Justice and Mercy

"We have always struggled to understand how God can be just as well as merciful. Indeed, the mystery of God is that he can be both to the highest degree. But we cannot. God's mercy does not make him less just. His justice does not make him less merciful. But we have to struggle to prevent mercy from becoming lack of justice, and justice lack of mercy."
Henri Nouwen

"Humbled. Humbled."

I ran into this article today about wide receiver Steve Johnson's dropped pass in overtime against my Pittsburgh Steelers.

While I think it's pretty unreasonable to blame God for a dropped pass, the article makes a very interesting point:

It was a stark change for the Kentucky grad who had grabbed three touchdowns in his team's 49-31 win over Cincinnati last week.

But perhaps it was God punishing him for having too much pride in that game?

I don't agree with the statement, but it does get one thinking...

I don't believe God punishes us for having too much pride.
In fact, I don't believe God punishes us at all as long as we walk this earth.
Any "punishment" that we may experience is a result of our own actions made out of the free will that God grants us. Any punishment that we may merit is either washed in the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, or carried out upon our death (it's hot there). That's for God to decide when and how he chooses.

However, I do believe that God gives us the chance to be humble. And out of our own free will, we can choose to accept or decline the opportunity. We can decline even when we think we want to accept (this happens to me a lot) or accept even when we think we want to decline. Maybe that's what this wide receiver experienced. Regardless, his response was far from humble. When we're humbled, we should respond with thanks...Though realistically that may take some time. Hopefully with time he will come to praise God for this experience of humility, and learn to thank Him for the gifts and blessings that have made him so successful. That's what's so great about being humbled.

This brings to mind a prayer that I'm afraid to pray:

The Litany of Humility
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being loved...
From the desire of being extolled ...
From the desire of being honored ...
From the desire of being praised ...
From the desire of being preferred to others...
From the desire of being consulted ...
From the desire of being approved ...
From the fear of being humiliated ...
From the fear of being despised...
From the fear of suffering rebukes ...
From the fear of being calumniated ...
From the fear of being forgotten ...
From the fear of being ridiculed ...
From the fear of being wronged ...
From the fear of being suspected ...

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I ...
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease ...
That others may be chosen and I set aside ...
That others may be praised and I unnoticed ...
That others may be preferred to me in everything...
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…

Love's Revelation

omneshonesetgloriaeest.blogspot.com

To love another, you must love Christ first,
because only from Christ can true love flow.
Realize that the love you share is fleeting,
but His love is eternal.

You will be selfish.
You will be unkind.
You will disappoint.
You are man.

But do not despair.
Seek Him.

He is selfless.
He is kind.
He satisfies.
He is Christ.

The reason you love is to
reveal Him to the one you love.
To secure her salvation,
bask her in His glory forever.

Seek first the kingdom of God,
and all these things shall be added unto you.
Matthew 6:33

The Love of Your Life!

A friend of mine recently posted on her Facebook this quote from Nicholas Sparks:

"A guy out there was meant to be the love of your life, your best friend, your soul mate, the one you can tell your dreams to. Send you flowers when you least expect it. He’ll call to say goodnight or just cause he is missing you. He’ll look in your eyes and tell you, you’re the most beautiful girl in the world, and for the first time in your life, you’ll believe it."

It got me thinking...

She dreams of knowing this man's name.

She wants to meet him right this minute.

But she does.

And she can.

His name is Jesus,

and she can meet him right in her own heart.

Jesus is the love of your life.

He is your best friend.

He is your soul mate.

You can tell him your dreams,

and he will help you attain them.

He sends you graces when you least expect them.

He'll come to you in the night,

bring comfort to you when you are alone.

He misses you when you separate yourself from him.

Come to know him,

and he will show you that you are the most beautiful person in the world.
And for the first time in your life,

you'll truly believe it.

Jesus is the love of your life.

Any other love is just a physical manifestation of his infinite, divine love for you.

Once you have it, nothing will ever separate you from it.

Not even death.

Children

omneshonesetgloriaeest.blogspot.com

Our life as Catholic Christians is like a child learning to walk.

First, a child will stand up, support themselves with their hands on a table, and enjoy their newfound height. As soon as the child stands up, the parents begin encouraging the child to walk toward them. After some time, the child will reluctantly release his grip on the table and begin to walk toward his father or mother. Invariably, the child will fall down. How does the mother or father react to this fall? Do they yell at their child angrily,
"You're terrible! How dare you fall! You are a terrible child because you fell!"
No! The father will proudly pick up his child and tell him, "Try again!"
After many falls and much encouragement and help from his father, the child will finally walk.

Such is our relationship with God the Father. When we fall, God does not shake his head in disgust and get angry at us! He instead picks us up, brushes us off, and tells us to try again. He is proud of us for trying, knowing that we will eventually walk to him.

Never forget that God is our father. Our REAL father. He will never abandon us when we fall.

"For I was hungry and you gave me food..."

omneshonesetgloriaeest.blogspot.com

On the way home from campus this afternoon, I stopped at the bank to drain more money out of my bank account. As I approached the building, I passed by a young lady standing up against the wall. She wore a lot of makeup, wearing a gray t-shirt that was a little too large for her thin frame. Her long brown hair descended to her shoulders in a rather unkempt manner, adding to her "rough" appearance.

As I passed by her on the sidewalk, she spoke up.

"Can you help me out with a few dollars?"

I stopped and looked at her.

"I need to get a hotel room for the night."

Rather reflexively, I lied, "Hey, I'm a college student, if I had the money, I'd give it to you; sadly, I don't."

She pressed me no further, and I walked away.

I have plenty of money in my bank account.

Later on the drive home, I began to ponder my decision. Why did I choose not to help? Her rough appearance had led me to believe that she must be abusing substances, and I certainly wouldn't want to contribute anything toward a destructive habit.

But Matthew 25:35 kept running through me head:

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me..."

I hoped she didn't notice the two crosses that hung from my neck. I hoped she didn't think:

Another Christian refusing to help me.

I judged upon her upon her appearance. But it's not my responsibility to judge. It's my responsibility to love and to be charitable...To welcome a stranger.

But I didn't and I wasn't.

I failed at being a Christian.

If I were fully confident she wasn't going to use the money on a destructive habit, I would have given willingly...But that's a moot point.

I judged instead of loved.

And that is unbecoming of the crosses around my neck.

A love poem for my Savior in the Most Blessed Sacrament

You shine down upon me,

a light in the darkness.

I gaze into your face,

you know my heart.

Every day I fall more in love,

every day you teach me how.

Draw close, my love,

you are with me when the world

leads me astray.

You come before me,

I gaze into your beauty,

then drop down, unworthy.

You pick me up,

my body trembles.

One touch and I feel

the warmth of your embrace.

Pour out your graces

into my heart,

pour into me your love

that shines forth.

Help me then to pour it out,

shine your love on those

who dwell in darkness.

The only greater joy

than to be loved

is to love.

There is no greater love

than you, my savior.

You are Love.

Acts of the Apostles

I am currently writing a paper on the conversion and ministry of Saint Paul...What an awesome thing to write about!

Reading through the entire book of Acts (which is my new favorite book, by the way), a few things really stuck out to me...

Every time I've read the Bible in the past, there has always been a separation between me and the people within those books. They're people who lived in a completely different society thousands of years ago, who have little to no connection to me. They're distant...Perhaps like God seems distant sometimes?

But reading through Acts has been a completely different experience. Reading about the early disciples has been an astounding experience. I read about these people...Peter, Paul, Stephen, Barnabas - all of them...and don't feel like they're distant. I feel like they're brothers. Literally brothers! It's a cool feeling...I wish I could describe it better, but I should be writing my paper, not writing on here...

It's amazing how awesome scripture can be when the Holy Spirit gives you the eyes to read it.

Besides the feeling of brotherhood that Acts has elicited, I also love how it's packed with examples of how we should react when we are persecuted. The vivid account of the execution of Saint Stephen, the first martyr, is one of these examples:

"They kept on stoning Stephen as he called out to the Lord, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!' He knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, 'Lord! Do not remember this sin against them!' He said this and died."
-Acts 7:59-60

I really don't think I could act with such humility, but what an example to take to heart!

If you haven't read through Acts, you should. It will only take a couple hours, and every minute is a joy.

Now back to writing that paper...

Enjoy

No words. Just this:

2nd Sunday of Lent: Depravity

Two popular questions abound this time of year for me:

1. "What did you give up for Lent?"
2. "Why would you want to give something up for Lent?"
3. "What the heck is Lent?"

This Lent, I gave up Facebook. I look at that and realize how amazingly petty it seems, but it is also amazing how much that website is intertwined with my life. Being without Facebook has disconnected me from a lot of people, but I do believe it is good for me.

I have chosen to sacrifice something I enjoy in my daily life for 40 days, not just because it is customary for Catholics to do so, but because it draws me nearer to God! (Well, that's actually the reason why it is a Catholic custom.)

A popular misconception among non-Catholics about this practice of self-deprivation is that it somehow gains us more "points" with God or makes Him love us more. This is most certainly a dangerous and damaging misconception.

Giving up an activity or a particular thing that we enjoy serves to turn our eyes toward God. Anytime we feel a desire for that particular thing, we think of God! Resisting the temptation to engage in that activity that we enjoy trains us to turn our eyes toward God when other temptations arise - including temptations that may be sinful. This is a most appropriate training to undergo in Lent, when we are constantly mindful of our depravity and look toward the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord as our only hope.

A more important question, perhaps, is
"What are you doing to grow closer to God this Lent?"
This is what Lent is about, after all!
This Lent, I am doing the main prayers of the Liturgy of the Hours - Lauds, Vespers, and Compline, every day, as well as reading a couple devotional books.

Lauds - Known as "Morning Prayer," is the very first thing I do when I open my eyes in the morning. It serves to praise God for the new day, to consecrate the day to the Lord, and affirm my desire to do His work.
Vespers - Known as "Evening Prayer," is said in the late afternoon or evening. It serves to re-focus my eyes on God as the day winds down.
Compline - Known as "Night Prayer," is the last thing I do before lying down for bed. It is a time for reflection on the day - where I did God's work and where I turned away from God - and a time to ask God to be with me through the night. This is an especially comforting prayer.

In short, Lent is a time to put special focus on growing closer to God, increasing our desire to do his will throughout the year. This is always a good thing.

"Lord our God, you formed man from the clay of the earth and breathed into him the spirit of life, but he turned from your face and sinned. In this time of repentance we call out for your mercy. Bring us back to you and to the life your son won for us by his death on the cross, for he lives and reigns for ever and ever."

-Concluding prayer from today's Morning Prayer

Sanctity

You are valuable because you exist. Not because of what you do or what you have done, but simply because you are.

--Max Lucado

When I am empty, You fill me up

I've been reading a daily devotional book that a sweet lady from church, Lucille, gave to me, written by Henri Nouwen. Some of today's thoughts especially hit home:

Interruptions are not disruptions of your way to holiness, but rather are places where you are being formed into the unique person God calls you to be...You are living a grateful life when something is taken away from you that you thought was so important and find yourself willing to say, "Maybe I'm being invited to a deeper way of living."

1st Sunday of Lent

So, I've started another blog. I'll try not to be too verbose. I've had my other blog, The Minorcan Factor, for over three years now, but decided a second one would be beneficial. As the title may suggest, this blog is to focus on my spiritual life, an area that has seen a lot of growth over the past year.

In case you're wondering, the phrase Omnes hones et goriae est means All glory and honor is His.

A nice phrase to be sure; it's a paraphrase of one of my favorite prayers, in fact. As nice as it sounds, though, it can be really tough to apply that to my everyday life. I hope to show you why in my writings.

I have started this blog to share my the thoughts. It seems that, over the past few months, I have been gifted with many thoughts that I would like to write down and share. This has directly correlated with an increase in prayer and meditation on Scripture.

Today is the first Sunday of Lent, a time of renewal and re-consecration of our spirit to God. I see this journal as a way of helping me do that. I hope whoever may read this can take some kind of comfort in my words...Or can share in the failures and sins that I commit daily. Join me!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.