March 27

Hope. I love the concept of hope. Hope is confidence that the future will be good. God gives us hope, but we don't always see it. Sometimes we are like the Israelites, doubting that God is leading us in the right direction. Where is our hope in God? God knows what He is doing, and we need to trust in His plans. Although you think God isn't around, you need to pray to Him and trust Him because he will give you great rewards in the end. We are all thirsting for something in this world. Many people think it is money and worldly things, but really we just need God. God will quench our thirst with pure, fresh water. All this world can give us is saltwater. So fill your bodies with pure water from God :)

Massah and Mer'ibah (March 27)

Paraphrasing the Israelite's plea: "Why did you make us leave?" would probably capture what many of us are thinking and feeling when we step off the "mountain" [see last Sunday's reflection about the Transfiguration].  When we are so close to God in the Mass, in Adoration, or some other quite place where we meet Him, it is easier to hear Him and want to follow His Will--even if it sounds hard. There in His presence, it sounds do-able and in that intimacy, we can feel Him empowering and strengthening us. It is when we leave the mountain that we find ourselves in our own little place(s) of Massah and Mer'ibah. We cry out "why did you make us leave?" We can't hear God speaking to us clearly and, like the Israelites, we wonder "is the Lord among us or not?" We want to do His will but how can we if we cannot go to the mountain to hear or see Him?

Not all of us can go to our "mountain" daily. The Mass, Adoration, and those long, quite spells with God may not be able to fit daily into our naturally busy lives of family, school, work--all essential parts of our lives--but God knows this, and like the Israelites, He is with us. We may not be able to go to the mountain like we want to, but we can still go to the smaller version of the mountain: the rock. Maybe your "rock" is quick prayers throughout the day, maybe it is a few minutes of quiet prayer before your day begins. Just remember, God gave us a "mountain" like He gave Peter, James, and John, but don't forget, to the Israelites, He gave a rock, and from it flowed life-giving water...and for that day, it was enough. 

Transfigured (March 20th)

From all of His followers, Jesus took only Peter, James, and John to a high mountain. There on this serene, beautiful mountain, Peter, James, and John could be with Christ; listen to Him, SEE Him without the distractions of the world. They knew they were favored and loved because from everyone, Jesus chose them. In other words, they were about as intimate with Jesus in that moment as anyone could be. It is here, in this place and time, that Peter says: "Lord, it is good we are here."

Struggling to follow God's plans and Will in my life, I often find myself retreating to my own "mountain" to be intimately with God for as long as time permits: at Mass, in Adoration Chapel, or in a solid block of quiet time with Him. I want to stay there in that intimacy with Christ and I wonder, "If I truly loved Him, how could I choose to leave Him and go out into the world? How could I choose to live a life as anyone but a contemplative nun who can spend everyday on the "mountain" in that intimacy with Christ?" I often wrestled with this wondering if I didn't love Christ enough to choose a life where I could stay on the "mountain" with Him. But I realize now, though "it is good we are here" with Jesus, Christ doesn't say to Peter, James, and John, "Let us build a camp here so you three can live here and enjoy Me for the rest of your lives." No, Jesus takes them down off the mountain and we see Him and them going out to the world to touch and heal it; to live and give life to it.

So where is God calling you? Is He calling you to live on the mountain; to pour your life and love into all who seek refuge there, or is He calling you to flow from the mountain like a spring, a conduit of His living water? Is He calling you to be His hands and feet to this broken world by leaving the mountain like the first 3 visitors? Only you and God can know for sure, so take some time, go the mountain: wherever you can hear God best, and ask...and you shall receive!

March 20: What I learned from the homily

Today's homily was about listening, so of course I did my best to listen intently! One thing many people, including me, struggle with is listening to God speak. Just spending quiet time with God can be so hard these days. You have to turn off your ipod and the tv and clear your mind. You can spend your prayer time chatting to God the whole time, but no one likes a one-sided conversation. You need to give God the chance to talk too. One of my favorite Bible verses is Psalm 46:11: "Be still and know that I am God." God is asking us to take time to be still......calm, quiet, relaxed......and reflect on Him and all He is. In doing this, God will speak softly to your heart, so open your ears to listen. God does have a lot to say. You just need to give Him the chance to speak.
Listening to others is another thing we need to be mindful of. How many times have you talked to a friend on the phone and searched the web at the same time. You can't really listen to all that your friend is saying if your are checking your facebook or email at the same time! We need to give others our full attention, proving to them that they are important. Giving others your full attention means a lot to them.......there is nothing better than knowing that someone truly cares.
So, go out today and listen..... :)

Feb 27, Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The familiar lyrics to one of my favorite church songs jumped out to me: "Do not be afraid...I will call your name...I love you and you are Mine." Later, in some quiet time with God, I tried to understand what God wanted me to hear through these words I have already heard so often:

Do not be afraid—I know your needs, and I will provide for them and you like the sparrows if you trust Me. If you do not trust Me, how can you trust that what I provide is good “food” indeed? How can you live in this way without worry if you do not know what I present to you is not poison?

I have called you by name—I know your name, your desires, your trials, and your heart. I am calling you. I am not speaking to the multitudes; what I am calling you to, what I am saying to you, is for you, Emily, to make you happy, to challenge you, to teach you about Me. I want to lead you to life ever after with Me. I am calling you to do something that, if you trust me through as I hope you will, will lead you to heaven with Me.

I love you—I have carved you in the palm of my hand. Even if a mother forgets her child I. Will. Not. Forget. You. You are unforgettable, Emily. You are exactly as I knew you would be. I made this way. I am love. I only make lovely, lovable things. You are lovely. You are lovable and I love you.

You are Mine—You cannot run from me. You cannot hide. I will find you, but you can hurt me. You can reject me, deny me, refuse to try to love me. But you are mine. Just like you cannot NOT be Caucasian, you cannot NOT be Mine. I made you for Myself. I have loved you before and after I made you. I gave you everything that makes you. I chose your eyes, hair, skin, smile. I made you from my own material which I made with love. You are mine in every way. The only things I cannot make or claim, unless you give your consent, are: your love for Me, your trust in Me, your faith in Me, and where you desire to send your soul at the end of time.

March 6: Reflecting on the Gospel

Matthew 7:21

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

Imagine God has a facebook page, and He sends friend invites to everyone on facebook. You decide to accept His friend request because you heard he is a pretty cool guy and has a nice house. Over time, you send Him a sheep on farmville, you post "Happy Birthday" on His wall on Christmas day, and you "like" all of His statuses. Then one day your house burns down, leaving you without a home. Knowing that God has a nice house, you ask God if you can live with Him. Do you think God is going to let you live with Him just because facebook says you are friends? You don't ever talk to each other or even know much about each other! You don't have a personal relationship.

I once read in a book that the goal of our lives should be God and not His blessings. People may go to church or pray the rosary because they think they are getting bonus points with God, but their intentions should really be to build their friendship with God. What I mean is you shouldn't spend time with friends just so you can use them to borrow their stuff. You should spend time with them because you want to build a good friendship.

God's main concern is that we will become best friends with Him :)