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.”
How do you define true love? Growing up, I didn’t have a good definition, so I made up an unhealthy one that bordered on codependency. I remember the day when my pre-teen daughter asked me what love was and words of truth came out of my mouth.
Continue reading “Week Thirteen: A Life of Love. Goodness of Love”
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. After Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended upon him, and He heard “you are my beloved son; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:15-16) How often do you hear God’s voice saying this to you? Baptism is a work of God accepting us as we are. There is nothing we can do or fail to do that will damage this relationship. By virtue of our baptism, we have the Holy Spirit within us revealing the mysterious ways of God. Our job is to have the courage to get comfortable with silence and listen. The voice that says ” I am God’s beloved child called and sent to make a difference in the world.” This is our lifelong learning, the theme of this week.
Continue reading “Week Two: Lifelong Learning. Sacred Silence.”
I believe that most of us want goodness in our lives which is ultimately to be loved. The problem is that in our humanity we have limited capacity to understand and give love due to our ego, inflated or wounded, getting in the way. I might suggest that as we seek wisdom, we learn how to love a life giving love.
Continue reading “Have You Met Wisdom?”
O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law: come to save us, Lord our God!
Continue reading “Gift of Goodness – December 23, 2021”O King of all nations and keystone of the Church: come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!
Continue reading “Gift of Goodness – December 22, 2021”
Smitten With Goodness 