Monday Musings - Lift Up Your Gaze!
Venerable Bruno Lanteri
"Do you find yourself turning inward, preoccupied by your anxieties and burdened by your failings? 'Instead of turning in on yourself, lift your gaze often with peace and love to God.' Often. With peace. With love. The less you focus on your failures and the more you gaze on the Lord with peace and love, the more your heart will lift, the stronger you will become, the more joy you will find. Tell Him that 'you want to be totally His' and, with boldness, tell Him that 'it is His to make you become better'!
(From Overcoming Spiritual Discouragement - The Wisdom and Spiritual Power of Venerable Bruno Lanteri)
PAUSE AND PONDER: Is my first inclination when troubled and challenged to turn to God and ask for His assistance? If not, why am I hesitant to do so? Do I believe God can change me? Have I ever asked Him to?
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[This is what Catholic author, Janeen Zaio had to say about this book.
Like having a saint for a spiritual director. - One of the luxuries of the Catholic life is
having your own spiritual director to encourage and challenge you; however,
with the shortage of priests, it’s just not possible for most Catholics.
Reading the book Pondering Tidbits of Truth is like meeting with a
spiritual director in the comfort of your home. And this spiritual director has
the intelligence of Pope Benedict XVI, the fire of Venerable Fulton Sheen, the
insight of Cardinal Sarah, the courage of Pope Leo XIII, and the wisdom of many
more ancient saints and contemporary theologians.
In this powerful book, Michael
Seagriff has collected 150 quotes from the some of the greatest Catholic minds.
But it’s not just a book that makes us admire the lofty ideas of the saints.
After each quote, Seagriff added questions to challenge readers so that we
examine ourselves and strive to imitate the saints.
Pondering Tidbits of Truth is such an
enjoyable read that I found myself smiling, nodding my head, and writing in the
margin. It’s a book for people at all stages of the faith journey whether
they’re devout or lukewarm, young or old. In fact, reading one tidbit each
night would make a quick but worthwhile addition to family prayer time.
It encourages readers to think
about the critical questions of life such as, “Why did God put me here right
now?” and it also gives concrete ideas for incorporating holy practices
throughout the day.
Seagriff challenges readers to
have a relationship with God, especially the Holy Spirit, Who is so often
overlooked. He also helps readers appreciate the precious gift of Our Lord’s
Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament. Most urgently, readers consider the
consequences of not knowing, loving, and serving God.
It’s as if Seagriff read many of the greatest Catholic books and articles, highlighted the best parts, and served them up for us in an easily digestible way. I enthusiastically recommend that you savor this smorgasbord of wisdom and share it with others.”]