Note to God

everything we have is on loan, we should use it for the purpose for which we have intended it: that is, for the glory of God and for the good of those close to us.

Blessed are the peacemakers for they are called children of God Remembering that we are children of God will give us that solid peace , which isn’t disturbed by the ups and downs of our emotions or the events of the day: it will give us the serenity and steadiness which we need so much. To ensure that we are open and friendly to everyone, we need to stamp out any kind of antipathy or animosity; it would indicate that we were not very supernatural in our dealings with others. We also need to fight against any roughness or sharpness in our character, which could upset others and would indicate that we were not sufficiently mortified. We need to fight against selfishness, against softness and against love of comfort. These are serious obstacles to friendship and to effectiveness in the apostolate.

You dont get married to be always happy. Of course you don't get married to be always miserable. I get married because I am not yet the person I am supposed to be able to love. I make the promise because I am not yet. That is why we get married. We get commited so that despite whatever changes, we can rely on our word. To grow together, not grow apart. That you are not leaving.  When the day come when it is difficult to love her, because of the marriage promise, you will still continue to love her.

The ethymology of deciding is to "cut off". When we decide something, we cut off everything else. When we get married, we cut off romance with everyone else except our wife. 

It's so important to keep your word. To keep your promise. To commit and not deviate. To be able to keep your word reveals you have character. Not being able to keep your word shows you have a lack of character. St Thomas More, the chancellor of England, he was sentenced to death for not wanting to say he approve of King Henry VIII's action of making himself the the head of the church of England. The King asked Thomas daughter to convince his dad to change his mind. The dg was smart. She told Thomas: dad you say that it is what is inside that matters. You're going to die, dad. You can just tell yourself that you don't approve within you, but in your action, tell the king you approve. St Thomas said: my dear, our lives are like water held on and cupped by the hands. The moment you let yourself go, the moment you open up and go against yourself, you will lose the water, you will lose yourself.  > see how much we need to use wisdom in the right way > and its true. It...

It's a balance of Confident Joy (hope, trust in God) and Soberness (judgement)

It is fully realising our dependence on God John 15: 5 , Phil 4: 13

After prayer and sacrifice, the most effective means of obtaining from God the grace to form people of deep interior life, which are to rebuild the world, is the  spiritual direction. No man is capable of being his own guide. Everyone has weakness to overcome, attractions to keep in order, duties to fulfill, dangers to undergo, occasions of peril to be avoided, difficulties to overcome and doubts to resolve. If one needs help in all this, a fortiori he will require it in his struggle for perfection. It would be an omission, and sometimes a grave omission, in a priest, bound by his duty as teacher and surgeon of souls, if he were to deprive them of this great supplement to confession, this indispensable source of energy for the spiritual life, which is spiritual direction.

French clerical publication, “L’Ami du Clerge.”203 The Pope asked them: “What is the thing we most need, today, to save society?” “Build Catholic schools,” said one. “No.” “More churches,” said another. “Still no.” “Speed up the recruiting of priests,” said a third. “No, no,” said the Pope, “the MOST necessary thing of all, at this time, is for every parish to possess a group of laymen who will be at the same time virtuous, enlightened, resolute, and truly apostolic.”

Great that you attended circle. But when you attend it, remember that you have a mission, and that mission is to deepen your interior spiritual life everytime you attend one. 

Not a boring fidelity, but a proselytistic fidelity and a dynamic creative fidelity. If fidelity is love, then it must be creative.

Characteristics of pilgrimage: 1. Intimacy -do with 1 to 3 persons - to counter noise from the multitudes  - something special in the solitude 2. Element of sacrifice -  weather, difficulties - the moral ardour involved: to have faith hope and trust even if the destination disappears  - we will be buffeted by the wind and waves in the boat  - the pilgrimage helps us to see Like vocation, we only need to see once. Even if we don't see it later, we have seen, and we believed.  Need to take the plunge. We can never be fully prepared. If we are, or try to be, we may never move in the first place 3. 

What we appreciate appreciates, what we depreciate depreciates