I can’t help but think of the first Advent while Mama Mary was waiting in silence for her Child to enter into the world. “Let it be done according to your word”, the “yes” for all time, bringing true Peace to earth. Peace that has never been known since the fall of man.
When we talk about the “piercing cold”, more often we identify with the sense of touch and the coldness to skin then with the pain in the heart.
Why is no one listening, has been a deep subject I have been experiencing in my own life. From my children who are so jazzed bout Santa coming that they don’t even see each other fighting like cats and dogs. My husband who is so wrapped up in what to get everyone that he can’t see the things around the house that need to be addressed. I’ll be honest. I can’t stand “Anti Christmas”.
“Anti Christmas” is that “piercing cold” you get from people around you, so caught up in gifts, getting to the store to get the “have to have” garbage that ends up in a landfill by the following Christmas, they forget the reason there is Christmas. They become nasty to be around and become “to busy” to love. When the Christmas season is all about love and the “warmth” of that love that comes with our Newborn King.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
He chose to be born in this “cold”. Not only in a damp, physically cold cave, but into the “coldness” of the world. Cold hearts, that could not see past their own misguided wants. We are all guilty. In the chill of that cave, “Fire” was born. As the years of our Lords childhood passed, that tiny little spark, was stoked, with the billows of Abba Father, and set the world on fire.
As children of Abba Father, we need to remember through humility that we to are called to be on fire in faith. So when we are confronted by the “coldness” of others, in all seasons, it is not us who become lukewarm because of the “cold”, but rather we warmth the chill, “piercing” through the “cold” in those around us through that same Love born in the “piercing cold”, in Bethlehem. That same Love which by the “cold piercing” of a lance to His side, spilled the “Flame of Love” about the face of the earth, which brought forth mercy, hope, and forgiveness through Love, to melt through the ice that held us in its death grip.
Now, WAKE UP!
Jesus said to his disciples:
“As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
In those days before the flood,
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage,
up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away.
So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be out in the field;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Therefore, stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”(Mt 24:37-44).[1]Today we celebrate the First Sunday of Advent and a new liturgical year for the Church, year A, which features the Gospel of Matthew. In today’s readings, the passage speaks to the uselessness of looking for signs for the coming of the Lord in glory; there will be none. The metaphor of the thief sneaking in during the night makes us aware that watchful waiting and vigilance are necessary. As Christians, we know that our Lord is coming even if we cannot know a precise time. Our Lord calls us to be watchful, attentive, like the homeowner and not to be carried away by the flood as in the days of Noah. If we become loose in our Christian living, we may be caught vulnerable and unprepared.
This was taken from this mornings Divine Office. Please read my post from a few days ago, “Watch”
To be “sleeping” as our Lord is speaking of, means not being attentive to His words. Being worldly, living in the world with disregard to the spiritual life, and not putting on the “new man”. Sleep walking among those wide awake. Don’t fall asleep.
It is now the hour for you to wake from sleep, for our salvation is closer than when we first accepted the faith. The night is far spent; the day draws near. Let us cast off deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us live honorably as in daylight; not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual excess and lust, not in quarreling and jealousy. Rather, put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the desires of the flesh. Romans 13:11-12
Wake up! Take a shower (Confession) and put on the “New Man”, pick up your “cross” and lets go! We have a journey to take. Glory to God, Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us all.
The USCCB has a wonderful tool on their website for family’s to enjoy and better understand this Advent Season. HERE
Tonight is the first night of Advent. The first candle is lit and we begin our journey to the newborn King.
Bless your Advent wreath. Sing “O Come Emmanuel” and light the first candle.
Prayer for the First Week of Advent
God of our longing,
be with us during these days of Advent
as we accept Your invitation
to climb Your holy mountain.
May we walk in the light of Your love
and learn your ways
so that each day may draw us closer
to You and another
as we await the coming
of the One Who is
and Who is to come,
Jesus Christ, Your Son,
in Whose name we pray.
Amen
Generation X – what a wonderful Saint to take for our generation. May we lead others, our Brothers and Sisters to our Lord, to do much greater things then we, to give glory to God.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24
St. Andrew, pray for us that our generation is full of souls who answer the call as you did. To lead others to the fullness of our Lord as you did. Without any fear of persecution, to give the glory to God. Amen
Andrew, like his brother Simon Peter, was a fisherman. He became a disciple of the great St. John the Baptist, but when John pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” Andrew understood that Jesus was greater. At once he left John to follow the Divine Master. Jesus knew that Andrew was walking behind him, and turning back, he asked, “what do you seek?” When Andrew answered that he would like to know where Jesus lived, Our Lord replied, “Come and see.” Andrew had been only a little time with Jesus when he realized that this was truly the Messiah.
From then on, he chose to follow Jesus. Andrew was thus the first disciple of Christ. Next, Andrew brought his brother Simon (St. Peter) to Jesus and Jesus received him, too, as His disciple. At first the two brothers continued to carry on their fishing trade and family affairs, but later, the Lord called them to stay with Him all the time. He promised to make them fishers of men, and this time, they left their nets for good. It is believed that after Our Lord ascended into Heaven, St. Andrew went to Greece to preach the gospel. He is said to have been put to death on a cross, to which he was tied, not nailed. He lived two days in that state of suffering, still preaching to the people who gathered around their beloved Apostle. Two countries have chosen St. Andrew as their patron – Russia and Scotland.
Above taken from Catholic OnLine
“…The Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task, whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word’” (Acts of the Apostles 6:2–4).
Prepare for Advent, before Christmas.
“When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior’s first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for His second coming. By celebrating the precursor’s birth and martyrdom, the Church unites herself to His desire: ‘He must increase, but I must decrease.’ ” (§524)
Its “New Years Eve” early. Make your resolutions now. I hope to start and stick with the Christmas Novena (St. Andrews Novena) Not for the squeamish. prayed 15 times every day from the Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle (November 30) until Christmas, along with a few other personal things..
Wednesday night as I drove to Holy Mass, I was “reminded” of a situation that was told to me. In all honesty, it is a recap of my entire life. We always think in different situations that when our parents tell us no, they just don’t understand. This is hardly the case. They understand completely thus the reason they say “no”. because they know that our actions will cause us or others great harm.
What I was told and now can place together and the story of my conversion…
As I was growing up, I was invited to a “party”. EVERYONE was going to be there. I asked my “Dad” if I could go and He said absolutely not! What’s going to take place at that “party” will hurt you in more ways than you can understand right now. There will be a much greater “party” when you are done with all your “work”. I was disappointed because all my “friends” were going and everyone I thought I knew were going to be there. When I “thought” my “Dad” wasn’t looking, I went anyway. On my way there, a car stopped and asked me where I was going and if I needed a ride. I said yeah, I’m going to this party and everyone is going to be there. He said hop in, I’m going to and I will take you there. We got to the “party” and everyone was dancing and singing and some people were dressed and some were not. All sorts of things were going on. I stood against a wall and just “watched” and seen “everyone” looking as if they were having a great time. I went to “dance” and as soon as I started “dancing”, I could see that the close I got to “everyone” the more pain they were in. Although they looked like they were having fun, they were not. With that, I stood back again and realized how painful it was to “dance” with them. My entire body ached and I was “thirsty” and “hungry”. There was no “food”. The “water” was muddy. I thought it would make me feel good to go but it didn’t. It made me worse than I was before I got there. With that, I seen the “party” starting to get worse and more “Adult”. They were telling crude jokes and no one was left out of them. Including my “Mom” and “Dad” and my entire “Family”. they started off as funny jokes, and then after a while, EVERYONE began to believe the “jokes” to be “Truth”. Which they were not. There was all sorts of bad things taking place at this “party”.
Remembering what my “Dad” had said, I wanted to leave. There were people at the “door” who wouldn’t let me. They kept pushing me back in telling me your “Dad” wont mind. I knew He would. I didn’t listen to Him. With that, my “Brother” came in. I was SO happy to see Him. I cried and cried! He came “looking” for me. He was calling and calling, and I called back to Him. He wasn’t smiling when He seen me and grabbed hold of my hand. I could tell He was more focused on bringing me out of the mess I had gotten myself into. It took a while to get out of the “party”. I was sobbing so much as He pushed His way through the mob that were beating Him on His way out. By MY actions, my “disobeying” my “Dad” my “Brother” laid His life down to pull me out of that “party” and bring me back to my “Dad”. He carried me out the entire way.
I didn’t realize how “far away” that “party” is from our “home”. My “Brother” and I are still making our way back “home” and He will not let go of my hand. No matter what I did at that “party”, makes no difference, as long as I’m not still there doing it. I did a lot of things that hurt my “Dad” at that “party”. The biggest being to not listen to His Word in the first place. My “Brother” tells me all the time now, “Don’t let go of My hand”, “Dad” will forgive you because He loves you very much. He sent Me to save you.
Its not what we have, its what we freely give away…
This evening, I started pondering “Watch”. I have been bothered lately by so many so-called “watch groups” that say they are “looking out” for what is “best” for the church. I couldn’t help but ponder what our Lord had told us, and tells us today about “watching”.
Hebrews 13:17 comes to mind. “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”
There are so many “groups” out there looking to lead the “Flock” through web site, usually with the name “watch” in them, posting as if they have the authority in the first place to state what is in need for the salvation of the faithful.
All I can tell by them, in all cases is that the division they are causing “WITHIN” the church is not the “division” our Lord speaks about. Our Lord, through the Holy Spirit “Gathers” the faithful. He is always searching hearts to bring INTO the flock. He is never seeking to scatter the flock to “clean” the Temple and as faithful we can never assume it is our job to help Him “toss the bums out”.
We must understand that our Lord has given all of us, through His command to “watch” for His coming. To “Watch” ourselves in our words, actions and to frequent the Sacraments, to pray to ensure our “Lamps” are full, rather than point fingers at His sheep and shepherds, to keep watch over OUR “temples”, ourselves, to ensure they are clean before He comes to clean them for us! We forget that our Lord “cleansed the temple” without any need for anyone to help Him.
If your “house” is a mess, if even one little think is out-of-place, and ALL of us have a “messy house”, how can you point at your neighbors and say to him if you don’t cut your grass I’m bringing a wrecking ball and taking your entire house down. Sound familiar?
The watch we have is not for worry about what others are doing, for what we perceive to be, but rather what WE are doing to ensure our “interior” and “exterior” is clean and tidy for when He does come.
I have a hard enough time watching my own “front step” and keeping “clean” let alone “Watching” what others are doing to point it out. We are all given a an order from our Lord to “Watch” for Him and “watch out for yourselves”. Imagine how “tidy” your “house” could be if you spent more time taking care of your “housework” rather than what the grass looks like on the other side of the fence.
“May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’”
Watch. Not watch and point out others. Watch yourself and trust in His word. “Watch out for yourselves.”
I am currently reading A copy of the apostolic exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”) by Pope Francis. I highly suggest all persons, Roman Catholic and non, read it. I will comment more the deeper I get into it.
A copy can be found here:
I am struck by how no one is left out. No one is marginalized.
Just one part I love that I had read earlier today. Its the reason I have this blog. What our Lord has done to me, needs to be shared. I can’t stop talking about Him. He is the love of my soul. The love of my life I never quite knew before. Every day I get to know Him better. Every day is better then the last. If you are truly familiar with my blog and have read through most of my posts, you can understand why this portion “The Joy of the Gospel” is so special to me as I am truly living this and can’t help but want everyone to.
Personal encounter with the saving love of Jesus (EVANGELII GAUDIUM)
264. The primary reason for evangelizing is the love of Jesus which we have received, the experience of salvation which urges us to ever greater love of him. What kind of love would not feel the need to speak of the beloved, to point him out, to make him known? If we do not feel an intense desire to share this love, we need to pray insistently that he will once more touch our hearts. We need to implore his grace daily, asking him to open our cold hearts and shake up our lukewarm and superficial existence. Standing before him with open hearts, letting him look at us, we see that gaze of love which Nathaniel glimpsed on the day when Jesus said to him: “I saw you under the fig tree” (Jn 1:48). How good it is to stand before a crucifix, or on our knees before the Blessed Sacrament, and simply to be in his presence! How much good it does us when he once more touches our lives and impels us to share his new life! What then happens is that “we speak of what we have seen and heard” (1 Jn 1:3). The best incentive for sharing the Gospel comes from contemplating it with love, lingering over its pages and reading it with the heart. If we approach it in this way, its beauty will amaze and constantly excite us. But if this is to come about, we need to recover a contemplative spirit which can help us to realize ever anew that we have been entrusted with a treasure which makes us more human and helps us to lead a new life. There is nothing more precious which we can give to others.
EDIT to add 11/28/13:
I couldn’t imaging reading it in less than a week. Its not that I am slow, its just that we need to “chew” on it and take our time to ponder it. Asking OURSELVES where we are lacking. Not where Pope Francis is lacking. So far I have come to see this as a letter to encourage us to look very deep into ourselves and a call to action! Not just for our leaders, but for all of us to “wakeup”.
As far as Rush Limbaugh – I can compare Rushes actions to the actions of many who looked at the entire Constitution of the United States and broke away because slaves were about to receive their freedom.
In light of the Obama Administrations plans to “Downscale” the Vatican’s Embassy, in protest, I will be flying my flag of our Vatican City outside of my home, to show this Administration that the “Holy See” what he is doing.
Please join me by doing the same and praying for this nation, Blessed John Paul II, pray for us, Pray for solidarity among all Roman Catholics and all Christians and all faiths in the United States and around the entire world for peace. Jesus Christ our King, have mercy on us all.
It most certainly is a Child.
This is the Adoration Chapel of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in San Diego. The Tabernacle behind the Altar, is mounted in the womb of our Holy Mother.
CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH IN THE MODERN WORLD
Excerpts from
Second Vatican Council
December 7, 1965
27. Coming down to practical and particularly urgent consequences, this Council lays stress on reverence for man; everyone must consider his every neighbor without exception as another self, taking into account first of all his life and the means necessary to living it with dignity, so as not to imitate the rich man who had no concern for the poor man Lazarus.
In our times a special obligation binds us to make ourselves the neighbor of every person without exception, and of actively helping him when he comes across our path, whether he be an old person abandoned by all, a foreign laborer unjustly looked down upon, a refugee, a child born of an unlawful union and wrongly suffering for a sin he did not commit, or a hungry person who disturbs our conscience by recalling the voice of the Lord, “As long as you did it for one of these the least of my brethren, you did it for me” (Matt. 25:40).
Furthermore, whatever is opposed to life itself, such as any type of murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia or willful self-destruction, whatever violates the integrity of the human person, such as mutilation, torments inflicted on body or mind, attempts to coerce the will itself; whatever insults human dignity, such as subhuman living conditions, arbitrary imprisonment, deportation, slavery, prostitution, the selling of women and children; as well as disgraceful working conditions, where men are treated as mere tools for profit, rather than as free and responsible persons; all these things and others of their like are infamies indeed. They poison human society, but they do more harm to those who practice them than those who suffer from the injury. Moreover, they are a supreme dishonor to the Creator.
51. To these problems there are those who presume to offer dishonorable solutions indeed; they do not recoil even from the taking of life. But the Church issues the reminder that a true contradiction cannot exist between the divine laws pertaining to the transmission of life and those pertaining to authentic conjugal love.
God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and men must carry it out in a manner worthy of themselves. Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes.
Man’s sexuality and the faculty of reproduction wondrously surpass the endowments of lower forms of life; therefore the acts proper to married life are to be ordered according to authentic human dignity and must be honored with the greatest reverence. When it is a question of harmonizing married love with the responsible transmission of life, it is not enough to take only the good intention and the evaluation of motives into account; the objective criteria must be used, criteria drawn from the nature of the human person and human action, criteria which respect the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love; all this is possible only if the virtue of married chastity is seriously practiced. In questions of birth regulation the sons of the Church, faithful to these principles, are forbidden to use methods disapproved of by the teaching authority of the Church in its interpretation of the divine law. (1)
Let all be convinced that human life and its transmission are realities whose meaning is not limited by the horizons of this life only: their true evaluation and full meaning can only be understood in reference to man’s eternal destiny.
1.Cf. Pius XI, Encycl. Casti Connubii: AAS 22 (1930), p. 559-561; DENZ., 2239-2241 (3716-3718); Pius XII, Address to Italian Midwives, 29 Oct. 1951: AAS 43 (1951), p. 835-854; PAUL VI, Address to the Cardinals, 23 June 1964: AAS 56 (1964), p. 581-589.
For the past few days, a week even, my soul has been full of joy. Joy was missing for most of my life. The crushing darkness that tried to over take me, has indeed, fled. I have a funny feeling this is the reason…
“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.”
The Bones Of St. Peter Displayed By Vatican For The First Time
I don’t expect anyone to believe me, but I seen one “reason” that has had me questioning my faith, my desire to serve our Lord and a LOT of other things, disappear very early this morning. My conversion back to our Lord, came directly from my being anchored in the Catholic Church through baptism. Although unknowingly I had left the Church through my actions, I never left the “faith”. Anyway, it’s not what has taken place in the “personal revelations” that matter, nor in the fact of what has taken place to me because of them. It’s where I am now, where it all has led me to be. Back home in the Catholic Church, in the “pasture where I belong” with the Good Shepherd.
For more photos and the full story: The Bones Of St. Peter Displayed By Vatican For The First Time
Jesus Christ is my King, indeed.
“Jesus speaks only a word of forgiveness, not of condemnation; whenever anyone finds the courage to ask for this forgiveness, the Lord does not let such a petition go unheard. Jesus’ promise to the good thief gives us great hope: it tells us that God’s grace is always greater than the prayer which sought it. The Lord always grants more than what he has been asked: you ask him to remember you, and he brings you into his Kingdom! Let us ask the Lord to remember us, in the certainty that by his mercy we will be able to share his glory in paradise.” – Pope Francis
For me, it has been a very remarkable Year of Faith. As one who spent most of her life afraid to let Him into my boat, I truly can see clearly the importance of responding to all the Love He has been offering me all of my life. Its like seeing the worst storm imaginable, finally passing over and the sun blaring through the breaking clouds. My Ship truly has come in.
I pray for all who heard and seen Him this year and responded to the Love He is offering us on a daily basis, for strength to continue. Just because the Year of Faith is ended, does not mean my work is complete. It’s just the beginning to put into good use the gifts that have come through and share them to give Him the glory and honor, not because it is required of me, but because I love Him.
With our Lord, everything is a constant new beginning, never ending.
Crown him with many crowns,
The Lamb upon his throne,
Hark! how the heav’nly anthem drowns
All music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing
Of him who died for thee,
And hail him as thy matchless King
Through all eternity.
Crown Him the Son of God,
Before the worlds began,
And ye who tread where He hath trod,
Crown Him the Son of Man;
Who every grief hath known
That wrings the human breast,
And takes and bears them for His own,
That all in Him may rest.
Crown Him the Lord of life,
Who triumphed over the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife
For those He came to save.
His glories now we sing,
Who died, and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring,
And lives that death may die.
Crown Him the Lord of lords,
Who over all doth reign,
Who once on earth, the incarnate Word,
For ransomed sinners slain,
Now lives in realms of light,
Where saints with angels sing
Their songs before Him day and night,
Their God, Redeemer, King.
Crown Him the Lord of Heaven,
Enthroned in worlds above,
Crown Him the King to Whom
Is given the wondrous name of Love.
Crown Him with many crowns,
As thrones before Him fall;
Crown Him, ye kings, with many crowns,
For He is King of all.
“Crown Him With Many Crowns” taken from Divine Office, as I was praying, I knew in my heart, this was much better than what I could say about my King. Our Lord.
The “Smoking Gun”
The first shot fired by the war on women started when she was conceived out of the Bonds of Holy Marriage because Mom & Dad didn’t know what love was..
The second shot came when she was refused spiritual guidance to Abba Father after birth because it’s a “Parental Right” to not believe in God.
The third shot on the war on women came when she entered into school and they taught her a child in the womb of a pregnant woman was just a mass of tissue.
The forth shot fired in the war on women came when she was taught sex outside of the Bonds Of Holy Marriage was just fine, “Do what Makes You Feel Good”.
The fifth shot fired in the war on women came when she objectified herself thinking it would bring her “love” because the “sex” education she received.
The sixth shot fired in the war on women was fired from her own hands when she killed her own daughter she was taught was just a mass of tissue because she believed in doing what made her feel good.
There is a “War on Women”. Woman are pulling the trigger on themselves. Put the gun down. Your killing yourselves. Women are at war with themselves and until women understand what LOVE is, the war rages on.
Please don’t make me pay for it by paying for your abortions and contraception because I know what Love is. And it isn’t that nor is it “healthcare”. But that is a subject for another day.
Almighty, everlasting God who didst will that all things should be made new in thy beloved Son, the universal King, mercifully grant that all kindred of the Gentiles scattered by the ravishes of sin may be brought under the sweet yoke of His rule. Who livest and reignest with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen
Via REV. DANIEL LORD, S.J.
Until a soul experiences Christ, you truly have not experienced life. We live but what do we live for? To impress? To glorify self? To be caddy? To be angry? To be ignorant? To be arrogant? To be a façade to others knowing we are crumbling drywall and mildewed inside?
The life given by Him, in love, is life to all in exile that no amount of money, real estate, cars, beauty or anything else of material value to the worldly could compare. He allows the “person” to become what Abba Father intended the “person” to be. Alive. Trusting. Compassionate and above all innocent. Striving to turn souls to Him and away from the destruction we create to replace Him in our inescapable need to be loved and to love.
Never in any way, could I have hopped for in what He has done to me. His hand is so tender and His love so sweet, the soul desires nothing but Him. He makes me good cry, at every step. He shows me all His beauty. He offers everything to share in His life. He is firm in His dealings with me as He should be and so caring is His compassion that on earth, there are no words to express the gravity of His love when given in doses as He does. He knows what I need to continue and He supply’s everything at the time it is needed.
I have never once, in my entire existence, going all the way back to as far as I could remember, been able to say I love life until now that He is in it. I live for Him. I am alive because of Him. Christ the King. My King. So much so that my faith in Him now extends beyond hope for myself, but rather extends to all others. My love is not for self, or for only those who believe, but for all others. To see the human person for the image they were created in, that of God, is to separate the sinner from the sin and to see the sin for what it is and understand “for they know not what they do”. Because if they did know, they would have to hate God so much, that they could not have been created in His image. As He is the only “need” we have in our fallen state, and when we have Him, we want nothing else.
We need nothing else but Him. Ensuring we are no longer Defenceless.
I have been struggling a lot with myself lately in regards to entering into a deeper “chamber” and tonight of all nights, The Presentation of the Virgin Mary, I believe its time to do just that. Thank you Mama Mary for the answer to the past 15 years of my life. NOW I get it. “Be not afraid”. Glory to God.
I can never make anyone understand, nor comprehend the beauty of our Lord and His love for each and every one of us. I can only share my story in hopes one day it will bring hope to others. I truly know in my heart our Lord has called me into a deeper “chamber” not to boast or brag, but to contemplate how, now, to put what He has given to me, what He has shared with me to good use and put it into daily practice at home, and in all the different communities He has brought me into.
Silence is calling me to be vigilant still. To turn all this into what He needs me to do now, and Trust is the name. Knowing fully that no matter what takes place anymore, no matter how I may stumble, or what may startle me, He never will. All I have seen and all I have been a part of, is His love and mercy. He was with me outside calling me inside where He waits for me also. I accept in love. Finally.
Never forget “this post” LINK HERE and the fact I love both forms of our Holy Mass
Our Lord is in the Holy Mass in “Word”, scripture, “Blood & Flesh” in the Eucharist and Spirit, through the Holy Spirit – St. Augustine taught us, “what the soul is to man’s body, the Holy Spirit is to the Body of Christ, which is the Church. The Holy Spirit does in the whole Church what the soul does in the members of the one body.” We can’t “Escape” Him anywhere we go, why would it matter which way the Priest is facing while celebrating Holy Mass? Would our Lord not “show up” all of a sudden because of the position the Priest is facing?
Psalms, chapter 139 1:12
For the leader. A psalm of David
LORD, you have probed me, you know me:
you know when I sit and stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
You sift through my travels and my rest;
with all my ways you are familiar.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
LORD, you know it all.
Behind and before you encircle me
and rest your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
far too lofty for me to reach.
Where can I go from your spirit?
From your presence, where can I flee?
If I ascend to the heavens, you are there;
if I lie down in Sheol, there you are.
If I take the wings of dawn
and dwell beyond the sea,
Even there your hand guides me,
your right hand holds me fast.
If I say, “Surely darkness shall hide me,
and night shall be my light”
Darkness is not dark for you,
and night shines as the day.
Darkness and light are but one
Our Lord is with us always. There is no escape. If in all our ways we can not escape Him, why would anyone think for a second He would leave us in His Sacrament because the Priest is facing a different direction or is not speaking in Latin?
The Church teaches that the priest ministers in persona Christi, in the person of Christ. In speaking to his disciples, Jesus said, “He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me” (Lk 10:16). “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (Jn 20:22–23).
Did our Lord turn His back on the Apostles while preaching to them or during the Last Supper? Of course not. (I don’t mean this in regards to what many may say is the reason the priest turning his back on the congregation as originally, the Priest is facing East and leading the way to our Lord) We are surrounded at Holy Mass by our Lord therefore when we look past the “distractions” we have in our own ideas, we can focus once again on the Face of our Lord. Thus I believe the reason our Lord is truly present in both forms of the Holy Mass. Because He said so, and it gives us time to “overcome” that which distracts us and pulls our attention away from our Lord to grow in understanding that it’s not the “Church” that is broken and as so many say in “shambles” because of this, but we who are because we “choose” to allow the “distractions” of our own, to pull us away from our Lord.
Both forms should make sense..
I had a very interesting, slightly disturbing dream last night. I was as I am and was attending a family gathering. It was a wedding for a niece. It did not take place in the Catholic Church. It was very secular. My Grandfather, who had died many years ago was there. You would “expect” him to be as he was but he was not. The cheerful full of life, consistent man of love for our Lord, self-respect and respect for others that I knew growing up, had changed. His face was the same but he died his hair red, and was more interested in leaving the event to go find a new wife as in this dream my grandmother had been long gone.
It was disturbing to see who I knew, become something I would never expect him to be. He was self-centered. Didn’t care for much but his outward appearance and was not interested in “family” nor the concern for the fact that this wedding was not as it should be. I had mentioned in this dream to my sister whose daughter was getting married, “Gee, It’s great to see Grandpa but I so miss the big hearty Grandpa “Hello” from the gentle man I once knew.”
I awoke and began to pray as I always do. When my morning offering was complete, I then thought of how disturbing this dream was. For what I had thought of my grandfather and what he truly was all of his life, for him to become as the world would go, was quite frightening. He had become “creepy grandpa”. I was disturbed to even think of him in this way.
I walked outside in the back yard and sat down as the sun was poking out above the mountains. I began to pray about it and quite honestly, was thinking about my grandfather rather than any other meaning that could have come about. In an instant, all I had been thinking about him was derailed. My train of thought jumped the tracks and boom, out of nowhere, I hear in my heart “For I am the LORD, I do not change”.
This was no longer about “creepy grandpa”. This is about the consistency of Abba Father and His plan for salvation for all mankind, derailing the worlds.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He does not change to appease the heart of stone. He removes the heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh and that heart of flesh beats in unison with Him. Therefore man no longer seeks for God to “change” to submit to his demands of sinfulness, but rather agrees through obedience to God, to turn from sinfulness to Him who never changes and always wins. The Heart of Flesh does as He commands. It does as He designed it to do. It does as He wills. It does because it understands the meaning of love. If it did not, our Lord would become as “creepy grandpa”. Never able to live up to the expectations of any soul as He would change with the tide, and change with the times. He is set firm in His Word and deed.
Like all these other fad faiths that come and go, yeah, its “nice” to see them, but without “Consistency” its just “creepy grandpa”.
2 Corinthians 1:3-5
Praised be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all consolation! He comforts us in all our afflictions and thus enables us to comfort those who are in trouble, with the same consolation we have received from him. As we have shared much in the sufferings of Christ, so through Christ do we share abundantly in his consolation.
EDIT TO ADD – From Pope Francis today:
“God’s hands who created us like a craftsman.” They are wounded hands and they accompany us throughout life. Let us, “entrust ourselves into God’s hands like a child put its hand into the hand of its Father. It’s a safe hand.” – Pope Francis
All this debate over Traditional VS Novus Ordo. I was born in 1966. Our Lord called me back to His One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church after many years of being away. He didn’t specify that I should choose a side inside His Church, just that I take His “side”, in the Center of the Cross.
He is present in both forms. I love them both because He is there. I have no preference as long as He remains there. In my heart, I know He will because HE said so. There is no VS in regards to Traditional And Novus Ordo.
Demons KEEP the soul from attaining the “Awareness” of Christ. That’s what they do! They keep the soul in a state of perpetual sin and corruption to make ones conscience not open to the gift of Fear of the Lord. This is why this society we live in is so confused along with this so-called “teacher”. Episcopalian ‘Bishop’: Paul Bigoted for Not Embracing Diversity in Demon-Possessed Girl
St. Paul did as our LORD commanded. When one is “aware” of his own sinfulness, he becomes more ‘aware” of Christ and pulls closer to embrace Him. When one becomes aware of Christ, he obtains the ability to see the demons that tempt him back into sin and grow in faith and humility. Rather then succumb to pride. St. Paul committed one of the greatest acts of love and mercy for this girl.
When St. Paul wrote: “Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”, that “thorn” was external. Not internal as the case of the girl. Allowing him to “see” his torment (awareness) and use the grace of God to overcome it.
To say what this woman is saying is very Anti-Christian and anti-Christ. We are to use EVERY means possible to allow His children to seek and find Him, to live “Life” to the fullest. Not half-hearted.
When one is “aware” of the Presence of Christ, one can not help to pull closer to Him, in love above all other means. Demons forbid the soul to move closer to Him and they cloud the soul, mind and conscience with false notions, and begin to build a tiny room that encloses the soul to believe only in one’s self, rather than on the promise of our Lord. It is one thing to believe in Christ and quite another to know Him. To know Him is to love Him. If the house is not built by our Lord, it will be knocked down. Thus all that the demons build in the soul is completely destroyed.
I am sickened by this story, thus the reason for this post.
“The Spirit says clearly that some men will abandon their faith in later times. They will obey lying spirits and follow the teaching of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1).
Awareness – knowledge or perception of a situation or fact.
“Abide in Me, and I in you. He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask whatever you will, and it shall be done unto you. If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love; as I also have kept my Father’s commandments, and do abide in His love.”
“Take, O take me as I am. Summons out what I shall be. Set Your seal upon my heart and live in me O Lord.”
I’m not sure how to post this or write this as what I am about to say is not intended to bring malice or harm to anyone but rather has been a very clear message to me.
On “another form of internet media”, I was engaged this morning in a very interesting conversation. It was striking actually as I didn’t know who I was talking to at first and then when it hit me, the understanding came through.
I don’t watch television and mainly when I do, I’m not truly watching and I am praying and speaking to our Lord in contemplation. Being that my husband watches a lot of television, I do spend time with him as he is watching. Recently we started watching a show, in which I had grown sort of fond of. It was interesting and to be honest, I could see a lot of references to faith and our Lord to keep me occupied while not truly falling into the “story worshiping.”
One night, or maybe a for a few, after my children were settled down for the night, my husband and I would sit together to watch this particular show. I would normally go off to pray as my children went to bed but started to place my praying the Divine Office later and later. I started to grow very fond of the show and the lead character that played in it. I could see a lot of “Spiritual” things in him that reminded me of our Lord but truly were not Him.
Back to the “conversation” on the other “internet media site”. A question was posed in regards to faith. I responded and the back & forth between the two of us was very revealing. I did not know I was speaking to someone who was unaware of the faith. As I looked deeper and was accused of things in which I did not say, I looked to see who this person was. Low and behold, It’s the lead character to the show I had placed my prayer time on hold for to watch.
It is true, our Lord uses everyone to convey what He needs to be said. This has left me with a deeper trust in Him and a definite pulling away from the “world” that attempted to suck me back in. Don’t get me wrong, I love the man who truly was unaware of this taking place and I pray deeply for his conversion along with forgiving him for what has been said.
It truly was a blessing, and IS a blessing for our Lord to speak to me in this way. No matter what, God comes first. Prayer life and speaking to our Lord first! This goes much deeper, but I truly know it would be best kept it in my heart.
Glory to God. I am deeply grateful to our Lord.
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me”
In the end… The point here is, Voris needs to stop “Looking Down” on all who oppose his views and refocus his gaze on the Face of our Lord…
The second our eyes are taken from that of the Face of our Lord, we look down on all others who oppose our “view”, placing ourselves in “Lofty” positions. Rather then placing ourselves as sinners, standing shoulder to shoulder with each other, waiting in HOPE.
Father Barron never said hell was empty. As faithful, we are called to keep our eyes focused on the “Face of our Lord” at all times. Thus, we live in Christ We live in hope. We pray for the salvation of the entire world. See God in all. Not only where we think He may be.
I to agree. This needs to stop. Michael Voris Again Smears an Innocent Catholic
“YES, my dear brethren, all these rash judgments and all these interpretations come only from a person who has a secret pride, who does not know himself, and who dares to wish to know the interior life of his neighbour, something which is known to God alone. If only, my dear children, we were able to arrive at the stage of eradicating this first of the capital sins from our hearts, our neighbour would never do any wrong according to us. We should never amuse ourselves by examining his conduct. We should be content to do nothing else save weep for our own sins and work as hard as we could to correct them.”
– St. John Vianney
We are in the “Building Business”, not “Demolition”.
Purgatory….
I was once asked if I would consider taking a “position” in the “Divine Office”. Unaware of what I was being asked, I was also told about the “Office of the Dead”. I chose the position in the “Divine Office”. I only have to show up 4 times a day for a 1/2 hour each time. But I must put my heart into the “job”. The pay is out of this world. I accepted the “position”. Little did I know it was in the “Office of the Dead” located in the “Divine Office”.
Eternal Father, I offer You the most precious blood of thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, for those in my own home and in my family. Amen.
This morning, as I was driving into work, while praying the Sorrowful Mystery’s of the rosary, I noticed a very faint rainbow peeking out through the storm clouds that were starting to dissipate. It was not very bold nor big. IT was just bright enough coming over the mountain, peaking through the storm clouds that were passing by. I continued to ponder and pray the rosary but with much less sorrow and much greater joy.
As I came around the pass through the mountain, to the other side I was able to capture the other side of the full rainbow. Both ends appeared but the center was not viable. I began to smile while praying, coming to understand the magnitude of our Lords suffering and sacrifice. Never again, shall another soul do what our Lord has done for all creation. Never again, I pondered as I see the very faint other side of the rainbow. As horrific and painful His suffering were, it was for us for all time.
Rather then destroying the earth and all creatures because of our wickedness and sins, our Lord destroyed our sins and our wickedness therefore conquering death for all time. Never again can another soul accomplish this as “It is Finished”. “The New Covenant.”
I don’t believe for a second that rainbow was very as faint it was for any other reason then, as faith is, some can see it and some are to preoccupied to see it. You didn’t have to look for it but you had to notice it. Once you notice it, you can’t take your eyes off it. It’s far to magnificent to do so.
Then seeing the other end of the rainbow, I was overtaken by: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Revelation 22:13
Although the middle could not be seen, you know it is there.
“God said to Noah and to his sons with him: See, I am now establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you: the birds, the tame animals, and all the wild animals that were with you—all that came out of the ark. I will establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all creatures be destroyed by the waters of a flood; there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth. God said: This is the sign of the covenant that I am making between me and you and every living creature with you for all ages to come: I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth, and the bow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and every living creature—every mortal being—so that the waters will never again become a flood to destroy every mortal being. When the bow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature—every mortal being that is on earth. God told Noah: This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and every mortal being that is on earth.” Genesis 9 8:17
Look closely at this photo. It is my Grandfather at the age of three and my Great Grandparents and Uncles & Aunts and “Family”. All “blood” relatives. Do you see what is missing in today’s society? This photo was taken in Prievidza Slovakia in 1907. Click on it for the enlargement.
This is a follow-up post to “Will There BE Faith“.
I’m going to post a short profound conversation that I had this morning that took place on Facebook. It was regarding a photo that I had found of my Great Uncle Monsignor Mikulas Misik circa 1958 in Slovakia.
Peg Demetris: He presided over my First Holy Communion I truly believe he is the reason for my coming back home to the Catholic Church too
Peg Demetris: Although I had only met him 3 times, and he never spoke a word of English, his life is a HUGE inspiration to me. He survived the Nazis and then the Communists, never seeing “freedom” ever again in his home country of Slovakia but understood completely, true “Freedom” comes from God. Not any secular nation on earth. His country didn’t save him. God did. Our Lord did. That is the faith I have in my heart today.
John R. Misik: He also said Holy Mass at my mom and dad’s 50th wedding anniversary in 1975.
Peg Demetris: That was when I made my First Holy Communion Uncle John R. Misik along with Kim & Pam
John R. Misik: Didn’t know that.
Peg Demetris: May 4th 1975. I was married to my husband Mark just this past May 4th in the Church. It was Great Uncle whispering to me the entire time to fix the fact I was out of Communion
I didn’t realize until after talking about it, just how much our Lord used, not only my great-uncle to impact my life, but an entire Generation of Faithful. Today, I have zero attachment to the country I live in. I have zero attachment to anything outside of the faith. It’s not to say for the past 15 years or so, looking back on my life in regards to where I went wrong, but rather looking to see where I needed to return to, to get back on the road to “Home”. It’s not to say that I have been living in the past. Not at all. For the past fifteen years, I have been living for the future. Our Lord had granted me the grace to “See” and apply the Truth, His Truth, to the life I was called to live. He used the “Faith of our Fathers” to do so.
“Return to your first Love”.
Faithful women, rearing their children in the faith, not in the things of the world.
EDIT TO ADD: From Pope Francis today:
And reflecting on the icon of Jesus’ Presentation in the Temple, Pope Francis noted that it depicts three generations that come together fulfilling a single design: the elderly persons represent faith as memory; Mary and Joseph are the family, sanctified by the presence of Jesus who is the fulfillment of all God’s promises. Like the Holy Family of Nazareth – the Pope said – “every family is part of the history of a people; it cannot exist without the generations who have gone before it”.
Last night as I was in Adoration, in front of our Lord in the tabernacle, I was praying the Divine Office. As I got to the antiphon: “When the Son of Man comes to earth, do you think he will find faith in men’s hearts?” and answered with a knee jerk response of no, and felt a feeling of darkness come over me for the state of the world and myself. It was as if our Lord was telling me “wrong answer.” And when I thought of it deeper and pondered it, The answer no to this question came with “pride” and is not through humility. As I started to continue, I heard in my heart “The gates of hell shall not prevail” and I stopped in my tracks and said “Wait one minute!”.
Yes! I exclaimed. YES! When the Son of Man comes to earth, he will find faith in men’s hearts! Because He said so! His entire “Mission” was to instill that faith in men’s hearts. To not lose hope, to not lose the true love for others and to be charitable and with His grace, “All things are possible with God”. He surely did not die and raise from the dead for this beautiful faith to die as He did. NO! Thus the reason He died for her, the Church, so she could live on to teach with Him, with the Holy Spirit all that He had done in love and continues to do.
How miserable of a world would it be, not to find faith in the hearts of one single soul. How unbearable life would be to not find one ounce of compassion or true charity and love. As I look around today at the state of the world, and since my conversion, as bad as it had gotten in regards to what I have seen in myself and others, our Lord was there and still is, the entire time with His consolation to pull me through. To see love as it is. To see compassion. To see faith and to hold on to hope, knowing His word is true: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”. For as long as there is our Lord, there is the Church He gave to us.
This is the job for the laity He has for us. To continue, strong in the faith. To teach our children to be strong in the faith so their children and their children for generation after generation can continue to have Him in their hearts. We must be strong against the temptations in this world. We can only place our faith and trust in our Lord to see to all our needs. When we do, everything, all “things” that can never bring true happiness are replaced with joy. We must fight the evil in this world with love and true faith in Him. Without fear of what may happen to us. It’s not a battle in the physical sense, but the spiritual truth in which all must adhere to our Lord and not the things the world is tempting us with.
If we learn that nothing is ours but the faith, and we live by this truth, we learn to let go of all we grab on to in this world, allowing God to hold on to us as He seeks to do.
I thank my Grandparents generation for living the faith. The family motto was always “Scattered but never lost”. It held the “family” together through the most horrific times. They never relied on anything or anyone but our Lord. They celebrated the Saints days. They attended daily Mass. All the Sacraments were considered major celebrations. Their love for one another was through the love they had for our Lord. All through World War I, the great depression and then World War II. They faced the most uncertain times with the certainty of our Lord. My Great Uncle becoming a priest, ordained in 1930 Slovakia. Surviving the Nazis and then the Communist Occupation, NEVER placing his faith in the governments that came and went, but solidly in our Lord. Never seeing “freedom” again in his nation of Slovakia but knowing TRUE “Freedom” through our Lord. This faith, is still here today. This faith, is here in my heart. I am not alone. As we live through this Great Depression of Faith in society, we must come to understand that no matter what may come, the Faith our Lord has given to us shall always be. Never give up hope. NEVER lose your faith! It is truly, all you have. Nurture it and teach it to your children that it is all they have.
“When faced with this abyss of evil, I can only respond with an abyss of love.” Blessed John Paul II in Nazi Occupied Poland, announcing to his friend he has chosen the life of Priesthood
