Be One of the Ones

GospelLK 17:11-19

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten persons with leprosy met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,
“Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”
And when he saw them, he said,
“Go show yourselves to the priests.”
As they were going they were cleansed.
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
“Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine?
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”
Then he said to him, “Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you.”

I want to be one of the ones. I want to be the one who comes back to give thanks! I’ve been thinking of this a lot lately. God gives us miracles daily and yet how often do we proclaim His goodness and remember Him as the giver of all good blessings? How often do we stop to pray prayers of thanksgiving when our prayers are answered before we start petitioning the next set of needs and questions? How often do we give thanks for things we take for granted – freedom, safety, housing, food, faith, friends, family, hope, eternal life, love and education to name a few.

One of the characteristic’s I’ve noticed in the lives of the saints is their radical gratitude, in all seasons. They proclaim God’s goodness not because of what they get but because of who God is.

Are you standing in a place of abundance? Maybe it’s easy for you to give thanks this Thanksgiving as you stand in fields of plenty. Maybe you are walking through the desert where the sun is scorching, the land is cracked, and the air is arid. Either way, we are called to live a life of abundance. I’m not talking about commercialism, consumerism, Black Friday is starting at 10 pm abundance. (And believe me, you’ll be thankful I’m avoiding that tirade). No, the abundance we are called to live rests on Truth, an eternal Truth, who came to life; a Truth whose name is Love; a Truth who came in the stillness of a manger to a humble Jewish girl; a Truth who selflessly gave His very Body and Blood on the cross and who in the midst of agony proclaimed thy will be done. For even when we walk through the shadow of death we shall fear no evil for Truth has set us free. The victory’s been won, kids!

How often do we proclaim it in the midst of difficulty? Are you living as if you’ll believe more when (insert whatever or whoever you are waiting for arrives)? Are you waiting for things to change and then when they do you’ll be more grateful, thankful or more joyful?

We are called to see before we see. We are called to live the abundant miracles God has for us today. I’m more convinced than ever that miracles happen – they are happening, have happened, and will happen. Are you seeing them? Or are you the ostrich who has their head in the sand focused on what’s not going right that you are missing the beauty of the present moment?

Don’t let the miracles God wants to give you go unopened. The greatest gift we can ever delve into is our faith. By it, we come to know Love unending and enables even those of us standing in abundant fields, to live life in color.

Verso l’alto,

Kathryn

I am overwhelmed
With a joy divine

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-am/id740245282?i=740245353&ign-mpt=uo%3D2

Don't you go and, let the world weigh you down

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNK96nZk0Hk

Foundations

Are you a comfortable, anonymous Catholic? Well good morning to you as well, Father. Without asking, the priest asked. He preached on the growing irreligious sense of our culture, he intoned the need to preach with word and example in the marketplaces of our contemporary society – at work, amongst family and friends. Father recognized the ease with which many of us attend Mass and pray and yet shut the door of our faith when we walk out of Church.

To be a Christian is to be a light bearer. If Christ is the light of the world and if, as He commanded, “I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the utmost parts of the earth,” we are called to bear His light (Acts 13:47). In a world often cluttered with noise, stuff, and distractions it is easy for our hearts to dismiss the importance of the big questions: who am I, why am I here, how am I called to receive from and give to God and others love; how do my thoughts, words, and deeds pertain to Christ’s call of self denial so that I may “go by the same way as Christ went, in the humble form of a servant, in want, scorn, and mockery, not loving the world and not beloved by it?” (Gospel  of Suffering, 19). How often do I remember that the only judgment that matters is Christ’s in the light of eternity? These are serious questions which bear significance and therefore require adequate reflection. Some of these answers will be and are foundational. Others of these are seasonal and mere accouterments to the structural foundation we decide upon. Recently I’ve been thinking of the sand castles I spent building during my early twenties. Now I don’t believe any labor when in light of Christ is done in vain; however, when sand castles are seemingly washed away it does prompt one before rebuilding to question: Are you building sand castles or fortresses? Is the Lord the cornerstone?

“John Paul said that he … believed that young people were capable of greatness. His hope was strengthened whenever he met the young because ‘the longing present in every heart for a full and free life that is worthy of the human person is particularly strong in youth… Being young is a time designed by God for searching” (Witness to Hope, 684-685). Let us be thankful for this time of searching. Let us be thankful for this time when Christ offers us Himself as our foundation. Let us be thankful for the grace to renounce all that leads us astray. Let us be thankful for the courage to sit in the school of silence and to daily decide our foundation.

Bl. Pier Giorgio knew the value in this search. He would ascend to the heights physically amongst the mountains while also spiritually ascending the way of perfection. He, in his youth, answered these questions. Sometimes we think of the saints as people who just are walking along and as though their way was their way. Rather, it is important to recognize they all faced the same choices that we face today. How am I called to lay down my life for the sake of the Gospel? As a response to God’s love, the only proper response is self-giving love. The saints availed themselves to God’s grace, opened themselves to God’s plans, and decided to journey on the narrow way because Christ called and because they testify that the yoke of the Lord is light. He who bears His cross will find much joy.

“There are moments in which the human soul, free of all fetters, laid bare, reveals more to others than itself. On that sad winter afternoon at the railway station, I read in my brother’s farewell the signs of his dismay. He trembled all over and his tears fell almost dry from eyes burning with pain. He could not form whole words; they came out with a stammer that almost turned into a scream. (Man of the Beatitudes, 115).”  The saints were faced with the question of renouncing societal average as their path as well as how to bear real sorrow with joy. Let us have the courage to share and show our wounds to Christ. The Divine Physician wishes to heal our hurts and glorify our wounds. As God courageously bears the wounds from the wood of the cross for us to see, let us too vulnerably approach the cross with both the surety and joy of the resurrection and the humility of the manger.

Verso l’alto,

Kathryn Grace

Love's the only house big enough for all the pain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzM_lxnzi64

Don’t let your praying knees get lazy and love like CRAZY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0f5g18EbG4

You're not alone...We've all got bruises 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mil8F3qfLqk

Eyes of Faith

“Yes, ‘tremendous are the deeds of the Lord! Shout joyfully to God all you on earth’ (Ps. 66:1-3). The verses of the Psalm resound…as a living echo of young Frassati’s soul. Indeed, we all know how much he loved the world God created! “Come and see the works of God’ (Ps 65/66:5): this is also an invitation which we receive from his young soul and which is particularly addressed to young people. Come and see God’s ‘tremendous deeds among men’ (ibid). Tremendous deeds among men and women! Human eyes- young, sensitive eyes- must be able to admire God’s work in the external, visible world. The eyes of the spirit must be able to turn from this external, visible world to the inner, invisible one: thus they can reveal to others the realm of the spirit in which the light of the Word that enlightens every person is reflected (cf. Jn 1:9). In this light the Spirit of Truth acts.” (Man of the Beatitudes, 160)

Bl. JP II acknowledges Frassati’s ability to not only see God’s splendor and magnificence in the glory of the mountains and the created earth but also within the heart of each person he met. It is the eyes of faith which allowed Bl. Pier Giorgio to reveal to others their God given dignity. His supernatural eyesight saw the reality that we are each created in the image and likeness of God and held into being by His steadfast love for us. We are called to reveal this to others and we are called to live this Truth, the light of the word enlightens every person,  for ourselves as well.

Additionally, our eyes of faith call us to look upon the bread and wine and to see the body and blood, soul and divinity of Christ. Do we really believe each time we attend Mass that the Lord of Hosts who created Heaven and Earth comes to reside not only in the tabernacle but in our hearts. Not just in the spiritual reality that He lives within us by His grace but that Christ’s very presence from the manager to the cross becomes Incarnate for and in us. Do we believe that wholeheartedly?

I was recently listening to Gone, Gone, Gone by Philip Phillips and there was so much about the song that captured my attention this particular time. More to come on that but for now not only does it remind me of God’s song to us as Prodigals as he sings “I love you long after you are gone, gone, gone,” but Phillips also sings “like a drum my heart never stops beating for you.” It reminds me of the Eucharistic miracle in Lanciano, Italy.

“One day at mass, a Basilian monk started doubting the real and substantial presence of the Flesh and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the consecrated Holy Species. After having pronounced the words of Consecration (“This is My Body... This is My Blood”), as Jesus had taught it to His Apostles, the monk saw the host change into a living piece of Flesh, and the wine change into real blood, which thereupon coagulated and split into five globules, irregular and differing in shape and size. We quote excerpts from a document kept at Lanciano:

 ‘Frightened and confused by so great and so stupendous a miracle, he stood quite a while as if transported in a divine ecstasy; but finally, as fear yielded to the spiritual joy which filled his soul with a happy face, even though bathed with tears, having turned to the bystanders, he thus spoke to them: `O fortunate witnesses to whom the Blessed God, to counfound my unbelief, has wished to reveal Himself in this Most Blessed Sacrament and to render Himself visible to our eyes. Come Brethren, and marvel at our God so close to us. Behold the Flesh and the Blood of our Most Beloved Christ.’

in 1981, there took place a scientific investigation by the most illustrious scientist Prof. Odoardo Linoli, eminent Professor in Anatomy and Pathological Histology and in Chemistry and Clinical Microscopy. He was assisted by Prof. Ruggero Bertelli of the University of Siena. [They did not know the source was a host] Their analyses sustained the following conclusions:

The Flesh is real flesh. The Blood is real Blood.

The Flesh and the Blood belong to the human species.

The Flesh consists of the muscular tissue of the heart.

In the Flesh we see present in section: the myocardium, the endocardium, the vagus nerve and also the left ventricle of the heart for the large thickness of the myocardium.

The Flesh and the Blood have the same blood-type: AB (The blood-type identical to that which Prof. Baima Bollone uncovered in the Holy Shroud of Turin). In the Blood there were found proteins in the same normal proportions (percentage-wise) as are found in the sero-proteic make-up of fresh normal blood. In the Blood there were also found these minerals: chlorides, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium and calcium. The preservation of the Flesh and of the Blood, which were left in their natural state for twelve centuries and exposed to the action of atmospheric and biological agents, remains an extraordinary phenomenon. “

The Eucharist contains the heart of Christ. Not a hallmark, roses are red, pretty hearts kind of heart. The physical flesh of God and not in a it used to be that kind of way. Just as our hearts continue to beat, so too does the Lord’s heart never stop beating for us. As He was crucified on Calvary and as He laid in the stillness of the manger, He is a living God who longs to be with us. Let us see with eyes of faith His presence in our lives and His insatiable love that continues to beat for us. Let us trust that even though we shall die and our hearts will one day physically stop, His steadfast love never tires of loving us. Let us receive His love with great joy. Let us receive His body and blood with gratitude and belief.

“Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.” Bl. Pier Giorgio, pray for us.

“The exuberance of the life of the party and monastic concentration were expressions of the very same spiritual disposition: be it on the mountain peaks or at the feet of the Tabernacle, [Pier Giorgio’s] transparent soul encountered God with similar ease.” (An Ordinary Christian, 80).

Verso l’alto,

Kathryn Grace

Like  a drum, my heart will never stop beating for you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72gqtG0U__A

As close as a heartbeat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_wb38KMXLs

One thing remains : It is what is unchanging in your life that makes sense of change.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_KXsMCJgBQ

Every Rose Has It's Thorns

“‘Faith enables us to bear the thorns with which our life is woven.’ These words of Pier Giorgio’s are from a note dated “Turin: 3.5.1925 to Clementina Luotto, whose mother was ill."”  (A Man of the Beatitudes, 133).

The Christian path is scattered with roses and the sweet fragrance they emit envelopes us as we journey towards the resurrection and eternal life (especially if you are friends with St. Therese). That being said, the Lord of Hosts, who came as a babe in the manger, was crowned with a crown of thorns – a piercing reality which punctured skin and drew blood.

We all face difficult moments in life. We all bear crosses which feel (operative word) at times as though they carry with them a crushing weight. I’m not making light of this reality as it can both feel overwhelming and literally bring us, like Jesus, to our knees when we fall under the weight of the cross which we carry. Blessed John Paul II recognized that for Pier Giorgio “The secret of his apostolic zeal and holiness is to be sought in the ascetical spiritual journey which he traveled…[and] in [his] peaceful acceptance of life’s difficulties.” (A Man of the Beatitudes, 157). 

As I was walking to Mass this morning I was inquiring what is the etymology of the word acceptance? I took Latin for six years. Sometimes I have these thoughts. Anyway, acceptance is derived from acceptare, which means to receive. Acceptance is authentically proclaiming thy will be done and receiving the answer with unshakeable faith and gratitude. It is a vision that it is the cross which leads to the resurrection. Acceptance is recognizing the beautiful union of joy and suffering. These are not divorced realities. Just as a rose intrinsically has both a flower and thorns in order to be a rose, so as Christians we see the unity of death and eternal life, suffering and joy, for to accept the crown of thorns is to accept the crown of life.

Each cross is fashioned individually for each of us to more intimately know God’s sacrificial and enduring love. Let us joyfully accept the crosses God gives us for they are fashioned individually to ourselves so that we may know everlasting joy, eternal hope, and redeeming love.

Verso l'alto, 

Kathryn 

“Don’t be afraid of the thorns.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ_Bnu_RbQM

Let Him be the Author of Salvation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR8rlTIU8_Y

“Everyday’s another chance to start to look around and see where we are is where we were trying to get to.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsoGbyoq0wE

Wait

5/9/2013 

A Meditation for the Ascension

Acts 1: 1 - 11 

In the first book, Theophilus,
I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught
until the day he was taken up,
after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit
to the apostles whom he had chosen.
He presented himself alive to them
by many proofs after he had suffered,
appearing to them during forty days
and speaking about the kingdom of God.
While meeting with them,
he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem,
but to wait for “the promise of the Father
about which you have heard me speak;
for John baptized with water,
but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

When they had gathered together they asked him,
“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons
that the Father has established by his own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.”
When he had said this, as they were looking on,
he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,
suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
They said, “Men of Galilee,
why are you standing there looking at the sky?
This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven
will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.”

  

He charged, ordered, them to wait. “Thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel. By waiting and by calm you shall be saved. In quiet and in trust your strength lies. Yet the Lord is waiting to show you favor, and he rises to pity you; for the lord is a God of justices: blessed are all who wait for him!” (Isaiah 30: 15, 18). I don’t know about you but if you’ve ever seen anybody tell a bunch of New Yorkers to wait they rarely respond in kind with a “thank you for this opportunity.” In fact, four letter expletives are rather the norm. Why do we fear waiting? Why are we annoyed with a yes but not now? He charged them to wait for the promise of the Father, for the baptism by the Holy Spirit. It’s not like God said, “hey, stick around! It’s gonna be average.” No, He makes promises of goodness and blessing. Today we recall that not only did Christ rise from the grave but He also ascended to the Father and remains there for all ages. He sits at His right hand and all resides under His dominion. His plans are good. His timing is great.

Most often what we are immediately seeking pales compared to what we ultimately long for. Most often we want to run straight out of the transition of longing for what we want into obtaining what we desire. But what if we are running ourselves straight out of the grace and formation that is necessary for us to more fully embrace what God wants to give us. What if this time of waiting is in fact a gift we are denying ourselves? Heck, Jesus had thirty-three years before going public with His ministry. It’s hard to say that time was fore naught. What are you waiting on? What are you missing in the here and now, in the light of eternity?

Have you ever found yourself begging the Lord and then when He grants your hearts desires you all of a sudden have a litany of reasons why now isn’t the best time to be bold and leap in faith? If we are not careful we can wind up on a see saw of waiting, volleying from one extreme to another. Momentarily begging for God to give clarity only to then plead for the clouds of confusion to cover the way we know we are called to walk.

The peace is found in the present. It is in fact a gift. St. Francis de Sales advises: “do not look forward to what might happen tomorrow; the same Everlasting Father who cares for you today, will take care of you tomorrow and everyday. Either He will shield you from suffering or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at Peace then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.” Peace be with you.

Let us make haste to let Him make us Holy. Just as the flower doesn’t grow overnight nor does the child at the embryonic stage talk and walk so too must we wait. In fact there’s a lot of waiting in life – in line for coffee, traffic, the restroom (especially if you are a woman), the subway, medical test results, future plans. Let us recognize these little moments as opportunities to grow in virtue so that we may become more attentive and ready to accept the longer periods of waiting, the opportunities for grace. Most of all let us see this waiting as a gift of preparation as well as a gift unto itself. “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.”

Like the apostles, let us gather in the Upper Room to wait on His Spirit and like our Blessed Mother let us ponder all these things in our heart. Let us trust when we are called to act His Spirit is with us, always.

To wait a finite time for an infinite love makes all else pale. Let us surrender our longing with thanksgiving as it draws us forth to the Font of Life. Mary, model of patience, be our guide. Help us to “do whatever He tells us to.”   Let us remember to listen to His call, as Pier Giorgio did, through the good and holy desires He has given us. “I left my heart on the mountain peaks and I hope to retrieve it this summer when I climb Mt. Blanc. If my studies permitted, I would spend whole days on the mountains admiring in that pure atmosphere the magnificence of God.”

Verso l’alto,

Kathryn Grace

  

**** Novena to the Holy SPIRIT to prepare for Pentecost *****

Let us join the apostles in prayer!

http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/pentecost/seven.htm

Let us find His will in the here and now trusting we are where we need to be and if/when He calls us to change or move, He will pour out His courage and grace.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpc7jxvThig