Mary as Model for Discernment July 25, 2011

 

I want to share with you a quote I read recently.

The author, Joanna Weaver was discussing Mary’s ability to say yes to God.

Her willingness to say yes, despite the the unbelievable nature of her call.

Weaver writes,

“When God comes to us, when He asks us to join His great plan of salvation and redemption,

we may doubt and we may question.  

But, if we persist in unbelief, we will miss the blessing.”

Sometimes when we hear God calling us to something our first reactions may be unbelief and fear.

I’m sure that even Mary found it hard to believe that an angel was standing before her asking her to be the mother of God :).

But, we cannot stay in our fear and unbelief.

We have to say “yes”.

And with that “yes” we affirm our belief in God’s amazing ability to do great things in us. 

 

Harry Potter and Discernment :) July 15, 2011

 

 So, maybe Harry Potter is one my brain today.

However, I think we can learn a lot from Harry Potter as we try to discern God’s will for our lives.

1.  Surround ourselves with good friends.

Harry needed his friends to encourage him to be who he was. 

We need our friends to encourage us to always seek to be the person God created us to be.

2. Listen to those wisdom figures in our lives.

Harry held true to what Dumbledore told him, even when others didn’t not believe dumbledore. 

He trusted that Dumbledore was acting in his own best interest.

We need to listen to God’s word.

Trust God’s promise to be with us always.

To follow him even when others think we are crazy.

3. Give of yourselves for the sake of others.

Harry had many tough decisions to make.

But, he always chose the decision which called him to give the most of himself for the sake of others.

Whatever decision we are making, must bring us to a place of self-emptying for others.

4.  Believe in the Love and Goodness of God.

Harry came to believe that he was loved deeply by his parents.

That love helped him to love others.

Harry chose good over evil.

We too, must come to know and understand God’s amazing love for us,

so that we will always choose God over evil.

To Love: How perfectly our hearts are made for this! July 9, 2011

 

 

 

To Love:  How perfectly our hearts are made for this!

~St. Therese of Lisuex

This quote struck me this week.  St. Therese believed that her main vocation was to be LOVE in the heart of the church. 

Are not each of us called to be love in the heart of the church?

To love each person the Lord brings into our lives, whether it is a family member, a friend, or a stranger

that is our call from God.

When discerning our vocation we need to ask ourselves the following question:

HOW am I called to love in this world?

Am I am called to love primarily one person in marriage?

Or I’m a called to love a multitude of people in religious life?

How did God create your heart to love?

 

Hope in Discernment July 1, 2011

I want to share with you a quote that I read during retreat this week. 

it speaks quite nicely about the joys and struggles of discernment.

“At this junction of knowing and unknowning,

of light and dark,

a dazzling darkness summons us to what may be known of God

at the limits of what we have known until now.”

Is discernment not the crossroads between the “known” and “unknown”. 

We know what has been in our lives.

But, we do not know what will be.

This struggle between the known and unknown stretches our understanding of who God is.

What a beautiful place of possibility!