The human heart has long been a symbol of love. At one time, it was viewed as the source of all human activity—intellectual and emotional. It has also metaphorically symbolized the center of things, such as the heart of a relationship or the heart of a city. It could also represent the character of a person, such as describing someone as having a good heart.
Continue reading “Week Twenty-Five. Sacred Love. Take Heart.”Through intentional breathing, I can subtly affect both my heart rhythm and my interior life. Such gentle guidance constitutes a form of asceticism whereby I can calm the disorders of my heart and create the opportunity to receive God’s love. Another way to put it is that meditation and prayer must be integrated into the constant call of Jesus Christ to experience healing and transformation in a way that frees me to love God and neighbor. If I practice some esoteric spirituality while continuing to commit mortal sins, I’m living in an illusion and not following the will of God.
Continue reading “Week Twenty-Five. Sacred Love. Noticing.”Do you have all the crazy voices in your head vying for attention? Certainly, I’m not the only one who has a hard time discerning what is the sacred loving voice whispering words of love.
Continue reading “Week Twenty-Five. Sacred Love. Voice Within.”What will you wear today? For many years I was focused on presenting the image I wanted people to see. Keeping up with the latest fashions, driving a luxury car or spending my time and energy on having a Martha Stewart home filled a lot of my time. These things helped me feel affluent and successful, convincing myself I had “arrived” and could check off another box and life goal. But Sacred Love knocked on the door of my heart, drawing me toward wisdom to learn that there is more.
Continue reading “Week Twenty-Five. Sacred Love. Fashionable Wisdom.”Today in the church we honor the sacred body of Jesus Christ. Corpus Domini, which literally translates to “body and blood of Christ” is also called the Feast of Corpus Christi. For many years, I did not realize the gift we have in the Eucharist. In seeking to understand love, God drew me into “communion” with His sacred love through this life-giving miracle. When I taste and see the goodness of the Lord, the power of this message flows throughout my veins. When I feast at the table of sacred love, the flames of the spirit dwelling within me grow.
Continue reading “Week Twenty-Five. Sacred Love. It’s Part of Me.”
Looking for God’s Goodness in contemplation and prayer. Our society shows all the signs of classic addiction, and it is helpful to think about this as a metaphor for what the biblical tradition called “sin.” In Breathing Under Water, Richard Rohr draws the connection between the Gospel and the Twelve Step Program. It is helpful to see sin, like addiction, as a disease, a very destructive disease, instead of merely something that was culpable, punishable, or “that makes God unhappy.” If sin indeed made God unhappy, it was because God desires nothing more than our happiness and wills the healing of our disease. The healing ministry of Jesus should have made that crystal clear; healing was about all that He did, with much of His teaching illustrating the healings—and vice versa. It is rather amazing that this did not remain at the top of all church agendas.
Continue reading “Week Eighteen. Fortitude to Love. Looking for God’s Goodness and Weekly Reflection Summary.”
God’s Mercy Endures Forever, let us be His Light. As we have journeyed through Lent and an intensified Holy Week, I hope your heart is rejoicing and full of light in the fact that God’s mercy endures forever. He is risen! Alleluia! I hope your faith has been strengthened and your heart has been lovingly pruned and purified so it is bursting with love. Christ suffered greatly to grant us access to eternal life. The time is now for us to mature spiritually and Be His Light in the world.
Continue reading “Week Sixteen: Wholeness. Holiness”
Looking for God’s Goodness in contemplation and prayer. Allow The Gift of Fortitude by Dan Burke, put you in the presence of God. Invite the Holy Spirit into your weakness and make you strong with Divine fortitude.
Continue reading “Week Fourteen. Fortitude. Looking for God’s Goodness and Weekly Reflection Summary”In this season of Lent, we are called to pray, fast, and give alms as we prepare our hearts for Easter. The beauty of service or giving alms is that it makes me think of things outside myself. It brings me into connection and see the direct impact I can have on another person and the impact they have on me.
Continue reading “Week Fourteen: Fortitude. Service”I find myself at times in the cycle of wanting more. Whether it’s overeating, spending, or scrolling through social media, I’m in a space of not enough. Rather than giving into these impulses, when I focus on simplicity and gratitude, it breaks this cycle of wanting more.
Continue reading “Week Fourteen: Fortitude. Fasting (More versus Enough)”
Smitten With Goodness 