It echoes the one we find in Psalm 51.
What will we give Jesus this Christmas? Is it the gift He truly desires?
At the Women of Grace Leadership Institute, Martha Nicolli (Boca Raton, Florida, St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church) shared the following poem.
It had been printed in her parish bulletin. Today, I pass it along to you to consider.
Do you trust God? To what extent are you willing to risk to do the will of God? What is He asking you to do now and will you say "yes"?
Not long ago, a woman aspiring to sanctity and holiness of life shared with me that she received a beautiful gift from the Lord on her birthday. It was during her time of prayer when she seemed to "hear" the voice of God deep down in the inner recesses of her heart.
This is what she heard:
"Let me love you, my daughter. Let me love you in those areas of pain, in those areas of shame, in those areas that seem to be the refuse of your life. Let me love you there."
From time to time we hear from people at the apostolate who are fairly convinced that God just doesn't answer their prayers. Is it possible that we can petition the Lord and He would turn a deaf ear to us? Not if we understand the nature of God.
As St. John tells us in his epistle, God is love (1 John 4:8). And love, defines Pope John Paul II, is an act of total self-donation. All we need do is look at a crucifix to see the truth of it: "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that everyone who believed in Him might not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
So, it logically follows that if God is love, and love is an act of total self-donation, then God to be God, must give us all of Himself. He, who is Perfect Goodness, must give us the Good Who is Himself. Therefore, we can deduce that God not only answers our prayer, but must always be answering our prayer.
Why, then, does it sometimes seem like He isn't? Three reasons may well answer this question.
I have been laid a bit low the last few days with some kind of infection in my respiratory system. The doctor gave me antibiotics and I am confident I will be feeling better pretty soon. In the meantime, what is one to do? Type A's don't generally do well with lack of activity, and this particular Type A (me) chomps at the bit even from a sickbed.
Does a physical malady have to put us out of commission? Or, does the Divine Physician sometimes "prescribe" a down time for some particular benefit?
Given the fact that nothing happens outside of God' permissive will, we have to acknowledge that even a bout with the flu or the common cold is an opportunity for grace. So -- how do we make good use of this time?
Some years ago I overheard a father talking to his child. It seems the little tyke had done something he shouldn't have done and the father was reprimanding him for his disobedient choice. What struck me about the conversation was the dad's choice of words, his gentle tone of voice and his loving disposition. It was clear that in the midst of the admonition this father was communicating to his son love, encouragement, faith, and hope.
Seems like just about everybody in the Catholic world has his or her own definition of what "modesty" is.
If we look it up in the dictionary, we discover that modesty is "the state or virtue of being unassuming and of humble behavior; lacking excess or pretentions; moderation, decency, decorum."
Father Peter Stravinskas agrees. In his Catholic Dictionary he defines modesty as "the virtue promoting manners and harmony with others, enabling one to control conversations, dress, and external actions. A defect of modesty causes boorishness and coarseness, while excess in this virtue leads to excessive delicacy and fastidiousness."
Another Catholic lexicographer concurs as well.
Recently, I received an email from a person suffering from depression. She wrote this:
I am on medicine for depression and anxiety. I finally got to know Jesus [but] I still feel left out of the spiritual world. I love being charitable and doing for others…but feel at a dead end. I read somewhere that depressed people lead a life of low spirituality. Is this correct?
Following is my reply to this dear woman:
