Monday, February 8, 2021
Friday, February 5, 2021
Seeking 'N Finding . . .
Attributed
to Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ (1907-1991)
Nothing is more practical than
finding God, than
falling in Love
in a quite absolute, final way.
What you are in love with,
what seizes your imagination,
will affect everything.
It will decide
what will get you out of bed in the morning,
what you do with your evenings,
how you spend your weekends,
what you read,
whom you know,
what breaks your heart,
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.
Fall in Love, stay in love,
and it will decide everything.
Loving Us Into Becoming . . .
And God said:
I
myself will dream a dream within
you.
Good
dreams come from me you
know.
My
dreams seem impossible,
Not
too practical,
Not
for the cautious woman or man,
A
little risky sometimes,
A
trifle brash perhaps.
Some
of my friends prefer
To
rest more comfortably,
In
sounder sleep,
With
visionless eyes.
But
for those who share my dreams, I ask a little patience,
A
little humor, Some
small courage,
And
a listening heart.
I
will do the rest.
Then
they will risk, And
wonder at their daring
Run
and marvel at their speed;
Build,
and stand in awe at the beauty of their building.
You
will meet me often as you work;
In your companions, who share your risk;
In
your friends, who believe in you enough to lend their own dreams,
Their
own hands,
Their
own hearts,
To
your building;
In
the people who will find
your
doorway,
Stay
awhile, and walk away
Knowing they, too, can find a dream . . .
There
will be sun-filled days,
And
sometimes it will rain.
A
little variety!
Both
come from me.
So
come now,
Be
content.
It
is my dream you dream:
My
house you build;
My
caring you witness;
My
love you share;
And
this is
the heart of the matter.
Sister Charity, RGS -
Loving moments . . .
“Life
is not measured
by
the
number
of
breaths
we
take,
but by the
number
of moments
that
take
our
breath
away”
Loving and Hope . . .
We are truly on the way with Christ, our Hope and our
Promise, if we live a life of thanksgiving for all that God has already
revealed and done, and of vigilance for what God wants us to do in the present
moment, even if God wants to surprise us and lead us where we do not want to
go. For those who put their trust in
Christ, everything, even the most insignificant or the most unpleasant event,
becomes a sign of grace and hope, a school of vigilance for the coming of our
Lord. (Bernard Häring, Prayer, The Integration of Faith and Life)
Virtue and Love . . .
If love is the soul of Christian existence, it must be at
the heart of every other Christian virtue.
Thus, for example, justice without love is legalism; faith
without love is ideology; hope without love is self-centeredness; forgiveness
without love is self-abasement; fortitude without love is recklessness;
generosity without love is servitude; care without love is mere
duty; fidelity without love is servitude. Every virtue is an expression of love. No virtue is really a virtue unless it is
permeated, or informed, by love. (Richard P. McBrien)
Loving . . .
I saw that [God] is
everything which is good, as I understand.
And in this[God] showed me something small, no bigger than a hazelnut,
lying in the palm of my hand, as it seemed to me, and it was as round as a
ball. I looked at it with the eye of my
understanding and thought: What can this be?
I was amazed that it would last, for I thought that because of its
littleness it would suddenly have fallen into nothing. And I was answered in my understanding: It
lasts and always will, because God loves it; and thus everything has being
through the love of God. (Julian of
