My sweetness is not my weakness !

I get such comfort from writing. When something is on my mind it helps when I write it out. These days my writings of feelings are taking not a Dear Diary kind  of style as it used to but more of a Dear Jesus or Dear God format. One day try sitting in a Church or other holy place with a notebook and start of Dear God...

Once I visited the blessed sacrament very perturbed with the intention of relating my feelings of anguish to God. But something miraculously happened. I started my letter Dear God and not for the life of me could I remember what it is was that was bothering me so. It was amazing. Since then my memory of whatever it is I was going to write is quite distant and hard to remember so why even bother recalling it. My letter immediately took a different format where I thanked God for the things He has blessed me with and prayed for others.

In a few of my reflection I always tend to focus on sin, because face it, it is the inescapable  trap that can kill us if we don't avoid it or escape from it. But today at mass something hit me. I discovered one of Satan's dirty little tricks. You know he actually turns our talents or strengths that God has blessed us with into weaknesses and these many times cause us to sin.

If you have a very strong personality you may be a natural born leader, a manager and solid support system for those friends of yours who may not be so strong. But when you are in a bad mood do you snap at others and speak to them harshly and hurt them ?

You may be  a nice person, a people pleaser, often timid, a person who will forget yourself to do something nice for anyone really, who is quite forgiving and compromising just to avoid conflict and keep everyone happy which doesn't bother you much. But you may find yourself in a position where someone may ask you to do something that is wrong, you don't really want to do it but you don't want this person to be displeased and possibly not like you for actually saying no for once.

Or are you the loner who likes to quietly reflect and pray for others silently and when others offer you a friendly hand you act indifferent. Or you maybe the friendly kind who would do anything to be friends with any and anyone literally anything good or bad. Or are you a lover ? You wear your heart on your sleeve and give away so easily and often it comes back broken so you are scared to love again.

Don't allow Satan to turn your sweetness into weakness claim your strength, your niceness, your shyness, your friendliness and your ability to love freely. But pray for discernment to know when your natural instinct needs to be something a little different. Thank Jesus for your unique personality and ask Him to guide to the places where it is most needed in your life and ask him to not lead you into a trap that you cannot avoid because you react in a way that comes natural to you. Pray the Our Father and focus on the section that says lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

Dear God,

I thank you for my strength help me not to make it into my weakness.

Sincerely

Your daughter

Nicole

Amen.

Faith vs Persecutors

This week's readings if you follow the daily reading from http://www.usccb.org/nab/ come from the Acts of the Apostles Chapter 5:17-42.

Peter and the other apostles had started preaching to the people about Jesus- His life, His death and resurrection as they had witnessed it first hand. The Sadducees and high priests felt threatened by the influence of the apostles on the masses. The Sadducees felt that they were the teachers of the Law and the authority on all faith and religious matters not these fishermen apostles of the carpenter's son ! The High Priest had even sent them to jail and what happened  - they were miraculously set free ! Then they were right back at it preaching in the temple to the people about Jesus - take that Sadducees ! They went right back preaching and teaching and weren't afraid to get imprisoned again. Gamaliel a respected teacher of the law advised the other high priests to leave Peter and the apostles alone. If their activities are of human origin it will destroy itself, if on the other hand it is from God no one will be able to destroy it.

The actions of the apostles show immense signs of faith. How many persons have been persecuted and killed for preaching and teaching Jesus Christ. Has the preaching and teaching of Christ stopped yet ? No.

But alas, there is fear that one day it might as I see dwindling numbers of church goers and increasing numbers of persons just existing not believing in anything much but themselves. Secularism is a new kind of religious persecution where we start our lives living, preaching and teaching Jesus Christ and are persecuted for  doing just that and get then get our lives thrown into the jail of sin. How does it get there in the first place ? Why do criminals commit crimes ? Because the crime may seem to attain them something more attractive than what they presently have in their current legit lives.

It is the same thing with sin in general. We see a nice thing in the world that seems so attractive we almost convince ourselves we deserve to have it - one night stands, "getting wasted" (drunk) , stealing, adultery, breaking up marriages and relationships by encouraging  and participating in affairs, making excuses for not praying, participating in illegal acts. In attaining these things we chip away our spiritual lives piece by piece until it is eventually thrown into jail. Our spirit sometimes feels captured. But if we continue to give into our human ways we will be destroyed and remain in jail. We are not perfect and it happens to all of us. However if we repent and reform our lives (and in turn our spirit) and come back to God he will set us free. Have faith that He will for what is of God cannot be destroyed. Once we are free we should not be afraid to face the world again but should be brave to go back to doing what Satan is threatened by-teaching and preaching Jesus Christ not only with our words but by the way we live.

That's it for now ! Blessings !


Nicole

PS It's May- Pray the rosary ! I didn't like praying the rosary at all until I started really praying it more often. I realized how powerful a prayer it is. It is like a soothing Mantra which allows you to really focus on the things you need to pray for. If you're not sure how to do it go to youtube and look for a good instructional video. Or pray it with the group on EWTN who pray it at 7:30 am EST every morning.

Rise with Him his Easter.

Hello Everyone,

Those of you following my blog would have read my two Lenten reflections speaking of sin and how sometimes you forget the presence of Christ in your life. Those of you who have made Lenten sacrifices to experience the journey through the desert with Jesus over the last 40 days have now laid your burdens to rest in the tomb and have risen with Him today by indulging in whatever it is you have sacrificed. I gave up facebook for Lent, well most of Lent and I'm back today. But Easter Sunday must not just be the day to return to your 'normal' life after having been reflective and peaceful over the past 40 days. Easter Sunday should be a day of renewal, whatever it is that you have reflected on or the sins you have laid to rest this Lent should be nailed to that cross of Christ and not allowed to be part of your life again. In celebration of Christ's resurrection we should celebrate our own personal resurrection and joy in the fact that we can leave our burdens at the foot of the cross and that we can be joyous in the salvation that Jesus has obtained for us today.

So as for giving up facebook I have felt the tempations of wanting to "return to the world" as one of my friends put it but I have resisted and today I will try to use facebook sparingly and positively, to keep in touch with friends, family and to inspire and spark constructive conversation with my facebook updates rather than breakdown others or incite division. (fingers crossed because people out there sure do tempt me to say some stuff) Whatever it is your sacrifice was -partying, alcohol, meat - try to see how your sacrifice has changed you into a new resurrected being this Easter.

Happy Easter Friends !

God Bless

Nicole

Looking Forward to EASTER

I haven't posted this week. Don't think this will be a tou chaud tou flam kind of thing, it is not, I will write as I am inspired.

Have you ever felt the need to draw back from the world and be quiet for a while ? I suddenly have been feeling this way for the week. Not necessarily because it is Holy Week, or maybe because it is. Either way it is an appropriate time to do so. It is a week to anticipate the resurrection of the Lord. Of course Jesus rose many years ago so what do we look forward to today ?

Look forward to reward for any sacrifices made this season.

Look forward to resurrection of your soul after repenting for your sins.

Look forward to salvation that has already been claimed for you when Christ rose all of those years ago.

This week there will be several temptations and distractions that will try to deter you from your Holy obligations or a time of quiet reflection. There will also be several temptations and distractions that may cause you to sin. Be sure to identify them quickly. Bask in the saving power of the Christ this Easter Sunday.

Glory be to God He has risen !!!!
Glory be to God  by His death and resurrection we are saved !!

Hopefully another post this Easter Sunday ! Stay tuned.

Blessings !

Nic

Hope Amidst the Fiery Furnace

Post number 2 in Keeping with the theme of Lent and Repentance.

Today’s Reading comes from Daniel chapter 3 - The story of King Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel’s three friends who were sentenced to the fiery furnace – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Looking at the story from a different stand point I would like to focus on the image of the fiery furnace. Sometimes the world may condemn us to the fiery furnace or would like us to believe that something is wrong with us if we do not conform to its ways. Often, turning away from the world may seem like the most painful thing to do because the world appeals to our human nature. We say to ourselves “Well maybe this act is ok because everyone is doing it, or everyone expects me to behave this way too.”

The question to ask is does God expect you to behave in this way ? He is the only one who can truly judge your actions and can determine your fate. Not your friends, not your co workers, your classmates or peers in general. 

If you choose the way of God you may find that you are alone in your decision, that you are abandoned by those who try to get you to act in a way that is not pleasing to God. They condemn you to the fiery furnace for being true to your God. You get consumed by the fiery furnace and feel that the temperature is too hot. You look at your ‘friends’ out there looking so cool (cool as in temperature too) and you want them to pull you back in to their world. But look around you….you are not alone, just like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were not alone…

Nebuchadnezzar rose in haste and asked his nobles,
“Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?”
“Assuredly, O king,” they answered.
“But,” he replied, “I see four men unfettered and unhurt,
walking in the fire, and the fourth looks like a son of God.”

When you walk in that fiery furnace know that you are not alone Jesus is present and will always protect you from the fiery death that you seem to face for following His ways.  Once you trust in Him and are strong you will be unfettered and others will see you unfettered and thriving amidst the flames. Hopefully your actions will be a testament to the others who left you in the furnace and they will recognize, just like King Nebuchadnezzar that your God is more powerful than the worldly gods.

“Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, (and your God too)
who sent his angel to deliver the servants who trusted in him;
they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their bodies
rather than serve or worship any god
except their own God.”

I hope you are blessed today. Keep on praying and fasting to be truly blessed this Easter !

Nicole

Repentance

I have experienced many a Lenten season in my life. But this by far is the season when I really take it for what it is. It is a season of repentance. To throw away as the song says all the past stones, to take the yoke off your shoulders and give it to the one who says that their burden is easy and yoke is light.

Many Catholics (myself included) like to go through the motions- go to Church every Sunday, go to Lenten retreat, do Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and really do nothing to try and change our lives once Easter Sunday comes. Some of us may feel that our sins are so heavy, that our burdens are so great that there is no way they can be alleviated. But as the Bible says for God all things are possible.

In the Gospel of John chapter 11 the Gospel from the 5th Sunday of Lent we hear of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. When Jesus comes to visit Martha and Mary the sisters of Lazarus they both say to him

"Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."

There may be points in our lives when reflect we may think that if only I was closer to God at that time, if only Jesus was truly present in my life such and such a thing would not have happened. I would not have gone down that road.

Therefore we must make a special effort to keep Jesus always present in our lives and much more to always be mindful of His presence. Keeping Jesus near will prevent us from walking down that road of death. 

 However we are only human. Perfection is only of God and yes we do fall. But the difficult part of falling most times is getting up. Sometimes we think we have fallen so far that there can be no happiness for us again that there can be no way we can encounter God like we used to. Talking from experience at times like these we struggle to pray, we struggle to love, we avoid making contact with others, we just want to roll up in a ball and die. Some of us continue to fall believing that that is now your nature and calling to be a failure. But God is all merciful, all powerful.  God does not make junk ! Recognize that all these feelings are incited by the evil one who will try to convince you that life must continue on a path of self destruction which will eventually claim your eternal soul.

Think about it ? How can God put feelings in your heart that would prevent you from praying and showing love for others ? No these feelings of shame and spiritual torment are only incited by the evil one and you must trust in God to overcome them.

Jesus says to Martha "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live."

This says to me that even though you may be spiritually dead once you believe in the One who is the resurrection and the life you can live again ! That's right all is not lost for you who may be burdened by guilt. 


Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me." Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."


What great things can be accomplished by Our lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Those of us who may feel dead and buried, laying behind a stone must trust and make the effort to first remove the stone and allow the Lord to do the rest. Everything that He asks of the Father will be done. Pray that he too can raise you up. Once you have risen unbind yourself, remove the cloth from your face and smile. Show no semblance of having laid in that tomb for 4 days but live brand new.

If you are Catholic I highly recommend the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This sacrament allows you to call to mind all the things in your life that you may need to ask forgiveness for and also makes you aware of the things in you life that you need to change. After you have been absolved trust that you are brand new and make a fresh start at life. That doesn't not mean that you will forget your sins, but you do not let them own you or make them define who you are. You are a child of God and so you must now live. 

You may wonder if this is possible that God can just forgive you and remove your demons of the past with you being a brand new person. Jesus removed demons in the Bible in one case described in Luke Chapter 4. It says clearly that Jesus removed the demon from a man and afterward the man was left unharmed.


Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" When the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. 


Yes take back your life for sin and evil cannot harm you once you are willing to give your burdens to Jesus and believe in God's mercy. Let Jesus deal with the demons He knows how to handle them leaving you unmarred, still brand new.
Brother, Sister, be strong in your journey. Walking in the world ain't easy but it helps if you walk in His Word.

And remember You cannot die if Jesus is present ! 

This is my first Blog entry and I hope that it has inspired someone and that I am inspired to keep on writing to help us all on our walk in this world. 

God Bless you

Nicole