With Lifted Hands

I'm a big fan of to-do lists.  I like LOVE the satisfaction of crossing something off or completing it and moving on to the next item.  While I may have way too many lists, they help motivate me, keep me accountable, and not forget something in the busy-ness of life.  In other words, they give me a sense of control.  And, if I'm honest, my to-do list is one of the few things in my life which I can control.  Whether it's big things or small, there's a lot that just is what it is, and we have to deal with the good, bad and ugly every day.  

But today, I had an insight about my relationship with God and my attempts to control that as well!  Thankfully, I don't have to achieve a certain status or perfection in my life to be in a relationship with God, but I do like to bring my lists to God.  That's not a bad thing at all, but I tend to present them in the following mindset, "Okay God, here's where I'm struggling, and this is the healing I'm praying for, and I'm lifting up XYZ."  Sounds a lot like my to-do lists.  But prayer, and especially a relationship with God, is not lived out in a checklist of to-dos.  Moving through my prayer requests doesn't get me to the next level or earn me a gold star.  When I think I'm being efficient and organized, I'm actually missing the bigger picture.  My relationship with God is not lineal, nor are his graces and blessings and answered prayers.  Yet I get stuck on a situation or I continue pounding on a closed door because I've limited how I want to receive God's answer.  

Year of Mercy

I have great hopes for this next year. I anticipate a year of hope, love, and mercy. I suppose this should be my expectation most days, but life tends to distract me and make it easy to forget the positives. December 8 is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and this year it also marks the beginning of the Jubilee of Mercy. Visit the official website to learn more. So, as we embark on this Year of Mercy, consider what mercy can do for you. 

"And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”"

~Luke 1:46-55

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time - mercy

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/092814.cfm

Quick recap:

1st Reading - Ezekial - turn from wickedness to what is right and just

Psalm 25 - Remember your mercies, O Lord.

Epistle - Philippians 2 - regard others as more important than yourself (humility)

Gospel - Matthew 21 - Will you change your mind and embrace God's mercy, or will you be stubborn?

Today's Gospel outlines the story of a man and his 2 sons. He asks them both to go work in the vineyard. The fist son says no, but then changes his mind and goes out. The second son says yes, but did not go. Thus, on the surface, the second son appears to be more obedient, while in reality, the first son is the one who actually obeyed his father.  

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/081514-day-mass.cfm

I've been mulling over my reflection from the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  I was struck by the homily I heard and I would like to share it here.  Before I can do that, I feel the need to share a little detour first.

My plans were to go to the vigil Mass at my parish on Thursday night.  That changed when a brother came through town after a conference and we all went out to eat.  I knew I had several options on Friday, but the most logical (not the easiest) would be the 7AM Mass which is close to my home.  I turned on my alarm and went to sleep.  Silly me, I didn't double-check the time on my alarm (like I normally do), and it was set for 15 minutes later than I expected.  I almost didn't make that Mass, but thankfully Fr. was apparently waiting for me as he didn't being the procession until I showed up :-)

Year of Faith

Reflection from my Magnificat -
"For those serious about living by faith, conversion is something that must re-happen every day.  We cannot live off the faith we had yesterday.  Conversion means being willing to face the worst about ourselves.  '. . . conversion involves the transformation of all our fragmented experiences, all our disjointed and painful memories, all our divisive and frustrating moments of unachieved hopes, yearnings and dreams, as well as our failures and loss of self-esteem or sense of worth resulting from the destructive power of evil.' (M. Gaudoin-Parker).  ~ Rev. Peter John Cameron

What a blessing that each day we can start fresh.  When I have a bad day, hurtful thoughts, snappy reply, or negative attitude, it doesn't need to define me.  I can start over.  It is the same with my conversion.  Every day I have the opportunity to re-commit to my faith.  Some days will be easier than others, for sure.  But this is what is so amazing about the Catholic faith - we get to participate in our salvation.  God loves us so much, we have free will, and we can choose good or evil.  Rather than pulling us along as though we were mindless simpletons, we have a choice each and every day; a choice to acknowledge our shortcomings and embrace God's love.  The offer is on the table - how did you respond today?

Meditation from the Magnificat for August 3, 2010

Taken from the Magnificat:

Unmoved by the Waves

In order to acquire and preserve patience, the Christian should always be prepared for any adversity or affliction, from whatever source it may come. What else can be expected from a world that is so evil, from a flesh that is so fragile, and from the devils who are so envious of our spiritual progress? The prudent man will walk cautiously and well-armed, like one who travels through enemy territory. If he does so, he will bear his burdens and afflictions with a lighter heart because he is prepared for them, and when evils befall him, he will understand that God is asking a a sacrifice of him.

When a man understands that afflictions can come to him from either God or man and he disposes himself to accept them with all humility and patience, resigning himself to the will of God and accepting his trails as if they come from the hands of God, let him know that his sacrifice will be most agreeable to God and the he can merit as much by his promptness of will as by the actual suffering. This, indeed, is one of the principal duties of the Christian, as Saint Peter reminds us when he says that we should not be discouraged in our afflictions because we have been deputed for this.

Venerable Louis of Granada

I don't know what it was about this meditation, but I was so struck by 2 things. 1 - that it is to our benefit to arm ourselves in the world. This just reminded me how we are not of the world, and should not look to our possessions and power and wealth as the final goal. Just as one would prepare to go camping, taking the correct items for the journey, so must we prepare to live in the next world, storing up the items that will aid us in our journey to Heaven. 2 - No one can ever fully answer the question when someone asks 'Why?'. Sometimes the horrific events in life are too evil and if we believe everything comes either from God or with God's knowledge, we doubt whether God is all-knowing, all-powerful, or all-loving. But this reading reminds us that afflictions can come 'from either God or man' and thus we understand that because of free will, there is evil in the world. And God does not create evil, but rather allows us the gift of free will to act as we want. Unfortunately, we cannot always see that we are experiencing the consequences of our sinful actions, being so wrapped up in ourselves.