Tag: #spiritualdirection

PICKING UP OUR DAILY CROSSES (Part 2 of 3)

PRAYER IS FOUNDATIONAL 

Today I am picking up where I left off last week in my reflections about picking up our daily crosses.  

Some crosses seem catastrophic and that is what we most often think of when we think of Jesus and His crucifixion.  What starts out like any other day can suddenly hand us a cross that is extremely heavy.  We are going about our day and suddenly we are like Simon of Cyrene.  We are handed a heavy cross we never expected.  

How do we carry and rise up from our crosses when they grip us with fear?  How do we break from the impression that these crosses are to be feared and that the closer we get to Jesus, the more these fearful crosses may come?  In the crucifixion of Jesus,  I think it helps to think of the lessons Jesus taught in His ministry and how He lived them out in the cross. I think the most powerful message is the message of hope that was rooted in many of the things He did and said so let’s focus on some foundational teachings of Jesus.

Prayer is foundational to all things.  Jesus always prayed so we know He was very close to the Father. We know that we are all capable of that closeness because Jesus emptied Himself of His Divinity so He could be like us. The closeness Jesus had was not because He was the second person of the Trinity. He emptied Himself of that.  His closeness came from prayer.  . Like Him we can experience the growth in prayer and in relationship with the Father.  We are, in fact, all called to do that.  “This attitude you should have is the one that Christ Jesus had: He always had the nature of God, but He did not think that by force He should try to remain equal with God. Instead of this, of His own free will He gave up all He had, and took the nature of a servant. He became like a human being and appeared in human likeness. He was humbled and walked the path of obedience all the way to death—His death on the cross.” (Phil 2:5-8).  Herein lies our hope.  We can model Jesus in prayer and by that be closer to God, the Father.  That closeness will give us great trust and courage.  United to Jesus as a child of the Father, we are assured that we will always be taken care of.   

But that closeness also ended in a cross!  Suddenly our hope shrivels and we become fearful.

Given we know that Jesus emptied Himself to be like us and it is prayer that brought Him closer to God, we can understand that through prayer He came to know His mission was to conquer death. He couldn’t conquer an enemy without facing it and wrestling with it. He eventually knew the cross was coming.  “Then Jesus began to teach His disciples: ‘The Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law. He will be put to death, but three days later He will rise to life.’ He made this very clear to them. So Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But Jesus turned around, looked at His disciples, and rebuked Peter. ‘Get away from Me Satan,’ he said. ‘Your thoughts don’t come from God but from human nature.” (Mark 8:31-33). If He emptied Himself of His Divinity, He could only have known what His mission was and what was coming through a deep relationship with God through prayer.  He emptied Himself of His Divinity so if He was not thinking like a man, it was because He had a deep union with God the Father.  When you are in union with God and you want something badly enough your heart is filled up with love and you don’t run from the cross.  There is a powerful purpose tied up in it. Again, when we understand that our purpose is tied up in the cross, we can focus on the love that is foundational and we can have hope.  Suddenly the cross of being hung up on the phone trying to straighten out a medical bill for our spouse isn’t seen through the lens of victimhood and why me.  It is seen through the lens of love and we have this cross because of the gift of our spouse.  We are straightening it out for their good.  Love is central.  Is it pleasant?  More than likely not, but we wouldn’t ever think to abandon it out of love.

But there is more.

Jesus said give thanks, pray and believe.  Another strong message of the power of hope.   “For this reason I tell you: when you pray and ask for something, believe that you have received it, and you will be given whatever you ask for. And when you stand and pray forgive anything you may have against anyone so that your father in heaven will forgive the wrongs you have done” (Mark 11:24-25).  In raising up Lazarus, Jesus started out His prayer with thanksgiving that His Father had heard His petition.  “Jesus looked up and said, ‘I thank you, Father, that you listen to me. I know that you always listen to you but I say this for the sake of the people here, so that they will believe that you sent me” (Luke 11:41-42).  He was thankful ahead of time that His prayer would be answered just as it always had been.  He had no reason to believe that would ever be any different.  He had no reason to ever start out prayers of petition without ever thinking His prayers would not be answered.  The same is true for us.

Jesus gave us the formula that would get us through any difficulty. Pray always so as to be close to God the Father, be thankful, have hope, trust and believe. We know in our mission/vocation, it will be hard, but we know that “in all things God works for good with those who love Him, those whom He has called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28).  The deeper our prayer life, the more at peace we will have be because of this truth. 

So how did Jesus prayer life manifest itself at the time of His crucifixion?  We will cover that next week.

PRAYERFULLY REFLECT ON THE FOLLOWING:.  

Are there crosses in your life now that you can embrace by seeing your vocation and purpose being tied up in them?  Can you see the love that is central so as to help you carry the burden? 

Do you make it a practice to thank God in advance for answering your prayers?  Do you live as if they have already been answered or do you live in fear and worry?  

Jesus emptied Himself of His Divinity so He could share in our humanity.  As part of our humanity, He showed us that when we empty ourselves of our humanity, He can fill us with His Divinity.  It is there that the union occurs.  How can you improve your prayer life so that your union with God may grow? 

Prayerfully reflect on the scriptures cited above and bring in any cross you may be carrying currently.  Talk to Jesus about these.

Prayerfully reflect on some scripture passages that refer to Jesus praying. Here are some, but there are many more:  MATT 14:23, LUKE 9:18, LUKE 9:28 and John 11: 41-42.

PICKING UP OUR DAILY CROSSES & EXPANDING OUR LOVE (Part 1 of 3)

“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24)

The cross is terrifying. We fear it and I believe that is because we take it out of context. We look at it as if it stands alone and we fail to incorporate it into the entirety of what Jesus taught.

Jesus taught us that crosses come daily and that we need to pick them up. If we look at Jesus‘s life, we see He was not crucified, put to death and buried daily. He did have daily crosses, but they came in the same form that our crosses come in. They showed themselves in His acts of self-giving that were needed so as to daily accomplish His vocation and mission.  They specifically came in the form of Him walking many miles to teach others His message.  They were evident in the verbal abuse He encountered from those in authority and the disrespect He received from the people of His own town.  He gave us a glimpse of it when, after all His teachings, the apostles didn’t understand Him. We glanced at it when we saw that His prayer life was interrupted by those who wanted what He could give. And, of course, we see that even as a baby He had to experience the cross in the pain of circumcision and in having to flee to a foreign land so as to escape death. Through many examples, Jesus gave us a picture of what the self-giving crosses of His vocation entailed daily so that we could all relate to the self-giving crosses we must embrace to complete our vocational mission.  Compared to the crucifixion, these self-giving acts may seem small, but it is not the size of the sacrifice that matters.  It is the love in which we embrace them that matters.  Jesus lived what He taught so we can imagine that a glass of water given by Him was a small sacrifice done with great love.  We can imagine that Jesus was aware of picking up the daily crosses with love and by them, His love for us grew.  The same holds true for us.  The more we pick up our crosses with a self-giving heart, the more our hearts will expand with love. 

There are other forms of the cross that Jesus faced, but that are more subtle in the writings.  They came in the form of transitions. The transition of fleeing from the homeland that His parents knew and the comforts their hearts would have known in raising their son there initially. The transition of leaving His boyhood to become a man at his bar mitzvah and what would be expected of Him in the transition of one day having to leave His mother’s home in order to set out on a path unfamiliar to Him.  In these times, while all crosses are self-giving, we can see more evidently the death of one life in order for a new life to rise and have growth. We can see that Jesus lived the scripture He taught…“Unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, it will not grow fruit”  (John 12:24). We can relate to those times of transition. We’ve had to say goodbye to the friends in our class because we have completed the year of school. Like the grain of wheat, to grow we all have to leave the familiar at some point and say goodbye in order to graduate, to marry, to move to a new town or state, to find a new job or to retire. The transitions are painful, but we must be like the grain of wheat if we are to move forward towards some type of greater growth.

In these daily crosses and transitional ones, we can grow closer to Jesus because we know that out of great love for us, He suffered the same way.  We can meditate on a daily cross He endured that seem similar to ours so as to draw closer to Him.  While meditating with an open heart, we may get new insights on how to deal with our situations and have a heart more drawn to God as we see the emotions He felt during similar times.  We suddenly sense that we are not alone.  We recognize a seed of love that is causing us to suffer.  We are aware that if the love is a self-love it needs to be purged so that we can be closer to God.  We are also aware if the reason for our suffering is a self-giving love and we know that love is God loving in us.  We understand His heart more and know that He understands ours.  Suddenly, the tedium of the daily crosses aren’t so annoying because in taking a prayerful pause, we find ourselves more deeply united to God and His love for us.  Suddenly the heartaches of some of the more difficult crosses aren’t as devastating because we see an invitation to be one with God and His love.

Of course, some crosses come out of nowhere and are truly devastating.  We will begin to reflect on those in Part 2 next week. 

Prayerfully Reflect and Talk to Jesus About:

“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24)

“Unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, it will not grow fruit”  (John 12:24).

“Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you? And the King will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these little brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:37- 40)

Pick 4-5 Gospel messages of Jesus.  It doesn’t matter which you choose. Pray beforehand and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you in what you choose.  What sacrifices can you see Jesus making in them?  How might they relate to some daily crosses and self-giving you are experiencing?  Talk to Jesus about them.  Open your heart to how He felt at the time towards His love for God and neighbor.   How does your heart feel now?  Is your heart similar to His? Can you have compassion for what He felt? Does that give you a greater insight?  Allow yourself to feel closer to Jesus based on what your heart is feeling.  Be open to the expansion of love for God and neighbor through observing Jesus and His acts of self-giving.

WE CAN ALWAYS FIND WAYS OF BEING A PRAYER OF LOVE

Recently I read an article about the sport of lacrosse.  It deeply touched my heart as I see it as a sport where the Native Americans are the prayer while playing. If you are a regular of my blog, you know how important I think being the prayer is.

When the Native Americans play lacrosse, they see it as a way of entertaining God. We may not think that all we do entertains God, but I’m sure that when we use our gifts and our talents given to us by Him, He is delighted. If you give a gift to someone and they use it, doesn’t that make you feel good? If you give a gift to a small child and they play with it all the time, it melts your heart. Everything we have and all we can do is because God has gifted us. When we lovingly and joyfully use those gifts, we must make His heart sing.

Another meaningful thing they do with the sport is offering it as a prayer for someone in their tribe who may be in need of prayer. Offering up your actions for someone is a beautiful prayer. Jesus was on the cross and could do nothing, but He offered it up for us. It was His greatest prayer. By that He taught us that if we are actively doing something and we offer it up with love, it is a powerful prayer. We can be mindful of this and complete our tasks with love and not anger or agitation so that our prayer offering is not tainted.

Lastly, when the game that was offered up is over, they gave the ball to the person they were praying for. It reminds me of a prayer shawl, but instead it’s a prayer ball. If you are offering up your actions for someone they are wrapped in love. There is so much love that can be given to a family when actions are offered for them.  Dinner becomes a prayer, laundry becomes a prayer, grocery shopping becomes a prayer, etc.  Actions are a prayer not just for family, but for anyone we offer them up for.  Even if we are alone, there are so many creative ways we can offer our actions up as a prayer for others .

Imagine a world where people were mindful of this and took great care to make sure their actions were all love and never violent or filled with hate or judgment. Try and be mindful of being the prayer so you can bring delight to God and help those in need. When you do, you will find your heart will expand with love and love is always a powerful prayer.

Prayerfully Reflect On:

God’s delight in us...

“For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He adorns the humble with salvation.” Psalm 149:4

“Behold my servant, whom I uphold, My chosen, in whom My soul delights; I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.” Is 42:1

Intercessory Prayer…

Put yourself at the foot of the cross.  Reflect on being the recipient of this powerful prayer of love.  

EVERYTHING WE DO MATTERS

No job is too small. No gift is wasted.  In faith we know we all make a difference. 

The average person goes about their day doing little things. They don’t think they are making a difference. Perhaps the biggest proof of this is the parent that takes care of their child moment by moment and suddenly they are graduating from school. How were they able to do that? Through the constant care of their parents. Even with that knowledge we often think that what we do isn’t important. Maybe what we are doing lasts a season. Maybe it’s just one action taken on any given day.  No matter what, there are times when we feel what we do is just a waste of time. Is it though?  

There are many giants in scripture that exemplify to me that it all matters.

The first that comes to mind is Noah.  Every day he got up and did what he had to do to build the ark. With the information given, we can guess that it took approximately 50-75 years to build.  Doing all this in the middle of the desert to be safe in a flood undoubtedly seemed odd to most.  Noah was a man of faith and he trusted God, but I have to imagine that there were days when he even questioned what he was doing. He was a man of faith, but he was human and probably being taunted regularly. That can happen to us all. We question due to the negative Nancy’s and their words that we replay.   We don’t necessarily need the people in our community to cause our doubt. We have a committee in our head.  After years of faithfully carrying out his responsibility to God and after daily allowing God to work through him, in with him, he saw the fruits of his labor. When we feel overwhelmed with the mundane, it would do us good to remember Noah and how what appeared to be useless and somewhat mundane, was monumentally important.

The next person that comes to mind is David. He was just a shepherd boy. Nothing special. He learned to use a sling shot while shepherding his sheep. Nothing out of the ordinary. It was a means of keeping them in line. Then came Goliath and while the King wanted David to put on his armor to fight Goliath, David found that he couldn’t move in it. He couldn’t imitate Saul. He had to be David and do it the seemingly lowly way he was used to.  It worked.  He took down the giant on his first attempt.  How long had David prepared for this moment without even knowing it? How many skills have we learned that end up being of service to others. When you were 16 and learning how to drive a car, did you think of the countless ways God would use your skill to transport people who needed help? Did you think of the times you would have to get in the car so you could reach somebody who was in need?  The time spent learning mattered.  It always does.

Saint Joseph is another giant. We have to use imagination with Joseph because he was a silent man that took great action. One thing that has always struck me with St. Joseph is that being a carpenter, he must have made a cradle of some sort for Jesus.  He had no intention of putting his Son in a feeding trough and yet that is exactly what happened. Then, after the birth of Jesus, he went to Egypt, not back to Nazareth. I imagine that Joseph carefully and lovingly made a great cradle for his Son that was never used as he had intended. We know, however, that nothing is ever wasted with God. So just as the ark seemed unnecessary and just as learning to use a slingshot seemed to be very narrow in scope as to what purpose it could be to the owner, Joseph’s cradle was needed.  We don’t know if he kept it or sold it so he could provide in some way for his family.  What we do know is that God knows how precious time is.  We also know that God gives us skills and talents so He can work through us and with us .  Given that, we know the cradle was made for a future purpose and like the arc, it would one day be needed because all we do matters even when we can’t see ahead.  How often do we say something was a waste. Joseph shows us that nothing is ever wasted. 

St. Paul simply wrote letters.  He could not have imagined the importance they would have in the lives of Christians for 2,000 years and counting.  Joseph could interpret dreams.  A gift his brothers found annoying and unimportant.  Being thrown in a well and in jail could not stop him from using his gift and by it he saved countless lives.  Abraham plugged away day and night and became a father of one with countless descendants.  Mary said yes to having a baby whom she then simply raised to grow in wisdom as she cooked countless meals for Him and taught Him right from wrong.  

We could go on and on with individuals we find in scripture that made a difference.  Differences that were made by doing the little things they were given day by day.  It all mattered for them even if they couldn’t see.  It all matters for us even 2000 years later because we are all united as one in Christ.  No gift is given to us for no reason.  No job is too small.  Nothing is wasted.  It all matters when we have faith.  Faith is key.  That dinner you cooked, that email you sent, that car ride you made, that garbage you threw out, that meeting you attended, the homework you helped with…it all mattered because in faith we know we are united as one in Christ and we are the prayer.

Prayerfully reflect on:

Any of the people cited above or any other people you choose from scripture.  

Were they much different than you?  

Did they make a difference doing anything that we would consider great by today’s standards? 

Here are some additional people you might consider reflecting on if you would like to.

John the Baptist. A man who hung out in the desert and later baptized people and Jesus.

St. Elizabeth…John the Baptist’s mother.

Naomi and Ruth. A mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

Rhoda, a servant who opened the door. (Acts 12:13)

Priscilla and Aquila, friends of St. Paul. (Rom 16:3-4)

God Has an Important Plan & You are a Part of It

God Has an Important Plan and You are a Part of It

God uses every one of us and every situation for His glory and our good.

People fill up our lives whether we know them or not; whether they are with us or not.  Strangers, family and friends may be responsible for the directions are lives take or they may simply fill up our heart.  Either way, because of that, in some way, they are with us wherever we go and we are with them!  They fill our lives and help us to grow so we are ready each moment to be an instrument of God’s loving plan.

God is so amazing!  He knows exactly what this world needs to complete His plan and His plan is to love. He knows exactly which parents are suited for the child He wants to bring into the world.  He then gives each one the  gifts and talents that are needed so that we can all take care of each other. He knows exactly how many doctors, teachers, civic leaders, scientists, inventors, plumbers, grocers, truck drivers, etc. are needed. It is a perfect plan of love.

Often times we miss it.  We get stuck in the muck and mire. We get preoccupied by the salaries of jobs and the endless to-do-list. That’s understandable, but sad. These things must be secondary.  By faith we must know that God didn’t give us gifts and talents, expect us to use them and then cause us to starve because we did.  Nor did God give us a to-do-list that would make us so busy that we would have no time to use our gifts. God gives us the desires of our hearts and it is up to us to take the time to pray and find out what gifts and talents He has given us that may be used to help our desires come to fruition. We may love the arts, but have a scientific mind. We may want to be doctors and the arts are a way for us to wind down and relax from the stress. We may want the art to be our primary goal. We think it doesn’t make sense, but it is our desire. Let God work it out. Remember, Jesus was a carpenter before He set out on His ministry.  He will show you the way.  There is a well orchestrated plan by God for our sanctification and the sanctification of our neighbor.  It is a plan  filled with love when we touch our neighbors with our given gifts and our hearts of love. We must respect the position everyone has. We would not function without a President nor our cashier attendants.  Each of us holds a place in the lives of others. We all perfectly fit in the tapestry of love that God is making. We can choose not to like someone, but then we miss God.  We can choose not to respect someone, but what would happen if their vital help was not there? Whether we realize it or not, everyone holds a special place in our lives because God loves us.  We are not our gifts and talents.  We are children of God.  We are His love being poured out and He chooses which gifts we need to bring forth that love, His help.  Without God, we can do nothing.

I think this is one of the best ways to show non believers that God exists and that He loves them.  We must show them that they are special and have a purpose that is very much needed. They must understand that they are a message of God‘s love, but we must treat everyone that way. If we don’t, then trying to show an unbeliever or one filled with dismay that God loves them, that he or she has all they have as a gift from God and that God will use it all for their benefit as well as others will seem completely insincere and patronizing. We must have this sincere attitude towards all whether we like them or not. In this way we practice the Gospel we preach.   We should never underestimate the power in that.

Do we sometimes mess up? Yes. And perhaps the most common reason is that our eyes come off God.  We then lose sight of the gifts and talents He has given us for His glory and to make a difference for our neighbor.  Instead we become focused on self, honor and money. The temptation enters. When that happens to others, we must have mercy. We know it could happen to us so we shouldn’t judge, but repair with love.  We don’t accept the bad actions, but we must love the person, look for their good and pray for them. That’s how we show an unbeliever we are sincere.  

Prayerfully Reflect on the Following:

“Lord, you will decree peace for us, for you have accomplished all we have done.” Isaiah 26:12

“For I know well the plans I have in mind for you—plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the spirit is given for some benefit.”  1Corinthians 12:4-7

“Love must be completely sincere. Hate what is evil, hold onto what is good. Love one another warmly as Christians and be eager to show respect for one another. Work hard and do not be lazy. Serve the Lord with a heart full of devotion. Let your hope keep your joyful, be patient in your troubles and pray at all times. Share your belongings with your  fellow Christians and open your homes to strangers.” Romans 12:9-13 

Reflect on the people that have helped you in the past week, whether it was their job or not, whether you knew them or not, whether you even saw them or not.  Did something in particular touch your life?

Reflect on the people that you have helped in the past week, whether it was your job or not, whether you knew them or not, whether you saw them or not.  What gifts did God give you so you could be an expression of His love?  How did you fit into His plan of love and salvation? 

Based on your words and actions this past week, would an unbeliever be certain that you know God has a plan of love and that we are all an important part of it? If not, how might you grow in this area?

SEARCHING FOR LOVE IN ALL OUR EMOTIONS HELPS US TO NOTICE GOD

God is love.  To notice when love is present and when it is not is to notice when God is present and when He is not. 

Our feelings are so important.  They are gifts from God.  They help us to learn more about ourselves as well as God. Unfortunately we live in a time where people seem to be slaves to their emotions.  That slavery causes them to be victims filled with anger, pride and at times even hate.  Sadly, hate can be a magnet that catches many even though we know God is not the author of hate.  That comes from His enemy.  Our emotions are great tools of discernment to help us learn more about ourselves and Jesus and by that our true authentic self.  

When we listen to our heart and how it feels when we experience some sort of love directed towards us or see it happening to someone else, we are drawn to it because we are drawn to God.  What a great practice it would be to try and duplicate the act of love in a way that we can. For instance, if it felt good that someone shared a pleasant thought with you and it lifted you up, share a pleasant thought with someone else so they, too, can be lifted up.  If we took notice, we would find a multitude of ways that love is shared and expressed that does not take a great deal of time or effort.  We don’t have to wait.  We can do it at any given moment and we can learn so much by being aware of the moments when we felt good at the hands of someone else’s actions.  When we share what we’ve learned from someone who gave us a bit of God’s love, it is like being one with the person and God. The person because you are taking what you’ve learned from them. God because it is He who is love. 

When we listen to our emotions that surface and see that they are negative— such as hurt, anger, anxiety, worry, fear or sadness, we should try and look for the cause.  Often times we will find the root is love.  We may be, for instance, angry, worried or fearful because someone we love is threatened.  Once we get in touch with the love and better understand the negative emotion, we can find God and work to react with Him and not without Him.  Sometimes we find wounds and better understand a love that was shaken and needs to be restored.  If we search, we can always find God and if we don’t have to react instantly, time to pray on negative emotions affords us much growth in our authenticity. 

So often when it’s a negative emotion we end up judging and complaining. If we instead tried to turn it into love, we could make a positive difference. We could turn it around for good by cooperating with God who is love.  If we did this we could become one with the person who hurt us. Like the one who made us feel loved, the one who has hurt us has changed us for the good if we make an effort to look for love and not complain and judge. They could potentially make us more loving. Instead of complaining and judging someone, for instance, who yelled at a cashier, we could put ourselves in the cashier’s place. We could empathize with their hurting heart.  We could decide that we would never act like that and, in fact, go out of our way to show kindness to other cashiers.  Now we have turned what could simply have ended with judgment and complaint and turned it into love.  St. John of the Cross, OCD said, “Where there is no love, put love and you will find love.”  You would be doing just that.  You would be putting love in the situation and because of that you would be placing God in the situation.  If we did this, it would be like uniting ourselves to the one who aggravated us by taking what they made us aware of, using it to cooperate more with God’s love and by that spiritually wrapping them in love instead of anger and judgment which is so often the reaction. It is a form of prayer for them and a form of forgiveness. We aren’t harboring any ill will towards them.  We aren’t taking what they have given us and making it worse.  Instead we are being thankful for the lesson they have given us so that we could grow more loving. Even if it happens directly to us, in time and with prayer and practice we can see that it’s not a point of being loved, but loving others. When we are detached from needing to be loved we can love even those who aggravate and hurt us because we can see it all as a gift to grow closer to God and in His love. That is the goal!

Can you imagine the type of person you would grow to be if you always made it a practice to look at your emotions and find the love even if it was hidden? Can you imagine the difference you would make in the lives of others because of the love that was growing in you?  You would continually grow in actually being the prayer of love with your very life.  We are all one so if you practiced this, others would have to feel the difference when you entered a room and when you left it.  They might not realize it. You might not realize it, but it would be happening. God is love so through you He would fill the hearts of those in the room.  God would be  felt when you enter and when you leave, the room may very well deflate. We have all experienced the energy of a room deflate when certain persons exit.  That is God’s love that has dissipated once they left.  Be the person that people come to know as the one who lifts up the room. Not because you need to be loved or that you are the life of the party focusing on yourself and how you can get people to notice you, but because you are the one that notices everyone else. You are the one that makes them feel special. You are the one that makes them feel loved.  You are the love because you are the branch connected to the vine who is love.  It’s not something you can do only occasionally. It is something you can do whenever you are with people and because of the many ways that technology connects us you can do it even when you are alone.  

This is the person I want to be, but my intentions are thwarted a million times a day. I awake and say I want to do something for someone else and the unexpected responsibilities of the day get in the way of the things I want to do. This week, as I have had more time, everything I wanted to do for others seemed to take much longer. So what was the problem? Did God not want me to do these things? No. I’m sure He does. They are good and purposeful. What He is trying to help me to learn is to not only be love, but be present. There were so many opportunities I had to be love in the moment, but I was looking at them as interruptions. If I can grow in being present in meditation and from that learn to be present in the moment, I can be that person who makes a difference by cooperating with God and being His love moment by moment.  I would do what I plan to do for others in God’s time and embrace what He sends me in the moment.  How I put love into the world would not matter as much as simply doing it, moment by moment in cooperation with God and the desires of His heart.

PRAYERFULLY REFLECT ON. THE FOLLOWING 

“Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.”  (1John 4:8)

“Where there is no love, put love and you will find love.” St. John of the Cross

Jesus prayed that we would all one. “I pray that they may all be one. Father! May they be in Us, just as You are in Me and I am in You.  (John 17:21).  Can you see the difference you may make in the presence of others simply by being aware of the love that is within you, the love that is God, the love that is possible because you are one with God just as they are? 

Have you experienced any negative emotions this week?  In prayer can you peel them back and find love at the root of them?

You can love because God is love and He is in you.  “Remain united to Me and I will remain united to you.  A branch cannot bear fruit by itself; it can only do so if it remains in the vine.  In the same way you cannot bear fruit unless you remain in Me.” (John 15:4). 

Have you experienced any positive emotions this week?  In prayer can you think of a way that you can make it a practice to do the same for others in a way that works for you?  

Can you understand that because we are one, when you pray and work to grow in love and then offer up your life as a prayer, you are a continual prayer of love that all united to you and God are affected by?  Because we are one, can you understand the importance of being a prayer of love and not one of anger or hate?  Pray on this and talk to Jesus about it. 

Paradise: A Destination Paid for with Love

Imagine…

You get a call that you have received an all-expense paid-vacation to paradise!  All you have to do is say yes!  Would you say yes?  Would you go begrudgingly? Are you the type of person that would be a wreck while packing, but then not want to leave once you got there?  Would you be happy if a loved one was given this gift or would you beg them not to go?

The other day I heard a story that took place in the 40s. It was about a young 20-year-old who was on death row. To make a long story short, he didn’t know anything about God and had a visitation from the Blessed Mother one night while in his cell. That visitation caused him to want to embrace Jesus and the Catholic faith.  It ended up that not only did he convert, but many others in the prison did as well.  On the night before his execution, he was asked what his last wish was.  They would accommodate it as best they could. His wish was to have a party with all the inmates. He wanted to celebrate with them that he was going to Heaven. He was so excited! He had his party and immediately after was told he was given a two week stay. He cried like a baby. He asked what he had done wrong. He so badly wanted to go home. The thought of waiting two more weeks was extremely painful. A priest suggested that he unite his suffering of having to remain on Earth to the sufferings of Jesus on the cross and offer it as a prayer for a fellow inmate who was the next to be executed. That inmate refused to except Christ. The sorrowful inmate did just that and two weeks later, to his delight he was sent to see Jesus and the Blessed Mother via his execution. Three months later the inmate he was praying for was to be executed as expected. Right up to the end he refused to except Christ.  While on the chair and with seconds left, he belted out a bloodcurdling scream and then asked for a priest.  He wanted him to hear his confession. He wanted to say he was sorry and accept Jesus. When asked what changed his mind, he said that he saw the Blessed Mother and his friend who was recently executed. They told him this was his last chance to accept Jesus and if he didn’t, they showed him his place in hell. That’s when he screamed.

This story showed me two things. First there is great power in uniting our sufferings to Jesus and offering them as a prayer for others. The sufferings we are tied to are not electric chairs, but we do find ourselves daily bound to some sort of suffering. Great or small, we shouldn’t waste the opportunity of using them for the powerful prayer that they are. 

The second thing that it showed me was how far we have removed ourselves from our ultimate purpose in life… to know God, love Him and serve Him here so we can be with Him for all eternity. We say we know that we die and go to Heaven.  We know it is just our body that remains here… not us. We say we love God. We say all this and that we want to go to Heaven, but when the opportunity is given to us we don’t want to go. We certainly do not see it as an opportunity. We grieve when we lose someone understandably, but we don’t think much about how happy they are. We certainly don’t say let’s have a going away party. We wait until they are gone before we gather. We say one thing, but cling to another. We do everything we can to save our lives, but do not rejoice when we know it is our time to go home or the time for a loved one to depart. I’m not saying we don’t do all we can to get healthy when we are sick. We absolutely must. We must make sure our love ones do too, but showing sorrow and fear is not what you would expect when someone believes in paradise and then is offered it.

Can you imagine being excited about dying? Can you imagine living in a culture where we would want a going away party to celebrate our impending death? Can you imagine the relief that would be in the hearts of our family if they saw us happy to go? Can you imagine the world we would live in if more people offered their sufferings as a prayer for the salvation of others so we could all be in Heaven?  Can you imagine living in a world where we contemplated what Heaven would be like so we would want to go when it was time? Can you imagine living in this life knowing that Jesus conquered death and you were never going to die as a result? Can you imagine spending your time on Earth with one thing on your bucket list…to fill it with love because love is the only thing you can take with you and you would know that it is better to bring along a bucket full of love rather than a thimble full?  Can you imagine a world where we all tried to fill an ocean sized bucket with love? Can you imagine a world where you weren’t crippled up in fear of dying, but instead trusted that God would send for you when it was your time and your job was to just get out and pack that bucket so you were ready when He called?  Can you imagine living what Jesus taught about saving your life only coming by losing it through self giving? Maybe if that is how we lived, we wouldn’t be fearful of death and we would celebrate when someone’s bucket was full and they were journeying home.

So now let’s go back to the beginning.  If you were told you were going to go on an all expense paid vacation to paradise, would you jump at the chance? If you were told everyone at home would be fine and you were going to be treated like royalty, would you jump at the chance? If you were told at some point you would join your family members who would one day also win paradise, would you happily say goodbye?  Are you prepared to say yes if paradise isn’t the vacation, but Heaven?  Most of us aren’t, but if we contemplated Heaven on a regular basis, maybe when it was time, like the inmate, we too would want to celebrate what was to come instead of fearfully clinging to what pales by comparison. 

Prayerfully reflect on the following and talk to God about them.  Freely give a Him your heart.

“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it.” Mark 8:35

Jesus conquered death.  Meditate on 1Corinthians 15:51-55

Jesus’s suffering and death saved us.  Meditate on suffering, whether small or large, being a prayer.

How would your life be different if the only thing you thought of was how you could fill your bucket with love?

How would your life be different if you offered your sufferings for the salvation of those you love?

Have you ever been nervous about going somewhere, but then had such a great time once there that you didn’t want to leave?  How might that compare with not wanting to leave Earth.

Prayerfully reflect on Heaven.

Prayerfully reflect on any of the questions cited in this reflection.

WHEN WE SLOW DOWN WE ARE MORE AWARE OF GOD’S LOVING PRESENCE

SLOW DOWN!!! 

At the end of the week I reflected on what my greatest challenges of the week had been and I discovered my answer connected with my reflection of last week when I asked,  “What difference does it make what I am doing if I am doing it in the presence of God?”   My greatest challenges came through several circumstances in regards to reading and crocheting. What could they both have in common? They both taught me to slow down so I could be in the presence of God and better be in His will.

When I began doing some spiritual reading, I began absorbing the material more and more. I saw what I read was being played out constantly in my life.  Because of that I had to continually force myself to slow down and reflect on it. The material in my life in relation to what I read seemed to constantly coincide and it was making a difference for me.  

The same thing happened with my book club book. After finishing the assigned chapters I wanted to go on, but I stopped myself. I slowed down instead of running ahead.  There was no need to hurry on ahead.  I slowed down and spent the time absorbing.  

Crochet was no different. I finished making a stuffed toy. It wasn’t easy. There were days when my hand was cramping up so badly. I just wanted to put it aside. Previously that is exactly what I would’ve done for weeks and even months. I promised my son I would make it for him so that forced me to keep it up even if I had to do it slowly.  My promise forced me to do it slowly. One stitch at a time.  I had to do a great deal of ripping and starting over again.  As much as I wanted to either put it aside or hurry up and get it done, I didn’t.  I went slow and the end result was a great stuffed toy.  It was the best I ever made and I learned methods that would help me in my craft.  I got better. Now I have a baby Yoda to give to my adult son.  A labor of love injected into my family that I am confident will be injected into the Body of Christ. I am confident that when we do things unselfishly they make a difference around the world in the mystical body of Christ.

While doing things slowly something else happened. I had a great inner peace. A greater feeling of love. A greater feeling of connectedness to God and others. I am understanding why Mr. Rogers felt that his slowness was a gift that  helped him to touch lives because the slowness put him in the presence of God. I am convinced that we are far better able to be the prayer and make a difference when we slow down because it truly does put us in the presence of God and when we are in His presence, we can better hear Him so as to do His will.

I think we are better able to learn when we slow down and let ourselves be absorbed into what we are learning.  What we learn most assuredly is God’s will and there is no telling how it will be used for God in the future.  The sacrifices of time and the quality results make a difference in the Body of Christ because we are doing it all in the presence of God.  Hurrying is often a default because it is routine, we want to do something else or we have placed a self-imposed deadline on the act, but I believe God and our true self is discovered when we slow down if at all possible.

I also learned that when I cut myself off from the opportunity to be connected with God and my neighbor in the entire Body of Christ through my hurriedness, I used my accusatory voice (the enemy) instead of the voice of the advocate (the Holy Spirit). I said things like, “It’s too hard. I can’t. I should do something I’m better at.  I am no good at this.”  With the accusatory mindset we deprive ourselves of slowing down, being in the presence of God, being the prayer and growing in the subject area. Instead of being the advocate and telling myself, “There is no need to hurry. Take your time. Nobody is waiting for you.  This is where God wants you to presently be.  This is your growth” and by that helping people in the Body of Christ, I deprived myself of the beautiful act of being connected. 

While we place greater value on some things and little on others, God looks at the heart.  This is true of all activities we embark on.  I do see, however, that true value can be gained in doing activities slowly whenever possible so we can be more mindful of being in the presence of God and by that make room for our heart to grow.  We should take a moment to discern if the quantity we want to achieve or the deadline we want to impose are only in our heads because making that connection with God and, therefore, the entire Body of Christ, is important. It is then that we become the prayer.  

In the presence of God it all matters and doing things slowly helps us to be more aware of God’s presence so that with Him all we do makes a difference. It helps us to be more like Him.  God definitely rested and while we know He answers all our prayers, sometimes it appears, in our estimation, that He is slow.  Perhaps there is great value in embracing that slow period for it is in there that we find God and grow in His image and likeness.  Perhaps slowness, when possible, is sacred.  Perhaps when we are able to slow down, we have brief Sunday morning moment that puts us in the garden with Mary Magdalene at the time of the resurrection and we hear Jesus say our name. (John 20:11-19)

PRAYERFULLY REFLECT ON THE FOLLOWING 

Meditate on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

“Notice how the flowers grow. They do not toilet or spin. But I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of them.  If God so clothed the grass in the field that is here today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will He not much more provide for you, oh you of little faith?” Luke 12:27-28

“Do not wear yourself out to gain wealth, cease to be worried about it.”  Proverbs 23:4

“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 your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30

“As they continue their journey He entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed Him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to Him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to Him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.’ The Lord said to her in reply, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” Luke 10:38-42

“But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like 1000 years and 1000 years like one day.” 2Peter 3:8

“Then God’s said: Let there be light, and there was light. God saw that the light was good. God then separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” Evening came and morning followed—the first day.” Genesis 1:3-5

“On the seventh day God completed the work He had been doing; He rested on the seventh day from all the work He had undertaken. God bless the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work He had done in creation.” Genesis 2:2-3  

“Ah! Rebellious children, who carry out a plan that is not Mine, who make an alliance I did not inspire, thus adding sin upon sin; they go down to Egypt without asking My counsel, to seek strength in Pharaohs protection and take refuge in Egypt’s shadow. Pharaohs protection shall become your shame, refuge in Egypt shadow your disgrace.” Isaiah 30:1-3

DOING ALL IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD MAKES ALL OF LIFE MORE ENJOYABLE

It has been a really busy week and while I am trying to maintain a balance of order, peace and joy, one thought kept entering my mind as the week slowly unfolded. 

What difference does it make what I do if I do it in the presence of God?

I began realizing that it is one thing to say we believe in something, but our actions give us away as to whether or not we truly believe. If we truly believe God is in us and with us at all times, what would be more important? That we felt accomplished in what we did, felt good about it, enjoyed ourselves while doing it or that we were with God?  I really enjoy crocheting.  If I really enjoyed crocheting and knew I was in the presence of God while doing it, that would make it special. If I was in the presence of God, would washing the dishes be any less enjoyable? What difference would it make as long as I was with God? Would I prefer crocheting to doing the dishes if I knew I would not be with God while crocheting and with Him while doing the dishes? Of course not. I would prefer the dishes because God is the primary focus. He is the reason for our joy. 

I began crocheting a granny square one night.  My plan was to make it large enough to be a sweater/shawl. Then it happened! I made a mistake and the square was totally off. I had to rip out a great deal.  My first thought was to be frustrated and then the question once again arose.  What difference does it make what I am doing if I am doing it in the presence of God? This is a pattern that would continue for days. One day I had to rip out about three rows of work and because I was so far along, it was extensive, but what difference did it make if I was in the presence of God? Was I focusing on being able to complete the project or being with God? I crochet every night so what difference did it make? I was not on a time crunch.  My peace depended on me focusing on the true purpose of crocheting which is being in the presence of God.  I knew I could only lose my peace and my true self if I focused on the project.

I had people over for dinner one night.   Everyone was gone and I was left to do the dishes with my friend and my elderly mother who I wanted to just sit. I truly did not want people to do the dishes with me.  It was my pleasure to serve them, but what difference did it make if I was cleaning the dishes with one other person, myself, or many if I was doing it in the presence of God?  Quickly getting them done because I had help or taking a great deal of time would not have mattered if I was with God.  Would I have been happier to sit and crochet with God instead of cleaning with Him? Not if I truly believe that the priority was simply being in God‘s presence.  If He was my focus, the action, any action, would be secondary. 

 I began seeing more fully what I always say. We are the prayer.

When we are creating, we are creating with the Creator. In some form or another we are always creating. It may be an art project, decorating or even getting dressed or cooking. It may be simple and done daily or it may be solving a complicated problem.  It may be a chore where you are creating a clean space that is accomplished in a way that is unique to you or it may be a method of exercising that you thought of because it, too, works for you.  In any case, we are always creating in the presence of the Creator. We are the prayer. We are an offering of love when we actively serve others, create and use our gifts given to us. In those times we are feeding our souls just as we do in silent prayer and meditations. The meal may be different and affect us differently, but both feed our soul. A similar comparison would be reading.  Some of our readings are spiritual (quiet) and feed our soul. Some feed our brain (active), but in all cases we are taking care of gifts given us. We are the prayer when we do all things with God and glorify Him through them.

And what about those times when we are having to do something we do not enjoy? We are still the prayer. Those are great instances to be used for intercessory prayer and we can do so in peace knowing it doesn’t matter what we are doing because as a prayer the act is only a means to an end. Doing it with God and God being our focus is all that matters. It is there that we find our peace and love. It is there that we find our true self.  We do not want to be someone whose main focus is the achievement or one who is grumbling through the act.  To make an effective prayerful offering of love, we want to be at peace and be love so we can grow in union with Jesus and by that discover our true humanity.  We want to be one who realizes that in all things, what matters most is that we do all in the presence of God.  When we can be mindful of that, we see He never leaves our side so all is enjoyable.

God is everywhere.  We find Him at Church, at home, at work and when we are at play.  He is with us when we are alone or in a crowd.  So the next time you find yourself dissatisfied, put out, frustrated or grumbling because of an activity you would prefer to not have to do, take a pause and ask yourself, “What difference does it make what I am doing if I am doing it in the presence of God?”  

PRAYERFULLY REFLECT ON THE FOLLOWING SCRIPTURES & TALK TO GOD ABOUT THEM 

“I keep the Lord always before me; with Him at my right hand, I shall never be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, my soul rejoices; my body also dwells secure.” Psalm 16:8-9

“Where can I go from Your spirit? From your presence, where can I flee?”  Psalm 139:7 

“You will show me the path to life, abounding joy in Your presence, the delights at your right hand forever.” Psalm 16:11

“As for me, to be near God is my good, to make the Lord God my refuge.” Psalm 73:28a

“Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving. Let us shout joyfully to Him with Psalms.” Psalm 95:2

“One thing I ask of the Lord; this I seek: to dwell in the Lord’s house all the days of my life, to gaze on the Lord‘s beauty, to visit His temple.” Psalm 27:4 

“And He said, ‘My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14

ADVENT WEEK 3: A Message of Hope That Would Change Everything

St. Gabriel delivered a message of hope.  What type of messenger are we?

We are entering the third week of Advent.  Gaudete Sunday, Rejoice Sunday!  We are well on our way as we continue to prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus.  While we prepare to celebrate His birth, we continually pray and reflect on our openness to have room for Him in the inn of our hearts.  When He knocks, will we happily open the door to Him or keep it closed in fear?   Celebrating Christmas comes at a set time that we can prepare for, but would we recognize Jesus if He came when we weren’t expecting Him to come?  Just as those in Bethlehem were not expecting Him, the same may one day happen to us as we busy ourselves with our daily responsibilities.  Advent helps us to reflect on our openness to recognizing Him whenever and however He chooses to do so.  

On this third week of Advent, I invite you to reflect with me on St. Gabriel, who was given the responsibility of bringing the Father’s message to Mary.  

Saint Gabriel was the angel sent by God to deliver a message that would change the world. What must it have been like to carry that message of hope? What was it like giving a message to someone who was so loved by God? What was it like knowing his words needed to open the heart of Mary so she would say yes and yet not knowing if his words would be received. What thoughts penetrated his heart when her first reaction was one of fear? What was it like being in the middle, between the author of the message and the recipient? What must the anticipation been like?  When Saint Gabriel finished, what was his reception in Heaven like? 

There are times when all of us are in situations that cause us to carry a message of sorts that can change everything for the good if received. In big or small messages, what can I learn from watching Saint Gabriel? How do I handle delivering little messages? What about the bigger ones? How do I view the person I am giving the message to?  When someone has a difficult message to give me, am I aware of their feelings? 

As I prepare for Advent how can I use both great and small messages that I may need to deliver to help me understand Gabriel at the annunciation?  How can this help me draw closer to God?  In disturbing news, can I recognize the difficulty while at the same time delivering it in a hope-filled way knowing hope is a powerful prayer that can change everything? Much to pray and ponder… Saint Gabriel, pray for us.

PRAYERFULLY REFLECT ON:

Luke 1:26-38 

Reflect on each of the bolded questions above as they pertained to how St. Gabriel may have felt as he presented the Father’s message to Mary.  Talk to God about what you have reflected upon. 

Reflect on the bolded questions above as they pertain to your life and how you can relate them to your relationship with Jesus.  Talk to God about what you have reflected on.

How can you live the result of these reflections out during this Advent week and as you move forward in life?