Harvesting The Fruits of Contemplation

 

In her book, Mary's Mantle - Consecration Prayer Journal , Christine Watkins asked her readers: "Where do you place your hope? In the things and people and dreams of this world? Or in God?" She then shared the insight of St. Charles Borromeo: “God wishes us not to rest upon anything but His infinite goodness; do not let us expect anything, hope anything, or desire anything but from Him, and let us put our trust and confidence in Him alone.” Yes, St. Charles speaks the Truth - but one that is often difficult to live. Watkins' questions and St. Charles' observations prompted my writing the following personal reflection - in hopes something in it will resonate with you and stir your soul: Lord, You know well, how often I have allowed the demons of despair to destroy my spiritual and physical peace. You know Lord how I allowed this destroyer of souls to take me to a point where I begged You to end my physical life. How painful it is, even now years later, to recall...

 

 

Lord, no matter how hard I try, I will never be able, on this earth, to fully understand Who You are and how undeserving I am to have been created in Your image.  Why You would humble Yourself to take on human flesh and to die for a sinner such as myself? - Because You love me and  offer me an opportunity for eternal life.  ( Image Source )   There is much that has happened in my life that I still do not understand. Though at times I have become so despondent (over what I now realize were mere trifles, toothpicks) that I begged You to end my life, I "know": that everything that has happened in my life was a part of Your great plan. Every second of despair was designed to bring me closer to You. Every scream of pain and hopelessness was a step toward being transformed into You. Everything I have experienced or will experience in this life is intended to assure I can spend eternity in Your Presence. I marvel at the depth of Your love for me - Your infinite Patience...

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.         Archbishop Joseph Raya “Faith doesn’t mean you can’t panic. Mary and Joseph almost certainly panicked when they lost Jesus in the temple. What it means is that you keep on going even if you do panic. You just do whatever is right in front of you, and keep on going, in faith that it will all work out.”   (From July-August 2020 issue of RESTORATION published by Madonna House)     Dan Burke “No matter how [spiritual] consolation specifically surfaces within us, if it is authentic, it will always draw us to submit to the magisterium of the Church and to God’s will and ways. It is really no more complicated than that. The challenge is that if we are not well catechized – and most of us are not – we may not understand or even notice when we are led astray. By God’s grace we have a catechism that ...

Despite the fact that Jesus has told us over and over that we should not be afraid or anxious about anything, most of us continue to be Martha's, forgetting His Truth the minute some challenge or trial enters our life. We are all flawed and sinful creatures. We need constant reminders to trust Him at all times and under all circumstances.  Admittedly, this is easier said than done. Most of us find it difficult to run away from anxiety and fear. Left to our own devices, we are not likely to outrun or outsmart these devilish inclinations. We should never attempt to go it alone.  Thanks to noted Catholic author, Anne Costa, we will not have to go solo in this unending spiritual battle. She has gifted us with another gem, Encouraging Words to Live By - 365 Days of Hope for the Anxious and Overwhelmed. We can now begin each day - less like Martha and more like Mary - with a Scripture passage, an inspiring reflection and a prayer. By gifting God with our undivided attentio...