The Beatitudes

   The Beatitudes are found in Matthew, chapter 5, verses 1 thru 12.  In many ways I see them as an image of Jesus.  He exhibited each of these qualities in His life on earth.  If we are to follow Him we must live by these virtues as well.

   The beatitudes are a path to heaven.  When we can look in a mirror and honestly say we are doing all we can to live up to them we can be assured that Jesus is pleased and will help us in our efforts.  Still, in our weakness we will, at times, fail.  That is when we must turn to Him in sorrow and repentance seeking forgiveness and the strength to more closely imitate Him in our life.

   For me it’s a good examination of self to sit down every now and then and just re-read the beatitudes.  Not hurriedly but slowly and prayerfully, truly considering how well I am living each one.  Many times I find I am slipping a bit and need to step up my efforts.  Again, Jesus is there to support me, strengthen me and, in His mercy, forgive me for my failings.

   People look for many ways to improve their faith life and their relationship with God.  There are many paths, and all can be beneficial when practiced sincerely.  I find, however, that this simple checklist not only allows me to monitor my progress, it is also a form of prayer seeking God’s guidance and direction in life.

Jesus You gave us the beatitudes.

Guidelines for a faithful life.

May we strive to always imitate Your ways.

Lead us to eternal salvation.

Amen

In the World, Not of the World

   I spent the weekend on retreat in a Benedictine Abby.  It was led by the monks who live at the Abby helping us better understand Benedictine spirituality.  It was an experience I will always treasure.

   The ways of the monks are much slower and peaceful than the ways of the world.  Mass is filled with Gregorian Chant and incense.  The prayers and responses are sung as they have been for hundreds of years.  The rush of today’s world is set aside and attention is paid to the proper respect and honor given to God in worship.  When it is time to gather for prayer throughout the day all else is set aside.  There is no hurry to get through the prayers; the prayers are the sole focus.

   This is a way of life that I respect and admire.  Even though I am not called to join the Brothers, I am called to this type of prayer life.  This retreat helped me understand that I can live my life in the spirit of St. Benedict in my own home, with my family and friends.

   This weekend gave me many examples of living the monastic way of life in the secular world.  My desire is to practice the ways of Benedictine spirituality even though not in the monastery.  This weekend was intended to help me better accomplish that.  I am strengthened by the experience.

   I am blessed to have had this opportunity and thank God for the gifts of the weekend.  I will return often to the Abby to renew the spirit of St. Benedict within me.

Father, You teach us in so many ways.

Thank you for the blessings You have given me.

Help me to live my life for You.

To live in the world, but not of the world.

Amen

The Voice of God

   “Never have I heard Him speak, but I feel that He is within me at each moment; He is guiding and inspiring me with what I must say and do.” (St. Therese of Lisieux)

   As I was preparing to participate in a three-day spiritual retreat beginning this afternoon, this quote from St. Therese came to mind.  Like Therese I have never actually heard God speak to me, yet I am confident that He is within me, guiding me toward the path He has chosen.

   I will do all in my power to set aside the cares and concerns of this world for the next three days and focus completely upon my Lord.  I will open my mind, my heart, and my soul that He may increase my faith, my love and my trust in Him.

   I pray for the discernment of His will so that I may know if I am on the right path.  I wonder sometimes why He can’t just tell me what He wants of me.  Then I remember, I already know what He wants of me.

   He wants me to follow Him, trusting that He will always lead me rightly.  He wants me to be made holy, something only He can accomplish in me.  God wants me to be a saint and to be in His presence throughout eternity.  All of this He will do if I will allow it.  I do allow it, I plead with Him to send His Holy Spirit to overwhelm me and for Him to overshadow me.  I pray that I will die to self and live only for Him.

Father take all I have.

I willingly surrender everything to You.

Fill me with Your love.

Lead me on Your path.

Amen

Waiting for the Lord

   “Obedience to God means, first of all, waiting, having to wait, sustine Dominum – waiting for the Lord.” (Thomas Merton, “A Year with Thomas Merton: Daily Meditations from His Journals”)

   I am impatient at times; I want things done when I want them done, not at the pleasure of another.  This is one my weaknesses that I strive to overcome.  I suspect there are many others who suffer from this desire for immediate gratification.

   This, like so many other things of God, goes back to our misunderstanding of time.  We put everything on the clock, watching anxiously to see how long we must wait.  But time applies only to us, not to God.  He is forever present, yesterday, today and tomorrow.  What we consider a long time is the eternal now for Him; a concept we will never understand in this life.

   Obedience to God means that I must always trust in His will and accept His plan and His perfect timing.  Without always understanding why, I must have faith in Him.  When a loving parent tells their preteen that they can’t drive the car it’s not a forever answer, it is “not yet.”  Sometimes our loving Father will answer us the same way.  If a child asked for something harmful that same parent would say no out of love and protection for the child.  When God says no to our prayers it is because He loves and cares for us.

  Trust God in all things.  Trust in His ways and pray for His guidance.  Accept that we can’t fully know God or His plan in this life.  Give Him praise in all things.  In these ways we are obedient to God.

Father, I place all my trust in You.

Accept my love for You.

Strengthen my faith in You.

Make me always obedient to Your will.

Amen

Trust in God

   “But God wants from us as it were a down-payment of trust.  He says to us: ‘I know you don’t understand me yet.  But trust me: believe me when I tell you that I am good and dare to live on the basis of this trust.’”  (Pope Benedict XVI)

   Trust is a strange thing.  We trust in things that don’t deserve our trust and fail to trust in those that do.  We trust the government to take care of things even though their motive is far too often selfish rather than for the good of all.  We trust the news media even though they often report only what they want and in the way they want it reported.

   Our spouse, our parents, our friends, our priests and many others are deserving of our trust.  Yet even there we find some who may abuse that trust.  Those closest to us sometimes betray us just as Judas betrayed Jesus.

   We trust many who are not trustworthy and yet we fail to trust the one who is always faithful; God.  God will never betray our trust; His only desire is our well-being.  Still we sometimes find it hard to trust Him.  We know from experience that we can’t always trust others and that may lessen our trust in God.

   As Pope Benedict says above, we don’t understand God.  We will never understand Him in this world.  When something we see as a tragedy or evil happens it is very hard to trust that God’s will is always good.  Simply stated, we can’t see the big picture; only God can.

   Like many others I struggle to trust in God when tragedy strikes; when my heart is torn apart and my world is in turmoil.  And yet I know, though I don’t understand, that all things will be for good in the will of God.  That is the down-payment of trust Pope Benedict speaks of; to trust even when I don’t understand.

Lord, You are a mystery.

I can’t truly know You in this life.

I can’t always see the good in Your plan.

Help me trust in Your eternal goodness.

Amen

Jesus Changes Things

   When Jesus enters our life He changes things.  Things that held importance for us before are now considered of little if any value.  These changes normally don’t happen in an instant but over time as we begin to know Jesus and to allow Him to know us.  If we want to be with Him in eternity we must begin by giving ourselves to Him in this life.

   When we ask Jesus into our life our lives will change in many ways.  In fact, we should pray for those changes since our desire is His will, not ours.  We must also be aware that some of the necessary changes will not be easy.  We’ve been told that we must deny ourselves and take up our cross if we are to follow Him (see Luke 9: 23).  Those crosses may, at times, be very difficult to bear.

   As we become more and more intimate with Christ we will find that certain things and even people must be put aside.  We can no longer travel in the company of those who flaunt the will of God in their words and actions.  We can no longer take pleasure in the earthly pleasures; those offered by the evil one in his temptations.

   We can never doubt that Satan will continue to tempt us with doubts, fears and desires.  He will do most anything to take us away from God.  But we must take heart, Jesus is there to help us as we give more and more of our life to Him.  The Holy Spirit will guide us, and Jesus will strengthen us in our efforts.  When we fail, which we will, He will forgive us as He forgave those who nailed Him to the cross.

Lord, I beg You to change me.

May I love only You and Your way.

Make me holy.

Make me a saint.

Amen

The Constant Battle

   I woke up this morning at about ten minutes past six.  My twelve-year old Dachshund had gotten me up about midnight with an urgent need to go outside.  Other than that I had slept well and felt rested.

   However, as soon as I woke up I was reminded that the dog had interrupted my sleep so maybe I hadn’t slept as well as I thought.  There was no real reason to get up so why not just sleep a while longer.  It all seemed to make sense at the time.

   Then it occurred to me; this was Satan already waging war within me.  I routinely go to daily Mass on Monday at 8:30 in the morning.  If I were to have time to get ready, take care of the dog and get to Mass I needed to get up and get moving.  Thanks to God Satan lost that battle.  I got of bed and started my day as I should; praising God at Mass and receiving the Body and Blood of my Lord in the Eucharist.  Not only did I receive the blessings of being at Mass, but it also gave me the opportunity to share a few minutes with some of my best friends.

   There is a constant war within me.  The forces of good and evil are fighting for my soul.  I know that God’s good can always overcome Satan’s evil but I also know that I am a sinful man and the evil one wins a battle from time to time even though I try to fight it.  As St. Paul said, “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.” (Romans 7:10).

   The battle continues to rage within; I win some and Satan wins some.  No matter how hard I try I can’t always reject him.  But I know that even when I fail my God loves me.  Though I sin He forgives me when I come to Him in sorrow and repentance.  Therefore I am confident of the outcome of this battle.  Jesus assures me, “In the world you have tribulation; but be of good Cheer, I have overcome the world.”  (John 16: 33)

Lord I fight the battle as best I can.

But I am weak and sometimes lose.

I pray for Your mercy and forgiveness.

I ask for Your strength to fight Satan ever harder.

Amen