FEELING the drag of my flesh after Communion, I had the image of being on the edge of a very dense and ancient forest….

Barely able to move through the dark thicket, I was entangled in branches and vines. Yet, the occasional ray of Sonlight pierced through the foliage, momentarily bathing my face in its warmth. Instantly, my soul was strengthened, and the desire for freedom was overwhelming.

How I long to reach the open plains, the rugged wild where the heart runs free and skies are limitless!

…then I heard a whisper, seemingly carried on a shaft of Light:

OFTEN we enter Lent with a sense of trepidation–a fear of the sacrifice of dying to self.

I suppose it is how the grain feels as it is buried beneath the furrow, or the caterpillar as it is entombed by the cocoon, or the trout as it is encased beneath the winter ice.

But how tragic if the seed were to lay on top of the furrow, only to be blown away by the wind! Or the caterpillar to refuse the cocoon and never rise with wings! Or the fish to escape icy waters and suffocate in the snow!

O Soul, embrace this Cross before you. There is Resurrection beyond the tomb!

ALL day, I sensed the Lord wooing me to prayer. But for one reason or another my regular prayer time was bumped until after midnight. “Should I pray or go to bed? …it will be an early morning.” I decided to pray.

My soul was flooded with such joy, such peace. What my heart would have missed had I given way to my pillow!

Jesus is waiting for us, yearning to fill us with indescribable love and blessings. As we carve out time for supper, we must carve out time to pray.

Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. –John 15:5

JESUS said "the truth will set you free."

The first truth which sets us free is the recognition not only of our sin, but of our helplessness. To admit one’s poverty, one’s emptiness, is to create a place in the heart which can then be filled with God’s riches and fullness.

It is actually liberating to admit one is a slave; healing to admit that one is wounded.

We must realise the necessity of accepting our weaknesses and God’s strength, and of showing them to the world. —Catherine Doherty, Staff Letter

FROM today’s talk at the Okotoks Teacher’s Faith Days:

“As I have traveled throughout Canada, it has become clear: what makes a school “Catholic” is not the name bolted to the side of the school; neither is it the religious policy statement of the school district; nor is it the spiritual programs initiated by the school board or principal. What makes schools truly Catholic––truly Christian––is the spirit of Jesus living in the staff and students.”

WHERE is the cure to cancer??

“I provided it,” said the Lord. “But the person to find it was aborted.”

TO ENTER into the cenacle of the world–the shopping mall–is to my heart, what cement boots are to a jogger.

Sometimes, one is so poor, weakness is all there is to offer: “O Jesus, this is what I am, nothing but weakness and poverty. This is all I have to give you that’s truly mine. But even this I give you.”

WHY can’t we give ourselves completely to God? Why don’t we make holiness our one pursuit? Why do we cling to this or that thing, knowing we would be happier if we let it go?

We must answer this. And when we do, we should place the truth before Him, and let it begin to set us free.

FAR from “stealing Christ’s thunder”

Mary is the lightning

which illuminates The Way.

IF only we understood what is lost when we let ourselves become forked by the two pronged skewer of pride.

The one prong is defensive: “I am not wrong, or as bad as you say.” The second prong is despair: “I am useless, a worthless failure.” In both cases (often the second prong follows the first), the person expends great energy hiding a basic human truth: the need for God.

Humility is the crown of the Christian. The adversary does everything in his power to prevent us from coming before God with our genuine sinfulness, failure, and character flaws. Such honesty is rewarded by God, and paradoxically, becomes a vessel of strength.

As long as the devil keeps you on his fork, strength is kept at bay, and your crown is left in the treasury of God.

AT a time when the “religious” in the world are strapping bombs on their bodies and blowing themselves up; when missiles are being launched in the name of biblical land rights; when scriptural quotes are taken out of context to support self-interested rights–Pope Benedict’s encyclical on love stands as an extraordinarily bright beacon in the darkened harbor of the earth.

This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
(John 13:35)

CHRISTIANITY is not an ideology; it is a face.

And the face is Love.

I WAS passing by the TV as my children were watching “Return of the King”—Part III of The Lord of the Rings—when suddenly the words of Gandolf leapt straight from the screen into my heart:

Things are in motion which cannot be undone.

I stopped in my tracks to listen, my spirit burning within me:

…It’s the deep breath before the plunge……This will be the end of Gondar as we know it……We come to it at last, the great battle of our time…

Then a hobbit climbed the watchtower to light the warning fire—the signal to alert the peoples of middle earth to prepare for battle.

God has also sent us “hobbits”—small children to whom his Mother has appeared and charged them to set the fires of truth ablaze, that light may shine in the darkness… Lourdes, Fatima, and more recently, Medjugorje come to mind (the latter awaiting official Church approval).

But one “hobbit” was a child in spirit only, and his life and words have cast a great light across the entire earth, even into the dark shadows:

We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has gone through. I do not think that wide circles of the American society or wide circles of the Christian community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, of the Gospel and the anti-Gospel. This confrontation lies within the plans of divine providence. It is a trial which the whole Church . . . must take up.  —Cardinal Karol Wotyla who became Pope John Paul II two years later; reprinted November 9, 1978, issue of The Wall Street Journal

‘WE must learn to see every imperfection as just more fuel for offering.’ (Excerpt from a letter from Michael D. Obrien)

FROM a song I never finished…

A remarkable reality: the Eucharist is the physical form of pure Love.

WHAT the world needs today is not more programs, but saints.

I feel as though each hour counts now. That I am called to a radical conversion. It is a mysterious thing, and yet incredibly joyful. Christ is preparing us for something… something extraordinary.

Yes, repentance is more than penitence. It is not remorse. It is not just admitting our mistakes. It is not self-condemnation: "What a fool I've been!" Who of us has not recited such a dismal litany? No, repentance is a moral and spiritual revolution. To repent is one of the hardest things in the world, yet it is basic to all spiritual progress. It demands the breaking down of pride, self-assurance, and the innermost citadel of self-will.(Catherine de Hueck Doherty, Kiss of Christ)

THE words of St. Elizabeth Anne Seton continue to ring in my head:

Be above the vain fears of nature and efforts of your enemy. You are children of eternity. Your immortal crown awaits you, and the best of Fathers waits there to reward your duty and love. You may indeed sow here in tears, but you may be sure there to reap in joy. (From a conference to her spiritual daughters)

CONSUMATION…

Our lives are like a shooting star. The question–the spiritual question–is in what orbit this star will enter.

If we are consumed with the things of this earth: money, security, power, possessions, food, sex, pornography… then we are like that meteor which burns up in earth’s atmosphere. If we are consumed with God, then we are like a meteor aimed toward the sun.

And here is the difference.

The first meteor, consumed by the temptations of the world, eventually disintegrates into nothing. The second meteor, as it becomes consumed with Jesus the Son, does not disintegrate. Rather, it bursts into flame, dissolving into and becoming one with the Son.

The former dies, becoming cold, dark, and lifeless. The latter lives, becoming warmth, light, and fire. The former seems dazzling before the eyes of the world (for a moment)… until it becomes dust, disappearing into the darkness. The latter is hidden and unnoticed, until it reaches the consuming rays of the Son, caught up forever in His blazing light and love.

And so, there is really only one question in life that matters: What is consuming me?

What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? (Matt 16:26)

TONIGHT, again, I sense an urgency to uproot whatever distractions and vices I still cling to. There are abundant graces there to do it… graces, I believe, for anyone who honestly asks.

There is no time to waste. We must begin now to prepare for what is to come “like a thief in the night”. And what is to come?

Let him who has eyes, see; who has ears, listen.

THE Lord sees the desires of our heart. He sees our desire to be good.

And so, in spite of our failures, and even sin, He runs to embrace us… just as the Father ran to embrace the prodigal son, who was covered in the shame of his rebellion.

Hence, Gabriel announced to Mary, "Be not afraid!"; the glorious throng announced to the shepherds, "Be not afraid!"; the two angels encouraged the women at the tomb, "Be not afraid!"; and to his disciples after His resurrection, Jesus repeated, "Be not afraid."

JOY.

The greatest of presents this morning is His Presence.