1818 The virtue of hope responds to the aspiration to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man; it takes up the hopes that inspire men’s activities and purifies them so as to order them to the Kingdom of heaven; it keeps man from discouragement; it sustains him during times of abandonment; it opens up his heart in expectation of eternal beatitude. Buoyed up by hope, he is preserved from selfishness and led to the happiness that flows from charity.–Catechism of the Catholic Church
We often place our hope on so many undeserving people and things only to get let down time and time again. We think, this new book, this new diet plan, or this new relationship will finally do it. That the key to our complete happiness lays somewhere outside of ourselves.
Although material things can certainly satisfy us for a little while, and that keeps us in the game where intense addictions of varying degrees can set in. That’s not what we were created for. We were created for Him. Like St. Augustine said, “our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” And it’s not merely the ‘unchurched’ who hunger, we all do to some extent and need to be reminded often of what we have in Him.
There’s a better way. In Matthew 6:33 Jesus tells us to
“seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.”
He wants it all for us, but He wants us to come to Him first. He knows our needs, and He knows what is best for us. So we are to ‘pray and obey’…to walk closely in relationship with Him, not merely tell Him what He needs to do for us, He’s not a genie granting wishes. We lay all of our burdens on Him, but then we allow Him to speak to us. To guide us in our steps. The world has an answer for every problem. But often times they are very different than the Lord’s way.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your way, and my thoughts than your thoughts. –Isaiah 55:9
1931 Respect for the human person proceeds by way of respect for the principle that “everyone should look upon his neighbor (without any exception) as ‘another self,’ above all bearing in mind his life and the means necessary for living it with dignity.”37
No legislation could by itself do away with the fears, prejudices, and attitudes of pride and selfishness which obstruct the establishment of truly fraternal societies. Such behavior will cease only through the charity that finds in every man a “neighbor,” a brother. Catechism of the Catholic Church
In today’s society the word respect has come to mean something or someone we like, a feeling of deep admiration. However in the Christian Catholic perspective we are to go even beyond that. The term that I prefer is reverence. A deep awareness and appreciation for all that contains truth, beauty and goodness…the seeds of holiness.
If we truly were capable of seeing God throughout His entire creation, including ourselves, we’d be living in a state of reverence; seeing God everywhere and in everyone, even in those who cannot see it in themselves or have temporarily rejected it. I say temporarily, because it only becomes permanent at the hour of our bodily death. Until then it is our duty to make sure that no a single one of our brothers are lost.
This is not the wishy-washy ‘tolerance’ that our society so embraces, or the lack luster ‘luv’ that everyone is into. But a genuine, wanting the very best for each soul we encounter and desiring heaven for them.
This type of respect begins with ourselves. In what ways are we disrespecting ourselves? Do we know that this thing that we are subjecting ourselves to is harming us and we continue to do it? That’s disrespect.
1430 Jesus’ call to conversion and penance, like that of the prophets before him, does not aim first at outward works, “sackcloth and ashes,” fasting and mortification, but at the conversion of the heart, interior conversion. Without this, such penances remain sterile and false; however, interior conversion urges expression in visible signs, gestures and works of penance.23 — Catechism of the Catholic Church
We often see ‘fasting’ and ‘mortification’, as ways to make us feel as badly as possible because we look at it wrongly. Instead of turning to God and asking Him what would He like us to hand over to Him, we start thinking of some grand scheme that we ourselves can put into place.
The truth is that it does cause ‘suffering’ but only to the extent of our attachment to the thing that we are relinquishing. The motive should be to be free of all idols, to love God and His will for us above all.
In Uniformity of God’s Will, St. Alphonsus Ligouri says. “The essence of perfection is to embrace the will of God in all things, prosperous or adverse. In prosperity, even sinners find it easy to unite themselves to the divine will; but it takes saints to unite themselves to God’s will when things go wrong and are painful to self-love.“
So when looking for some penance to do, I’d suggest first turning to God in prayer and then look at all the ways that little disobediences have crept it…attack those. You’ll know them by their addictive qualities or strongholds…those things that are either at the point of causing outright pain already or are simply at the beginning stages and making you feel like you can’t live without them. Look at all that you consume… whether through diet or are letting in to your life through entertainment or so forth.
The end result, this union with God is SO worth it all, and not just for ourselves. In these dark times we are in now, where so much disobedience, if not outright evil is palpable… the only to combat it is with radical obedience. God can use each one of us, even if in the smallest ways. We just need to be completely open to receiving directions from Him without any interference. Our attachments and sins, cause interference.
Please take some time and watch this video on fasting…very powerful.
2830 …The Father who gives us life cannot but give us the nourishment life requires – all appropriate goods and blessings, both material and spiritual. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus insists on the filial trust that cooperates with our Father’s providence.115 He is not inviting us to idleness,116 but wants to relieve us from nagging worry and preoccupation. Such is the filial surrender of the children of God:
To those who seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, he has promised to give all else besides. Since everything indeed belongs to God, he who possesses God wants for nothing, if he himself is not found wanting before God.117
(Catechism of the Catholic Church)
Getting back to loving God with our “whole strength” and caring for our physical bodies, which is the Temple of the Holy Spirit also known as the ‘breath of God’.
There are several ways of stirring up the Holy Spirit, prayer, communion with each other (where two or more are gathered, there I’ll be), singing songs of praise…you get the point.
Now let’s take a look at what’s been happening and how Satan is attacking and we get a clearer picture of why. From the “I can’t breathe” movement to the whole pandemic situation, which has hit the lungs of those in high risk groups particularly hard. We’ve been prevented from gathering together, from singing in churches, and we’ve been told to wear masks (I’ll get to that later). Now do you see…this is an attack on the Holy Spirit! If Satan is THIS angry…something good must be coming that he is trying so desperately to keep us from.
Folks…we need to invoke the Holy Spirit! We need a revival and we need it NOW!
Now to get back to the physical act of breathing itself…and specifically the role of the lungs. We know that through inhalation we take in necessary oxygen, which our lungs helps to disperse through the blood system and then into every single cell in our bodies. What is not often considered is the importance of exhalation. Why do we need to exhale at all?
Well our Creator knew exactly what we would need to keep our bodies functioning properly. When we exhale, we release toxins that have been accumulated in our bodies. We have various other organs that do this, but the lungs are an important component in detoxifying the body. We learned in my previous post KNOWLEDGE, about the lymphatic system and how acidity in the body can be detrimental to our health, well the detoxifying process is one way that brings the body back to a more balanced PH. Now can you see what a potential hazard blocking this process via masks can be?
But the law is the law and I’m not telling you to not wear one. Here’s what I AM telling you. Be smart about it. Be aware of why your body works the way it does. The whole PH thing is about balance; and toxins of all sorts, from the food we eat, the air we breathe, the products we use on our skin, to our very own emotions, can effect it.
So here are my suggestions for healthier lungs…
Watch your general toxicity level (stay healthy…keep reading this blog for more ideas coming up.)
Reduce indoor pollutants (especially the products that you clean with, and air freshners)
Get fresh air as often as possible (remove that mask when it’s not necessary, please don’t drive around with it when you are alone in the car.)
Do some breathing exercises. You can find some on Youtube. But just some deep breathing. We tend toward shallow breathing when we get anxious.
Get some movement in (this helps to move your lymphatic system as well). Simple walks are fine. A small trampoline at home, or a treadmill, are great for the Winter.
Add some house plants.
I am a Young Living distributor because I fully believe in their products and I feel the Lord has lead me to them. More to come on this. So if you’d like to explore clean, toxin free options for anything from cleaning supplies, to beauty products, please check out my page—> Essy’s Young Living Page.
2015 The way of perfection passes by way of the Cross. There is no holiness without renunciation and spiritual battle.68 Spiritual progress entails the ascesis and mortification that gradually lead to living in the peace and joy of the Beatitudes:
He who climbs never stops going from beginning to beginning, through beginnings that have no end. He never stops desiring what he already knows.69
2016 The children of our holy mother the Church rightly hope for the grace of final perseverance and the recompense of God their Father for the good works accomplished with his grace in communion with Jesus.70 Keeping the same rule of life, believers share the “blessed hope” of those whom the divine mercy gathers into the “holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”71 Catechism of the Catholic Church
On this journey there will be many ‘stair cases’ set before us, many apparent choices for us to make. But only one will bring us to the fullness of life. It takes extra ordinary virtue to persevere in it. Satan will use all at his disposal to lure us away from the path that the Lord has set before us. Renunciation then is to renounce these other choices. To stay true to our mission at hand. What is that? Well, it’s actually not as complicated as we may at times think. It’s merely to do the duty of the moment.
If you have the tendency to get as spazzed out as I do, setting up a routine might be a good idea. In the very beginning of this series I spoke of the book ‘A Mother’s Rule of Life’. The same way that monasteries have a set rule for the nuns to follow, we mothers can set one up for ourselves too. I like to schedule my routine in time blocks, instead of hour by hour.
The way mine is set up is the first time block is for me and God. The second time block as a homeschooling mom, I have assigned to my kids and as they have more independence now, I can also attain to my other Divinely assigned ‘ministries’ as they come up, during this time slot. Then my final slot is to attend to my home and family’s needs.
Then it becomes a matter of praying and listening. Being attentive to what our weaknesses or (‘symptoms’) are and specifically giving those areas over to Him as the video that I’ve linked below suggests, ‘practice the virtue that opposes your weakness’.
If you haven’t yet done so, this may be a good time to start that journal that I mentioned last week. Start paying attention to the areas that are causing you the most hurt, and with God’s grace and guidance, work to change them.
These are incredibly difficult times that we are all living through. But God has a plan, and it starts with each one of us working on the thing that we have the most influence over…ourselves. It’s really that simple.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus says “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” So…are you ready to become part of the kindling? The Kingdom needs you. Have a blessed day!
2716 Contemplative prayer is hearing the Word of God. Far from being passive, such attentiveness is the obedience of faith, the unconditional acceptance of a servant, and the loving commitment of a child. It participates in the “Yes” of the Son become servant and the Fiat of God’s lowly handmaid.
(Catechism of the Catholic Church)
We need to train our selves to react compassionately and mercifully to all ailments…whether within ourselves, others, or society at large. We need to see what we now try to avert our eyes from as merely a symptom, a calling for further healing. The world shows us of its need for God (and for us) in the most undesirable ways. This way of attentiveness that we are encouraged to participate with the world in, needs to begin with ourselves.
How do you view the various symptoms that you experience within your own body? Society and much of the medical industry tries to tell us each of our symptoms are a separate ‘disease’ and needs to be treated as such, with a separate medical specialist, and drug.
But what if I were to propose to you that much of what we suffer from are merely symptoms, a calling to attentiveness, to bring us back to how we were created to function. Yes, I know that many suffer with debilitating illnesses that go beyond the scope of what I’m covering here. This is not what I’m referring to. My aim here is to bring the average person back to trusting their own body and their Creator and then actively participating in their own healing via obedience.
So today’s challenge is.
Be attentive to what your body is trying to tell you. Keeping a journal is a great way to start on this path. Make a list of your symptoms, what are some things that you would change if you could. Then ask the Lord to show you what needs to be done.
2500: The practice of goodness is accompanied by spontaneous spiritual joy and moral beauty. (Catechism of the Catholic Church)
Sometimes it’s hard to control our feelings and emotions, especially when faced with someone who we know doesn’t like or respect us. This is so relevant for us today who live in such a divided world. Even within our own families we are now facing the reality that our world view is not only rejected, but spurned. But through all of the craziness we’ve been shown over and over examples of Christians who reflected nothing but calmness and goodness, even in the face of evil being spat at them.
So although we can’t often change our interior disposition (although God can and we should pray for it), the one thing we can do is be open to emitting Jesus’ own goodness and love through us. One very simple way of doing this is through our smile. As one who struggles with RBF (if you don’t know what this is, you can look it up. 😉 ), I have to intentionally make an effort to do this.
By this simple task, we are not only conveying Jesus’ goodness to others, but it can actually alter our frame of mind and lead us to better health. Our body picks up on these subtle messages…oh, she’s smiling…we must be feeling good…let’s pump out some feel good hormones. 😀 Feel good hormones are great alkalizing agents, and the whole body benefits from it.
1808Fortitude is the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good. It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to
overcome obstacles in the moral life. The virtue of fortitude enables one to conquer
fear, even fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions. It disposes one even to
renounce and sacrifice his life in defense of a just cause. "The Lord is my strength
and my song."70 "In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have
overcome the world."71 (Catechism of the Catholic Church)
This special virtue is given to us to combat ‘vice’. In Portuguese the word ‘viceo’, means a habit or an addiction, while the English word has taken a more dire twist. But let’s aim to combat all ‘vices’. Even the little things that we hardly ever give a second thought to, can eventually trap us. Luckily we have Fortitude which is a gift of the Holy Spirit to see us through all of it.
Since we are starting our steps with the SELF, begin by listening to your body. What things do you know are causing you harm but you just can’t seem to quit. Ask the Holy Spirit for an extra portion of fortitude.
Here were are starting to take a look at the workings of our body and how to maintain it.
Being a prophet is merely being in touch with the heart of God, to be able to discern His voice. To be able to see what is there that so many others miss.
A priestly, prophetic, and royal people 783 Jesus Christ is the one whom the Father anointed with the Holy Spirit and established as priest, prophet, and king. The whole People of God participates in these three offices of Christ and bears the responsibilities for mission and service that flow from them.208 (Catechism of the Catholic Church)
We will now step into loving God with our whole strength, our bodies. He has created us intelligently and wonderfully to be able to serve Him to best of our ability and we owe it to Him to take good care of it. So working for the inside out, this week I’d like for us to take a closer look at our Lymphatic System and how we can support it. Everyone is very familiar with the circulatory system, how the blood nourishes the body and how the heart pumps it through. The Lymphatic system runs through our body in a similar network, extending all the way up and down our bodies and holds an immensely critical role…various actually. It has a part in building up our immune system for one, but what I want to focus on for now is its role in detoxifying the body.
Just like tiny blood vessels get blood into every cell of the body, the lymphatic systems has similar network to remove the waste that is created there by removing used up fluids. These waste products then get carried into the main lymphatic vessels to be cleaned up on route back to other main organs of the body, either to the circulatory system to be used again, or kidneys to be eliminated. The specific areas that ‘cleans things up’ are our lymph nodes. We have several throughout the body, you’ve probably felt the ones on your neck swell up when you had some sort of infection. That’s your body doing its job.
The thing with the lymphatic system is that it doesn’t get moved around with a pump like the blood does, so it can get sluggish and we need to be proactive in maintaining it. Many things can contribute to this sluggishness and we’ll be discussing ways we can support the lymphatic system as we progress with this program. Another thing to remember is how acidity in the body can effect it as well. Acids can be very corrosive, and this is no less true within our body (the stomach is the only place that requires acids to do its job). When this happens the body’s healing system kicks in. What you may know as ‘inflammation’, is actually part of the body’s defense team…you may experience this as excess phlegm after eating certain foods or coming into contact with a foreign substance as in an allergic reaction. This is normal and healthy, unless it becomes chronic. Our bodies were meant to deal with an occasional acid overload…not a constant way of life.
One small step that we can take to support our lymphatic system is to stay well hydrated. This is simple, just drink more. Lymph like blood consists mostly of water. The thing to keep in mind though is that we want to help it and not hurt it. So we need to stay away from highly acidic drinks… sugary drinks, caffeine, carbonated beverages, alcohol, are all very acidic. Animal products are also very acidic, so that makes milk not as good for your body as the the milk industry wants you to believe. Milk is great for baby cows, not so much for humans. So the most perfect drink is simply water.
What I’m trying to do here is not assign you a set of rules on what to do or even what products to buy. My goal is to get people to start thinking about their bodies as Divinely created with a purpose, to maintain a strong relationship with their Creator, and look to Him for answers. That our prayers should be more than simply asking God to get us out of a jam, but to look deeper at what keeps getting us in that jam, to pray and obey. To be aware that our small steps have consequences. We often are so eager to do great things for God, get out the sack cloth and ashes, but often a life of Holiness and wellness simply means doing the little things for love of Him. The beauty of it is how He honors that, our little ‘sacrifices’ mean so much…they open up such incredible graces for ourselves and for others.
I often hear people say that they can’t do such and such a thing for Lent because they’ll fail, or won’t do it properly, or whatever other excuse they can come up with. The thing is that that’s sort of the point. I mean if you are trying to let go of sin, then yes…success is imperative. However, if you are merely giving up a good because you are a little too attached to it, then it’s ok to face the struggle. In fact I’d say that it’s a big part of what Lent is about. You need to come to the point that you realize that you can’t do it on your own and that you need a ‘Savior’…you NEED Jesus! No matter what our struggles are, He’s the only One that can provide the perfect solution for us.No problem is too big, or too small. So the aim of Lent is not to test your own strength, but for you to come to realize and depend on God’s and build or strengthen your relationship with Him. That’s it…that’s the point…a more intimate walk with Jesus!
So after having prayed about it and feeling that this is what the Lord wants from you, then you are ready for the Lenten Journey. Stick with me and we’ll ‘step into it’ together. The way we make it through is to keep our focus on Jesus. You’ve heard the phrase, keep the goal in mind. It’s the same idea. We are going to be crossing the barren desert into the Promised Land. So we will be focusing on what is in front of us and not on what is underneath our feet, nor on that which we have left behind. The thing that is waiting for us is a life of grace and virtue. So that is exactly what we’ll be focusing on, with Jesus by our side the entire time. The Lord has given me 12 Virtues to focus on. I had started on February 13th with the Nineveh 90 folks but I’m being inspired to start over, and to keep going until Pentecost! Come Holy Spirit!
Here is a list of the Virtues we’ll be focusing on:
We will appropriately start with humility this coming week and will continue stepping right through Holy Week which will see us focusing on Hope for the conclusion of Lent, then if you decide to keep going with me we will complete the 12 weeks and then start back up with Humility which leads us right to Pentecost Sunday.
We will of course be open to ALL of God’s graces and any work that He wants to do in and through us. However by focusing on a specific virtue, we are giving ourselves holy boundaries so that our mind and strength doesn’t get scattered in every which way.
Help for the Journey:
1)If you need book suggestions, please check out Our Book Store , I will be adding new books as I feel inspired.
2) You can download my FREE daily planner that I’ve put together just for this journey. Nineveh Daily Planner
3) And you can also reach out to me at any time via the different Social Media sites.
So I hope that you decide to step into this Lenten Journey with me, as we aim to keep our focus on Jesus and the virtues that He’d like us to learn and grow in.
