St. Monica Parish

St. Monica Parish
Why I Pray! Jesus is present in the Tabernacle. He promised to never leave us and his promise is true.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Joy

What is Joy? Joy is a pure, infinite sense of peace and love. It is extremely difficult for most human beings to find. But it does exist. Our great and loving Father in Heaven offers it freely to all of us. So why aren't we all drowning in Joy? Because we keep blocking it from entering our bodies and souls. And we do that by our own stubborn, selfish, addictive desires and wants. We are convinced that we are the ones in charge and know the answers to all of life's problems. And then we wonder why God allows bad things to happen. Or we wonder why God doesn't answer our prayers. Or we wonder why God just doesn't listen to us for surely we know best about our lives! After all we're living them!

But the truth lies in giving up our desires, our wants, our knowledge, our thoughts (most especially those that are dark and hopeless), our addictions, our selfishness; give up all people, places, and things. Empty ourselves and replace it all with humility and obedience. Humility will teach us how to serve and how to listen to someone other than ourselves. Obedience will teach us how to serve others, especially the lost and the lonely for there are many lost and lonely and then the way we think will change. Always remember that God's ways are not our ways. We must never listen to the crowd out there, but rather listen to the silence that exists in your heart for that is where God lives.

Once we have finally been released from all that enslaves us, we are now ready for Joy to enter in. Once we experience this pure, infinite joy that our loving Father greatly desires to gives us, freely, our lives will never be the same.

Blessings!

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Pentecost Sunday-50 days of Easter are over!

First reading in the Liturgy of the Hours is taken from the letter of the apostle Paul to the Romans.
"Those who live according to the flesh are intent on the things of the flesh, those who live according to the spirit, on those of the spirit. The tendency of the flesh is toward death but that of the spirit toward life and peace. The flesh in its tendency is at enmity with God; it is not subject to God's law. Indeed, it cannot be; those who are in the flesh cannot please God".

Jesus said,. "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."  Luke 16: 13

We all need to look at what is our first love. If it is God then it is eternal. If it is anything else, then it is temporal. It will end. Having faith in God is having faith in the unseen for if you can see it, there is no faith. Having hope is hope in the unseen for if you can see it, there is no reason to hope. Having love is eternal for God is love. We must rid ourselves of all attachments in order to make room for the infinite and all he desires to give us. Today is a great day to do this as the Holy Spirit comes upon us to renew and restore, to heal and forgive, to open us to possibilities beyond our imaginings! 

Blessings!