Even in simple cultures, an independent adult faces a long spiritual journey before they can live in the heart of God as a child. In our current milieu, Catholics are preoccupied with many pressing issues, so preoccupied we often overlook some of the most basic facts of how to live in the Spirit: “Let the little children alone,…… Continue reading Convert and Become Like Little Children
Tag: humility
Am I Weak Enough to Be a Christian?
feature image by Yongsung Kim I have faced difficult situations countless times, finally learning to surrender control to God after playing god becomes too exhausting. Often He has surprised me with bonafide miracles, miracles even skeptical teenagers could not explain away. One would assume I would be experienced enough to stop trying to control but I…… Continue reading Am I Weak Enough to Be a Christian?
So, HOW Do We Live in the Love of Christ?
To the casual observer, I appear to be a devoted Catholic mother who has lived a sacrificial life worthy of a modern saint. Little do people realize that although I did pour out my life struggling to raise nine kids on a small farm with little disposable income, I actually missed the core of…… Continue reading So, HOW Do We Live in the Love of Christ?
Why Most of Us Are Scapegoats, Not Saintly Martyrs
Every society, every culture has a tradition of a scapegoat: a person or group of people to blame and punish for the sins of that particular society. Centuries ago, old women were blamed for poor crops, cows which failed to produce milk and any birth defects. Less superstitious societies turned on each new group of…… Continue reading Why Most of Us Are Scapegoats, Not Saintly Martyrs
Defying Reality by Stealing God’s Job
Living like the world revolved around me was not fun nor was carrying the burdens of the world on my emotional shoulders.
Admit Defeat,Then Soar in the Spirit
When I admitted defeat, then God had an opportunity to save me from myself
Worth Revisiting:Are you Stealing Christ’s Job?
We can all fall into a trap- a type of piety which focuses on ourselves, our actions, our devotions, and effort. I am at the front and centre, not God.
Illusion or Reality? Pride or Humility?
During Lent, God presents us with a fundamental choice. Will we choose to continue to live in our human illusions or will we allow God to reveal His reality to us? Will we cling to false pride or embrace true humility? All too often we think we are more humble than we really are, especially…… Continue reading Illusion or Reality? Pride or Humility?
Worth Revisiting: Lent: What Does GOD Want From Us ?
1 In these first days of Lent, the Church shows us exactly how God wants us to pray, fast, serve His people and worship Him. The words from Isaiah 58:1-9 are like brilliant beams of light, cutting through any false notions we might have about this season of repentance that we call Lent. Often we…… Continue reading Worth Revisiting: Lent: What Does GOD Want From Us ?
A Parable: Squeaky Clean and Sloppy Joe
Next door, lazy Sloppy Joe reaped bumper crops. It was galling because relaxed Sloppy Joe’s animals also thrived. Squeaky Clean could not fathom what he was doing wrong.
Worth Revisiting: Spiritual Freedom
As Jean Vanier ( founder of L’Arche) once said, “You can be right. You can be dead right and bring death to all those around you.” Every thinking, praying, honest spiritual person who seeks the Holy Spirit in their own heart, comes to a point where they clash with those who look to obey the letter of…… Continue reading Worth Revisiting: Spiritual Freedom
True Humility
Often we tend to think of Lent as a time to share in the suffering of Christ yet when we do so, we become morose and end up centering more on our own sacrificial devotions than on God In these days of Lent, the Church shows us exactly how God wants us to pray. fast…… Continue reading True Humility
Worth Revisiting Wednesday: Loving Lent
Thoughts to Ponder I choose to surrender the clutter in my life, heart, spirit so Jesus will set me free from stuff and fill me with His Loving Presence. May the things of this world fall away, so I may fall in love with God. God can only fill the empty places. Grace does…… Continue reading Worth Revisiting Wednesday: Loving Lent
Stealing God’s Job: Defying Reality # 2
A writing prompt once asked, “Think about the last time you broke a rule (a big one, not just ripping the tags off your pillows). Were you burned, or did things turn out for the best?” Just like most people, I do not simply break a rule here and there; no, like every other human…… Continue reading Stealing God’s Job: Defying Reality # 2
The Courage and Humility of the Wisemen
It is the glorious feast of the Epiphany today. The wise men are the most fascinating enigma as they follow a mysterious star, encounter Herod, worship the Christ Child, and heed a mystical warning to avoid alerting the duplicitous Herod. The strongest impression for me of these three men is their courage as well as…… Continue reading The Courage and Humility of the Wisemen
Remember, We Only See Darkly
As Saint Paul tells us in Corinthians, humans see spiritual reality darkly. This phrase is key, in the face of the Almighty God, who holds the entire universe in His hands. It reminds us not to be proud or too dogmatic but humble in the face of the Eternal. If we are honest, we know very little…… Continue reading Remember, We Only See Darkly
Honest Prayer
Real prayer Is not a mental exercise, a game. Honest prayer Opens our core, our heart to the Almighty, The Creator of the universe. Such prayer is necessarily humble because He is God and we are not. No room for pride; He knows us better than we know ourselves. . Stark prayer is rooted in…… Continue reading Honest Prayer
Where Do I Stand This Night?
It is Holy Thursday, the night we celebrate the Chrism Mass.Tonight, churches around the entire globe will wait in prayerfull vigil, with lights dimmed, all images covered with the congregation in respectful, sombre silence. The Church is remembering the end of Jesus’s public life as a teacher and healer and walking with Him as He begins…… Continue reading Where Do I Stand This Night?
Joy in Pain
C.S. Lewis’s insights into the nature of pain and joy are the same as what I have discovered to be true, only he says it so much better! I have written about the Catholic tendency to focus on suffering, labelling this faulty spirituality as the ‘False Martyr Complex”. It is a matter of Christians ” Playing…… Continue reading Joy in Pain
7 Posts in 7 Days: Embracing Reality With Joy
Imagine you could freeze time for 6 minutes a day, stretch those 6 minutes to last for hours and with the with a snap of your fingers, time would begin again as if only six minutes had passed. Imagine the possibilities. Of course this flight of fantasy taps into all of our deepest desires to act…… Continue reading 7 Posts in 7 Days: Embracing Reality With Joy
joy of nine9 