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Archive for the ‘Jesus’ Category

Letting God into our deepest depths

Posted in Catholic, Christian, Christianity, faith, God, Jesus, prayer, Saint Faustina's Diary, Theology, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 15, 2013 | 6 Comments »

In #55 of Sister Faustina Kowalska’s Diary she received spiritual counsel from Father Adrasz, S.J.  This is one of Father’s instructions for St. Faustina:

“Let God push your boat out into the deep waters, toward the unfathomable depths of the interior life.” 

 

shallowwater

shallow water

 

 

 

deepWaterCayBoatEntryShot

 

deep water

 

Are we afraid to let Jesus into the deep depths of our interior life?  Do we allow God into our lives enough so He can change us?    So the Lord is able to transform each of us into better beings?  Do we stop our boat from entering into deep waters?  Do we put limits on what we will allow God to do in each of our lives?  Do we put a shield up because we are afraid to change?

I pray, talk to God, trust in the Lord’s will for me more than I used to but. . . I find myself asking whether I allow God into the deep waters of my soul.  Do I only allow God to enter the shallow depths of my interior self?  Do I stop God from pushing my boat into deep waters?  I am guarded to a certain degree because of past events which happened in my life.  While I trust in God more than I used to I know that I need to allow Him enter the deepest depths of my soul.  I need to not push back and stop my boat from entering deeper waters.  God Bless.

 

 

H/T for images: amustard.com

integrateddigitalpublishing 

 

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3-year-old play ‘celebrating’ Mass — awesome and adorable!

Posted in Catholic, Catholicism, Christian, faith, God, Jesus, Mass, prayer, Religion, religious vocations, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 13, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

This video has become an online hit – 300,000 hits in about a week. Samuel wears priestly garments as he ‘celebrates Mass.  He is adorable!! It is totally awesome to see the tremendous faith of this little one. Samuel lives in Colombia. He is an orphan who lives with his grandmother and an aunt.

From CNA:

His relatives told reporters that last Christmas, Jaramillo did not ask for toys like most kids his age. Instead, he wanted “priest’s clothes” and the objects necessary to “celebrate” Mass.

He has learned to recite the Mass from memory with the corresponding pauses, intonations and gestures of an experienced priest.

In a reflection published by El Colombiano, Father Daniel Monsalve noted Jaramillo’s “passion for what he says and the tenderness that inspires him” in the videos.

“Amid a changing world that is at times indifferent to religious matters, this child appears as a testimony of love for God and fascination for sacred celebrations, most certainly fostered by those who care for him and by the priest of his parish,” Fr. Monsalve wrote.

Cases like that of Jaramillo “should not only awaken religious fervor but also serve as an example for the promotion of priestly and religious vocations, supported always by the encouragement of parishes, seminaries and houses of formation,” he added.

Jaramillo’s aunt, Elizabeth Rojas Arango, said, “This isn’t something we taught him, and we don’t even attend church,” but Jaramillo goes to Mass every Sunday and on Tuesdays with his grandmother, Rosa Eva Arango. CONTINUED

H/T Jean’s Bistro2010′s Blog 

Matthew 18:3 

And said: Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

 

 

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Trying to forget sickness so you are able to heal

Posted in Catholic, Christian, faith, God, health, Jesus, Prayers, tagged , , , , , , , , , on May 10, 2013 | 1 Comment »

This is from the book Song of the Sparrow by Fr. Murray Bodo O.F.M.

To slow down and let the healing happen.  How hard that is when the very sickness is a fear of slowing down, of not being able to function as well as we could, of paralysis of will.  Healing is most impossible when we cannot forget the sickness long enough for healing to start.

How does one forget their sickness when they are enduring extreme pain?  How does one forget their illness when the shaking in their hands and arms has gotten worse?  I certainly am unable to forget this but I am able to cope the best I can by knowing that God is with me, and by uniting my pain with Jesus on the Cross.  I can give my pain over to God and ask for His help as I go through all the various symptoms while doctors figure out what’s causing them.  I could be frustrated or angry since my health has taken a turn for the worse since my hysterectomy but I’m not.  I trust in God. I trust that Christ has a plan for me. I am going through these health issues for a reason but am waiting to find out for what purpose and where God is leading me.

I’m sure it is hard for people who have been active most of their lives to slow down as they get older.  How hard it must be to accept the symptoms associated with the developmental process of aging.  May God comfort those persons who are dealing with illness and symptoms due to aging.

Is it possible to forget your illness? Maybe during certain moments I can but after that I feel the symptoms related to my illness.  Do you really have to be able to forget your illness to be able to heal? Or is it impossible to heal when you remember your illness and feel symptoms caused by the sickness? I believe that persons can pray to God for healing and try to forget their illness as much as possible, go about living life the best they can but I doubt that persons can completely forget the symptoms they are going through which are caused by their illness.  I believe that God is the Ultimate Healer and with Him all things are possible.  God is able to heal us even of we do remember our sickness.

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Holy Readings and Thoughts

Posted in Bible, faith, God, Jesus, Religion, scripture, tagged , , , , , , , , , on May 8, 2013 | 2 Comments »

I read a meditation from the book Song of the Sparrow on fear and not letting fear paralyze us to the point where we won’t do something simply because we are afraid.   There is prudence in not doing dangerous things, or things each of perceives as dangerous.  Prudence can turn into fear and a lack of courage when we let fear take over our lives and we let fear decide for us what we will and won’t do.  Do we avoid evangelizing in public for fear of offending someone or being called names or possibly having something thrown at us?  If we have a special story to give witness to such as either a conversion story, an eye-opening experience of our Lord or a reversion story that brought us back to God and/or a religion are each of us letting our fears paralyze us so we avoid giving witness to others?

Then I read this scripture passage:

Matthew 17: 1-8

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.  And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”  When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.”  And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

God is calling each one of us to preach the Gospel even if it may be a bit uncomfortable for us.  We need to trust our Lord, that He will watch over us and take care of us. We need to listen and follow what Jesus said to Peter, James, and John.  We need to rise up and have no fear.  We need to conquer our fears with the help of our Lord. We need to repeatedly say Jesus I trust in You.

 

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Holy Reading and Thoughts — Monday April 29

Posted in Books, Catholic, Christian, faith, God, Jesus, Saints, Theology, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 29, 2013 | 2 Comments »

imagesSaint Faustina in her Diary described hearing Jesus say that He would leave the house because there were things that displeased Him.  Faustina had a vision where she saw the Host coming out of the tabernacle and landed in her hand.  The, she placed the Host back in the tabernacle.  This happened two more times her describing the third time how the Host transformed into the living Lord Jesus.  Jesus said “I will stay here no longer!”  A powerful love rose up in Faustina’s soul and she said to Jesus that she wouldn’t let Jesus leave this house.  Jesus disappeared.  Faustina put the Host back into the tabernacle.  Jesus stayed there and Saint Faustina did three days of adoration for the reparation of sins.

To be honest I’m not feeling the greatest today and am having a hard time thinking so please bear with my scattered thoughts.

I find it surprising that St. Faustina would hear Jesus say that He would leave a place because of there having been things that displeased Him.  Wouldn’t He stay there to try to guide persons to change that which displeased Him?  Jesus doesn’t give us any clues as to what displeased our Lord.  Was it something St. Faustina and the other Sisters did or failed to do?  Could that have been an empty threat to wake up St. Faustina, that Jesus never really intended to leave the house?  It just baffles my mind that since a few in His flock had gone astray, going by Jesus’ words, why would He have left them?

The imagery of what St. Faustina visioned has me wondering what we could have seen if a camera had been there to take pictures.  Would we have seen Jesus? Or an outline of Him?  There have been witnesses that have seen outlines and figures of ghosts so I don’t think it is far-fetched to think and hope that we could have seen our Lord in a photo.  I have seen different pictures depicting our Lord but do you have an image in your mind of what you think Jesus looks like?

In “Song of the Sparrow” Fr. Bodo talks about the love of God and how many people find it hard to believe that they are loved and lovable.  Yet God sent His only Son to die for us in the ultimate act of love.  An unbelievable act of love. Since Jesus died on the Cross for each of us in an unbelievable act of love is it so  It seems logical to me that the weak persons of little faith have trouble believing the “unbelievable.”  It takes great faith to believe the “unbelievable” so we should encourage those of little faith and try to understand why the person has trouble believing certain things.  I would ask, why wouldn’t God love us this much?  Why do you doubt that God would have sent His only Son to die that we may be saved?  God loves us and is waiting for each of us to know, feel, and show Him love in return.  God is Love.

God-love-1john410

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Mary, Christ’s Redemptive Masterpiece by Scott Hahn

Posted in Catholic, Christian, Dogma, God, Jesus, Virgin Mary, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 21, 2013 | 4 Comments »

Scott Hahn posted this video in celebration of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.  Scott Hahn explains about Mary as the New Eve and is very informative so I have posted the video today.

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Thoughts and Links

Posted in abortion, Catholic Church, Conservatism, Culture War, Ethics, Jesus, Links, Morality, prayer, Pro-Life, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 17, 2013 | 4 Comments »

I am having a good bit of pain today so I am trying to unite my pain with Jesus on the Cross.

In St. Faustina’s Diary she states that Jesus told her that He was going to punish a beautiful city in her country like he did to Sodom and Gomorrah.

Question: Do you think God punishes nations which allow and propagate evil?  Or do you think God allows natural disasters to occur for purposes of cleansing?  To have people feel the love of others as they are being helped? God could come into peoples’ lives as others follow Jesus’ example to help people who are in need.

Here are some links:

If Abortion Is Not Murder, Why Is Gosnell On Trial For Murder?

Until recently there has been a blackout by the media on this news story.  Why?  Could this be due to this story would highlight the gruesome nature of abortion? And that abortion is unsafe for both baby and mother?

RIP Lady Thatcher  

Pray, pray, pray again 

Five Things I Want My Cradle Catholic Friends To Know

The Ten Commandments, Moral Anarchy, and the Secular State

Pope: “Where there is calumny, there is Satan himself.”

My Thoughts On Pope Francis 

Pope Francis is a humble man of the people.

 

 

unborn baby abortion-twins-model

 

 

Please God change peoples hearts and souls so all of our children are protected both inside and outside the womb.  No person should have a right to kill an innocent human being.  Every life is precious.

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Divine Mercy Sunday: Jesus I Trust in You

Posted in Catholic, Catholic Church, Catholicism, Catholics, Jesus, tagged , on April 7, 2013 | 1 Comment »

Here is a great little bio on St. Faustina and Divine Mercy Sunday

Chaplet of Divine Mercy

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Wednesday Holy Reading and Thoughts

Posted in Bible, God, Jesus, Saints, scripture, Theology, tagged , , , , on April 3, 2013 | 1 Comment »

Jonah Chapter 2

1
But the LORD sent a large fish, that swallowed Jonah; and he remained in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
2
From the belly of the fish Jonah said this prayer to the LORD, his God:
3
Out of my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me; From the midst of the nether world I cried for help, and you heard my voice.
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For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the sea, and the flood enveloped me; All your breakers and your billows passed over me.
5
Then I said, “I am banished from your sight! yet would I again look upon your holy temple.”
6
The waters swirled about me, threatening my life; the abyss enveloped me; seaweed clung about my head.
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Down I went to the roots of the mountains; the bars of the nether world were closing behind me forever, But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD, my God.
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When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD; My prayer reached you in your holy temple.
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Those who worship vain idols forsake their source of mercy.
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But I, with resounding praise, will sacrifice to you; What I have vowed I will pay: deliverance is from the LORD.
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Then the LORD commanded the fish to spew Jonah upon the shore.

My Reflection:  Do you think God sends us our own “whales” to point us in the right direction? To influence our decision making?

I believe that God sends us “angels” on this earth to assist in our faith, prayer life, and decision making. But I also believe Satan sends “false angels” on this earth that appear to be good but are in fact deceiving us and leading us away from Christ.

We are called to follow the First Commandment, to worship only God, not false Gods. In this scripture passage the Holy Spirit guides Jonah to say “those who worship vain idols forsake their source of mercy”.  We are not to worship anyone or anything besides God.

God is ever merciful, but it is up to each of us to follow His Commandments, avoid idolizing objects or persons, and repent our failings.  The merciful God is always waiting with open arms for His Prodigal Children to come home.

As St. Faustina reflected on the Holy Trinity, on the essence of God, Faustina stated that she wanted to know and fathom who God is.  Then Faustina saw a light. In the light our Savior appeared to her with His Shining Wounds. St. Faustina heard a voice coming from the light which said, Who God is in His Essence, no one will fathom, neither the mind of Angels nor of man. Jesus said to Faustina, Get to know God by contemplating His attributes. 

So in our minds we will never have the capacity to fully understand who God is? God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, since we are unable to be all three of these things and it is impossible for us to experience what it is like to be the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit it makes perfect sense that Jesus would have said that neither man nor Angels can fathom who He is, we cannot know who God truly is.

We can try to know who God is by studying and pondering on His attributes.  As humans we will always have a skewed view or an altered view of the reality of God, who God is.  Plus, as individuals each of us can try to know God by using different methods, through different experiences, different prayers and types of prayer, by having different interactions with people of faith and people of no faith.  This is why each of us needs to work our hardest to know God the best we possibly can. There is always more to know about God. We can always become closer to God. Here are some divine attributes of God that each of us can contemplate on: Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnibenevolent, Omnipresent, immanent, transcendent, graciousness, holiness, incorporeality, infinity, incomprehensibility, eternity, and love.

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The Cross

Posted in Catholic Church, Christian, faith, God, Jesus, Lent, prayer, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 2, 2013 | 6 Comments »

crucifixion

Here is part of what Pope Francis spoke on the Via Crucis: 

I do not wish to add too many words. One word should suffice this evening, that is the Cross itself. The Cross is the word through which God has responded to evil in the world. Sometimes it may seem as though God does not react to evil, as if he is silent. And yet, God has spoken, he has replied, and his answer is the Cross of Christ: a word which is love, mercy, forgiveness. It also reveals a judgment, namely that God, in judging us, loves us. If I embrace his love then I am saved, if I refuse it, then I am condemned, not by him, but my own self, because God never condemns, he only loves and saves.

Doesn’t it seem like sometimes God doesn’t react to evil?  The way we think He should? As I was thinking about Pope Francis’ words I could see how they could be applicable in our own lives.  Much of the time we want to be the driver because we believe that we know what’s best for ourselves.  But a good deal of the time we just need to sit back, be a passenger, and let God be the driver.  We need to follow God’s will, not ours. We need to let God take care of a troubled relationship, someone who is sick, an individual who is fighting addiction, a person who has withdrawn from the Faith, or when dealing with an unexpected bump in the road in our own lives.  Jesus died on the Cross to save all of humanity.  Sometimes our reactions can do more harm than good. I believe sometimes we are called to be silent, pray, and trust that God will change a person’s heart and take care of the situation in His good time. 

With my being childless and having a hysterectomy due to my health issues I could be angry at God, but I’m not. Maybe something bad would have happened during my pregnancy if I had become pregnant? While it may have been my will to have been able to have kids it wasn’t God’s will. I am called to trust that God’s will is better for me. Maybe God has called me to a different path? Something that I may not have been able to do if I had kids right now? So even though you may be going through a trial in your life right now or dealing with something unexpected maybe God is preparing a better way for you? Maybe He is leading you in a different direction for a very special purpose? 

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