Harvesting The Fruits of Contemplation

Pondering Tidbits of Truth is my simple and inadequate way of providing nuggets of spiritual wisdom for you to chew on from time to time. Father John Catoir   "The more you trust God, the happier you will be...The great spiritual masters tell us that the path to both happiness and holiness is found in fidelity to the duty of the present moment. If you take care of the little things, the big things will take care of themselves. Be faithful to the duty of the present moment. Do it for the Lord, and be at peace."  (An excerpt from Uplifting Thoughts for Every Day ) St. Peter Julian Eymard   “What displeases God most on earth and in us is sin. You must give this truth your attentive consideration. The just and the saints themselves are not exempt from sin. And we, have we not at least venial sins on our conscience? The just and the saints themselves are not exempt from sin. Have we never had to weep for mortal sins?...

Pondering Tidbits of Truth is my simple and inadequate way of providing nuggets of spiritual wisdom for you to chew on from time to time  . St. Pio of Petrelinca “There are two things in the world that will never forsake you: the eye of God that always sees you, and the heart of His Mother that always follows you.”   Venerable Fulton J. Sheen “We always make the same fatal mistake thinking that it is what we do that matters when really what matters is what we let God do to us. God sent the angel to Mary, not to ask her to do something, but to let something be done. Since God is a better artisan than you, the more you abandon yourself to Him, the happier He can make you.”   St. Pope John Paul II “ As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.”

Both the psalmist today and contemporary song writers urge us to say and to sing: “Here I am Lord; I come to do you will.”   Our Blessed Mother also reminds us that when God asks us to do something, the only valid responses are the ones that she gave in today's Gospel: “Let it be done to me according to Thy Word” and that which she offered at wedding feast at Cana : “Do whatever He tells you!”   Very sound advice indeed. But if they are to be more than mere words, we would do well to frequently ask ourselves:   “Would not our lives and the lives of those around us be far different than they currently are, were we to actually do God’s will?”  

At least, two essential truths flow from today’s Gospel: “Nothing is impossible with God!” and “Let it be it done to me according to His will!” It is upon these foundational stones that we must live our earthly lives. What intellectual, emotional and spiritual maturity Mary displayed! She was, after all, just a teenager, one whom some believe at an earlier age had vowed her virginity to God. What courage she had to ask the angel Gabriel, "How can that be? I know not man." What grace God showered on her that she might have the faith to step forward and do what He was asking of her, something which from the eyes of the world was impossible, made little sense and would, in fact, place her at risk of being stoned. To have such faith in God is to be His fearless and trusting servant. How many times have we disappointed God by scoffing at what He was prompting us to do, believing that it was impossible to do what He asked of us, or that we were not worthy or talented en...

In today's Gospel, Peter, his brother Andrew, James and his brother John heard Jesus’ invitation to come after Him and become fishers of men. They responded immediately, without hesitation, putting aside their earthly endeavors to enter in faith upon a journey with Him Who could give them eternal life. What’s holding us back from doing the same?   Where are we being called to serve? By the way, if you want to see this Gospel come to life, take a look at "Fishers of Men," a video produced by Grassroot Films, Inc. to assist in the promotion of priestly vocations. It is a moving and powerful tribute to the "other Christs" among us. This should be a mandatory part of our religious education programs and a must see for all Catholic families. You can find a trailer here... I am not affiliated with Grassroots Films, Inc. nor will I receive any monetary renumertion for promoting this video. I do so because it touches my heart every time I view it and helps me bette...