in need of a hug and our time. People in need of our creativity in how we can spend time with them and bring joy sometimes in the silliest of ways.
This season, rather every day of our lives, let us remember the least in our circle of family and friends, in our tribe. How easy it is to make a call in 2016 with cell phones and yet there is more separation today than many years ago. i grew up in a home where we visited my grandma daily. As we got older we contacted her on our own and visited constantly because that is what our parents taught us to do. That way of life is gone. How cautious we parents must be in how we reach for our own elders because we will shortly be in their position and sadly our children will do to us as they saw we did to our own.
6:30 pm the other night i took a walk on a main street. There was an elderly woman walking with bags too heavy for her severely arthritic hands and limited strength. She would walk a few steps and have to stop. She was well dressed and beautiful but she was struggling. No one offered to help her as many young ones passed her by. i was ministering on the phone to someone and told them i would call back because i had something important to do. i thought for sure she would not accept my help because that often happens for people are afraid today to be vulnerable and let someone help them because our world is often unsafe. But to my great surprise she said yes. The bags were so heavy my arms still hurt days later. i offered my arm for her to hold because she needed the support to be able to walk. We shared as we walked to her home 2-3 blocks away. She said no one ever has helped her before. We talked about the real Love of God and how we all are related, brother and sisters in Christ. i got her to her home safe and we parted after she invited me back for coffee someday. i left different. It is funny how God works. We give and He then gives to us treasures not measured by anything in this world. The next day when i was with my Mom we were close to this woman's home. i told my Mom the story and she reminded me about her shopping cart. My Mom always called her large shopping cart her Cadillac since she never drove. She used it always for all of the years she was able to get out and shop by herself and that was well into her 80s. i never thought of this idea, and so i listened to what Mom said. i stopped by to visit this lady and found out she had two big carts that were too heavy and bulky for her to handle, so i went and bought her a light small red shopping cart. Oh how she loved it especially the color. She invited me in to see her lovely decorated home sadly filled with the smell of urine. i then found out she nurses her disabled daughter still who gets picked up and brought back from care daily. She lost her husband many years ago. i met Jesus in her and i received much more than she did in our encounter.
i have a purpose in telling you this story. Stories like this are ordinary in my life and i am not looking for medals for doing what Our Lord inspires me to do. i am telling you this because as a strong woman who is alone who cares for a disabled son and elderly mother and is in ministry full time reaching to many often on a one to one basis daily, i am tired and weary at times like everyone else. Very rarely does anyone ask how i am or offer me a cup of coffee. But you see in my sorrow, pain, joys, elation, in all the different places i can be on a daily basis good or bad, i continue to give and bring Jesus to others as i am called because when no one asks me how i am or serves me offering a hand of help, Jesus then comes and ministers to me Himself as i reach for the least. Imagine, i am so very rich, not monetarily but in things beyond our comprehension when i give from my lack. And so, do not wait until things look perfect or you are stronger, or when things are better. If God inspires you to do something beautiful for another, do it with all your heart and do it Now and what you will get in return will be extraordinary from His Own Hands!
Please know i am praying for you....remember your value as a daughter or son of God....chase Him and as a great Catholic Author from dynamiccatholic.com i met early in his career Matthew Kelly states, "become the very best version of yourself!" Be different...be kind....be extraordinarily loving....be holy and follow the promptings of the Living God. As each of us goes higher, the world becomes more and more the place He created it to be. til next time my friends....let's meditate on this Scripture verse Luke 6:38 and apply it to our lives:
"Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”
And beyond this small category is everyone else...in every choir or group i have ever served there is brokenness in each and every member..They all come to confide in me asking for help and counsel..illness, PTSD, loneliness and isolation for those who are different, parents with ill and disabled children, the widow, the single parent, the caretakers, the one who is great at everything and expected to be super person , the mentally ill, the list goes on and on. Everyone is hurting and there are many opportunities in our circles, family, friends and neighbors where we find those in need of a hug and our time. People in need of our creativity in how we can spend time with them and bring joy sometimes in the silliest of ways.
This season, rather every day of our lives, let us remember the least in our circle of family and friends, in our tribe. How easy it is to make a call in 2016 with cell phones and yet there is more separation today than many years ago. i grew up in a home where we visited my grandma daily. As we got older we contacted her on our own and visited constantly because that is what our parents taught us to do. That way of life is gone. How cautious we parents must be in how we reach for our own elders because we will shortly be in their position and sadly our children will do to us as they saw we did to our own.
6:30 pm the other night i took a walk on a main street. There was an elderly woman walking with bags too heavy for her severely arthritic hands and limited strength. She would walk a few steps and have to stop. She was well dressed and beautiful but she was struggling. No one offered to help her as many young ones passed her by. i was ministering on the phone to someone and told them i would call back because i had something important to do. i thought for sure she would not accept my help because that often happens for people are afraid today to be vulnerable and let someone help them because our world is often unsafe. But to my great surprise she said yes. The bags were so heavy my arms still hurt days later. i offered my arm for her to hold because she needed the support to be able to walk. We shared as we walked to her home 2-3 blocks away. She said no one ever has helped her before. We talked about the real Love of God and how we all are related, brother and sisters in Christ. i got her to her home safe and we parted after she invited me back for coffee someday. i left different. It is funny how God works. We give and He then gives to us treasures not measured by anything in this world. The next day when i was with my Mom we were close to this woman's home. i told my Mom the story and she reminded me about her shopping cart. My Mom always called her large shopping cart her Cadillac since she never drove. She used it always for all of the years she was able to get out and shop by herself and that was well into her 80s. i never thought of this idea, and so i listened to what Mom said. i stopped by to visit this lady and found out she had two big carts that were too heavy and bulky for her to handle, so i went and bought her a light small red shopping cart. Oh how she loved it especially the color. She invited me in to see her lovely decorated home sadly filled with the smell of urine. i then found out she nurses her disabled daughter still who gets picked up and brought back from care daily. She lost her husband many years ago. i met Jesus in her and i received much more than she did in our encounter.
i have a purpose in telling you this story. Stories like this are ordinary in my life and i am not looking for medals for doing what Our Lord inspires me to do. i am telling you this because as a strong woman who is alone who cares for a disabled son and elderly mother and is in ministry full time reaching to many often on a one to one basis daily, i am tired and weary at times like everyone else. Very rarely does anyone ask how i am or offer me a cup of coffee. But you see in my sorrow, pain, joys, elation, in all the different places i can be on a daily basis good or bad, i continue to give and bring Jesus to others as i am called because when no one asks me how i am or serves me offering a hand of help, Jesus then comes and ministers to me Himself as i reach for the least. Imagine, i am so very rich, not monetarily but in things beyond our comprehension when i give from my lack. And so, do not wait until things look perfect or you are stronger, or when things are better. If God inspires you to do something beautiful for another, do it with all your heart and do it Now and what you will get in return will be extraordinary from His Own Hands!
Please know i am praying for you....remember your value as a daughter or son of God....chase Him and as a great Catholic Author from dynamiccatholic.com i met early in his career Matthew Kelly states, "become the very best version of yourself!" Be different...be kind....be extraordinarily loving....be holy and follow the promptings of the Living God. As each of us goes higher, the world becomes more and more the place He created it to be. til next time my friends....let's meditate on this Scripture verse Luke 6:38 and apply it to our lives:
"Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”
Saturday, November 19, 2016
3. Saturate the Senses
To make our visit with God reach new heights, it is so helpful when we "Saturate the Senses". Our eyes see, ears hear, mouths taste, hands touch... we are an experiential species. So what we see, hear, taste and touch make things come alive in our mind, body, soul and spirit experiences in this life. And so let us go one by one to see how we can apply this in our relationship with God to help deepen our prayer life.
Eyes: let's surround ourselves with good, beautiful and holy images. These help us to lift our minds and hearts to God throughout our day without effort. They are holy reminders to do as the Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray without ceasing". These things help us to refrain from sin, from hurting someone else, help us hold our tongue and be kind. They help us make better decisions. They remind us of our higher selves. And they are pretty. In our place of prayer at home or on our altar, it can really make a prayer experience elevate to "out of this world" when we add things of beauty: flowers, candles, plaques, pictures, statues, etc.
In the Catholic Church we are very aware of this because the aesthetic beauty is very important to a worship space/church. Of course the main reason for the beauty is to Honor God, but in that honoring, we people are given images to help us elevate our hearts and mind to Him. There is an interesting question many non-Catholics ask me. Why do you have statues and stained glass windows? The stained glass windows came at a time when there was one or two Bibles in a country if you were lucky because a Bible took a lifetime to hand copy. There were no printing presses or stores to make or buy a Bible. And so the church in her wisdom started to build the churches with stained glass depictions of Bible stories that revolved around the salvation story. Why? So if i came to church on Monday and heard a reading of the birth of Jesus and i brought a friend in on Tuesday i could point to the coinciding window and share the Bible story and therefore keep the gospel alive and passing on. There was no formal Bible in the early church. Tradition and Scriptures from the Torah and oral sharing of the stories was the way to evangelize and share the Gospel. And so, these stained glass windows started as a means of sharing the Word of God. Today, we can still use them especially with children to tell a Bible Story, but it is something for the eyes to behold and in seeing that beauty and being reminded of the Scriptures behind them, our souls are helped to elevate higher into a time of deep prayer and contemplation.
The statues are our heroes. In the Capital they have a hall of Presidents with busts of each of our Leaders since Washington. We know these are not gods, but rather reminders of great ones, like ourselves, who answered the call and are heroes to look up to and encourage others to follow in their desire to help our country. For us Catholics, the statues are those human beings, who became known because of their preaching, healing, example, wisdom, miracles, intimacy with God, counsel, etc., The only reason they are known is because they chased God and found Him for themselves. They were sinners, just like us, in need of a Savior. This reminds us that their success can be ours too. We can aspire to great things if Jesus is the Center of our lives. And we believe that after death, the Church Triumphant in Heaven has the ability to continue to pray for us and bring our petitions to God asking for His help on our behalf. They are not gods and would never want that association. They were great and extraordinary only because of Him. i often think of a stage where the saints are on the side wings with Jesus in Front and Center. All of them would point to Him saying, "don't focus on us...look to the One Who died and saved all. Any Good we accomplished, only came from One Source, The Living and True God!"
The same principle applies to our homes,vehicles and workplaces. Pictures, statues, candles, Bibles, Scripture Plaques all visual things are displayed to encourage us to always try to choose the good and to help us "Pray without ceasing". We, as Catholics call these things sacramentals and we get them blessed by our Catholic Priest who prays over them asking God to bless them and all those who look upon them and use them and the places where they are displayed.
Our eyes....protect what you see....look for only beautiful things that are pure and innocent....display these things all around you always being reminded of God and His Ever Deep Abiding Love for you and me. And as for the TV, computer and phone? caution....use them with intense caution to guard your soul. The young child's hymn puts it very well:
"Oh be careful little eyes what you see, oh be careful little eyes what you see, for The Father up above is looking down in Love, Oh be careful little eyes what you see!"
Do know there does come a time when one can eventually pray and elevate to God without need of these extras and some never need them at all, but for now make an effort to make your prayer time beautiful to the eye...Honoring of God... so that your prayer space helps you to deepen your experience and your home reminds you of Him constantly in a variety of ways. If you have any trouble understanding the Catholic principles i have shared, feel free to look up Catholic apologetics and search out the answers. They will be able to answer more deeply any questions you have. We, as Catholics, have a reason for everything we believe and do...everything. Allow yourself the opportunity to at least hear those reasons from us before ever misjudging us or leaving us.
til next time....let's practice this verse...and we will cover hearing in the next blog...
Philippians 4:8 calls us to
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
Eyes: let's surround ourselves with good, beautiful and holy images. These help us to lift our minds and hearts to God throughout our day without effort. They are holy reminders to do as the Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray without ceasing". These things help us to refrain from sin, from hurting someone else, help us hold our tongue and be kind. They help us make better decisions. They remind us of our higher selves. And they are pretty. In our place of prayer at home or on our altar, it can really make a prayer experience elevate to "out of this world" when we add things of beauty: flowers, candles, plaques, pictures, statues, etc.
In the Catholic Church we are very aware of this because the aesthetic beauty is very important to a worship space/church. Of course the main reason for the beauty is to Honor God, but in that honoring, we people are given images to help us elevate our hearts and mind to Him. There is an interesting question many non-Catholics ask me. Why do you have statues and stained glass windows? The stained glass windows came at a time when there was one or two Bibles in a country if you were lucky because a Bible took a lifetime to hand copy. There were no printing presses or stores to make or buy a Bible. And so the church in her wisdom started to build the churches with stained glass depictions of Bible stories that revolved around the salvation story. Why? So if i came to church on Monday and heard a reading of the birth of Jesus and i brought a friend in on Tuesday i could point to the coinciding window and share the Bible story and therefore keep the gospel alive and passing on. There was no formal Bible in the early church. Tradition and Scriptures from the Torah and oral sharing of the stories was the way to evangelize and share the Gospel. And so, these stained glass windows started as a means of sharing the Word of God. Today, we can still use them especially with children to tell a Bible Story, but it is something for the eyes to behold and in seeing that beauty and being reminded of the Scriptures behind them, our souls are helped to elevate higher into a time of deep prayer and contemplation.
The statues are our heroes. In the Capital they have a hall of Presidents with busts of each of our Leaders since Washington. We know these are not gods, but rather reminders of great ones, like ourselves, who answered the call and are heroes to look up to and encourage others to follow in their desire to help our country. For us Catholics, the statues are those human beings, who became known because of their preaching, healing, example, wisdom, miracles, intimacy with God, counsel, etc., The only reason they are known is because they chased God and found Him for themselves. They were sinners, just like us, in need of a Savior. This reminds us that their success can be ours too. We can aspire to great things if Jesus is the Center of our lives. And we believe that after death, the Church Triumphant in Heaven has the ability to continue to pray for us and bring our petitions to God asking for His help on our behalf. They are not gods and would never want that association. They were great and extraordinary only because of Him. i often think of a stage where the saints are on the side wings with Jesus in Front and Center. All of them would point to Him saying, "don't focus on us...look to the One Who died and saved all. Any Good we accomplished, only came from One Source, The Living and True God!"
The same principle applies to our homes,vehicles and workplaces. Pictures, statues, candles, Bibles, Scripture Plaques all visual things are displayed to encourage us to always try to choose the good and to help us "Pray without ceasing". We, as Catholics call these things sacramentals and we get them blessed by our Catholic Priest who prays over them asking God to bless them and all those who look upon them and use them and the places where they are displayed.
Our eyes....protect what you see....look for only beautiful things that are pure and innocent....display these things all around you always being reminded of God and His Ever Deep Abiding Love for you and me. And as for the TV, computer and phone? caution....use them with intense caution to guard your soul. The young child's hymn puts it very well:
"Oh be careful little eyes what you see, oh be careful little eyes what you see, for The Father up above is looking down in Love, Oh be careful little eyes what you see!"
Do know there does come a time when one can eventually pray and elevate to God without need of these extras and some never need them at all, but for now make an effort to make your prayer time beautiful to the eye...Honoring of God... so that your prayer space helps you to deepen your experience and your home reminds you of Him constantly in a variety of ways. If you have any trouble understanding the Catholic principles i have shared, feel free to look up Catholic apologetics and search out the answers. They will be able to answer more deeply any questions you have. We, as Catholics, have a reason for everything we believe and do...everything. Allow yourself the opportunity to at least hear those reasons from us before ever misjudging us or leaving us.
til next time....let's practice this verse...and we will cover hearing in the next blog...
Philippians 4:8 calls us to
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
Thursday, November 17, 2016
2. No Favorites
Our God has no favorites. St. Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Harriet Tubman, Maimonides, these all were ordinary human beings like you and i. The difference is they chased God. This too is available to us to the degree we want to find Him. Maimonides, a 12th century Jewish Philosopher, wrote many things about God of which it takes silence and lots of time to be able to understand. He was greatly loved and read by many great Catholic Saints. But the line he wrote that i was most fortunate to come across in my journey was, "The more you chase God, the more you catch Him!"...'The more you chase God, the more you catch Him!" That means the degree to which i could find God was in my hands, in what i decided to do, think, read, pray, and the people i chose to surround myself with. The Grace was His, the Invite His, the free will was His, even my choice to chase is His, but the degree to which i find Him lies in my willingness to enter the race and discipline myself to train well. We put all our time into study, houses, cars, relationships, becoming successful and all these are good, but they cannot be the top priority if we want to find God for ourselves and really really experience Him. He has to be Number One! If we put a fourth of the effort into finding God for ourselves as we put into buying a new car, wow, we all would know God pretty well.
Do you ever look at someone who is holy and wish you had what they had? Start chasing....The Greatness of the four random names i listed above did not come from them....It came from the God Who allows the earth to spin perfectly and the sun to stay in its place. The only thing these greats would do if we asked them how to become great, how to find peace, how to be healed, how to cope, how to have endless joy, how to grow...etc is point to the Only One Who gives these things and gets all the credit, Our Marvelous God.
Our God created everyone to become a saint, not the same as another, but the saint we were made to be. And the only way you and i can do this is by chasing God...by making Him the Top Priority...by obeying His Laws, by praying each and every day...eventually leading to praying unceasingly as Scripture tells us. Make time for Him! Make time to be silent and just rest in His Arms. It is the Only Place that satisfies a human being utterly and completely. Tell Him you want to find Him for yourself, not only because you were raised in a religion or told to believe. Give these things a try and He will show up in a big way! Our God desires nothing more than to have a deep, loving relationship with His children.
Don't be discouraged as you read these blogs if you are just beginning your journey. God brings each of us along in His Perfect Time, at His Perfect Pace. Be patient with the process...be patient with yourself and ignore every voice that might discourage your new quest or returning quest. Many who are very wrapped up in the world's ways are often sadly used to try to bring down, make fun of, ridicule and try to silence the Spirit of the Living God. Ignore all of them and run...run ...and become a "God Chaser", a phrase i found first in the book "The God Chaser" by Tommy Tenney.
Let's meditate on the Scriptures that speaks of a race....The Word of God has Power...It is the Breath of God that is why we memorize it so in times of trouble we can muster up faith in ourselves by repeating and bringing a Verse to mind...til next time...be assured of my prayers ....
Ecclesiastes 1
17 I have applied myself to understanding philosophy and science, stupidity and folly, and I now realize that all this too is chasing after the wind.
2Timothy 4
7 I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith;
Do you ever look at someone who is holy and wish you had what they had? Start chasing....The Greatness of the four random names i listed above did not come from them....It came from the God Who allows the earth to spin perfectly and the sun to stay in its place. The only thing these greats would do if we asked them how to become great, how to find peace, how to be healed, how to cope, how to have endless joy, how to grow...etc is point to the Only One Who gives these things and gets all the credit, Our Marvelous God.
Our God created everyone to become a saint, not the same as another, but the saint we were made to be. And the only way you and i can do this is by chasing God...by making Him the Top Priority...by obeying His Laws, by praying each and every day...eventually leading to praying unceasingly as Scripture tells us. Make time for Him! Make time to be silent and just rest in His Arms. It is the Only Place that satisfies a human being utterly and completely. Tell Him you want to find Him for yourself, not only because you were raised in a religion or told to believe. Give these things a try and He will show up in a big way! Our God desires nothing more than to have a deep, loving relationship with His children.
Don't be discouraged as you read these blogs if you are just beginning your journey. God brings each of us along in His Perfect Time, at His Perfect Pace. Be patient with the process...be patient with yourself and ignore every voice that might discourage your new quest or returning quest. Many who are very wrapped up in the world's ways are often sadly used to try to bring down, make fun of, ridicule and try to silence the Spirit of the Living God. Ignore all of them and run...run ...and become a "God Chaser", a phrase i found first in the book "The God Chaser" by Tommy Tenney.
Let's meditate on the Scriptures that speaks of a race....The Word of God has Power...It is the Breath of God that is why we memorize it so in times of trouble we can muster up faith in ourselves by repeating and bringing a Verse to mind...til next time...be assured of my prayers ....
Ecclesiastes 1
17 I have applied myself to understanding philosophy and science, stupidity and folly, and I now realize that all this too is chasing after the wind.
2Timothy 4
7 I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith;
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
1. Let's begin...
My name is angie. i am a Roman Catholic, and so my blog will come from this origin but is opened to people of all faiths. Many have asked me over the years to write a book because i have been privileged to spiritually accompany many on their road to finding God. It is only now that i sense it might be the time God is calling me to this in a very simple way. i do not want people to write back for time does not allow for this and i will not be responding to any comments. So please respect that. but i will share again and again, when time allows, in the hope that it might bring Light to someone. i am a simple woman who loves God ever so deeply and has had the privilege of experiencing "His Glance"! In my joys and times of desperation in my life, i have had a Grace that kept me chasing Him. And in that chasing, one always finds! To all those who have nurtured me through the years to go higher, thank you and i keep you deep in my daily prayers . To all who might read this, my prayer is that God Himself will make Himself known to you. No matter where you are or what you are going through, no matter how many in your life have called you "less than" especially in families, no matter what the circumstances, God loves you...He cares...He is faithful...and awaits for your invitation to let Him in the door of your heart. Praised be His Holy Name! Til next time.....let's meditate on One of the Many Scripture Verses i love and hold so dear from Zephaniah 3:17-18
17The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior,
Who will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
Who will sing joyfully because of you,
18as on festival days.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)