Today's Gospel, I think, contains some of Jesus' most comforting words yet some of His most difficult advice...at least for me.
"Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself."
We're all control freaks on some level. We make plans for our day...we become upset/annoyed/concerned when they become disrupted and do not occur as we had imagined. And that's just when, for whatever reason that's out of our control, we don't have time to get our Starbucks latte in the morning! (The important things, right?)
What about the plans for our life? The big stuff. When those are at risk of being changed or about to be changed...woah, watch out. I know when I am at a point where I no longer have control...when there is nothing else I can do to create the outcome I want...it's almost impossible for me to focus on anything at all. I cry a lot, I'm easily annoyed, and I feel like the world is reeling around me...like I'm the only kid on the merry-go-round and I want to get off, but it won't slow down and stop spinning.
And the only way off of that merry-go-round? Ya gotta jump...you jump with the faith that one of two outcomes will occur:
1.) You will land safely on your own two feet and stumble away relatively unscathed
2.) You will fall...and if you do someone will be there to pick you up, dust you off, and put band-aids on your scrapes
You leap with blind faith, not knowing the outcome.
There is no way we can ever know where life is going to take us. The only sure thing that we have is this very moment...a thought that can be terrifying if we let it consume us.
Although we may have no idea where life is going to take us, God knows exactly where He wants us to be...and where God wants us to be is the best place for us. That should be an incredible comfort for us! All we need to do is seek God first in our lives and all the rest will fall into place...we just have to be faithful and believe that God will provide for us all that we need. When I look back on my life, I see that He has provided everything for me...opened doors for me when I needed somewhere to go and closed doors that would cause me harm. It is still a minute by minute process for me to remember all of these times when I am tempted with worry...but that moment to moment choice to trust in God is the foundation of faith.
When I finally decide to put the time and energy I spent worrying into spending time with God, all of that fear and anxiety it replaced with peace...and I know no matter what, everything will be okay. Like I said, it's still a work in progress to start doing that right from the get go.
"Anxiety is the greatest evil that can befall a soul, except sin. God commands you to pray, but He forbids you to worry." - St. Francis de Sales
Let us try our very best to give it all up to God...our plans, our fears, our failures, our triumphs. He will place us right where we need to be when we need to be there. Anxiety takes our focus away from what God can do for us and puts in on what we can do for ourselves. "With God all things are possible"...my bet is on Him.
Time to take the leap off of the merry-go-round. I know God is ready for me...band-aids and all. Are you with me?
In His Love,
Lindsey
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Falling in Love
Happy SAINT Valentine's Day!
I am currently at the beginning of a "Busy Person's Retreat" at my University...our first session with our spiritual companion was today and it was such a blessing...and I am sure there will be more to come as the week continues! But the theme of the retreat, "Falling in Love," is based off of the following quote which I fell in love with (haha) the minute I read it. So, in the spirit of love that is encompassed by this day, I wanted to share this amazing quote which is inspiring my week and, with God's grace and strength, the rest of my life. Enjoy!...I hope you have experienced God's perfect love today!
"Nothing is more practical than God, that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything." -- Pedro Arrupe, SJ
In His Love,
Lindsey
I am currently at the beginning of a "Busy Person's Retreat" at my University...our first session with our spiritual companion was today and it was such a blessing...and I am sure there will be more to come as the week continues! But the theme of the retreat, "Falling in Love," is based off of the following quote which I fell in love with (haha) the minute I read it. So, in the spirit of love that is encompassed by this day, I wanted to share this amazing quote which is inspiring my week and, with God's grace and strength, the rest of my life. Enjoy!...I hope you have experienced God's perfect love today!
"Nothing is more practical than God, that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything." -- Pedro Arrupe, SJ
In His Love,
Lindsey
Monday, February 7, 2011
From the Pastor's Desk: A Note on the Sacrament of Reconciliation
Every Sunday in my parish's bulletin our pastor writes "From the Pastor's Desk," a few paragraphs to help you understand and connect with your faith in deeper ways. This past Sunday was a particularly striking writing that helped me to understand an often misunderstood Sacrament.
It is often a struggle for me to go to confession...I find it hard to get my pride under control sometimes. After God's grace allows me to stifle my ego long enough to get into the confessional, I only discover acceptance and healing behind that door. God's love for us is yet again revealed in its fullness as we are fully forgiven for the wrongs we have committed. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is so truly beautiful.
I just wanted to share the writing from the pastor's desk this week - it begins with a congratulations to all of the 2nd graders in the parish who experienced their first confession last week. I hope you find it as comforting as I did. Thank you Fr. Gannon!
"A special congratulations and wish for many graces to our second graders who experienced their first confession these past weekends. Confession remains a stunning, incalculable gift from God to the Catholic Church. Today, we now understand more about the human person scientifically than ever before. We understand better the functions of the heart and how the brain controls it. Psychology has unlocked not all but many secrets of the mind.
Confession is precisely a gift because it addresses the whole human person. While fundamentally supernatural, it is also very healthy psychologically. Those who skip confession actually deprive themselves of not only God's infinite grace but also a remarkable sense of liberation. Ultimately, they endanger their souls. Whatever is good for the soul will be good for the body. Fasting, when done wisely, can affect the body in a healthy way, though it will stretch us.
Confession is the same. First, one enters the confessional. Then one must compel self towards tremendous humility; we must admit we are sinners and then admit each sin out loud. While not easy, it becomes tremendously cathartic. It compels us towards an honest and stringent examination of our heart, admitting that we cannot eradicate our sins by ourselves, but that we need God. The penitent in the confessional then listens to the priest and accepts his guidance.
The priest then assigns the penance. Deep inside the human person is the natural desire to make up for evil; this good desire needs cultivation. Then the person formally declares his sorrow through the Act of Contrition. Then comes the profound supernatural moment where the priest pronounces the words of absolution. At an exact moment in time the sins are all forgiven. The human voice of the priest, invoking the infinite power of Jesus Christ, facilitates the liberating sensation one has when one leaves confession.
Bad temptations to avoid in the confessional; first, to make excuses for sins. Don't. Just list them in all humility. Everyone is a sinner. Second, to talk about others' sins. Don't. Third, to try to hide sins. If one deliberately omits a serious sin, or even falsely answers a question of the priest then one commits a mortal sin and must confess all this in the next confession. God already knows the truth. He wants us to admit the truth in humility. To avoid an embarrassing admission, or to try to impress the priest, is only an attitude that causes deeper injury to the soul. In fact, priests are most impressed by thorough confessions where the penitent makes no excuses and succinctly lists all of their sins very carefully. But the fundamental motivation is always to renew the necessary grace from God in the soul. Of course, one may and should ask the priest any question to alleviate disquiet in their soul.
Let us not only pray for our second graders that their parents will continue to bring them to confession, but that we will all take advantage of this gift that only heals, liberates, and leads to eternal life."
In His Love,
Lindsey
It is often a struggle for me to go to confession...I find it hard to get my pride under control sometimes. After God's grace allows me to stifle my ego long enough to get into the confessional, I only discover acceptance and healing behind that door. God's love for us is yet again revealed in its fullness as we are fully forgiven for the wrongs we have committed. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is so truly beautiful.
I just wanted to share the writing from the pastor's desk this week - it begins with a congratulations to all of the 2nd graders in the parish who experienced their first confession last week. I hope you find it as comforting as I did. Thank you Fr. Gannon!
"A special congratulations and wish for many graces to our second graders who experienced their first confession these past weekends. Confession remains a stunning, incalculable gift from God to the Catholic Church. Today, we now understand more about the human person scientifically than ever before. We understand better the functions of the heart and how the brain controls it. Psychology has unlocked not all but many secrets of the mind.
Confession is precisely a gift because it addresses the whole human person. While fundamentally supernatural, it is also very healthy psychologically. Those who skip confession actually deprive themselves of not only God's infinite grace but also a remarkable sense of liberation. Ultimately, they endanger their souls. Whatever is good for the soul will be good for the body. Fasting, when done wisely, can affect the body in a healthy way, though it will stretch us.
Confession is the same. First, one enters the confessional. Then one must compel self towards tremendous humility; we must admit we are sinners and then admit each sin out loud. While not easy, it becomes tremendously cathartic. It compels us towards an honest and stringent examination of our heart, admitting that we cannot eradicate our sins by ourselves, but that we need God. The penitent in the confessional then listens to the priest and accepts his guidance.
The priest then assigns the penance. Deep inside the human person is the natural desire to make up for evil; this good desire needs cultivation. Then the person formally declares his sorrow through the Act of Contrition. Then comes the profound supernatural moment where the priest pronounces the words of absolution. At an exact moment in time the sins are all forgiven. The human voice of the priest, invoking the infinite power of Jesus Christ, facilitates the liberating sensation one has when one leaves confession.
Bad temptations to avoid in the confessional; first, to make excuses for sins. Don't. Just list them in all humility. Everyone is a sinner. Second, to talk about others' sins. Don't. Third, to try to hide sins. If one deliberately omits a serious sin, or even falsely answers a question of the priest then one commits a mortal sin and must confess all this in the next confession. God already knows the truth. He wants us to admit the truth in humility. To avoid an embarrassing admission, or to try to impress the priest, is only an attitude that causes deeper injury to the soul. In fact, priests are most impressed by thorough confessions where the penitent makes no excuses and succinctly lists all of their sins very carefully. But the fundamental motivation is always to renew the necessary grace from God in the soul. Of course, one may and should ask the priest any question to alleviate disquiet in their soul.
Let us not only pray for our second graders that their parents will continue to bring them to confession, but that we will all take advantage of this gift that only heals, liberates, and leads to eternal life."
In His Love,
Lindsey
Friday, February 4, 2011
Who would you call with your last goodbye?
"If we discovered that we had only five minutes left to say all that we wanted to say, every telephone booth would be occupied by people calling other people to stammer that they loved them."
Why is it that we walk around this earth holding out on letting people know that we love them? Do we count on having tomorrow, or the day after, to say all that we wish to convey? Do we not know how to express all that we feel? Are we afraid to share it all?
Love, in its truest form, drives out all fear...all darkness...and brings only joy. But when we look around our world, sometimes its hard to believe that this love could actually exist. Yet despite every heartache we have ever faced, every disappointment we have ever experienced, we still seek this love because our hearts know that it is real! There is someone who will always be able to give us the love that we need - the love that drives out all fear, all doubt, all sadness - and that someone is Jesus. At the core of our being we know this to be an infallible truth.
Yes, Jesus gives His love freely to us and always will, even when we reject it time and time again. But acceptance of His fearless love for us is not enough - we must share that love with all of the world in the same way that He has freely shared it with us.
Love with reckless abandon - do not fear whether or not that love will be accepted. Tell those that you love how much they really mean to you - we are only guaranteed the moment we are in right now. Extend that love to those you don't know - everyone, whether they realize it or not, is seeking the true and fearless love of Jesus Christ...extend them the invitation.
Time to go take my own advice.
In His Love,
Lindsey
Why is it that we walk around this earth holding out on letting people know that we love them? Do we count on having tomorrow, or the day after, to say all that we wish to convey? Do we not know how to express all that we feel? Are we afraid to share it all?
Love, in its truest form, drives out all fear...all darkness...and brings only joy. But when we look around our world, sometimes its hard to believe that this love could actually exist. Yet despite every heartache we have ever faced, every disappointment we have ever experienced, we still seek this love because our hearts know that it is real! There is someone who will always be able to give us the love that we need - the love that drives out all fear, all doubt, all sadness - and that someone is Jesus. At the core of our being we know this to be an infallible truth.
Yes, Jesus gives His love freely to us and always will, even when we reject it time and time again. But acceptance of His fearless love for us is not enough - we must share that love with all of the world in the same way that He has freely shared it with us.
Love with reckless abandon - do not fear whether or not that love will be accepted. Tell those that you love how much they really mean to you - we are only guaranteed the moment we are in right now. Extend that love to those you don't know - everyone, whether they realize it or not, is seeking the true and fearless love of Jesus Christ...extend them the invitation.
Time to go take my own advice.
In His Love,
Lindsey
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Go out and preach the Good News to all the world
"Go out and preach the Good News to all the world" - the Responsorial Psalm in Mass today. During the homily, the priest asked us to really think about whether or not we bring the Good News everywhere we go. Of course it got me thinking.
There are so many more ways in which I could bring the Gospel to the world. I struggle, as all Christians do, to live like Christ. It is an ongoing battle, but I know as long as I keep my heart open God's grace is helping me inch closer to victory everyday. And as I was pondering this, the idea of a blog popped into my head. I have 1,000,000 thoughts and feelings running through my head about my faith everyday...sometimes to the point where I feel as though my heart is going to burst...and writing them down has always been a way for me to process all that I feel. Why not share them?
This is a blog about my faith - about the struggles and joys, the sufferings and the triumphs that come with walking on the narrow path. Who knows if anyone will ever come across this blog, let alone read it. But if one person reads it and begins to think about making a place for Jesus Christ in their life, it has served its purpose.
In His Love,
Lindsey
There are so many more ways in which I could bring the Gospel to the world. I struggle, as all Christians do, to live like Christ. It is an ongoing battle, but I know as long as I keep my heart open God's grace is helping me inch closer to victory everyday. And as I was pondering this, the idea of a blog popped into my head. I have 1,000,000 thoughts and feelings running through my head about my faith everyday...sometimes to the point where I feel as though my heart is going to burst...and writing them down has always been a way for me to process all that I feel. Why not share them?
This is a blog about my faith - about the struggles and joys, the sufferings and the triumphs that come with walking on the narrow path. Who knows if anyone will ever come across this blog, let alone read it. But if one person reads it and begins to think about making a place for Jesus Christ in their life, it has served its purpose.
In His Love,
Lindsey
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