Read " The Eleventh Hour" at Catholic Mothers On-line
God Bless!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Part II: Why Do You Pray?
Part II: Why Do You Pray
Certainly to acknowledge the purpose and need for prayer we are recognizing that our faith is a supernatural faith. God is an invisible reality. However, many of us at some time or another have fallen into the notion that God is a distant God; believing that he is looking down on us from heaven with scorn and condemnation, so we are afraid to pray. If you can relate to this, I implore you to watch Rob Bell’s Video: LUMP which is linked on my blog.
We must come to a place where we understand God is a personal God – that Christ is a person who is alive and with us all the time as he promised.
When we reflect on the gospels one that comes to my mind very often is the time when Jesus healed the young boy who was tormented by an unclean spirit. When the father of this young boy approaches Jesus it is clear that his faith was not very strong. On some level he understood that Christ had the capacity or ability to cure his son, but his request is worded as “if you can do anything to help him” Christ’s response to this man, could be very similar to what he says to us many times in prayer. When we pray for something, with little faith and he must be thinking “If I can? Certainly, I can.” Therefore, we must approach prayer like this father approaches Christ: “I do believe, help my unbelief.” Mark 9: 20-29
Certainly to acknowledge the purpose and need for prayer we are recognizing that our faith is a supernatural faith. God is an invisible reality. However, many of us at some time or another have fallen into the notion that God is a distant God; believing that he is looking down on us from heaven with scorn and condemnation, so we are afraid to pray. If you can relate to this, I implore you to watch Rob Bell’s Video: LUMP which is linked on my blog.
We must come to a place where we understand God is a personal God – that Christ is a person who is alive and with us all the time as he promised.
When we reflect on the gospels one that comes to my mind very often is the time when Jesus healed the young boy who was tormented by an unclean spirit. When the father of this young boy approaches Jesus it is clear that his faith was not very strong. On some level he understood that Christ had the capacity or ability to cure his son, but his request is worded as “if you can do anything to help him” Christ’s response to this man, could be very similar to what he says to us many times in prayer. When we pray for something, with little faith and he must be thinking “If I can? Certainly, I can.” Therefore, we must approach prayer like this father approaches Christ: “I do believe, help my unbelief.” Mark 9: 20-29
Monday, November 23, 2009
Part I: Why Do You Pray?
Why do you pray?
Part I
Can you answer that or does this question stump you?
I think awhile ago I would have been stumped by this question. My response might have been something like: “I pray because it helps me through difficult times, to remember that I am not alone, or in control.” In itself I don’t know that this response is incorrect or unreasonable, however there is much more to the reason we pray then just petition and consolation, I hope.
I will be responding to this question in a series of blog posts, otherwise I fear this post would be too long.
First of all, what is prayer?
Prayer is when we turn our heart and mind to God. When we address God and give Him praise, thanksgiving; we ask for help and ask for His mercy in our failings.
If you are reading this, then it is safe for me to assume that you agree that we are all on a journey, while we may be at different stages of our earthly and spiritual journey, the fact is we are all on a journey.
Now I take this a step further, we know God is the supreme creator of the whole universe, and we as human beings are His most prized creation, as we were made in His image and likeness. We also know that we were initially made to live with Him in paradise; because of sin we have been separated from Him.
Being separated from Him doesn’t change the fact that we are all physical and spiritual beings. We were made for heaven; we were made to live outside of time, therefore when we pray it’s like calling home.
Prayer essentially is a gift that God has given to us, even though we were forced to leave paradise because of sin, He invites us to call “home” often in order to connect with Him.
Christ is a prime example of this; He left paradise to come to Earth, and He took on a human body, while he walked among us his apostles found him rising early to pray; before he made any major decisions, he would pray, when he lost his cousin, John the Baptist, he wanted to go off to pray. If Christ, who would have been very close to His father needed to pray so often, how much more often to we need to pray?
Part I
Can you answer that or does this question stump you?
I think awhile ago I would have been stumped by this question. My response might have been something like: “I pray because it helps me through difficult times, to remember that I am not alone, or in control.” In itself I don’t know that this response is incorrect or unreasonable, however there is much more to the reason we pray then just petition and consolation, I hope.
I will be responding to this question in a series of blog posts, otherwise I fear this post would be too long.
First of all, what is prayer?
Prayer is when we turn our heart and mind to God. When we address God and give Him praise, thanksgiving; we ask for help and ask for His mercy in our failings.
If you are reading this, then it is safe for me to assume that you agree that we are all on a journey, while we may be at different stages of our earthly and spiritual journey, the fact is we are all on a journey.
Now I take this a step further, we know God is the supreme creator of the whole universe, and we as human beings are His most prized creation, as we were made in His image and likeness. We also know that we were initially made to live with Him in paradise; because of sin we have been separated from Him.
Being separated from Him doesn’t change the fact that we are all physical and spiritual beings. We were made for heaven; we were made to live outside of time, therefore when we pray it’s like calling home.
Prayer essentially is a gift that God has given to us, even though we were forced to leave paradise because of sin, He invites us to call “home” often in order to connect with Him.
Christ is a prime example of this; He left paradise to come to Earth, and He took on a human body, while he walked among us his apostles found him rising early to pray; before he made any major decisions, he would pray, when he lost his cousin, John the Baptist, he wanted to go off to pray. If Christ, who would have been very close to His father needed to pray so often, how much more often to we need to pray?
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Christ: DO YOU TRUST ME?
This past month we found ourselves without regular access to our computer, internet or e-mail. Anyone who knows our family is well aware that we rely greatly on our computer. We have no cable and the work we do for the non-profit organization and our work as Marriage Preparation course instructors, relies greatly on what we can do with our computer. At first I was a miss as to why God would allow this to happen at the busiest time of year for us.
Then I sought this as an opportunity for a much welcomed break! I felt like I was on retreat, with radio, telephone and social outings being our only link to the outside world, all of a sudden I was overwhelmed with extra time for prayer and reading.
So what was the problem?
We soon realized our computer was not worth fixing and we would “need” to purchase a new one! Well, our financial situation has drastically decreased since I have responded to God’s call to be home for my family. So, there was that question again...Why did God allow this to happen when we are already stretched out financially?
Truth is I still don’t know why. However, not having a computer quickly became an impediment and not a needed break from doing God’s work.
Though having to “give in” to the unexpected, extra expense of purchasing a computer has made me reflect on those families who are in a similar financial crisis this time of year, but who did not freely choose to walk away from the security of their pay checks.
My heart goes out to you.
While some may see my situation as completely different, I am not so sure it is much different. I responded to God’s call by freely choosing to say “YES” first and then resigning. Perhaps, the loss of the job was not freely chosen for others, but for some reason God has allowed it to happen, and He may still be waiting for your “YES”.
He is waiting for our YES to His question: Do you trust me? It’s so difficult to give him our “yes” isn’t it? Even though I gave it to him when I walked away from my job a few months ago, I find myself having to say “yes” everyday, when I am reminded of the sacrifices we have to make as a family, or that I have to make personally.
I found peace in saying “YES” even through the sacrifices; I am constantly reassured at least on an intellectual and spiritual level, that God is looking out for me and my family, and we have all we need for today; tomorrow will be taken care of as well.
I have spoken to many others who are still looking for this peace in the midst of their confusing time of job loss and I want to say to you: What if you haven’t found peace because you are refusing to say “YES” to Christ. Trust him, if it’s difficult for you...tell Him so; He wants to be your friend, your confidant; He wants you to share your burdens and your tears with Him.
Then I sought this as an opportunity for a much welcomed break! I felt like I was on retreat, with radio, telephone and social outings being our only link to the outside world, all of a sudden I was overwhelmed with extra time for prayer and reading.
So what was the problem?
We soon realized our computer was not worth fixing and we would “need” to purchase a new one! Well, our financial situation has drastically decreased since I have responded to God’s call to be home for my family. So, there was that question again...Why did God allow this to happen when we are already stretched out financially?
Truth is I still don’t know why. However, not having a computer quickly became an impediment and not a needed break from doing God’s work.
Though having to “give in” to the unexpected, extra expense of purchasing a computer has made me reflect on those families who are in a similar financial crisis this time of year, but who did not freely choose to walk away from the security of their pay checks.
My heart goes out to you.
While some may see my situation as completely different, I am not so sure it is much different. I responded to God’s call by freely choosing to say “YES” first and then resigning. Perhaps, the loss of the job was not freely chosen for others, but for some reason God has allowed it to happen, and He may still be waiting for your “YES”.
He is waiting for our YES to His question: Do you trust me? It’s so difficult to give him our “yes” isn’t it? Even though I gave it to him when I walked away from my job a few months ago, I find myself having to say “yes” everyday, when I am reminded of the sacrifices we have to make as a family, or that I have to make personally.
I found peace in saying “YES” even through the sacrifices; I am constantly reassured at least on an intellectual and spiritual level, that God is looking out for me and my family, and we have all we need for today; tomorrow will be taken care of as well.
I have spoken to many others who are still looking for this peace in the midst of their confusing time of job loss and I want to say to you: What if you haven’t found peace because you are refusing to say “YES” to Christ. Trust him, if it’s difficult for you...tell Him so; He wants to be your friend, your confidant; He wants you to share your burdens and your tears with Him.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
BUSY, BUSY, BUSY
Busy, Busy
It’s that time of year again I keep hearing everyone talking about how busy they are. How quickly September is “flying” by.
Yes we are all busy, in this race against time aren’t we?
I’d like to pose a question though…..what are we busy doing?
Personally I believe that it is good to be busy, but busy doing what? If we are not busy could we not easily fall into idleness or selfishness?
I want time for me…sound familiar? What is time for “me” Being a mom for almost 11 years, with only 2 children, I am not sure I know what “me” time is.
“Me” time is: writing; prayer time; reading. However, I share what I write and it’s usually spiritual writing; prayer time is time I give to Christ and I usually read books that are formative.
Yes, I am busy, but if you look closely you’ll see that I am busy living my life for Christ. Instead of struggling with busyness, or tying to win the race against time, I have resolved to use the time I have been given to live, work, rest, play all for the love of God.
We’ve all been given the same amount of time each day, 24 hours. If we break down the day and truly look at how much time we need to rest, eat, work we should find that this still leaves us with ample time to fit in prayer, family time; couple time, etc.
At times our priorities get mixed up, and some of us do keep our calendars much more busy than it needs to be. We participate in too many activities, or enroll our children in activities that may not be necessary, reasonable, and affordable or provide any long lasting benefit to their formation in the faith.
I suggest we live a life where we keep our priorities simple: FAITH, FAMILY, FRIENDS.
Then our decisions on what programs to be involved in and what activities to enroll our kids in will be simple.
You could discern by asking yourself simple questions: i.e. Will this program/activity help individuals in our family with faith formation? Will this program/activity enrich our family life or will it encroach on our family and cause undue stress? Does the sacrifice of participating, outweigh the benefit to the individuals in our family? Will this program foster friendships that will assist our family in living out our faith?
Can we ever be involved in too many good things? Possibly. This requires discernment and Spiritual Direction for sure. Some of us may have a natural tendency to take on too much, we may have trouble saying “no” when our plate is just too full.
Just imagine what the Catholic Church would be like though if all families were busy with formative programs/activities.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Just Do Your Best
Just Do Your Best
As my boys bring another soccer season to a close and soon summer days will end and school days will be here again; I hear them lament over the “goals” they did not achieve.
That’s right this soccer season neither one of them ever scored a goal.
This provided a wonderful opportunity for me to reflect with them on the importance of team work and team effort.
Our youngest also hoped he would have mastered riding a bicycle without training wheels by now, unfortunately he has not. When I spoke with him about what he did and what he could have done differently, we realized he really did not practice as much as he could have.
This of course got me thinking about how God loves us. You see, I would have really enjoyed witnessing my boys score a goal for their team, or master riding a bicycle, however, what I have really enjoyed this summer was watching them play soccer, they went on that field and they played with their heart, for the good of their team.
While our younger son did not master riding a bicycle, he did manage to learn how to push himself on the swing without my help. A few short weeks ago, he needed a boost from me all the time. Now he is swinging pretty high without me. In time I know he’ll be committed to practicing more on his bike, and he’ll achieve that goal as well.
God knows we won’t always achieve our goals; He knows we will fail, stumble and falter on our way to achieving holiness. He wants our very best, effort. He wants us to live each day, like my boys play – with our whole heart.
So that is my new motto: I’ll give God my very best, I’ll give him my whole heart.
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