What are your thorns?

Today during prayer time, I was focusing on the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  My gaze moved from His heart to His hands.  For some reason, I kept coming back to that crown of thorns around His heart.  My mind's eye saw the crown squeezing this Heart that beats for us.  He took our ills upon Himself. 

Usually, I identify with Mary at the foot of the cross.  How she must have wanted to take the pain.  The love of a parent enduring the pain of a child is a cross in itself.  But this time I couldn't dwell on that thought.  The thorns on His head, the nails in His flesh and His pierced side presented a physical pain He chose to bear...not to mention the wounds we never see in art.  But this is when I realized Jesus bore the same pain Mary bore at the foot of the cross.  He had to experience her cross too so He could help her carry it.  He took all of us unto Himself.  How our betrayals, denying, doubts and more gripped His heart.  However, that very heart loved us to His death.   That very heart still beats with love for us each day.  What are your thorns? What makes up your cross?  Have you betrayed or been betrayed?  Have you harmed another or been harmed?  Have you neglected or been neglected?  These questions can go on and on.  When we hurt others we are hurting Christ.  He did not know sin but took ours upon Himself.  When others hurt us, He understands.  He was innocent of all the charges, but He still received punishment. 

This is why a cross with Christ is too much to bear.  He has shown us that, with Him, we can get up again and again.  He has shown us when the cross comes to us, we can go through it.  This is how He has loved us to death.  The difference is when He took the cross darkness was all that greeted Him.  For us, he went forward alone so we wouldn't have to ever be alone.  He is the light in our darkness.   He has loves us to death by bringing us to life.

Lord, may we carry our cross with you, and when we see others struggling with their cross, help us to be the "Simon" in their life. 

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, may the whole world burn with love for you! Amen

Divine Mercy Sunday and Reconciliation

The Gospel reading for this Sunday is John 20:19-31.  And from that reading we have Jesus speaking to the Apostles. 

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

We see God “breathing” two times in Scripture.  The first is life into Adam, then again on the Apostles.  What does this signify?  Mankind is separated from his Creator through sin.  This breath brings spiritual life where one was once dead.  This is the Sacrament of Reconciliation!  Reading the Scripture above we see where Jesus gives the Apostles the authority to forgive, and not to forgive.

There are many Catholics who dodge “confession.”  I know because not only do they tell me, but when we have parish reconciliation there should be more people showing up.   The reason for dodging confession is usually traced to humbling oneself.  It is an issue of pride.  But the sad thing is the dodger is losing out.  Those who have just returned and those who go to confession regularly will tell you it is an immense grace.  The Sacraments are not something we “do” to God.  They are avenues of His grace.  After a good confession, people have said, “I feel like the world has been lifted off of my shoulders.”  Or, “I felt like I was walking on air.”  People sleep better and feel better, physically and mentally.

Here is the challenge.  Pray about going back to confession if you haven’t been in awhile.  If you are afraid ask others to pray for you.  Don’t let fear or pride stand in the way.  Tell the priest immediately that you haven’t been in a long time.  If fearful, explain that too.  He will walk you through it!

Early Christians thoughts on confession. 

http://heartfeltheartlook.blogspot.com/2010/03/some-early-church-fathers-teachings-on.html

Prayer of Surrender

"Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess You have given me: I surrender it all to You to be disposed of according to Your will. Give me only Your love and Your grace; with these I will be rich enough, and will desire nothing more."       
                                                                                                                                                                            † Prayer of Surrender by St. Ignatius of Loyola †

Quote about our Lord's Baptism

The Lord was Baptized, not to be cleansed Himself, but to cleanse the waters, so that those waters, cleansed by the flesh of Christ which knew no sin, might have the power of Baptism.

~St. Ambrose of Milan

I've never seen this quote, but I think it is so beautiful and quite profound.

A Crow arrives at the Tenth Station of the Cross

Before I tell you this quick story, I want to make it clear I do not believe crows are evil. My married name means "keeper of the raven," and these are creatures of God. I find the blue-black winged birds to be rather beautiful. Now on to the story.

Today at church, we were listening to a meditation on the Stations of the Cross. We were reflecting on the tenth station where Jesus is mocked and stripped. As the narrator was reading about the mocking, a crow appeared at the window in front of us. He strutted and stopped to crow several times. Of course it sounded like, "caw." He continued to do this through the tenth station. At the end of this station he flew to a nearby branch. While we contemplated the eleventh station of Christ being crucified, he flitted around on this branch but didn't make a sound. The twelfth station arrived and we focused on the death of Christ. At the end of this station he flew away.

I thought it was an interesting event in light of what we were doing. This crow proposed an analogy of ~ could this be a mocking of Christ or a mocking of those persecuting Him? It could go either way. Do we speak against others, or do we speak up for them? Do we deny them compassion or do we love them as they are?

Easter is a time of reflection. Who knew that reflection would actually come through the window in the form of a crow?!

A Blessed and Happy Easter to all!