Standing Up For Our Father

"...Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this faithless and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." Mark 8:38

I listen to a Country Worship CD quite often and there is a song on there called "I Can Only Imagine" by Emerson Drive. It's a very heartfelt song that expresses wonder about what we will do when we are face-to-face with our Lord. Will we stand or will we bow? Will we sing or will we be silent? I can't even imagine what it will be like to be able to see our Father, in all of His perfect glory. Talk about a humbling experience.

That experience won't happen though if we don't live our lives here on Earth according to Him. Jesus is telling us that if we express shame in this life of Him and don't speak His truths, then He will be ashamed of us when we face His Father. And rightfully so! He suffered greatly for us. He put Himself out there to be scrutinized for us and our eternal life. How can we turn around and deny Him or hide our faith in Him?

But believe me, I have done it. It hurts to say it, but I've definitely done it. Sometimes it can be embarrassing to say you are religious nowadays. It used to be the norm, but now we are considered crazy, rule-following snobs. It's that hate that scares me. I don't know what these other people, obviously overtaken by Satan, will do! But God will be glorified in our truths, in our ability to speak out for Him and the path He has laid out for us.

So how will you speak up for God the next time you are faced with shame or fear of your religious convictions?

Lord, I believe in you wholly. Please help me to shake off my sin and stand up with You.

Human Thinking

"Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." Mark 8:33

What does it mean to think as a human being? Well, I'm not really sure how to put this into words, but I can put in an example here.

I was talking with a good friend of mine, about a week ago I guess, and we were talking about why people leave the Catholic church. And she had just learned of an insight from someone else about this. A lot of times, people leave the Church because they don't like the priest, or they don't like all the rules. I'm sure there are more reasons, but these are all human reasons for leaving the Church. The examples I listed here are not guided by God, they are guided by Satan.

Satan will do everything in his power to keep us from getting closer to God and doing what we need to here on Earth to be with Him eternally in Heaven. We must be conscious of those efforts and tell him to get behind us! Tell him to get out of the way! Stand up and fight those human urges guided by Satan to deny God and His Word.

Have you recognized events in your life where you let Satan guide you in human responses rather than with Godly ones? How will you resist those temptations in the future?

Lord, when Satan gets in my face, help me to put him behind me so I can follow Your ways.

Therapy

When they arrived at Bethsaida, they brought to Him a blind man and begged Him to touch him. Mark 8:22

"Mommy, do you need a hug today?" Those are the words of my soon-to-be seven-year-old sweetheart of a daughter. And every time she asks me, of course I say, "YES!" It's very healing. She typically asks me if I'm having a tough day with them. You know how it is. The hormones kick in and the kids are just on your last nerve?! And then I get a hug. It just all seems to melt away and I remember how much I love my babies. And this behavior passes on to my younger children and my four-year-old son will ask me if I need a hug too.

Touch is so very powerful. And I never thought about how touch is all through Jesus' teachings. That's how He healed, is through touch. That's how we can heal each other, is through touch. We are afraid to touch each other nowadays, and I am one of them that is afraid, or maybe I should say, cautious. We don't want to invade the others' personal space. And to be honest, some of us just aren't touchy kind of people! But just the touch of someone's hand on your shoulder or your hand, says something, doesn't it? It tells you that that person cares about you. Touch makes things more personal between us human beings and it can have that therapeutic affect, just like Jesus.

How will you reach out and touch your brothers and sisters today?

Lord, teach me to touch my brothers and sisters as You did.

Getting Back on Track

Do you not yet understand or comprehend? Are your hearts not hardened? Mark 8:17

Jesus warns His disciples against the actions of the Pharisees. He warns them not to get caught up in their ways and in their doubts about Jesus and His power. The Pharisees do not realize why He says these things. They think it is because they did not bring bread as they were told.

Jesus did a lot of teaching when He was here on Earth. He taught for about 3 years and there was a lot to teach us in that short period of time. So when His followers didn't listen to everything He told them, I can imagine He may have gotten a little frustrated.

But we all still need reminders don't we? We all have times where we need to be reminded to stay on the right track. I know I do! We fall off the bandwagon. We skip a prayer now and then, and then that prayer time is gone and we have to get it back. We start gossiping about others, being jealous of what others have, or disrespecting our parents. These are all human characteristics, but they are all works of the devil too. And it's human nature to get caught up in that and forget His ways. And our lives are different when we give in to those temptations isn't it? I know for me my thoughts are more clouded and my irritability increases. That's my little reminder that I have gotten off track.

The important thing though is that we come back to Him and His commandments.

So how are you reminded that you have fallen away from our Lord? How do you get yourself back on track?

Lord, I feel so much better when I follow Your teachings. Help me to stay on Your path.

Seeking Signs

[Jesus] sighed from the depth of His spirit and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?" Mark 8:12

So why do we? Why do we seek signs from our Lord? I know for me it's because I want to know I'm doing the right thing. I want to know that I'm making the choices He wants me to make. Then when I get a sign, I wonder if it's His sign, or if it's the devil. It can be so confusing!!

So then I sit back and think about it some more. The outcome of our decision may not come right away. As long as it stays consistent with His commandments, we must make our decision and just do it! I'm a very impatient person though, so waiting to see what is going to happen is not easy. I want to see those results right away.

I was recently finishing my book by Mother Angelica and she talks about getting into projects without figuring out the details (like if she's going to have enough money). She said that when money got tight, she would get some sort of big donation and all would be well. Her efforts were rewarded and supported by our Lord, so He paved the way for her success.

Now I'm not saying to go out and buy a house without knowing whether or not you can afford it. But He will clear the path for our success if it is in His plan.

So what is on your mind today? What do you have to decide to do? How will you wait for His signs?

Lord, I want to do Your will. Please be with me as I make my decisions today.

Let Go of the Reins

But the serpent said to the woman: "You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it [the tree] your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is bad. Genesis 3:4-5

I feel like I'm in English class sometimes when I read the Bible. This particular passage in particular because the whole scenario of Adam and Eve is one big metaphor. The tree that Eve was tempted to try the fruit from is a reminder to us that the devil is out there tempting us all the time with promises of power. He wants us to think that power and control over our lives comes from us, and not with God.

I lived for a long time thinking, and trying very hard, to control my life. I was making decisions based on the life that I wanted to live. I wanted my life to be what I wanted it to be. I wasn't considering God's wants. And do you think it was a happy and good time of my life? NO!! It was full of turmoil and fighting with family and friends. The devil loves that and will let you go at that.

But when I relinquished that control to Him, and let Him guide me in the direction He had planned for me, things became easier. Everything seemed to fall into place and it all was truly starting to make sense. It's not easy giving up that control, don't get me wrong. We all want to feel like we have control over our lives. But really, it is God who has a special plan for us.

So how are you going to relinquish that control today?

Lord, I want to live by Your way. Take the reins of my life and show me Your plan for me.

From the Rib

The LORD God then built up into a woman the rib that He had taken from the man. Genesis 2:22

God created us women from man's rib. Some may say that makes us less than man, but I couldn't DISagree more. God created man first. When he saw that this man was lonely, He created many other creatures in order to provide him with a suitable partner. The man named all the creatures, but none of them proved to be suitable.

So God put him into a deep sleep and created woman.

Did you notice the use of the word "partner" here? Man and woman are partners. We were given different qualities so that we could work together. Man is not meant to be woman, and woman is not meant to be man. We each have qualities about us that enable us to live together and raise children and to be able to participate in society.

It's hard to work with someone who is just like you isn't it? If you both want control, the partnership doesn't work. If you both want the other one to make all the decisions, the partnership doesn't work. That's why God set man as head of the household. It doesn't mean that women are any less than them, just that we have different, but also important, roles.

So how will you show your spouse that you want to follow God's order today?

Lord, I realize that you created us in Your image. Please stay with me and help me to be that for You so that I may have a happy, healthy family.

Pollution of Our Souls

Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile. Mark 7:15

Defile. What is defile? Defile is unclean, filthy, dirty. This Gospel reading is telling us that our sins come from inside of us. It's not the food we eat, or the people around us, it's what is inside of us and the decisions that we make for ourselves that creates the pollution of our souls.

When I think of pollution, I think of dirty, cloudy air that makes it difficult to breathe. I can't see things good and it destroys our Earth little by little. The same thing happens to our souls when we sin. When we make the choice to show malice, commit adultery, be arrogant, or act with envy, we are polluting our souls with sin. That sin slowly eats away at our souls until we bring them to God and repent for them.

So how will you cleanse your soul today? Are you going to go to Confession? Are you going to "come clean" with your sins that you and you alone have committed?

Lord, I know that it is I who have committed my sins. Please lead me down Your path of righteousness so that I may rightfully confess my sins and cleanse my soul.

Overcoming Rules as a Barrier

You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition. Mark 7:8

Boy am I learning a lot by reading the Bible... go figure.

Anyway, Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees here. They were concerned because some of His apostles had not washed their hands before eating. This disturbed them very much because it was a tradition of the elders. So Jesus basically told them that they should be more worried about what God commands, instead of what human beings command.

Rules generally keep order in our society, don't they? But what happens when there are too many? What happens to us when we start making rules that are petty? I know for me I feel like I want to rebel more because I'm feeling controlled. Something comes to mind from a recent conversation I had with a friend: Make sure you pass a bicyclist with 3 feet of space. There is an effort around here to make that a LAW. I believe in rules and laws, but there are also things that we as human beings need to use our best judgment on and we need to keep God's rules first.

So how are you going to honor His rules today? What rules are you following that are human, and perhaps against God's?

Lord, Your commandments are the most important to me. Help me to follow these throughout my day.

Reach Out to Him

They scurried about the surrounding country and began to bring in the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. Mark 6:55

Jesus was a healer and the word spread fast! I know if I was in need of healing, I would have found Him too. So what holds us back now? Why don't we seek Him more readily when we need healing nowadays? Is it our lack of faith? Or maybe we feel like we don't need Him because we can take care of things ourselves.

Well, we can't. Without our Lord and His healing ways, we have nothing. Without our faith in His ability to help us and heal us, we have nothing. Granted, He doesn't always reach out and heal us directly. Remember, he also uses others to help us heal.

But it takes humility to admit that we need healing doesn't it? It takes a certain amount of admission of a failure to help ourselves. And that takes courage! So let's be courageous today!

How are you going to reach out to our Lord today? What is it that you need healed? Something physical? Something emotional? Something psychological?

Lord, I am bringing you my sufferings and worries. I am open to Your healing.

Quiet, Rest, Peace

[Jesus] said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." Mark 6:30

"Rest? Rest?! No time for rest!" we say. How can we rest when there's laundry to do, kids tugging on my leg, dirty dishes in the sink, and my husband is calling me?? Where are we supposed to rest?

We are supposed to find time to rest, to find quiet, peaceful moments to pray. Jesus took time during His teachings to find quiet and pray. It's essential to us as human beings, as followers of Christ, to find that time to pray. Leave the laundry. Leave the dishes. Give your children a job to do or a toy to play with. Tell your husband to wait a minute. :) Go find some quiet and pray. Even if it's for a few minutes. Take that time for yourself.

I'm not saying that I do this often, but when I make time to pray, it makes a big difference in my attitude towards others. I prayed my Rosary Monday morning because I was feeling grumpy. I knew that I was going to start my day off bad if I didn't take some personal time with the Lord or our Blessed Mother. I sat on the couch, took out my Rosary beads, and prayed the Rosary. WHEW! It really helped. It usually does. But just that 15-20 minutes that it took me to get through it was enough to refocus on my life, on my kids, on my house, on the goals I set for myself that day.

So take some quiet time to rest, find peace, and pray today. How will do you that?

Lord, help me to follow Your example in prayer. I want it to be an essential part of my life.

Entertaining Angels

Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels. Hebrews 13:2

Hospitality can mean so many different things. When I think about it, showing hospitality for our neighbors can be scary nowadays. We don't really know our neighbors the way we used to. Because of that, a lot of us, including myself, fear reaching out because we don't know what they will/could do.

But there are alternatives to visiting with a stranger. We don't have to go knocking on their door and have tea. We can do little things like let a car come into the long traffic line. Wait for a mom and her kids to cross safely across the street or parking lot. We can let a customer go ahead of us that has 2 items over our 100. We can help our elderly to their car and load their groceries for them.

Those are also acts of hospitality. It doesn't have to be award-winning, just thoughtful and done to help each other as human beings. I think we have lost this, but it only takes a few to get the ball rolling, and maybe some of those we help, will pay it forward and we can slowly turn our society around and entertaining more angels....

So what will you do today to show your hospitality?

Lord, I want to make your angels smile. Help me to keep my mind open to this today.

Determining Our Freedom

He summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. Mark 6:7

Have you ever called someone immature? I have. But I also know that I myself have been immature for most of my 31 years of life. I was immature because I was out having fun. I was hurting people that hurt me. I was stubborn in a hateful way. I was angry in a very angry way. I was out doing what I wanted to do without thinking about what God wanted for me.

Isn't that what immaturity is? We are immature when we live our lives with that sense of freedom. That sense of, "I can do what I want and who cares!" But now I live with more maturity and the freedoms that God creates for me. I actually use my senses when I make a decision and think about our Lord and other people before I celebrate "freedom."

I'm so glad that the Lord gave his Apostles this power to cleanse us of those unclean spirits that make us feel "free." Once I came to terms with the fact that this "freedom" I was feeling wasn't freedom at all, I was able to repent. I went to confession and the priest was able to talk to me about the things I was there for. Now I'm able to turn my life into freedom with our Lord. I have found that the rules He gave us creates freedom, not stifles it.

So how are you going to determine your freedom?

Lord, thank you for sending your Apostles out to cleanse us. Thank you for giving me chance after chance after chance to repent and show my love for you and live according to You.

Faith Can Lead to Healing

So He was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying His hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. Mark 6:5-6

Jesus cannot heal us without our faith in Him. We need to keep our hearts and our minds open to His teachings. Through this openness and acceptance, we learn to trust Him. All of this leads to a greater faith in the works of our Lord.

We all need some sort of healing don't we? While Jesus is not literally walking the earth any longer, healing us with His touch, He is still all around us. He uses us to heal each other. He uses our strong faith in Him to heal those that need healing, but He may also heal us Himself.

He cannot do these works without us. Well, I suppose He could, but He doesn't want to. He wants us to believe in Him and have faith in His love and power.

How are you going to show Jesus your faith in Him? How are you going to show Him your openness to His love and generous acts of healing?

Lord, my mind and heart are open to You. I trust You. Heal me of all my physical and emotional pain according to Your Will.

How Powerful is Faith?

Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction. Mark 5:34

By this Scripture, faith is everything. Faith is what's going to get us through this life and into the next.

Jesus was talking here to a girl who was very sick. She had been hemorrhaging for years. She had heard of Jesus and knew if she just touched Him, she would be cured. She found Him, touched His cloak, and she was cured. Jesus didn't even know what had happened! When He turned to find out, He told her that her faith had saved her. Because she believed, because she had that faith, she was able to be healed of her physical suffering.

How awesome is that?! I heard a song on the radio last week, in bits and pieces, and it was about faith and doubt. She was asking questions like "What if it's a folktale?" "What if..." "What if...." Then she says, "What if you're wrong? What if there's more?" So if you don't believe, and there's more, what do you say to Him when you are confronted on your judgment day? I can't even imagine.

It's faith vs. doubt. I have doubt sometimes, we all do. But it's important that we keep our faith. I do that by recognizing all the amazing things God has done for me in my life since I put it in His hands.

Some may ask, why doesn't He show Himself if He's there? Well, there's a simple answer for that: He's testing our faith.

So how will you keep your faith today? How will you fight the evils of doubt?

His Test

Because He Himself was tested through what He suffered, He is able to help those who are being tested. Hebrews 2:18

Have you ever thought about what Jesus was like when He was growing up? Have you ever wondered what Mary and Joseph said to Him or the questions He asked? Did He like to take things apart like my son to see how it works? Did He like to sit down and read and write like my daughter? Did He dance around the house as a toddler like my other daughter?

I wonder about those things. How He might have been like before He came out to us with all of His Godly wisdom, suffering, and death. Thinking about Him in this way gives Him more human characteristics and helps me to be able to talk to Him, pray to Him, and ask Him for guidance.

Jesus was sent to us in human form so He would know what it's like to be tempted. So He would know what it's like to be human! This experience helps Him to be understanding of what we go through as a human, but it also enables Him to help us.

What are you going to talk to Jesus about today? Patience? Health? Wisdom? Happiness? Guilt?

Dear Lord, thank you for suffering for me so that you can understand me and the temptations that I endure every day. I ask you to guide me in Your ways and answer the door when the devil comes knocking.

All We Need is Faith

Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

Faith to me is something that I feel. And the more I know and learn about God, the more faith I have in Him. The more faith I have in Him, the more my eyes are open to see how He works in my life. Sometimes I don't like to see it, but more often than not, He is trying to tell me something. Sometimes I wonder if He's yelling at me because I'm just not getting it!

Faith is not luck. Faith does not come in those emails we get that say, "Pass this on to 5 friends and you will get your wish." I know, I have passed them on before. I don't truly believe in them. Sometimes they have a good message, and sometimes they're just fun.

But it's important for us to know, and to teach our children, that faith is not magical. It's not lucky, and it's not about wishing. It's about following the law that's in our heart and believing in what we cannot see. Our faith is what brings us to pray. Our faith is what brings us to act a certain way. Our faith is what drives our motivation. Our faith is what brings us closer to God and closer to the truth.

What does having faith mean to you?

Lord, I want what you want for me. Please lead me down Your path.

Your Heart's Desire

Find your delight in the LORD
who will give you your heart's desire. Psalm 37:4

As you may know I have a helper when I do my devotionals. It's a mini-magazine called Living Faith. I get to read a devotional before I send you one each day! The devotional for today is so neat, I'm going to share part of it with you:

Recently, I heard a man say that he decided to trust that God had someone in mind for him to be his life's partner. He just didn't know who that person was. So, on those days when he felt most lonely, he wrote love letters to his future spouse. On New Year's Eve when he had no one to kiss, on Valentine's Day when he had no one to send him a card, he wrote love letters to "his heart's desire," and trusted that God would open his heart and his eyes to the right person. On his wedding day, his gift to his bride was a box of love letters written to her when he didn't even know who she was.
- Claire J. King

Isn't that awesome?! What an inspiring story of faith! While I feel like I'm more comfortable in the spot God has placed me in, I still don't feel like I have that kind of blind faith. I wish I could let go more and let Him work His power. But when I do that, I can feel myself tighten the reigns again.

Do you do that? Do you have moments when you decide to let go and throw your life to His goodness and His will and then draw back a little?

Thank You Lord, for the presence You have made plain in my life. Help me to keep my faith in You and follow Your every desire!

Speaking with Truth

We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works. We should not stay away from our assembly, as is the custom of some, but encourage one another, and this is all the more as you see the day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who is telling you about a problem they are having and you want to talk about God with them, but you're afraid? You want to tell them to pray. You want to tell them to talk to God about it. You want to tell them to listen to His whispers and follow His ways. You want to tell them that He loves them if they only ask Him for His forgiveness.

I have. Why don't we? For me it's fear. It's fear that this other person won't take me seriously. It's fear about how this other person will think of me because I'm speaking of God. That's sad, isn't it? It's sad that we have this fear now of talking about God. There are so many wonderful things that have happened in my life since I let Him take control. And I want to shout it to the world! But I'm afraid.

Well, that fear will get in the way of our family and friends hearing the truth. I try to remind myself of that all the time. It will get in the way of them having a closer relationship to God. Our friends and our family deserves the best of us. The best of us is the love we have for God. Let it shine through! Show them how wonderful it is. Make them want what you have!

"Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear." (Mark 4:23)

So who are you going to talk to today?

Lord, give me the strength and courage to speak of you with truth and act with your light inside my heart.

The Law in Our Hearts

I will put my laws in their hearts. Hebrews 10:16

"Law" is a scary word to some people isn't it? Who wants to be confined by a bunch of "laws?" Who wants to be told what they can and can't do, where they can and can't do it, and with whom they should or shouldn't do it with? Well, I for one like laws and rules. It gives me something to go by. Our society depends on laws and rules so we are not "unruly" people.

As Christians, I think there are going to be some governmental laws that may not coincide with God's law. He gave us laws that he wants us to live by and hold close to us in our hearts. They are called the Ten Commandments. Those are the laws that should come first, regardless of what the laws of our society are.

Spread the News!

I announced Your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
Your justice I kept not hid within my heart;
your faithfulness and your salvation I have spoken of;
I have made no secret of your kindness
in the vast assembly. Psalm 40:10-11

Can you say that you've done this? I can say that I've done this, but I don't do this all the time. I find myself lately holding my tongue. I don't exactly know why, but I have a feeling He doesn't like it when we do that!

It's hard isn't it? It's hard to speak out sometimes with our love for Him and the good works that He does. When I first started coming around to knowing God, I couldn't keep my mouth shut and I just had to start a blog. I wanted to shout it to the world! It all made sense now. I saw all the negatives in my life with a positive spin now that I lived for God. It was absolutely amazing to see this light.

When something new like this happens to us, we want to do that don't we? Shout it to the world? Then time goes by, and it's just such a part of our life, it doesn't feel so new anymore. This Scripture comes just in time for me to start shouting again!!

Lord, stay with me and work through me so that I may shout Your good works without reservation.

Paying it Forward

I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and that I am confident lives also in you. 2 Timothy 1:5

As you can see, this second letter to Timothy is quite personal. The use of names here can tell you that. This passage tells us also that faith was rich in Timothy's family life. He was surrounded with love of the faith in Jesus.

I was not raised that way, and here I am, trying my best to be an active, practicing Catholic. Who knew? I think that the elders in our families are of great influence to us and how we live and end up to be. Whether we end up like them or not, they influence us in one way or the other. We watch them and how they treat others. We watch them work through conflicts, or not. We watch them and the things they like to do with their spare time. All of that contributes to us as a person.

In my case, faith was not passed on by way of Catholicism. But I do hope that I can pass on my love for our Lord and my faith to my children and their children's children.

Lord, help me to keep you in my mind, my heart, my actions, and my lips so I may pass on Your love to future generations.

Honoring the Holy Throne

God is king over all the earth;
sing hymns of praise.
God rules over the nations;
God sits upon His holy throne. Psalm 47:8-9

I suppose this passage is pretty self-explanatory. I feel it is an important one to talk about right now, and have had a hard time figuring out what to say without getting into politics too much. I think it is crucial that we hold strong to our King, our one true King.

The media has taken a man, your everyday American, and made him to be our messiah, and now he is our president. Barack Obama is our newly inaugurated president and his policies that he professed to implement once he is president, do not quite match up with God's.

I think we get confused sometimes as to who to we should look to to be "saved." We are going through harsh economic times, yes. We are in the middle of a major war with another country, yes. But should we put those things ahead of the importance on human life? Would that be God's rule in God's Kingdom?

Lord, help me put your Will first. Everything else will follow.

Take the Plunge

[Jesus] went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to Him. Mark 3:13

My daughter has a religion test today and when we were studying last night, part of what she was studying, was about Jesus calling His apostles to follow Him. Can you imagine this man, whom you don't know, calling you to follow Him? What would you do? Think about the uncertainty that must have been going through their minds at that time, the fear that they must have been feeling. They didn't know what was going to happen.

Well, we're really no different. We don't know what's going to happen in our lives either. We don't know what's going to happen from one second to the next, from one day to the next, from one year to the next. Jesus calls us to follow Him each and every day, each and every second. There's that uncertainty and fear when we let go of our lives and follow Jesus. We don't know where He's going to take us.

Are you going to take the plunge and follow Him?

Dear Lord, I'm letting go, I'm taking the plunge. Lead me down Your path.

My Delight

To do Your will is my delight;
my God, Your law is in my heart! Psalm 40:9

I just love this passage and it comes at a good time for me. As we go out in the world to spread the word of God and His love, we can run into others that may be unreceptive, judgmental, and/or opposing of what we have to say. That's just the way it is. Not everyone sees things in the same way. I would say that if every Catholic were interviewed, every Catholic would have different views on Catholicism. That's how God made us: individually.

It's important that we keep God's law in our hearts so we can speak with love and truth to others. God does not want His Word to be kept a secret. It is our responsibility as Christians to spread His love in our thoughts, actions, and words.

Dear Lord, may Your law remain in my heart and on my lips.

Stand Strong

[Jesus] said to them, "Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" But they remained silent. Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." Mark 3:4-5

I suppose upon first reading this, you could take this Scripture passage in a life-saving sort of way. But I picked up my Catechism and read a little more into the details. In this particular situation, Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees. It was a sabbath day and a man with a withered hand was asking to be healed. There are laws about the sabbath day and that we are to rest. That is God's Law. Jesus proceeded to ask the Pharisees the above question. When they were silent, He was angry, and healed the man anyway.

The Pharisees went back to Herod and they, together with priests and scribes, plotted together to destroy Jesus. They saw Him as demonlike because they thought He had gone against God's Law about the sabbath day.

Because Jesus decided to heal this man, the Pharisees considered it work. But Jesus wanted them to realize that loving is not working. Doing the work of God, serving Him and helping your neighbor is not work. These kinds of acts are OK on the sabbath day, our day of rest.

Lord, help me to put Your love for us first and keep Your day Holy.

Don't Stop Now!

For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love you have demonstrated for His name by having served and continuing to serve the holy ones. Hebrews 6:10

This was the very first Scripture passage I read this morning. Can you believe it? And today is the day we are going to inaugurate a new president who is in full support of abortion. Some of us have worked very hard on the Pro-Life movement. Whether it be praying, speaking, blogging, writing, we have done it. Some of us have done it longer than others, but we have nonetheless fought.

And it may feel like this day is a day of anguish. It may feel like today is the day we can say good-bye to our efforts. But I'm telling you it's quite the opposite.

Do you think it's a coincidence this passage is part of today's readings? Do you think this is a coincidence that this passage was the first one I read? No way! There are no coincidences or "funny" things that happen. This is all part of God's plan. He is supporting us in our efforts to continue on His path to righteousness. He is telling us to KEEP GOING! DON'T GIVE UP!!

He is pleased with our work.

Dear Lord, continue to use me to do Your good works. Give me the strength and the hope of a future that centers on You and Your Will.

Obedience

Son though He was, He learned obedience from what He suffered. Hebrews 5:8

Jesus Christ was deemed High Priest by His Father, Our Father, the only and only: God. Jesus did not do this Himself. Because He was able to live the human life, it makes Him easier to follow because He can understand the humanly temptations to sin.

He was sent by Our Father to save us from our sins. In doing so, Jesus learned to obey His Father and follow out His Will. Just like Jesus, we are to do the same. We should be showing obedience every day.

Now, this is not as hard as you may think. Well, maybe sometimes.... Once we realize that we are not in control of our lives and give our path to Him, life sort of starts to come together. It has for me. Those things that I used to think were "lucky" or "coincidental" were not such things at all. It's all part of God's plan for us.

I have a good example of this at Karen's Catholic Journal today as Mother Angelica's First Degree of Prayer: Strength.

Dear Lord, please help me to see my life through Your eyes and obey your every command.

Church-Going Sinners

Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Mark 2:17

Have you ever looked around Church and wondered who was there with grace and who wasn't? Who was there with a clear conscience and who wasn't? Have you known someone to be in Church that you deemed not worthy to be there because they were a sinner?

I'm sure we've all been in that boat before and we think, "What's she doing here? I heard she cheated on her husband." Well, she's in Church because Jesus called her to be there. He calls all of us. We go to the doctor when we're sick don't we? If we went to the doctor only when we were well, that wouldn't make much sense, would it?

The best place for a sinner to be is in Church. To listen to the Word of God and receive His graces so that he may go into the world with God in his heart, mind, and actions. Church teaches us what to do according to Him, so we all go to Church for that truthful healing.

Dear Lord, please help me to keep an open mind and accept all into Your home.

Speak with Truth

We have heard them, we know them;
our ancestors have recited them to us.
We do not keep them from our children;
we recite them to the next generation,
The praiseworthy and mighty deeds of the LORD,
the wonders that He performed. Psalm 78:3-4

Have you ever talked to someone who was extremely intelligent? So intelligent that you had a hard time following what they were trying to say? I have. If we are to speak the truth about God and His works to the next generation, we must speak in a way that they understand. We must remember to keep our vocabulary simple and explanations on their level.

So if we're talking to our children about where babies come from and they're 2, 3, 4... we can tell them babies come from God (thank you for that Crystal!). Now, depending on how much they already know, they may have more questions, but to make my point, I'm going to keep that simple....

If we're talking to others about God, His works, or His will, we must remember where they are coming from. Maybe they are coming from a Godless life, a Godless childhood. Maybe they are coming from different religious views. In that case, we must speak with understanding and acceptance. That's why it's important that we learn about others.

So we speak the truth about God. But we must do it in a way that doesn't overwhelm others or offend too badly.

Dear Lord, I love You so much and want to share it with the world! Please help me to use the right words so that my faith may be passed on.

Soft Hearts

Encourage yourselves daily while it is still "today," so that none of you may grow hardened by the deceit of sin. Hebrews 3:13

There were many years in my life where my heart was hardened to Christ. Well, I'm not so sure that it was hardened, but it definitely wasn't soft. It was a time in my life when I wanted to do what I wanted to do. God's plan did not come first. I spent years fighting for my freedom and doing what I wanted. During that time, I argued with people, I fought with people, I was angry with people, and I gossiped with people. It was not a happy nor peaceful time.

Since I recently softened my heart to our Lord, my life has become more peaceful. I gave in. I gave into His ways. I gave into His Will. It seems so logical now. It feels so much less stressful as soon as I let God take over. Now granted, I'm not perfect (obviously). I'm not saying I don't get angry, or gossip, or get in arguments. But it's different now. My anger does not overcome me and my arguments have a different tone. I have an understanding of the other side and am more likely to let things go. I let it go into His hands.

Lord, help me to continue on Your path by keeping my heart soft and open to you.

Our Friend

Everyone is looking for you. Mark 1:37

We are all looking for Him aren't we? When do we look for Him the most? Well, I know for me, when something bad is happening, happened, or is about to happen, I search for God. I search for His guidance. I want Him to tell me what to do. I want Him to tell me how to fix this!

Jesus spent some of His time here on Earth healing the sick: helping blind to see, curing incurable diseases. Can you imagine witnessing this? Wouldn't you seek this man out? This man who is our Savior with this power to heal? Of course we would. We would want Him to heal us or our loved ones too.

But it is also important that we spend time with Him as our friend. Wouldn't it be nice to talk to Jesus like a friend? To talk to Him about our day? To ask him questions about where we are going and doing?

We must remember that Jesus wants to be our friend. He wants to help us, but I bet He would also love for us to come to Him, just to come.

I talked further about this in another post from Mother Angelica if you're interested.

Humility

You made Him for a little while lower than the angels;
You crowned Him with glory and honor,... Hebrews 2:7

Have you ever seen someone come into a room and try to be the life of the party? Or are you one of those people? I think we sometimes feel like we need this attention to feel good about ourselves. Well, I"m not so sure that we do. God is the only one who needs to be paying attention. It is His, and only His, judgment we should be worried about.

Blessed are the poor in spirit.

I'm just learning what this beatitude truly means through my Catechism of the Catholic Church (2546). "The Lord grieves over the rich, because they find their consolation in the abundance of goods. 'Let the proud seek and love earthly kingdoms, but blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.'" (2547) That quote right there turned the light bulb on for me. It was that comparison between the rich and the poor, the proud and the humble that made it truly make sense.

I think it's OK to be proud of what we do and what we are doing and maybe even what we have, but we must make sure to keep ourselves in check, just as Jesus did.

This Scripture reminds me of a television show I watched the other night called "True Beauty." Supermodel Cheryl Tiegs is one of the hosts of the show (and I think she may have started it). Basically, 10 beautiful people (from the outside) were chosen to compete and the winner will get all sorts of recognition, and I'm sure some sort of cash reward. For instance, he/she will be featured in People Magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People edition. But the catch is that they are not being judged on their outward beauty, but their inner beauty. And they don't know this.

As my husband and I were watching, we kept on sort of chuckling at these people because they were so boastful about how wonderful and beautiful they were. It seemed as though they had no humility. When we walk with God, we walk with humility. We are several levels below the angels and we must realize that and act accordingly. It's difficult to pray and let God's plan take it's course when we are too proud to accept it.

God is Glorious

All who serve idols are put to shame,
who glory in worthless things;
all gods bow down before you. Psalm 97:7

There were many Scripture passages that I wanted to write about today. But this one really stuck out in my mind. The United States today is at a turning point. We are either turning toward God, or away from Him. And if you're here reading this, I'm assuming you are turning toward Him.

Over the past, I would say, 40 years, we have slowly turned away from God and His commandments and have created our own. And we have slowly turned away from our faith, maybe our Catholic faith, and let our secular society provide false gods for us: money, power, sexual freedom.... In this Psalm, Israel is rejoicing in the overthrowing of idol worshipers and their gods, and reward those that are righteous in their faith to God.

Speaking for myself, I have made that transition from worshiping false Gods to worshiping one god, worshiping THE ONE God. It has been a tough transition. It's hard to change your way of thinking when it has been so ingrained in you for so long. I have thought back to my childhood lately and remembered that we did not have cable until I was in high school. I think that's when I started seeing my life the way society wanted me to. I was subjected to sexualized television through MTV and VH1 and then our television shows changed. Very slowly we have adopted swearing, and even the use of damning God, into our publicized television shows.

It's like that saying goes: If you drop a frog into a boiling pot of water, he will jump out. If you put him in cold water and slowly boil it, he won't jump out because he won't know it's being boiled to death.

That's what has happened to us. Our souls have been boiled, almost to death. I say almost because God is all powerful and forever loving. If we turn to Him and deny our false gods in our hearts, He will forgive us and guide us along His path.

Dear Lord, help me to deny my unrighteous path and live my life according to You.

Deadly Sin

If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and He will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray. 1 John 5:16

So what do we do with our deadly sins? Well, in the Catholic Church, we believe in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We go to "confession" and we tell Father the deadly, mortal sin we committed, as well as others if we so choose. And through him, and through our penance he gives us, we are forgiven.

St. Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians says, "And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:18) St. Paul tells us that he was among the apostles chosen to be priestly, to give the Sacrament of Reconciliation for those of us whose sins are too serious to pray them away. It is also important to remember that we cannot just "pray them away" as I just stated. It's vital that we feel sorry for our sins in our heart. Remember, God knows what's in our hearts. And if we confess to a sin we are not sorry for, He will know.

So what constitutes a deadly sin?

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God's law; it turns man away from God, who is His ultimate and and His beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to Him.

Venial sin allows charity to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it.

"If we say, 'We are without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8) We are sinful beings. Jesus died on the cross for our sins, but He did not die so we could act recklessly. He died so we may have eternal life in Heaven with our Father. Before Christ, sin constituted death. And God loved us so much that He wanted to save us with His only Son.

So let's not let that love be for nothing. Live according to the commandments (1 John 2:3) so we may know Him and speak the truth.

Lord, stay by my side and help me to keep your commandments so my sins are minimal and forgivable.

His Great Works

Whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony within himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar by not believing the testimony God has given about His Son. 1 John 5:10

So what in the world does this mean? Well, it means those that deny Jesus, deny life. Those that deny Jesus do not have life. Us believers can take comfort in knowing we have the opportunity for eternal life with Him when our time on Earth is done.

Doesn't it seem unfair when we see non-believers, or recurrent sinners, have all the luck? Nothing bad happens to them. I know you have seen accidents where the drunk driver kills mother and children and then he lives? Well, I know that God has a plan, and I know that everything happens for a reason, it's just not so nice when it happens. I'm thinking that drunk driver lives so that he/she may live with the anguish of taking innocent human life (that is if they realize what they've done). That person, who otherwise may have gone to Hell for whatever reason, or may have spent quite a bit of time in Purgatory, has the opportunity at this point to redeem himself. This person, who took innocent lives, has the chance to make his life right.

Maybe this person will go on to talk to others about their drunk driving problem and save lives where they might not otherwise have been saved. Maybe this person is an EMT, or a doctor, and will go on to physically save lives with a passion like he's never had before.

God wants ALL of us to have every opportunity to be with Him in eternal life. He wants us to have as many opportunities as possible to get closer to Him so we may be saved from death.

Yup, it really stinks when innocent people, especially when it's children, have to get hurt in order for good to happen. I don't think God makes bad happen, He just can't, or doesn't, stop it all the time. And just because these bad things happen, doesn't mean that we lose our faith. It doesn't mean we turn our back on him because he let this horrible thing happen. We must always believe in Him and the coming of His Son. He is was gives us eternal life in Heaven. Knowing that we will have that should give us comfort in those trying times of disbelief.

Lord, keep my heart open to your love AT ALL TIMES!

Love Your Brother

This is the commandment we have from Him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1 John 4:21

Now of course "brother" here means humankind....

That's a tough one huh? What if my brother made me mad? What if my brother committed a mortal sin against me? Do I still have to love him? Yes! Did Jesus not love us when we denied Him? Did He not beg His Father's forgiveness for those who tortured Him because they did not know what they were doing? Live like Jesus lived.

I'm not saying this is easy! It most certainly is not, and I have had more than my share of experience. There have been quite a few instances where family members have done other family members wrong and they have been cast out. Then they come back and I'm not sure what to do with that. Well first of all, Mother Angelica tells us to live in the Present Moment. In doing that, we should be able to cast aside ill feelings toward that person and at least treat them with some decency and respect, right? Again, not an easy thing to do. But it wasn't easy for Jesus to carry that cross for us either.

There are going to be times where we want to "hate" someone. Or maybe we have even said we wish him/her was dead. Those are hateful things to say or think, but we can overcome them. Time helps, that's for sure. But it's God's love for us and our love for Him that will get us through those hard times. I don't think that God is suggesting that we love everyone the same either. He wants us to love each other enough to be there when we need each other, regardless of the past. To look out for one another because he is my brother.

Lord, I seek your love by showing others that I love them. Please help me to live for today, to live for You.

The Power of Love

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another.... God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him... as He is, so are we in this world. 1 John 4:11, 16, 17

These readings lately are absolutely wonderful. I wish that someone had spoken to me about God in this way when I was growing up. God is love. Isn't that the most beautiful thing you ever heard in your life? He loves us! Sometimes it takes a while, but we can love Him back. So how in the world do we show Him?

Well, there are many things we can do. And I think there can be great debate between people in regards to showing our love for Him and what "counts" and what doesn't "count." But in the Catholic faith, we believe that we must live as Jesus lived. In order to do that, we must love each other. Love each other enough to accept another person, even though their views are not our own. Love each other enough to treat others with respect and kindness, even though they are not doing the "right" things. Love each other enough to forgive. Love each other enough to live in the Present Moment. Love each other enough to give what we can to them to help them, regardless of their race or social status.

When we are doing these things, we are showing our love for God. When we treat each other with love, respect, and kindness, we are treating God that way. When we treat each other with anger, resentment, and violence, we are treating God that way. It's easy to lose our tempers (trust me I know), but when we keep God in our minds and our hearts, it's easier to cope and deal when we're about to "lose it." I remember to look for Him in that other person and to treat him/her the way I would if I were looking at Jesus himself. It works, it really does.

The power of love is so great. God's love surrounds us. It encompasses every facet of our lives. He is always there, guiding and watching with His love. Isn't that comforting to know?

A Large Love

Everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God... for God is love. 1 John 4:7-8

God is love... God is love. Of course He is!! We wouldn't be here if that weren't true. He loves us so much that He sent His only son to save us from eternal death. He loves us so much, that His only son died for us so that we may have eternal life with Him in heaven.

How do we know He loves us, besides the fact that He sent Jesus for us? Look around you! Look at all the magnificent things He has made! The sky, the rivers, the oceans, the many beautiful different kinds of animals and people!

I look at my life. How blessed I am to be where I am. How blessed I am to have the husband I have. How blessed I am to have 3 beautiful, healthy children. I am blessed! Yes, there are bad things that happen in my life, no doubt. But it's important to see the love He has for us in the good things that happen. Because Mother Angelica tells us that even in the presence of evil, He is with us. He is always with us, we just have to call upon Him for His help.

So we know God loves us, but what about our love for Him? Are we doing what He says we should do? Are we reaching out to each other to help? Are we treating others the way Jesus treated us? Are we obeying all of His commandments? That's how we can show our love for him: through our love for each other. We love our family and our friends, but what about those that we don't know? What about those that have wronged us at some point in our life? Can you still love them? Can you still see Jesus in them?

Lord, please keep my heart open to your love so that I may show my love for you through others.

We Are Greater

You belong to God, children, and you have conquered them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 John 4:4

I used to wonder what the Bible meant by "the one who is in the world." Well, if I had turned to the Bible and read the beginning of 1 John 4, I would have known that it is the antichrist. And the one who is in us is Jesus!

Jesus is in us if we accept His coming in the flesh, love Him, and live according to Him. And that is greater than any human being who denies His existence. We are stronger than the antichrist with Jesus inside us.

Have you ever had an experience where you felt like someone you encountered had evil in them? Did you ever think that they couldn't possibly have Jesus in their heart because of the things they said or did? Well, that person may not have been the antichrist, but that person may have been a non-believer. Or maybe they were a believer, but hadn't come to know Jesus yet. Did you feel powerless? Did you ask God for His help? Did you ask Him to answer the call of the devil to strike back at your brother with harshness?

I know I have felt that way about other people. And I'm sure that there may have been someone who thought that about me. I'm not perfect. No one is. But when we encounter evil in another, turn to your belief in Him. He is greater than any evil we can ever come across. With Him on our side, we can do anything. Even overcome evil. Even overcome the temptation to be evil to one another. I call on Him frequently during the day in my every day encounters. I come from a long line of tempers and overcoming that without God isn't an option.

Lord, stay with me and guide me to You so that I may resist evil temptations.

Reaching for God

Raise your eyes and look about;
they all gather and come to you. Isaiah 60:4

They all gather and come. Sometimes we can get caught up in our own little worlds that we forget there are many different worlds out there. Worlds of people of different shapes and sizes and colors. Yet many of us who look so different may have some commonalities. We may all believe in the same God. We may have loving parents. We may not. We may have come from the same school or the same neighborhood and never knew it. Either way, we are all God's children.

Because we are all God's children, we need to remember to respect each other and to love each other as we love Jesus. Treat each other as we would treat Jesus. Strive to see Jesus in everyone we meet, regardless of what they look like or where they have come from, or the hateful words that may have just come out of their mouth. Love them anyway. Look for Jesus in them. There is a reason for every person in our life. God put us here on Earth for a reason. And while we don't know what those reasons are right now, they will be revealed to us. In the meantime, we should love each other as He loves us.

Dear God, remind me to see the goodness in everyone I meet. Help me seek you through them.

Children of God

If you consider that He is righteous, you also know that everyone who acts in righteousness is begotten by Him. 1 John 2:29

We are all children of God. We were all begotten by Him. He is our Creator. And because He is our Creator, we must follow all of His rules. That's what our Bibles are for. I have just recently started picking up my Bible more and reading it, whether I think I'm going to understand it or not. Because after all, Mother Angelica tells us that we don't have to be brilliant to be faithful. In reading the Bible, I am learning a lot about His rules. I used to be quite confused about how to live, and if I was doing the right thing. Apparently I wasn't doing the right thing because my life seemed to be in a lot of turmoil. Fighting, arguing, irritability....

But now that I have come to terms with my role in this world as a child of God, a wife, and a mother, I am more at peace. He is my Father. My ultimate Father. THE ONE I have to answer to. If I am living a lawless life, a life full of sin, I am making Him sad. If I live a life of righteousness by His definition, then all of Heaven is singing in praise and happinness! Don't we want to make our Father happy? Of course we do! Reading the Bible and following all parts according to Him will bring us closer to Him as His child.

Dear Lord, I pray that I will be able to live a life full of righteousness as you have defined for me.

Let Us Go With Him!

Who is the liar? Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. 1 John 2:22

Jesus is coming again, that's what is promised to us. He is going to come again to judge all of us, living and dead. So what do you think will happen if we stand before Him and have to explain why we did not believe? That we did not think He existed? That we did not trust Him and love Him enough to deny those liars?

I certainly don't want to have to do that! I'm so glad that I don't have to. My love and my trust for our Lord Jesus Christ is so firm at this point in my life that I feel there is nothing or no one that can change that. And when there are those things that arise in our lives that cause turmoil, don't turn your back on God. He is there for us, loving us. Let Him answer the devil's call. Let Him fight that battle for you. Keep your trust and belief in Him, no matter what happens, and we will be rewarded. We will be rewarded with the greatest gift we could ever have: Eternal life with God our Father.

Lord, I believe in everything You are, and everything You do. I believe in You completely and wait for the day I meet you.