Harvesting The Fruits of Contemplation

No doubt there are current-day Jeremiah's in our midst to who m we, like our Jewish ancestors, have turned a deaf ear... "[The Lord telling Jeremiah] to speak to the people of the cities of Judah whatever I command you, tell them, and omit nothing. Perhaps they will listen and turn back, each from his evil way, so that I may repent of the evil I planned to inflict upon them for their evil deeds. Say to them: Thus says the Lord: If you disobey me, not living according to the law I placed before you and not listening to the words of my servants the prophets whom I send you constantly though you do not obey them, I will treat this house like Shiloh, and make this the city to which all nations of the earth, shall refer when cursing another."   (From Jeremiah 26:4-6 )

You created us Lord in your image, to know love and serve You on this earth and to be with You eternally. You remain here with us in the Consecrated and Sacred Hosts hidden behind locked tabernacle doors. This is all gift! None of us deserve this Divine generosity. You desire that each of us become more like You - to always be Christ-like. My response over my lifetime, Lord You know, has been inconsistent, and at times, pathetic and traitorous! You want me “to disappear so that You may appear in me.” “I must vacate my territory,” You tell me, “ so that You may fully occupy it.” But this can only happen by Your grace and by my being obedient to Your every command and prompting. On the few occasions when I have obeyed Your promptings Lord, I received a glimpse of what You were calling me to be. Oh, how glorious Lord were the times I obeyed: returning to Your Church; participating in RENEW, Cursillo, Prison Ministry, Lay Dominicans, Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration, and praying for t...

  (Image source: Wikimedia Commons ) There is a vital lesson to learn from the paralytic in John's Gospel. When we fail to listen to, and answer the specific question, God places in our hearts, we may lose the opportunity to receive a great and undeserved gift. Listen here .

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons) So what is the next step, Lord? What do I do? Where do I go? How do I love You and others as I ought? What must I sever myself and my time from? How Lord do I bridge the great gap that exists between what I profess to believe and how I actually live my life?  Please reveal to me, dear Lord, what I have been unable or unwilling to see.  When Lord will my heart and will be one with Yours – where every second of my life honors and glorifies You?

 

 

 

Thank you Allison Gingras at  Reconciled To You   and Elizabeth Riordan at  Theology Is A Verb   for  hosting Catholic bloggers at  Worth   Revisiting .    It is a privilege for us to share our work with you and your readers .  Stop by for a visit now .    Monday Musings - Which Kind of Soul Am I? – Part I (Originally posted on October 9, 2017)   [Saint Anthony Mary Claret lived in the nineteenth century, was Archbishop of Santiago Cuba, a great writer and preacher. He founded three religious orders and had the gift of prophecy and the discernment of hearts.  He wrote The Golden Key to Heaven – An Explanation of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius . Now is the time to rediscover this dust-covered spiritual classic. It is from this book that we will seek an answer to the question posed above. Be prepared for a challenging and soul searching ride.] (Image source: Wikimedia Comm...

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. Blessed John Henry Newman "Never had a soul true happiness but in conformity to God, in obedience to His will. We must become what we are not; we must learn to love what we do not love, and practice ourselves in what is difficult. We must have the law of the Spirit of life written and set up in our hearts, that the righteousnesss of the law may be fulfilled in us, and that we may learn to please and to love God." (From Parochial and Plain Sermons )

What follows are simple declarative sentences excerpted from God, A Woman and the Way, a book written more than sixty years ago by Rev. M. Raymond, O.C.S.O., a Trappist monk. They set forth fundamental Truths which today are routinely denied and denounced: (Photo©Michael Seagriff) “We need God. Without Him we can do nothing. But God also needs us. He needs us to bear witness to the fact that He exists; that God became man; that God died; that God rose again; that men can become like God. God needs us to be animated Gospels and give the world the almost unbelievable ‘Good News’ that God is our Father and we are heirs to all that almighty God possesses.” Do you suppose there is any connection between the denial and denunciation of these Truths and the chaos that exists in our world today? Sad that I even have to ask such a question. It’s time to start blaming ourselves and not God for the messes we have created.

(Photo©Michael Seagriff) 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. Leo the Great "Whoever truly wishes to venerate the Passion of the Lord should contemplate Jesus crucified with eyes of his soul, and in such a way that he identifies his own body with that of Jesus." (From Sermon 15 on the Passion ) St. Alphonsus Liguori "But God is merciful. Behold another common delusion by which the devil encourages sinners to persevere in sin! A certain author has said that more souls have been sent to hell by the mercy of God than by His justice. This indeed is the case; for men are induced by the deceits of the devil to persevere in sin, through confidence in God's mercy; and thus they are lost." (From Sermons For All the Sundays of the Year )   Servant of God, Madeleine Delbrel "In the area of God's work we are all a...