Surprises

The visit was a surprise today and it was extremely welcome. The joy I knew in my heart the moment I interiorly saw your presence. I instinctively knew and acknowledged what I have been given. Perhaps a message of hope after all but most certainly it was the touching of the heart that made the meaning all the clearer, that of love. I trusted in what I knew and came to understand how profound that love is. These last few days have been remarkable one's. Ever since Sunday it has been an ongoing spiritual grace. One of greater understanding of love.

It's those moments of grace that touch our hearts when we least expect it to. A moment of consolation. A moment of unity a moment of joyful bliss. What has made the difference in this regard? One could say it came about at the dinner table or should I say at the banquet table of the Lord. It is not only acknowledging his presence but doing his will and being that message of hope for him.

Birthing a Thought

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices;
you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.
When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived;
but when she has given birth to a child,
she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy
that a child has been born into the world.
So you also are now in anguish.
But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy away from you.
On that day you will not question me about anything.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.”
John 16:20-23 (NAB)

Prayer Reflection

Dear Father we have the technology today that makes childbirthing easier for the mother, without the pain. Imagining all those who have gone before us, have birthed their child naturally. Jesus tells us about the joy a mother has when a child is born. He gave us a normal procedure in the life of a human being when they undergo a change such as the example he gave. Woman most of all can relate to it. How much they endure until the time they birth the child, the elation, not just for the fact that they are now relieved of anguish, pain and suffering, but they now can see the life that was within them. In a sense when we sin we lose part of the holiness that belongs to us, the part where we have Jesus within. As we too grow in faith and at times when we fail, we experience the pain a mother feels when her child is in distress. But as we reconcile our hearts to a loving God and let Jesus be part of our lives we see the beauty and joy of having him part of us as a mother does when the child in the womb is sleeping peacefully. For men it must be hard to imagine this, but as we have read Jesus words, it wasn't hard for him to know this truth. The joy of having him in our lives is a blessing, even he speaks to mens hearts and reveals his presence to them as if they too are about to give birth. When he is truly part of our hearts no one can take him away and I mean no one. Throughout the many years it has been tried with the Saints and Martyrs and look how they have survived.

Thinking

I just took a walk and cried my heart out. Why? Because I came to a profound thought of how when we see a loved one we look at them with joy. With this thought I realized my own happiness when I go and receive my Lord, the smile upon my face is apparent. There have been times when I look up and see the others, but no smile is there. Yet we smile at those we adore and love. We look at children and smile, we look at husbands, wives and smile. We smile at our friends and strangers. I cried from the depths of my heart because of the love that is there for him, it is joy and without him in my life I am lost. My life is lived and alive with him ever present. I cannot smile without him. He is the light within me. I wonder if when we go and receive him, if we could smile when we see him at that moment before we partake, how it may be possible for him to light our lives in that moment of joy.

I am not afraid!

There are a few CD's that I listen to that keep me on my journey. The other day I mentioned one, but today I will tell of another that touches my soul very deeply, It is called Make a Joyful Noise by Father Pat, there are many songs that Father Pat sings that speak loudly to my soul. I don't know why or how, but sometimes it happens and at other times it doesn't.

It all depends on what the Lord is letting me know. For a long time it took me awhile to understand this and the purpose for it. But then I began to understand the call of our Lord and how he uses different means to bring his love to light. There was a moment when I was driving and listening to a CD by Josh Groban, and one song touched me so very deeply, it was a song of love. I believe I wrote about it too. Music in this sense does not always speak to my heart though. I could listen to spiritual, harmonious music and nothing at all. I could listen to Father Pat and several others and I will not have anything but the pleasure of listening to profound music.

And then there might be a moment when a specific word in one of Father Pat's would strike me deeply. I have also found it happens once or twice with JMT's, but not very often. I often wondered what it all meant. And then I would chock it up to the Holy Spirit delivering a message of love from our Lord.

But the one thing I had wondered was, is it possible to hear without music playing. And yes, it is because when it wasn't playing in a room I did hear words to a song twice at work. Not physically hear, but interiorly as if it was right there. The same when I was from sleep and hear it playing. I try to write down the exact words that I hear. I don't always manage it though, since there is no paper beside my bed. That is when I find when it is truly important it stays with me until it is written down. The discernment process for all this was not easy.

But I began to understand it better, just like the times I go to Chapel and joy lights up my soul and a smile crosses my face when there should be none. And yet it happens, I feel as if I glow, the joy that touches me is profound, just as the tears are while smiling. Have I ever understood any of it. Someday!