You have the power to heal souls

God has given you the power to heal souls.  This power is prayer.  This power is love.  Do not neglect it! You will be made to answer for these talents when He returns.  The world will never be lost so long as we exercise His power to heal.

Praise in times of trial

The book of Tobit reveals the secret to holiness and deliverance: praise and confidence in times of trials.  No matter how sad, how beaten you are,  praise to your God and have confidence in His goodness and sovereignty.  Tobit and Sarah were each so grieved as to consider life not worth living, yet even then they turned to God with confidence, submitting to His will.  At the moment they prayed they were heard by God, who sent an angel from His court to heal them even before they had left their places of prayer (Tobit 3).

God’s time

Everything—joy, pain, sorrow, healing, rejoicing—happens on God’s time. Let go, slay your pride, and be patient for His timing.  Await His redemption.

Love all priests

Priests need to be loved in order to give good gifts to their bride, the Church.  If he is not loved by you, not received by you, then it is impossible for him to make a total, selfless, pure gift of himself.  Just as a husband cannot love his wife purely unless she receives him purely and is open to his gift, so a priest cannot minister to his congregation unless she receives him and is open to him. 

Pray for your priests, love all priests, especially those who struggle! It is only through an unconditional, loyal, faithful, holy love that that they will find the strength and motivation to fight the good fight for God and the Church.

If you want a better pastor, pray for the one you have!

Service, never power

As soon as power enters discussion of Christianity, your devil sensor should go wild.  Being a Christian has nothing to do with power, especially when you are a minister.  It should never be a discussion of roles and power, or trying to gain equal power, but rather of who dies to themself more.

Phrase the question

Whoever phrases the question wins the argument, because they have defined the vocabulary, the attitude, the angle, the timing… Remember this always, but most especially in temptation.  Do not answer the devil’s question, because then the conversation is on his terms, and you will lose! Turn to your Lord and ask Him to give you the proper question to ask yourself in the situation.  Always let God phrase your questions, for then He will always win!

Sisterhood

What an important vocation is that of the religious sister! The consecrated virgin, bride of Christ! It is in her that we all see manifest our relationship to the Lord.  It is through her that we witness true womanhood.  Her role in catechesis, in prayer, in service and care! 

When a priest sees a sister, he sees her purity and selfless gift to the Lord and is motivated to get his act together.  The husband is reminded of the beauty and precious treasure that is his wife, the wife is reminded of her call to be open and receptive and selfless for her husband.  To all she is living the very archetype of humanity’s relationship with God: she is in every sense His bride.

Wafer to God

You believe in the Eucharist.  You believe that God has transformed that tiny wafer into Himself.  Then how can you doubt that God can transform you into Himself?  You are already in His image!

Move on

Move on from your hurt.  If the guilty one has confessed and made things right with God, then you can be certain that he is transformed.  You know that this is true, for you yourself have seen that he is a holy man of God! Be at peace, and know that he has been given new life, to love and live according to the greatness of God.

Believe in God’s power to transform

You must have faith little soul that God’s grace is transforming.  Otherwise, how will you ever pick yourself up? How will you ever forgive another and move past your hurts?  Remember the transfiguration and the resurrection.  Believe in God’s power to give new life.

Desire for perfection

Your desire for perfection, love, loyalty, faithfulness… these you must satisfy by seeking your Lord. If you seek to satiate these desires through your earthly spouse, you will crush him/her, because what you seek is the greatness of God.  Pursue your heavenly bridegroom, and be satisfied.

Your profession

"Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary?” –Mark 6:3

Notice that Jesus is known by his work.  So are you.  Do not neglect your profession.

Pass over

Thoughts of unforgiveness and resentment must be passed over and turned over to God just as you would a distraction in prayer.  If you revile the thoughts, they will become engrained and never leave you.  Simply let them pass you by, without emotion.

Keep holy the sabbath

Make sure to keep holy the sabbath as a day for the Lord. It is meant to be a day of rest, a day of surrendering all worries to Him who is the only One who can take them away! Take this day to practice trusting in the Lord and His goodness. Do not fritter it away with busy-ness!

The stork

Interesting that the popular myth for children is a white stork bringing children to their parents.  For it is the Holy Spirit, often depicted as a white bird, which breathes life into the union of man and wife.

Virtues

Charity is supernatural justice.

Faith is supernatural prudence.

Love is supernatural temperance and fortitude.

Temperance

"Temperance does not imply narrowness, but greatness of soul.” –St Josemaria Escriva 

Temperance is not about saying no to one thing.  It is about saying yes to everything.  If you do not limit yourself, you will be all consumed with a few things, thereby acquiring narrowness.  If you are temperate, you will have room for all things good and acquire a great soul.  

Patience

If you wish to gain patience, do not pray for it! For surely the Lord will give you plenty of trials for patience.  Pray instead for wisdom, that you may understand, and then you will become patient.

Possess your soul

"By your patience you will gain possession of your souls.” – Luke 21:19

You must gain possession of your soul that you may give it to the Lord, for you cannot give what you do not have.  The way to possess your soul is to gain the virtue of patience.

Diligence = love

The word diligence comes from the Latin diligere, to love. Therefore, the way to become diligent and gain the virtue of perseverence is to love your Lord deeply.

Holy generosity

Holy generosity does not consist in merely giving, but giving yourself.  It is only this type of generosity, born of a pure heart of love, which can bring Christ to the world.  He did not merely give healing, bread, teaching… He gave His entire self.

Last time was the last time

"When fighting temptation, the last time has to be the one before!” –St Josemaria Escriva

How often the devil convinces us to give in to temptation by conjoling us with “this will be the last time.  Just one more cookie, one more look…” No! Answer him strongly, the last time was the last time.

Dumb devil

The devil will try to keep you from communicating.  Do not let him! Persist in speaking from your heart.  Do not be fooled into believing that it is better to say nothing, most especially in your intimate relationships!  The dumb devil builds thick, impenetrable walls between you.  You must always be sincere and honest, for then you will always live in Truth and avoid the dramas of misunderstanding.

Be sincere

"Humility’s consequence is sincerity.” –St Josemaria Escriva

Sincerity means being free of deceit, hypocrisy or duplicity. The only way then to sincerity is humility, that complete renunciation of self in which honesty and forthrightness reside.

Believe that the Lord will give you your answer

1 Samuel 16

God told Samuel to go and anoint one of Jesse’s sons as king. How easy it would have been for Samuel, as Jesse presented his sons, to assume that he must pick one of the young men before him. But Samuel listened closely to God, and rejected each one brought before him because God told him “not that one.” What trust this required, when to anyone looking on, it would appear that these were his only options for anointing a king!  Rather than getting flustered trying to figure out which of the sons he had wrongly refused the kingship, Samuel trusted in His God’s ability to tell him who to anoint, and asked if there were another son.  His trust is rewarded with the youngest son coming in from the fields, the one whom God wished to anoint. 

Learn from Samuel.  Do not assume that all the options are before you! Believe that if God has said no to them, that indeed they are not to be taken and yet another must exist.  Ask for this option to be shown to you.

The lowly lifted up

"[The Lord] cast down the mighty from their thrones but lifted up the lowly.” Luke 1:52

If you have been lifted to a place of honor, remember that only the lowly are lifted by God.  You are there not because you are lofty but because you are lowly.

David’s shieldbearer

What great confidence, trust in the Lord, and humility must have resided in the heart of David’s shieldbearer!  That he would go with David to fight Goliath, without question, and never demand notice upon victory!

Love

Only your acts of love will count in the end.  Edit out all acts that were not loving.  How short did your life just become?

Luminous confidence

You must love and trust in your God and spouse with a luminous confidence, that not only they, but all those around you, will blossom in its presence.

Think of His life

You are discerning.  I am glad to see that you are praying to God and asking Him for His light and guidance.  But do not forget that His word is Jesus.  Look at the life and actions of God the Son, and you may find those answers you so admirably seek!