I must first of all thank Jesus for nudging me many times throughout this past 6 months or so to return to Mass and go to confession.....I finally did both! Oh, I feel so much lighter in my mind since I was experiencing a good bit of guilt. I also want to take this opportunity to thank those of you who may have prayed for me on this. Frankly, I don't know if very many people even read my blog, but if you're out there and you're reading this, I thank you.
May we all have a wonderful, happy, and spiritually filled Christmas with the peace of Christ in our hearts as we share ourselves and what we possess with the Lord and with others.
It's with much humility and joy that I announce my saint for 2007 (who "chose me") is Blessed Mother Teresa! I can hardly believe such a priviledge being accorded to me in my pathetically selfish life. I've always known I tended toward the selfish side of things although I try not to and sometimes succeed, but oft times, do not. Therefore, it is a miracle in itself that I would be chosen by Mother Teresa who personifies generosity in her loving and worldly giving. I prayed last night for a saint who would help me in an undeniable way in 2007 and truly, my cup overflows!
I just asked to have a saint being picked for me for 2007 at A Catholic Life blog and can't wait to see who I have for the upcoming new year. If you haven't signed up yet, just go to Moneybags (what he calls himself) website and request that a saint be picked for you. There's a previous post explaining all about it and how it came into being. I have been reading spiritually inspiring things on many of the Catholic blogspots out there and they are very helpful to me. I feel the urge to get to confession more pressing than in the past and confess that I've missed Sunday Mass on a regular basis through my own fault. This deeply distresses me because I know it's a mortal sin and yet, haven't made the necessary changes so please, if you are reading this, pray for me to return to the Lord in the Eucharistic celebration.I'm preparing for Christmas like so many of us at this time of year but it is very disheartening to see how commercial Christmas is becoming and devoid of Jesus, who is the reason for celebrating in the first place. All the emphasis is on how much money we spend and how many gifts we buy. So much of it this year is electronic and more and more sophisticated so that we're separated from each other in our own little "cyberworld".......and I feel as though this is what the future is going to hold more of, which is a very sad and scary thought.My prayer every night this month will be for all of us to realize that the love we give one another, the courtesy, the kind words, the helpful deeds, and the prayers will be genuinely seen to be the true Christmas gifts which we can freely give to those whom we love, as well as those whom we come in contact with each day.
I'm getting into my faith again, little by little, as the title of this post says. I'm reading the online scriptures daily and also reading my bible study gospel of St. Matthew and looking up appropriate verses in my bible. I continue to say my nightly prayers and often pray throughout the day, but I still haven't begun attending Sunday Mass once again! I mentioned my 'feeble' reasons for this in a former post, but I think it comes down to pure laziness and that age old desire to put myself first, instead of the Lord. It's not even very easy to type this confession, but type it I must because I think it's the first step in realizing that I need to go to confession badly, and then put one foot in front of the other and get back to Mass so I can partake of the body and blood of Our Lord, which He so generously offers. St. Anne, pray for me and for all who search and seek Our Lord.
Lately I've been finding that when it comes to the bible, I'm not too well versed (pun intended). When I was growing up Catholic, the bible wasn't studied other than the favorite verses or stories that we would hear frequently. Naturally, there were the Sunday gospel readings but not any actual time spent on reading and interpreting the bible for our everyday life and how it would apply there in. There were no question and answer sessions and occasionally, if someone did ask a question, I remember the answer being something like, "just take it on faith". As a Catholic adult, I'd like to learn more and find out just what certain readings mean and how they can be applied to my everyday life. Of course, these days there are numerous books, tapes, and even videos that delve into this very thing, but the question is, how does one wade through the myriad of choices and pick a very basic learning tool that's written (or spoken) in plain English? I don't necessarily want to purchase something and come to find out that not only is this book not making a whole lot of sense to me, but it's also not showing me how to apply what I'm reading into everyday life. Any suggestions would be most welcome, and until next time, God bless you.
Here's my entry for the Lapped Catholic Motivational poster contest. I took this picture myself and it inspires me each time I look at it (click on it to see it's full beauty). I hope you all enjoy it as well and good luck to everyone.
I am finding myself searching lately for answers to my lukewarm Catholicism. I don't know why I have pulled away from attending Mass on a weekly basis but I do know that it's been causing me a great deal of guilt. Now, why I don't go is two fold and I already know that many of you will chalk it up to pride and laziness and perhaps, you're correct. I can feel God's presence at the very early Mass with NO music (I can hear your gasping now). I can fully meditate on what is actually happening on the altar without all the singing. That said, I find myself unable to get up at 6:30 a.m. and get ready to attend that particular Mass. There are no others at my church without singing, so I do not go. Yes, it sounds like laziness to me, but alas, I'm unable to 'pull myself up by my bootstraps' and correct the situation.I would appreciate any thoughts you might want to share, but please, no reprimands, because they aren't necessary, since I reprimand myself ten times over every day. I cling to the words of the German born theologian, Abraham J. Heschel,"Beyond all mystery is the mercy of God".
Today is St. Francis feast day and as always, his words are timeless.
"O divine Master, grant that I may no so much seek,To be understood as to understand;To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."Let us think on these words today and every day and perhaps, each in our own small way can make this world a better place to live. May the Lord's peace come into your hearts.
Hearing the news today about the terrorizing and execution of innocent children in a one room Amish schoolhouse has profoundly saddened me. Something has got to change in our society and it has to be soon, I hope. Those who prey on the innocent, the sickly, the elderly, and the list goes on, should be held accountable in every possible way and not be coddled by a system that encourages all possible excuse for the inexcusable.I pray for those who died senselessly and horribly and for their family and friends who will never forget and who will never be the same people they were yesterday. I also pray for those who witnessed any of this rampage and survived, for they will carry scars forever and the question is always the same one......WHY? However, even when we think we have some answers to the questions that haunt us, they are never acceptable in the end. Instead, these horrible things should never have happened in the first place for ANY reasons whatsoever. There can be no justification, no excuses, for they are meaningless.I would surely love to continue burying my head (thus, the title of my blog) but cannot do so any longer. The time has come to speak up and say that in my humble opinion, the shooter did only one good thing on the afternoon of this tragedy.......he shot himself, alas, not soon enough however, not soon enough. May the Lord forgive me as I know I shouldn't feel that way, but in truth, I do.
