Angels, Our Heavenly Messengers

Today is the feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael the Archangels in the universal church. This day brings a smile to my face as my name also reflects the angels.

I believe we are all at one time or another in each others lives angels. We send heavenly messages to each other. On the flip side, and I don't wish to dwell on this now, we can often times be messengers from the opposing team.

But it is the heavenly messengers that bring light, love and hope. Last night, my new friend Michelle brought a heavenly message to me. The truth of our hearts we can most assuredly deny and do our own will. But God is the author of our hearts and of love and HIS will will be done or it is to our detriment. We must simply open, surrender and agree.

As my friend and I were discussing, to love is not an easy call. For both man edify's woman and woman teaches man how to love. A man and a woman love on a superficial realm in the beginning. He loves with his eyes and the emotions that flow from his heart based on that and the woman's qualities. The woman loves what she hears and receives from the man. She loves his words and his gifts of love and service.

This is all wonderful and necessary but the call to love is deeper. It reaches into the heart of truly putting the other before yourself. This means that other important relationships and  other things that are important to you take second place. For it is really how a new creation is born. It is a hard call. We all have things we hold dear to our heart. And I dare say those same things is what is an obstacle in our relationship with God.

We are to love God first and then everyone else and everything else. It is not based on conditions or in certain circumstances, it is absolute. But we put our work, our  hobbies, our money, our children, our parents, our passions, our intellect, our pride or our self preservation first. Our treasures are all unique and not necessarily just one. 

I know the one story many people have a stumbling block with is the story of Abraham and Isaac. (Genesis 22:1-9; For an interesting analysis http://christianity.about.com/od/Old-Testament/a/JZ-Sacrifice-Of-Isaac.htm) God had promised Abraham many things thru Isaac and yet was now asking to slay him.

In Abraham's view he had faith that God would reconcile the act somehow because of God's earlier promises and so he was going to follow through having full faith that God would vindicate him. It was a test of faith. As we know an angel came and stopped Abraham from slaying Isaac.

Which brings us to tests. God tested Abraham. Whether we like it or not tests help ferret out loyalty and trust. It is not conditional or based on the circumstances.

How many of us would pass this test? I dare say not many even if God had earlier promised blessings predicated on Isaac living. We would rationalize that God does not work this way, that it must be satan giving this suggestion and we are mistaking it for God. 

The thing is God wants us to surrender and trust him. Of course He does not want what is bad for us but what is good. And sometimes what is good is disguised in what we think we don't want. None of us want to suffer, to give up what is dear to us, and yet loves call is that and it is for our greater good. 

Abraham's acts of faith gave him even greater faith and his honor multiplied. He is the Father of the faithful and by Jesus referred to him as "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." Obviously the sacrifice of his son was also a symbolic of God's love for us where by Jesus his only begotten was sacrificed for us. And yet again the glory and triumph  of Jesus resurrection and to whom every knee will bow was the reward.

We have to trust. I have to trust that God's will will be done and I must just surrender my heart to him and trust that the love he has put there will be for my greater good.

Which bring me back to my friend Michelle and the call to the vocation of marital love which obviously happens before the marital vows are spoken. For God brings two souls together for His purpose and those two can not have any other person or thing before that love or it can not be. It does not depend on the circumstances or conditions. Love is a gift from God and we either surrender to it or impose our own will when the trials get to hard or the tests are too great.

Love is not a legal contract or dependent on where the relationship is at. It is all encompassing and a purging. It purges us of our pride, our other interests, our work and other attachments. In our Catholic ceremony the priest is just a witness to the public profession of love before God. God brought them together and what God brought together no man should try to divide. That love was there before the vows and the vows simply make it formal and the bodies then reflect what the souls already know, the self surrender to one another and in that self surrender open to the gift of God love and sometimes children.

Marriage is a symbol or a sacrament that mirrors our relationship with God. The new creation puts God first. It is not two individuals putting God first but a new creation of one with two members putting God first and by natural extension each other.

Do we naturally love this way? Yes and no. Yes I think God call's us in every stage of our life to love but our fears which breed our pride often times cloud the right thing to do in love.

And this brings me back to angels. We can invoke their help in prayer and supplication. We can pray to the others guardian angel for help in helping them guide their way.

And we must trust that those angels have very special heavenly messages for us and it is up to us to listen and surrender and follow because we trust God and His plan. Thank you God, Our Heavenly Father, for Angels, Our Heavenly Messengers.

Begin the Dream by Letting Go

Sometimes the most painful experiences teach us the most. Conventional wisdom and listening to others when you know deep in you that love does not work this way but you follow it anyway help in the process forward. The process of trusting yourself and when God speaks to you becomes the most important voice to hear.

This theme of letting go is a constant. Especially for women raised in a take charge culture. In work and in many aspects of life,  logic and the knowledge of human nature has guided me. But oddly when it comes to relationships,  my logic and knowledge of human nature seems to go awry.

Somehow personal relationships wake up in me a tenacity when I am attached and I create hope. And a suspension of disbelief happens as it happens in movies, except this is real life. It is my life.

When all is said and done and the dust settles, the truth becomes clear. And the illusions fade away. 

But this is a good thing. Grounded in the here and now, even though I know I am just passing through this life, makes me realize that for matters of the heart---I have to discern and evaluate and weigh before I embark on that magical journey of dating. And even after that guarding my heart until a man proves himself worthy. These checks will weed out the impostors.

Sometimes too while waiting on other career dreams accidents can wake us up  to embracing what is really important and letting go of the rest. It finally helps us to really pursue our deeper dreams and move forward. 

Sometimes letting go means letting God give you really good gifts and treating yourself. After all we are supposed to love our neighbors as ourselves and so we start with just love of self.

Letting go can really mean giving yourself and God the freedom to give you the great gifts. And sometimes those gifts come in a manner you don't see and in unexpected places.

Here is to letting go and letting God give you the great gifts. But be wary of impostors both within you and without. And as you navigate the world and our humanity, listen to the still small voice and let go of the rest of the noise. What is truly meant for you will be made manifest. And in the meantime treat yourself to the gifts that you can prudently and begin the dream by letting go!

Confession is Good for the Soul

This was penned a while ago and I have added and edited a bit.   

As we enter into ordinary time after celebrating Corpus Christi where we as Catholics not only accept but celebrate and are grateful and humbled in Jesus hard saying take eat my body and drink my blood. John 6: 53-60. We are reminded of that special and most precious grace of receiving the Eucharist. 

Another grace and a habit I incorporated during Lent that yielded lots of good fruit was Confession or in the Church they call it Reconciliation. As Jesus said whose sins you forgive are forgiven and whose sins you retain are retained. John 20:21-23

Aside from feeling a weight lifted once you confess, I found also a grace in getting help to become better or holier.

We all have shortcomings that are part and parcel of who we are but it is good to recognize that and what pushes the buttons and how you can manage them the next time it happens.

I am not very proud of my two weaker attributes. One is my temper and the other my stubbornness. Channeled properly this can fuel action and gives courage when needed but not channeled properly it can leave some pretty ruffled feathers and wreak havoc on me and in turn God when I become frustrated at repeated attempts to fill my needs.

A book called Rediscovering Catholicism by Matthew Kelly has been floating around the Parishes during Christmas and Easter. It is mainly geared toward lapsed Catholics..you know the ones  that only go at Christmas and Easter. However, I found a lot of things that apply to me. Conversion is a slow and painful process...especially for those of us who are stubborn.:-)

I started reading it and found some great wisdom in it. I particularly liked the section on Confession and the struggles we have with it. The excuses we come up with are kind of funny. Well why do I have to go to a priest to confess when I can go straight to God? Or, I will only confess to a random priest that does not know me. As if the priest will think less of you if he does.

Mr. Kelly points out astutely that if we don't confess to a priest, we rarely will do it on our knees. Also, confessing to someone who knows you is more beneficial because they do know you and can help counsel you...especially when you struggle with the same issues. He made a great analogy. You don't go to a doctor you don't know when you are sick. You prefer someone who knows you so they know your history. The same would apply to a physician of the soul.

For me the priest who is getting to know me and is my regular confessor now is also my spiritual director. Because he knows my aspirations, dreams and heart ache..my confessions with him are powerful.

A few weeks ago,  I confessed my temper tantrum..my anger with God and how badly I treated myself and I balled. I was not only sorry, I know God loves me and that I love Him. 

Having someone well formed in the faith, like my spiritual director, who knows the difference between attachment and healthy relationships and the sanctity of a marital union has helped me feel validated and at least intellectually aware that I made the right decisions moving on in my recent relationships. It is just a sad fact it takes the heart a long time to catch up with that. I pray with God's grace that it will soon be free again. But in the meantime my heart has potent energy for the roles that will come my way with my artistic craft of acting.

Many blessing are now taking place because my focus is primarliy on the art now.

It is true, you dream, you set goals and you move forward...if it be God's will the doors will open. And if your dream and passion are strong enough and align with what God made you for and what he wants from you, you will wait a very long time for your dream to materialize..waiting on God and His will and His timing.

As a side note since that confession a few weeks ago...my heart has caught up, and I am so truly grateful there is now room at the inn.:-) God's grace is powerful....powerful indeed.

Let us remind ourselves to "Be patient for I am GOD and I do things for the good of you"...and avail ourselves to the graces of confession when we fall short and the grace to become better because...Confession is Good for the Soul.

Praying is an Act of Love

Ahh..another intense and real blog. I thought I would lighten it up with a cute pic. Those that know me know my love for cats.

My faith is very strong but I am not immune to self-doubt. Sometimes I do things that I know will not bring me happiness long term in order to escape pain. Then I attach a divine hope to it and then when it falls apart I blame myself and God for false hope. Crazy yes.

The particular event I am about to share although not pretty is real. After some frustration with missed plans, some champagne, frustration in a relationship and also after a couple of false starts to relationships, and of course the final stages of grieving a failed engagement,  I lost it. I basically had a temper tantrum with God. It was not pretty and I was powerless to control it. 

It had been coming and it finally blew full board. All my positive spins failed as reality stared me in the face. Hope is in the future but hope is also in the present and when it falls apart repeatedly, it can damage your confidence in your self-perception, your judgements and finally your self-worth.

Shocking...that this could happen to me. Shocking that that anger toward God and self could come full board. Just the thoughts and words and what I did with my anger was not only scary but draining. I was trying to control my frustration and how I dealt with it...ie be passive and it sent me careening out of control.

Yes prayer is taking action, but sometimes when it involves a relationship that is causing frustration, we have to assess what we want, what we need and just ask. Its not a demand, it should ideally not be expressed in the throes of anger, although anger signals something is wrong..a need is going unmet repeatedly but it does need to be said. It triggers a sweet melody of a song I have enjoyed in the past...say what you need to say.

After anger becomes apparent, I need to assess, if passive and prayer has not worked for me then I have to take the next step and address my needs in the most positive way I can. Will they meet my needs? Maybe, maybe not but at least that cycle will end.

Furthermore, what shocked me the most about this tantrum with God and trying to control my disappointment was what happened the next day. Underneath all of that was very real hurt and fear. I was deeply hurt and I was afraid of being hurt again..very afraid of being vulnerable and expressing my needs with someone new. But I was taking that step...and the hurt and fear surfaced.

The next thing that happened was even more shocking. I flippantly disregarded my tantrum and what that meant of what I thought of ME until mass came. As I typically do, after communion, I began to pray for friends and I picture them in my mind as I pray. By the time I was at my second friend, I started  sobbing...being at mass with a bunch of people I don't know, I  tried to channel it without causing too much commotion.

Why was I sobbing? Because I suddenly realized the good I have done. That God's grace thru me has touched so many people on deep levels and how on earth could I think my life did not matter? How much pain that would cause and the deep self- reflective despair.

How could I think and feel that way toward myself? Hurting me was in essence hurting all those I loved. And this was pointed out in a huge way just by going to pray.

And I realized that praying is talking, thanking and asking God to help those in need. Some are dear friends and some are no longer in my life, some are in another world and some are still here working it out. And of course I pray for me. In that act of prayer, I am expressing confidence and love toward my maker and I am expressing love and confidence for the people I am praying for. 

I never knew that praying in humility and confidence was one of highest acts of love you can give. You remember what God has done for you and others. Specifically, how he has blessed me and others. I remember how I have touched and been touched by so many people and that in turn helped me recognize in just as a reflexive reaction as my temper tantrum...my own humbling self-worth.

Thank you God for being patient and merciful and loving. Thank you for teaching me the value and worth of each soul including my own. And thank you for teaching me to pray and deepening it for me...as I recognize now that Praying is an Act of Love.

Peace Be Unto You

I was going to write about another topic but decided this one was far better given the Easter season and what has inspired me.

When Jesus came back after the resurrection, the oft phrase he used in greeting and leaving was "Peace be unto you." I won't be getting into the theological significance of that but instead a share one view of a personal experience I am going thru.

My journey the last year has been unique and interesting. I had and came out of one of the more significant relationships in my life. My tenacity and intellectual desire to fix what was not right came out in a big way. But something that needs to be fixed repeatedly is simply something that at best does not work and at worst is broken.

I learned that all that glitters is not gold. I learned that fast is not good.  I learned that ignoring my intuition is not good. I mistook desire and need for love. I learned that God indeed speaks to us and cares and that I finally had the courage to listen and act. I am learning to trust that what God has in mind for me is much better. I am learning by experience that 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is true.

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking,it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 

In the midst of this process, God was and is weaving something else for me. It was something I could not have foreseen. It is something that began and grew under the most unusual of circumstances and kept growing in the silence of my struggles. It is something that survived my grieving and eventual loss of my prior relationship.

It quite simply was a friendship that was blooming, and the peace that came from it as the value, care and freedom afforded it manifested itself was not anything I had experienced before.

No one knows what the future holds. But I am grateful that despite all my struggles this last year, that one strong and unwavering light still burns brightly. I am grateful that I can experience freedom and yet feel valued and wanted and supported. 

And most of all I am grateful that God is in charge and not I. May HIS will be done, and may you too surrender to HIS will and experience many precious and very sweet moments of peace. May they grow to be permanent no matter what the circumstances or what you are feeling at the moment. Because what he is weaving in you and in all of us if we trust and follow is Gold, a pure heart of Gold for HIS glory. Peace be unto you.

Happy Lent!

The Catholic liturgical calendar has a rhythm. And although every year we celebrate everything all over again, Lent on Ash Wednesday does not start on the same date and hence Easter is not on the same date.

This year in 2014, Lent started a little late, and I am grateful it did. This Lent does not have the same meaning for me as it did last year. Last year I saw it as just temporarily giving up certain things. This year I saw it as drawing even closer to God by yes giving up things but also giving and getting Closer to God with spiritual practices. 

First, I have been going to confession and adoration once per week. When I broke that rhythm, I actually felt off. Second, I am giving up sugar, and alcohol. A side benefit is it had helped my waistline Thirdly, I am also eating moderately and volunteered in Skid Row to feed those who go hungry more often that not. I also gave out packets of water and snacks to those I find begging and money when I did not have it. I made me realize how often I have gone ignoring those in need. Praying for them is essential but when you can give something, it feels really good.

This Lent I gave up some thing I did not know I would and even withdrew my facebook account. It actually feels so liberating, I may do it past Lent. All the unexpected giving up has been liberating. A sure sign I am going in the right direction. And praise be to God so many wonderful doors are opening.

Lent has taught me that at the heart of love, along with passion, attachment and forgiveness is sacrifice. What are you willing to sacrifice? What am I willing to sacrifice? Are there limits? 

If you choose freely to love without limits, it is then that we are in true communion with God and love. The rich fruit will be there if you give up what limits your capacity to love.

Some of the fruits so far of this Lent for me have been joy and peace. Trusting in the Lord 100%,  I know that my actions and the actions of others will always lead to truth and love. Relationships like the liturgical calendar have rhythms too, and eventually the music becomes clear what purpose the relationship has or had.

This Lent has also been trying, as there are moments in trials that I realize that I have even more growth in that deep confidence in God and letting him lead the way.

Leaning on God draws me closer to who I really am and that is a beautiful place to be. It lets me know I am justified for my needs and that God will provide amply if I just lean on and trust in HIM. It is has also been a big blessing when I see the signs thru others and my spiritual director of what real love looks like. It has also been a time of grace for my friendships as well.

Deep faith and deep trust in God is a rock to lean on as it buoys us in the opportunities and joys and sustains us and gives us hope in the losses and sorrows. In each event we draw God/Love closer to us and are sanctified as we celebrate each moment of this passing life.

As we embrace this last two weeks of Lent, let us keep the faith. Next week is the most trying, the most beautiful and ends in the most Glorious and I feel blessed to celebrate that in communion with my family in Peru.

This Lent, finding God in the every day and every moment has brought me joy and peace. And I can end with one scripture I find inspirational...Matthew 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Happy Lent!

Love is Enough

As we start the new year, all of our goals and wishes really surround our desire for more joy and I don't know anyone that does not need more love in their life. 

A friend recently told me of a failed romance that sometimes Love is not enough. He said it as if mimicking something some therapist or wayward counselor had told him. Let's examine that statement.

If Love/God is not enough than that invalidates Jesus love and sacrifice redeeming us. His LOVE is not enough? He loved us first, suffering pain, humiliation, giving up everything in this life for love of God and ultimately love for us. When we let this love in, we are touched on such a deep level we love back. It is the natural response. However, He gave all and loved us first.

Is a mother's love not enough for a child? A healthy and instinctual mother will love a child unto her death. Is a husband's love not enough?  A good one will sacrifice to provide materially, emotionally and every which way and will even sacrifice his own life to protect and defend his wife. What woman would ever leave a man that would do this? Not many.

Jesus commanded us to love God and each other as ourselves. He said

"Greater love hath no man than this, that man lay down his life for his friends". John 15:13  How many are friends like that? 

No it's not that love is not enough, it's that my friend did not really love.  Or he did not love the woman he was in relationship with. As a woman we tend to receive and give back the love a man gives. If it's a counterfeit you give then you usually don't get much back. Oftentimes we give up what we can part with what's easy, its when we are faced with difficult choices, choices were even a compromise seems too difficult, that's when we see what love is or what it is not.

But all is not lost because by realizing that it was not love they were pulled necessarily closer to God/Love and in due time they will be strong enough to love the way God intended them to love either in single vocation or with another person where God wills.

This new year if we strive to get closer to God/Love we will naturally grow to the next level of Love. Love is not without sacrifice but it's fruits are unbridled joy and fulfillment both in relationship and individual accomplishment.

As we strive to be in shape and better our appearance. hopefully we do so to honor God and hopefully our mate or future mate. If we strive for an intellectual/educational/career goal we should strive to do this in the service of God and our fellow human beings. One thing is certain some focuses merit a single life vocation and others the married life. We can love no matter which we are called to but we must be intellectually honest and see where our path has lead us and where we want to go. 

Let us choose each day in 2014 to be more disciplined, so we can have more freedom and so we can ultimately choose to love. May God bless you all in your dreams and aspirations this year of 2014, and know that with God/Love anything is possible. Because God/Love is Enough.