liar,liar...

Lie : You are not loved!
Truth : If you were not loved, you would not exist.

Pure

Jesus, You are everything pure, good and beautiful.

Help me to imitate You in purity of intention,thought, heart and deed.

Teach me to give totally of myself and to be selfless. 

Teach me to not seek anything for myself but for You Who gave Yourself so freely for me.

Transform me. Consume me. Conquer me.

Dustin Kensrue - Disarmed

"Unassailable you waited, the great enemy of man, 'till your awful jaws were sated, and we were ransomed from your hands. So,where's your landslide? Where's you victory? Tell me now, where's your sting? Now that you have been disarmed we will cross over unharmed!"

A Cross that is Sweet

Many of you probably have read this article , but, I really wanted to pull out this part:

“The truth is that this cross – if you embrace it with Christ – ceases to be as ugly as it looks. If you trust in him, you discover that this fire, this cross, does not burn, and that peace can be found in suffering and joy in death,” said Enrico, according to CNA. “I spent a lot of time this year reflecting on this phrase from the Gospel that says the Lord gives a cross that is sweet and a burden that is light.

“When I would look at Chiara when she was about to die, I obviously became very upset. But I mustered the courage and a few hours before – it was about eight in the morning, Chiara died at noon – I asked her. 

“I said: ‘But Chiara, my love, is this cross really sweet, like the Lord says? She looked at me and she smiled, and in a soft voice she said, ‘Yes, Enrico, it is very sweet.’

“In this sense, the entire family didn’t see Chiara die peacefully, but happily, which is totally different.”

God gives a cross that is sweet. Not tolerable or bearable but sweet! So when this young woman died she wasn't just content in her sufferings she was happy! And as her husband,Enrico, pointed out it "...is totally different."

This point is also expressed so beautifully in this quote:

"The Everlasting God has in His wisdom foreseen from eternity the cross He now presents to you as a gift from His inmost Heart. This cross He now sends you He has considered with His all-knowing eyes, understood with His divine mind, tested with His wise justice, warmed with His loving arms and weighed with His own hands, to see that it be not one ounce to heavy for you. He has blessed it with His Holy Name, anointed it with His grace, perfumed it with His consolation, taken one last glance at you and your courage, and then sent it to you from Heaven, a special greeting from God to you, an alms of the all-merciful love of God."

I was reading through old letters from my best friend last night and he had quoted that in one letter; I almost cried. I have been struggling with a few things lately and this quote just shook me. "This is not just a test" I realized "is is a gift given with the deepest of loves. Despite my feelings, I am loved. It's going to be alright." Even as I typed that "I am loved" I felt something recoiling within me "No, it can't be true! It's a lie and will only end in pain." *sigh* the devil is such a jerk (to put it nicely :P ) he will do anything to keep me from God.

Bits&Bobs

- Joy. When I choose to live joyfully it is a way of thanking You and trusting that You will make everything okay. When I let myself be in a bad mood I am saying "So? Give me more. Then I'll be happy." When I choose Joy, I choose Hope.


- Jesus, even when we are busy and running around, You are there in the chapel for us. You wait. No matter how long we stay away, You wait. You remain there out of pure, selfless Love... how good You are to us!


- "Angle of God, my guardian dear, to whom God's love commits me here..." My guardian angle loves God way more than I can; he is created spirit. He knows how much God loves me and so will protect me and ever guide me to God out of love for Him.


-  God will not leave me lacking ANYTHING :) I don't need to worry about if I can get a job with my intended major, if I'll make enough money..bla bla bla. He'll lead me to what is best for me.

Your Beloved shall Bring You Peace

"Close your door and call to your beloved Jesus. 

Remain with Him in your room, opening your heart completely to Him; 

for nowhere else will you find so much peace."

- The Imitation of Christ

Lilies of His Love...

The Revival

by: Henry Vaughan

Unfold, unfold! take in His light,

Who makes thy cares more short than night.

The joys, with which His day-star rise,

He deals to all but drowsy eyes;

And what the men of this world miss,

Some drops and dews of future bliss.

Hark how His winds have changed their note,

And with warm whispers call thee out.

The frosts and past, the storms are gone;

And backward life at last comes on.

The lofty groves in express joys

Reply unto the Turtles voice,

And here in dust and dirt, O here

The lilies of His love appear!

"And here in dust  and dirt, O here! The lilies of His love appear." I love those lines; they kept showing more meaning the more I thought about them. ( *sigh* I love poetry) It's amazing - in we who are but dust He manifests so much love! Sometimes it can be easy to forget the infinite gap between we who are at our very core nothing, for, that is of what we were created and He who is Infinite, Timeless and Creator. We forget because He lowers Himself for such an intimate relationship with us. O, how selfless is His love! Lilies need to dirt in which to grow, likewise, God, while He does not need us, uses us to manifest His Goodness, Beauty and most wonderful Love. While searching for photos to accompany this post I saw many white lilies which reminded me of Easter. Woah, because our sin and filth/dirt allowed Him to manifest His love in His most amazing passion and resurrection.