Love Your Enemies

"Love your enemies." Sometimes those words are like high-pitched screeches to my ears. Especially when I've been "attacked" by my neighbor. The last thing I want to do is pray for them.

Our family just had an incident with our neighbor. They constantly harass us and find ways to add stress to our already stressful life.

My initial reaction is to want to return the favor. But then I listen. I listen to a smaller -yet powerful voice that tells me doing so is not what Christ would do. How many times did people spit at him and hit him and mock him during his crucifixion? As he told his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, "Do you not think I could call upon the choirs of angels?"

This tells us that He accepted his suffering and did not hurt his enemies. He followed His own golden rule: "Treat others as you'd have done to you." How lucky we are to have such a perfect role model!

When we are asked to pray for our enemies, it is God's will that we do so. He loves all of us - no matter what we do. Some people need a ton of prayers to turn their hearts fully to God. Usually there aren't many people praying for them because of how they treat others. To us, it might not be a terrible loss. But to God - it is a huge loss. One of his creatures needs prayers. He loves them as He loves all of us. Because of that, we should do all we can to offer our prayers for their salvation.

After all, even as He walked the earth, Jesus said he was also here for the sinners. They need Him more than anyone.

Sure, these thoughts don't make the hurt go away. And praying for the enemies may or may not turn their hearts toward God. But at least we are doing what God asks of us. The rest is up to them. They need to want to have Him in their lives. Not just believe in Him, but live Him also.
And we all need prayers to continue to live Jesus' teachings and His will.

Offer a Rosary with Notre Dame

As Editor-in-chief of a Catholic centered magazine, I feel it is my duty to help in anyway I can for the cause of the Notre Dame Response. Students are in an uproar because the president of the university is going to honor pro-choice president Barak Obama on graduation day. Not only will he speak there, he will be given an honorary degree in Law.

While it is our duty to treat others as a brother and sister, it is also our duty to stand up for our beliefs. Many students of Notre Dame are so distressed that they are contemplating not attending their own graduation.

One thing they are planning, which I fond quite honorable, is a goal to say 1 million Rosaries for Barak Obama - to have a conversion of heart, etc. Jesus did tell us to pray for our "enemies". It is easy to pray for those we love.

If you would like to offer a rosary and help the students of Notre Dame, click here. You can tell them about a Rosary you have said for these intentions, and I think you can even pledge as well.

The Rosary is a wondrous prayer. Thank you for considering this.

How Great Thou Art

Twice in the last few weeks I've seen a marvelous work of art from none other than God Himself.

The first was a powerful rainbow shown to us a few weeks ago. The sky was as dark as night and it was raining. At the same time, there was also the sun breaking through. The result was the most vivid rainbow I have ever seen. I didn't have my camera with me, so I could not get the picture of the whole arc of the rainbow. I did get one when we got home, but the picture did not do the rainbow justice.

Another work of art was captured by NASA. It looks like a large hand reaching for a glowing crown of thorns. Some say it takes an imagination to see that. I don't know. To me, it's as obvious as the nose on your face. I am in awe of this beautiful creation. Check out this picture. Click the picture to view the story.

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Picture taken by NASA

This photo encourages many thoughts in me. Skeptics might say that it's just nature, a natural act expected to occur in the vastness of outer space. I think that it is a message for us. One of hope. One of warning. One of a reminder.

Hope - That God is still here. He is still with us. Every once in a while, it seems, humanity needs to be reassured of this. Especially in these time when wrong choices are being made at will. I find it very fitting that the picture is circulating right around the Easter holidays.

Warning - That we should not forget about God and His commandments. So much wrong is going on in the world now - terrorism, abortions, stealing, cheating, broken families.. Eventually we all will be judged according to our actions. Could this be a warning? God is with us, but he's also watching us -aware of all the good --and bad, we do.

Reminder - That God loves us. He was with us in the beginning of time, He was with us in Jesus' time and He is with us now. He loves us and wants us to be with Him in Heaven. Of course, the choice is ours. If we choose the wrong path, it will not lead us to God in Heaven.

This is a story about a wonderful dream I had just about a year ago. I wrote about it when I had a blog on Yahoo 360. It's so beautiful, that I wanted to share it here as well. God Bless!

*****

Wednesday night (March 27, 2008) I had a dream that I was with Jesus. I didn't see Him, but I felt Him. I can only explain it like this: I didn't need to see Him to know he was there.

We were surrounded by a refreshing bright light (though I didn't find it blinding), the sand was golden, the sky a clean clear blue. We sat on white stone benches close to the ground. A tall stone wall was nearby.

I became aware that Jesus was speaking to me, but I didn't hear with my ears. It was more with my heart. I can't spell out word for word what He said to me - but my soul felt peace.

It's been months since I had that dream and it's still as crystal clear as ever. Every night when I drift off to sleep, I hope to meet Jesus in my dreams again.

What'sYour Lenten Promise?

Last year about this time, I had a conversion of heart. It was during Lent and I was touched every time I went to Mass and paid attention to what was being taught. Shortly after that, I started to go to daily Mass, pray the Rosary almost daily and read the Bible. Instantly my life seemed to be going so much better. Maybe it was because I was so in tune with my relationship with God. Things were going well and I felt very strong, like no matter what the enemy tried to throw at me, I could turn away.

Then November happened. A family problem exploded and I literally dropped everything I was doing to work on this problem. I felt that if I didn't, my family would fall apart. There's still trouble now and then, but things seem to be looking up.

I wish I could say the same about my efforts with my relationship with God. I didn't intentionally "leave" Him. But yet I still feel so far away. I know a big part of it is due to not saying the Rosary or reading the Bible as much.

That's why this Lent I want to get back into my routine again. Attend Daily Mass, Pray the Rosary, Read the Bible. I know it will take time, but am confident that if I'm persistent, my goal will be reached.

Beautiful Prayers

Every Choir practice I attend begins and ends with a prayer. Tonight's ending prayer was very nice. Our leader just finished practicing the last song with us, and continuted to play the music as we stood in prayer. There's something beautiful and touching about saying a prayer and our intentions while soft church music is playing.

Occasionally, we do this just after we sing the "Our Father" at Mass on Sundays. The music keeps playing softly as the priest says a blessing. After the blessing we continue singing, "For the kingdom, the power ... "

These things are wonderful spiritual experiences. You just want it to continue on forever. Each time I encounter this I feel myself growing. Music and prayer - the perfect way to worship God.

The Miraculous Prayer

We pray often. God is always listening to us. However, there is a special prayer given to us by Our Lady - the Holy Rosary. Just the make-up of the Rosary makes it special. We include the prayer Jesus taught us so long ago( The Our Father - Matthew 6 9-13), and we use lines from the Bible about Mary: "Hail Mary full of Grace. The Lord is with You."(Luke 1:28) "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb." (Luke 1:42).

I try to make a habit of praying the Rosary everyday, but I often fall short. When I do, I'm always filled with peace. Many times when I am upset, I am filled with the deepest sense of peace by the time I finish this prayer. This is true especially after an argument with a family member. The Rosary has helped me focous on what was important in life, not who is wrong or right. It is an amazing feeling. I've often felt that I had been consoled by my mother. I guess that's true. I was being consoled by my Heavenly Mother, who not only made me feel better, but instilled a little wisdom along the way. Pray the Rosary...you'll be glad you did!