He is right next to you

Stop crying desperately into the darkness -- He is right next to you, so close you can't see Him.

Honesty and freedom

Unabashed honesty is the path to freedom for your soul. How long will you hide the rot behind whitewash rather than baring your soul to Our Lord? He knows that the wood is rotten, you are not telling him anything He does not know. Ah yes, but you would be telling yourself something you don't know, and how can that be? You have selective knowledge, dear soul. You are so opposed to acknowledging your darkness, your sight denies that it is there.
Let our Lord shed a new light on your soul; you need not be afraid. Your failings do not mean that you are no longer useful to Him. They simply point to the fact that you need a Redeemer: Good News! He's already come! Not looking at your wound does not make it go away; you must go to the physician for cleaning and stitches that it may heal. Only then are you free to perform to your full capacity.

A simple greeting

I'm sure you have experienced a time when in the midst of a gloomy day, God brought you sunshine through a greeting from a stranger. Perhaps it was a cheerful clerk at a store, or a friendly person who held the door for you with a smile. But regardless of who it was, or how it was done, that warmth went through a crack in your armor. You remembered that it is good that you are alive and you were filled with a renewed vigor for life.

We all need to make an effort to use this to bring joy to the world; but how much more so should we ensure that we greet our Lord and His Mother throughout the day? What joy you would bring to them, as they watch so many of their beloved children walk the road to perdition without so much as a glance in their direction. And if you do, you will find that they have been trying to greet you all along, if only you had turned to them! If a smile from a stranger can do so much to lift your spirits, imagine if we accepted a smile from our Lady? Or a loving hello from our Lord?

Mortification of the mind

The most difficult mortifications are those of the mind, specifically that of the memory and the imagination. Yet they are the most important to retain holy purity-- not simply purity in regards to our sexuality, but our whole heart. We cannot claim to be pure of heart if we are concocting scenarios that degrade our brothers and sisters. Perhaps it is imagining how a person will insult you so that you can retaliate. Perhaps it is imagining a friend to perfection, such that you love not the person, but some imaginary portrait of her. These taint your heart and keep you from being able to love.

And memory: only such a great gift from God could be so twisted by the devil! When thoughts of the past come, you must wave them on through, as a police keeps traffic moving through a complicated intersection. Perhaps they are thoughts of past glory, perhaps thoughts of past sins that torment you; either way, you must not dwell on them, especially if they cause you to resist living fully in the present, in the presence of our Lord.

Memory and imagination, like every sense of the body, must be subjugated to the will in order to serve God's will. Only when used prayerfully to contemplate the Goodness of God, to enter into a closer connection with Him and His path for you, are they being used rightly. And indeed in these cases, what Goods they are! Their ability to recall and enter into scripture, to discern the will of our Lord, is truly a precious gift. But they cannot be used for these Goods if we have them occupied with other thoughts. Practicing on thoughts that are not evil in and of themselves, will make it that much easier to wave past any thoughts that are. This is the healthiest of mortifications: give up that which is good, because you love our Lord more.

With a smile

When you turn down an invitation or look away from something to avoid infecting yourself with its perversity, do so with a smile. There is no better way to invite others to the joyful life of purity, than to knowingly smile and turn the magazine around at check out. It will disarm them, and also the devil who is trying to get you to reject the goodness that these temptations pervert. That simple smile will remind you to turn to our Lord, and relish Him that is the source of all Goodness. It will allow you to keep alive in your heart the hope of the redemption of the world.