I have just come to an important realization. I will never - ever - be satisfied. No one can give me what I truly want. I can't win it for myself, nor can it be achieved through luck or hard work. I will never be satisfied.
I want peace. I want happiness. I want joy. I want Love. And only God can fulfill these desires in my heart. Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee. - St. Augustine, "Confessions"
Some things will bring me closer. Others further away. To help myself get to this unattainable-in-this-life goal, I must cling to those things that bring me close to my Goal, and shun those that do not.
When I moved to San Francisco, I missed home terribly. When I got over that, I missed Ave Maria horribly. I visited Ave Maria last weekend and home this weekend. Surprise, surprise...this isn't cutting it either. Certainly there are things or people or experiences along the way that leave me teetering on the edge of what I want, but, in the end, they can only bring me so far. The rest can truly only be filled by Christ's love for me - and my cooperation in that Love.
This is what I strive for. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. - C.S. Lewis, "Mere Christianity"
Sometimes I think that religious life would be easier. I'd get to pray, read, work, and truly do all for the glory of God without the distractions and ho-hum-ness of daily secular life. Being in the world is a trial not easily overcome.
I'm truly thankful (and not just because tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day) for all of my friends who have brought me closer to this ultimate goal, who continue to inspire me to lead a good life, who encourage me when I feel like I can't go on, and who never let me rest when I do something to hinder my progress along the road to salvation. I can only pray that one day, I can return even a small part of this huge favour.
Oremus pro invicem.
Showing posts with label Prayer Requests. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prayer Requests. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Curveballs, Fire, and Critique
I am copying Meryl's blog format for this post. You will find below three sections. 1) My life, 2) A reflection on Purgatory, and 3) Something controversial.
SECTION ONE: Baseball on the mind...?
God likes to throw odd pitches to me at very strategic times, I've noticed. Maybe He thinks I'm a good hitter and wants to challenge me...maybe it's a warning to say I should look out...maybe it's a test...maybe it's just Him laughing at me. I don't know. Sometimes He throws a curveball and I don't anticipate it (or know how to swing!), and sometimes He'll throw a slider and I'll basically run into the ground. Whatever it is, it means that He's telling me something. Oh, that I had ears to hear!
I got a pitch thrown at me recently, and it's in slow motion, so I'm not even sure if it IS a curveball. All I know is that God is true to His word. He told me that He has my life worked out for me. So I guess I should stop worrying about the pitch and let Him tell me whether or not to swing instead of analyzing it from a thousand different angles. Cooperation is the key.
SECTION TWO: A little more serious.
In dealing with frustrating situations, knowing that cooperation with God's grace and the situations in which I find myself can be directed toward a greater End: the greater glory of God and the salvation of my soul and of those souls around me. It's important to remember that every action, every thought, every inclination, will be examined on the day of Judgment. Everything will lead us further from Christ or closer to Him. And we'll have to give an account of everything...EVERYTHING...at the end of our lives. Modern society likes to tell us that there are no consequences, no rules, and nothing to worry about during life, and that there's nothing awaiting us after we die. The Church knows something different...consequences are real, rules effectively gives us freedom rather than slavery, and that, after we pass from this fleeting life...there is Heaven or Hell forever.
This morning, Canon Jean-Marie Moreau, ICKSP, gave a homily that was nothing short of shocking. It's the month of November (in your charity, please stop reading and say a prayer for the poor souls in Purgatory. Pater Noster...Ave Maria...Gloria Patri...), so Father preached on the reality of Purgatory. He said that the fire we know here on earth is a fire that was created for our convenience: cooking, heating, purifying, etc. The fires in Purgatory are the same as the fires in Hell. They were created for our inconvenience, for punishment. The souls in Purgatory yearn to be relieved of their suffering and to be united with God. They can no longer help themselves while they are in Purgatory. They rely on OUR prayers.
SECTION THREE: Some of you may not like this....
...but I've been reading Alice von Hildebrand's critique on Christopher West's take on A Theology of the Body, the popular work by Pope John Paul II on the meaning of human sexuality and love, and its relation to the Divine Persons. Having read both the TOB (for a class at Ave Maria) and Alice von Hildebrand's critique, I very much recommend it to you. The reason I bring this up at all is because I've gotten a few emails from an FSSP priest with various different resources on thoughts of the TOB. (Side Note: He highly recommends reading St. Teresa of Avila's Interior Castle or St. Francis de Sales' Introduction to the Devout Life instead. I must agree with him; trying to explore such mysteries without careful thought, great wisdom, and constant guidance is very dangerous. Spiritual reading by the Doctors of the Church and the mystics is more edifying, tried-and-true, and conducive to salvation.) However, if you are a TOB fan (or not!), you may find Mrs. von Hildebrand's reflections to be thought-provoking and beneficial to your own understanding. You can find the link here.
SECTION ONE: Baseball on the mind...?
God likes to throw odd pitches to me at very strategic times, I've noticed. Maybe He thinks I'm a good hitter and wants to challenge me...maybe it's a warning to say I should look out...maybe it's a test...maybe it's just Him laughing at me. I don't know. Sometimes He throws a curveball and I don't anticipate it (or know how to swing!), and sometimes He'll throw a slider and I'll basically run into the ground. Whatever it is, it means that He's telling me something. Oh, that I had ears to hear!
I got a pitch thrown at me recently, and it's in slow motion, so I'm not even sure if it IS a curveball. All I know is that God is true to His word. He told me that He has my life worked out for me. So I guess I should stop worrying about the pitch and let Him tell me whether or not to swing instead of analyzing it from a thousand different angles. Cooperation is the key.
SECTION TWO: A little more serious.
In dealing with frustrating situations, knowing that cooperation with God's grace and the situations in which I find myself can be directed toward a greater End: the greater glory of God and the salvation of my soul and of those souls around me. It's important to remember that every action, every thought, every inclination, will be examined on the day of Judgment. Everything will lead us further from Christ or closer to Him. And we'll have to give an account of everything...EVERYTHING...at the end of our lives. Modern society likes to tell us that there are no consequences, no rules, and nothing to worry about during life, and that there's nothing awaiting us after we die. The Church knows something different...consequences are real, rules effectively gives us freedom rather than slavery, and that, after we pass from this fleeting life...there is Heaven or Hell forever.
This morning, Canon Jean-Marie Moreau, ICKSP, gave a homily that was nothing short of shocking. It's the month of November (in your charity, please stop reading and say a prayer for the poor souls in Purgatory. Pater Noster...Ave Maria...Gloria Patri...), so Father preached on the reality of Purgatory. He said that the fire we know here on earth is a fire that was created for our convenience: cooking, heating, purifying, etc. The fires in Purgatory are the same as the fires in Hell. They were created for our inconvenience, for punishment. The souls in Purgatory yearn to be relieved of their suffering and to be united with God. They can no longer help themselves while they are in Purgatory. They rely on OUR prayers.
SECTION THREE: Some of you may not like this....
...but I've been reading Alice von Hildebrand's critique on Christopher West's take on A Theology of the Body, the popular work by Pope John Paul II on the meaning of human sexuality and love, and its relation to the Divine Persons. Having read both the TOB (for a class at Ave Maria) and Alice von Hildebrand's critique, I very much recommend it to you. The reason I bring this up at all is because I've gotten a few emails from an FSSP priest with various different resources on thoughts of the TOB. (Side Note: He highly recommends reading St. Teresa of Avila's Interior Castle or St. Francis de Sales' Introduction to the Devout Life instead. I must agree with him; trying to explore such mysteries without careful thought, great wisdom, and constant guidance is very dangerous. Spiritual reading by the Doctors of the Church and the mystics is more edifying, tried-and-true, and conducive to salvation.) However, if you are a TOB fan (or not!), you may find Mrs. von Hildebrand's reflections to be thought-provoking and beneficial to your own understanding. You can find the link here.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
8.8 Earthquake in Chile
In your kindness, say a prayer for Chile... From Fox News:
BREAKING NEWS — President Michele Bachelet declared a state of catastrophe in central Chile after a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck early Saturday.Go to Fox to read more.
The most powerful quake to hit the country in a half century cut electricity, water and phone lines to many areas, meaning there was no word of death or damage from many outlying areas.
There have been conflicting reports on the death toll, with some placing the count as high as 122, a number Chilean officials expect to rise.
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