The Gift of Heart Consciousness

"Compassionate love, shown in kind deeds of mercy, can speak a language of its own when no other means of communication is possible." ~Fr Andrew Apostoli, "Walk Humbly with Your God"

This quote closely resembles the kind of heart to heart talks that I have come to realize are my particular gift from God.

I have spent alot of time during my life trying to dissuade myself from the reality of this gift. It first came to me when I asked God to allow me to show someone what true love is, because I couldn't express it.

The Lord gave me this gift and I went from wildly ecstatic when it manifested itself perfectly to disbelief when it didn't. 

I have busied myself with other duties and chores for my Lord, but those have lacked the power inherent in having heart to heart conversations with those whom the Lord gives me to love.

They also lack the joy and delight from recognizing the Lord in these conversations. 

So, this year, I asked God to help me unpack the gifts I have been given and to use them for His glory. I asked this through the Christmas Anticipatory prayer which begins on the Feast Day of St. Andrew and concludes on Christmas eve.

I had no expectation of what the gift(s) were or how it would manifest itself.

So, imagine my surprise and delight when the gift of having true heart to heart conversations with those I love was reaffirmed.

It has been described elsewhere as heart consciousness. 

Lord, show me how to show kind deeds of mercy to those in need of compassionate love, deeds which You make known to me through our heart to heart conversations.

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Two thoughts

Two readings struck me this day:

1) "Love begins in the heart--in our thoughts--and is usually expressed initially in our words. But it must not stop there; it must be lived out in our actions. ~Fr Andrew Apostoli in "Walk Humbly with Your God"

And 

2)a quote from St. Padre Pio about (paraphrasing) how we are never alone because we have our guardian angels.

Both of these remind me to always be aware of those who may be hurting for reasons of which I have no knowledge.

Lord, let my actions always reflect the love I have and may I never leave someone alone who is hurting.

Amen

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Joyful Gift of Love

"But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the Blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin." 1 John 1:6-7

These words speak to my heart as it soars in joy for the gifts I have been granted this Christmas.

I saw You, Lord, in the touching and heartwarming gift of another's presence this evening.

It is so joyous because it was a direct answer to a heart to heart conversation I had last night and earlier today.

What is truly joyous for me is that I was addressing my words to You and the person responded as if he heard that truly heart to heart conversation.

That has always been my deepest desire..to share that gift of Your Love with this person and it seems as if it might be happening.

I was so moved  as I watched this person (who wasn't aware I was watching) as he prayed to you, wondering where I was after having heard the earlier heart to heart between You and I.

It moved me so deeply because I have been where he was as he agonized in prayer over what he thought  and I could hear his heart's agony as he pondered whether he was mistaken.

I tried to extend the knowledge I have of Your love and care as I sat and prayed while watching him.

It was a gift to me because I have longed for this special gift and want to use it to its fullest potential for You and Your Glory.

Thank you, my God, for Your wonderful presence in this person. That is the truth of it. I recognize You in this person and my heart sings with the wonder and joy of it.

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Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and thank you  for the most precious gift of all, Your Son.

Thank you Mary and Joseph, for saying yes to God's plan.

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4th Sunday of Advent

Come, Almighty God and Father 

Come, Lord Jesus, come. 

Come Creator Spirit come.

I have striven, admittedly imperfectly, to prepare myself for your coming among us to save us from our sins.

I will never be able to properly prepare myself for such a wonder, for such an incredible honor, yet I ask you to come live in me that I might make your love known wherever you take me.

Come, my Lord and help me to make of my life whatever you will for I am yours totally and completely. 

I love you, my God. 

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Advent, Day 21, Redemption draws near

"Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand."

~The responsorial to today's Psalms readings.

Yea he is coming, whether we are ready for him or not. We must spend our time in preparing specifically for his coming.

We must open our hearts to receive the Christ child. Hallelujah! He is coming.

Thank you, God my savior for giving us such exquisite gifts as the Holy Family. Let me always be respectful of such fine  gifts, never forgetting to place them first in my life. 

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Advent, Day 20; Mary's Magnificat

"My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior." ~1 Samuel 2:1

This verse makes my heart sing, literally, as I hear it proclaimed. Thank you, Lord, for your Blessed Mother and for her Yes!

In today's Gospel, Mary proclaims what the Church has come to call her Magnificat..the beautiful prayer of her fiat, her yes to the request to be Your Mother.

Oh, how humble a picture this paints of you, my Lord. You, who could command anything in the universe, humbly send an angelic  messenger to ask Mary to be the ark which will house the Word made flesh.

And, in her Magnificat, she rejoices in telling her relative Elizabeth about this wonderful event, which is coming ever closer as Advent draws closer to it's conclusion and we enter into the Christmas season.

Praise God for His wonderful loving care of us.

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Advent, Day 19

As I sit here, trying to be grateful even though I am sick with a gastrointestinal virus, I am mindful of those who suffer far more than I do.

Folks who are chronically ill but who maintain their goodwill and are pleasant in spite of their illness.

Oh my God, please forgive me for being such a whiner and please accept the offering up of my sickness to relieve the illness of someone who hurts more than I do.

Thank you. I love you.

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Advent Day 18

Oh, some days I struggle so with devotion to spirirual growth.

Forgive me, my Lord and my God.

Please bless me with greater control over my desires, that they might be more pleasing to you and doing your will.

As you draw nearer, please help me to focus more on you.

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Advent, Day 17

The day draws near and I am filled with joy and gratitude for the Gift the Father has bestowed upon all humanity.

Thank you, Father for the Gifts of Your Son and Your Holy Spirit.

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Joseph's obedience, Advent Day 16

"Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

~ Matthew 1: 24-25

Joseph had doubts in his heart about Mary and the child she carried. He must also have been deeply hurt by her betrayal of him.

In his sleep, an angel commands him and he obeys. He chooses to disregard the doubts and hurt in his heart and trust in God and His messenger. 

He chooses to trust and in so doing is granted a unique role in salvation history. 

What joy Joseph must have experienced at the birth of the Savior, the one who would save his people from their sins.

He surely rejoiced in knowing he made the right choice. 

We also get to choose. Why do we resist choosing our Lady and her Son?

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The Light of Christ, Advent Day 15

Joy. The joy of being a Christian. As St. Paul said, 

"Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.
In all circumstances give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus." ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16

Thank you, my God for all you have given me and forgiven me. 

I give you a photo of the view from my window.

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Christ our Light, Advent Day 14

Jesus, be my light. Make my path towards thee straight and true.

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Time with Christ, Advent Day 13

"This Advent, try to put aside for a while all the to-do items on your list. Start first with the only task that will truly satisfy your heart: time with the Lord!"

"Jesus, I want to prepare for your coming this Christmas. Help me to recognize my thirst for you so that I can drink deeply of your love."

Both of these quotes are from "The Word Among Us" daily meditation on the day's scripture readings. 

Thank you Lord, for this resource.

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Advent, Day 12

Sometimes all I can give you, my Lord, is the gift you have given me today. A photo.

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Advent Day 11 The Yoke of Christ

The Gospel reading is from Matthew 11:28-30:

"Jesus said to the crowds: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

Yoking ourselves to Christ is what makes the burden light because He will accompany us where ever we go, making it easier for us.

The great illusion is that joy will come from filling up the ego with goods. In fact, it will come from emptying out, from turning one's life over to the direction of God.~ from Bishop Barron's Advent Gospel meditation for this day.

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Our Lady of Guadalupe, Advent Day 10

"Am I not here who am your Mother? Do not grieve or be disturbed by anything?"

 ~ Our Lady of Guadalupe's words to Juan Diego and to us.

That is what is important here..her words are as much for us and all her children who have been redeemed by the blood of her son as they were for Juan Diego.

How comforting and reassuring. It makes my heart leap for Joy as St. John leapt for joy when our Lady brought him close.

Thank you, Blessed Mother and Our Lady of Guadalupe for bringing Jesus to us. Pray for us.

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Advent Day 9; Healing power

"The power of the Lord was with him for healing."

This is the verse that struck me today. The healing power of God was with him. Or upon him that day so that people crowded around blocking the friends of the paralytic from entering through the door. So they took him on the roof and loerted him through the tiles. 

Thank you Lord for the power of healing.

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Prepare the Way of the Lord, Advent Day

"Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths.'" Mark 1:2-3

As the second week of Advent begins, I continue to wonder how I might prepare for the Lord's coming into my life this Christnas.

I ask for guidance as I unwrap the gifts already given me and put them to good use for the Lord's Kingdom. 

As I put my Advent decorations up, preparing for Christmas, I am reminded that my soul needs preparations as well.

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Advent, Day 7

Although death during Advent is hard for those who lose loved ones, it is also true that as Christians we are to celebrate their lives and rejoice that they are in heaven.

Still, the grief that comes from these losses puts a damper on the underlying joy of preparing for the Coming of the King.

In our community we have lost three people who were longtime residents. Their lives filled our community with knowledge and history and joy. 

We must take comfort that they have been faithful Christians so I know they will be welcomed by our Lord and Savior. 

In that sense, they already know more about "the coming of the King" than those of us who have yet to face our Maker.

"On the day the LORD binds up the wounds of his people,
he will heal the bruises left by his blows." ~ Isaiah 30:26

Lord, please comfort those who suffer from the loss of loved ones. 

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Day 6, Immaculate Conception

Today is the very special solemnity when we honor God and His Son and Holy Spirit for the great honor done to Mary by allowing her to be free from the stain of original sin from the moment of her conception. 

"In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved." ~Ephesians 1:5-6

Adopted by God as his sons and daughters. Never to be forsaken, honored as one chosen simply because He loves us and wants to fill us with the grace with which he filled Mary at her conception.

God can do all things so if He chooses to preserve one from original sin, he certainly can do so.

Why then, doesn't he preserve us all from the stain of original sin.

Mary answered "Be it done to me according to your will."

God wants us to say yes to the same Christ who saved Mary. We get to choose to participate or not, as did Mary.

Praise you, God for giving us this choice.

Amen.

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Day 5, Hope

"One obtains from God all that one hopes from Him." ~St. John of the Cross

I wonder if this profound and deep statement by St. John of the Cross means that if we only receive small things that we do not have sufficient hope for great things? 

Lord, please grant me the grace of a great hope, expectant wonder of experiencing the gifts of God to the fullest of my ability to joy and love and live. Amen.

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St. Nicholas, Advent Day 4

St. Nicholas has been my patron saint for the past year, a year in which I started off strong asking for his aid, but then gradually let slip my devotion to him.

As this year draws to a close, I find I must apologize to him.

I am deeply sorry for this lapse and indeed for the similar lapse in devotion to Our Lord and His Mother.

During the summer, our tourist oriented business is very busy (praise God) and I start off the busy season praying but gradually lapse as I focus on taking care of clients. 

Thank you for taking such good care of me this past year, St. Nicholas.

An interesting thing I discovered about you today is that your relics exude myhrr on this feast day. So cool.

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A Spiritual Toolbelt, Advent day 3

I was so disappointed in myself for my failure to upload my Advent day 2 reflection yesterday. I started it, saved it as a draft and even took a photo to accompany it...then just forgot to finish and didn't remember until the middle of the night. 

Today's reflections:

"The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him." ~Isaiah 11:2

Jesus had all the gifts of the Spirit that today's first reading from Isaiah mentions..the same gifts that we receive in the Sacrament of Confirmation:

"a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A Spirit of counsel and of strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord."

~Isaiah 11: 2-3

A reflection in "The Word Among Us" notes that these gifts are not merely abstract gifts, but practical gifts that fill our spiritual toolbelt so that we can navigate life.

I found that reflection interesting because as I am praying the Christmas Anticipation Prayer of St. Andrew, I have been praying that I be open to receive whatever gifts God wants to share with me and know how to use them.

This seems to answer that prayer already by letting me know that I have already received the best gifts of the Holy Spirit but need to use them in my daily life. More reflection needed on how to do this.

The other interesting reading today was on

today's Saint...Saint Sabas, known as the father of Eastern monasticism. 

He, as so many early spiritual leaders, lived in a desert cave while practicing prayer and penance. He became a priest and went on to found many monasteries.

Sometimes I have thought being a hermit would be a welcome refuge from life's travails. Surely, these devout and holy men and women utilized to the best of their abilities the tools in their spiritual toolbelts. 

What would living "in a desert cave" look like today?

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Advent, Day 2

"For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples." 

~Isaiah 2:3

The scripture verse that leaped out at me from today's readings is this one from Isaiah.

At first, in reading this passage, I wasn't aware of the personhood implied by "For from Zion shall go forth instruction and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."

It took the next verse to show me that the Word would be judging nations and imposing terms. 

Because Jesus is the Word, it is He who will go forth from Jerusalem, filled with the Holy Spirit to give instruction in the Father's will and to judge nations rightly, imposing terms upon them.

The phrase "imposing terms" implies to me that the nations will be surrendering..."terms of surrender."

That filled me with hope because it is further prophetic evidence of the victory that will be won by the Babe that is coming soon, the Babe of Bethlehem.

Praise you, Lord, one God in three divine Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

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Advent 2017, Day 1

"Why do you let us wander, O Lord, from your ways..." ~Isaiah 63:17

From today's Psalm response: "Lord, make us turn to you."

I am struck by the opposition of these two Biblical readings. In the first, God LETS us wander away and in the second, we ask him to MAKE us turn to him.

The first seems to me more like the God I know. He doesn't want us to wander away and calls to us in many ways to keep us in His will, but if we choose to wander away from Him or ignore Him, He allows it.

Yet, in the response, we ask Him to MAKE us turn to him.

A prime example our weakness and our humanity.

I think deep down we really want to do God's will, but we often wander off, putting ourselves into difficult situations.

When we are facing difficult choices, we often want someone else to make the decision for us and who better than God?

Yet, the gift of free will is such a wise and loving one. Nothing coerced will have the same dedication as something of which we are convinced.

Lord, please fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I might never turn away from you and will remain watchful until your coming.

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