Passion. It lies in all of us. Sleeping . . . . waiting . . . . and though unwanted, unbidden, it will stir . . . . opens its jaws and howl. It speaks to us . . . . guide us.
Passion rules us all. And we obey. What other choice do we have? Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love . . . . the clarity of hatred . . . . the ecstasy of grief. It hurts sometimes more than we can bear. If we could live without passion, maybe we'd know some kind of peace. But we would be hollow. Empty rooms, shattered and dank. Without passion, we'd truly be, dead. ♥
~ Joss Whedon ~
A strong fondness,
A strong emotion,
A strong interest,
A strong desire,
Intense Love. ♥
♥ Patience ♥
~ Luke 10:1-12 ~
Patience.
Patience.
Patience.
The settled reality that we are not in complete control. ♥
Luke 9:18-22
What is the difference between the questions : "Who do the crowds say I am?" and "Who do you say I am?" In a word, the difference is suffering. To answer the first, you need to be religious journalist ---- to answer the second, you need to put your life on the line. The word to "to suffer" means "to allow" : To allow faith to penetrate you is to suffer ---- it is to lose that arm's length that the journalist maintains so carefully.
Have you ever wondered what the "el" at the end of certain names means? Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Daniel, Ezechiel, etc. Sometimes the "el" is at the beginning : Elizabeth, Elijah, Elisha. It is a short term for "Elohim" a Hebrew name for God. All these names have meanings of course. But even if our names are not one of these , we can still think of it as naming our relationship to God. The deepest cut layer of our identity is our relationship with God, and God 'calls us by name.' If you bring strength and support to another person, you are (in essence) an angel to that person. Angel means "a messenger of God." What we write in our address books is one thing, but our 'deepest identity and our most secret name' is our relationship to God, that need none for any press release. ♥
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
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 refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
He has also set eternity in the human heart without men's ever discovering, from beginning to end, the work which He has done.♥
"Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet."
Prv 30:5-9
Mk 1:15
Lk 9:1-6
As I look at my "possessions," what do I possess that I don't really need? The author from the Proverbs prays that he will be spared from two extremes of poverty and riches. He wants to have only what he needs. This is a beautiful attitude, which is unfortunately not the way that most people think. More often, we tend to think, "The more the better." But if we focus on physical possessions too much, and put our hope and security in them, then we do not have the wisdom which Proverbs is teaching. True poverty of spirit is an attitude that trust God will provide and that the word of God is the greatest treasure. Our richness comes from God ---- our poverty comes from knowing our nothingness before God, not from the lack of material possessions or natural gifts. The power to do what God asks from us comes from him. It doesn't come from our resources. As long as we do what he asks us to do, success or achievement in our work is in his hands. That is the sense in which we are to approach our service. In poverty in spirit there is great peace, because God is in charge. Our refuge on the journey of life is his word ---- is safety and truth. Our prayer time each day is essential, but more than that, we are called to be in constant prayer ---- in communion with the Lord at every moment ---- so that we can live our lives in truth and love. ♥
The masculinity of the woman and the femininity of the man are inferior, and it is regrettable that the full value of their personalities should be contaminated by something that is less valuable. On the other hand, the shadow belongs to the wholeness of the personality : the strong man must somewhere be weak, somewhere the clever man must be stupid, otherwise he is too good to be true and falls back on pose and bluff. Is it not an old truth that woman loves the weaknesses of the strong man more than his strength, and the stupidity of the clever man more than his cleverness ? ♥
~ Carl Jung ~
"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good."
1Cor 15:1-11
Mt 11:28
Lk 7:36-50
Sometimes it is necessary to help another to see his sin or faults. It Is Difficult To Do. We need to expose the sin, without making a moral judgement on the person. Often it is hard to differentiate between the two, and we can find ourselves assigning motives to a person's actions. This is something which we must not do. God alone reads hearts. If we examine our own conscience when we consider bringing to light the faults of another, we may see that we are not motivated truth in love. We need to reflect on the Lord's compassionate, loving heart and on his gentle way of dealing with us. It is difficult for us to know and admit our sins. While we may say that we are sinners, it is hard for us to acknowledge it within ourselves. Often we keep judgments and resentments within our hearts. But, in the sacrament of reconciliation, He washes us in his merciful love and tells us to to "go in peace."♥
To love without condition . . . .
When you put things into a place, the place becomes fuller than before, and it is eventually quite full, so that there is no room left. But almost the opposite is true of the heart. The more you put in, the more room there is ---- for more of the same. If you put wealth and privilege there, you developed a need for more of the same. If you put prayer and meditation there, you want to pray and meditate even more. But wealth and privilege can very easily exclude prayer and mediation. The more of one, the less of the other. Yes, the heart is a strange place. If it can be called a place at all ---- it certainly has a different kind of geometry.
~ Claretian ~
. . . . The True Love of the Spirit.♥
♥ The Inward Man ♥
~ 1 Peter 3:4 ~
Your voice, your eyes and your dress are three tell-tale signs about your life, an outward indication of what you are on the inside. Your voice for instance, tells others if you are under stress or at peace with the world. Your eyes give revealing signs too. When you are under stress, your pupils dilate, and often you glance away. Clothes are signs that tell about you as well, ---- the size of your jewelry or the intensity of the colors you wear often tells much about your personality. What others see when they look at you is important. But, what you are underneath the veneer is far more important. When people take a good look at you, do they see sincerity and genuineness? Are you the kind of a person that causes others to be glad to be with you? Is there a measure of, ---- love, joy, peace, long-suffering, patience, gentleness and goodness? In short, are you a person who reflects the presence of the Almighty because the Holy Spirit dwells 'within' you? . . . . May God help us to make our lives as good within as we want them to appear 'without'.♥
"The Rose"
Some say love, it is a river
That drowns the tender reed.
Some say love, it is a razor
That leaves your soul to bleed.
Some say love, it is a hunger,
An endless aching need.
I say love, it is a flower,
And you its only seed.
It's the heart afraid of breaking
That never learns to dance.
It's the dream afraid of waking
That never takes the chance.
It's the one who won't be taken,
Who cannot seem to give,
And the soul afraid of dyin'
That never learns to live.
When the night has been too lonely
And the road has been too long,
And you think that love is only
For the lucky and the strong,
Just remember in the winter
Far beneath the bitter snows
Lies the seed that with the sun's love
In the spring becomes the rose.♥
~ Bette Midler ~
"
Impossible Dream"
To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
And to run where
the brave dare not go
To right the unrightable wrong
And to love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star
This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far
To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march,
march into hell
For that heavenly cause
And I know
If I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart
Will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest
And the world will be
better for this
That one man, scorned
and covered with scars,
Still strove with his last
ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable,
the unreachable,
The unreachable star
And I'll always dream
The impossible dream
Yes, and I'll reach
The unreachable star.♥
~ The Quest, Man of La Mancha ~
Stay True To Your Heart . . . .
Friedrich Nietzsche :
You should seek your enemy, you should wage your war – a war for your opinions. And when your opinion is defeated our honesty should still cry triumph over that! It is not when truth is dirty, but when it is shallow, that the lover of knowledge is reluctant to step into its waters. For,
. . . . Love is the state in which man sees things Most widely different from what they are.♥
"I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the Living."
Is 50:4-9
Jas 2:14-18
Mt 8:27-35
"Suffering Servant Song" "If a man wishes to come after me, he must deny his very self, take up his cross, and follow in my steps." Acceptance of suffering is part of being Christian : acceptance of our own suffering as well as the suffering of our loved ones. When we see or experience suffering, we are being challenged in our faith to accept God's will. To go through emotional struggles with the will of God is normal. If we are honest with ourselves, we know that we need continuous conversion. Although we have accepted the Lord, yet there is something in us that hasn't quite accepted him, something which still opposes him. We are Christian, yes, but not yet fully Christian. We say "yes" to the Lord, but "no" the sufferings that come with following him. Our faith can never be separated from our actions. The two are deeply intertwined. Faith calls us to do charity in thought, word and deed, with a true love for all that is good and a true hatred for all that is evil according to the will of God. As we act in faith, we will be transformed to live in God's will even in the face of the cross.♥
Proverbs 27:17
A knife is sharpened by whetting it with another piece of iron --- generally with a parallel movement. However when it is set contrary to the other metal --- striking edge to edge, chances are, you will dull, damage, or even break the blade. The principle is the same with ---- companions, relationships, and friends, a parallel course will sharpen and bring out the best in each other. Today, seek buddies who will help you grow in you and will encourage you to be your, --- best ! ♥
Aristotle : He who trusts any man with supreme power gives it to a wild beast, for his appetite sometimes makes him ---- passion influences those in power, even the best of men, but law is reason without desire . . . .
Plato : Be kind, for every one you meet is fighting a hard battle. Man . . . . is tame or civilized animal ---- never the less, he requires proper instruction and fortunate nature, and then of all animals he becomes the most divine and most civilized ---- but if he be sufficiently or ill-educated he is the most savage of earthly creatures. Law are partly formed for the sake of good men, in order to instruct them how they may live on friendly terms with one another, and partly for the sake of those who refuse to be instructed, whose spirit cannot be subdued, or suffered or hindered from plunging into evil.
Aristotle : Anybody can become angry that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way ---- that is not within everybody's power and is not easy.
Plato : Anyone who has common sense will remember that the bewilderment of the eye are two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of light or from going into the light, which is true of the mind's eye, quite as much as bodily eye ---- and he who remembers this when he sees anyone whose vision is perplexed and weak, will not be too ready to laugh ---- he will first ask whether that soul of a man has come out of the brighter light, and is unable to see because unaccustomed to the dark, or having turned from darkness to the day is dazzled by excess light.♥
"Blessed are they who hope in the Lord."
Mal 3:13-20
Lk 11:5-13
No amount of money can pay the hard work of a father providing for his family. No remuneration can equal the sacrifices of a mother in serving her children. One of the regrets of parents when their children have to leave their home is the lost of opportunity to serve them again. Such is the nature of doting parents. Children's needs are always an opportunity to express one's care and love. We have a Father in heaven who eagerly awaits our call. It will be His joy to love and serve us. Sometimes we are afraid to approach him for fear that we will be rejected. But the Lord is telling us he wants to hear us and tell him what we want. The Lord will not mind being bothered by His children.♥
Indeed, the truth that many people never understand, until it is too late, is that the more you try to avoid suffering, the more you suffer, because smaller and more insignificant things begin to torture you, in proportion to your fear of being hurt. The one who does most to avoid suffering is, the end, the one who suffers most : and his suffering comes to him from things so little and so trivial that one can say that it is no longer objective at all. It is his own existence, his own being, that is at once the subject and the source of his pain, and his very existence and consciousness is his greatest torture. ♥
~ Thomas Merton ~
"For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us."
Bar 1:15-22
Lk 10:13-16
Miracles do happen everyday yet few people will testify that they witness such miracle not because no such miracle happened but because they are slow to recognize miracles. People find it hard to remember. People find it easy to forget. Jesus is addressing us and reminding us to remember. Can we still recognize the many miracles that are happening to us everyday? Miracles do not come in the form of spectacular events. We have to remember that all these simple miracles do happen because of Jesus. ♥
"Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you!"
Ps 137:1-2,3,4-5,6
Ne 2:1-8
Lk 9:57-62
"Even if I have a thousand lives, a thousand times will I also offer my life!" This was San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila's profession of his undying love for Jesus. That's what we call extravagance in following and loving Jesus. Only from Jesus can we learn this extravagant love. Jesus has never been stingy to us. Indeed he gave us all that he can. Quoting an old saying in Scholastic Theology says that "a drop of blood from the circumcision of Jesus could have saved humanity." But God chose the most difficult way, the most extravagant way. As Christians we called to love. But to love the way Jesus loves us, that is, an extravagant love, never stingy, no mediocrity. Half love does not work. Are we giving all to that we have to Jesus? Are we extravagant in our expression of love? ♥
"God is with us."
Zec 8:20-23
Lk 9:51-56
Power can be dangerous when used with less responsibility and with no real concern for people. When used at the height of emotion, power can facilitate revenge, violence, and getting even with opposing forces. "Feeling rejected?" by the Samaritan village, James and John's immediate reaction was to hurt these people as if telling them that they did not know who they have just rejected. Aggression and ill-feelings overtook them , but, Jesus rebuked them and instead, decided to head for another village. In one way or another we too are given power. We may also have control over some people and or situations. ♥
"The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory."
Zec 8:1-8
Lk 9:46-50
Greatness is rooted, not in many accomplishments, talents, and skills, the many projects you did, or the riches that you have, or the positions that you hold. Above all, the greatness is rooted in humility ---- to the lowest of all and serve other people. And once we are sincere in serving other people first in everything we do, then we start to remove ourselves from the centre. We're no longer the star of the show, but other people. Jesus is teaching us the real meaning of greatness. You want to be great? Be humble! You want to be humble? Serve! Turn the golden pages of our history and we will discover that the great people are people who served and remained humble.♥
"The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock."
Zec 2:5-9, 14-15
Lk 9:43-45
We always want our stories to have a happy ending but we cannot just jump into the .... "And they lived happily ever after" line right away. There's always a big temptation to skip to skip the conflicts and tensions. Something prevented the disciples from grasping the message of Jesus. He will be delivered into human hands. The disciples were afraid to ask for they knew that tensions could not be avoided. If the master has to suffer and be delivered into human hands, does it not also imply that we have to face the same fate as followers of Christ? We too will be delivered into the hands of man and only after then can we look forward to a "happy ending".♥
