Emptying our hearts

“I know that to do this (living in the presence of God) your heart must be empty of all other things because God desires to posses it exclusively, and he cannot posses it exclusively without first emptying it of everything other than himself; neither can he act within it nor do what he pleases.”

— Brother Lawrence

Have you still no faith?

There are many things I need to improve in my journey to holiness, but one for sure is my ability to surrender my worries and concerns to God with faith and full confidence. This morning I woke up worrying about a situation of a friend. I wonder how the person could get better, I wondered what I could do to help, and I feared what could happen if things don't improve. I pray for this person every day, but in general terms, for this person's well being. 

My wife then came to the room and was telling me a story about how the father of this child that was very ill prayed with full confidence in God's mercy and the child was miraculously healed. Her story hit me like a brick. What am I doing worrying about this person's future? Have I still no faith? Jesus can calm a storm with one command, yet I think I can fix something on my own and don't think of surrendering and asking. I need to surrender this specific concern to God and ask for His mercy and grace in this specific situation. I can't do anything, but He can do it all. If it is His will, and it is what's best then this person will be healed. It's in Jesus' hands. Of course, yesterday's reading just confirmed the revelation.

“38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. (1989). (Mk 4:38–41). ”

From unceasing thinking to unceasing praying

“Our minds are always active. We analyze, reflect, daydream, or dream. There is not a moment during the day or night when we are not thinking. You might say our thinking is “unceasing.” Sometimes we wish that we could stop thinking for a while; that would save us from many worries, guilt feelings, and fears. Our ability to think is our greatest gift, but it is also the source of our greatest pain. Do we have to become victims of our unceasing thoughts? No, we can convert our unceasing thinking into unceasing prayer by making our inner monologue into a continuing dialogue with our God, who is the source of all love. Let’s break out of our isolation and realize that Someone who dwells in the center of our beings wants to listen with love to all that occupies and preoccupies our minds.”

Henri Nouwen

Only for today

1) Only for today, I will seek to live the livelong day positively without wishing to solve the problems of my life all at once.

2) Only for today, I will take the greatest care of my appearance: I will dress modestly; I will not raise my voice; I will be courteous in my behavior; I will not criticize anyone; I will not claim to improve or to discipline anyone except myself.

3) Only for today, I will be happy in the certainty that I was created to be happy, not only in the other world but also in this one.

4) Only for today, I will adapt to circumstances, without requiring all circumstances to be adapted to my own wishes.

5) Only for today, I will devote 10 minutes of my time to some good reading, remembering that just as food is necessary to the life of the body, so good reading is necessary to the life of the soul.

6) Only for today, I will do one good deed and not tell anyone about it.

7) Only for today, I will do at least one thing I do not like doing; and if my feelings are hurt, I will make sure that no one notices.

8) Only for today, I will make a plan for myself: I may not follow it to the letter, but I will make it. And I will be on guard against two evils: hastiness and indecision.

9) Only for today, I will firmly believe, despite appearances, that the good Providence of God cares for me as no one else who exists in this world.

10) Only for today, I will have no fears. In particular, I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful and to believe in goodness. Indeed, for 12 hours I can certainly do what might cause me consternation were I to believe I had to do it all my life.

The daily decalogue of Pope John XXIII

Angels among us

The Guardian Angel by Franceschini, Marcantonio, Dulwich Picture Gallery.

This is the third time I hear a story about a possible encounter with an angel in as many weeks. In all cases someone comes by unexpectedly and seemingly out of nowhere, makes a positive impact, and then puff, he is gone. Yesterday a friend shared her story from this past week. She has gone through some tough times lately, a bit of despair, and has tougher times ahead. She was at a fast food restaurant with a friend and they were starving. They finally got to sit down to eat when a man approaches my friend. "Would you like to buy this magnet?" "No thanks." "Its only a quarter." "No thanks."

She is thinking a) I don't want to be touching money while I'm eating and b)I'm starving and don't want to stop eating. Then he puts the magnet next to her. "Then you can just have it." "You shouldn't", "that's what we are here for".

She and her friend pick it up and it reads "Faith. For those who have faith everything is possible.” They also see that there's a tiny picture of a couple and a heart supported by Jesus. This is 100% related to her sorrow and just the message she needed to hear. It was a message of hope and light in the midst of darkness. "I feel bad, I should give him the quarter. Where is he?" Gone. How did he disappear in just the time it took to read a magnet? There were only 4 people in that restaurant. They run outside to find him and look everywhere. Nothing. Gone. They are left with that feeling of knowing something special just happened. A touch of grace. Was he an Angel? Or was he simply an "angel"... a very kind person? We will never know.

Have you had an experience like this? Are angels still helping us here? Or did they retire after so much work: helping prophets, making announcements, helping Lot, singing Glory when Jesus was born, and so many other assignments?

Angels continue to be on earth helping us every day. What are angels anyway? Angels are “purely spiritual creatures who have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as the splendor of their glory bears witness.’ (CCC) They praise God, who they see in all His glory, and serve Him, most of the times as messengers. There are several places in the Old Testament with stories of angels watching over people and the concept of us having a guardian angel to offer prayers for us is ancient.

“Besides each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life.” St Basil, Adv. Eunomium III, 4th Century.

(CCC: Catechism of the Catholic Church)