The Art of Prayer

One thing I am grateful for is prayer, especially the Rosary to our Blessed Mother. No matter what we go through in our lives it is a blessing to be able to do this wonderful set of prayers. She brings comfort and hope in our everyday life. It's a beautiful way to start the day and a beautiful way to end it. I also enjoy speaking with Jesus and God most of all. I often ask the Holy Spirit to guide on my way. I know lately my blog has been part in focus of my recent situation along with my faith as well and my insecurities regarding my others issues that concern me. I have surrendered it all to our Loving God.

I went for an injection today after having chemotherapy yesterday. This injection will help boost my white blood cells so they will not go down, hopefully and not end up back in the hospital neutropenic. This injection can cause some discomfort or mild pain in the bones as it aids the bone marrow to produce the white blood cells. One thing I didn't expect was to have to learn all about this disease of cancer and all that it entails, but that is why prayer is so tantamount when we come across obstacles that mar the way in life.

One thing for sure that I do know of is that Jesus is my best friend in all the world. I know he would never hurt me or cause me suffer in any extreme way. It is only my sin that would cause the anguish and anxiety for not trusting enough to let go and let God do his will in my life. I pray constantly for strength to always do his will and to seek our Blessed Mothers blessing with all my heart and soul for her constant love. Let our blessed Mother be your guide as well and pray to her daily. Don't forget to also pay our Lord a visit in the Tabernacle or Blessed Sacrament at any Adoration Chapel and speak to him from your heart and let him speak back.

Eucharist

There was a moment during Adoration that I had an opportunity to share faith and our Lord with another. A moment to give to another comfort and prayer at a time they were hurting. As I write this I begin to understand the sequence of events of Friday evening during Adoration. The dark thoughts that invaded me at the beginning about hatred and no love in the heart. Yet, as I approached this young lady to offer comfort, that act alone is one of love.

I didn't try to understand what happened because it was so weird that at the end of Adoration all I kept thinking was I needed to speak with Father Plasse about it which I haven't done yet. The significance of that night I believe was seeing the difference between pure love and pure hatred. A glimpse of what is opposite of God's love. I sat there looking at the Eucharist and was powerless to move. When it passed I began my rosary again. It wasn't until the end of the hour when I approached the young lady to offer comfort and pray with her for the loss of her mother and friend.

That evening I have come to a greater understanding and the need to be ever vigilant in prayer, but to also give love and witness to that love.

Time with God

Ever since I've been working at the job I'm at, I've noticed that I have fallen away from spending quality time with God. I think it had to do with the disappointment in what I see each day I go to work and then the myriad other stuff that goes on in life. I began to doubt that good can ever happen in life, when all I see are the odds and how people take great pains to cause more harm than good. I've grown so tired that I don't have the energy to do much, even my prayer time has been affected. Why is that? Has the devil won and have I lost again. This was a recent time period when these happenings began to occur.

But on the upside was the recent added hour in Adoration, along with my other one and some timely visits that have aided in soul nurturing. Today was one such day spent in Adoration, then a trip to the Divine Mercy Shrine in Stockbridge, MA to obtain something. I did not know what it was going to be, strange that I was in the oddest of spots to end up purchasing a silver ring with the cross on it. My visit was mainly to go to confession as well. It was wonderful timing all around, to end up doing the Stations of the Cross, then confession, then veneration of a true relic of the Cross, which I did get to kiss.

This day brought home to me how much I truly need moments of deep prayer to restore and renew. Those whose path I crossed today brought a renewal of faith in people. In their goodness, rather than what I see day to day. Today made me realize how much I miss spending quality time with our Lord doing his work and being with him. Kinda like Jesus did when he went off to pray to his father. Those moments are truly refreshing. On reflection on how my life has been changing from one period to another I began to see how much I have missed making visits to those places that bring us closer to God. I saw what was truly more important. Isn't that what Lent is all about? To bring us to a point of conversion that will restore our faith and bring us back to God. I pray that this Lent be that for others, an opening of their hearts to how the ways of the world can block their path to God.

Something Beautiful

My moms back surgery went well yesterday morning. My sister and I are the caretakers of my dad during this time. When I can't be there due to work, my sister Debbie is there. Anyway she stayed with my dad when I went and did my Adoration hour. They were having a forty hour devotion at the Church with vespers last night. I was delighted to be present to offer thanksgiving for a successfull surgery.

Unfortunately the whole hour was done in Polish and I wasn't able to follow along with the program, even on the English part. So most of the time I spent gazing up at our Lord with my thoughts not on the prayer but on other matters. I began to think about Latin and how it was universal in the Church, how it made the Church in Unity. Last night there was no unity, because those who don't understand the language will stay away from participating. And like myself if we go we are not really part of it because our participation is more of a bystander than a participant. It was during these thoughts in the course of Adoration and the rest of the group were chanting that my mouth dropped open in shock at what I saw. The detachment of the monstrance from the base. It hovered, and to clear the eyes from the possible of having stared too long, I looked away. But from that point on as I drew my eyes away and returned to gaze, it would happen again.

I don't know if it had to do with what I was thinking about and his response or if it may have just been the fact that he wants our hearts united to his as one. I know he is doing something quite significant with me, because at another 40 hour devotion, I saw the monstrance do a bow over the head of the Monsignor. Amazingly this Church is called Christ the King and this is where I have had the grace to witness many beautiful happenings. When he chooses to make his point he does it quite well with a fashion statement, in this instance it's the name of the Church to coincide with his gift to me.

It's All Possible

If I could have thought back to the early years of my life and thought about where I would be by now, I would never have imagined it this way in a million years. Even if they were well thought out plans, how are any of us to know what tomorrow will bring. I think this new job has brought that into prospective more than ever. It's getting answers for others so they can take the next step. It's an unusual job and one that I've never really knew existed.

In that regard it brings my thoughts more in focus of what God truly does for us to get us through each day and our ability to listen to his answers to the vast questions we ask of him. Or know for that matter what we would experience with his grace.

My parents and I exchanged Adoration hours, since I am at work at the time I normally would be there. But at least theirs is in the evening hours during one day in the week and that will allow me to still have my hour with him as scheduled on a weekly basis, plus I pay a daily visit. This is a definite first to having normal working hours, but one thing about early hours, they were great! It would seem as if there was more of a day than there is now and this is great too. Adjusting is often the hard part, it's realigning what would have been done to a different time frame.

One Hour in the Garden

I've come to find something quite beautiful when reflecting upon our Lord. All through Mass this evening when watching the washing of the feet, I couldn't help but think back to a time when Jesus did this very thing. This year for some reason is very significant. When I was pondering what was going on in my life, the time off hit me big time in such a way to let me see that I was also given this special time to spend with our Lord. A time to place myself with Him as we all place ourselves in this grace filled moment.

After Mass, I stayed in my pew and waited the hour with our Lord. It was a moment that will always touch my heart profoundly as I thought of the night Jesus asked His disciples to wait one hour with Him. For a while my prayers we difficult to come to mind, but then like a switch was turned on, I thought on the prayers Jesus may have prayed that night to our Father. About the very fact that he was going to be sacrificing his very life. The prayers and thought flowed so freely in those moments of that hour in the Garden with our Lord. His first act of Adoration to God by kneeling at His feet and placing his troubles and sorrows there and letting God ease the pain of suffering and torment that was His.

Those thoughts of that night were so clear in prayer as I placed myself with Jesus. I was not prepared for the gift of song that came to me. The song "Glory and Praise to Our God" was so beautiful to receive as those thoughts came to an end. I continued to stay, but I took the music book and looked up the song and read it through. I was mystified and awestruck. The lyrics are as follows:

GLORY AND PRAISE


R- Glory and praise to our God,
Who alone gives light to our days.
Many are the blessings He bears,
To those who trust in His ways.

1- We the daughters and sons of Him,
Who built the valleys and plains.
Praise the wonders our God has done,
In every heart that sings.

2- In His wisdom He strengthens us,
Like gold that's tested in fire.
Though the power of sin prevails,
Our God is there to save.

3- Every moment of every day,
Our God is waiting to save.
Always ready to seek the lost,
To answer those who pray.

The refrain were the words that I was interiorly knowing. That's the only way I can explain it. I knew in that moment as I read the words that I was given a profound blessing and something quite beautiful in those moments of reflection. I spent an hour with the husband of my heart in His hour of prayer. He gave me a few moments to reflect on the pictures I was given and the significance of them and everything that continues to be a gift from Him. The many blessings because of the trust and love I have for Him. It's odd, but I feel as if there is a new softness to me in my life, in my person. It's hard to explain it, this feeling. I feel like a new person who has been done over. There was nothing wrong with me before, and I can only think that it has to do with the depth of my love. It actually is much deeper, and I thought it was deep before.

One would think I was a shy bride about to get married to the Beloved, but in a sense I had felt that ring on my finger again last week when none was there. And I was going to place it on aging hand syndrome, but I did feel this before several times. Sigh, I think I have it bad, I look at His picture and I melt. The outstretched hands, the subtle smile and the look of love in those warm loving eyes. See, I have it pretty bad when all a picture of Jesus does is warm my heart and fill my being with love.