Transforming power of God

You doubt that God’s grace can transform you and give you new life? Meditate on the Luminous mysteries.  God transformed the human flesh that it may contain Himself, in the form of His Son, Jesus.  Jesus transformed water into wine.  Jesus proclaims the Kingdom of God on earth, promising to give us new hearts that we will not lust nor give in to anger but truly love.  Jesus is transformed into the beatific vision, and we see Moses and Elijah transformed, in heaven.  Jesus transformed bread and wine into His body and blood that He may be united with us in the flesh for all time.  Believe!

Virtue of itself is useless

Little soul, do not let virtue become an end in itself. Virtue is nothing more than the means to gain Christ, Who is everything! Keep your eyes on Christ! You are upset you have fallen? Trust that He is helping you to grow closer to Him. Return your love of virtue to its proper place: behind Christ. Christ alone is our end. Abandon your thought that you can gain Him of your own accord; abandon your soul to Him.

Only You Lord

There is a story that while St. Thomas Aquinas was praying, Christ came and asked him what he would have; He would give him anything he desired. Thomas Aquinas said "Only You Lord."

This is how you must live. No matter what you are struggling with, or what virtue or grace you are asking for, you must remember that ultimately what you desire is Him. The only purpose of virtue is to get to Christ. Trust that He wants you to reach Him! In His time, following His way, you will be united with Him. It will involve trials and sufferings; keep your eyes on the prize and remember that you are struggling to gain virtue soley in order to gain Christ.

Know what you know

"Never let what you fear intrude on what you know.” –Native American saying

Never let your anxiety shut out your knowledge that God is Love.  Let your knowledge that God is Love shut out your anxiety.

1,000 things by 1%

You can't improve 1 by 1000%, but you can improve 1,000 by 1%.

Work on all virtues, and focus on small gains.  Very soon you will have gained a great depth of holiness!! If you focus on only one virtue and try to conquer it and perfect it before moving onto the others… your soul will be destroyed quite quickly.

Keep a prayer journal

Not only to record the things that God reveals to you, but also to record what you ask for.  In a month, or a year, go back and MARVEL at how God has answered them!!!!

True beauty frees from lust

"When beauty is recovered as purity and goodness, the person rejects pornography because there is no longer an attraction to it. The force of true beauty is great and can, even if slowly and imperfectly, replace the corrupt understanding of beauty," John Paul II,  Letter to Artists, no.16.

Men, you say you struggle with lust, but what you really struggle with is an understanding of beauty.  Discover true Beauty, and you will be freed from your lustful addictions.

Devil in the doghouse

It is quite laughable what the devil is reduced to when you trust in Jesus! Oh the little petty things he will do, out of anger that he is so reduced! Laugh at him, for his pride cannot take it, and he will run back to his pit.

Presence within

Be aware of God’s presence within you.  Do not look for Him outside of you! He is waiting in the chambers of your heart.

Pursue Truth

Your life is lived in pursuit of Truth.  Your conversations, too, must not search for right and wrong, but TRUTH.  In this way, you can speak with others and no matter their opinion or experiences recognize truth and pursue it with them.  Your relationships will be deep and harmonious rather than contentious and wrought with dissention. Everyone has equal value and contribution because their experiences are all fact and truth, and contain the Truth.

To he who has, more will be given

"To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” –Mark 4: 25

You have been given much for your faithfulness to the Lord.  You have sought Him, and you have found Him.  He has showered you with graces and blessings! Now you are closing up your petals, for fear of losing what you have gained.  Open! Fear not! For He has promised that to the one who has, more will be given.  He will not remove His favor from you, but you must remain open in order to receive it! Whatever trials you may encounter are an increase, not a decrease in grace.

God’s will brings humility

The will of God will always bring you humility.  If you think you know what God is asking you to do, but you detect your pride being fed by it, then think again! 

Recall the Annunciation.  Mary is troubled by the angel’s praise and ponders what this could mean.  She asks for better understanding, humbling herself before the angel.  Then, she again is humbled as she proclaims herself the handmaid of the Lord and accepts the Lord’s will. Her Magnificat that she sings to Elizabeth is a song of humility before the Lord and the greatness He has given and asked of her.

You can tell a tree by its fruits… if your path is not bringing you the fruit of humility, you can be certain that it is wrong!

Devotions

Any devotion or action that invokes pride or irritability rather than love has no merit or worth.  Only love gives merit to your actions, no matter what they may be!

Care for one another, but trust in God

You must do all you can to care for one another, but do not let this become obsessive or controlling.  Do what you can, and trust in God that He can and will do the rest.

Preventitive check-ups

Just as you go to a doctor not only in the emergency room, but for preventitive check-ups and treatments, so you should go to Jesus, the Divine Physician.

Pray for healing

Do not simply pray for deliverance of your sins, vices, temptations.  Pray for healing.  Ask to be healed of your impurity, of your resentment, of your anxiety.  Christ desires to heal you, for He desires that you may love, and all these things stifle your ability to love.

Precious blood

Invoke the blood of Christ to wash away any evil thoughts or temptations.  Ask Christ to cover you with His precious blood and protect you from all evil.  Nothing can get through it.

Deliverance

If a demon is taunting you or tempting you, you must cast him out through the power of Christ. 

Spirit of _____, in the name of Jesus Christ and Mary his mother, depart from me.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I renounce thee spirit of _____, and I command you to leave me.

Jesus I trust in You!

These are possibly the most powerful five words you can ever utter.  By declaring your trust in Jesus, you can defeat all demons, be forgiven your sins, be delivered of temptation, fear, anger! 

Still your waters

In still waters, a particle will gently but quickly descend to the bottom depths.  In turbulent waters, it is thrown about and mixed with the other debris and spat out on shore. For anything God is telling you to reach your heart, you must still the waters of your soul.  The same is true for your husband or anyone else to give their love to you. Let God be the rock in which the waters of your soul rest, and it will find the tranquility and stability to be still.

Do what you can do; then trust the Lord

You are worrying.  Stop!  Ask yourself, what can I do about this situation? When can I do it?  Do what you can when you can, and leave the rest to God.

Doubt

You doubt that God loves you? Be still and know that He is God.  Until you are willing to listen, you will not know His love.  He is telling you of His love and faithfulness every moment, but you do not pause long enough to listen and let it sink into your heart. 

You doubt that your spouse loves you? Have you listened? Have you heard what he has told you? Have you paused long enough, and quieted your soul enough, that you can know his response? That’s what I thought.  BE STILL!

It depends on woman

"Who can despise these people, who have women like this among them? Surely not a man of them had better be left alive, for if we let them go they will be able to ensnare the whole world!" –Judith 10:19

When Judith arrives in the enemy camp, her beauty, holiness and femininity draw this statement from them. Truly, the state of a people can be determined by the women of their kin. The whole world will depend upon what woman will choose to be.

Wisdom is in the heart

King Solomon was the wisest man in the history of humanity.  But note that when he prayed to God asking for the wisdom to rule His people, God told him “I give you a heart so wise and understanding…” –1 Kings 3:12  God does not give him intelligence, nor knowledge, but a heart that can understand.  If you wish to be wise and holy, you must seek wisdom where it resides: in the heart.

Love is born

"Love is born of ardent prayer, be therefore first of all a soul of prayer.” –St. Peter Eynard

Love is born of knowledge.  You cannot love what you do not know.  The more you know, the more you understand, the more you will love.  If you wish to love God, pray.  Speak with Him, spend time with Him, discover Him! The more you know the more you will fall in love.  The same is true of your spouse.  If you wish to love him more, you must spend time in his presence and seek deeper and deeper understanding. 

Emptying and filling

For your love to be an eternal exchange, you must be emptying yourself while your lover is filling you, and you must fill your lover while he is emptying himself filling you.  In this way neither of your treasures is lost and each of you is full always.  This giving and receiving must be mutual and simultaneous, or you will find yourselves exhausted!  If you are not receiving until you have completely given, then you will be empty! Then you cannot give to your lover, who now full gives completely but can receive nothing because you have nothing to give; now he is empty.  No wonder you have so much strife in your relationship! Learn to give and receive at the same time.  This requires, as always, communication and trust. 

In-laws

"Honor your father-in-law and mother-in-law; they are now your parents.” Tobit 10:12

Such is the parting wisdom of Raguel to his daughter Sarah.  And you would do well to accept it! If you and your spouse are one, then you are he and he is you.  Your parents are each other’s parents now.

Every action with Love

Performing every action with love requires you to be in the present moment at all times, for God Himself is Love, and He is found only in the present moment.

Men who weep

"Raguel sprang up and kissed him, shedding tears of joy. But when he heard that Tobit has lost his eyesight, he was grieved and wept aloud…He continued to weep in the arms of his kinsman Tobiah.” Tobit 7:6-7

How rich and deep were the souls of holy men of the past! See how they weep with joy, with sorrow, are quick to express their affections. Where have they gone? Truly, a man of strength and deep love for God would weep in these occaisions of celebration and true sorrow. Men, do not confuse the weak petty emotions of tepid souls today with the deep, rich, strong movements in fervent souls. Grow close to God, and do not fear the latter, for it is good and holy.

Love allows choice

You may think that your obsession with putting virtue in another, in controlling their environment, in keeping them from doing the wrong thing, is loving them.  You fool! Love must go hand in hand with freedom, or it is not love.  Love allows the other the choice to love, because if it is not a choice, then it is not love.

God’s gift to woman

Note that God has written on the woman’s heart a deep longing to be found beautiful, to be delighted in! Praise our Lord that He has then created in man one who will delight in her!  Men, do not forget that your struggles with visual stimulation are a fight for that which is good and pure.  That same thing which can draw you to sin is meant to draw you to your wife and fulfill the deep longing in her heart.  Do not fail her! Give yourself to God that He might rightly order His creation.