GPS

GPS

It's the 21st century; even my 70 year old dad uses his GPS to get places, even when I try to give him the directions that will get him somewhere easier.

The GPS helps us find our way, as well as what we might need to do on the journey. Need somewhere to eat? Sleep? Refresh? Siri, Tom-Tom, or whoever is on your phone is glad to tell you.  The billboards and road signs might give us some direction, but not completely, to our destination.

Sometimes the GPS might be hard to understand, or follow, or may not have all the information that we need on our specific route and trip.

What do we use to guide our journey to Christ?  The Bible, of course, is a great road map.  The Church.  Our Church leaders and spiritual leaders.  So often, we look to tangible things to guide us, and we should of course use these.  I like to think of the Bible as a Love Letter from the Lord.  You could also think of it as a road map to Heaven.

We've been given so many ways to find Him and reach Him in our lives.  But what about the times you don't have access to your Church leaders and advisers, or a Bible? Maybe you don't even have a Rosary by your side, or you are in bed trying to sleep, but your mind is too cluttered.

Get out your personal GPS. Pray. It can sound intimidating; after all, Who are we praying to? Only the most important 'person' in our lives: our Lord: Father, Savior and Holy Spirit.  I am a perfectionist in certain things and if I can't do it perfectly, I don't want to do it at all (I'm working on accepting imperfections in myself and such, though).  You don't have to have perfect prayer. You can start by talking to Him. Talk to Him however works best for you.  Some people like to use formal language in their private conversations/prayers; others use a free-flow of thoughts (that's how I usually do, which explains how this blog seems to 'free-flow' all over the place!).

I've had different experiences with prayer.  I've prayed formal prayers like the Rosary and Divine Mercy; sometimes I have a specific intention, other times I just want to honor God.  I've prayed by using simple words, sort of a meditation: Jesus, I love you.  One of the most moving experiences involving the Holy Spirit and our Father was simply talking to Him as if He was right next to me (which He truly is). We talked for hours; we laughed, we cried.

But, just like the GPS, if you don't listen or pay attention after you've given your request for directions, it does no good.  We spend so much time talking, and being assaulted by noise (at least in the city), we forget how to quiet our minds and listen.  Listening is an important part of prayer.  Have you ever learned anything in your life where you did all the talking? I should be an expert in that, so I can tell you that I never have.

Listen.  Quiet.  Breathe.  This might take practice, or you might realize you hear Him quickly; if so, you might think about that He was just waiting for you to ask.

Go Pray Soon (or)
God's Praying System

John 14:5-6

5 Thomas *said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” 6 Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
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Bless you and have a beautiful and joyful day being loved by the Lord!

Random thoughts for today

Today, September 11, 2013.  Every generation has that moment when their innocence or naivete is stripped from them in some way.  Two of the most traumatic ones that come to mind in recent history, that really changed America: 9/11/2001, of course, and Columbine school shooting.  I had always believed that my children were safe in school, and that we were always safe in the US.  Both of those things ripped away those illusions.  Growing up, the most catastrophic thing I can remember of a similar vein was the Challenger explosion.  I'll never forget my emotions on 9/11 and the days following, nor of Columbine. God bless and keep all those directly impacted by these, and other tragic events.

~~~
There is argument I've heard that God doesn't hear your prayers when you have sinned and have not repented, especially mortal sins/grave sins.  I don't agree with that, but I could be wrong.  Sometimes when I feel like I'm hopeless because I'm a sinner and so far from perfect, I still pray, and I've still been shown and given signs and Graces that are obviously His work. I'm so thankful that He reminds me of His love that it makes me want to work even harder to grow closer to Him.

~~~

St. Teresa of Avila, pray for us.

St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us.

St. Dymphna, pray for us.

St. Anne, pray for us.

Our Lady of Fatima, Lourdes and of Good Counsel, pray for us.

All saints and angels in Heaven, pray for us.

Lord, please hear our prayers, and forgive us our sins.

Sts. Peter and Thomas

The Catholic Church has a direct succession of Popes, going back directly to Simon Peter, our first Pope, and the one Jesus chose as the rock of the Church.

Was St. Peter perfect?

Perhaps his greatest sin was when Jesus told him what his sin would be, yet Peter told Jesus that wouldn't happen.

Would you say 3 times that you didn't know this man, especially so quickly and in succession? This man, who you know is your Savior, your Lord, and you claim not to know Him.  Actually, each time we sin, we are denying that we know and love Him.  When we ask forgiveness and offer repentance, we are saying we love the Lord more than ourselves, more than our sins. We are accepting Jesus Christ, proclaiming Him our Lord and Savior.

Luke 22:54-62

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Jesus’ Arrest

54 Having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance. 

55 After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them. 

56 And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, “This man was with Him too.” 

57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.” 58 A little later, another saw him and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” 

59 After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too.” 

60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 

61 The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” 

62 And he went out and wept bitterly.

What did Jesus do? Did He turn against Peter? Did He condemn Peter to Hell? No. He forgave him, and upon this rock, built His church. In earlier verses (remember, Jesus already knew that Peter would deny Him, since He is God) :

Matthew 16:17-19

And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon [k]Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 I also say to you that you are [l]Peter, and upon this [m]rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth [n]shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth [o]shall have been loosed in heaven.” 

So, this man, who committed perhaps the greatest sins of His life right in front of Jesus, was forgiven.

There was also the apostle, St. Thomas. 'Doubting Thomas' so might know him.  While he didn't deny knowing the Lord, he denied believing in Him, when others told him that Jesus had risen from the dead.  He wanted to see with his own eyes and touch Him with his own hands.  Then He believed.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2020&version=NASB

19 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and *said to them, “[b]Peace be with you.” 

20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace bewith you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 

22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and *said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 

23 If you forgive the sins of any, their sins [c]have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”

24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called [d]Didymus, 

was not with them when Jesus came. 

25 So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” 

But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

26 [e]After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been [f]shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then He *said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus *said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” 

Why This Gospel Was Written

30 Therefore many other [g]signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 

31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is [h]the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

It's not a sin to have questions, or even doubts. But not all questions have answers; not all doubts are well-founded.  That's where Faith steps in; we believe. Not just because of the thousands, millions of miracles and signs that we see occur every day, but because of those we don't see as well.

For more:

http://www.catholicbible101.com/thouartpeter.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Peter

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_the_Apostle

Being Christian

Being Christian...

• is following and loving Christ.
• doesn't mean being perfect.
• is not being 'holier than thou'.
• is accepting Christ's love for us.
• is not knowing all all the answers.
• is believing that He has and knows all the answers.
• means you'll stumble, fall, fail, make mistakes, sin willfully....but knowing His Forgiveness is yours for the asking, with true repentance.
• is never being alone; God is always in your heart.  He is even there if you don't believe or love Him. One turn, one word and you can find Him.
• is not accepting everything blindly, but accepting the things on Faith that He wants you to believe.
• does not mean hating other religions, ethnic groups, lifestyles.  It does mean detesting sin, especially because it parts us from God.
• is the hardest thing you'll ever do...and the most rewarding. It's still easier than sacrificing yourself on a crucifix for others who abused you, hurt you, denied you, killed you, don't love you, continue to sin and be imperfect. Yet He still loves us.
• believing that Heaven is our ultimate destination, and doing everything we can, although imperfectly, to get there.
• doesn't mean you are always happy. It won't solve all your problems. However, it DOES make them easier to bear.

Quick editorial notes and more....Sunday's first reading

I do a couple things differently when I'm writing about our Lord.

Normally, I'm very quick to note grammatical, spelling and punctuation mistakes (although, please forgive some of the free-flowing thoughts that were published late at night, proofed with eyes almost shut).

But when I refer to our Lord in any capacity, His Name is capitalized.  I take it another step: I also capitalize any 'trait' that belongs to Him, for lack of a better term.  For example:  His Love, His Forgiveness, His Mercy.  Anything that IS our Lord, is Holy to me.  While I often see 'His' or 'He' written as such, I rarely see it the way I do it.  That's fine.  It helps me to remember that All that is our Lord is Holy.

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In other news:
I've added one of our parish priests to my Facebook. That should speed up the confession process (just kidding!).

I'm a lector for this Sunday's Mass, for only the third time (2nd time scheduled; other time volunteered).  I was reading ahead of this Sunday's readings on my Laudate app, and lo and behold, the first reading is mine. By 'mine', I mean MINE!  If you'll scroll down to one of my earlier posts, you'll find Sirach and why it is so special to me.  Here is the reading from USCCB:

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 126

Reading 1SIR 3:17-18, 20, 28-29

My child, conduct your affairs with humility,
and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.
Humble yourself the more, the greater you are,
and you will find favor with God.
What is too sublime for you, seek not,
into things beyond your strength search not.
The mind of a sage appreciates proverbs,
and an attentive ear is the joy of the wise.
Water quenches a flaming fire,
and alms atone for sins.

This is so awesome!  This chapter and these verses were the Lord truly revealing Himself to me in my hour of need.

God is so good!

Sharing....

So, you may have read my story about the bookstore. A week later, I figured I needed to be better 'armed' and picked up a few plastic rosaries and pamphlets. I put them in my purse, not knowing why or when I'd need them, and I have a fairly small purse right now.

I went off to go to Mass in the city where I went the previous week, and as I drove, I wondered what I should do this week; should I go to the bookstore again? Hmmmm. I prayed for God to show me the answer. I got there 30 minutes early so I could do my Rosary and Divine Mercy Novena.

I had barely parked near the Church, and I saw a man walk up to a woman, but then move on. He spoke, and I thought he was speaking to someone behind me. He asked again..."Can I have some money for a sandwich?" Now, in the past I have given food to people, but not in many years. (I don't see many homeless in general in my neck of the woods). I also tend not to give money to people, although I will if I feel the 'push'. Without hesitation, I said I could buy him a sandwich. I had just noticed a Jimmy John's on the corner as I drove in; I didn't notice it last week, or when I was next door  last winter. He said thanks. The XXXX (not Catholic) Church (he said) wouldn't feed him because they caught him sleeping on their property. I won't judge either one, I don't know both sides of the story.

We walked over to the sandwich shop. We walked, and I believe he said his name was Jeremy. I put my Bible in the car so I didn't have to carry it in the heat, and we walked over. He asked about that (Bible Study? Nope, Mass.) and after I bought his lunch, I asked if we could sit at the table while he ate. I said I wasn't eating because I was going to Mass. He seemed intrigued. I asked if he'd like to come, and he declined politely. I mentioned to him that it was nice and cool in the Church; he could just watch if he wanted. Anyway, he ate, and saved half his sandwich and chips for later (plus the cookie that I surprised him with). I invited him again, and he said he had to meet friends. Okay, no worries.  I said I wasn't trying to preach at him, but , "If you knew where there was the best food in the world, and it was free, wouldn't you tell EVERYONE about it?" (Best I could come up with on the spot)

He acted like he was starting to go, but then got real serious. That eye piercing look. This didn't seem like a chance encounter. He asked if people who never had the chance to know Christ would still be able to go to Heaven. Now, I just happened to read something about that the other day. He seemed happy with my probably rambling answer. 

I then asked him if I could give him something. He said sure. I handed him a Rosary and a pamphlet. He was surprised. Then he surprised me. He asked if I could meet him on Friday. I asked if he would go to Church with me. He said, Yes!!! I told him he could go with me anytime, but I wasn't going to be able to buy him lunch every time. However, I thought later that I will make him a sandwich or two and bring it. I had apologized that I hadn't gotten the rosaries blessed yet; he asked if we could do that on Friday!  

He wasn't there that Friday and I haven't seen him since. Maybe I'm being taken advantage of. Maybe not. But I DO know that God gave me an almost immediate answer to my prayer. Praise God!!

Btw, I just started saying the Divine Mercy since last Wednesday  and the Novena Monday. I didn't notice, but this parish is consecrated (I think that's the right word) to the Divine Mercy!

I'm trying not to brag, really I'm not; I just want to share the blessing He has given to me. Who knows what next week holds?  Who even knows what this Friday holds? God does, and that's all that matters. 

Open your eyes, and He shows us amazing things!