Jesus Want's Your Whole Life

He Wants Your Whole Life - Including Your Baggage

“When we come to Mass, we should bring everything with us.  

Bring your anxieties and your hardships, your doubts and your fears, your conflicts and your failures. Bring your triumphs and your boasts, your dreams and your aspirations, your plans and your projects. ing your triumphs and your boasts, your dreams and your aspirations, your plans and your projects.  Offer it all to God; let it be lifted up in the prayers and gestures of the Mass.  Make a sacrifice of your real life, your whole life.  At the Offertory, place it all on the paten, put it all in the chalice.  Unite your offering with that of the priest, with that of Christ Himself.  The Lord is not interested in a more put together version of you.  He is not interested in an already-saved you.  He is interested in you.  He wants you to entrust Him with your real life, your whole life.  He wants you to make a holocaust offering of your real life, your whole life."(Your Eucharistic Identity Fr Gregory Pine, O.P.)

What better time to do this than during Lent.  Every time you come to Mass make it a habit to offer your entire self to God, and in this way you make big strides to happiness and a future life with God for eternity.

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The Simplest Lenten Project

Here is a very simple suggestion for your consideration if you are still looking for something different to do during Lent.

Write down, on several pieces of paper, the phrase “Jesus I wish I would spend more time with you” ... that’s it.  Writing a simple phrase on a few pieces of paper.

Now ... put those strips where you will see 1, 2, or more during the day.  Maybe on the dresser where it will be one of the first things you see in the morning, and perhaps the last thing you see at night.  How about the bathroom mirror , the kitchen table, the door leading into the garage, or inside your briefcase/purse?  You’ve got the idea.  Now every time you see one of those strips you say that phrase with thought and conviction, then go on about your day.

This is not a practice where you see the piece of paper, say the prayer phrase, and run off to Church for an hour.  Oh no ... you say the prayer phrase with conviction and then go about your business.  God will hear you. 

 

And when God sees you are saying this phrase with conviction, He won’t be able to leave it alone.  He loves us so much that He will be moved to action.  Don’t be afraid; He won’t be asking you to move the mountain.  His move to action might be as simple as an internal desire to say a couple extra prayers each day for a special cause, or maybe just a desire to turn the tv off 15 minutes early, so you can close your eyes and sit quietly knowing He is with you.  You don’t have to say anything (most of the time its better if you don’t), just be quiet and know you are with a friend.  Just enjoy His company.

How much easier could a Lenten project be?  If I were you I wouldn’t tell anyone what I was doing - because they might get the idea that what you are doing is next to “nothing”.  And that’s not far from the truth ... you are not doing much but repeating a prayer phrase a few times a day with conviction.  God is doing the work.

No sounds of thunder; no lighting strikes; no deep desire to spend hours in church on your knees.  No, ... the action God moves you too, may be in such small increments that you don’t realize it’s happening.   But when you add up those incremental changes over the time left this Lent, the outcome will be so powerful that it will change you for eternity.

“Jesus, I wish I would spend more time with you.”

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Busyness, Distraction, and Restlessness, Oh My!

Busyness, Distraction, and Restlessness, Oh My!

“Today, a number of historical circumstances are blindly flowing together and accidentally conspiring to produce a climate within which it is difficult not just to think about God or to pray, but simply to have any interior depth whatsoever ….

We, for every kind of reason, good and bad, are distracting ourselves into spiritual oblivion.

It is not that we have anything against God, depth, and spirit, we would like these, it is just that we are habitually too preoccupied to have any of these show up on our radar screens.  We are more busy than bad, more distracted than nonspiritual, and more interested in the movie theater, the sports stadium, and the shopping mall and the fantasy life they produce in us than we are in church.  Pathological busyness, distraction, and restlessness are major blocks today within our spiritual lives.”  (Ronald Rolheiser, The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality)

During Lent wouldn’t it be a blessing if you could put your spiritual life back on the heavenly track?  You can.  Stop by a chapel or church and ask Him to help.  He will.

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Lord, I Will Be There.

Lord, I Will Be There.

As Lent begins this week it’s a good time to ask: Is Jesus important enough to me to spend one hour each week to be with Him?  Just one hour once a week is all that He is asking.  Realize that that is only 1/168th of the time He gives you every week.  For us to be with Him that small amount of time every week is simply a matter of putting first things first.  “In everything you do, put God first, and He will direct you and crown your efforts with success.” (Prov 3:60)  We all waste much more time than that sitting in front of the TV or texting.  Why not make a real difference this Lent and spend time in the Chapel in His Eucharistic Presence.

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God's Hug

 Are You In Need Of A God Hug?

Yes you are … we all are but many just don’t know it.  God knows life is tough and we’re all in need of some relief from something.  It makes Him sad when he sees us looking for that relief in the wrong places.  Jesus said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me?” (John 14:6)  Why don't we put more belief and trust in His words?

God is giving out free hugs in the chapel … no kidding.  Maybe you have never been in the Chapel, or maybe it’s just been a long time since your last visit.  Whatever, Jesus will be so happy to see you that you will have His undivided attention.  It’s time to tell Him you love Him, and then just feel His presence in your heart.  It feels so good, you will want more!

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I'm Busy Jesus - Not Now!

 Jesus - Not Now!

Oh Jesus I just don’t have time to believe You today because I’m too busy with work, with family and pickleball; Jesus I do Love You and I hope I will get around to showing that Love tomorrow but right now I’m in a hurry; I know Jesus that I am supposed to believe that You are present in the Eucharist, it’s not that I don’t, it’s that I’m not able to give it the thought it needs to improve our relationship but I will try harder next week.  How does Jesus reply to that?

Maybe He doesn’t … 

Maybe He knows it’s not the right time to try to give you an answer because you’re not receptive?  Maybe He simply, as the saying goes, gives you more rope.  Regardless of how much rope you have God knows you are holding onto the other end.  As long as you don’t let go He knows your mind and heart can be changed.  Through His Love and by His Grace that change will work from the inside-out, and you will feel His presence.  You can start moving in that direction by simply stopping by the Adoration Chapel and ask Him for His help.

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An Abundant Amount of Time

An opportunity to improve your spiritual life by doing nothing … that’s right nothing.
If you would sit quietly in the true presence of our Lord Jesus Christ by visiting Him in the Adoration Chapel, He will do all the work and you will notice an improvement in your relationship with Him.  God knows how important ‘time’ is to us, so if we are willing to give Him one hour a week He returns ‘time’ to us abundantly.  Give it a try.

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What If …

 What If …

What would have happened if Noah said, ‘Don’t worry, it’s just a passing shower’?  (Gen 6:17)

Or if Joshua didn’t believe God and said to the people of Israel, ‘Let’s go - we all know you can’t knock a wall down by shouting’? (Jos 6:1-5)

When Jesus asked his Apostles “Are you going to leave me too?”; what would have happened if Peter said ‘Yes, I’m leaving I’d rather be fishing’ (Jn 6:66-71)

We all know what happened in those stories, and we all know in each one God’s Word wasn’t only listened to, but believed.  So now I ask; Why are there so many of us who simply don’t believe Jesus when he says “This is my body”, “This is my blood” (Mark 14:22-23) and “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you do not have life within you.  Whoever feeds upon my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day?” (John 6:53-54)

Do we not believe him when he references “eternal life”?  Do we not know that God cannot make a false statement?

We are all somewhere on our spiritual journey; some of us may be just beginning, others may be getting towards the end.  Regardless, NOW is the time to do something to improve your relationship with Jesus so that when you meet him face-to-face he will want to present you to the Father as his beloved and as an adopted son/daughter of God claiming their inheritance.

I hope you realize when you receive the Eucharist in Communion, you are closer to Jesus than you would have been sitting at the table during the last supper?

That same Jesus is waiting for you at this very moment in the Adoration Chapel.  Go to him; sit quietly in his presence and experience the change in your heart.

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A Worthwhile Change In The New Year

 Looking For A Change?

Every moment spent in the Eucharistic Presence of Jesus Christ increases His divine life within you and deepens your personal relationship and friendship with Him.  “I have come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly.”  “I am the Vine and you are the branches.  Whoever remains in union with Me shall bear much fruit for without Me, you can do nothing.” (Jn 10:10; 15:5)  We’ve all heard those words many times, but for many it’s like water off a duck, they simply don’t sink in.  This new year why not make a concerted effort to sincerely try to grow your relationship with God?  If you ask Him; He would love to help you.

There is no 11th Commandment that says if you visit Jesus in His Eucharistic Presence you have to spend this amount of time.  Nor is there a recommendation as to the proper way to pray.  Jesus is happy when you simply stop by for a visit and let Him do the work.  You can start with just a few minutes; but if you start with that, it won’t be long before your heart will be rewarded and you will want to spend more time with Him.

Starting this new year may be your ‘right time’ to step up and show God you want to better your relationship and will make the effort to visit him often in the chapel.  Chapel time is not the only way to show God how much you love Him, but it is a way near and dear to His Sacred Heart.  The harder it is for you to find time to visit, the greater the benefit.  God knows how precious our ‘time’ is, and when we offer a portion to Him its repaid a hundred times.  Give it a try and see for yourself.

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Learning To Pray With An Icon

What Do You Do With An Icon?   

If you are a regular Eucharistic Adorer in our chapel hopefully you’ve noticed the icons on the book shelf in the back.  They are meant to be not simply objects of admiration, but of education, reflection, and veneration.

In 325 CE a council of bishops was convened in Nicaea at which it was decided that, since Jesus had both a human and a divine nature, so inextricably intertwined that they could not be separated, looking at the face of Jesus was equivalent to looking at the face of God.  St. Paul, in his epistle to the Christian community in Colossae, wrote “Christ is the image of the invisible God”.  Thus the council decided that representing the human face of Jesus was deemed permissible and the veneration of icons was officially approved by the Church.

Icons and the people depicted in them are meant to be venerated, but not worshiped or adored.  The icons in the chapel are there to be picked up, taken back to your seat and used as an aid in your prayer life.  It’s a good idea to pick up a prayer card associated with the icon and read the description about that icon then spend some time looking at the icon and finding what is described on the prayer card.  

Icons are sometimes described as “Windows into Heaven.”  A good window is clean allowing you to see through it in both directions.  If you are making eye contact with a holy person depicted in the icon it’s thought the subject is also confronting you.  In the very personal space between the person of faith and the icon, an exchange happens.  One sees the image but also is seen.  What a priceless opportunity to say a prayer.

Using icons to enhance your prayer life is not for everyone, but the more you use them the more benefits realize and you begin to look forward to spending time with your favorite icons.

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