Skip to main content
Becoming the person you want to be is not an easy job. Being of the world rather than in the world leads us to make many choices that do not assist our spiritual journey. The message is very fuzzy at best when you are operating in the humanistic realm. Should we collect worldly goods? Is my car and house good enough? Why is that person making more money than me? God's message is clear on the other hand. We are to love and honor God. We are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Jesus even gave us beatitudes to give us something to do while on earth. So as we choose our path to become who we want to be, these choices are the very things that turn us into the person we become. That is why it is so important to make our decisions carefully. I suggest you make them in consultation with God. He is here to help us on our journey. I know it is very easy to ignore the Godly path. We are offered so much in our world, especially in the U.S. but not here alone. How often have you found yourself stuck down a path that you did not even know you were choosing? We learn how to make choices but very often leave out the most important step: prayer. By praying we are asking God for help but we are also stopping the process long enough to notice that there may be consequences for our decisions. Did we anticipate that twist? Does this path really accomplish what we thought? God wants to be in conversation with us. But it is not the human conversation we hold with one another. It is between our Creator and us. That is a conversation that takes place on many difference levels. It may come from your conscience. It may be a guardian angel that is sent to help you. It could be a book that you are compelled to read. It could be an interruption to your day that stops something else. Allowing God into your life allows you to be more thoughtful in your decision making process. It makes you think for a higher purpose. It makes you make decisions for eternity rather than for the next day, week or month. Ask God to be in conversation with you. Then the choices you make will start to become the ones that will help you become the person you want to be rather that what you have merely become.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Woman, Behold Your Son

The spiritual climax of the Gospel of John, as Father John Waiss points out, occurs at the foot of the Cross, where Jesus utters his parting words: “Woman, behold, your son!” and “Behold your mother!” (John 19:26-27). While these words were addressed to the Apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, the Church has long understood this moment as a universal adoption. To truly image Christ, we must share in His parentage; if we embrace God as our spiritual Father but reject Mary as our mother, we treat Christ as a half-brother rather than our "firstborn among many brethren" (Rom. 8:29). As Origen noted as early as the third century, the profound depths of the Gospel are only accessible to those who, like John, rest their heads on Jesus’ breast and receive Mary into their own homes. This maternal role is deeply rooted in biblical typology, positioning Mary as the fulfillment of the great mothers of the Old Covenant. She is the New Eve , the mother of all the living according ...

Praying With The Five Wounds Of Jesus

I am just beginning to dive into the beautiful, ancient devotion to the Five Wounds of Jesus, and I wanted to share a bit of the journey with you. It can feel a little overwhelming at first to look at the Crucifix this closely, but I’ve found such a gentle guide in St. Bernard of Clairvaux . In his Jubilee Rhythm on the Passion, Bernard doesn't treat the wounds of Jesus as distant historical facts or sights to be avoided. Instead, he approaches them with the tenderness of a friend, speaking directly to the feet, hands, side, and face of our Lord. For someone like me who is just starting out, his rhythm teaches that prayer isn't just about reciting words; it’s a holy hide-and-seek. Bernard invites us to literally hide ourselves within these wounds, seeing them as clefts in the rock where we can find shelter when our own lives feel turbulent or heavy. As I start this process, I’ve been practicing what I call gazing and greeting. Following Bernard’s lead, I look at the Crucifix an...

The Gentleness of a Doctor: St. Anthony’s Devotion

St. Anthony of Padua is widely revered as the "Hammer of Heretics" and a "Doctor of the Church," titles that suggest a formidable and perhaps distant intellectual. However, the heart of Anthony’s ministry was a profound, tender love for the person of Jesus Christ that transcended mere academic study. For Anthony, Christ was not just a theological concept to be defended, but a living presence to be embraced. This deep intimacy was the engine behind his legendary preaching; he didn't just speak about the Word, he spoke from a place of friendship with the Word. His life serves as a beautiful reminder that the greatest heights of wisdom are always reached through the simplest acts of love and humility. This interior devotion is most famously captured in the ubiquitous image of St. Anthony holding the Infant Jesus. This iconographic tradition stems from a mystical event late in his life while he was staying at the home of a friend, Count Tiso. The Count peered throug...