Journey

When the Lord speaks………..listen!

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When the Lord speaks, listen!
Listen to Him!

When the Lord speaks…………listen!  I’m not one for routine.  I like to change things up a bit every now and then.  Several weeks ago  I woke up in a bit of a fog.  I didn’t feel like keeping to my usual Sunday routine of attending 10:30 mass so I attended 6pm mass at another parish.

As I drove to Church I thought about how certain things become second nature for us.  There are things we do every day or week simply because it’s what we have done countless times for many years.  Things like waking up for work at a certain time and attending mass every Sunday.

I can tell you not a Sunday goes by that I do not attend mass (unless I’m sick or the weather does not permit it).  If I wake  up later than usual and can’t  make the 10:30 mass, then 12:15 it is.  If I don’t want to go in the morning and want to change it up a bit then Saturday evening or Sunday evening it is.   If I’m away, I use my Mass Times app to see where the nearest church is.  There’s no stopping me, not even the temptation of laying on a cozy couch under a blanket on a cold rainy day.

As I thought about that, I wondered why I couldn’t be the same way with my contemplation practice.  I feel like I’m constantly being called to sit, yet it hasn’t become a solid practice for me.  I must work on accepting God’s invitation to be still and know Him.  I MUST get to that point where NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING, stands in the way of my 20 minutes twice a day.  I tell myself I’ll wake up earlier, go to bed later.

Then I hear the homily.  It’s about the parable of the king who sends his servants to invite guests to the feast and the invited guests reject the invitation.  “Why won’t they come to the feast?” The priest asked this of us as he compared the parable to our lives.  Why are the pews in the church so empty?   What he said spoke to me directly and made sense of the thoughts I was having as I arrived at Church.

What he said was the evil one is always trying to keep us from the feast.  He tempts us with “good” things like the cozy couch, the beautiful hike, the perfect vacation.  Sometimes he even tempts us with a nice dinner and conversation with family and friends.  These are ALL good things but participation in the banquet of our Lord is GREAT!  So why should we settle for good things when we have an opportunity to experience something great!

Even more interesting is the fact that after I drafted this post, I received an email from one of my sisters in Christ. The email contained an article which touched on the subject of distraction in prayer.  The article outlined various things we could do to remain focused and set the tone for our days.  Here it is.

As I take stock of my “dilemma” I say to myself – it’s true – all the things that keep me from my practice are good but they need not keep me from  the Great I AM!  I need to be consistent with my practice in order for it to become second nature.  I need to accept God’s invitation to be still and know Him on a deeper level.

I’m rethinking my schedule.  I don’t want to be one of the guests who killed the servant.  I want to welcome the servant and accept his invitation.  I hope you do too.  God bless you!

**Since first drafting this post, I’ve been on a roll.  I’ve been going to bed earlier and getting up before 5am while the world is still silent.  I find that by doing this I am able to focus on being still.  I’m able to pray, contemplate and exercise without feeling guilty about all the other things in my life that need tending to.  By the time the world awakes, I’m spiritually ready for it.  I have put God first!   Waking up extra early makes me feel like there ARE enough hours in a day.  I even have time to sit and have breakfast.  God is good!

The beauty of the Rosary

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the beauty of the rosary
Rosary Devotion

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, my trip to Lourdes, France resulted in my having a deeper devotion to the Blessed Mother and a desire to pray the Rosary more often.  Although there are many misconceptions about the Rosary, what I love most about it is it gives me the opportunity to meditate on the pivotal moments of Jesus’ life and ministry.  You see, the Rosary is more about contemplating Jesus than about “worshiping” Mary.  In fact, devotion to Mary is NEVER about worshiping her but it IS about acknowledging the fact that she played an extremely important role in bringing about the salvation of the world.  Because she said Yes Jesus Our Savior, The Word was made flesh!

When prayed genuinely and with intention the rosary invites us to meditate on each mystery while the melody of the prayers we’re reciting play in the background.  The rosary should never become rote prayer that we rush to “get through.”  It should be an event we earnestly prepare for because through it flow many graces we must be prepared to receive.

Don’t get me wrong, there are times when the distraction of everyday life cause me to lose sight of the beauty of the rosary.  Despite my effort to remain aware of its beauty and benefits and my desire to make it a regular part of my life, there are times when I claim I don’t have the time or energy.  There are also times when my focus is just not there.  However, just like in meditation we have to bring ourselves back to the moment and our intention.  Back to the “word” in meditation and back to the “mystery” of the Rosary.  Awareness is the key to getting back on track.

As I meditated on the Glorious Mysteries the other night, I was moved by the Mystery of the Ascension.  Just imagine the sense of loss the disciples must have felt.  First, their leader, friend and strength dies on the cross.  They lose Him once and  bury Him.  Three days later they are elated when they realize He has risen from the dead.  Can you imagine?  The relief, the awe, the comfort and then………..He’s gone again.

They’re told not to worry.  He promises to send an advocate, but who could have known what that really meant?  What or who would it be?  Would it be enough? Could this so called advocate ever take His place? It must have been heartbreaking for them to experience this loss for a second time.  It was for good this time or so they thought.  Who could have known what Jesus had in store for his disciples.  Despite the pain and uncertainty, they trusted in His promise and they waited.  Amazing! Do we possess that same sense of trust?  It’s certainly something we should strive for.

While pondering the mystery of the Rosary I tried to imagine my life without Jesus.  Of course, Jesus is not physically present to us today as he was to His disciples.  However, He is present to us spiritually and stillness helps us to feel that presence more profoundly.  Life without Jesus……..what would that look like?  For me it would be depressing, devoid of hope, difficult to cope with.

As I imagined what life would be like without Jesus I was saddened to think of non-believers and all  who keep Jesus on the periphery (like a good luck charm they pull out when they need it) and not in the center.  I can imagine the lack of hope, depression, despair and cynicism that resides in their minds and hearts because I’ve been there before. It’s what is wrong with the world but it doesn’t have to remain that way.  Prayer and God’s graced helped transform me.  I pray that somehow, some way hearts will be opened to receive the graces God is so ready to shower down upon them.  The graces that will move Jesus from the periphery to the center.  THAT’S the only way our world will become a better place.

Prayer truly changes things.  The Rosary is an awesome form of prayer.  Make it a part of your life.  Use it as a form of meditation, meditate on scripture using it.  Receive the graces it has to offer and pray that others will be open to it too!  God bless you!

Links for further reading on the Rosary

Here is a post on the Rosary by Dr. Edward Sri – more good points.

Click here for a short explanation on why we pray the rosary.

Here is a list of the 15 promises made by the Blessed Mother for all who pray the Rosary.