Many Dwelling Places

[InLight247]

Yesterday was my first time to attend our Diocesan Eucharistic Congress. It was a magnificent experience. We arrived one hour before the Eucharistic Procession. There were already a sea of banners and flags on the street. All 93 parishes of the Diocese gathered together to celebrate the real Presence of our Lord. Thousands people followed our Bishop, priests and religious to march around the city. Rose petals were scattered along the way. Many people stood by the street to witness the procession of the Eucharist.

At the end of the march, we followed the Bishop into the city Convention Center where the Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration began. It was an awesome sight to see thousands of people knelt down together in unity and silence to love and adore our Lord. Afterwards, there were different sessions of featured speakers to listen to. Confession was available all day. The Holy Eucharist was moved to a temporary Adoration Chapel with two Knights of Columbus guarding the entrance with swords. The day culminates with the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass by our Bishop along with all the participating priests at 4:30, followed by plenary indulgence granted by our Bishop.

Throughout the day, in Adoration or in Mass, I was often moved to tears. With the strong sense of His Presence and the sight of people’s piety, joy and unity, I imagined how all the angels and saints were adoring God in heaven. This seemed to be a foretaste of heaven, or was it sort of heaven on earth?

We took the bus provided by our church to the event. Leaving at 6:30 in the morning, arriving home at 8:30 at night, it was an extra long day. Tiredness gave me some headaches, yet I was not able to fall into sleep until after midnight. I was grateful and excited.

Thousands of us focused on giving thanks and praise to the Lord. All centered on Him. This year’s theme was “Good Shepherd, Come Feed Us.” And we were all fed. That is how heaven is, isn’t it? So many of us, each takes our own spot, each looks at Jesus and Jesus looks at each of us. Oh, how great thou are, Lord! Indeed, there are many dwelling places in the Father’s house………….

 

[DBT]

“Attracted and repelled at the same time.” Yes, thank you for understanding me.
I thought about Psalm 131:1 “I do not busy myself with great matters, with things too sublime for me.” Indeed the desire of Saints for running to the next life (beyond), their longing for death in order to be with God, is too sublime for me. Though it is a joyful prospect, not a fearful longing, but “just not yet”.

I heard a very interesting reflection by a Carmelite friar this weekend that I think speaks to this. It’s going to take me a while to get to it, though

Father started off by discussing the experience and effects of contemplation on the various faculties of the soul . . . how the will is momentarily inflamed with a deep sense of love and the intellect is stilled so that it doesn’t think in terms of reasoning and analysis; but rather is bathed in a simple but profound sense of wonder, awe, mystery, grandeur and so on. Not reflection with the mind . . . but simple gazing.

But what really caught my attention was the impact on the memory. Ordinarily we think of memory like the optical reader of the hard drive of our mind that simply recalls the past to our attention or, perhaps, expresses some hope for the future. Of course it is that . . . but it’s much more.

Memory, according to Father, is what situates us in the experience of time. And one of the effects of contemplation (the source of it’s delight, in fact) is the sensation of “being swept up and taken, momentarily, out of the experience of time.”

Now lest we think of this as something freaky or esoteric, it’s not . . . there’s all sorts of natural parallels to this. For example, getting caught up in a good book or deep conversation with someone . . . then suddenly saying “My gosh where did the time go?” And so it can go with contemplative prayer . . . when we get caught up entirely in the experience of the presence of God that we lose the sense of time. Distractions of past and present momentarily fade away from our mind . . . what’s left is an intense immersion into the here and now . . . the epitome of the present moment. God present to us.

And the fruit of this particular aspect of the contemplative experience on our memory has many long term healing effects on the rest of our daily lives. From the experience of this prayer, one slowly learns to:

• let go of the things that weigh us down
• not be paralyzed by the fears of past and future
• give up the need to be in control of every aspect of our lives
• become less self-reliant and more trusting of God
• be less preoccupied with self (our cares and concerns) to be more other focused

And, perhaps most important, the contempative experience of being swept up relentlessly orients one to seek to live more and more entirely in the present moment. Not just in the prayer itself . . . but in the rest of our lives.

And this is where we get to your quote (sorry for all the rambling)

One of the principal stumbling blocks people sometimes have with contemplative prayer is the fear of letting go. And learning to let go is precisely what contemplative prayer teaches . . . first in the experience itself by being comfortable enough to accept the gift. And latter in all aspects of our life as we are slowly transformed as briefly shown above.

From here, Father stated that contemplative prayer . . . the sensation of being taken out of time . . . is kind of like a preparation for death. Death, of course, being the ultimate act of letting go, losing control and being taken out of the context of time.

And this is why I think the mystics sometimes say what they say regarding the desire for earthly death. They have so much experience with contemplative prayer that they are no longer afraid of losing control in any way shape or form. In fact, it is the source of their delight . . . for it is in the letting go that these souls find their deepest encounter with God.

Don’t know if this makes sense at all . . . but it intrigued me enough to post it.

Dave

 

[InLight247]

Originally by DBT

…………the sensation of “being swept up and taken, momentarily, out of the experience of time.”

Now lest we think of this as something freaky or esoteric, it’s not . . . there’s all sorts of natural parallels to this. For example, getting caught up in a good book or deep conversation with someone . . . then suddenly saying “My gosh where did the time go?” And so it can go with contemplative prayer . . . when we get caught up entirely in the experience of the presence of God that we lose the sense of time.

………Father stated that contemplative prayer . . . the sensation of being taken out of time . . . is kind of like a preparation for death. Death, of course, being the ultimate act of letting go, losing control and being taken out of the context of time.

And this is why I think the mystics sometimes say what they say regarding the desire for earthly death. They have so much experience with contemplative prayer that they are no longer afraid of losing control in any way shape or form. In fact, it is the source of their delight . . . for it is in the letting go that these souls find their deepest encounter with God.

How well said! Your examples of natural parallels and your explanation of Father’s statement are so to the point. I think what we are talking here is the intensity of love. The mystic saints, since their love of God is so strong, they can easily lose themselves in the Lord. The more they lose themselves, the deeper their encounter with God, and the more delight they experience. The more delight they experience in the Lord, the better they are to let go. It becomes a favorable circle that brings profound contemplation which becomes better preparation for death.

This reminds me of the conversation I had with my SD couple weeks ago. He encouraged me to live my life to the full, to live every moment for God, to love as those love in heaven. SD said unless we are comfortable with death, we cannot live our life to the full. To be comfortable with death means to have peace with God, self and others at any moment.

While SD’s conversation was not about contemplation or losing self in God, it talks about being comfortable with death. Either longing for death or being comfortable with death, it is to do with letting go. And the intensity of love for God plays the crucial part. I think.

 

[InLight247]

On the feast day of Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we read about the parallel Scriptures in Old and New Testaments in today’s Gospel:

And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

The Holy Cross is the symbol of love, sacrifice, and victory. When we are baptized, the priest makes the sign of Cross on our forehead, from then on the cross is imprinted in our soul. We make the sign of cross to bless ourselves everyday. We wear a cross around our neck, we see crucifix in the church, and we put crucifix on the wall of our homes. When trials come our way, we deal with them no matter what, we pick up the cross. And by God’s grace and the power of the Holy Cross, we overcome. Cross becomes part of our lives with or without our realization. Truly there is a profound meaning of exaltation of the Holy Cross, isn’t it?

 

[InLight247]

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus was invited to dine in a Pharisee’s house. A sinful woman brought an alabaster flask of ointment; she stood behind Jesus at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. In a society back then, it took extra courage for a woman, especially an ill-famed woman to walk into a house full of men without invitation. Obviously the strong intention of repentance urged her to Jesus’ feet. She did not utter a word, simply used her body language, her tears, and her unreserved transparent heart to express her sincere sorrow. That was a moving scene of confession.

Simon was a pious Pharisee who always observed the law.  He did not say a word either.  He watched the sinful woman with a cold eye and silently made his judgmentt.  The woman was looked down upon.  Simon quietly doubted Jesus’ prophetic nature also.  Knowing both sinners’ hearts, Jesus used a parable of two debtors to a certain creditor to teach Simon a lesson: “So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little."

Often times, we remain silent too. We avoid offending people with our words but hold disapproval or resentment in our hearts. We could easily be self-righteous and judgmental just like Simon. And it is a common scene nowadays that there is a long line of Holy Communion yet no traffic in front of the Confessional.

The woman and Simon are both sinners, yet their attitude toward repentance is far apart. In this Gospel reading, which one do I identify with?

 

[InLight247]

Talking about being in the presence of the Lord, ah, how wonderful Eucharistic Adoration is!

Lately, I started to be prostrate in front of the Monstrance. I usually rest my face on my folded arms. But today I was inspired to stretch out my arms and made my body the shape of a cross. With palms adhering to the cold ground, I kept my arms and legs motionless, imagining they were nailed. In my humble adoration, I gave my cross-shaped body along with my life to the Lord on the altar. It was such a different and awesome experience, being physically at the foot of Jesus…

 

[InLight247]

The commentary of “The Living Flame of Love” Stanza 2, St. John of the Cross

It ought to be pointed out why so few reach this high state of perfect union with God. It should be known that the reason is not that God wishes only a few of these spirits to be so elevated; he would rather want all to be perfect, but he finds few vessels that will endure so lofty and sublime work. Since he tries them in little things and finds them so weak that they immediately flee from work, unwilling to be subject to the least discomfort and mortification, it follows that not finding them strong and faithful in that little, in which he favored them by beginning to hew and polish them, he realizes that they will be much less strong in these greater trials. As a result he proceeds no further in purifying them ………

I linked the above quotes with the subject of “embrace the cross” which I have been pondering on for days. A discussion with my SD today helped my question answered.

When St. John was talking about some souls are so weak that they immediately flee from work, unwilling to be subject to the least discomfort and mortification, I was wondering how that could be. In my thinking, whenever trials and sufferings come, no one can flee but take it and walk through it. When you are in suffering, you suffer. How can you refuse or flee? As for embracing the cross, I was wondering how could anyone, by human nature, love to suffer, love to have cross?

SD explained that attitude and mentality made the difference. If the person is in denial, in complaining, or in resentment, it is to flee, to reject. If the person willingly accepts the trial with peace, and unites his suffering with our Lord’s suffering on the Cross, that’s different. To embrace the cross does not mean to like the cross.

 

[InLight247]

Today’s first reading Proverb 30:5-9
Every word of God is tested;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Add nothing to his words,
lest he reprove you, and you will be exposed as a deceiver.
Two things I ask of you,
deny them not to me before I die:
Put falsehood and lying far from me,
give me neither poverty nor riches;
provide me only with the food I need;
Lest, being full, I deny you,
saying, “Who is the LORD?”
Or, being in want, I steal,
and profane the name of my God.

In today’s daily Mass, our priest elaborated on the first reading about prayer:

1. asking God to help us not have any falsehood
2. asking God to give us what we need

Once in a while I wonder if the percentage of my petition prayers is too high, even the hours spent were on behalf of others. I thought about how I would feel if my children spent lot of time with me by asking “do this for my friend A, do that for my friend B, do this for me, do that for so and so…… ”.

Father said in his homily, “If we put God and his will first in our prayers, we don’t have to wonder or worry if our prayers sometimes get selfish. “ This gave me a comforting perspective - as long as we put God first in our prayers ………… Either having too much or having too little is not good. Too many riches may make one proud and forget God, being in want may make one steal and sin. Our Heavenly Father knows our needs and wants to fulfill them. He likes us to ask, and yes, it is always “thy will be done”.

“Put falsehood and lying far from me.” I feel very comforted and encouraged.

 

[InLight247]

09/23/10 Reading 1 Eccl 3:1-11
There is an appointed time for everything,
and a time for every thing under the heavens.
A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to tear down, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them;
a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away.
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.
What advantage has the worker from his toil?
I have considered the task that God has appointed
for the sons of men to be busied about.
He has made everything appropriate to its time,
and has put the timeless into their hearts,
without man’s ever discovering,
from beginning to end, the work which God has done.

Our Pastor gave a good homily this morning about time.
He said we could see what a person truly likes by observing how he spends his time. If a person claims to love baseball, ask him when was the last time he watched a baseball game? If the answer was due to busyness, he has not watched baseball game for years, you might question if that’s his true interest.

So if we say we love the Lord, we can evaluate how much we pray and spend time with the Lord daily. How often we think of the Lord? Do we spend more time in prayer and recollection then watching TV and surfing on the internet?

---

This thread starts from John14:2, “In my Father’s house, there are many dwelling places.” The tentative intention of this thread was to strive entering the “inner chamber” though there are many dwelling places in the Father’s house. (Draw me! We will follow you eagerly! Bring me, O King, to your chambers (Song of Songs 1:4))".

The reflections posted so far are actually different dwelling places of thoughts. Hopefully they are meaningful thoughts. If there is any spiritual reflection you care to share, please join.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

I heard a very interesting reflection by a Carmelite friar this weekend that I think speaks to this. It’s going to take me a while to get to it, though

Father started off by discussing the experience and effects of contemplation on the various faculties of the soul . . . how the will is momentarily inflamed with a deep sense of love and the intellect is stilled so that it doesn’t think in terms of reasoning and analysis; but rather is bathed in a simple but profound sense of wonder, awe, mystery, grandeur and so on. Not reflection with the mind . . . but simple gazing.

But what really caught my attention was the impact on the memory. Ordinarily we think of memory like the optical reader of the hard drive of our mind that simply recalls the past to our attention or, perhaps, expresses some hope for the future. Of course it is that . . . but it’s much more.

Memory, according to Father, is what situates us in the experience of time. And one of the effects of contemplation (the source of it’s delight, in fact) is the sensation of “being swept up and taken, momentarily, out of the experience of time.”

Now lest we think of this as something freaky or esoteric, it’s not . . . there’s all sorts of natural parallels to this. For example, getting caught up in a good book or deep conversation with someone . . . then suddenly saying “My gosh where did the time go?” And so it can go with contemplative prayer . . . when we get caught up entirely in the experience of the presence of God that we lose the sense of time. Distractions of past and present momentarily fade away from our mind . . . what’s left is an intense immersion into the here and now . . . the epitome of the present moment. God present to us.

And the fruit of this particular aspect of the contemplative experience on our memory has many long term healing effects on the rest of our daily lives. From the experience of this prayer, one slowly learns to:

• let go of the things that weigh us down
• not be paralyzed by the fears of past and future
• give up the need to be in control of every aspect of our lives
• become less self-reliant and more trusting of God
• be less preoccupied with self (our cares and concerns) to be more other focused

And, perhaps most important, the contempative experience of being swept up relentlessly orients one to seek to live more and more entirely in the present moment. Not just in the prayer itself . . . but in the rest of our lives.

And this is where we get to your quote (sorry for all the rambling)

One of the principal stumbling blocks people sometimes have with contemplative prayer is the fear of letting go. And learning to let go is precisely what contemplative prayer teaches . . . first in the experience itself by being comfortable enough to accept the gift. And latter in all aspects of our life as we are slowly transformed as briefly shown above.

From here, Father stated that contemplative prayer . . . the sensation of being taken out of time . . . is kind of like a preparation for death. Death, of course, being the ultimate act of letting go, losing control and being taken out of the context of time.

And this is why I think the mystics sometimes say what they say regarding the desire for earthly death. They have so much experience with contemplative prayer that they are no longer afraid of losing control in any way shape or form. In fact, it is the source of their delight . . . for it is in the letting go that these souls find their deepest encounter with God.

Don’t know if this makes sense at all . . . but it intrigued me enough to post it.

Dave

Dave great post!

Time is only relevant to us, not God. God is in the present moment, so that when we are in contemplation, we are with God who is in the now, not the past or the future. St Augustine wrote a great teaching on time in his Confessions.

I also learned over the years that the ego can only live in the past or the future. It is weakened by living in the now. When we live in the past, we feed the ego with all the pains, pride and emotions we’ve lived through. When we live in the future, we feed the ego to expect granduer of ourselves. In the moment, we are who we are, and who we are is who God had in mind when he created us.

Jim

 

[InLight247]

Jim, thank you for sharing your thoughts!

Here is my Saturday morning reflection:

I had a Saturday morning full of physical pain yet spiritually illuminated. When I was getting ready to go to church to pray, all of a sudden my stomach hurt intensely. The pain was so severe and intolerable that I had to immediately lie down.

I looked at Jesus and thought about the conversation I had with my SD a while ago, about offering up our pain vs. uniting our pain with the Lord’s Passion. I didn’t think deeper at the time. But in my unexpected severe pain this morning, it dawned on me that offering up is giving my pain to Jesus while uniting my pain involves participating in his pain on the Cross. When two unite together, for example, adding water into the concentrated juice, they mix and become part of each other.

Jesus has suffered all the pains imaginable, he surely has suffered the pain I was experiencing at that moment; therefore, by uniting my suffering with his, it could mean I was suffering a tiny speck (like one out of trillion) of what he has already suffered. I thought about as a mother, I would not hesitate a second to suffer for my child. If I could take their suffering, I would be glad to. So out of my love for the Lord, if I may suffer a tiny bit for Jesus in the sense I figured above, I would willingly do so.

After praying about these, my pain all of a sudden disappeared. Then I went to church to pray.

 

[InLight247]

This past Sunday’s Gospel reading was about the rich man and the bagger Lazarus. Who is the Lazarus we pass by in our lives?

I think the bottom line is to pay attention to others’ needs.

Lazarus is not only limited to the poor in material. Spiritual or emotional poverty also needs attention and assistance.

1 Peter 4:8-9 says well: “Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining.” So is Romans 12:13: “Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality. “

Be attentive to Lazarus can be as simple as initiating a conversation with some one who misfits; or helping a visiting priest feel welcomed in an unfamiliar parish. If we consciously pay attention to others’ needs, we may recognize the Lazarus we did not realize before. May we all receive the grace of love that covers a multitude of sins and not pass by the Lazarus in our daily lives.

 

[InLight247]

This Sunday’s readings are all to do with faith.
In Hab 1:2-1, 2:2-4, the prophet cries to the Lord that He is not listening. Then the Lord said to press on to fulfillment. If God’s answer is delayed, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late.

In 2 Tim 1:6-8, 13-14, it says God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather of power, and love, and self-control. God did not give us cowardice of faith, He gave us power of faith.

In Gospel reading, Luke 17:5-10, when the apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith, the Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. In other words, Jesus was telling the disciples they did not need more faith, they just needed to work on the faith they’ve already have.

Our faith could be frail. I could easily get frustrated over a problem that has not gone away yet after prayers. But I must remember to work on my mustard seed faith. A mustard seed is as little as a period at the end of a sentence. Yet when it was buried in the ground, it can grow into a big tree. So is a baby who starts with a tiny seed and grows into a human being. These are some concrete proofs - something develops from being insignificant to be magnificent.

Oh, let me dwell on these examples and bombard heaven with my mustard seed faith to tackle down any problem I want to overcome. Amen.

 

[InLight247]

All the priests in our Diocese went away for a week long retreat. So for the first time I attended the daily Mass with the Franciscan friars. This church runs a school. All the kids were at Mass this morning. Since today is the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, three friars said the Mass together. They, along with a nun, and all the third order religious renewed their vows in the beginning of the Mass.

The interesting part is Father’s homily. He first called out a family from the students – four children at different ages and grades. The two boys and two girls stood on the front. Then Father asked what we could see from that family.

“Their faces all look alike.” The students answered. “How come?” Father asked. “Because they have the same parents.” Then Father asked the other two friars to come forward and stand with him. He asked if the three of them looked alike. “No!” The answer came without any hesitation.

“But they are my brothers. Do you know why?” All the hands popped up.
Father said, “Because we have the same Heavenly Father.”

It was a good way to teach the students the concept of God’s family. This made an impression on me. Hopefully Father’s message was also well absorbed by the students. So we may always love each other as brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Happy Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi

 

[InLight247]

I visited the dentist’s office this afternoon. When the drill was in my numbed mouth, I prayed to God to help me through. I intended to unite my pain with his - to give my pain to Jesus, and take part of his. That was what “unite” means, mingling together, isn’t it? But all the time I only felt my pain, none of his. My Lord loves me so much, he didn’t let me physically experience his pain. He knows I am not that material to taste it.

Then I realized as weak as I was, he just wanted my heart. I offered my pain to unite with his in my spirit. With that intention, I sustained the torture of two hours. Thank God.

 

[John_Russell_Jr]

“In my Father’s house, there are many dwelling places.” This has often been used in funeral Mass to comfort the mourning family that they may reunite with their loved ones in heaven. Knowing there are many dwelling places in the Father’s house is indeed a comforting thought.

St. John of the Cross also mentioned this verse in his book The Living Flame of Love. He said love is the strength leads a soul to God. Love helps a soul have union with God. The more a soul loves, the deeper she enters into God. There are many centers in God; one is deeper than the other. Just like Jesus said, “In my Father’s house, there are many dwelling places”; souls enter into different centers depending on the degree of their love.

I like to think the analogy of concentric circles. God is in the center of the circles. Layers of the circle represent many dwelling places in the Father’s house. The bigger area of outer layers provides more dwelling places; they are farther from the center. Whereas the area of inner layers are smaller, but closer to the center.

When St. Therese of Lisieux was four, her eldest sister Pauline also explained the vision of heaven for her. Pauline used two different glasses both filled with water to ask Therese which one was fuller? She explained that though the glasses are in different sizes, when filled with water, they both were full. It’s the same in heaven. Though every soul has different capacity to contain God’s glory, they will all be full per their capacities.

All glasses are full in heaven. Every layer of concentric circles is connected to the center. But those who love much will contain more of God’s glory and be closer to the center. All the twelve disciples sat at the same table and had the last supper with Jesus. Only John reclined on Jesus’ chest, and had the most intimacy.

There are many dwelling places in the Father’s house. Every dwelling place is good. However, it is always attractive to reside with the Beloved in His inner chamber!

… that’s very nice dear friend …

… if i may , 2 things come to mind , first - the innermost part of the circle where the greatest happiness is can never be reached by any bar god as it is the most infinitesimally small part and this part just keeps getting smaller forever - so there are no limits to which innermost part of the circle you can reach …

… secondly , in heaven the only thing you will want to do is love god back , god = infinite love , and we experience this in heaven but it is to the degree we can love god back that we are happier , our happiness in heaven is contingent on our ability to love god back , we are always perfectly happy loving god to the full but if we are wise we will work hard to increase our capacity to love by loving god , everyone and everything - so we can love god back more in heaven and have a greater happiness , and with whatever capacity we attain to love - in heaven we shall eternally find new things to apply our capacity to love thus increasing our happiness forever -we may love one thing to start and then two things and our cpacity to love is the same but our happiness has doubled , and then we find 3 things and on and on it goes ad infinitum …

… hope this is usefiul dear friend …

… god bless you …

… john …

 

[InLight247]

… that’s very nice dear friend …

our happiness in heaven is contingent on our ability to love god back , we are always perfectly happy loving god to the full but if we are wise we will work hard to increase our capacity to love by loving god , everyone and everything - so we can love god back more in heaven and have a greater happiness ,
… john …

Thank you for your response, John. Yes, we need to work on our capacity of love here on earth so when we step to the other side, our capacity will be larger to reflect more glory of God. We must practice to love like those who love in heaven, so we may fit heaven.

By the way, would you use G instead of g for God?

God bless!

 

[John_Russell_Jr]

Thank you for your response, John. Yes, we need to work on our capacity of love here on earth so when we step to the other side, our capacity will be larger to reflect more glory of God. We must practice to love like those who love in heaven, so we may fit heaven.

By the way, would you use G instead of g for God?

God bless!

… my dear friend …

… welcome , but with the g instead of G its just that i like to type with one finger , i like to experiment with writing too , i would a lot more but know people think me cookie enough , i write the way i do to try and be a little creative and feel capitals are too authoritative and full stops are so abrupt and the traditional style we write in english is so commanding , my style is not like this and is very easy on the eyes and mind - that is why , but i assure you god is not offended at all , it is just my way , hope you understand …

… god bless you …

… john …

 

[InLight247]

Gal 3:9-10
Consequently, those who have faith are blessed
along with Abraham who had faith.
For all who depend on works of the law are under a curse;

Today’s first reading is a good reminder. While Paul reminded the Galatians not to force the Gentiles to follow the Jewish law, I am reminded not to allow myself pray the daily devotions as going through motions. How easy it is to fulfill the self-imposed daily prayer routine with the spirit of law. Fortunately with conscientious alert in mind, such pitfall may be avoided.

*When I pray the Rosaries and other devotions daily, Lord, help me to remember you are with me all the time. There is no need to expedite my formal prayers so I may soon engage in the prayers of simplicity. Regardless of my desire of being lovingly in silence with you, formal prayers and devotions are necessary. Remind me, Lord, to always turn my devotions into affective prayers. Do not allow me to fall into the spirit of law but the spirit of love.

Thank you, Jesus.*

 

[GaryTaylor]

I like to think the analogy of concentric circles.]

You know what this made me think of…The Celestial Court, with God in the middle and then Mary then Archangels, etc. I had seen a photo of a painting done like this.

Interesting