Outside Looking In

Then you will stand outside knocking and saying 

"Lord open the door for us"  (Luke 13:25)

Imagine that day.

You are standing up there at the pearly gates to Paradise.

You can see St. Peter and those legendary keys.  You can see your family members and friends standing on the other side, anxiously awaiting your arrival.  You can see the splendor and glory of Heaven.  

It is even more beautiful than your wildest dreams.

It is beyond perfect.

This is what you lived for.  This is what you hoped for.  And this is what you prayed for.

You are right there.  Ready to be happy for eternity.

But what if it all wasn't enough?

What if you aren't invited in?

What if you hear those horrific words from today's Gospel - "Depart from me all you evildoers"?

What regrets would go through your mind?

What would you wish you'd have done differently?

What would you change, starting today?

Assumption Pop Quiz

Ok quick ... how many times is Our Blessed Mother quoted in the New Testament?  

(I'll be honest, I had to look it up.) 

The answer appears to be four.  


1)  During the Annunciation 
2)  Her visit with Elizabeth
3)  The Finding in the Temple
4)  The Wedding Feast at Canaan


Perhaps none are as important as those last words we have from her:

       "Do whatever He tells you. "  (John 2:5)

What a beautiful command that is.  

If we follow it, hopefully our souls, too, can "magnify the Lord"

God Bless you on this feast day of the Assumption.

Three Favorite Prayers

I've been tagged by Anne at Imprisoned in My Bones to list my three favorite prayers. 

I'm sure most of you that read this blog also read Anne's - so I don't need to gush on and on about what an inspiring blog she hosts.  (But I certainly will upon request ...)

I have to admit, this MEME really got me thinking.  After long introspection, I learned that the prayers I gravitate to are either traditional or short/plainspeak.  I'm assuming the spirit of this MEME is to share new or less common prayers with each other, so I will focus my list on the latter.   (Otherwise, I would obviously have to start and end the list with the Our Father - the perfect prayer given to us by Jesus himself.)

Ok, here goes.  You all know the first one, but perhaps not the second two ...

1)  The Fatima Prayer  
Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those that most need Thy mercy.  Amen.

Why this prayer?  For starters, it was given  to us by Mary (if you believe in the Fatima miracle).  Second, in just a few words it requests (a) forgiveness, (b) a path to Paradise, and (c) mercy on those souls in need.   How's that for efficiency?


2)  Morning Prayer
Lord, thank you for this beautiful day.  Please help me to do everything in my power for your honor and glory.


Why this prayer?  It's one of the first "non-traditional" prayers I ever learned.  It was taught to me through a sermon by the late, great, Fr. Joseph Rosetti (who God blessed with 100 years on this earth).  I'll never forget how he emphasized the word beautiful - so that it was clear that every day should be considered as such because it is a gift from God.  


It also keeps me focused on what the day should really be about - God's will.  


3)  Mind and Heart
Jesus, please fill my mind with your Peace and my heart with Your Love.


Ironically, I just learned this one yesterday from a traveling priest at a Church I was visiting.  (There goes God, working in his mysterious way again ...)  I've actually prayed versions of this before, but I usually clutter them up by adding "and also ..." to them.  This one is clean and simple.  Could you imagine how wonderful this world would be if we all let Jesus fill our minds and hearts?


*As with all of my lists, this one is subject to change the minute I hit "publish post".

God Bless.

Unanswered Prayers

"So I say to you, ask and it will be given to you ... For everyone that asks receives." 

Luke 11:9-10

I always had trouble with today's Gospel as a child. 

Like most kids, I took it literally and was sorely disappointed when the hundreds of things I asked God for failed to materialize.

Of course, as I got older, and with the help of this Garth Brooks song, I realized that sometimes God just has to protect us from ourselves and our faulty plans.

And so on occasion, when I am thanking God for all the things He has given to me, I remember to thank Him for all those He purposefully hasn't as well.  

Because as Mr. Brooks put it, sometimes those are God's greatest gifts to us.

God Bless.

Yeah, What He Said

I came across this prayer by Thomas Merton the other day.

It so fully captures what I am thinking half the time (and should be thinking the other half), that I won't clutter it up with any additional commentary. Its quite beautiful on its own.

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.

I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you and I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing.

And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road although I may know nothing about it.

Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death, I will not fear, for you are ever with me and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

God Bless.

Just When I Thought It Was Easy

"Each one of them is Jesus in disguise."
- Mother Teresa


In today's Gospel reading (Lk 10:25-37) about the Good Samaritan, Luke reminded me how hard it is to really follow the Golden Rule.

On the surface, it seems easy. I mean, most of us, if we saw a person injured on the side of the road, would stop and help. (Or at the very least call 911, right?)

But when you dig deeper into the historical significance of the parable, you realize it isn't so easy after all.

Jews and Samaritans despised each other. The Samaritans taunted the Jews. In return, the Jews considered the Samaritans to be unclean outcasts, and cursed them when seeing them in synagogues. It was a rivalry that had been in place hundreds of years before Jesus.

And so this parable wasn't just about loving and helping a wounded person by the side of the road. It was about loving and helping a hated enemy.

I don't know about you, but I have a hard time loving the guy that cuts me off on the highway, let alone a hated enemy.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again .... I've sure got a long way to go!

God Bless.

Try This On For Size

I have to admit, my post today was going to have a slightly negative spin to it.

I was going to lament about how far the United States has strayed in 234 years.

I didn't want to, trust me. I love this country and what it stands for.

But that thought was really at the forefront of my mind this weekend.

And then I heard a story I had not heard before. One that was so simple, and yet, so motivating that it changed my outlook. It has nothing to do with America, or freedom. It's just a perfect lesson that perspective is everything.

It goes something like this:

Mahatma Gandhi was on a train when one of his sandals slipped off and fell onto the tracks. Since the train was moving, he could not retrieve the lost sandal. Instead, he calmly took off his other one, and threw it onto the tracks next to the first one.

When onlookers asked him why he chose to do that, he simply said that "the poor person that finds the first sandal now has a pair that he can wear."

What a wonderful gesture.

And a reminder that, even in a negative situation, there is always something you can do to help someone less fortunate.

Happy Birthday America.

God Bless.