70 X 7 Times

70 X 7 isn't just math. It's a condition of a heart. When Jesus instructs us to forgive "70 X 7" in the gospel of Matthew 18: 22 that's because he wants his disciples' hearts to be--big, soft and open.

So many things come at us--mean people, hurtful remarks, rude people, wounded people, bullies, and we can recoil and say, "No one's ever gonna break or wound my heart again." Or, "I'll never have anything to do with that person again."

But we gotta keep opening up. It sets us free. Otherwise, we deceive ourselves and can remain in bondage.

Big--living this Word for a bigger purpose. It's not just about me and someone else--it's about how I affect the whole world by my choices. I choose to forgive and I keep the love flowin' within me. Or I choose not to forgive and build a dam within myself. I'm creating my own misery by this choice.



Soft--I sit in the presence of the Lord and ask the Holy Spirit to melt my heart. Melt any areas that have hardened and need His touch. Living with a hardened heart affects everything in my life negatively. Maybe especially attitude and vision. Unforgiveness can blind me from seeing God's vision for my life. And attitude has to do with the mind. The Word in Romans 12: 2 encourages us to "be transformed by the renewing of your mind." So I use good reason and surrender once again (70 X 7) to commit to His will, instead of letting my emotions overtake me.

Open--Once I make a constructive choice to forgive each time and rely on the Holy Spirit to touch my heart, I trust God will work it all together for good as He promises in Romans 8: 28 for those who love Him and are called according to his purpose. I don't look back or have any intention of drudging that issue up again. I've removed the barriers by being honest with myself about what needs to change within me. I recognize I can't change anyone else. And I rejoice that I've had another breakthrough--a new passover into the land of freedom. The land of milk and honey--sweet because the river of life, the love is flowing again.



Come, Lord Jesus, into my heart and give me the grace to transform it into yours. It's not about me but You!

Go Into Your Room

I was struck this morning while reading a treatise by St. Ambrose. He was reminding us of how Jesus urged us to "pray earnestly and frequently...with perseverance."

And how Jesus tells us to "Go into your room" to pray.

Ambrose explains, "by 'room' you must understand, not a room enclosed by walls that imprison your body, but the room that is within you, the room where you hide your thoughts, where you keep your affections. This room of prayer is always with you, wherever you are, and it is always a secret room, where only God can see you."

Let us remember today, the Kingdom of God is within us. Lk 17: 21 And our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. 1 Cor 6: 19

So, indeed, as Ambrose says, "every place is a place of prayer."

in a garden

on an airplane

in a chapel

I'm Not Perfect

I'm not perfect. I sure wish I was. :-) And sometimes at my age, which is older now, I think I should be. "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5: 48) That is my goal--my life-long goal since it will take the rest of my life.

Recently, I heard a wise priest speak about saints who have gone before us. He reminded us that they were not perfect either. They strove for holiness as we are called to do, but they also failed. They had their share of weaknesses and character defects, like us. They were human. The difference in them is that they bounced back up fast from failure, from mistakes and did not let it discourage them.

We can learn to do the same as we surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit within us.

Pope Francis preached today about how "God did not choose perfect people to form his church, but rather sinners who have experienced his love and forgiveness."

Thank God for this because aren't we all sinners who God loves and forgives, especially as we seek his mercy and forgiveness? I know I am and He has shown me his mercy time and again so I can no longer deny His great love. He has the same love for all people.

This unconditional love of the Lord cannot be taken for granted. We must remember "the heavy price Jesus paid by dying on the cross," so that we too can be resilient like the saints who became holy as He is holy.

Encouraging everyone, the Pope stated, "Jesus sees the possibility of a resurrection even in those who have made so many wrong choices"...He "offers people who have made mistakes the hope of a new life, a life marked by love." 

How comforting that is!

I pray today you may believe that for yourself or someone you know and love who has lost hope.

Believe for the new life Jesus proclaimed, "I have come that they might have life and that they may have it more abundantly."  (John 10:10) 

This abundant life I now experience is entirely possible for all. "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find..." (Matthew 7: 7)

Mustard Seed

"Although it is the smallest of all seeds, yet it grows into the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”…      Matthew 13: 31-32

So how does that happen? Do you want to be like the mustard seed and grow beyond what you ever thought possible?

I do!

Some may think the answer is to love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. And that is a good answer and highly important. But, I heard a very wise man say, " it is not of primary importance."

Others may say, "It is to love your neighbor as yourself." "But that is not of primary importance either," he said.

Although they are the two greatest commandments the Lord gave us, first things first. To grow like a mustard seed he proclaimed, "is to first accept the love of the Lord."

"Could it be that simple," you ask. Yes! That's the mustard seed of faith.

It is the primacy of acceptance, that is my acceptance that God loves me in Christ Jesus--to acknowledge and accept what has already been achieved by Christ Jesus.

If you want to open up and receive more of this grace of acceptance, just ask for it. Pray, "Lord, give me more. Help me to fully accept the love of the Lord for myself." And trust like a child he has heard you. Expect the grace.

Don't forget the God who has saved you. Remember all he has done for you. And you will grow and blossom like a small mustard seed.



Reflections by Fr. Paul Murray/Spiritual Advisor to Mother Teresa

Patti Mansfield

In 1967, fifty years ago, by some miracle of grace the Holy Spirit was poured out upon Patti Mansfield while she was on retreat with other Duquesne University college students in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the Ark and Dove Retreat Center.



Patti did pray for a miracle and she certainly received one. It was a current of grace that eventually moved across the world.

To prepare for her retreat she prayed, fasted and was docile to the Holy Spirit. She and all the other retreatants were instructed to read the first four chapters of the Book of Acts in the Holy Scriptures and also the book The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson.

Patti's prayer was, "Lord, ... I believe I already received your spirit in Baptism and Confirmation, but if it is possible to receive more, I want it."

She and those on the Duquesne week-end retreat invoked the Holy Spirit with the hymn "Veni Creator Spiritus".

Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest,
and in our souls take up Thy rest;
come with Thy grace and heavenly aid
to fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

O comforter, to Thee we cry,
O heavenly gift of God Most High,
O fount of life and fire of love,
and sweet anointing from above.

Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known;
Thou, finger of God's hand we own;
Thou, promise of the Father, Thou
Who dost the tongue with power imbue.

Kindle our sense from above,
and make our hearts o'erflow with love;
with patience firm and virtue high
the weakness of our flesh supply.

Far from us drive the foe we dread,
and grant us Thy peace instead;
so shall we not, with Thee for guide,
turn from the path of life aside.

Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow
the Father and the Son to know;
and Thee, through endless times confessed,
of both the eternal Spirit blest.

Now to the Father and the Son,
Who rose from death, be glory given,
with Thou, O Holy Comforter,
henceforth by all in earth and heaven.
Amen. 

In addition, they also had a penance service at the retreat where they repented of their sins. This opened them up to receive the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 

Patti continued to pray, "Jesus be real to me." She told the Lord, "I give my life to you, whatever you ask of me, I accept it, and if it means suffering, I accept that too. Just teach me to follow Jesus and to love as He loves." 

Patti's example is one to follow. Invoke the Holy Spirit, pray and fast. Repent. Ask for more. Expect a miracle. And see what happens.

You may enjoy reading Patti's book: As By A New Pentecost.

Magnificat

I was recently recalling my experience with being "baptized in the Holy Spirit." This is when I opened up to an outpouring of God's love.  I was in my early twenties--many many years ago--and I attended a charismatic conference. A young woman was one of the guest speakers and I sat there thinking "I want what she has"; she had an ability to teach and preach and a confident presence about being in front of a crowd. I felt timid and nervous about speaking in front of others.

So on a break at the conference I asked a woman, who I knew was a leader, if she would pray for me. I told her I wanted what that young lady had. She promptly did pray and another woman joined her. This is when I experienced a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon me and I began to speak in other tongues. You may have heard of that gift before--"speaking in tongues." The other woman praying for me interpreted the tongues, and she knew I was proclaiming the Magnificat.

Do you know that prayer which Mary proclaimed when she visited her cousin Elizabeth? It's the story of the visitation found in the gospel of Luke.

\ "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my Spirit rejoices in God my Savior,  for he has looked with mercy on his lowly servant. From this day forward all generations will call me blessed: The almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name." Luke 1: 46-55

The Lord certainly did look with mercy upon me that memorable day and he will look with mercy upon you too as you turn to him and ask for more of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It's really pretty simple--just ask and receive. If you feel something is blocking the reception of the gifts then ask for mercy. Ask for the Lord's forgiveness for anything you have done that has displeased Him and separated you from God. You can be reconciled and restored to grace.

There is where I long to be daily--in a state of grace, not sin. So it's a daily turning to him and repeating the same desires--the desire for His mercy, forgiveness, blessings, and more of the gifts of the Spirit. Honestly, I can't get enough. It's a never-ending well of blessings. Pray with expectant faith and drink deeply, my friends, of the goodness of the Lord. As you do you can't help but proclaim the greatness of the Lord.

Pentecost Novena 3rd Day

Hello, sisters and brothers across the world. I am praying a novena in preparation for Pentecost next Sunday. Just in case someone isn't familiar with that word, novena means nine successive days of prayer.  I was struck by today's prayer entitled "Peace" and want to share it with you.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Let us bow down in humility at the power and grandeur of the Holy Spirit. Let us worship the Holy Trinity and give glory today to the Paraclete, our Advocate.

Oh Holy Spirit, by Your power, Christ was raised from the dead to save us all. By Your grace, miracles are performed in Jesus’ name. By Your love, we are protected from evil. And so, we ask with humility and a beggar’s heart for Your gift of Peace within us.

The saints were tempted, attacked and accused by the devil who is the destroyer of peace. When we are accused by the devil, come to our aid as our Advocate and give us Peace that lasts through all trials!

Amen.

Three lines in particular jump out for me. First, "We ask with humility and a beggar's heart for Your gift of Peace within us." Have you done that before? Have you begged God for peace? I am a beggar. Beg Him for this gift. Not just for yourself, but for all you love and for the world.

Second, "the devil is the destroyer of peace." Get that straight! When we start having thoughts that make us feel anxious you can pretty well bet that's the accuser whispering lies to try to rob us of our peace. Resist! With all your might. And never fail to ask the Holy Spirit to come. When we do, God pours out His love upon us. Ponder that.

Third, "give us Peace that lasts through all trials". Amen to that! That's what we need and desire--the peace that remains through thick and thin--through all difficulties and in all circumstances. Do you believe you can have that kind of peace? I am here to tell you you can. Beg for it and keep persevering in prayer.

God bless and keep you ever close to His Most Sacred Heart.

MOMS

I had the privilege to lead a Lenten retreat for moms of high school students recently. Being a teacher, I wanted one word for them as a take-away that could help them remember the main points of retreat. So I used the word MOMS for an acronym.

First M stands for Mother Mary. She's the true model of femininity and beauty. There's no comparison to our Heavenly Mother for beauty and virtue. Don't you agree? Just look at any image of her and you can easily see the purity that this world so needs.

The letter O stands for obedience. It's good to remember the root of the word obey which means to listen. We need to listen for the voice of the Lord. "My sheep hear my voice." John 10: 27 But to listen we must make quiet time in order to hear. Set aside time, consecrate it for our relationship with the Lord.

The next letter M at first I thought would stand for ministering since mothers do so much ministering to their children and husband, but being uncertain I asked the Lord the night before the retreat to speak to me in my slumber and give me the "right" M word if that wasn't the best one. During that night, I woke with the word monopolize. What a surprising word, but the more I thought about it--the more it seemed right. I got the strong sense that he was saying I want to control everything in your lives--every area, every aspect, every detail. Okay, Lord, I'll use that word that I never would have thought of, but you impressed it upon me in my sleep.

And finally S stands for seeking. "Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6: 33 We must continually seek first the Lord. Each day it starts over in communing with him. We will seek him the rest of our life. And we will not stop until we come face to face with Him.

So, keep Mother Mary as your role model, learn to listen better which includes obeying what you understand him instructing you to do, commit every area of your life to God and ask him to monopolize it, and finally, seek him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength each and every new day.

Silence

Recently, while with a group of friends, I heard a wise man talk.

He reminded us that silence is our friend. It is a way for us to listen to what the Lord is saying to us.

We need to stop in silence and ask the question, "God, what are you saying to me?"

Getting in touch with this capacity to hear his voice is the greatest gift of all. No one can take it from us and we can take it anywhere we go.

During the Lenten season that begins next Wednesday, I pray you will spend time in silence and seek to hear his voice.

There are many things he wants to whisper to you. And when someone whispers it has to be quiet for us to hear.

Love Your Enemies

Women of Peace, I woke up this morning with the words "Love your enemies" and had no idea the Sunday gospel was about that message. I just hadn't taken time to look ahead at the Gosepl reading as I usually do. Of course, it kinda' knocked my socks off to see that the Spirit whispered to me exactly what the church universally would be hearing about today. Long story short, I have been struggling with a circumstance that has been difficult causing me to be tempted to have ill feelings about those that seem to be so focused on making a profit instead of respecting the feelings of others and relationships with others. Perhaps it's one of those big life lessons that the Lord is showing me right now. I feel as though a magnifying glass is being held up to our materialistic life in America, and I can more clearly see the greed and lack of concern for others. This circumstance I referred to is only a microcosm of the larger picture. (Don't want to stereotype everyone by any means. Many I know are very generous and other-centered.) The good thing is I have cried out to the Lord, "Remove from me any of that nature, any of that greed" for being human I am subject to the same inclinations and I don't want to be like that. My heart's desire is to put him and others first, not material things first or even second. One of my favorite preachers/teachers these days is Bishop Robert Barron. His ministry is aptly named "Word on Fire" cause it is! He's on fire and his words are on fire. I love how he reminds us that we are called to go way beyond hating, tolerating or "vaguely accepting" our enemies. I think his likening the response we need to make to the martial art of aikido is helpful. We blend with their energy. My husband has trained people in managing aggressive behavior in the past and it is the same. MAB's key components are based on aikido: go with the flow momentarily, offer no resistance, work with the person not against, be an active listener. There's a lot of food for thought here. I pray that as you read Barron's reflection you will be consumed in the loving truth and merciful embrace of the Lord. "Friends, our Gospel today is taken from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. It is one of the puzzling texts in the New Testament. It speaks of loving our enemies. Not tolerating them, or vaguely accepting them, but loving them. When you hate your enemy, you confirm him as your enemy. But when you love him in response to his hatred, you confuse and confound him, taking away the very energy that feeds his hatred. There is a form of oriental martial arts called aikido. The idea of aikido is to absorb the aggressive energy of your opponent, moving with it, continually frustrating him until he comes to the point of realizing that fighting is useless.

Some have pointed out that there is a great deal of this in Jesus’ strategy of nonviolence and love of the enemy. You creatively absorb the aggression of your opponent, channeling it back against him, to show him the futility of violence. So when someone insults you, send back a compliment instead of an insult. When someone conspires against you, work to help him."

Dis-ease

Thought of the Day By Bishop Sam Jacobs

"There is within us a fundamental dis-ease, an unquenchable fire that renders us incapable, in this life, of ever coming to full peace. This desire lies at the center of our lives, in the marrow of our bones, and in the deep recesses of the soul. At the heart of all great literature, poetry, art, philosophy, psychology, and religion lies the naming and analyzing of this desire. Spirituality is, ultimately, about what we do with that desire. What we do with our longings, both in terms of handling the pain and the hope they bring us, that is our spirituality . . . Augustine says: 'You have made us for yourself, Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.' Spirituality is about what we do with our unrest." (Ronald Rolheiser) What is it that you deeply long for? If it is not God, then our longing will never be fulfilled. We will want more and more and remain still incomplete. But once we realize that nothing and no one other than God can bring us true and lasting happiness, then we will be on the right journey. To stay there is not easy because the Law of sin within us will continue to claw at our heart to return to our old ways. But once we taste the good wine of God's love would we want to go back to the cheap wine?

Medjugorje Message

Latest Medjugorje Message,  February 2, 2017  - Apparitions to Mirjana

“Dear children, You who are striving to offer every day of your life to my Son, you who are trying to live with Him, you who are praying and sacrificing - you are hope in this peaceless world. You are rays of the light of my Son, a living gospel, and you are my beloved apostles of love. My Son is with you. He is with those who think of Him - those who pray. But in the same way, He is patiently waiting for those who do not know Him. Therefore, you, apostles of my love, pray with the heart and with your works show the love of my Son. This is the only hope for you, and this is also the only way to Eternal Life. I, as a mother, I am here with you. Your prayers directed to me are the most beautiful roses of love for me. I cannot but be where I sense the scent of roses. There is hope. Thank you. ”

Pray for Peace

Medjugorje Message

January 25, 2017 “Dear children! Today I am calling you to pray for peace: peace in human hearts, peace in the families and peace in the world. Satan is strong and wants to turn all of you against God, and to return you to everything that is human, and to destroy in the heart all feelings towards God and the things of God. You, little children, pray and fight against materialism, modernism and egoism, which the world offers to you. Little children, you decide for holiness and I, with my Son Jesus, intercede for you. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

My prayer in response: 

Dear Heavenly Mother of all children,

We hear you. We hear your cry for peace and we cry out with you for peace today. We know how real this need is as we look at our own countries and see the lack of peace. We see the hatred and violence more and more in our own communities and throughout the world. We see the need for peace in our own families which is where we really need to begin being people of peace who are foremost forgiving and patient and kind to those who share the same roof over our heads.

We pray for the peace that penetrates the core of our being, and for true compunction of heart that pierces to the quick.

Help us to remember "the weapon whose point is keen enough to penetrate the innermost depths of the soul." And as "St. Paul tells us there is 'a sword of the Spirit which is the word of God' (Eph. 6:17) 'For the word of God...is living and effectual, more piercing than any two-edged sword: reaching unto the division of soul and spirit, of the joints also and marrow.' "  Dom Germain Morin

Mother, you tell us Satan is trying to destroy us by turning all of us against God so give us, we pray, an increase in the graces to stand as warriors in this battle for holiness and follow the narrow way. Teach us to put on the full armor of God so we are able "to stand firm against the tactics of the devil" as Paul taught the Ephesians: "with our loins girded in truth, clothed in righteousness as a breastplate, and our feet shod in readiness with the gospel of peace...holding faith as a shield to quench the flaming arrows of the evil one...taking the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."     Eph 6:10-17

Thank you for interceding for us, Mary Queen of Peace, and tell our dear Lord, your Son Jesus, how much we love him and thank him for interceding for us too. It is our great pleasure to be your children.

Love,

Sheila

Judith, a Hope Bearer

The Catholic Herald published this article today: 

During his weekly address, the Pope said women like the biblical heroine Judith are an example of trusting God amid sufferings and difficulties when it is easy to give up hope and fall into despair.

“This is my opinion, but women are more courageous than men,” the Pope said to applause.

As the Pope arrived for the audience, the sounds of classical music echoed throughout the Paul VI audience hall as a youth orchestra from Bolivia played for the Pope.

Pope Francis focused his audience talk on Judith, “a woman of great beauty and wisdom,” who reproached the people of Israel for their lack of trust in God to deliver them from foreign invaders.

“They were at the point of saying, ‘God has sold us,'” the Pope said. “How many times have we come to situations that test our limits where we are not even able to trust in the Lord? It is an ugly temptation.”

Facing a situation full of despair, the Pope continued, the people gave God five days to intervene. However, even in prayer they doubted that the Lord would help them.

“Five days are given to God to intervene – this is the sin! Five days of waiting but already expecting the end. In reality, no one among the people is capable of hoping,” he said.

Pope Francis said that in the moment of despair, Judith confronts the people’s doubts with the “courageous language” of faith and hope.

Her courage, he explained, is a reminder for Christians “to knock on the door of God’s heart; he is a father, he can save us. This widow risks (everything), even of making herself look like a fool in front of the others. But she is courageous, she goes forward.”

Christians must “never put conditions on God,” the Pope said. Instead, they should allow “hope to conquer our fears.”

“To trust God means entering into his plans without assuming anything” and to believe that “he knows better than us,” the Pope said.

The story of Judith exemplifies the importance of the “courageous counsel” of humble women, Pope Francis said. Their words, he added, contain “the wisdom of God” and should never be “dismissed as ignorant.”

“The words of grandmothers – how many times do grandmothers know the right word to say,” the Pope said. “They give words of hope because they have the experience of life, they have suffered so much, they trusted in God and the Lord gave them this gift of giving us hopeful advice.”

My prayer: 

I pray that we can be women pregnant with hope, and bear it in this world of ours that often despairs and falls into the temptation of believing that You, O Lord, will not help us when we are most in need. Hear our cry, O Prince of Peace. Yours is the Gospel of peace, not of despair.  In the midst of our brokenness come to our aid as we trust in you, as Judith encouraged the people of Israel to do in the midst of their desire to be delivered from their enemies. 

Give us, O Lord, the grace to be courageous women who, no matter what pain or sorrow, suffering or difficulties we face, move forward and choose to rise up in hope instead of falling into despair. Open our ears to the call to a challenging "war effort". In the words of my own beautiful and courageous mother who passed from this earth, "our weapons are our collective voices of reassurance to our children, grandchildren, and all who have lost hope for the future..." Give us voices to speak.

I pray we have perseverance to keep knocking on the door of Your heart, O Loving Father. You know best and can save us.

Again

A thousand broken pieces scattered and thrown.

What is this miraculous force that seems to reassemble and

the masterpiece becomes even more beautiful and visible?

The love that was scarred and hidden comes to light and there you are again.

You, O Heavenly One, can orchestrate and devise the most ingenious plans. Way above what I could ever imagine.

Yes, we die a thousand deaths and through some supernatural recreation, we are transformed. I die in your arms. Reaching out to you with a mouth that can hardly speak, but you know how to read the language of the soul that longs to be one with the eternal flow. So I keep giving myself to you again and again and I never fear that you hear, and are near, for you have proved your love time after time.

I hear a melody that resounds so sweetly and harmoniously within and I am dancing in the wind of your spirit.

Twirl me round and round in our dance of love.

You & I ...