Thy Kingdom Come!
Dear Friends in Christ,
“I do heartily forgive them, and also the judges…I do also forgive all those who had a hand in bringing me from Ireland to be tried here, where it was morally impossible for me to obtain a fair trial…I ask forgiveness of all those whom I ever offended by thought word and deed”.(Last speech, from the gallows at Tyburn. St. Oliver Plunkett)I spent a few weeks at a Parish in south London back in 2000 and I was amazed how many parishioners had such a huge devotion to St. Oliver Plunkett. His last words say it all!!
“Our own evil inclinations are far more dangerous than any external enemies.” – Saint Ambrose
Self control demands a strong motivation and effort. Little things can help a lot: eating more of what you don’t like and less of what you like, being nicer to the difficult people in your life, carving out time to pray daily even though your tendency is to “do more”, biting your tongue when you want to lash out or waiting to respond to a provocative email until you are calm…etc.
Passions need to be put in check, and shut off and on when appropriate…but we desperately need God’s help. Regular Confession and daily Mass is the best way to guarantee this happening!!
“It is…to the oldest that we must look with respect (“honor”!); to them families owe their existence, education, and maintenance, which have often been paid for with hard work and much suffering. They cannot be treated as if they were now useless. Even if they lack the strength to be able to carry out the simplest actions, they have, however, experience of life and the wisdom that the young often lack…” (St. Pope John Paul II, Dec. 31, 1978)
I had a very special relationship with my Grandmother. She attended daily Mass, weekly Confession, and prayed the daily rosary. There was a gentle glow in her countenance and her peace was contagious. When my oldest brother announced his engagement to his now wife of over 30 years, Granny looked at me with a smile and said, “You will never make this announcement, Michael, you are called to be a priest!” These words and her personal holiness had a huge impact on my decision…thanks Granny!!
Thy Kingdom Come!Dear Friends in Christ, “God allows us to experience the low points of life in order to teach us lessons that we could learn in no other way.” CS Lewis
We all have our calendars and schedules for the day…but within each day, there will always be surprises and some not so pleasant, but perhaps very useful for our spiritual growth. At the end of each day, look back and ask, “What were the ‘God moments’ today and what lessons was he trying to teach me?” This is how we grow!
