Dear children! Today I call you to love with all your heart and with all your soul. Pray for the gift of love, because when the soul loves it calls my Son to itself. My Son does not refuse those who call Him and who desire to live according to Him. Pray for those who do not comprehend love, who do not understand what it means to love. Pray that God may be their Father and not their Judge. My children, you be my apostles, be my river of love. I need you. Thank you.
Dear children! Today I call you to love with all your heart and with all your soul. Pray for the gift of love, because when the soul loves it calls my Son to itself. My Son does not refuse those who call Him and who desire to live according to Him. Pray for those who do not comprehend love, who do not understand what it means to love. Pray that God may be their Father and not their Judge. My children, you be my apostles, be my river of love. I need you. Thank you.
As I’ve said in other posts, we must pray for the “lost souls” in this life who futility try to live without God in their lives. They are suffering and desperately need our prayers (whether they know it or want to acknowledge it). I find Mary’s comment about accepting God as your Father rather than your judge particularly interesting. This statement ties into what I said about in my Second Glorious Mystery rosary meditation. God desires all of us to be with Him in Heaven and gives us all the tools we need to avoid separating ourselves from His kingdom forever. We should remember to use the gifts God has given to us through His Church and pray for those who risk a harsh judgement.
Today’s rosary meditation focuses on the Fourth Sorrowful Mystery — Jesus Carries His Cross. This mystery encapsulates many of the Stations of the Cross. We see Jesus take up the cross, fall repeatedly, meet the mourning women, be stripped of his garments, and nailed to the cross. Like the other Sorrowful Mysteries, Jesus carrying His cross teaches us about the nature of suffering and that we are called to love God and do His Will despite any suffering we may encounter in our lives.
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Today’s rosary meditation focuses on the Fourth Sorrowful Mystery — Jesus Carries His Cross. This mystery encapsulates many of the Stations of the Cross. We see Jesus take up the cross, fall repeatedly, meet the mourning women, be stripped of his garments, and nailed to the cross. Like the other Sorrowful Mysteries, Jesus carrying His cross teaches us about the nature of suffering and that we are called to love God and do His Will despite any suffering we may encounter in our lives.
While carrying the cross, Jesus fell down repeatedly. His falling is significant since we dedicate three Stations of the Cross to it. And yet each time Jesus fell He got back up. But why did Jesus continue to get up and continue suffering at the hands of the Roman soldiers? He must have known that each time He got up His situation was only going to get worse as He became more tired and beaten and crucifixion was the only thing that awaited Him. Why didn’t He just give up and die where He lay and avoid the increasing pain and torment? What pushed Jesus to get back on His feet?
Jesus continued because He understood that the purpose of following God’s Will is not to avoid suffering and find comfort in this life. Just the opposite, our purpose in life is to follow God’s Will despite the suffering it may bring. Jesus followed God’s Will out of love for His Father and love for us. Jesus’ love was greater than the physical pain He felt and that is why He got back up and continued to His crucifixion. Likewise, God desires us to love Him despite the suffering we may encounter doing so. We know that part of loving someone is to make sacrifices at times. And while Jesus taking up His cross is an extreme example of this truth, this mystery reminds us that we are also called to love God regardless of our earthly situation.
We may think there is a huge difference between the Son of God mustering up the strength to carry on in the face of great suffering versus us finding it in our daily struggles. It is very common to question God’s plan when “the going gets tough” and we do not get what we want or what we think is fair. I often come across people on Catholic forums asking, “Why me?” “Why can’t I find a job?” “Why can’t I find a good spouse?” “Why did I get this illness?” “I pray every day, I go to Mass, I go to Confession, and I don’t commit any mortal sins so why does God make my life so difficult?” The answer to all these questions lies within this mystery. Suffering is part of this life while our reward for loving God and doing His Will will be part of the next. We endure the trials of this life because our faith tells us that we will find comfort and relief in God’s Kingdom. Unfortunately, this is not the answer many of us want to hear. We want instant miracles. We want our problems to disappear. We would love God to “bail us out” immediately when we pray to Him. However, we do not see the big picture as God sees it. What we see as monumental suffering now in this life ultimately amounts to nothing compared to the glory of Heaven that awaits us in the next life. At the same time, following God’s Will, even in the face of great suffering, will yield tremendous happiness and comforts in Heaven. And in the end, finding eternal happiness in Heaven is all that really matters, not the momentary suffering and comforts in this world.
We should pray for all those who have “fallen” in life that they find the strength to get back up and follow God’s plan. We should pray for those who think God has abandoned them when in fact God is right here pushing them to work through their troubles. We should pray for those who do not follow God’s Will just to reap the comforts of this life at the cost of comforts in the next one. We should pray for the understanding that we love God most when we follow Him regardless of the earthly consequences. Finally, we should pray for the faith that all earthly suffering will be relieved when we enter into our true home, God’s kingdom of Heaven.
Welcome to the middle of Lent! I hope it has been a good season for you to really examine and work on your relationship with God. I came across this article on Catholic Exchange and thought it correlated nicely with my idea of spiritual exercise.
Welcome to the middle of Lent! I hope it has been a good season for you to really examine and work on your relationship with God. I came across this article on Catholic Exchange and thought it correlated nicely with my idea of spiritual exercise. From the article:
Let’s face it, we are all weighed down to some extent by selfishness and assorted vices. Given a choice, very few of us will choose suffering over comfort. Many times, we don’t even realize how much we love to be comfortable. Fortunately, the Church gives us the season of Lent to examine our souls and remove the extra “weight” that keeps us apart from the Lord. Here are five simple steps that you can use during Lent to identify and eliminate some of this excess “poundage” from your life.
The article discusses examining ourselves, setting goals, and not giving up. Where have we seen this before? Oh yeah, losing Lenten “weight” can probably be seen as a requirement on becoming a Lenten Superstar! And if this Lent hasn’t been a period of deep reflection like you hope it would, don’t worry. You still have three more weeks of Lent. And like Jesus‘ parable of the workers in the field, God doesn’t care what time you get on board and follow Him just as long as you do.
So let’s attack these next few weeks with spiritual fervor and tenacity. Hands in… READY… GO LENT!
Dear children, In this special time of your effort to be all the closer to my Son, to His suffering, but also to the love with which He bore it, I desire to tell you that I am with you. I will help you to triumph over errors and temptations with my grace. I will teach you love, love which wipes away all sins and makes you perfect, love which gives you the peace of my Son now and forever. Peace with you and in you, because I am the Queen of Peace. Thank you.
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Dear children, In this special time of your effort to be all the closer to my Son, to His suffering, but also to the love with which He bore it, I desire to tell you that I am with you. I will help you to triumph over errors and temptations with my grace. I will teach you love, love which wipes away all sins and makes you perfect, love which gives you the peace of my Son now and forever. Peace with you and in you, because I am the Queen of Peace. Thank you.
Mary offers us Her help to become closer to Her son, Jesus Christ. This message reminds me of the Fourth Glorious Mystery where Mary was assumed into Heaven to guide us through the trials of life. Our faith tells us that with the help of Mary and the saints we can triumph over sin and temptation to find ourselves in God‘s grace.
In our prayers, let us remember those who are in despair or far from God’s grace. We should pray for those who cannot believe that God loves them and desperately desires our love in return. As Mary’s message points out, God will forgive all our sins, no matter how serious, and reunite us in His grace.
Dear children! In this time of grace, when nature also prepares to give the most beautiful colors of the year, I call you, little children, to open your hearts to God the Creator for Him to transform and mould you in His image, so that all the good which has fallen asleep in your hearts may awaken to a new life and a longing towards eternity. Thank you for having responded to my call.
Image by StephYo via Flickr
Dear children! In this time of grace, when nature also prepares to give the most beautiful colors of the year, I call you, little children, to open your hearts to God the Creator for Him to transform and mould you in His image, so that all the good which has fallen asleep in your hearts may awaken to a new life and a longing towards eternity. Thank you for having responded to my call.
I really like the phrase, “so that all the good which has fallen asleep in your hearts may awaken to new life.” That pretty much sums up the meaning behind Lent. It is a time where we do not concentrate so much on what this world has to offer, but what what we have waiting for us in Heaven. Ask yourself, do you long for Heaven and work towards one day being there? Or is God’s kingdom an afterthought, an annoyance, or hindrance in your life? Like I asked in the Third Sorrowful Mystery meditation, “whose kingdom do you serve?”
This rosary meditation focuses on the Third Sorrowful Mystery — The Crowning of Thorns. The Roman soldiers mocked Jesus by dressing Him in royal purple and crowning Him with thorns (Mk. 15:17). They then mocked Him and pretended to pay Him homage (Mk. 15:19). Would the soldiers have acted so cavalier and arrogant if they truly understood who it was they were mocking? While we are not as brazen as those soldiers, we often mock Jesus by giving lip service to our faith. Instead of faithfully following Jesus, we too often dishonor Him by putting the fleeting treasures of this life in front of the treasures waiting for us in Heaven. Particularly in this time of Lent we must make a sincere effort to put Jesus first in our lives and honor Him the way He deserves.
This rosary meditation focuses on the Third Sorrowful Mystery — The Crowning of Thorns. The Roman soldiers mocked Jesus by dressing Him in royal purple and crowning Him with thorns (Mk. 15:17). They then mocked Him and pretended to pay Him homage (Mk. 15:19). Would the soldiers have acted so cavalier and arrogant if they truly understood who it was they were mocking? While we are not as brazen as those soldiers, we often mock Jesus by giving lip service to our faith. Instead of faithfully following Jesus, we too often dishonor Him by putting the fleeting treasures of this life in front of the treasures waiting for us in Heaven. Particularly in this time of Lent we must make a sincere effort to put Jesus first in our lives and honor Him the way He deserves.
We are often very much like the Roman soldiers who pretended to pay Jesus homage. Sure, we may say that we are good Christians. We might recite prayers every night and go to Mass every Sunday. But do we truly believe that Jesus Christ is our king and savior? Will we follow Him even when times are difficult and our faith runs contrary to society’s norms? Or is our faith something done in isolation and detached from our “normal” lives? For example, how many of your beliefs conflict with the Church’s teachings? Or, when faced with a difficult situation, how often do you tell a “little white lie” or commit some other easy sin to serve your own ends? Do you go to Confession without intending to truly turn away from your sins and live with a converted heart? There are so many ways where we pretend to follow Jesus but our actions tell a different story. And while our transgressions may seem small and inconsequential, they are like the little thorns on the crown we offer to Jesus. When meditating upon this mystery think about how sincerely you praise and honor Jesus. Do you practice and live the faith you profess or are you like the Roman soldiers who only pretended to honor Jesus?
For whose kingdom are you living? We too often live for this worldly kingdom and not for Jesus’ kingdom of Heaven. There are so many things that compete for our attention — money, power, possessions, and lust just to name a few. But we must remember this verse from the Gospel of Matthew (6:24):
No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
But how we try. However, as the verse says, by trying to serve two masters we often end up serving only one. Since money and possessions are physical, quantifiable things it is often easier to live for them than it is to live for our treasures in Heaven. After all, we only have it on faith that the riches of Heaven will far outweigh anything made in this world. But since our eternal reward isn’t something advertised during the Super Bowl by a fancy advertising agency, we too often kick it aside for the things that we can see, hear, and touch.
Ask yourself in this time of Lent, what master are you serving? What type of crown do you offer Jesus Christ?
We are entering a very special time of the year. People all around the globe will come together and really show the extent of the human spirit. People from different countries, languages, and cultures will be united for a few weeks with a common purpose. It will be difficult and require many sacrifices. But in the end, some people will rise up and find a strength they never knew they had and emerge triumphant. Are you ready for… Lent?
We are entering a very special time of the year. People all around the globe will come together and really show the extent of the human spirit. People from different countries, languages, and cultures will be united for a few weeks with a common purpose. It will be difficult and require many sacrifices. But in the end, some people will rise up and find a strength they never knew they had and emerge triumphant. Are you ready for… the Olympics Lent?
Much like the Olympic games, Lent and Easter are not ordinary times of the year. It is a special time where we set aside our usual routine and really focus on becoming stronger in our faith. It is a time to really push ourselves spiritually so that we may win that eternal “gold medal” — God’s grace and a place in His heavenly kingdom. Athletes train for years in preparation for the Olympics. Similarly, we must train and build our spiritual muscles in order to get the most out of this holy season. Similar to last year’s Lenten article, here are some things you can do to earn that “Lenten Gold”
Fast: This can be the toughest form of meditation and prayer. Fast by consuming only one full meal during the day (two smaller meals are allowed to maintain strength). While most people are required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, become a Lenten Olympian by fasting more often. Try fasting once or twice a week during Lent. Not ready for that gold medal? Just try skipping desserts and avoiding snacks. God sees every small sacrifice.
Pray: Allow extra time for prayer. Wake up five minutes earlier and spend that time in silent meditation. Remain conscious of Lent by praying throughout the day. Leaving work? Coming back from lunch? Running an errand? Say a small prayer at any of these times as a reminder of your faith. Want to go for the gold? Check with your parish for Stations of the Cross, Adoration, and other Lenten events.
Sacrifice: In the Olympics, earning your place on the podium takes hard work and sacrifice. You have to constantly adhere to a strict training regiment and never “slack off” or become lazy. Likewise, making the most of Lent requires making sacrifices. Give up something difficult like watching television or browsing the internet. Give up snacking. Give up alcohol. Replace your “guilty little pleasures” with prayer and build those spiritual muscles.
Know the Rules: Olympic athletes need to understand the rules of their sport in order to win. Skiers must know the twists and turns of a hill so that they can stay on the best path and achieve a winning time. Hockey players need to know what actions result in a penalty and avoid making them. How do you expect to be a Lenten superstar if you do not understand the rules of the game? Read Bible passages. Read a few pages of the Catechism every night. Learn apologetics. If you are feeling really ambitious, read one of the Holy Father’s encyclicals. Knowing your faith will keep you on that winning path.
Confession: Even Olympic athletes have bad days. Sometimes a ski jumper gets out of position and doesn’t get as much distance as he should. Sometimes a figure skater falls while trying to land after a difficult leap. But what do they all do? They get back up, learn from their mistakes, move on, and try to do better the next time. To be a Lenten athlete we also need to learn from our mistakes, get up, and move on. Go to Confession. Purge yourself of your sins, listen to the priest giving you absolution, do your penance, and move on and live in God’s graces. Want to go for the gold? Try to convince a loved one who hasn’t received the Sacrament of Reconciliation in a long time to go during Lent.
Have a Plan: Olympic athletes set goals. Skiers have a target time they have to beat in order to win a medal. Figure skaters have a list of moves they need to complete in their routines. They just don’t go out there without a strategy and hope that it all comes together. Likewise, have a plan for Lent. Make a list of all the spiritual goals you want to accomplish before Easter. Start now and continually add to the list as you think of new ways to make this Lent an extra special time of prayer.
The holiest time of the year begins in a few days. Are you prepared? Are you ready to win that spiritual gold medal? Please share in the comments any other ways we can all become Lenten superstars.
Dear children! May this time be a time of personal prayer for you, so that the seed of faith may grow in your hearts; and may it grow into a joyful witness to others. I am with you and I desire to inspire you all: grow and rejoice in the Lord Who has created you. Thank you for having responded to my call.
Dear children! May this time be a time of personal prayer for you, so that the seed of faith may grow in your hearts; and may it grow into a joyful witness to others. I am with you and I desire to inspire you all: grow and rejoice in the Lord Who has created you. Thank you for having responded to my call.
This rosary meditation focuses on The Second Glorious Mystery — The Ascension. After rising from the dead in the First Glorious Mystery, Jesus physically ascended into Heaven. We profess this every time we recite the Apostle’s Creed — “On the third day He rose again; He ascended into Heaven, He is seated at the right hand of the Father, and He will come again to judge the living and the dead.” We must remember that ultimately we will have to account for our thoughts, words, and actions in front of Jesus who reigns in Heaven. However, the Church gives us tools that allow us to remain close to God and correct our faults before facing our final judgment.
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This rosary meditation focuses on The Second Glorious Mystery — The Ascension. After rising from the dead in the First Glorious Mystery, Jesus physically ascended into Heaven. We profess this every time we recite the Apostle’s Creed — “On the third day He rose again; He ascended into Heaven, He is seated at the right hand of the Father, and He will come again to judge the living and the dead.” We must remember that ultimately we will have to account for our thoughts, words, and actions in front of Jesus who reigns in Heaven. However, the Church gives us tools that allow us to remain close to God and correct our faults before facing our final judgment.
“He will come again to judge the living and the dead.” Like many people, I find the idea of judgment scary. The word “judgment” conveys a trial, assessing guilt, and handing out punishment; none of which are very pleasant. In life, judging has a very negative connotation. We hear how we shouldn’t be so judgmental. Even when we are guilty (either legally or morally) many of us try to avoid admitting our faults and accepting the consequences. Instead we hide, we lie, or play the “blame game.” Deep down we want to be innocent, sinless, and virtuous but we often miss that mark. But in professing our inevitable judgment in the Apostle’s Creed we remind ourselves that we need to work at becoming more Christ-like. Understanding that our actions have consequences motivates us to avoid sin. And we avoid sin, not just to avoid punishment, but also realizing that sin separates us from Jesus Christ whom we love.
The purpose of knowing of our coming judgment is not to scare or depress us. In fact, God does not want to punish any of us. He desires all of us to one day enter into His kingdom. And He provides tools to help us avoid a harsh judgment. The most obvious tool He gives us is the Sacrament of Confession. This is our opportunity to set things straight with the Lord and remain in His grace. It’s our way of doing small course corrections so that we can remain on the path that ultimately leads us into His kingdom of Heaven. To put it another way, by routinely confessing our sins we confront our shortcomings while they are still small and manageable. Without acknowledging our sins those small shortcomings can turn into major problems and separate us from God’s grace not to mention make our lives miserable.
Another tool at our disposal to live in God’s graces is prayer. When we center our lives around God through prayer, that means we are not centering it around sin. In other words, earnest prayer can never be sinful so when we live a life of prayer we live without sin (unfortunately, no one has been able to obtain this lofty goal 100% of the time). The fact that we pray means that we acknowledge that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father and hears our prayers. After all, what would be the point of praying if we did not believe that Jesus hears us and guides us? When we pray we focus, even if only for a short time, on the Lord and ask for His help, thank Him, and listen to how He calls us to live. In short, we ask for the strength to live for His kingdom and earn our place that He has prepared for us when he ascended into Heaven.
When we meditate on this mystery, may we remember that our ultimate destination is Heaven. May we show our love for the Lord by not delaying our arrival in Heaven with a detour in Purgatory. And may we avoid mortal sin and risk loosing His kingdom entirely. Remembering our final judgment is not a terrible thing. Like remembering the consequences of breaking civil laws, we must always be mindful of the natural law that God imprints on our hearts and minds. Doing so will not only have its benefits in the afterlife, but will also manifest itself as an inner happiness in this life. Let us also remember to pray for those who are far from God’s graces. Let us pray for those who do not want to confront their eventual judgment but instead choose to hide, lie, and redirect blame. Because, as the old saying goes, “You can run, but you can’t hide.”
This rosary meditation focuses on The Fourth Joyful Mystery — The Presentation of our Lord. In this mystery we see Mary and Joseph present Jesus at the temple as was the Jewish tradition. They encountered a man named Simeon whom the Holy Spirit said would not experience death until he had seen the Anointed One. Upon seeing Jesus, Simeon said “Now Master, You can dismiss Your servant in peace; You have fulfilled Your word” (Luke 2:29). Simeon is an example on how our faith requires patience, endurance, and moral fortitude. While there are times when we may not feel God’s presence in our lives our faith tells us that He is always near and always hears our prayers.
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This rosary meditation focuses on The Fourth Joyful Mystery — The Presentation of our Lord. In this mystery we see Mary and Joseph present Jesus at the temple as was the Jewish tradition. They encountered a man named Simeon whom the Holy Spirit said would not experience death until he had seen the Anointed One. Upon seeing Jesus, Simeon said “Now Master, You can dismiss Your servant in peace; You have fulfilled Your word” (Luke 2:29). Simeon is an example on how our faith requires patience, endurance, and moral fortitude. While there are times when we may not feel God’s presence in our lives our faith tells us that He is always near and always hears our prayers.
I sometimes come across postings on the Catholic Answers web forums from people who feel discouraged since they do not feel close to Jesus. They talk about how they pray, go to Mass, fast, and read the Bible and yet they do not feel the Lord’s grace. I think we can all look to Simeon as an example that even the most just and pious need to be patient and have faith that the Lord will present Himself in the way that will ultimately lead us to Him. However, while God desires all of us to be in His heavenly kingdom, the road is a long one fraught with temptation and sin. But if we can hold on and remain faithful, even when it seems like God does not hear our prayers or notices our good deeds, we will be rewarded with the eternal happiness of Heaven.
Why must our faith be difficult to live at times? Why don’t we get direct answers to our prayers from a thundering voice in the clouds? Why must we endure such hardship and struggle? I think Mother Teresa can help us find an answer. In her private letters to Rev. Michael Van Der Peet she once said (as reported in this Time article):
Jesus has a very special love for you,” she assured Van der Peet. “[But] as for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great, that I look and do not see, — Listen and do not hear — the tongue moves [in prayer] but does not speak … I want you to pray for me — that I let Him have [a] free hand.
Here was a woman who embodied everything great about the Catholic faith and yet at times she felt distant from God’s love. She, like Simeon, was just and pious and yet she endured periods of time when she felt a great emptiness in her heart. Kolodiejchuk, a senior Missionaries of Charity member, explains that perhaps that emptiness is what drove her to do such great work. She never felt like her job was done or that God was prematurely rewarding her when there was still so much for her to do. Perhaps this was God’s way of making sure that pride did not hinder her important work. Mother Teresa still continued to do the Lord’s work and even put up a good face to others (the statements about her spiritual difficulties were not known until after her death). And, like Simeon, her patience paid off as she is now closer to Jesus than any of us ever can be in this world.
When we meditate on the Fourth Joyful Mystery let us remember Simeon and how his faith and patience was ultimately rewarded. We must pray for those who have fallen on the long and difficult road of faith that they get back up and have the strength to live as Jesus calls them. Remember, God has a plan for each of us and that plan will ultimately lead us to His heavenly kingdom. We just need to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us, especially in those times when it feels like God is the most distant from us. It is those times of great hardship when Jesus presents Himself to us although it may not be in the way we expect or we may not be listening. Remember in your prayers to not only speak to the Lord, but also allow Him to respond for He will show you the way to Him.
This rosary meditation focuses on the Third Sorrowful Mystery — The Crowning of Thorns. The Roman soldiers mocked Jesus by dressing Him in royal purple and crowning Him with thorns (Mk. 15:17). They then mocked Him and pretended to pay Him homage (Mk. 15:19). Would the soldiers have acted so cavalier and arrogant if they truly understood who it was they were mocking? While we are not as brazen as those soldiers, we often mock Jesus by giving lip service to our faith. Instead of faithfully following Jesus, we too often dishonor Him by putting the fleeting treasures of this life in front of the treasures waiting for us in 
