Be like children

"Little children follow and obey their father. They love their mother.
They know nothing of covetousness, ill- will, bad temper, arrogance
and lying. This state of mind opens the road to heaven. To imitate our
Lord's own humility, we must return to the simplicity of God's little
one's." --Saint Hilary of Poitiers

Grace

"The nuns taught us there were two ways through life—the way of nature and the way of grace. You have to choose which one you’ll follow… Grace doesn’t try to please itself. Accepts being slighted, forgotten, disliked. Accepts insults and injuries… Nature only wants to please itself. Get others to please it too. Likes to lord it over them. To have its own way. It finds reasons to be unhappy when all the world is shining around it. And love is smiling through all things… The nuns taught us that no one who loves the way of grace ever comes to a bad end." - The Tree of Life.

The Eucharist, the Real Presence

Jesus is really present in the Eucharist.   His physical presence among us, as close to us as He is to our hearts.  What an amazing and powerful blessing He has given to us.  We love you, Jesus.

The month of Mary

The beautiful statue at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia.  The faithful St. Anthony kneeling before the Christ held in His mother's arms.  The queen of heaven, the vessel by which God chose to enter the world, our heavenly mother.

Free will and temptation

"Your free will that God gave you is always stronger than temptation, with God's grace.  When you realize this, your life can be set on a beautiful course." - a priest's words to me at reconciliation.

"The Way" film

Yesterday, I watched this movie again and it is always good to see it.   It's a beautiful story of the human condition, all its ups and downs.  The loss, the pain, the struggles, the tears, the joy, the laughter, and love.  When you do things out of love, rather than fear, that's all there is.

In a poignant scene of "The Way", Tom lays a stone at the foot of the Cross of Iron  (Cruz del ferro), as is tradition for pilgrims, and recites the prayer:

“Lord, may this stone, a symbol of my efforts on the pilgrimage that I lay at the foot of the cross of the Saviour, one day weigh the balance in favor of my good deeds when the deeds of my life are judged. Let it be so.”

Amen.

Joy

Today our Lenten journey concludes with culmination of Jesus' mission - victory over death and sin.  His love for us is visible through the pages of the Gospels.  His healings, His miracles, the times He was moved with pity, the times that He wept.  Yes, God wept with us.  He joined us in our sorrow, our temptations, our sufferings, and joys.  His love visible in each station of the cross, as He suffered His passion for us.  Each step along the way, moving closer to the climax in human history where sin and death are conquered.  Yet, we still sin.  We are still tempted.  Myself?  I'm still struggling, too, with forgiving, with resentments, with desires.  But, we can begin again when we stumble.  We can ask for God's grace to change our very nature and fill our hearts with His divine love, kindness, and understanding.  We can ask Him for forgiveness, and confess our sins.  I love you, Jesus.  Thank you.