I remember visiting an old church up on a hill in Bavaria Germany. This tiny country church was the site of many recorded miracles and the home to a collection of Easter candles, many of which were more than double the age of our country. We asked the Pastor how the attendance was and I never forgot his answer. “Very few are coming these days. People feel they don’t need God anymore”.
“Store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven...”
We all desire wealth, fame, power and success. We are made that way, by God, for a reason, but has that desire been hijacked and misdirected? Which would I rather, all the treasures of Earth, or all the treasures of heaven? Which one do I trade my life for? Jesus says, "do not store up treasures on Earth, but treasures in heaven", let's work to build treasure in heaven.
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Who do I need to be merciful to today?
Am I in control of my emotions or…
How does this make me feel?
Who do I know who is afflicted?
How do I know who is carrying a heavy burden?
Who do I know who is unhappy?
How many times do I insult someone in one day?
Who do I serve day and night?
What occupies my mind (most) throughout a day?
Do I care more about what the world or what God thinks?
What does my soul look like right now?
Who is in charge of my conscience?
Do I trust that, He is in control?
- Augustine TCA P. 337
Please add your own to the list in comments below:
“There is no conversion without prayer.”
The two questions I get the most are, "how do I pray?", and, "how do I get closer to God?". The first is the answer to the second, but sometimes our prayer can get a little stale, and/or we may have never learned how to pray- deeper. This is a short guide of thoughts and techniques that have helped me to pray deeper, better, and most importantly, from the heart.
I can’t think of a better place to start a new year than with the resolutions of a saint. Sister Faustina was a simple, uneducated, Polish nun, who obediently wrote down what Jesus told her in her now famous diary. These were her own personal resolutions written January 1st, 1937 (Diary 238-240) one year before her death.
As they were written for life in the convent, I, very humbly, adapted them for you and me today, while adding a simple thought from Jesus, also taken from throughout the diary. My hope is not to merely put these on a page just to read, but to become them, even if it means starting with just one. Join me.
Dear Lord, help me to become a little more like a saint this year, one day at a time.
Quiet the constant storms, voices, and noise in your heart and mind, and rest with me.
In the next person you see, choose to see me, and love them as you would me. I come to you in those whom you least expect, love me, and leave all judgment up to me.
My will is simple: Love God and love your neighbor. Everything else stems from these.
Come to me at all times and ask, “what is your will for me, right now.”
In your simplest human terms possible, tell me your fears, your joys, your sorrows, and how you are doing. Yes, I already know, but it pleases to hear it from you.
Empty your whole heart into mine, my heart is limitless and can take it all.
If you were to meet me face to face this day, are you prepared to see your soul as I do?
You are who you are through the eyes of God, no more, no less.
Your soul gives life to your body, what, or who, do you think gives life to your soul?
This is where we meet, where my hand gently holds your soul into being.
Run to me in adversity and say only, “you can do all things”, then think of it no more and sit with me.
You waste much time and energy with your human ways of over-analyzing.
I give your suffering meaning and turn it into great power.
Unite your suffering with mine and we will renew the universe… together.
It touches my heart very deeply when you pray for the dying.
Pray that they all come home to Me where I eagerly await them with open arms.
When all is said and done, who do you aim to please: Me, or the world?
Be fools for love, truth and goodness; be fools for Me.
As I empty myself for you, always.
Love one another as I have loved you.
Place yourself in My loving presence at all times, then do what you will.
I stripped myself of all Glory and became the least among you: Imitate me.
Whoever humbles himself will be exulted; whoever exults himself will be humbled.
The smallest act done with love is far greater to me than any great accomplishment done without.
Christmas can be a hard time of year for any of us... To meI have always seen this as an opportunity to get back to what matter’s most at this time, and to go home, our real home, where we find our peace. A merry Christmas to you.
“He who reigns within himself and rules passions, desires and fears, is more than a king.”
As long as we live in this world, it is impossible to be free of trials and temptations (T.A. Kempis). It’s not always easy to act in ways we know are right. Our feelings, sentiments, moods, appetites, and desires do not always obey our better judgments and reason. We sometimes feel too strong a love for one thing, and not strong enough for another: this is temptation. It draws us to what we know is wrong and holds us back from what we know is right.
Temptation simply brings out what is in us. We know ourselves better once we have dealt with temptation. Our first safeguard against temptation is to recognize it, to see it for what it is, without its attractive camouflage.
Adapted from My Daily Bread, Anthony J. Paone
“Evil isn’t answered. It is overcome.”
… spread the message that the love of Christ is greater than all the evil and suffering in the world. She shares this poem:
My life is but a weaving between my lord and me.
I cannot choose the colors, he works steadily.
Oft times he weaveth sorrow, and I in foolish pride,
Forget he sees the upper and the underside.
Not till the looms are silent and the shuttles cease to fly,
Will God unroll the canvas and explain the reasons why.
The dark threads are as needful in the weavers skillfull hand,
As the threads of gold and silver in the pattern he has planned.
-Corrie Ten Boom
“Kindness is the overflowing of self on others.”
“I pass through this world but once. If, therefore, there is any good that I can do, any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now; let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again”.
-Fr Lasance, My Prayer Book, Page 65
The worst kinds of unhappiness, as well as the greatest amount of it, come from our conduct to each other. If our conduct, therefore, were under the control of kindness, the state of the world be almost reversed.
Kindness adds sweetness to everything.
Of great consequence, is the immense power of kindness in bringing out the good points of the characters of others.
A kind act has picked up many a fallen man who has afterward slain his tens of thousands of demons and become conqueror.
Kindness has converted more hearts than either zeal, eloquence, or learning; and these last three have never converted anyone unless they were done with kindness.
Kindness is infectious. One kind act leads to another. Our example is followed. This is the greatest work which kindness does to others: it makes them kind themselves.
A proud man is seldom a kind one. Humility makes us kind. And kindness makes us humble.
A kind man is never self-occupied. He is genial, he is sympathetic, he is brave.
Let kindness become a habitual disposition of the heart, ready to manifest itself without any effort, at all times, in all seasons.
One who habitually has kind thoughts of others is not far from being a saint.
Let kindness flow from your heart naturally, like scent from a flower, like song from a bird.
Like the sun, let our kindness shine down on both the good and bad alike.
Without kindness, even charitable works loose their power.
How many noble a work was nipped in the bud by the blast of an unkind judgment.
How many holy aspirations destined to bear abundant fruit has been forced back into the heart from which it came becuase of unkindness.
How much has been lost in the world of all that is good and great and beautiful through the instrument of unkindness.
Kindness is the outcome of: love your neighbor as yourself.
“C.S. Lewis”
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronising nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. . . . Now it seems to me obvious that He was neither a lunatic nor a fiend: and consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God.”
-Mere Christianity, 55-56
'I and the Father are one.' Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, 'I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?' 'We are not stoning you for any of these,' replied the Jews, 'but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God' " (John 10:30-33).
Before the Chief Priests and the whole Sanhedrin. Caiaphas the High Priest asked him: " 'Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?' 'I am,' said Jesus. 'And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven' " (Mark 14:61-62 NIV)
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58)
“But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” (John 10:38)
“And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” (John 17:5)
And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” (Only God has the authority to forgive sins, the ancient Jews understood this) (Matthew 9:2)
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me”. (Matthew 28:18)
“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25)
“The potter of the universe washes His disciples feet of clay”
I FLED Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways Of my own mind;
and in the mist of tears I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
Up vistaed hopes I sped; And shot, precipitated,
Adown Titanic glooms of chasmèd fears,
From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.
But with unhurrying chase,
And unperturbèd pace, Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
They beat—and a Voice beat More instant than the Feet—
‘All things betray thee, who betrayest Me.’
…
-The Hound of Heaven (Excerpt) By Francis Thompson (1859–1907)
If life is hard at times… join the club, that only makes us normal. We are told that if we just believe, then God He will make all our problems go away, and shown that life is supposed to be easy, but these are lies.
A child growing up will face many obstacles. Is it better for the parent to intervene and remove them, or to walk with the child, step by step, showing them the way through.
We see what we are made of, God already knows: Picture a spectrum. On one side it reads, “completely coming apart at the seams”, on the other, “peace”. Each trial we face, a needle reveals where we fall on that spectrum. With each new trial, the needle moves, it’s up to us which direction.
It’s usually through some kind of crisis that God screams at us through a loud speaker, “Something’s got to change!”. Ultimately, the only thing we can change, ourselves, is the one thing we don’t want to. What do I need to change?
Our true greatness is seen in adversity. Greatness is born out of suffering and adversity, no one ever rose to greatness by having a comfortable easy life. (Kempis) But so is ruin. The choice is ours.
All of us are searching for answers and truth and what it’s all about. They aren’t found easily, and certainly not in the distractions, the noise, or the those things like pleasure, power and riches. A catalyst to begin the journey, is problems and suffering.
If we are honest, most of our problems come from ourselves: our choices, our mistakes, our attitudes, and our egos.
Unfortunately, the rest of our problems come from someone else’s choices, mistakes, attitudes, and egos. Some of these we allow, others happen to us by no fault of our own, but often do the most damage.
Disasters, loss, disease, illness and death, these are (mostly) out of our control. God doesn’t cause them, we are free creatures in a free environment: these things are going to happen.
Do I blame God for any of these?
The light is truth, the light is grace, the light is peace, the light is love, the light is strength, the light is divine wisdom, the light is counsel, the light is infinite, the light is all these things, and so much more, wrapped up in the person we call Jesus Christ.
And this person is eagerly waiting to be in a relationship with us… even at this very moment. Simply by knowing him, do we enter the light, and that’s when the real miracles start happening.
Understand my Words and put them into practice: Do I really know what He said, do I understand it, what He meant, what He is saying to me now? This is step one. Step two is the hard part, the part we don’t like: put it into practice.
Trust in me: If I were in the space shuttle with an entire crew of astronauts, I would trust them to get me into space and back, safely. I certainly couldn’t do it myself, nor would I try. Do I even have half that amount of trust in God?
Imitate me: Christ had nothing but problems, suffering, contradiction, adversity, trials, struggle, mocking, and betrayal from the moment of His birth until His brutal death. How did he handle it? That’s what we should imitate.
We all want the miracle, and miracles do happen. But the miraculous part is not in God zapping our problems away, the miraculous part is in this super-natural light filling our hearts and minds with the tremendous strength and peace to face anything. And i’ve seen it…
I’ve seen it in two parents who lost their 18yo to suicide. They were devastated, but they are a house built in stone.
I’ve seen it in an old woman who had nothing: no family, no money, no house, no hair, no teeth… but she had a smile that could melt a million hearts, more vibrant than a million flowers planted by a million streams.
I’ve seen it in a dear friend who has had nothing but darkness since the day she was born, of no fault of her own. But the darkness, it never overcame her.
We all have a mountain of problems that we face everyday. There is no victory without a battle, and there is no rest without work. With each new battle, the stronger, the wiser, the braver we become, and the heavier the burden we can bear. But even more importantly, with every battle I face, am I then equipped, to go out and help someone else who is perhaps in the early stages, of that same battle.
peace.
I have a mountain of problems, I’m alone, afraid, tired and beaten down…
Jesus:
I’m here, I’ve come for you. You call me from the inside, your tears, your desires of your soul, your brokenness of heart, have moved me to you.
Don’t you know that the anxiety I have for you is far more than you could ever have for yourself?
My child, learn to talk to me, like a child talks to his mother, let there be no barriers between you and me.
Why do you find it easier to talk to somebody else rather than to me, I know you better than anyone else? My conversation is simple, humble.
Nowhere will you find the understanding, the consolation and the appreciation, that I have. And nobody else is as interested in you as I am.
I love you. Infinitely more than anyone else does.
You are never alone.
I am as near to you right now as your nose is to your face, ready to share you burdens and solve your problems. Bring you sorrows, your troubles and your fears to me.
No human being is capable of giving the perfect friendship which I offer to you now.
I know you far better than you know yourself. Why do you treat me as a stranger?
Come to me. Without any fear, anxiety or doubt. Have confidence in my love.
I wish to call you my friend.
These earthly hardships, these trials will come and go. The longest life on earth so short.
This is not your home. You are made for unending perfect happiness with me.
Stay close to me, and you will find peace.
Do not let tribulation dishearten you.
Above all things: rest in me.
-Taken from the writings of Thomas A. Kempis (Imitation of Christ) and Fr. Anthony Paone S.J. (My Daily Bread), slightly adapted and delicately woven together by IMbeggar.
“… search severely into your inmost heart… see that no discord clings there… and let the light of truth dispel the shades of deception...”
Check the boxes as apply to you (in my case, almost all of them), then circle the one you want to target this Lent. Then get inside, shine the light on it, and get to work.
From the mind and voice of Bl. Fulton Sheen, ("Life is Worth Living") comes this excerpt about what we are made for, what we are searching for, and the definition of God… re-imagined by IMbeggar.
The audio is owned by the Fulton Sheen Company.
An audio collection of almost 300 talks of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, the great 20th Century Catholic preacher, writer, and radio and television personality, who died in 1979 and is soon to be Beatified in the process of becoming a canonized saint in the Catholic Church. Experience his famous, captivating voice that inspired millions, and is still inspiring listeners, to draw closer to Jesus Christ. You will see why he was admired by people of all religions.
“The Christmas Guest”
It happened one day at the year's white end,
Two neighbors called on an old-time friend
And they found his shop so meager and mean,
Made merry with a thousand boughs of green,
And Conrad was sitting with face a-shine
When he suddenly stopped as he stitched a twine
And said, "Old friends, at dawn today,
When the cock was crowing the night away,
The Lord appeared in a dream to me
And said, 'I am coming your guest to be.'
So I've been busy with feet astir,
Strewing my shop with branches of fir,
The table is spread and the kettle is shined
And over the rafters the holly is twined,
And now I will wait for my Lord to appear
And listen closely so I will hear…
His step as He nears my humble place,
And I open the door and look in His face."
So his friends went home and left Conrad alone,
For this was the happiest day he had known,
For, long since, his family had passed away
And Conrad has spent a sad Christmas Day.
But he knew with the Lord as his Christmas guest
This Christmas would be the dearest and best,
And he listened with only joy in his heart.
And with every sound he would rise with a start
And look for the Lord to be standing there
In answer to his earnest prayer.
So he ran to the window after hearing a sound,
But all that he saw on the snow-covered ground
Was a shabby beggar whose shoes were torn
And all of his clothes were ragged and worn.
So Conrad was touched and went to the door
And he said, "Your feet must be frozen and sore,
And I have some shoes in my shop for you
And a coat that will keep you warmer, too."
So with grateful heart the man went away,
But as Conrad noticed the time of day
He wondered what made the dear Lord so late
And how much longer he'd have to wait,
When he heard a knock and ran to the door,
But it was only a stranger once more,
A bent, old crone with a shawl of black,
A bundle of kindling piled on her back.
She asked for only a place to rest,
But that was reserved for Conrad's Great Guest.
But her voice seemed to plead, "Don't send me away
Let me rest awhile on Christmas day."
So Conrad brewed her a steaming cup
And told her to sit at the table and sup.
But after she left he was filled with dismay
For he saw that the hours were passing away
And the Lord had not come as He said He would,
And Conrad felt sure he had misunderstood.
When out of the stillness he heard a cry,
"Please help me and tell me where am I."
So again he opened his friendly door
And stood disappointed as twice before,
It was only a child who had wandered away
And was lost from her family on Christmas Day.
Again Conrad's heart was heavy and sad,
But he knew he should make this little child glad,
So he called her in and wiped her tears
And quieted her childish fears.
Then he led her back to her home once more
But as he entered his own darkened door,
He knew that the Lord was not coming today
For the hours of Christmas had passed away.
So he went to his room and knelt down to pray
And he said, "Dear Lord, why did you delay?
What kept You from coming to call on me,
For I wanted so much Your face to see."
When soft in the silence a voice he heard,
"Lift up your head, for I kept My word --
Three times My shadow crossed your floor --
Three times I came to your lonely door --
For I was the beggar with bruised, cold feet,
I was the woman you gave to eat,
And I was the child on the homeless street.
Three times I knocked and three times I came in,
And each time I found the warmth of a friend.
Of all the gifts, love is the best,
And I was honored to be your Christmas Guest."
-
Every time I read this poem, I am touched by the sentiment, and I think: imagine if a beggar, a broken down old woman, or a lost child showed up at my door on Christmas. And I pat myself on the back thinking how wonderfully hospitable I would be, and, surely I would see Christ in them. But of course, none of this is ever going to happen.
But the very same day, at the market, I hardly notice the woman checking out my groceries; A neighbor drops in and I am short, and too concerned about getting around to what I need to get around to; A friend calls and I screen it because, I’m just not in the mood right now.
And then it occurs to me… and I think about all the visits I have missed.
Have you ever wished you were someone you’re not? A short animated film about all the foolish things we do to become someone we are not… and finding out the person we are. For children (of all ages).
Am I comfortable in my own skin?
When I see some “good thing” in someone else (talent, confidence, good looks, success, etc.) I am either:
Happy for them
or feel worse about myself
How much time, effort and energy have I put into trying to look, act, or be like someone else?
Have I ever felt, looked acted like a fool in the process?
How much time, effort, energy have I put into figuring out who I really am?
Think of 3 peoples lives that would be affected if I didn’t exist.
(Now think of 3 more).
Think of 3 people's lives that you can make some impact on in the near future.
(now think of 3 more).
If there is a God (and I believe there is) do I think this God knows who I am?
And if this God does know who I am, what do I think this God thinks of me?
Disappointment
Couldn’t care less
Like a parent thinks of their favorite Child
Is too busy for me
As a spouse thinks of the one they love
I once heard a story about a young girl who wanted to be sister with Mother Teresa. One day mother Teresa met the young novice and asked her frankly, why do you want to be a sister? The eager young novice answered with deep sincerity, “because I only want to one day be just like you”. Mother Teresa laughed and said, the world certainly does not need another one of those… but what it really needs, is one of you.
