Journaling Archives - Page 45 of 68

Shake it off! That’s what I say to those who feel spiritually depleted. I’m there often. No shame. Sometimes I’m on fire! I’m inspired to write often, I have a constant smile on my face, I want to do everything I can to please the Lord. I pray a lot, I attend mass often, I meditate and it’s as if all is right with the world. I have time for everything, all goes according to plan and even things I didn’t expect or plan come to pass. But then there are times, like these past few months, that are trying on my soul. In a nut shell, I’ve been distracted – I’ve felt unable to quiet my mind, my patience has worn thin, I’m easily angered – there’s a sense of “fogginess” in my brain, a loss of clarity and focus. In my quest for holiness I recognize my “one step forward, two steps back” and I am disappointed at myself for falling short, then I recognize the pride implicit in that thought. So I SHAKE IT OFF! My God understands my humanness and He is constantly working within me, so I need not fret. It’s all a part of His plan – the grace filled moments, the blessings AND the stumbling blocks.

As I mentioned earlier, these past few months have been trying. At times I have felt as if God were afar off. However, when I focus and “slap myself back into reality” what I realize is He wasn’t afar off at all, I was! I was off balance. My normal routine for many years now has been to attend mass, meditate and read Sacred Scripture, daily. However, for some reason, in my distraction and spiritual laziness I had changed my routine. Even my eating habits had changed. Once I realized what I was missing, why I was off balance and started my routine again, my outlook changed. I am certain that in addition to eating right, I need to meditate, I need to devour the Word, I need to receive Christ in the Eucharist as often as possible. All these things are what keep me focused, they are what bring me joy, they are what give me peace. Just as it takes time to get off balance, to lose oneself in the daily obligations of life, it also takes time to get back into balance – balance doesn’t come the instant you decide to regroup. Balance takes time, it takes work, it takes awareness. I’m trying to rebuild my balance now. I know I’m not all the way there yet, but I feel much better.

Do you feel “off balance?” Are you distracted? Do you feel spiritually depleted? There’s nothing wrong with that. Remember you are human and never underestimate the transforming power of God – His voice, His Word, His Body and Blood. Scripture says: draw close to the Lord and He will draw close to you! So remember, if He ever feels “afar off” it’s because you’re not doing your part. It takes two to tango! God bless you!

When the time of Pentecost was fulfilled……Acts 2:1-11. Read that verse and meditate on it. Do a lectio divina – see how it speaks to you.

This is how that verse spoke to me on Pentecost Sunday this year – it spoke volumes about the universal language of love. We all spend most of our lives in “search of” our purpose in life. Of course, we all have different gifts and talents and recognizing them sometimes leads us to understand the answer to our question of purpose. However, my thought is the first, common and simplest answer to the question of purpose is to love. Love God, love our neighbor, love life.

In Acts 2:1-11, we hear about the Holy Spirit coming down upon the disciples and their speaking in tongues. Despite the many different languages represented in the crowd, everyone was able to understand what was being spoken. We wonder how that could be possible. We put way too much emphasis on the spoken word when the reality is that the light that shines from a heart filled with the love of Christ is itself a universal language, a language understood by all.

In the Gospel of John 3:16, we are told “no greater love than this has man than to lay down his life for his friends.” Furthermore, in John 20:19-23 we hear Jesus telling his disciples “as my father has sent me, so I send you.” So we know that Jesus came to show us great love. We also know that God loved us so much that He sent His ONLY son for the salvation of the world. As the father has sent him, so he sends us – TO LOVE. First, we are called to love God – to love Him through worship, praise and thanksgiving. We are called to love Him by keeping His commandments. Second we are called to love our neighbor as Christ loved us; to put others first just as Christ did; to sacrifice at times for the benefit of others. Third, we are called to love life. How? In two ways: first, by accepting our circumstances with trust in the Lord knowing that all things work for good for those who love Him and second, by appreciating and caring for all of God’s creation. We must respect and acknowledge the dignity of every life – human or otherwise.

So………what is your purpose in life? To use the gifts God has given you to foster love in the world; to communicate with all the world through the language of love! God bless you!