On the Cusp of a New Year, Dec. 31

"The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. To those who accepted him he gave the power to become the children of God" Jn 1:14a, 12a

A nice buck deer on my walking route

 Here it is, Lord, the end of the year. I have failed so often to live up to my expectations and I hope that you will forgive me for my failures. Please inspire me to greater accomplishments for your Glory. Help me to become a better person and a more obedient servant.
Guide me each day.
I give you thanks and praise for all the favors you have bestowed on me. Your goodness has preserved me until now. I offer you all my thoughts, all my words, all my actions, together will all the trials I may undergo today. Please animate them with your Divine Love that they might serve your greater glory. I make this morning offering in union with the Divine Intentions of our Lord Jesus Christ who offers himself daily in the sacrifice of the Mass and in union with Mary, his virgin Mother and our Mother. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord.

That is such a wonderful prayer, Lord. It's one I learned many years ago and I truly delight to give you each day. Sometimes I forget or do not take the time, and on those days, I generally suffer from the lack of preparation for our day's work. Give me work this day to do for you, My Lord and My King. 
Help me to do your will not only today but each day of the new year.

My Child,
Leave all your failures of the past year on the doorstep of the New Year. Do not carry the weight of those failures with you into the new year, but leave them with me, confident that I have dealt with each one of them. I have forgiven you for the failures and granted you the grace to carry on, despite the failure to do My Will always in all things. I love that you are inspired to do this and will grant you ever more and more grace to achieve your heart's desire. I am your heart's desire and I am delighted that you are pleased to recognize this, after many years of looking elsewhere for it. Go in peace, knowing that I love you and care for you. You are precious to me.
 

Gifts for the Lord, Advent, 2010

Inside looking out at the snow

Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand.--The responsorial Psalm from Today's readings

Last night I was upset because of the "lack of quality gifts" that we received from one of my sons. It's a very unChrist-like response to this season of loving and giving, I know.
For some reason, this son and his family always seem to take but never to give...at least as generously as I think they should. So when I received the package of small gifts from his family, I was upset. They spend a lot of money on themselves and on their wants, but never seem to have any left over to share with their parents or siblings on my son's side of the family. I suspect the gifts given to his wife's side of the family are much better. So, I am feeling like not a lot of preparation went into their gift giving for our family.
It's not all about the gifts, I know that, and I was having so much trouble with this.I guess I still am having trouble with this, even though in the depths of my angst over this, the Lord gave me a very eye-opening and humbling view of my own paltry gifts to the Christ child.

At the beginning of Advent, I had told the Lord that I would make an effort to write daily, spending time in reflection and preparation of His coming. Well, I have obviously failed spectacularly at this and so my own gift to the Lord is as paltry and skimpy as the gifts given to us by our son and his family. There is a wonderful lesson in there for me, I know. I want to have the generosity of heart to accept the spirit of the gifts given by my son's family. The problem is that I don't think there was much spirit in it at all. I can say the same of my gift to the Lord, however. I am hoping against hope that the paltry offering I have for Him will somehow be transformed by Love into something wondrous and grand for Him, but before that can happen I need to find the gift of the spirit in my reaction to the gifts given by my son's family.
Yesterday, as I sat with my prayer partner in the church, I saw the Lord "scrubbing clean the dark places of my heart and soul in preparation for the coming of the Lord." That was before I opened the box of gifts from my son. Now I feel like I need another scrubbing.
Lord God, my King and my Savior, please forgive me these selfish feelings and bring me to the place where you want me to be...unselfish and giving and totally appreciative of all that You have done for us in sending Your beloved Son into the world that we might have life and have it to the full.
Lord, I just about blew it and sent my son a nasty email. Your angel stayed my hand, however, and encouraged me to send a more positive message instead. Thank you for that.
Also, please accept my paltry gift and grant me the grace to strive to give you my time in writing and reflection each day of the coming Christmas season, for starters. I'll try to make it better.
Lord, I do love you. Help me to love you more and more...as much as you love me. Also, please bless my son and his family with the true spirit of Christmas.

Sweet Child,

We do love you so very much. That is one reason why we showed you how your gifts stacked up in comparison to your son's gifts. It is the spirit of giving that matters...not what is given. You did not have the right spirit until you sent the P.S. to your son. We will use that simple message to bless you and your son and his family with such love that your heart will be scrubbed clean and you will receive the Lord in your heart this Christmas. Go in peace, my love, and continue your preparations for Christmas. We love you.

Preparing for the Lord, Day 2 of Advent 2010

Snow covered hills

"Lord our God, help us to prepare for the coming of Christ your son."  --from the opening prayer for today's Mass

I struggled today about saying "yes" to the Lord when he asked me to wake from my slumber and write. I do not know why...I do love the Lord with all my heart and soul and mind.
But an examination of my conscience tells me that while I profess to love him so, my actions and deeds speak of another love...self love and doing what I want to do, not what the Lord wants me to do.
Yet, how can I do this? How can I not want to love the Lord with my whole being...He who has given me everything and loves me so very much that He has taken my sins upon himself? 
I long to be more like Mary, who immediately answered yes to her Lord, in the face of not knowing how His will would be accomplished or where His will would take her...she still answered yes. Inconvenience? It didn't matter as much as doing her Lord's will. What a remarkable woman Mary was then and remains to this day.

"Am I loving and serving God with my whole heart , mind and strength? Where can I do better? Am I waiting and watching for the Lord through daily prayer?" 

Am I watching and waiting for the Lord through daily prayer? Sadly, no. My prayer life lately has been short and a series of orders I seem to give our Lord. Can you imagine the hubris of such an action? Why would I do such a thing? I have really gotten away from my prayer habits. It seemed to be so rote and without sincerity of late...although that is not the Lord's fault, but my own. How can I make it more meaningful? By simply sitting in the Lord's presence for a time and soaking in his loving care of me! What a beautiful way to prepare for his Coming.

Lord, please help me to better love you with all my strength and to rejoice in my daily preparations for your Coming amongst us. Help me to truly show my love for you by better obedience to your commands, by not choosing to "do it later" a bad habit that I have developed lately.

Lord, I do love you. Help me to know how to live in that love on a daily basis.

My Child,

Long have I waited  for your coming unto Me, in simplicity and sincerity as you have done this day...after I prodded you. You can be so much and do so much in, with and through me. Try to be more like Mary, my Mother and your Mother, who didn't worry about the details of saying Yes. She knew the details would be handled by Me, if she chose to accept the role I gave her. So must you learn that the details are not for you to work out...I have already worked them out. You must prepare your Heart,  first of all, to receive me fully. Then you will have no more concern about how the details will be worked out. Sweet one, I love you and do have a plan for you...believe it and rejoice in it. It is a most wonderful Christmas gift. Prepare your Heart.