The eternal now

Have you ever considered the possibility that we are living in eternity?  I don't mean that we will live forever on Earth, no matter how good medical advancements are.  One time, in bible study, we talked about living our eternity NOW.  That is, if we desire Heaven, we should/would/could live as though we are in Heaven.  Not the "I-can-abdicate-all-my-responsibilities" lifestyle, but the choice to live as a conscious Catholic Christian, treating others with love and mercy.

Memorial of St. Augustine

August 28 - Memorial of St. Augustine

St. Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church has many incredible writings and commentaries. I am only just beginning to delve into a small piece of his work; I know I have much to learn. What I do know is something that came up in a recent study of the document "Sing to the Lord:  Music in Divine Worship."

'As St. Augustine says, "Singing is for the one who loves."

A grateful heart

There are so many blessings in my life right now.  Even with the stress and fear that the uncertainty of a loved one's health, I am blessed.  It overwhelms me.  I'm listening to my current playlist called 'Meditation' and I am remembering my blessings.  A wonderful evening spent with a kindred soul, a quick text from a friend, a letter in the mail, looking at the smiling face of my goddaughter; all of these things are pieces of my life, things that feed my soul.  What have I done to earn this?  Nothing.  If that's true, then how can I keep these things from slipping away?  I can't.  But I have faith in God, and comfort in the knowledge that God is certain, even if nothing else makes sense.  

I pick up lots of interesting pieces of information and quotes that catch my attention.  I came across this gem again, and it fit so well with my current thoughts, I wanted to share it here:

"Being grateful makes us happy! Not the other way around, we are not necessary grateful when we become happy, however a grateful heart becomes happy without fail! Find something to be grateful about in every moment, I guarantee you, you will know happiness in every moment. You don't have to be grateful for the bad situations, but in every situation, you can chose to find something to be grateful about, to focus on the good, to count your blessings, there is always! Look at the sun, the moon, the stars, how beautiful and how blessed we are have them at our service!!!"  ~Immaculee

I had the privilege of hearing Immaculee speak at an event last year.  Her story is inspirational and amazing.  I highly recommend her books, especially "Left to Tell".  I want to be a person with a grateful heart.  I want to radiate that love and joy in my life.

Prayer - Lord, I am so easily overwhelmed in my life that I lose focus on You.  Help me to see with the eyes of my heart and to know the beauty that exists even in the midst of sadness and pain.  You are my constant. 

Thankful Thursday 3/27/14

I am thankful for Lenten devotionals.  I'm not always the most faithful about reading them, but when I do, my soul is always nourished.  I'm especially enjoying the Little Black Book (link here) this year.  It walks through the Passion according to Matthew, and asks some tough questions.  If I stop and honestly answer, I learn something about myself and my journey.  Worth the time, for sure.

Side note - the little books are made for Easter, Advent, and a few other times, so check them out.  I also, quite happily, just discovered that they can be purchased in electronic format as well!  Yay!

Prayer - Lord, thank you for the wonderful resources in my life that can guide me when I'm lost.  Help me to take advantage of only the best books, magazines, and websites so that I may continue to journey closer and closer to You.

Connections

I just finished reading an inspiring book, "The First Phone Call From Heaven" by Mitch Albom.  Read my review here.  It was a neat book, and it brought to mind my recent experience at a funeral.

A friend lost a family member after battling chronic illness.  The death wasn't unexpected, but it was sudden.  The funeral service was on a weekend, and I was able to attend.  I didn't know the deceased, but I wanted to be there for my friend.  As the service began, the pastor spoke of Psalm 23, hope and healing, John 3:16, and many more verses of comfort.  It was an uplifting service, and it reminded me what a blessing it is to believe in Heaven.  My own experiences with death and loss are softened because I know this is not the end.  Grief is still present, and loss is very real, but hope outweighs all of it.

With patience, anything is possible

I was recently reading my book titled, "The Spiritual Combat and a Treastise on Peace of Soul" by Dom Lorenzo Scupoli.  Excellent book.  A little bit difficult to read from both the use of obscure language and the depth of theology, but well worth the effort.  One of the chapters was expressing the importance of constant effort to obtaining virtues, and it suggested finding bible verses that relate to the virtue in question.  Naturally, the virtue that was sampled in the chapter was patience.  Gosh, I'm really getting lots of messages about patience.  I think I'd better pay attention!  Here is a sampling of the verses from the chapter:

"The patience of the poor shall not perish, or be deprived of its reward."  Psalm 9:19

"The patient man is better than the valiant; and he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh cities."  Proverbs 16:32

"By your patience you will win your souls."  Luke 21:19

That last verse caught my attention immediately.  It sounds so simple, but it's harder than you'd think.  It is hard to be patient, even when you have a very good reason for doing so.  I guess I'm going to have to ask God for some extra help on that, since I value my soul over anything.

Prayer - Deep breath.  Lord, when I struggle to be patient, grant me the grace to release the distracting emotions and focus on the greater goal.  For by practicing patience, I become more open to Your divine plan.  I do want to please You, even if I can be incredibly slow in practicing what I know is right.  I trust You.  I want to win my soul for You.