The Love of God.

The love of God is constantly reaching out to us, to pull us in to right union with God. The Holy Spirit is in our lives guiding us to God’s love, to the path God wills for our lives so that we may live in His love forever.

God loves us so much that He sent His son as a man. (John 3:16) 

He loves us so much that from the moment Adam and Eve sinned He has been working to save us. That salvation came through Jesus’ death and resurrection. 

Death will free us of the crosses we must bear in this life,
but Jesus, though His love and mercy, will save us from death.

He is calling you, me, all of us...

Right now. All the time!

In every moment of our lives, He is calling us to come back in to a right relationship with God.

The Lord’s heart aches with sorrow because so many believers are doing the right things: going to mass, receiving the Eucharist…But Jesus does not know them. They do not let God into all of their life. Only on Sunday mornings.

Repent. Everything.
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the parts of your life that you are withholding from God.
We all have them.

I struggle with pride. Pride in the form of being annoyed with others. A sin the Holy Spirit pointed out to me in prayer. It is a sin because I place myself ahead of the needs of others when I become annoyed.

“A fool's annoyance is known at once, but the prudent overlooks an insult.” (Proverbs 12:16)

I judge others and hold them to my standards. In doing so, I set myself like a god when I pass judgement on others. Instead of judgement, I need to start looking at all with love and compassion.

“Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2)

The list goes on.
Like the driving into the sun with a dirty windshield metaphor, once you ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the areas of your life that are being controlled by sin instead of the love of God, the eyes of your heart will be opened in unexpected ways.

Listen to the soft whisper of the Holy Spirit. Let God into all areas of your life.
Have a relationship with Jesus.
Talk to Him, get to know His mother Mary, our Holy Mother.

Most important, you must repent.

Go to confession.
Get in that right relationship with God by accepting his forgiveness. Accept the mercy and love pouring out unceasingly from the heart of Jesus so that you may be in right relationship with God.

If you do not confess; if you do not let God into your life, you will not spend eternity with God.

I have seen souls blackened by unrepentant sin.
I have felt the pain it causes the heart of Jesus.
Please accept his love. Repent.
Come to Him with a contrite heart and I promise your life will be more fulfilling and complete than you could have ever imagined!

On this memorial of Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church, let us learn to love God as the little flower” did. 

She teaches that by willingly and lovingly sacrificing the “self” of our nature in order to make more room in our lives and hearts for God, we will find that fulfillment we are searching for in our lives. It is a great paradox of the gospel that we gain our life by losing it. 

It is the love of “self” in a worldly culture that endorses and supports individualism and acceptance that ultimately separates us from God. 

We must learn to forget ourselves in order to more fully contemplate God who is drawing us out of ourselves and into his love for the fulfillment of the purpose we are all created, to bring glory and praise to God in everything we do and helping each other along the way through loving service.

We can have these barriers caused by sin removed by going to confession.
Repent and be forgiven.
Become a new creation though Christ; through the receiving of the mercy and love pouring out for us from the cross. Bring all you burdens and sins to Him and be set free!

May God bless you abundantly today and every day!

Sarah

Offer the Bandage of Consolation

Hello.

Today I found myself wide awake when I ought to be fast asleep. So I decided to take my rest in the Lord and pray.

While doing the Office of Readings, I was struck deeply by the honest truth with which St. Augustine's words can still pierce the heart with understanding.

So today, I wish to share these words with you all as well.

From a sermon On Pastors by Saint Augustine, bishop
(Sermo 46, 11-12: CCL 41, 538-539)

Offer the bandage of consolation

Scripture says: God chastises every son whom he acknowledges. But the bad shepherd says: “Perhaps I will be exempt.” If he is exempt from the suffering of his chastisements, then he is not numbered among God’s sons. You will say: “Does God indeed punish every son?” Yes, every one, just as he chastised his only Son. His only Son, born of the substance of the Father, equal to the Father in the form of God, the Word through whom all things were made, he could not be chastised. For this reason he was clothed with flesh so that he might know chastisement. God punishes his only Son who is without sin; does he then leave unpunished an adopted son who is with sin? The Apostle says that we have been called to adoption. We have been adopted as sons, that we might be co-heirs with the only Son, and also that we might be his inheritance: Ask of me and I will give you the nations as your inheritance. Christ gave us the example by his own sufferings.

But clearly one who is weak must neither be deceived with false hope nor broken by fear. Otherwise he may fail when temptations come. Say to him: Prepare your soul for temptation. Perhaps he is starting to falter, to tremble with fear, perhaps he is unwilling to approach. You have another passage of Scripture for him: God is faithful. He does not allow you to be tempted beyond your strength. Make that promise while preaching about the sufferings to come, and you will strengthen the man who is weak. When someone is held back because of excessive fear, promise him God’s mercy. It is not that temptations will be lacking, but that God will not permit anyone to be tempted beyond what he can bear. In this manner you will be binding up the broken one. 

When they hear of the trials that are coming, some men arm themselves more and, so to speak, are eager to drain the cup. The ordinary medicine of the faithful seems to them but a small thing; for their part they seek the glorious death of the martyrs. Others hear of the temptations to come, and when they do arrive, as arrive they must, they become broken and lame. Yet it is right that such things befall the Christian, and no one esteems them except the one who desires to be a true Christian. 

Offer the bandage of consolation, bind up what has been broken. Say this: “Do not be afraid. God in whom you have believed does not abandon you in temptations. God is faithful. He does not allow you to be tempted beyond your strength. It is not I who say this, but the Apostle, and he says further: Are you willing to accept his trial, the trial of Christ who speaks in me? When you hear this you are hearing it from Christ himself, you are hearing it from the shepherd who gives pasture to Israel. For of him it was said: You will give us tears to drink in measure. The Apostle says: He does not allow you to be tempted beyond your strength. This is also what the prophet intends by adding the words: in measure. God rebukes but also encourages, he brings fear and he brings consolation, he strikes and he heals. Do not reject him.”

May God bless you abundantly!
Sarah

Our Lady of Sorrows | Mater Dolorosa

Let us adore Christ, the savior of the world, who called his mother to share in his passion.

Our Lady of Seven Sorrows | Mater Dolorosa, ora pro nobis!

Today is the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. This morning as I did my prayers and readings with this in mind, I was struck by the vastness of God’s love and Mercy.

“Some were sick on account of their sins and afflicted on account of their guilt. They had a loathing of every food, they came close to the gates of death. Then they cried out to the Lord in their need and he rescued them from distress. He sent forth his words to heal them and saved their life from the grave.” Psalm 107:17-20

Thoughts of mercy and love came to mind as I read these verses, then a slimy thought slithered in that tried to rob me of peace. It tried to cause me to second guess this act of mercy, the salvation for all people through the death and resurrection of Our Lord.

It said to me. “How unjust it is to share heaven with ones who wasted their life on earth, enjoyed the pleasures this world offered only to cry out at the end and get rescued…” 

It carried on whispering in my ear, but I stopped listening. For in that instant, the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) was on my lips as a rebuke.

Then the proclamation that we should all rejoice and encourage these souls who were once lost and have now been found was leaving my mouth. For the journey before these souls will be difficult, for they have collected many demons that must be extracted, burned away in purgatory before entering heaven.

The idea of not rejoicing tasted bitterly of pride to me; while the love and mercy of Jesus pouring out for us is sweet and refreshing.

Let us all forgive each other and live by the example Jesus commands of us!

“He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39

In scripture, we are told to “do justly” and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8).  Justice isn’t just negative, a matter of dealing out judgment, but also a positive thing, in that we render whatever is owed to God and others.

It is not our job to judge others and to deal out justice. For who is man to put himself on the same level as God to whom justice belongs. We cannot possibly comprehend the vastness of salvation through the infinite love and mercy from which it came.

We must forgive and love one another as God loves us. 

We are to repent and beg forgiveness from God for our sins.

We must "...thank the lord for his love, for the wonder he does for men. Let them offer a sacrifice of thanks and tell of his deeds with rejoicing." Psalm 107:31

I find it most interesting that yesterday we honored and venerated the cross, and today we have the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. 

It was through Mary who stood by the cross, whose heart was pierced as her son died, and his soul was given up to God. The pain and grief her Immaculate heart must have experienced as is was pierced just as Simeon foretold at the presentation in the temple when the side of Jesus was pierced and blood and water flowed out must have been immense.

But by her obedience and faith in God, by the love she shared with Jesus, Mary accepted the call to be Mother for all. In the moment John took Mary into his home, Mary became not only the Mother of Jesus, but to his whole body, the Church. 

So when the members of the Church, the body of Christ, are sick with sin, Our Lady of Sorrows stands by the cross to lift each one up into the love and mercy pouring from the pierced side of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

When we repent, the space in our heart where sin was is cleaned and healed so that when we receive love and mercy from our Lord, we have a greater capacity in our hearts to carry it out in to the world and share it with all we meet when we live our faith.

I urge you all on this memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows to pray with our Holy Mother. Let her lead you to Jesus. Go to confession, and repent. Let her lift you up to the feet of Jesus on the cross to receive the love and mercy pouring out from his pierced side.

Father, as your son was raised on the cross his mother Mary stood by him, sharing his suffering. May your church be united with Christ in his suffering and death and so come to share in his rising to new life where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.

(CLICK HERE to pray the devotional to Our Lady of Sorrows)

(CLICK HERE to learn more about the Seven Sorrows of Mary)

Purpose. Will. Faith.

The past can hold you back, 
the present can trap you
and the future can seem daunting...

Through a retreat, I managed to finally find healing for events in my past;
Through prayer, I find the strength to carry my daily crosses for the glory of God;
What about the future?

The future can seem ambiguous; especially when searching for you path;
the purpose God created you to fulfill.

It is the age old question: What is my purpose?
It should be: What is the will of God?

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

When I have a question, I bring it to the Lord in prayer.

"O Lord, reveal to me where in my life I am not serving you.
What area of my heart have I not given up to you?"

Jesus said to me in reply,

"Stop binding yourself to plans of the future that matter little. Bind yourself to prayer and all will work out according to the will of the Father. Do not rush through the garden or up the mountain pass; your purpose is not completed by how fast you can climb, because then you did it for your own glory not to give God glory. Rather slow down to see those in need along the way and bring them to me."

It is a great reminder to slow down.
Don't rush through life to say only that you ran the race, the you fought the fight.
Hold firm to the truth and fulfill the final phrase of the verse (2 Timothy 4:7):
I have kept the faith.

Do you live the faith so that others may see it and come to the Lord?

We all want to know what our purpose in life is.
But what we do with our life matters as much as how we do it.
It is empowering to know, but will you be serving God or self with that knowledge?

Joy through Suffering

To understand how to love, one must first understand suffering. 

This has been a something I have been thing a lot about lately. 

If God loves us, why do we suffer?

The path of suffering is the Passion of Christ.
Through the Stations of the Cross or the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. But just as the Joyful Mysteries all have an element of sorrow, the Sorrowful Mysteries all have an element of joy.
This joy is found in the salvation Jesus obtained for us and the eternal life he offers out for us. 

From where I was kneeling after receiving communion, I could watch many people walk past the cup, the blood out poured by our savior. My heart was struck with a deep sorrow and realization as my Lord said to me:

Jesus: By receiving my body, broken for you; you accept joy in suffering. By receiving my blood, you accept my love and mercy which is continually outpouring with compassion on all souls. 

Pray for those who do not yet fully believe in the Eucharist, in my body and blood offered. My body was broken. I took upon myself all the sin of the world. The suffering I endured was only achievable through love.

If only all knew how much I love each and every one of them!

Me: The ache of sorrow I feel in my heart is counterbalanced by a rich feeling of love that brings tears to my eyes and a smile to my face, a sweet small smile. When I went to adoration that evening I felt the heaviness of the Lord’s heart as soon as I knelt down in front of the exposed Eucharist.

Jesus: Please walk my Passion. Beloved, comforter of my heart. Learn the depths of joy through suffering, and mercy and love through forgiveness.

Me: Yes Lord.

Agony in the Garden

Me: O Lord, break my heart so that you and your Mother can pick up the pieces and form it in the likeness of you Sacred and Immaculate hearts so that I may feel for all as you do Lord and console like the Holy Mother does.

Scourging at the Pillar
“Strip you self of everything of this world and you will find Christ.”
St. Maximillian Kolbe

Me: O Lord, what must be stripped away from me so that I can see you more clearly?
O Jesus, I long to join you in your suffering, your Passion. I want to agonize in pain like you so that I may learn to love unconditionally. O Lord, to meditate on the pain at the pillar seems too passive for I know it is my sins you bared the stripes for. O how I wish to suffer with you so that I may love you more.

Crowning of Thorns

Jesus: Every sinful thought that was lingered upon with lustful or malice intent was driven into my mind. Sins of omission, where you willfully decide to turn your back to God to embrace the artificial pleasures of sin pierce my head.

My crown looks like thorns, but it is actually mercy. For it is only by mercy that such foul thoughts can be received and forgiven in the same instance.

Me: How? How can you take it all in? How can you constantly forgive so readily?

Jesus: I do not see you for your actions of sin. I see all as the creation God intended. Each a beautifully unique facet of God’s love. It is through the recognition of love that allows for forgiveness.

Carrying of the Cross
“When it is all over you will not regret having suffered, rather you will regret having suffered so little and suffered that little so badly.”
St. Sebastin Valle

Me: Holy Mother, please help me to endure the weight of my crosses with the grace of God. Please hold my tongue from complaining so that I may enter in to the suffering of Christ; in order to bring comfort to the sacred heart of Jesus and glory to God. Amen.

Jesus: Pray not for the world, but the souls in the world. Those who are far from God – far from me. Pray they can come to know me. Pray for those suffering under the consequences of sin caused by misguided choices of the flesh. Pray they will repent and find healing and comfort in my love. These souls bring sorrow to my heart because of the distance and barriers that have been constructed to keep them “safe” when all it does is keeps them from hearing my voice or receiving my love.

O Beloved, feel the anguish of my heart in yours as I weep for these lost sheep. They don’t have to be lost. Who will shepherd them? Who will learn to listen for their bleating; their souls cries for help?

Me: What can I do Lord?

Jesus: Pray for Holy men and women to rise up and care for my sheep. May more come to realize their true vocation and calling to serve God and not self.

I promise all needs will be provided for. All it takes is trust. I will never let you down.

Me: You sound tired and sad this morning Lord.

Jesus: I give my all to save even one, but the lures of the flesh and temptations of the devil are distracting many from the truth.

Pray for perseverance that all will come to find me once the deceptive illusions of temptation wears off. Once its ugliness is seen, then my shepherds will bring them to me to receive love and mercy that will heal and cleanse their fractured and stained souls.

The Crucifixion

Jesus: Accept your death. Come to me. By dying to self on a cross, you unite with me for I am already on that cross. Death will free you from your cross. And I will free you from death. This is the fulfillment of the Father’s will for all his children, my brothers and sisters.

Pray for those lost souls who are fooled in to bringing glory to themselves in this life rather than the Father in heaven. To be set free of the cross of self, they must die on it.

Pray they can realize the life I can give them in “death”. I call from repentance so as to prevent death. For if you oppose “death”, you oppose the Father and me.

Me: When I had finished praying the Rosary, I felt the Lord had more for me to learn. I sat quietly and listened. I had felt the sorrow and tiredness of Our Lords heart so acutely, it hurt.

Jesus: You have suffered, but by offering it up for others you are making you life a sacrifice. For the moment you desire to suffer more so you can give it to God from Mary’s hands and through my heart, you have given yourself up. Do you trust me?

Me: Yes Lord.

Jesus: Go in peace and know you are loved.

Me: Thanks be to God.

The love of God is constantly reaching out to us to pull us in. 
The Holy Spirit is in our lives, guiding us to God’s love, to the path God wills for our lives so that we may live in His love forever.

God loves us so much that he sent His only son as a man. 
He loves us so much that from the moment Adam and Eve sinned, He has been working to save us. That salvation came through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Death will free us of the crosses we must bear in this life, but Jesus, through his love and mercy, will save us from death if we repent and believe.

He is calling you and me, all of us.
Right now, all the time.
In every moment of our lives He is calling us to come back into a right relationship with God. 

The Lord’s heart aches with sorrow that so many believers are doing the right things: going to mass, receiving the Eucharist…but Jesus does not know them. They do not let God in to all their life. Only on Sunday mornings.

Repent…Everything. 

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the parts of your life that you are withholding from God. 

We all have them.

I struggle with pride. 

Pride in the form of begin annoyed with others. A sin because I am placing myself ahead of the needs of others. I judge others and hold them to my standards instead of looking at them with love and compassion. 

The list goes on…

Listen to the soft whisper of the Holy Spirit. 

Let God into all areas of your life. 

Have a relationship with Jesus. Talk to him, get to know his Mother.

Most important, you must repent. 

Go to confession. 

Get into right relationship with God by accepting his forgiveness, accept the mercy and love pouring out unceasingly from the heart of Jesus so that you may be in right relationship with God.

If you do not confess, if you do not let God into your life, you will not spend eternity with God. 

I have seen souls blackened by unrepentant sin, I have felt the pain it causes the heart of Jesus. 

Please accept His love; repent and come to Him.