To Happiness

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Michael
St. Joseph, the Carpenter Wikimedia Commons

St. Joseph, the Carpenter
Wikimedia Commons

God wills our happiness, and our happiness lies in our service to Him.  God calls each by name to a particular service for which they were created and no other can do.

This is our work. This is the good we can do.  This and this alone is what will bring true and everlasting happiness.  Our work may be to design and construct a building or to be a brick or nail in the building.  Each glorifies God.   Each earns a saintly crown in its glorification of God’s will.

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To the Rock

Posted on February 23, 2014 by Michael
Moses Striking Water from the Rock Tintoretto Wikimedia Commons

Moses Striking Water from the Rock
Tintoretto
Wikimedia Commons

“For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?” (2 Samuel 22:32) He is the Rock “that begot” us (Deuteronomy 32:18), and whose “work is perfect” and “ways are justice” (Deuteronomy 32:3-4).  “There is no rock like our God” (1 Samuel 2:2).  David sings praises to the Rock, “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior … blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God” (2 Samuel 22:2-3 and 47-49).

When Israel and Judah drifted from their Lord God, Isaiah warns that they “have forgotten the God of your salvation, and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge” (Isaiah 17:10).   Isaiah also speaks of the Messiah to come as a Rock, who will became “a sanctuary, and a stone of offense, and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem” (Isaiah 8:13-14).  The prophet Isaiah also spoke of the Messianic feast to come, “You shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one sets out to the sound of the flute to go to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel” (Isaiah 30:29).

The supernatural rock that stood before Israel at Horeb (Exodus 17:6) from which water came out and Israel drank was Christ“ (1 Corinthians 10:4).   We are feed at Christ’s eucharistic banquet “with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock” (Psalms 81:16).

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalms 19:14)  For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? (Psalms 18:31)  Trust in the LORD for ever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock. (Isaiah 26:4)

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To the Marriage of Gomer and Hosea

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Michael
Hosea Wikimedia Commons

Hosea
Wikimedia Commons

In many ways, Hosea’s marriage to Gomer prefigures Christ’s marriage to His church.   Gomer was a harlot with many lovers, yet the prophet Hosea married her at God’s request.  Gomer would be unfaithful, leaving Hosea for her former lovers, yet Hosea would take her back.

At the request of His Father, Christ wedded us sinners through His passion and death.  Like Gomer, we stray from our marital relationship, replacing our love of Christ for our love of wealth, earthly pleasures, or self.  When Gomer strayed, Hosea took her back, and when we stray, Christ welcomes us back.

The fruits of Gomer’s and Hosea’s marriage were three children named “scattered”, later re-named “sow”, “no pity”, later re-named “pity”, and “not my child”, later re-named “my child.”

What will the fruits of our marriage to Christ be?  Will the seeds of His passionate love for us be “scattered” on a rock-hardened heart where they are unable to take root, or will they be “sown” in a fertile heart were they can take root and produce a thousand fold.  Will we humbly seek and partake of His infinite mercy or self-righteously reject it?  Will we completely unite ourselves with Christ in words and actions by loving others as He loves us, or will our union to Him be only by the words of our mouth and not by our imitation of His loving actions for others?

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To Belonging

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Michael
Igor Stoyanov Wedding at Cana Icon Wikimedia Commons

Igor Stoyanov
Wedding at Cana Icon
Wikimedia Commons

Belonging resides in the deepest recesses of our being.   From the first moments of our birth comfort and security of belonging comes from being held and embraced, and later our identity of belonging comes from family and friends.

Yet our deepest desire for belonging rings with hollowness, for our soul continually longs to belong.   The soul burns for what it was created for, for Him who created it in and for love.  To Him and Him alone does our soul long.  As the bride seeks her beloved groom and the groom his beloved bride, the soul forever seeks its Creator and the Creator the soul He created and woos with the purest of love.

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To Matters of the Day

Posted on January 25, 2014 by Michael
José Ferraz de Almeida Júnior Scene of Adolfo Pinto’s Family Wikimedia Commons

José Ferraz de Almeida Júnior
Scene of Adolfo Pinto’s Family
Wikimedia Commons

St. John of Avila noted in a letter: Say in your heart, “I am being led captive to death; what is this world to me? I am going to God; I do not wish to entangle myself in earthly things.”

Matters of the day and concerns of life are to be dealt with, but should not divert attention from the ultimate goal, drawing nearer to God through service to Him.   God works in us bear fruit when the will is turned away from self and to God.   Life should consist of drawing ever nearer to God; thanking the Lord for what He has asked us to bear, and ever contemplating the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.   We can perform small acts in service of God, and God can speak and work through small events in our life.  Be ever attentive to the presence of the Lord, for He is continually present to us.

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To Man’s Image and Likeness

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Michael
Pietro Perugino Wikimedia Commons

Pietro Perugino
Wikimedia Commons

Man was created in God’s image and likeness, not in a bodily image and likeness of God, for God does not have a bodily form.  Rather, man was created in the image and likeness of God’s essence.  Hence, man is to act according to God’s likeness of being, proclaiming truth and creating and sustaining life.

The heart of man was created to seek truth.  The Evil One, the Father Lies, twists and confounds truth.  Sin rides on the back of distorted truth and lies.  Truth leads the way to God.

The heart of man was created to create and sustain life.  To refuse to be open to God’s invitation to create new life in union with Him and to sustain life from conception to natural death is a renunciation of our human essence and God, the creator and sustainer of all life.

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Near in Mouth and Heart

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Michael
Christ Praying in the Garden Marco Basaiti Wikimedia Commons

Christ Praying in the Garden
Marco Basaiti
Wikimedia Commons

Prayer consists in having the Lord not only near in mouth, but also near in heart.  “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34).

Prayer does not comprise one empty phrase heaped upon another.  Rather, prayer is the mouth proclaiming phrases that proceed from the heart.  The heartfelt phrases may be in the form of petitions and complaints, acclamations of praise and glory, and declarations of faith and hope.  During prayer, the heart should also be still and listen.

The Patriarchs, Prophets, and Psalmists entered into such fervent dialogue with the Lord.  The Gospels are similarly filled with such prayerful dialogue between Jesus and His Father in Heaven.

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To a Humble Heart

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Michael
Madonna of Humility Sassetta - Wikimedia Commons

Madonna of Humility
Sassetta – Wikimedia Commons

The Lord hears and responds to the call of a humble heart.   Call on Him with confidence and courage.

The Lord seeks and desires a heart free of self and the world, for a heart burdened with self and the world cannot bind itself to God.

The Lord helps and protects the meek and humble of heart.  Lovingly, He provides what is needed to serve Him, strengths the will with grace to embrace the cross, and joins those of humble heart to the mystical body of His Son, Christ Jesus.

Trust in the mercy and goodness of the Lord fearlessly.

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To Live and Practice Our Faith

Posted on January 11, 2014 by Michael
Chapelle Royale Versailles Wikimedia Commons

Chapelle Royale Versailles
Wikimedia Commons

Jeremiah gives a beautiful description of how to live and practice our faith: Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practice steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, says the LORD.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

Many say these two verses of Jeremiah define the basis of our faith and religion — steadfast love of God and neighbor, the proper exercise of justice, and righteousness.  For the LORD blesses those “who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times” (Psalms 106:3), for the LORD “loves righteousness and justice” (Psalms 33:5) and “hate[s] wickedness” (Psalms 45:7).

Wise men may glory in their wisdom, but true wisdom resides in fear of the LORD, for “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who practice it” (Psalms 111:10).

Mighty men cannot prevail over the might of LORD, for “A king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save.” (Psalms 33:16,17).

Rich men may glory in their riches, but “Truly no man can ransom himself, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of his life is costly, and can never suffice, that he should continue to live on for ever, and never see the Pit.” (Psalms 49:7-9).

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To Humility, Generosity and Confidence

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Michael
Annunciation Francisco de Zurbaran Wikimedia Commons

Annunciation
Francisco de Zurbaran
Wikimedia Commons

St. Francis de Sales teaches that humility is more than us lacking trust in ourselves.  On the contrary, humility is an expression of our confidence in God and His generosity. For in humility we can echo words of St. Paul proclaiming, “I can do all things in him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).  Humility and our confidence in God and His generosity are interrelated, such that they are never separated.  According to St. Francis humility produces a generosity of spirit, such that, “There is nothing and there can be nothing that I am unable to do, so long as I put all my confidence in God, who can do all things.”  The Blessed Mother words, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to they word” (Luke 1:38) are an excellent example of generosity of spirit.

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