Dearest Readers,
Do you have something you are worried about? Perhaps you have a tooth ache, or a financial need, or an ache in your heart due to loneliness or the loss of a loved one, or maybe a need for forgiveness, or even a fear of possible death due to cancer. Well, if you have a any need -- no matter what the need is: big or small -- then is your peace lost thereby? No. Do not focus on your illness. Focus on cancer can give it room to grow psychologically and physically. Whereas "A cheerful heart doeth good like a medicine!" Do not let your illness or imagined illness fill your mind and soul. Focus on our illness impedes our immune system; whereas prayer and trust in God has been proven by significant medical clinincal studies to greatly aid healing and early patient release from hospitals. Even the medical world has proven that trust in God releases healthy endorphins that actually aid our recoverly and health to grow. So, don't let your God-given peace be pushed away or let it fly away by the winds of worry or self focus; and thus don't let your good imagination of God's healing and personal love for you fly away with you. Let us all humbly listen to these following words from St. Paul to the Philippians. Let us all together dive into them to see and find their true depth. Together let us listen to these most preciouls treasured words that I have shared with everyone who comes to me with a worry:
"Rejoice in the Lord always! I say it again. Rejoice! Everyone should see how unselfish you are. The Lord is near. DISMISS ALL ANXIETY from your minds. Present your needs to God in every form of prayer and in petitions full of gratitude. Then GOD'S OWN PEACE, which is beyond all understanding will stand guard over your hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus.
Finally, my brothers/sisters, your thoughts should be wholly directed to all that is true, all that desrves respect, all that is honest, pure, beautiful, admirable, decent, virtuous, or worthy of praise. Live acconding to what you have learned and accepted what you have heard me say and see me do. Then will the GOD OF PEACE BE WITH YOU." Philippians 4: 4-9
There is so much pure treasure there, it is hard to know which gold coin to pick up first. But for sure, each coin does have: "In God we trust" on it.
Well, first of all, let us zero in on the causes of our anxiety before we focus on our peace: Causes are:
1) IMAGINATION:
The devil stimulates our imagination to live not in the present where God is to be found but to put our minds in the past or the future when God is not and cannot be found. God's Name is not "I was" or "I will be" but "I AM!" We cannot find our Lord in the past or future..He is only here and now! So if we are living in the past or the future, we are living alone. The devil cannot effect our will to choose anything; but the devil can very very much stimulate our imagination. Those who commit suicide have boughten a devil's lie that this problem will be the same into all their future. People who commit suicide are not living in the present moment but are living in the past or future. Judas could have turned to Christ as St. Peter did in repentance if he only was living in the present to Jesus' grace. Jesus had told Judas: "Do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?" Jesus was calling Judas to repentance not scolding him. Jesus was trying to paint a picture of the present to Judas..who was living in the future..trying to force Jesus strike back at the Romans in the near future.
So, too, the devil stimulates our mind and imagination to worry about whatever is inflicting us. He knows that worry is the beginning of fear. When Jesus was laughed at because he told Jairus' mourners to get out! ,,,when Jesus said to them: "She is not dead but only sleeping."
Jesus commented further: "Fear us useless; what is needed is trust!"
2) ANXIETY:
Seems that St. Paul thinks that anxiety can be "dismissed"! Well, he had no courses in Psychology. Where does he come off in making such a statement without a degree in psychology? Can anxiety be dismissed? Well, since St. Paul had so many trials: imprisonment, stonings, scourgings, shipwrecks, betrayals, hunger and cold, poverty and persecution, it would seem that he has been to school and gotten a Ph.D..in anxiety due to personal suffering.
For St. Paul to survive, he had to learn to dismiss anxiety! How did he do it?
His formula is simple: just re-read his quote above to Philippians. For presents all his needs to God with thanksgiving. He fills his mind with beautiful and good thoughts. Therefore his formula is this: Prayer with Faith and Thanksgiving and Trust. Then replacing his imagination with good and holy thoughts...that are pure and beautiful. He fills his heart with prayer and hope and fills his minds with good and wholesome thoughts to dismiss the untrue imaginations of the devil. Actually, St. Paul is quite a psychologist. Even modern psychologists and medical doctors know by clinical studies that prayer causes their patients to be healed much faster as well as be dismissed from the hospital much sooner/before those who do not pray.
3) WHAT IS BEAUTIFUL AND TRUE:
Being a painter, I have visited the Louvre and saw Da Vince's Mona Lisa and Museum D'Orse for impressionists in Paris, Museums in Washington D.C, and Chicago, in Williamstown, Massachusettes, the Vatican Museum, and the Detroit Institutes of Arts. I have painted copies of Masterpeices from the very originals with very special permission. One could almost OD on al this beauty! After living in the Vatican museum I had to leave for a while to look at something ordinary to get my spritual artistic breath!
It is hard to be focused on oneself when confronted with all this beauty.
Additionally, what is TRUE is what our minds really want to feed on. Even kids are always saying: "Why?"...they want to know more and more. We all want to know more and more. Even the atheist cannot say: "There is nothing true!" Because if there is nothing true, then what he is saying is not true and that means that there is something true. Also if he thinks that there is nothing true and that he statement is true by making that statment, then if he is right then there is something true: what he just said and thus what he said is proved false by his very utterance. Well, the mind was made for truth and the "truth shall make you free":..free from anxiety!
If you are a parent saw your child running to you with a sliver or something in his or her eye..or with a skinned knee...or with tears because someone bullied them, what would your response be? Therefore, what will God's response be when you run to Him with anything that causes you pain or worry? Would you not explain the real truth of things to your child with words of "Do not worry; Daddy..or Mommy...will take care of it."
Thus Truth and Beauty will smash the false and ugly imaginations suggested to us from the devil....thus St. Paul: "Dismiss all anxiety from your minds"..and think on those beautiful and honest and truthful things....that God loves you more than you can imagine and is taking care of you right now!! Turn to Him; and present all your needs to Him with graititude and hope...and love for Him. Once, I was worried about something - a legal case since I do legal work; but I had prayed over it. All of sudden while watching the Mass on EWTN, God addressed this concern and took it all away with an instant assurance to not worry and that all would be well. You see: God has total access to our souls. He can convey a message of hope and peace and love without using a cell phone. He can do this after we have sent Him a "knee-mail" of placing all in His Hands; but also, He can decide to reach us directly with His love, peace and joy and assurance just because He is God! But our prayers, our Morning Offering, our trust in Him helps Him to reach us because our prayer removes those blockages to Him..and even opens up not God..who aways open....but opens us up to God who is always on the line waiting for our call. God contacted me directly today..addressing my concerns...on His own initiative. How aI love that He does that!
Let us pray: "Father, here is my heart..and all the worries on my heart. Here are my needs spiritual, physical, emotional, and financial. I give them all to you...since You can read and see so much more deep into my heart then I can. But I take You at Your Word when you said: "Delight in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart." [ps 37: 3-7].
Papa in Heaven!...I am worried about these things: [mention them]. I cast all my care upon you....I run to You....please fix my problems or see deeper into them why You would allow them a time...to learn to all the more trust in You. Dismiss all anxiety from my mind by direct grace of peace and joy: Your assurance that all will be well. Help me, Father, when I feel my life is being threatened by cancer or poverty or abandonment, I feel like Jesus did and want to say to You: "Father, why have You forsaken me?" When Your Son, Jesus, said that, He was really hurting inside and out because He knew You could never leave Him: but it felt like that to Him...and I sometimes feel that way too.....so I give you all my feelings...Papa! Please rescue me as You raised up Your Son, Jesus..from the dead in just 3 days! You made all peace and joy for Him! Please give me life, too, now and life to the fullest! Please raise me up from this worry about my cancer or every concern I have...and give me the Joy of new life..and new Hope...and a new all pervading Peace. All this I ask in Jesus; Name. Amen..through Mary, Mother of Sorrow. Help me to know that in Your will is my greatest Peace. Amen."
Therefore, Dearest Readers, May "the God of Peace be with you."
So much Love and Peace,
Pio
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
Pio's Proverb 195: "Idle words" are "Idol worship": how?
First of all: Why are words so sacred? Perhaps because Jesus is the Word of God:
"In the beginning was the Word; and the Word was with God. And the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelled amongst us." John 1:1
Now with that in mind, we can see why Jesus would condemn idle words...and how he blasted the Pharisees by telling them that they committed the unforgiveable sin by calling His Spirit the spirit of the devil. They sinned against the Holy Spirit by words...words that would condemn them to hell for all eternity. They were rejecting the Holy Spirit's forgiveness...by saying that Jesus' words were from the devil not God.
Now there are two great quotes about idle words:
1) "You shall give an accounting for every idle word spoken." said by Jesus who aught to know since He is God.
2) "Never let evil words pass your lips; say only the good things men need to hear, things that will really help them. Do nothing to sadden the Holy Spirit with whom you were sealed against the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, passioin and anger, harsh words, slander and malice of every kind. In place of these, be kind to one another, compassionate, and mutually forgiving, just as God has forgiven you in Christ." St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians 4: 29-32.
Wow! St Paul not only says to not let "evil" or "harsh" words pass our lips, he truly gives a list of those kinds of words generated by evil thoughts and feelings within that generate those kinds of idle words.
How are these above descriptions of evil and idle words connected to idol worship? Let us look at the next Chapter of St. Paul: 5: 3-6:
1) "As for lewd conduct or promiscuousness or lust of any sort, let them not even be mentioned among you; your holiness forbids this. Nor should there be any obsecene, silly, or suggestive talk; all that is out of place. Instead, give thanks. Make no mistake about this; no fornicator, no unclean or lustful person -- in effect an idolator -- has any inheritiance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."
Thus words of obsenity which are the language of "unclean or lustful person" is the expressions of the "idolator".
Let us see a few examples idle or idol words:
1) Words of Detraction do not help the person uttering them or the hearers hearing them nor the person about whom they are uttered: thus these are idle words that do no good for anyone. St. Paul warns against these kinds of words.
2) Idle gossip is idol gossip: this is calumny and the destroyer of reputations and will be accounting for on the last day.
3) Words that just waste time of the speaker and the hearers: much of compaigning speeches fall into the category; but also words about nothing important: a kind of language of trivia institutionalized.
4) Words that seem important but are not because of the circunstances: while my dearest mom was dying - a few days before - there was a big discussion in the living room about real estate. My mom sighed a bit and said: "This is not important talk". There was a lack of sensitivity here; but most of all, how much of our talk is important under any circumstances.
5) Words of exaggeration: almost all advertizing are idol words. They do not good to those who hear them. Children hear about 70 commercials a day.
6) Word of ego-centricism: words that help only the speaker and do no good to any else.
7) Any words of obscenity in prival in public and used in pornography....these will not inherit the kingdom of God.
8) Addictive streams of words that are unceasing: There are men and women that are speaking all the time. If another takes a breath, these people say something in that short time to get something in. You can hear these kind of people who are addictive to speaking at restaurants. Their volunm is above the others because they need to hear their own voices. These are working out some neurotic stress and are projecting [inflicting it] on others/ These people cannot be silent. Even on retreat, they have to keep on talking. They cannot be silent to listen to God...or to hear any one else...and most of the time the subject is about them. If the subject is about someone else, they look totally bored. These stream of consciousness words that keep you from having a peaceful thought to yourself are broadcasters of idle words and they speak about the idol of self. You can even hear these at postoffices while in line..as they are constantly talking..and loudly...as if others do not need to think about anything but they are speaking about.
9) Words in writing that are not true: Roe v Wade case written by the Supreme Court Justice except for these words that he uttered: "If it could be shown that the fetus is a person, then the fetus would be protected by the 14th Amendment: no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law." Yet that judge lobbied and gave speeches to promote abortion after that trial in many states. That is idle talk: untrue talk that killed over 50 million babies since Roe v Wade. Any document or speech that promulgates lies is idle and idol speech. These people will not inherity the Kingdom of God unless they repent. Any word that is not true ..any lie...is an idle/idol word.
10) Flattery for manipulation or words toward enticement to sin..all are idle/idol words that can be mortally sinful. "Any one who causes some one to sin, it would be better that a milstone be tied around his neck and be thrown into the sea."
11) What about silly talk in jokes? A true and good sense of humor is not sily talk but a special way of making a point. Bob Hope said near his hour of death at age 100 in answer to his wife's question: "Where do you want to be buried?" And Bob said, "Surprise me!" That is not silly; that is excellent good humor. Jesus had a good sense of humor: he called James and John: "sons of thunder"...and Herod.."That fox!"
Father, in Heaven, save us from speaking idle words and forgive any idle word we have ever spoken. In Jesus' Name we pray. Peace and love, Pio
"In the beginning was the Word; and the Word was with God. And the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelled amongst us." John 1:1
Now with that in mind, we can see why Jesus would condemn idle words...and how he blasted the Pharisees by telling them that they committed the unforgiveable sin by calling His Spirit the spirit of the devil. They sinned against the Holy Spirit by words...words that would condemn them to hell for all eternity. They were rejecting the Holy Spirit's forgiveness...by saying that Jesus' words were from the devil not God.
Now there are two great quotes about idle words:
1) "You shall give an accounting for every idle word spoken." said by Jesus who aught to know since He is God.
2) "Never let evil words pass your lips; say only the good things men need to hear, things that will really help them. Do nothing to sadden the Holy Spirit with whom you were sealed against the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, passioin and anger, harsh words, slander and malice of every kind. In place of these, be kind to one another, compassionate, and mutually forgiving, just as God has forgiven you in Christ." St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians 4: 29-32.
Wow! St Paul not only says to not let "evil" or "harsh" words pass our lips, he truly gives a list of those kinds of words generated by evil thoughts and feelings within that generate those kinds of idle words.
How are these above descriptions of evil and idle words connected to idol worship? Let us look at the next Chapter of St. Paul: 5: 3-6:
1) "As for lewd conduct or promiscuousness or lust of any sort, let them not even be mentioned among you; your holiness forbids this. Nor should there be any obsecene, silly, or suggestive talk; all that is out of place. Instead, give thanks. Make no mistake about this; no fornicator, no unclean or lustful person -- in effect an idolator -- has any inheritiance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."
Thus words of obsenity which are the language of "unclean or lustful person" is the expressions of the "idolator".
Let us see a few examples idle or idol words:
1) Words of Detraction do not help the person uttering them or the hearers hearing them nor the person about whom they are uttered: thus these are idle words that do no good for anyone. St. Paul warns against these kinds of words.
2) Idle gossip is idol gossip: this is calumny and the destroyer of reputations and will be accounting for on the last day.
3) Words that just waste time of the speaker and the hearers: much of compaigning speeches fall into the category; but also words about nothing important: a kind of language of trivia institutionalized.
4) Words that seem important but are not because of the circunstances: while my dearest mom was dying - a few days before - there was a big discussion in the living room about real estate. My mom sighed a bit and said: "This is not important talk". There was a lack of sensitivity here; but most of all, how much of our talk is important under any circumstances.
5) Words of exaggeration: almost all advertizing are idol words. They do not good to those who hear them. Children hear about 70 commercials a day.
6) Word of ego-centricism: words that help only the speaker and do no good to any else.
7) Any words of obscenity in prival in public and used in pornography....these will not inherit the kingdom of God.
8) Addictive streams of words that are unceasing: There are men and women that are speaking all the time. If another takes a breath, these people say something in that short time to get something in. You can hear these kind of people who are addictive to speaking at restaurants. Their volunm is above the others because they need to hear their own voices. These are working out some neurotic stress and are projecting [inflicting it] on others/ These people cannot be silent. Even on retreat, they have to keep on talking. They cannot be silent to listen to God...or to hear any one else...and most of the time the subject is about them. If the subject is about someone else, they look totally bored. These stream of consciousness words that keep you from having a peaceful thought to yourself are broadcasters of idle words and they speak about the idol of self. You can even hear these at postoffices while in line..as they are constantly talking..and loudly...as if others do not need to think about anything but they are speaking about.
9) Words in writing that are not true: Roe v Wade case written by the Supreme Court Justice except for these words that he uttered: "If it could be shown that the fetus is a person, then the fetus would be protected by the 14th Amendment: no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law." Yet that judge lobbied and gave speeches to promote abortion after that trial in many states. That is idle talk: untrue talk that killed over 50 million babies since Roe v Wade. Any document or speech that promulgates lies is idle and idol speech. These people will not inherity the Kingdom of God unless they repent. Any word that is not true ..any lie...is an idle/idol word.
10) Flattery for manipulation or words toward enticement to sin..all are idle/idol words that can be mortally sinful. "Any one who causes some one to sin, it would be better that a milstone be tied around his neck and be thrown into the sea."
11) What about silly talk in jokes? A true and good sense of humor is not sily talk but a special way of making a point. Bob Hope said near his hour of death at age 100 in answer to his wife's question: "Where do you want to be buried?" And Bob said, "Surprise me!" That is not silly; that is excellent good humor. Jesus had a good sense of humor: he called James and John: "sons of thunder"...and Herod.."That fox!"
Father, in Heaven, save us from speaking idle words and forgive any idle word we have ever spoken. In Jesus' Name we pray. Peace and love, Pio
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Pio's Proverb 194: "still one thing lacking"
In today's Gospel reading, a rich young man "ran up and knelt before him [Jesus] and asked him, 'Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: 'You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honour your father and mother.' He [rich young man] said to him, 'Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.' Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, 'There is still one thing lacking: go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.' When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions." (Mark 10: 17-22) (Luke 18:18-23) (Matthew 19 16-22).
Jesus loved this rich young man who was near perfect. The young man had already given 98% of himself to God. Why would that have been enough? But Jesus sees beyond what the young man sees. Jesus sees the young man as a great saint in the making. Jesus wants this young man to be a close follower perhaps as a priest of bishop. You may ask why the rich young man asked questions of Jesus in the first place since he was following the commandments and living a good life. But the rich young man wanted to be assured of his salvation and thus to inherit eternal life. There is that going on for sure; but the Holy Spirit in this rich young man was disturbing him so as to seek more...to know total God's will in his life. The Holy Spirit does disturb holy people when God has more for that person. What ever happened to that rich young man? Some traditions have it that he was really St. Luke who at first did not follow Christ but later on did. But Luke's account of this young man is plain without any new details. But so is Matthew's call at the tax collector's booth plain; and that account is told my Matthew himself. Matthew refers to him self as "a man called Matthew".
I would like to believe that this rich young man - eventhough he did not follow Christ immediately as did Matthew - did follow Jesus later.
But that rich young man is a much broader personality in that he is everyone of us asking Jesus the same question. And Jesus could easily be telling every one of us: "There is still one thing lacking." Maybe we are giving ourself to Jesus 99%; but "lacking in one thing." What could that one thing be? Here are a few hints:
1) A busy pastor who giving his whole self to God except his attachment to smoking which is a bad witness to taking care of one's health and body for God as demanded by the 5th commandment. There are many Catholics who love God and go to Mass every day but smoke. When lovingly reminded by close relatives or friends that smoking does cause cancer and has killed many of the rich and famous like John Wayne, these smokers rationalize and say, "we all have to die sometime." Thus this last 1% they do not wish to give to Jesus who is telling them personally in this Gospel: "There is still one thing lacking."
2) There is a devoted good nun who has given her whole life to Jesus: 99.5%. And what is this .5%? She does not wish to wear her habit which is a symbol of her wedding dress as a spouse of Jesus and her devotion as being a sign of the resurrection: where they neither marry nor are given marriage. Blessed John Paul II begged sisters to wear their habits in public. He even spoke to a nun who was not in her habit when he came off the plain urging her to wear her habit. A nun in full habit is a great sign of the love of God. Those who do wish to wear their habit have "one thing lacking."
3) A husband is giving 98% of himself to his marriage, but only spends about 3 minutes a day looking at porn. But those 3 minutes a day is removing or distancing him from his wife by miles. He absolutely has "one thing lacking".
4) People who have been hurt do not wish to give up their desire to hurt the person/s who hurt them. Giving this up would mean forgiving the person/s who hurt them. Unforgiveness is definitely needs to yield to forgiveness which is the "one thing lacking" in their lives.
5) Every year, there are areas where people cheat on their taxes. Honesty could be the "one thing lacking" in their life.
6) Those who drink too much and do not wish to go to AA or have no intentions to ever quit surely have "one thing lacking" in their life.
7) Couples who live together before marriage may love God but are not showing to either that they are willing to sacrafice in marriage or keep the 6th Commandment. Becoming so invovled sexually before marriage fixate the relationship and keeps the couple from knowing the true deeper side of their personalities. In marriage, they both might be very surprised to find things in their personalities that did not show up in courtship. IN marriage, maybe he will not be faithful...and maybe is addicted to porn. [Complaint of a young woman interviewed on TV]. The one thing lacking in their relationship is the ability to sacrifice for one another.
8) Of course there are those who always drive 10 to 15 miles over the speed limit as if to say that going from point A to point B gives them the right to get there 3 minutes earlier by exceeding the speed limit. These people do not give them the breaking time needed to avoid serious accidents. These are the same people who slow down to a roll at "STOP" signs but do not stop. These are the same who go through yellow lights when they could stop but are just going too fast or imagine that getting to their destination is more important then the safety of other drivers on the road. On the road also is the biggest test of charity or lack of charity. What is man or woman really is deep down inside is who they are at the wheel. Our "behind to wheel personality" is who we really are! The "one thing lacking" is most seen while behind the wheel. Jesus could easily tell them: "Tell me how you drive; and I will tell you who you are!" which is the cardinal commandment for motorist spirituality.
9) There are those who have been traveling too fast spiritually to frequent the Sacraments: they have not been to Holy Confession or Holy Communion for 20 years. Surely this avoiding of Sacraments is the "one thing lacking" in their life.
10) There are those who live or think like atheists or are atheists: have made a diconomy between Faith and Reason. But Einstine said: "Science without Religion is blind; and Religion without Science is lame." For this great physicists, Faith and Reason were compatible and one. Aristotle was the most proponent of Reason; but he believed in God and the eternal soul. Faith was reasonable for Aristotle. St Thomas Aquinas showed how Faith and Reason go hand in hand and compliment one another. His Summa Theologica draws upon Aristotle. God created both Reason and Faith; and these are married in the minds of those who truly love God. But those persons who do not love God; and love only Reason are trying to run on one leg. These who live as if God did not exists surely are the embodiment of "still on thing lacking"...because God can easily be seen in all His creation. The Universe is a tremendous design; and the laws are so conducive for life; and the 20 laws of the Universe are incredibly precise. If they were off just a minicule, there would be no life in the Universe. Thus, those who live or thinks like atheists have no excuse. Before the Big Bang, there was no thing and no where. But the Big Bang -- which resulted in everything and everywhere -- was caused by Someone! What and Who existed before Big Bang? God eternally existed before the Big Bang and caused the Big Bang to happen because "nothing cannot produce someting." Only Some One can produce something. Thus this Some One is the " "One thing lacking" in their lives: God Amighty. For those atheists who say: "Our need for God creates God", we answer them: "Does our hunger we feel in our belly create the existence of food?" Yet, it is true: we all do have a hunger for God. But that hunger does not create God; but only recognizes God as the sustainer of our souls' life and our need for the Infinite Beauty and Love of God.
11) There are Pseudo Christians and False Catholics who go beyond splitting up and divorcing Faith and Reason. These practice their religion in church and in name and leave their faith in church and become someone else in the Public Square. These are those who leave their conscience home when they go to work in the Public Square or enter the voting booth. These believe in the 10 commandments; but forget the 5th: "Thou shalt not kill!" by killing unborn babies in the womb routinely...and by giving to and endorse Planned Parenthood to receive Federal tax-payer funds of $250 million a year to kill babies. Only Red China is a bigger killer of babies in the world than Planned Parenthood. These also vote for and promulgate anti-religious mandates that require religious institutions to pay for and give out abortive drugs and contraception. These try to redefine what ia religious institution should be as to get an exception that is really no exception at all. These are those who redefine marriage to include same sex unions which is an abomination to God and the Holy Spirit who brings about the Sacrament of Matrimony only between a "one-man-one-woman" relationship. The "one thing lacking" for these people is to bring God into the Public Square where the Founding Fathers always brought Him to be! "In God we trust!" Every coin has that belief; and was meant to be brought into the Public Square to remind us that God is PRESENT in ALL we DO in this County. All we have -- our rights and our happiness -- is "endowed by the Creator"!
12) There are those who sincerely love Christ and follow Him. These go to Mass daily and receive Jesus. What could be the "still one thing lacking?"
Some of these hope to find Jesus plus "something" or "someone" as their salvation and ultimate happiness. They trust in the "something" or "someone" as much as or more than Jesus. Of course, when we all are about to come to appear before God for all eternity, we will not care about this "something" or "someone" as our ultimate happiness. The Galations wanted Jesus as well as the circumcision of the law. They wanted Jesus "plus".
But Jesus wants us to TRUST in Him completely for our happiness. Of course Jesus knows that most people have a vocation to marriage and does want us to fall in love and get married and have a family. That is not Jesus plus "someone". Jesus IS that "someone". He is in our spouse. Fidelity to that "someone" is fidelity to Him. But it is only when we trust more in a person than in Him ....or trust in our career more than Him...or trust in our acheivements to make us happy more than Him...or apart from Him..that makes Him sad. We all have a little room inside us that is created for God alone....if we try to fill that room with "someone" or "something", we will not be completely happy. Yes, God is in our work...in our marriages...in our love making..in our cooking...in our worship....in our achievements. It is just when we TRUST them too much instead of TRUSTING in Him do they take us away from Him. On our last moments on earth, we will trust ONLY in Him....and not in these somethings or someones. Why not practice this now....and tell Jesus: "O blood and water that gushed forth from the Heart of Christ, I trust in you." Yes, there is even in saintly souls, this "still one thing lacking:" a total trust in Jesus! He wants us to trust in Him and ask him for great graces...not be be narrow..but big hearted....and trust is great love for us...to place all our faults into His Heart to be burned up! Jesus we trust in You!
13) Our need for the practice of Prayer: intimate conversation with God could be that "still one thing lacking". For all of us in our own life, do we spend a little time at night before going to bed to review what God has given to us in this day? Do we thank God for all His love for us and see His love in little things: from butterflies to billowy clouds...breezes in our face...and the wind in the trees and all the beauty in the flowers around us....in the ability to see, walk, talk, hear and think. Amen.
Lord, please show us what is the "one thing lacking" in our lives so that we can give it to you with trust and love. Amen.
Peace and love, Pio.
Jesus loved this rich young man who was near perfect. The young man had already given 98% of himself to God. Why would that have been enough? But Jesus sees beyond what the young man sees. Jesus sees the young man as a great saint in the making. Jesus wants this young man to be a close follower perhaps as a priest of bishop. You may ask why the rich young man asked questions of Jesus in the first place since he was following the commandments and living a good life. But the rich young man wanted to be assured of his salvation and thus to inherit eternal life. There is that going on for sure; but the Holy Spirit in this rich young man was disturbing him so as to seek more...to know total God's will in his life. The Holy Spirit does disturb holy people when God has more for that person. What ever happened to that rich young man? Some traditions have it that he was really St. Luke who at first did not follow Christ but later on did. But Luke's account of this young man is plain without any new details. But so is Matthew's call at the tax collector's booth plain; and that account is told my Matthew himself. Matthew refers to him self as "a man called Matthew".
I would like to believe that this rich young man - eventhough he did not follow Christ immediately as did Matthew - did follow Jesus later.
But that rich young man is a much broader personality in that he is everyone of us asking Jesus the same question. And Jesus could easily be telling every one of us: "There is still one thing lacking." Maybe we are giving ourself to Jesus 99%; but "lacking in one thing." What could that one thing be? Here are a few hints:
1) A busy pastor who giving his whole self to God except his attachment to smoking which is a bad witness to taking care of one's health and body for God as demanded by the 5th commandment. There are many Catholics who love God and go to Mass every day but smoke. When lovingly reminded by close relatives or friends that smoking does cause cancer and has killed many of the rich and famous like John Wayne, these smokers rationalize and say, "we all have to die sometime." Thus this last 1% they do not wish to give to Jesus who is telling them personally in this Gospel: "There is still one thing lacking."
2) There is a devoted good nun who has given her whole life to Jesus: 99.5%. And what is this .5%? She does not wish to wear her habit which is a symbol of her wedding dress as a spouse of Jesus and her devotion as being a sign of the resurrection: where they neither marry nor are given marriage. Blessed John Paul II begged sisters to wear their habits in public. He even spoke to a nun who was not in her habit when he came off the plain urging her to wear her habit. A nun in full habit is a great sign of the love of God. Those who do wish to wear their habit have "one thing lacking."
3) A husband is giving 98% of himself to his marriage, but only spends about 3 minutes a day looking at porn. But those 3 minutes a day is removing or distancing him from his wife by miles. He absolutely has "one thing lacking".
4) People who have been hurt do not wish to give up their desire to hurt the person/s who hurt them. Giving this up would mean forgiving the person/s who hurt them. Unforgiveness is definitely needs to yield to forgiveness which is the "one thing lacking" in their lives.
5) Every year, there are areas where people cheat on their taxes. Honesty could be the "one thing lacking" in their life.
6) Those who drink too much and do not wish to go to AA or have no intentions to ever quit surely have "one thing lacking" in their life.
7) Couples who live together before marriage may love God but are not showing to either that they are willing to sacrafice in marriage or keep the 6th Commandment. Becoming so invovled sexually before marriage fixate the relationship and keeps the couple from knowing the true deeper side of their personalities. In marriage, they both might be very surprised to find things in their personalities that did not show up in courtship. IN marriage, maybe he will not be faithful...and maybe is addicted to porn. [Complaint of a young woman interviewed on TV]. The one thing lacking in their relationship is the ability to sacrifice for one another.
8) Of course there are those who always drive 10 to 15 miles over the speed limit as if to say that going from point A to point B gives them the right to get there 3 minutes earlier by exceeding the speed limit. These people do not give them the breaking time needed to avoid serious accidents. These are the same people who slow down to a roll at "STOP" signs but do not stop. These are the same who go through yellow lights when they could stop but are just going too fast or imagine that getting to their destination is more important then the safety of other drivers on the road. On the road also is the biggest test of charity or lack of charity. What is man or woman really is deep down inside is who they are at the wheel. Our "behind to wheel personality" is who we really are! The "one thing lacking" is most seen while behind the wheel. Jesus could easily tell them: "Tell me how you drive; and I will tell you who you are!" which is the cardinal commandment for motorist spirituality.
9) There are those who have been traveling too fast spiritually to frequent the Sacraments: they have not been to Holy Confession or Holy Communion for 20 years. Surely this avoiding of Sacraments is the "one thing lacking" in their life.
10) There are those who live or think like atheists or are atheists: have made a diconomy between Faith and Reason. But Einstine said: "Science without Religion is blind; and Religion without Science is lame." For this great physicists, Faith and Reason were compatible and one. Aristotle was the most proponent of Reason; but he believed in God and the eternal soul. Faith was reasonable for Aristotle. St Thomas Aquinas showed how Faith and Reason go hand in hand and compliment one another. His Summa Theologica draws upon Aristotle. God created both Reason and Faith; and these are married in the minds of those who truly love God. But those persons who do not love God; and love only Reason are trying to run on one leg. These who live as if God did not exists surely are the embodiment of "still on thing lacking"...because God can easily be seen in all His creation. The Universe is a tremendous design; and the laws are so conducive for life; and the 20 laws of the Universe are incredibly precise. If they were off just a minicule, there would be no life in the Universe. Thus, those who live or thinks like atheists have no excuse. Before the Big Bang, there was no thing and no where. But the Big Bang -- which resulted in everything and everywhere -- was caused by Someone! What and Who existed before Big Bang? God eternally existed before the Big Bang and caused the Big Bang to happen because "nothing cannot produce someting." Only Some One can produce something. Thus this Some One is the " "One thing lacking" in their lives: God Amighty. For those atheists who say: "Our need for God creates God", we answer them: "Does our hunger we feel in our belly create the existence of food?" Yet, it is true: we all do have a hunger for God. But that hunger does not create God; but only recognizes God as the sustainer of our souls' life and our need for the Infinite Beauty and Love of God.
11) There are Pseudo Christians and False Catholics who go beyond splitting up and divorcing Faith and Reason. These practice their religion in church and in name and leave their faith in church and become someone else in the Public Square. These are those who leave their conscience home when they go to work in the Public Square or enter the voting booth. These believe in the 10 commandments; but forget the 5th: "Thou shalt not kill!" by killing unborn babies in the womb routinely...and by giving to and endorse Planned Parenthood to receive Federal tax-payer funds of $250 million a year to kill babies. Only Red China is a bigger killer of babies in the world than Planned Parenthood. These also vote for and promulgate anti-religious mandates that require religious institutions to pay for and give out abortive drugs and contraception. These try to redefine what ia religious institution should be as to get an exception that is really no exception at all. These are those who redefine marriage to include same sex unions which is an abomination to God and the Holy Spirit who brings about the Sacrament of Matrimony only between a "one-man-one-woman" relationship. The "one thing lacking" for these people is to bring God into the Public Square where the Founding Fathers always brought Him to be! "In God we trust!" Every coin has that belief; and was meant to be brought into the Public Square to remind us that God is PRESENT in ALL we DO in this County. All we have -- our rights and our happiness -- is "endowed by the Creator"!
12) There are those who sincerely love Christ and follow Him. These go to Mass daily and receive Jesus. What could be the "still one thing lacking?"
Some of these hope to find Jesus plus "something" or "someone" as their salvation and ultimate happiness. They trust in the "something" or "someone" as much as or more than Jesus. Of course, when we all are about to come to appear before God for all eternity, we will not care about this "something" or "someone" as our ultimate happiness. The Galations wanted Jesus as well as the circumcision of the law. They wanted Jesus "plus".
But Jesus wants us to TRUST in Him completely for our happiness. Of course Jesus knows that most people have a vocation to marriage and does want us to fall in love and get married and have a family. That is not Jesus plus "someone". Jesus IS that "someone". He is in our spouse. Fidelity to that "someone" is fidelity to Him. But it is only when we trust more in a person than in Him ....or trust in our career more than Him...or trust in our acheivements to make us happy more than Him...or apart from Him..that makes Him sad. We all have a little room inside us that is created for God alone....if we try to fill that room with "someone" or "something", we will not be completely happy. Yes, God is in our work...in our marriages...in our love making..in our cooking...in our worship....in our achievements. It is just when we TRUST them too much instead of TRUSTING in Him do they take us away from Him. On our last moments on earth, we will trust ONLY in Him....and not in these somethings or someones. Why not practice this now....and tell Jesus: "O blood and water that gushed forth from the Heart of Christ, I trust in you." Yes, there is even in saintly souls, this "still one thing lacking:" a total trust in Jesus! He wants us to trust in Him and ask him for great graces...not be be narrow..but big hearted....and trust is great love for us...to place all our faults into His Heart to be burned up! Jesus we trust in You!
13) Our need for the practice of Prayer: intimate conversation with God could be that "still one thing lacking". For all of us in our own life, do we spend a little time at night before going to bed to review what God has given to us in this day? Do we thank God for all His love for us and see His love in little things: from butterflies to billowy clouds...breezes in our face...and the wind in the trees and all the beauty in the flowers around us....in the ability to see, walk, talk, hear and think. Amen.
Lord, please show us what is the "one thing lacking" in our lives so that we can give it to you with trust and love. Amen.
Peace and love, Pio.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)