Note to God

HERESY IN GOOD WORKS! Feverish activity taking the place of God; grace ignored; human pride trying to thrust Jesus from His throne; supernatural life, the power of prayer, the economy of our redemption relegated, at least in practice, to the realm of pure theory: all this portrays no merely imaginary situation, but one which the diagnosis of souls

Take care not to leave the God of works for the works of God

Roman 5: 1-5 And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Character strengthen  by suffering produces hope?! It doesn't make sense, but in truth, steely character can hope and still hope because it has been in the furnace,  strengthened by perseverance. And the hope which Character produces is a hope in the Glory of God.

If there is one concept that is capable of summing up Dom Chautard’s spirituality, it is one which is sometimes seen written, most appropriately, over the doors of Cistercian monasteries: “GOD ALONE.” Not contemplation, not action, not works, not rest, not this or that particular thing, but God in everything, God in anything, God in His will, God in other men, God present in his own soul. To do whatever God

Do you know what so and so has done? He did this and that! #judge We should only kindly reply: I have done quite a lot of things myself

Mark 8:14-21 On supernatural outlook. Not worry about material things. On looking beyond the material, towards divine trust

Julio Dieguez, professor of Moral Theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, and Rector of the Seminary of the Prelature of Opus Dei, spoke about striving to attain the “same sentiments as Christ Jesus” (cf. Phil. 2:5). “The configuration with Christ that all Christians are called to, and priests in a special way, means ultimately sharing in Christ’s sentiments.” And he added that “if we want to act as Jesus did, we need to make his way of being our own.” Christianity is not a moral doctrine, or a higher wisdom: it is fundamentally a Person, Jesus Christ.”   “For me to live is Christ” (Phil 1:21)

13 ways to add trust and intimacy in a relationship We deepen our trust and intimacy whenever we: 1. Turn toward each other more than you turn away ( video ). As Daphne de Marneffe writes in her book  The Rough Patch , “Couples turn away from each other for any number of apparent reasons, but underneath it all, it’s usually because they feel misunderstood, unheard, or unable to agree.” 2. Support each other in times of failure or discouragement. 3. Establish  rituals of connection , like a goodbye hug or a 10-min chat before bed. 4. Speak well of each other, especially in front of others. 5. Believe in the other — and express that in words or actions. 6. Express who we really are and what we really feel inside (even when it may lead to a disagreement). 7. Celebrate each other’s successes, however small. 8. Sit with the other person’s emotions — even if you feel just as lost or hopeless just make an effort to not turn away or shut the emotions out. 9. Express unc...

Don Josemaría also spoke to him about the new tabernacle and conveyed to him, moved, the following wish: «The Lord should never feel alone and forgotten here; if he is sometimes in some churches, in this house where so many students live and where so many young people frequent, he will feel happy surrounded by everyone's piety, accompanied by everyone. You help me keep him company…”  Pedro was struck by that love for the Eucharist and that moved him to make a decision: since the School of Architecture was relatively close to the DYA academy, “I gladly promised to go as many times as I could to pray a little in front of the tabernacle , and also to begin the custom of "assaulting" tabernacles». He was referring to the custom that Saint Josemaría had to accompany the Blessed Sacrament with his imagination and from a distance, when he could not physically go to a church. 

To be salt of the earth, to preserve. Salt added in fertilisers to enable the fertiliser to last. A little salt is enough.  To remove cowardice  1. Stage of purification 2. Stage of illumination  Sunflower, it moves with the sun. The sunflower is thr first flower to get heated up in the winter. Drawing all insects towards it. 

Just as the shepherds took turns guarding their sheep, you and I also have to watch over others so that everyone can receive the announcement: the Good News that the angel brings also depends on our vigilance .  Watch over others as a premise to receive Christ.  That is why our relationship with the Lord is inseparable from charity, from fraternity. Like the shepherds, we need simplicity to receive the announcement. Simplicity that is a consequence of our effort, accompanied by grace, to think more about others. This allows us to be more sensitive to God's calls. The more attentive we are to those around us, the more able we will be to listen to the Lord.

Examine your heart using HEART as an acronym: Hatred Envy Anger. To forgive Resentment. Bitterness.  Timidity. 

A home, a boat, a mother: the Work is all those things for us

That was a security guard who wanted to sanctify his work. He was working in the port of Cebu were there lots of Petty crime in the area. Crimes such as stealing, robbery and even drug trafficking. He knew it was going to be a tough job . Thought long and hard. How can I help these people How can I make my job holy. He asked his friends to gather the ex convicts that he knew. These efforts generated a group of almost sixty ex-cons that I gathered in one of the storage areas. The first words I spoke caused some misgivings: "I want to help you and hear your complaints." I suppose the scene must have been a bit curious. The presence of some of my staff —because they were policemen— did not give much confidence, but in the end they began to speak: «We don't have a job», «No one helps us because we have been in prison», «We have to feed the family», "We don't have training"... I had made a commitment to them, so after listening to them I started looking for solut...

St. Josemaria would ask: How are you practising charity? I would add, how are you practicing charity at home?  Charity leads us to forget about ourselves and think about others. The moment may come when the only thing our daily examination consists of is to say: "Lord, I haven't thought about myself, only about you and the others." When there is love, there is no time for self-seeking. There is no time for pride. We see only opportunities of serving.

That's how he encountered, how he felt,  its his narrative. We cannot invalidate this. 

Today’s Christian needs the virtue of fortitude in a special way. This virtue, as well as being humanly so attractive, is indispensable given the materialistic mentality of so many people today; it is a mentality that prizes comfort and has a horror of anything that smacks of mortification, renunciation or sacrifice. So every act of virtue contains within it an act of courage, of fortitude; without it we cannot remain faithful to God. Saint Thomas teaches (St Thomas, Summa Theologiae lI-Il, 123, 6) that this virtue is manifested in two types of acts: to do good without wavering at the prospect of the difficulties and dangers it may entail, and to resist evils and difficulties in such a way that they do not lead us into despondency. In the first case courage and audacity find their true radius of action; in the second case patience and perseverance are called for. Each day presents us with many opportunities for practising these virtues. Overcoming our moods is one of them. Avoiding use...

When the daughter of this same Herodias came in and danced, she delighted Herod and his guests; so the king said to the girl, ‘Ask me anything you like and I will give it you.’ And he swore her an oath, ‘I will give you anything you ask, even half my kingdom.’ She went out and said to her mother, ‘What shall I ask for?’ She replied, ‘The head of John the Baptist.’ The girl hurried straight back to the king and made her request, ‘I want you to give me John the Baptist’s head, here and now, on a dish.’ The king was deeply distressed but, thinking of the oaths he had sworn and of his guests , he was reluctant to break his word to her. So the king at once sent one of the bodyguard with orders to bring John’s head. He didn't even think of John the Baptist !

Since we normally have only little things to offer him, let us pray about the poor value of Mary’s offering to the Lord, those two turtle-doves. Learn to join your poor offerings to those of Christ. Join your prayers with his prayers, your tears with his tears, your fasts with his fasts. In this way you will take something of little value and give it an infinite worth. One drop of water by itself is nothing more than one drop of water. One drop of water poured into a cask of wine becomes something of greater value. This is the way it is with our human labours. By themselves they are of small value. Yet when they are joined with the labours of Christ they acquire an inestimable worth (Fr. Luis de Granada, Life of Jesus Christ, ch. 7).