Three Minutes of Grace

A DOCILE HEART

All our life is sown with tiny thorns that produce in our hearts a
thousand involuntary movements of hatred, envy, impatience,
a thousand little fleeting disappointments, a thousand slight worries,
a thousand disturbances that momentarily alter our peace of souls.
For example, a word escapes that should not have been spoken.
Or, someone utters something that offends us.
A child inconveniences you. A bore stops you. You don’t like the weather.
Your work is not going according to plan. A piece of furniture is broken. A dress is torn.
I know that these are not occasions for practicing very heroic virtue.
But they would be enough to acquire it if we really wished to.

~St. Claude La Colombière

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CONSIDER

Some of us just aren’t born with a docile heart; we must acquire it. Obtaining it requires acceptance, even submissiveness to inconvenience, which is HARD! Do you feel me? Either it came naturally for St. Colombière, or the Spirit achieved it in him. As we read the quote, do we recognize those thousands of feelings he described? Do we realize the amount of murmuring and complaining we do? Are we quick to let others know how they have inconvenienced us? Do we keep a running tally of offenses?

It was not convenient for God to take on flesh and incarnate himself in our humanity. It was not convenient for our Lord Jesus Christ to be misunderstood, mocked or ridiculed, beaten and bruised. And it was certainly not convenient for him to die the slow death of crucifixion. And yet he did, without complaint, docile under the hand of the Divine Will—heroic virtue in action.

Friends, Jesus sometimes comes to us in distressing disguise. Let’s fast from complaining about this life’s tiny thorns and fleeting disappointments by fixing our gaze on the most perfect example of docile acceptance and heroic virtue, Jesus Christ.

PRAYER
Let us pray with St. Elizabeth of the Trinity:

O my God, Trinity Whom I adore, help me to forget myself entirely that I may be established in You as still and as peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing trouble my peace or make me leave You, O my Unchanging One, but may each minute carry me further into the depths of your Mystery. Give peace to my soul; make it Your heaven, Your beloved dwelling, and Your resting place…. Come into me as Adorer, as Restorer, as Savior. O Eternal Word, Word of my God, I want to spend my life in listening to You, to become wholly teachable that I may learn all from You. Then, through all nights, all voids, all helplessness, I want to gaze on You always and remain in Your great light….
~Amen

ACT

Choose one thing you consistently complain about; ask the Holy Spirit to grant you the grace of docility, and resolve to stop complaining about it for the rest of your life!

~I am a freelance writer. This post first appeared in a periodical.

Three-Minutes of Grace

ON KEEPING THE END IN SIGHT

I die every day!
~1 Corinthians 15:31

If we were to keep the imminence of our death in mind, we would never be overcome by sin: lust, which is fleeting, would not reign over us; we would never harbor anger against another human being; we would not love the possessions which pass away; and we would forgive every person who offended us. Therefore, beloved, let’s be zealous in carrying out the work we have committed ourselves to, and let’s travel to the end on the road which we have begun.
~St. Athanasius

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CONSIDER

St. Paul wrapped up his first letter to the Corinthians by discussing Christ’s power over death and how that granted them resurrection from eternal death. He squeezed a little caveat in there for us to do in response to God’s great benevolence toward us in Christ’s resurrection: we are to die daily. He goes on to say, “Come to your right mind and sin no more” (1 Corinthians 15:34). The rest of the New Testament defines how a “right mind” thinks. St. John puts it this way:

Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life is not from the Father but from the world. Yet the world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever.
~1 John 2:16-17

Just think how daily life would be different if we compared everything we did each day to the will of God! We’d throw away our to-do list filled with the empty nothings of our lusts (enticements of the world) and forget about ourselves! That would be a breath of fresh air, wouldn’t it? To consider our lives as sacrifices to the Lord requires coming to our right mind, the God-given one we aren’t accustomed to using. Let’s pray for our priests and diocese that we strive to do the will of God by dying to our will.

PRAY

Lord and Savior of my life, like your friend, Lazarus, you desire to set me free from “death cloths” to know and enjoy the abundance of the good life you give me here and now and in eternity. Please forgive me for displacing my love in this world’s enticements and the pretentious attitude of thinking I deserve them. Holy Spirit, help me always to have an open spirit toward others, not holding on to grievances but praying for their well-being. I choose you as my traveling companion; reach into my heart and mind and toss away anything hindering me from entering eternal life with the LORD! ~Amen

~I am a freelance writer. This post first appeared in a periodical.

Three Minutes of Grace

ON FIREY ORDEALS

Beloved, do not be surprised that [the fiery ordeal comes upon you] as if something strange were happening to you. But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed, you may also rejoice exultantly… As a result, those who suffer in accord with God’s will hand their souls over to a faithful creator as they do good. ~1 Peter 4:12-13;19

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CONSIDER

You have probably noted how often the writers of the Epistles begin their instructions and encouragements to believers as “beloved.” Could it be that they knew how much we needed to be reminded of our identity before considering what the Holy Spirit inspired them to say? The word “therefore” also pops up frequently and is usually a connecting word between a declaration and a behavior or mindset. Keep this in mind as we consider St. Peter’s words.

Suffering, or as described here as fiery ordeals, often comes as a surprise to us; truth be told, it’s because we don’t think we deserve any fiery ordeals. Here, St. Peter is telling us life is difficult, so rather than be surprised by it, change your perspective on it and consider the extent Christ went to in his suffering just for you. Stranger things happened to Christ than what we will ever have to endure. Christ suffered unimaginably for being the perfect Son of God; he did not deserve it! His fiery ordeal included open hostility against him, unfounded suspicions about him, mocking of his words, ridicule of his behavior, belittling his existence, and outright rejection! And that was BEFORE his arrest, trial before a kangaroo court, and his subsequent scourging, conviction, and crucifixion! So, let’s think again about the complaining and murmuring we do.

Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
~St. James 1:2-3

Now, with that all in mind, beloved of God, the ones Christ suffered for, we are, therefore, to rejoice in our fiery ordeals. Rejoicing means we return to or remember who our joy is as we endure, taking in stride (alongside Jesus) our fiery trials. And St. James writes that fiery ordeals produce perseverance. When we remember who our joy is in the middle of a challenge, we are learning perseverance, and that’s a great thing to rejoice over!

A constant fidelity in small things
is a great and heroic virtue.
~St. Bonaventure

PRAY

Let’s pray for ourselves that we will persevere in all the minor and major inconveniences, interruptions, and frustrations and become the virtuous humans God has created us to be.

Lord Jesus, I can magnify fiery ordeals so much that they steal my joy; I am sorry. Holy Spirit, would you help me return to the joy of my salvation? Jesus, Help me to consider all undesirable circumstances as opportunities to unite with you. ~Amen

~I am a freelance writer. This post first appeared in a periodical.

Three Minutes of Grace

BEHOLD!

The essence of the Christian message is not ‘Behave!’ but ‘Behold!’
~Jared C. Wilson

Behold, I make all things new.
~Revelation 21:5

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CONSIDER

Behold or a variation of the word appears about 1,500 times in the Old Testament and 200 times in the New Testament, depending on the translation of the Scriptures. Instead of the word behold, it is often translated as see or look and carries a sense of captivation. One commentary reads, “When you behold something, you see it with your eyes, but you also hold your gaze on it to search and understand.” The word behold is often paired with an exclamation mark—the grammatical equivalent of a slap in the face. We frequently need that, don’t we?

For instance, upon seeing the Burning Bush, Moses said, “I must turn aside to look at this remarkable sight” (Exodus 3:3). He didn’t just glance at it; he stopped in his tracks, pondered it, and examined it. It was strange enough to witness spontaneous combustion, but what seized Moses’ attention was what happened after he turned aside from the path he was on. “When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to look, God called out to him from the bush: Moses! Moses! He answered, ‘Here I am’” (v.4). Apparently, the Lord waits for us to notice his presence. That begs the question: What am I missing from the Lord when I obsess about my agendas? What would he want to say to me if I paused and considered my life from his perspective? As far as Moses is concerned, his response to the Lord that day changed the trajectory of the Israelite nation. What do you suppose the Lord has in store for you this day if you turn aside from your schedule and behold him?

PRAY

Lord God, my mind can be captivated by so many distractions, but I choose to acknowledge your presence in all the circumstances of my life today by beholding the truth of your Word. Captivate my heart with your mercy. Show me the way of sincerity that opens my heart to receive your wisdom. I am grateful that you are the Guardian of my life. I need not worry about stuff because you have taken care of it. You are my salvation; I entrust my responsibilities and their outcomes to your goodwill. Save me from fear and doubt that you won’t come through for me. Your hand is never shortened, that it cannot save me from my errors; nor is your ear dull, that you cannot hear me when I call. Lead me with your strong hand in the way I should go. I trust you to enable me to correct my past errors and to grant me discernment to recognize the new behavior I need. Behold, you do make all things new!

~Amen

~I am a freelance writer. This post first appeared in a periodical.

Three Minutes of Grace

ON PRAYING THE SCRIPTURES

The thoughtful reading of a Scripture passage–a scene, a sentence, a word–
and it’s challenge to present circumstances and private choices
is the foundation of a faith rooted in the spirit of Jesus.
~Sister Joan Chittister, O.S.B.

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CONSIDER

Lectio is the contemplative reading of Scripture where we reflect on what has been said and what it means for us here and now; it is the most effective way to read the Scriptures because we have to face what a passage is beckoning us to. However, Lectio can also be a method for praying (responding to the Lord). The Church teaches that all of Scripture is written for our salvation. It follows that when we pray the Scripture, we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in our salvation. Don’t you want that, friend?

When we immerse ourselves in Sacred Scripture, it becomes the backdrop for all our attitudes and actions. Think of it this way: A scrim is a theater backdrop that appears opaque when a scene is front-lit but transparent when it is back-lit. The scene behind the scrim explains the meaning and context of the what, when, and why of the events in the forward scene.

And so it goes with our lives. The meaning and purpose of our lives cannot be understood or even navigated well unless we are mindful of God’s kingdom, which runs parallel to the events of our lives. So, what’s happening behind the scrim? It is the never-ending pattern of God’s story that began before time and will never end. (There’s nothing new under the sun. Israel’s story is our story.) Knowing that would put a bunch of those empty nothings we get so caught up in in their proper order, wouldn’t it?

PRAY

Today, let’s contemplate a teaching of Jesus and respond in prayer for our priests and ourselves:

The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be.
~Matthew 6:22-23

PRAY

Light of the World, enlighten my eyes and fix my gaze upon “your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.” My little fiefdom is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind, and I am sick and tired of it. I know that you are not the God of disorder but of peace; confusion doesn’t come from you but from my darkened understanding of life. Oh, Father of lights! Please fill me with all the good you want to give me; grant me the perfect gift of wisdom. Your Word declares that in you, there is no alteration or shadow caused by change! I desire that stability; grant it, Lord!
~Amen

(Adapted Matthew 6:22-23; 1 Corinthians 14:33; James 1:6,17)

~I am a freelance writer. This post first appeared in a periodical.

Three Minutes of Grace

THE FAST OF THE HEART

Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to the Lord’s command? Obedience is better than sacrifice, to listen, better than the fat of rams. ~I Samuel 15:22-24

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CONSIDER

The Church has given us the grace of the lenten fast in the pattern of Jesus’s 40-day fast in the wilderness, but in reality, we are to fast daily because fasting, first and foremost, is a fast of the heart. Samuel, the prophet of the Lord, reprimanded King Saul for his half-heartedness in obedience to the Lord’s command concerning the battle of the Amalekites. (The Amalekites were the archenemies of Israel; it’s a fascinating story, worth your time and attention!) The takeaway for us is this: the Lord is much more interested in a continual sacrifice of our hearts than he is with us sacrificing from our appetite for 40 days.

When Samuel confronted Saul about his half-hearted obedience to the Lord’s command, he confronted the stubbornness of Saul’s heart. Saul was duplicitous, deceitful, and power-hungry for recognition and fame; there wasn’t a ram anywhere that could atone for that if Saul wouldn’t have a change of heart. What about us, friends? What niches of our heart do we ignore while we “clothe ourselves in ashes?” Jealousy, resentment, pride, fear, anger…..OH! We could make long lists, couldn’t we? This lenten fast, let’s allow the Holy Spirit to lead us to “wholeheartedness.”

PRAY

Holy God, Your Word declares that if I come before you wholeheartedly, you will deliver me from my enemies—even my frenemies of vice! You search and know me fully and how I fixate my heart on my desire to be noticed and approved by others more than I desire to be wholly acceptable in your eyes. I really don’t like that about myself; please forgive me, Lord. Why do I fight against your will when I know it is perfectly designed for me as your beloved child?

Father, grant me the fortitude of a willing spirit; purge me of apathy! Grant me a forgiving heart free of bitterness and resentment; purge me of pettiness and self-righteousness. May my sacrifice this lenten fast be a contrite spirit, for a contrite and humble spirit, O God, you will not spurn.

Amen

(Adapted prayer from 1 Samuel 7:3; Deuteronomy 10:12; 2 Maccabees 1:3-4; Jeremiah 24:7; Joel 2:12-13; Psalm 51)

~I am a freelance writer. This post first appeared in a periodical.

Three Minutes of Grace

THE GREAT FAST

Everything nonessential in us must fall away like ashes in a furnace so that the pure gold of our being, thus refined, may shine in the light of grace. The Lord holds you in his hand: know then, dear friend, that you belong to the Lord, whether you live or die.

For the peace of the Christian begins only in death…with the inexpressible bliss of supreme life, which is supreme wakefulness, supreme activity, and supreme intensity, and at the same time deepest calm, peace, and security…. ~Hanns George von Heintschell-Heinegg (poet and theology student put to death by Nazis 1944 for being a part of the Resistance)

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CONSIDER

We have entered the Great Fast, a journey through the furnace of self-denial. We don’t enter the fast as a self-help endeavor; we enter it to die to the self so that we may live as Christ who “though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself…[and] humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8). He laid down the pattern for us, and as we follow it, we come to know the deep calm, peace, and security of belonging to him.

Hanns George von Heintschell-Heinegg faced “emptying himself” in the extreme. As he awaited his execution, he was forced to come to terms with all the nonessentials of life. Let’s use his counsel to inventory our motives in this year’s Lenten fast.

*Do I stake my life on belonging to the Lord, or does my autonomy consume me? If the latter, we need the journey through the furnace of self-denial.

*Am I at peace in my relationships, pursuits, past, present, and future? If not, we need to journey through the furnace of self-denial.

*Do I know the bliss of supreme life in Christ? Do I delight in sacrificing my time and resources for God’s good work? Do I desire the happiness of detachment from all my fascinations more than stockpiling distraction upon distraction? If not, we need the journey through the furnace of self-denial.

*Am I supremely aware of my vices and sinfulness? Am I supremely aware of the Lord’s forgiveness? If not, we need the journey through the furnace of self-denial.

*Do I strive for moral excellence in my attitudes and actions? If not, we need the journey through the furnace of self-denial.

*Am I supremely intent on receiving the fullness of the gifts of the Holy Spirit—wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and reverence for the Lord? If not, we need the journey through the furnace of self-denial.

*Do I desire the deepest calm, peace, and security that comes from the Lord alone? If not, we need the journey through the furnace of self-denial.

PRAY

Jesus, Lord, and Savior of my life, this year, I desire to endure the furnace of fasting from myself—all my attractions and fascinations, my self-will and self-promotion, my pursuits and persuasions. I need your Holy Spirit’s strength to climb higher and fight harder for the restoration of your image in me. Grant me the honesty with myself to die to the behavior I excuse in myself. Illuminate my mind with your truth, and strengthen me in my weakness. Burn, Lord, burn! ~Amen

~I am a freelance writer. This post first appeared in a periodical.