Knowing God 

   There is nothing more important in life that preparing for death and what is to come after.  Nothing in this world will matter when that day comes.  The best way to prepare for the next life is to come to know God in this one.

   If I want to know someone better I must spend time with them.  I must listen to them and share my thoughts with them.  A long-lasting relationship cannot be achieved unless I am willing to put in the time an effort to make it so.  It is no different in coming to know God.

   Prayer is conversation with God.  It is through prayer that I can share my hopes and desires with Him even though He already knows everything about me.  In prayer I can bring to Him my concerns and unhappiness, my joys and my heartaches.  Though He is fully aware of all of this I believe He wants me to speak with Him about it.

   Just as important is taking the time to stop talking and listen.  In the quiet the voice of God is more easily heard.  Just as Elijah found God in the light silent sound (see 1 Kings 11 – 13), I find God in the silence of my prayer time.  I am closest to Him in the solitude, and it is in these times that I come to know Him better.  In prayer, in scripture, in holy readings He speaks to me.

   God is present within me.  He wants me to come to Him in all things as I would to my closest, most trusted friend.  He wants me to know Him as best as I can in this life so that I can know Him as He truly is in the next. 

I want to know You better.

I want to be closer to You.

In prayer we meet.

In prayer we can be as one. 

Amen

 Pray From the Heart 

   “When we pray, the voice of the heart must be heard more than the proceedings from the mouth.” (St. Bonaventure) 

   I love the many prayers of the Catholic Church; they bring spiritual peace and comfort, bringing us close to our God.  However, there is a danger in memorized prayers.  They can become just words rather than prayer.

   There are some who regularly say a blessing before meals whether at home or in a restaurant but say it so quickly that it seems simply a habit rather than a prayer.  The same applies to the Rosary and even the Lord’s Prayer.  Regardless the prayer, simply repeating words from memory or as habit isn’t really praying.

   I believe prayers that are simple repetitions, words said as habit rather than with sincerity, insult God.  They tell Him we don’t have the time to place ourselves in His company and truly commune with Him.  It’s no different than when a husband or wife off-handedly tells the other “I love you.”  Without the heart involved the words are belittled and insincere.

   Before beginning our prayer we need to take the time to clear our minds and prepare ourselves to be in communion with God.  The Our Father is a beautiful prayer when prayed as it should be, slowly and thoughtfully.  The Rosary is a meditation, a time to consider the mysteries we are to recall.  Too many times it seems to be a race to get it done so we can move on to something else.

   Life is so rushed, there are always things that need to be done.  We learn to get them done as quickly as possible even if that means doing them in a mediocre manner.  Our spiritual life cannot be that way, we can’t rush our relationship with God.  As with any valued relationship it takes time and love.  Time to speak and to listen with our heart. 

We are so hurried.

We sometimes offer little time to You.

Help us slow down.

To better know and love You. 

Amen

 Simple Prayer 

   Prayer should not be complicated it should be easy.  Prayer is meant to be a conversation with God, something from the heart, not just from memory.  I think too many times the “standard” prayers that we all pray become just an exercise in memory rather than a meeting with God in our soul.

   There is certainly a place for the well-known, often repeated prayers we all use.  I find great comfort in the Rosary and the Divine Mercy prayer.  The prayers and meditations of the Divine Office are a regular part of my day.  However, Paul tells us to, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5: 16 – 18).  Therefore, I need to find a way of keeping God foremost in my mind throughout the day.

   I find that remembering to say “thank you” for the simple things of life is important.  Time with family or friends, a safe journey, or just feeling good this day are all reasons to thank God for they are blessings He has bestowed.  He deserves my thanks for the simple things I sometimes take for granted, for they too are His gifts to me.

   Just as important is “I’m sorry” for the times I’ve failed in some way to do His will.  To express my desire to never offend my God and ask His help in avoiding sin reminds me that I am incapable of any good except by God’s will and teaches me humility.

   I will never be able to have God always in mind, but acknowledging Him in all I do, even those that seem unimportant, helps me create a habit of turning to Him in all things; of trying to pray always. 

I go through life in a daze sometimes.

I am a mess of contradictions.

Help me Lord to always turn to You.

To pray and give you thanks always. 

Amen

Comfortable Christianity 

   “I didn’t go to religion to make me happy.  I always knew a bottle of Port would do that.  If you want religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.” (C.S. Lewis) 

   Too many priests and bishops seem more concerned with making their flock comfortable than with saving their soul.  Homilies have become nice talks that rarely scratch the surface of what it really means to be Christian.

   In too many churches no one is offended, all are made to feel good about themselves and sin is rarely mentioned.  Even the word Hell is seldom, if ever, spoken.  I would remind the priests of those parishes that they will have to answer to God for the souls that have been placed in their charge.

   Christianity is not supposed to be easy, if it were there would be a lot more Christians.  But if it were easy what kind of Christians would they be?  Jesus clearly told us that following Him is not an easy path, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Luke 9: 23).

   Consider the life of Christ; it was one of rejection, and betrayal.  Those He came to save had Him nailed to a cross.  The lives of the apostles were much the same.  Suffering is a part of Christianity, but that suffering allows us to share a bit in the suffering Jesus endured for our sake.

   Christianity is not for those who seek only comfort and ease.  If that is your desire, stay home and watch the ballgame.  But if you want to spend eternity in indescribable joy and happiness, find a parish with priest who will lead you there. 

We suffer at times.

Life can be difficult.

Christianity is the answer.

Lead us home. 

Amen 

Shining the Light 

   “Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not be placed on a lampstand?  For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light.”  (Mark 4: 21 - 23) 

   Have you ever gone into a seldom used basement or attic to look for something? When you turn on the light you may see many things you weren’t looking for such as mice, roaches, spider-webs, dust, and dirt.  A place that is unattended tends to collect undesirable things.

   When we invite Jesus, the Light of the world, into our lives we need to understand that He will make visible things we would rather be left hidden, things we may have buried deeply within us.  Not a sin, not a failing will be unknown to Him.  For someone, like me, who has sinned greatly in the past this can be a scary thought.

   But it is also a healing experience that brings forgiveness and peace to our life.  We can’t overcome something unless we are willing to confront it and do what is necessary to remove it from our life.  Past sins will come to mind, but so will the fact that those sins have been forgiven.  To remember them reminds us of how easy it is to fall into serious sin, and to better appreciate the mercy of God in His forgiveness.  They urge us to try harder to avoid sin going forward.

   The light of Jesus points us to the future.  It reminds us of how weak we are and how often we fail, but it also reminds us of His great mercy and the joy that awaits if we will follow His light.  Where there is God, there is no darkness. 

Your light shines brightly.

Let it shine on me.

There is peace in the Light.

There is joy in following. 

Amen 

 Listen 

   “Listen with the ear of your heart.” (St. Benedict of Nursia) 

   I go to Mass, I listen to the readings, but I’m ashamed to admit how often I can’t remember what they were by the time I get to the car after Mass.

   Listening is not just hearing the words.  To really listen involves opening the mind and heart to not only hear but internalize what is begin said.  At least for me it requires a conscious effort, a desire to shut out distractions and really listen.  It involves not just hearing the words but trying to understand how they apply to me.

   I think part of the problem is we are constantly hearing something, and we’ve learned to let it “go in one ear and out the other” as the saying goes.  With most of what we hear in the world today that might not be a bad idea, but with the word of God it’s a terrible one.  He speaks to us through the scripture.  The voice we hear is that of the reader, but the words are from God.

   Listening is like many other things in life.  If I want to be a good listener I must put the effort into doing so properly.  I must silence my mind and the distractions in order to truly hear the word so that it can lead me to my Lord. 

I’m easily distracted Lord.

Help me clear my mind.

Let Your word take root within me. 

Amen

 Solitude 

   In solitude there is safety from the world.  In solitude there is peace.  In solitude I am close to God.

   The benefits of solitude are numerous.  The difficulty is in finding it.  The world is a cacophony of noise, misdirection, lies, and chaos.  There is no peace to be found, only brief respites from the onslaught.

   Even in our own homes we suffer the effects of a world too busy with too many useless thoughts and desires.  Turn on the radio or television, open a magazine or newspaper and the attack begins.  Try surfing the internet and you may get lost forever in a world gone insane.

   I wish everyone could come to understand the beauty and value of solitude, it is so desperately needed in today’s world.  A place to close off the world and withdraw into the silence where God is found.  A time to quietly, silently, humbly sit in the presence of the Creator.

   My favorite times are the quiet times I spend with God.  Living alone, I can be in near complete silence at any time I desire.  Sometimes Gregorian Chant softly playing in the background enhances the solitude, sometimes a more perfect silence is best.  I can just exist in communion with God, leaving the world behind.

   In these times I am most at peace.  In these times I am closest to God.  In these times I am safe from the world. 

How I love to sit with You Lord.

To be silent and just be with You.

You refresh my spirit.

You restore my soul.

 Living for Christ 

   “Why do you recite my commandments and profess my covenant with your mouth?  You hate discipline; you cast my words behind you!” (Psalm 50: 16 – 17) 

   Standing and professing the Nicene Creed, in which we state our faith, is of no use if I don’t do my best to live by that statement.  If I am not willing to put my best efforts into living for God I have no right to claim Christianity as my faith.

   It concerns me when I see those in the public eye profess a belief in Catholicism or any other Christian faith while living their lives so obviously ignoring the tenets of that faith.  They seem to want to pick and choose which of God’s words apply to them and which don’t.  I expect that it will not go well for them when they stand before the Judge, Jesus Christ.

   But just as guilty are those who quietly go about their life presenting themselves as faithful Christians while continuing to support sinful acts which are abominations before God.  It is really of little value to attend Mass and talk the talk if I am not doing all I can to walk the walk, striving to live according to God’s will and His commandments.

   This is not to say that Christians must be perfect.  No one is perfect except God and in His great mercy He will forgive our failings.  We are to try our best knowing that we will sometimes fail, confident in God's great love and forgiveness.

   Words are easy to say, living by those words is difficult at times.  But words alone can’t save me.  Only by living for God rather self can I hope for the joys of heaven. 

Saying I love You is easy.

Living by those words can be hard.

Strengthen me Lord.

Guide me on the path You have chosen. 

Amen

 Love of Christ 

   In chapter four of the Rule of Benedict we are told that we are “To prefer nothing to the love of Christ.”  I’ve read these words often and considered prayerfully how I am to  incorporate them in my life as an aspiring Benedictine Oblate. 

   I believe there are two ways of practicing the intent of these words.  First, I should prefer nothing to the love that Christ has for me.  The love that was shown when He became man, lived, preached, and died for me.  I am to recognize that nothing in this world is of greater importance than the fact that Christ loves me.  Not fame, not fortune, nothing.

   It can be so easy to look to the pleasures and joys of this world as important and desirable and, to some small degree, they are.  But they are temporary and will offer no value in the life to come.  They are of no use in furthering my spiritual life.  Only the love of Christ can bring me salvation.

   Secondly, I think this admonition tells me that I must never place anything above the love I am to have for Christ.  Though I can’t love Him with the same love as He has for me, I am to love him above all else.  I must never allow worldly concerns and desires to rise above my obligation and duty to love Jesus.  Loving Him must always be the first priority.

   Christ loves me and there is nothing more important than His love.  In return I must love Him above all else.  This, to me, is what St. Benedict meant when he wrote that I am “To prefer nothing to the love of Christ.” 

Lord, You love me completely.

There is no greater joy.

Increase my love for You.

That I may love You with all that I am. 

Amen

 A Day of Prayer 

   Catholic Churches all across the United States are observing today as a day of prayer for legal protection of unborn children.  A prayer to stop the slaughter of innocents in the womb.

   Since Roe v Wade in 1973 over 62 million babies have been killed in the womb in the United States alone.  Any other such massacre of innocents would be called genocide; it is called a “right” in this nation and most others in the world.

   It used to be that parenthood was considered a blessing and children were welcomed.  Now it seems that many see children as a burden to be avoided at any cost.  Some would even suggest that children, even after birth, should be evaluated for defects and allowed to die or be euthanized if any deficiencies are found.  This goes beyond the grandest hope of the most avid supporter of eugenics, those would supposedly improve humanity by eliminating any who did not meet specific requirements.

   Planned Parenthood began in large part as the brainchild of Margaret Sanger who expressed contempt “for those elements at large in the population whose children are a menace to the national health and well-being.”  Targeted at the poor and those who might be considered less than desirable, she supported abortion and enforced sterilization of those deemed unfit.  Today, Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of abortions in the United States.

   In less than fifty years we have gone from a nation that once welcomed and cherished children to one of a selective right to life based on convenience.  How many more children will be brutally murdered in the womb before we realize the horror of our actions?

   Pray for the children. 

The children suffer Lord.

Welcome them into Your kingdom.

Open the hearts of all.

To cherish each life from conception to natural death. 

Amen

 Truth 

   “No one in the world can change the Truth.  What we can and should do is to seek truth and serve it when we have found it.” (St. Maximillian Kolbe) 

   There’s a scene in the movie “A Few Good Men” that is useful here.  Jack Nicholson is on the witness stand and Tom Cruise is berating him, demanding that he tell the truth.  Nicholson replied, “You can’t handle the truth!”  One of the best scenes in the movie.

   Many people can’t handle the truth, they want to define or redefine it to suit their wants and desires.  If it’s inconvenient, change it; if it doesn’t allow what they want, just create a new truth to replace the old.  However, truth cannot be changed, what was true a thousand years ago is true today and will remain true throughout eternity.

   Truth is God, and God cannot be changed, His truth is eternal.  It doesn’t matter what society says or what we wish were true, only what is true matters.  The truth is that God loves each of us as His children and wants us to love Him.  The truth is we betray His love virtually every day.  The truth is He will forgive us our failures as often as we come to Him in sorrow and repentance, seeking His mercy.

   The truth is also that He will not force us to follow His ways.  I hear people say they don’t believe in God because they can’t believe in a God who would send people to hell.  In truth, God sends no one to hell.  If we spend eternity in hell it is because of the choices we've made

   We each make choices in our life and those choices are what will decide the next life for us.  We can choose God, or we can choose eternity without Him.  It really is that simple.  But then truth is rarely difficult if one choses to open their heart and listen. 

You are Truth.

Our place is to believe and serve the Truth.

If I can do this.

You will lead me to eternal life. 

Amen

 Bring God into the World 

   “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.” (Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi) 

   This, the first line in St. Francis’ famous prayer, tells us what we are to be.  Above all else we are to be an instrument of peace; not worldly peace but the peace of God.

   The task is simple, but also quite difficult at times.  Sin interferes with my ability to bring God’s peace to others.  Especially those who are difficult to even like, never-the-less love.  So how am I to channel the peace of God?

   Francis tells us as his prayer continues.  We are to love, not hate; to forgive those who injure us or do wrong to us; we must have faith in a world full of doubt and hope where there is despair.   We are to bring light to the darkness and joy to replace sadness.  All very good things, but again not always so easy.

   I’ve read quite a bit about the life of Francis, he’s one of my favorite saints for so many reasons.  His life was not an easy on.  He was faced with rejection nearly everywhere he turned.  Some thought him insane, and others just found him foolish.  And yet he continued to love and do those things that God asked of him.

   I see in our world today the need for another Saint Francis, one who isn’t afraid of what people say or think.  One who cares only for doing God’s will, to love all God has created, to be a channel of God’s love for all.

   If more would contemplate his prayer, trying to apply it to their life, I believe the world would be a better place. 

“O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” (Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi)

 

 

 Fill the Emptiness 

   “Begin with your own emptiness and seek Him who can fill it.” (Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, “The Wisdom of Fulton Sheen”) 

   There is an emptiness within us.  I believe this emptiness is different for each of us; what fills my emptiness will not fill yours.  If we are to find peace, we must seek what will fill us and only us.  However, for each of us the source for filling our emptiness is the same, God.

   We were created to be part of God’s family, His children.  Through original sin that special bond with God was broken.  That loss is the cause of all heartache and unhappiness in this world.  If we are to ever fill our emptiness and become complete  it must be through our efforts to restore that special relationship with the One who created us.  We must return to the family of God.

   Societies have struggled throughout history to fill the emptiness.  Our society struggles today.  Nations have risen and fallen in their misplaced efforts to find the answer.  They have tried and are still trying to find the solution, but they are looking in all the wrong places.  Rather than look to God they look to self and their own selfish desires.  When they fail they blame God.  Deep inside I think they know the right answer but refuse to acknowledge it.

   Jesus came to fill the emptiness within us; to reestablish our connection with God.  He wants to fill us with Himself and the Holy Spirit.  Only through Jesus can we fill the emptiness within. 

Despair is of our own making.

Our failure to love You is the cause.

Open our hearts.

Fill us with Yourself. 

Amen

 The Pain of Sin 

   “Where we see sin, God sees pain; and He wishes to heal us, refresh us, and free us.” (Fr. Eammon Bourke) 

   When questioned why He ate and drank with sinners and tax collectors Jesus replied, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” (Matt 2: 17).

   We were not created to be sinners, but that is what we are.  It is, in effect a disease, not of the body but of the spirit.  Jesus came to heal us of that disease and open the doors to eternal life for those who would believe.

   If I am ill, I need to see a doctor and do what is needed to get better.  As sinners, the greatest doctor is Jesus Himself.  He is the cure to our ailment; He can heal our sinful hearts and forgive our sins. And the cure is faith in Him.

   The tragic pain of our sin is the loss of eternal life.  There is but one release from this pain.  “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14: 6).  We can either accept Him as our Lord, our Physician if you will, or we can continue in the pain of sin, both in this world and in the world to come.  Our choice will define us. 

The pain of man is sin.

An affliction that robs us of eternal life

You, Lord are the cure.

Heal us and make us Yours. 

Amen

 Eternal Happiness 

   Some seek continual happiness in this life, never understanding that it isn’t possible.  Happiness, even when it comes, is transient and is not the true happiness that God intended for us, it is a mere taste of what awaits us.  True happiness comes only in eternal life with Him.

   When they don’t fine the happiness they desire, they sometimes want to blame God.  When Job had lost his children, his wealth, and even his health his wife told him he should curse God and die.  Job’s reply is the one we must try to have in our hearts when we suffer in this life, “If we take happiness from God’s hand, must we not take sorrow too?” (Job 2: 10, Jerusalem Bible).

   We were created for happiness and lost it through sinful pride.  I think maybe that is why we sometimes want to blame God when we don’t have it.  Our pride tells us that it’s not our fault so it must be His.  This is foolishness; we should be expressing our gratitude for the happiness we have, and accepting any unhappiness as it honestly is, a part of our sinful life.

   I’ve been very happy in this life, and I’ve also been unhappy.  That is simply the way of humanity in this world.  But what I’ve found is that I can turn the unhappiness upside down by recognizing that it is only temporary, and that true happiness awaits me in the life to come. 

I have known happiness.

I’ve known sadness.

 This life consists of both.

 In the next life there is only happiness. 

Amen

 Even When It’s Hard 

   A friend once told me of an experience he had while on a mission trip.  As Mass was about to begin one Sunday morning he noticed an elderly lady struggling to get to the church.  He went up to her and helped her and in speaking to her said that God would understand if she could no longer physically get to church for Mass.  Her reply brought him to tears.  She said, “After all He has done for me should I not do this for Him?”

   We are a weak and fickle people and sometimes we allow even the least difficulty to come between us and God.  If it’s too difficult or even just inconvenient we will skip Mass; God will understand.  I’ve even had a priest that would cut His homilies short on Sundays when there was a big football game on.  How sad, that a football game took precedence over praising our Lord.

   There are legitimate reasons that may cause us to miss Mass, but they are very few and far between.  Far more often, it’s simply because we don’t love enough.  If we can’t give Him an hour or so on a Sunday, how can we call ourselves Christian. 

Let me never put anything above You Lord.

Nothing is more important than Your love.

Even when it might be a struggle.

Strengthen me to always give You praise and glory.

 

Amen

 Give Glory to God 

   “Be exalted above the heavens, God.  And may your glory be above all the earth.” (Ps 108: 5) 

   There is only one certainty in life; God loves me.  Everything else is transitory, even those things we think will last forever.

   It sometimes takes despair and even hopelessness to realize that God is all that is really important in life.  No matter the circumstance, no matter the situation He is there.

   At times it’s easy to forget these facts.  When things are going well and there are no crises that need to be dealt with we can just drift along in complacency, never expecting the good times to end.  And yet, they do.  One day all is great and the next day tragedy may strike.

   Giving glory to God, whether in good times or bad, is what will keep us on an even keel, able to deal with the disappointments that will surely come.  When we place all our concerns and faith in Him we realize that no matter what happens we are safe within His arms.

   Life is a funny thing is some ways.  We may live to old age, or we may die tomorrow, we have no way of knowing.  Life offers many opportunities and also many challenges.  It takes turning to the Lord to make best use of the opportunities and to overcome the challenges.

   In God is our hope, in Him is our promise.  In all things give Him glory. 

Glory to You Lord.

All glory is Yours. 

Amen

 Offering All to Jesus 

   Each day is different.  Some are better than others, some are incredibly better than others.  However, there are also those days that knock us to the ground.  Whether it be illness or a tragedy in our life those are the days when it is most important to go to the Lord in prayer.

   I always take the time to thank God for the many blessings He has given me, but it’s somehow easy to “forget” those thanks on the bad days, on the days that seem full of disappointment, sorrow, or even illness.  Yet each day is a blessing and is an opportunity to grow in my love and trust in God.

   The Catholic Church encourages us to “offer up” our sorrows, our pains and such to the Lord.  As a convert to Catholicism I struggled with that teaching for many years.  Finally, I believe I have some understanding of what it truly means.

   Even in the darkest of times God is still with me, though sometimes it seems He has left me on my own.  Our Lord will never leave me on my own and this is why it’s to my benefit to give thanks even for those days I wish I could pass by.

He suffered for me in His life, His passion, and His death.  His love knows no limits.  On the cross He promised the good thief that he would be with Him in paradise that day.  His promises to me are no different; when this life is over He will come and take me to Himself.

   When I offer my pains and sorrows to Jesus He is giving me the grace to partake, even in the smallest manner, to the suffering He endured for me.  It sounds strange, but sometimes the desperate times are the ones that bring me closest to Him. 

There is no hope but in You.

Even in the bad times I keep faith.

You suffered for me, allow me to suffer for You.

Bring me to Yourself when this life is done. 

Amen

 Humility 

   Humility is a virtue, but society often sees it as a weakness.  One who practices humility is seen as unable or unwilling to stand up for oneself.  I see humility as a strength given by God to better understand my relationship with Him.

   Living with humility doesn’t mean that I am to become a door mat, allowing others to dominate me.  The humility of the saints is well known, but they had the courage and strength to accept ridicule, persecution, and even death rather than deny their faith.  There was nothing weak in their defense of the faith.

   Humility also doesn’t mean that I am of no value; it recognizes why I have value.  I am a fallen man, a sinner who cannot avoid sin in this world.  Yet God loves me so much that He sent His only Son to die for me in order to offer me salvation and eternal life.  I am highly valued by my Lord though I know that I am unworthy.  Not only does this remind me always of His great love, but it urges me to live according to His will, still knowing that I will fail and again need His mercy and forgiveness.

   I look to St. Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, as the perfect example of Christian humility.  He lived his life in quiet obedience to God’s will for him.  He never doubted, never questioned, he simply did what God asked.  We know very little about Joseph, not a single word of his is recorded in scripture, but even that fact speaks to his humility before the Lord.

   Whether the world understands or not is of little concern; humility is a virtue, a strength that brings me closer to my Lord.  He loves me and there is nothing that can afford more value to a simple man than the love of God. 

Lord, I am humble before You.

Without You I can do no good.

I have worth only because of Your love.

Teach me the strength of humility. 

Amen.

 Speak Lord 

   “When Samuel went to sleep in his place, the Lord came and revealed his presence, calling out as before, ‘Samuel, Samuel!’  Samuel answered, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’” (1 Samuel 3: 9 – 10) 

   How does the Lord speak to me?  It may be through scripture, or in something I read.  Sometimes I hear Him speak to me in the words of a homily at Mass.  Though it is the priest’s voice I hear it is God’s word that touches my heart.  At Mass this morning it was both through scripture and the homily of my priest.

   The Lord reaches out to us in many ways.  When God called Samuel he thought it was his mentor, Eli, who was calling.  When I hear or read something that somehow touches my heart, something that I continue to consider, I believe that it is perhaps God reaching out to me just as He was reaching out to Samuel.

   In his homily the priest asked, “When you speak to God or to Jesus, do you think of them as with you or as distant?”  In my heart I know He is with me, but how close is something else to consider.  I believe that the best prayer time is when I consider that He is sitting right here beside me.  This is how I prefer to think of my Lord.  Not only as my savior, but as my best friend.  One who is always near to me, who speaks to me in the quiet of my heart.

   I’ve never known the joy of hearing God’s voice as I hear other’s voices, but I know His word penetrates my heart, my soul, and my mind.  If I listen, if I pay close attention, He will fill me with His word.  He will reach out to me just as He did to Samuel. 

You speak to me in many ways.

Help me to always hear You.

Open my heart to Your voice.

To hear what You wish to say to me. 

Amen

 Trust in the Lord 

   “But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.” (2 Thes 3: 3) 

   There is no question that we are under spiritual attack.  Satan and his followers are working very hard to draw us away from God and into their vile clutches.  On our own, we will fall to their ways.  But we are not on our own.

   In all our trials and temptations we have resources available to us to battle against evil.  We can call on the name of the Lord and He will answer.  Just the mention of Jesus’ name is enough to repel the evil one.  Though he may be stronger than I am, he can never match the strength of my Lord.

   “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely; in all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3: 5 – 6).  Scripture reminds us in so many places that our efforts alone will not win the battle against evil.  Only through faith and trust in the Lord can we be successful.

   If we are to defeat Satan and save our eternal soul we must turn to the Lord.  Not for a moment, not just for today, not just in times of temptations, but always.  We can never place our hopes in ourselves, but only in the Lord. 

Danger is all around me.

Sin is everywhere I look.

Give me the strength to resist.

The strength to say no to evil. 

Amen

 The Peace of the Lord 

   “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give it to you.” (John 14: 27) 

   I often spend time in the adoration chapel before the Blessed Sacrament.  Sometimes it’s just a few minutes, most often quite a bit longer.  I pray, I read, I simply contemplate the love of God.

   It is during these times that I am most at peace.  It’s almost as if the chapel is a shelter from the world.  A place where worldly concerns and cares are not allowed.  No matter what is going on in the world around me, it all seems to fade away when I come before Jesus in the Eucharist.

   People all over the world are seeking peace.  Sadly, they are most often expecting or hoping to find peace in the world.  But history tells us that there have been very few times of peace in the world and even those few lasted for only a short time.  The world is a sinful place and there can be no peace in sin.

   I wish there were some way I could explain what happens when I am in the adoration chapel.  However, for those who do not recognize the true presence of our Lord in the Eucharist no explanation can be given.  I suspect even some Catholics, those who may doubt the real presence, still do not find the peace they are seeking in adoration.

   I can’t explain, I can’t define the peace and calm that comes over me in adoration, all I can do is experience it and treasure it.  How I wish everyone could come to know this kind of peace; what a difference it could make in the world. 

You give me peace Lord.

A peace unknown to the world.

Fill me always with Your peace.

 

Amen

 

 

 No Exceptions 

   The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.” (1 John 4: 21) 

   There is no “unless” is the scripture above.  We are not to love others unless they are not who we think they should be; we are not the judge.  We can’t decide that another is not worthy of our love because of their sins; we too are sinners but still loved by God.  We are told to love, and love is what we are to do.

   The command to love is one that many people, myself included, struggle with.  How am I to love someone who abuses children or someone who beats their spouse.  Is one like Hitler excepted from this commandment; should he be?  We all know people who, in the eyes of the world are simply not loveable.  How do we as Christians reconcile that fact?

   Love is a word that implies many things and is misused in many ways.  The love we experience is not the love that we are intended to know; that love was lost with original sin.  What is left is emotion and feeling that may or may not be related to true love.  We love based on what we see on the surface and in the actions of others.  Even to the point of allowing appearance to determine whether another is loveable

   God loves because He knows what we are created to be and what we can become.  He sees our sins and knows of our wrongs.  But He also knows that is not why we were created or what we are to be.  Just as we see the wrongs that those in our own families do, He sees the wrongs in the humanity He created.  But just as we still love and pray for our family members who have gone astray, God loves all who have left His way and reaches out to them in mercy and forgiveness, calling them to return to Him.

   The love we are to have for others is the love of one of God’s children.  In some ways God perhaps mourns for His children who have rejected Him, but He will never stop loving them and seeking their reconciliation.  That is the kind of love we must have for others if we are to honestly say we love God. 

Your love is eternal.

It knows no bounds.

You desire to reconcile all to Yourself.

Help us to love as You love. 

Amen

 What We May Become 

   “Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed.” (1 John 3: 2) 

   I know what I am now.  I am a sinner, a member of a fallen race.  Yet I also know that I am a child of God.  I know that He loves me so much that He sent His only Son to bring salvation to me and to all who believe.

   So much time can be spent considering what we may become.  In this lifetime we will never know what awaits us when our time here is finished.  John gives us a clue in his first letter when he writes, “We do know that when it is revealed we will be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3: 2).  To me this doesn’t much help in knowing what I shall become.  I’ve researched several other translations, and none seem to be more definitive.

   Like so many things of a spiritual nature there is no easy answer to the question of what we may become in the next life.  That doesn’t alter the fact that we will be like Jesus, but it still does not tell the whole story.  We shall simply have to wait and see.

   What I do know is that it will be a perfect existence in every possible way.  There will be no pain, no sorrow, only joy and the knowledge of God in a way that is unknown in this life.  It will be full of love as we’ve never known, and it will be eternal.

   I learned a long time ago that there are things I am not intended to know in this lifetime.  If all was known there would be no need for faith and faith is the hope of what is to come even when we can’t have all the answers.  What we will become fits nicely into that concept.  As St. Paul wrote, “What no eye has seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered into the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Cor 2: 9). 

There are many things hidden to me.

Things I will never know in this lifetime.

I place all my faith in You.

In Your will I am at peace. 

Amen

 The Friendship of Jesus 

   “The secret of holiness is friendship with Christ and faithful obedience to His will.” (Pope Benedict XVI­) 

   I think we are sometimes afraid to approach Jesus on a personal basis.  He is God and we are sinners, we see Him as our judge but not our friend.  True, He will judge us at our death, but He also wants a close personal relationship with each of us.

   During the years of His ministry He lived, traveled, ate, and slept with the apostles.  During that time they became close even though the apostles sometimes struggled to understand.  Before His passion and death He said to them, “You are my friends if you do what I command you.  I know longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing.  I have called you friends because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.” (John 15: 14 – 15).

   If we do what He commands we are His friends.  What He commands is that we love God and neighbor.  If we strive to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul, and we love our neighbor as ourselves we are fulfilling His command.  It is only through this friendship and our efforts to follow His will that holiness is possible.  We can do nothing to gain sanctity without Him.  It is only in seeking His will that it is possible.

   In times of joy, He shares my joy; in times of sorrow, He shares my sorrow.  In all times, He is with me.  If I let Him, He will make me holy.  He is my friend. 

Lord, I look to You in all things.

Your friendship brings me joy.

It brings me holiness.

Let me always be Your friend. 

Amen

 Time 

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

   Our concept time is both amazing and sometimes confusing.  It seems in times of joy and happiness the hours and days fly by far too fast.  And yet in times of pain or sorrow they drag on as if they will never end.  There are sixty minutes in every hour of every day, but circumstances at any given moment seem to alter our notion of time.

   That’s why it’s important to recall the scripture in St. Peter’s second letter quoted above.  It has been just over two thousand years since Christ came as a babe in Bethlehem.  If we are to believe St. Peter, and we are, in God’s eyes that is just over two days in our understanding of time.  Even that example doesn’t explain the eternal now, but at least it gives us some idea of how God sees all things in the present moment.

   Before He ascended into heaven, Jesus told the apostles, “And behold, I am with you until the end of the age.” (Matt 28: 20).  So we are in the final age, the age in which the earth and all within it will pass away.  The age that will end with His coming in glory.  He may seem to be delaying His return, but He will return at the proper time just as He came at the proper time in the womb of Mary, our Blessed Mother.

   Time will continue until it doesn’t.  It’s not for me to know when that will be but to be prepared for it’s coming that I might be ready for His return. 

There is no time for You.

All is now.

You will come as You promised.

I pray that I am ready. 

Amen

The Theme Song of Hell 

   “I’ve lived a life that’s full.  I’ve traveled each and every highway.  And more, much more than that, I did it my way.” (“I Did It My Way”, lyrics by Paul Anka) 

   Frank Sinatra had a big hit with this song, as did some others.  It tells of the life of someone who is reminiscing as they near the end of their life, quite proud that they lived as they pleased, going where they wished, doing whatever they wanted; a person who served only self.  The most tragic part of the song is the final verse: 

“For what is a man, what has he got?  If not himself then he has naught.  Not to say the things that he truly feels, and not the words of someone who kneels.  Let the record show, I took all the blows and did it my way.” 

   An ego driven, selfish life such as the one the song relates is a common occurrence in a world where Satan dominates so many.  When we say I can choose or I can decide, we are repeating the mistake made by our first parents in the Garden of Eden.  This attitude removes God from our lives and places us firmly in the hands of Satan.

   Society is full of those who live in the manner of this song.  They do as they choose, seeking their own way, with no concern for the will of God.  They may have a fabulously successful earthly life, but mortality will take all they have gained from them.  They would be far better off seeking their rewards in heaven.

   There are many paths available to us and we can certainly decide which to follow as we will.  However, there is only one path that will lead us to heaven, the path God places before us.  Rather than doing it my way, I prefer to try to my best to do it God’s way.

 

There are many paths in life.

Most lead to destruction.

Only one leads me to You.

Help me to walk only that path.

 

Amen 

 Think About God 

   “It is not by business to think about myself.  My business is to think about God.  It is for God to think about me.  That is when listening begins.” (Simone Weil) 

   “You formed my being; you knit me in my mother’s womb.  I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works!”  (Psalm 139: 13 – 14).  God has known me from before time began.  There is nothing about me that is unknown to Him.  He planned my birth, He planned my death; He has planned everything about me.  My job is to listen for His word and follow it.

   Even when I wasn’t aware of His presence, He was leading me in so many ways.  As I’ve grown older it has become clear that His will was moving in my life long before I recognized it.  As my faith has deepened, I’ve become far more aware of His presence, and it gives me great joy and peace.  It is right that I should forget self and think of God.

   Forgetting self and thinking of God doesn’t mean that I should just drift along waiting for Him to lead; thinking of God carries responsibilities as well.  It means actively seeking His will, opening my mind and heart to hear Him, and to then respond to His call. 

   My life will end at a time of God’s choosing.  By thinking and worrying about myself I can’t add a single day.  Eternity, however, never ends.  By spending my time thinking of God and seeking His will in my life, I can realize the promises of Christ. 

All is in Your hands.

All is part of Your plan.

Let me die to self.

Let me live in You. 

Amen