Messenger:
I put a piano in my room and we weren't
sure where it should go. One place was
just right and the others weren't — the room
was small and when we found the spot, it
was just right — all the others just
didn't work.
One wall was too short, another it would
have been in the way — We couldn't move
the wall — only the piano.
Trees do bend though straight and tall —
"Bend the stubborn heart and will.
I remember it was a person's birthday and
a gift was given in my house and I
was not sure it was a good idea, but
I knew I had to bend because of love
so I did and later I experienced the
greatest gift because I could move
from a place where I was like a
wall that thought I could never move —
for the sake of love — I moved and I was
rewarded.
When one loves miracles happen —
enemies begin to speak to each other —
bridges are built.
Well now I unite all I am doing knowing
it is God's will I write this united to the Holy Sacrifice
of the Mass going on around the world and
I pray for a particular intention — God
wants me to write this — grace is being
outpoured as I as a member of the Body of
Christ deeply unite to the Mass being
celebrated now — probably somewhere in Rome
or on the other side of the world. I am
His — I love Him — He provides for me
in all kinds of weather.
I saw an ad the other day — little
stuffed animals, cats and dogs were
coming down like rain and they were
landing on a wind shield of a car and
collecting at the bottom as the wind-shield
wiper, sort of whipped them away. It
made me smile because of the expression
"raining cats and dogs" and I never
saw any one have little stuffed animals, cats and
dogs coming down. It was a joke to
advertise something, but it made me
laugh. It was literal and funny.
We can be like a sitting bull on some
issues where we do things and yet the very
ways we have developed doing things
are not loving nor lend to oneness with
others.
So we look at the situation and we know
we aren't going to move — we don't even
see it as an option. We may think we do
everything right — or we don't think at
all and the person needing a job done—
which is God's will — stands in front of
us saying "you need to do this" and we go and
run around a mulberry bush, up a hill —
around the bend — come down and then
sometimes forget what we have to do. And
the person wanting the job done says —
DON'T RUN AROUND THE MULBERRY
BUSH, DON'T GO UP THE HILL, DON'T GO
AROUND THE BEND when I ask you
to do something, just do it without
your usual drill of stalling and
forgetting — FOR NO REASON.
Say there is a foreman running a
project and he has men under him and
they have a job to accomplish — At the
precise moment a man is needed to turn
a machine to make the other click — with
other men waiting for that turn on adjoining
machines. The man must be there and ready
to turn — So he has a problem ever obeying
orders — he wants to never be told what to
do — Just at the precise moment — he tells
the foreman — I have to go make a phone call,
go to the bathroom "whatever".
He won't be on that job very long. The
foreman wants the job done. Where one
guy does not have a problem obeying
orders — he would be docile — turn the
thing and not give it a thought and be
a great candidate for this communal
interaction — the job would get done in
the time anticipated.
We live in time and we live with
each other — We must work hand-in-hand
and be willing to follow orders when
we are under someone.
People can be like walls, stuck
in habits and unable to be moved. I
knew I wasn't moving the wall in the
room with the piano — only the piano
could move.
Habits learned can be like walls in
our lives, that hurt others and hurt
ourselves.
In heaven we will have greatest perfection
living in the Father's will.
Jesus is the Son of God —
Jesus obeyed the Father to His death on the cross —
Jesus obeyed the Father —
Jesus loved the Father —
Jesus loved those under Him —
God loved us imperfect creatures of
His so much — He sent His only begotten
Son for our Salvation.
We are disobedient and God still loves
us.
God looks down and sees our pride,
He knows the workings of our hearts.
He wants us to work with precision —
a "watch" working perfectly — in synch,
all the pieces interlocked.
Think of what a world we would have
if people could even see beyond their
blindness, live in God's truth and
live according to the will of God.
Life is not life if it is not
rooted in Him.
I gaze at the exposed Eucharist and
my soul is consumed with love for
the Divine God. I know His goodness
more and more — even in suffering — deep
suffering, I can go to Him in the
Eucharist and be with My Divine
God.
Trees do bend though straight and
tall. Women and men may have problems
communicating because they think
different or do not understand each other's
feelings, communication can break down
because of pride, a person under
another may decide "no one will ever
tell me what to do". How can you handle
such a wall when a job depends on
that part moving.
The Holy Spirit can fill the hearts with
openness and love.
In baptism we receive a special sharing in God's
Divine life. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit dwell
in a special way in the baptized soul
in the state of grace.
Think of a community of people
where all are baptized and living
the ten commandments.
I want to be filled with God's
grace. I want oneness in Him.
If we are all baptized and living
according to God's commands — there
should be a special bond — right
there.
Sin is sin. Sometimes we sin
and stay stuck because of willfulness,
we remain blind, we can continue
sinning because we want something
so much and won't let go.
A married man cannot have an
affair with his unmarried, young,
secretary no matter how he justifies
it is love, he wants her, he should
have her. He has to let go of that
attachment to have peace — If he is
committed to another through a
sacrament of marriage in the
Church, then he must let go of
any ideas of his young secretary.
But he may not want to let go. He says to
himself "I want her, I don't want
to let go, I love her."
We pray to the Holy Spirit to enlighten
us, to open our hearts, to see where
we must go. We beg God to reveal His
will to us.
Many a marriage ended in divorce
because the person may have wanted
his wife and marriage and the secretary
on the side, but he may do all he
can to argue and lie to keep them both
going. His wife may be strong and
call it quits or give him an ultimatum
to quit flirting with the secretary,
but his will and his intentions, must
be in his own heart.
It is in his heart.
A person in a religious order —
takes vows — they obey the superior,
they live a celibate life — if they
never really decide to obey, they are
like a person on a fence — unpredictable —
sometimes they may, sometimes they may
not obey — then they will argue over
simple things.
A person that marries or enters
religious life — does not "flirt" with
others romantically — they make a commitment
to God to be faithful. The commitment
must be strong in the heart to start
with. A person could be tempted, but
this is very minimized because the
commitment is made and they do not
give into temptations to deviate from
their commitment.
A person who enters religious life
or is married and never really commits
whole-heartedly to their vocation has
a problem in their heart continually!!
Did they really marry Jesus?
Did they really marry their spouse?
Living one's vocation according to
God's will brings peace, love and happiness.
Living not according to God's will, disobeying
the commandments brings misery and
hurts not only ourselves, but many,
many others.
Living a life of Consecration to the
Hearts of Jesus and Mary is living
out more deeply our baptismal vows.
When we consecrate ourselves to the
Hearts of Jesus and Mary we live more
deeply God's will for us.
THE NEW ADAM Jesus is God — He does the will of God —
THE NEW EVE Mary perfectly obeyed the will of God —
Dwelling in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary make us
one —
If I dwell in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary
If you dwell in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
We are one in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
Trees do bend though straight and tall —
Jesus loved us so much He died on the cross.
We must live by the truth.
We must follow God —
Loving doesn't mean I give into
any evil to keep you getting
your way.
I must follow God's way —
obey God — live in the truth.
John 15: 18-27
If the world hates you,
you must realise that it hated me
before it hated you.
If you belonged to the world,
the world would love you as its own;
but because you do not belong to the world,
because my choice of you
has drawn you out of the world,
that is why the world hates you.
Remember the words I said to you:
A servant is not greater than his master.
If they persecuted me,
they will persecute you too;
if they kept my word,
they will keep yours as well.
But it will be on my account
that they will do all this to you,
because they do not know
the one who sent me.
If I had not come,
if I had not spoken to them,
they would have been blameless;
but as it is they have no excuse
for their sin.
Anyone who hates me hates my Father.
If I had not performed
such works among them
as no one else has ever done,
they would be blameless;
but as it is, in spite of what they have seen,
they hate both me and my Father.
But all this was only to fulfil
the words written in their Law:
They hated me without reason.
When the Paraclete comes,
whom I shall send to you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth
who issues from the Father,
he will be my witness.
And you too will be witnesses,
because you have been with me
from the beginning.
Copyright © 2006 Shepherds of Christ.