Tag: Perspective

Father Richard believes that true forgiveness is only possible through a larger transformation of consciousness within us: We cannot sincerely love another or forgive another’s offenses inside of dualistic consciousness. In our habitual, dualistic way of thinking, we view ourselves as separate from God and from each other.

Are you moved to help those who are hurting, weary, sick or in grief? To live a just life, this is what we are called to do. We live compassionately and give everyone in our path their due. When we do, we are breathing life into others.

This moment is an invitation to take notice. To slow down and be aware of what’s written on your heart. We become a product of what we consume. What we see and hear creates the scaffolding of our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. It’s important to take some time to check in with ourselves to see what’s on our heart.

We are promised that we will never be alone. As I live my faith, I know this is true. I may physically be alone but I always have the gift of presence.

We can find God’s goodness in suffering. It is usually in suffering and love that we are called to transformation.  Let’s meditate on Mary’s example as Mother of Sorrows and contemplate how we might grow in our own suffering. What are the seven sorrows that have pierced your heart?

When a crisis hits, it tells us a lot about what lives in our heart.  How well do you react? Are you able to manage emotional distress?  In a culture where we avoid suffering at all costs, how well are you prepared when you lose a job, get divorced, have a child struggling for life, or see your husband battling to regain health?  Having been through these things, it is by God’s grace and Mother Mary’s example I’ve learned to suffer well which helps purify my heart. 

A clean heart allows us to fall in love. We fall in love with beauty, goodness, and truth. Valuing myself, I learn the gift that I am and I’m shown my belovedness. God draws me to the One that loved me first. Chastity is a virtue, along with right-ordered passions, that helps me see God.

Chastity is important because sexuality affects our ability to form healthy bonds with other people. It affects the unity of our body and soul, including our capacity to love and to procreate. Chastity is important because this is how we live with our bodies ordered to God. Before the Fall, all the physical senses were in complete harmony and controlled by reason. Temperance is loving my body, keeping it clean and pure, moderating taste, exercising continence in touch, and remaining chaste in all the senses. Infused with the theological virtue of love, we see the fruit of chastity.

When I seek and find God’s goodness day by day in my life, I live with a new attitude and mindset. I choose faith as a habit that keeps my heart drawn to what is important. Reforming my life is moving beyond the ego’s narrow concerns and making God and love the center of my life.