Month: July 2016 (Page 1 of 2)

One step forward, two steps back!

July 13, 2016 / MSFriend / 1 Comment

Peace!

One step forward, two steps back! That’s what I think when I hear the news lately. The world has certainly come a long way when you think about where we are today with technology, health, education, etc. Yet I watch the news and immediately burst into tears when I hear of another black man shot dead for no apparent reason and the retaliation that killed innocent police officers simply doing their jobs. Why is it that we have enough intelligence and presence of mind to create things like a phone we can give commands to but we don’t know how or refuse to acknowledge our connection to one another?

I don’t know what the answer is. I even think sometimes I may be part of the problem with my judgments and flawed perceptions. What these reports make me realize is that WE, the human race, need to get our heads out of the sand. We need to start a conversation – with ourselves, with our families and within our communities. It should begin with an acknowledgment that there is a problem (regardless of whether we can relate to it or not). Our moral compass should tell us “this is not right!” Let’s not make excuses simply because we can’t understand what some people go through everyday. I started crying this morning watching the faces of all these young people who were killed in the past week. I think of the senseless murders, the pain of the families and worse – the hate that perpetrated it all.

Thanks to the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, Pa I learned to do lectio divina with things other than Scripture. They brought to my awareness, through retreat, the possibility of doing lectio with nature, art and the news. So I sit with my sadness and think about why I’m so moved.

I’m moved with compassion. On one hand I’m grateful for the fact that in my 46 years of life as a Puerto Rican woman, I have never “felt” the sting of prejudice or discrimination (it may have been there but I didn’t feel it – by the grace of God I wasn’t privy to it). On the other hand, I am saddened by the fact that my darker skinned brothers and sisters haven’t had that privilege and worse – the same people who rob them of the privilege are the same people who can’t understand their dilemma.

I’m moved with guilt because although I tell myself that I’m not prejudiced, I too am guilty of unfair judgments. I’d like to think that I am not part of the problem, but I know that deep down inside I really am. So, I’m moved to change my thoughts and actions. I’m moved to take Mahatma Ghandi’s words to heart. I have to be the change I want to see in the world. No more judgments, no more ill-conceived perceptions. It’s time to start seeing with new eyes. It’s time to start seeing that the person right in front of me is my soul sister or brother, no matter their race, religion or nationality. It’s time to start seeing EVERYONE through the eyes of love.

I contemplate the reasons why this is all happening now and all I can come up with is FEAR. Fear, which we know, comes from the evil one. Fear because so much of the world has strayed from the Truth. We have convinced ourselves that we are in control of everything and nothing could be further from the truth. How can we weed out fear from our lives, from our communities, from our nation and our world? Turn back to God, turn back to love! Evil, hate and fear need to be transformed to goodness, love and courage. This transformation can only be done by including God in our daily lives. It’s not as simple as it sounds. It takes time and effort because with conversion comes temptation.

Before we decide we don’t have time for all this work, let’s be realistic. For one thing, we waste so much time researching technology, with the intention to be the first to get the latest devices and then we spend countless hours trying to figure out how to operate them. We wait on a line for hours and sometimes even days to be the first to purchase the latest craze for ourselves and for our children. None of this feels like a waste of time though.

Interestingly, we find it difficult to take the time to nourish our souls. Reading a good book, opening and discussing scripture and sitting quietly while we pray – THIS is what many people see as a waste of time. It’s time we start realizing we may have everything we want but what we need to truly survive is lacking. This truth is evident in what’s going on in society.

Everyone most certainly DOES have the time to put God first, many just don’t have the will. Do you see a connection between what’s going on in this nation today and the fact that we’ve taken God out of everything? Major League Baseball is even debating the possibility of not singing God Bless America during the 7th inning stretch of baseball games because it’s offensive to some. REALLY?

In my last post I wrote about a bible verse in the book of Baruch which basically says if we follow God we will live in enduring peace. It reminds me of the bumper sticker which reads No God, No peace. Know God, Know Peace. Following God means more than just saying you believe, although that’s a start. Following God means putting Him first. It means taking the time to build a stronger relationship with Him. It means realizing He is your rock, your refuge, your strength, your fortress and sooooo much MORE. It means talking the talk AND walking the walk, which leads me to my point – all the latest news reports should move us to an examination of conscience, the dialogue must begin with ourselves.

Our challenge for today: Think about the first thought that pops into your head when you see someone who is different from you (a different color, different nationality, tattoos, homeless-you get the idea). Be honest. Is it a thought that has manifested from fear or is it a thought manifested from love? Only you know the truth. Hopefully this examination of conscience will move us closer to the Truth, capital T, closer to true love! God Bless you!

ALL LIVES MATTER!

In memory of Michael Brown, Jr., Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Dontre Hamilton, John Crawford III, Ezell Ford, Dante Parker, Tanisha Anderson, Akai Gurley, Tamir Rice, Rumain Brisbon, Jerame Reid, Tony Robinson, Phillip White, Eric Harris, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, Randy Nelson, Antronie Scott, Wendell Celestine, Jr., David Joseph, Calin Roquemore, Dyzhawn Perkins, Christopher Davis, Marco Loud, Peter Gaines, Torrey Robinson, Darius Robinson, Kevin Hicks, DeMarcus Simer, Willie Tillman, Ashtian Barnes, Jessica Williams, Michael Wilson, Vernell Bing Jr., Doll Pierre-Louis, Ollie Brooks, Antwan Shumpert, Alton Sterling, Philando Castile; and

Officers Lorne Ahrens, Michael Krol, Michael J. Smith, Brent Thompson, Patrick Zamarripa, Rafael L. Ramos and Wenjian Liu and many others not mentioned here who have died in the line of duty.

May the Divine assistance be always with us and may the souls of the faithful departed, by the mercy of God, rest in peace!

Are you listening?

July 9, 2016 / MSFriend / 1 Comment

Are you listening?

Are you listening? That’s what I thought after reading Baruch 3:9-14. It reads: Hear O Israel, the commandments of life: listen and know prudence! How is it, Israel, that you are in the land of your foes, grown old in a foreign land, defiled with the dead, accounted with those destined for the nether world? You have forsaken the fount of wisdom! Had you walked in the way of God, you would have dwelt in enduring peace! Learn where prudence is, where strength, where understanding; that you may know also where are length of days, and life, where light of the eyes, and peace.

What does this all mean? In a nutshell, if we follow the commandments and do the will of God we will exhibit good judgment. Therefore we will live in peace. We are advised to LISTEN and know prudence. Listen to God? When and how? Yes, listen to God, He is the fount of all wisdom. He is the SOURCE. We should listen when we have important decisions to make or issues to reconcile. We listen for God through the silence – in a sudden thought that floods our mind after we’ve “emptied” it. We listen by being aware of the coincidences in our lives, by taking to heart the words of a loved one spoken through the Spirit. We listen as we read scripture or other spiritual writings – as we read it all and apply it to our own lives.

I’m sure praying brings you peace, as it does me. However, I have to say there is no better feeling than the feeling you get when you know God has just spoken to you. The feeling of knowing God was just present with you and loved you enough to answer you. To give you advice you can trust. There’s no greater feeling in the world than when you know God is on your side. When you know He just patted you on the back and said, “it’s okay my child, you’ve done well.” For me, the presence of God is confirmed when tears begin streaming down my face for no apparent reason. I don’t want that feeling to ever go away. I want to keep coming back to that moment, knowing He is there with me.

Recently, I was at a crossroads. I struggled with understanding whether a decision I had made was the will of God. I worried I was relying on my own emotions and flawed understanding. What would Jesus do I often ask myself? It’s often how I gauge whether I’m making the right decision. A month or so ago I had to make the decision to detach myself from a relative I felt has been toxic for many years. I have chosen to ignore the toxicity for the sake of family peace. Despite my attempts at keeping the peace, peace never seemed to be an option for them.

In choosing detachment, I struggled with the idea of forgiveness. I wasn’t completely sure if my decision was the result of lack of forgiveness or something else. I struggled because I knew my God is a merciful, forgiving being and I should be following His lead. What would Jesus do, right? I needed an answer, I needed some direction. I needed to know if I was doing the right thing. I kept telling myself that it wasn’t about forgiveness or lack thereof, it was about my desire for peace. I wasn’t sure if I was telling myself the truth.

I sat in church after mass one day. I was alone and in complete silence. I prayed: God, please help me understand. Lord, give me a sign, help me understand whether my decision coincides with your teaching. The answer I got was astounding! My thoughts immediately turned to the image of Satan being cast out of heaven. The thought of how Satan is not welcomed in heaven, the home of our God – our merciful, forgiving, compassionate father. How is that possible? Obviously, it has everything to do with Satan’s actions and nothing to do with our heavenly Father. Satan’s not welcomed because he refuses to amend his ways, he has never sought God’s forgiveness. He’s not looking to bring peace to heaven, he’s looking for trouble. THAT’s why he’s not welcomed, not because God is not forgiving him.

Several weeks after I received my answer, it was further confirmed by some things I read in Bishop Fulton Sheen’s book Lift Up Your Heart: A Guide to Spiritual Peace. In it he writes on page 237:

Christian love bears evil, but it does not tolerate it. It does penance for the sins of others, but it is not broad-minded about sin. The cry for tolerance never induces it to quench its hatred of the evil philosophies that have entered into contest with the truth. It forgives the sinner, and it hates the sin; it is merciful to the person, it is unmerciful to the error in his mind.

The sinner it will always take back into the bosom of the Mystical Body; but his lie will never be taken into the treasury of her Wisdom. Real love involves real hatred: Whoever has lost the power of moral indignation and the urge to drive the buyers and sellers from the temples has also lost a living, fervent love of Truth.

On page 253, Fulton Sheen writes:

Reparation is the act of paying for our sins. When THAT is done, God’s pardon is available to us. His pardon means a restoration of the relationship of love – just as if we offend a friend, we do not consider that we are forgiven until the friend loves us again. God’s mercy is always present. His forgiveness is forever ready, but it does not become operative until we show Him that we really value it.

The father of the prodigal son had forgiveness always waiting in his heart; but the prodigal son could not avail himself of it until he had such a change of disposition that he asked to be forgiven and offered to do penance as a servant in his father’s house. So long as we continue our attachment to evil, forgiveness is impossible; it is as simple as the law that says that living in the deep recesses of a cave makes sunlight unavailable to us. Pardon is not automatic – to receive it, we have to make ourselves pardonable. The proof of our sorrow over having offended is our readiness to root out the vice that caused the offense.

I finally realized that my issue wasn’t forgiveness. I was NOW convinced that, just like the father of the prodigal son, I have forgiveness always waiting in my heart. I simply refuse to surround myself with thieves of peace. In fact, Scripture says: As you enter a house, wish it peace. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it. If not, let your peace return to you. Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words, go outside that house and shake the dust from your feet. So I’m simply shaking the dust from my feet until changes are made – until there is a readiness to root out the vice that caused the offense.

So I got my answer. I was comfortable with the decision I had made but then came another conflict. Shouldn’t I help in some way? How can I help if I’m detaching? The more I contemplated the situation, the more I realized I can still help. At the present moment my “help” consists of prayer! Prayer for conversion, prayer for healing.

I hope I’ve driven the point home by sharing my personal story. So many breakthroughs and answers come when we listen, are aware and open our heart and mind. I know many people who say they really don’t have the time to be still or they don’t read scripture or do any other spiritual reading. This is how and from where the answers to life’s toughest questions come. Stop cheating yourself! Go to the fount of wisdom. Pick up the bible or another good spiritual read (maybe even one of my recommendations), learn to quiet your mind with meditation, sit in a place of worship alone in silence. God has so many things He wants to tell you, He’s always there to guide you – turn to Him!