The Path Of Life

  These days our financial, educational, and career paths have detoured off our intended courses.  We did not foresee a world pandemic changing everything. Social distancing is necessary. Face masks are the new norm. Travel is difficult or discouraged. We have all become more introverted.  News reports and talk shows are being recorded outside the studios allowing us glimpses of celebrities interior spaces.  Perhaps, then, there is no better time than now to focus on the interior spaces of our lives.
  Spend time walking with the Lord in the interior of your mind and heart.  Take off your mask and cast away your public persona.  Put aside any thoughts of getting ahead.  Get close and personal with God.  Let your guard completely down and let the Lord love you.  Let God show you what life is really about.  God has desired so much more for us than we could ever imagine.  It's time to turn things inside out, and let God show us our real intended course. Let our spiritual distancing be something of the past as we travel as one with God towards our future.

-Susan

Say "YES" to Divine Mercy!

 Today is Divine Mercy Sunday.  I love this celebration of God’s love. God wants to forgive all our sins and pour His Mercy into our lives. He doesn’t want us to go it alone.  He wants to help us. Jesus shares His Divine Presence with us in the Eucharist. He conquered sin and death with His Passion and Resurrection.  And today He asks us to turn away from our sins, trust Him completely, and share His Mercy with others. If we do this, we will spend eternity with Him in Paradise. How could we possibly say no?
  Recently we have learned that we can’t place our trust in the economy, in our own health, or even our day to day lifestyle.  There are no guarantees with any of these choices.   Jesus, however, offers us an eternity of love and happiness.  We merely have to trust His Word, gaze upon His Cross, and follow His merciful ways.  No matter what is happening in the world, Jesus will never fail us. He is the remedy our hearts long for.  Our “yes “ to Jesus is the stimulus the world really needs. Today, open your hearts and say , “Yes!”

-Susan

Easter Blessings

 Have a Blessed Easter!

-Susan

Leaving the Desert-Good Friday

  Today is Good Friday.  You retreat to your favorite prayer space and invite the Holy Spirit to help you meditate on the Lord's Passion.  You close your eyes and open your thoughts and heart to the Lord.
  When you open your eyes you can feel the heat of the desert.  You look all around but see nothing but vast sand.  It is not long before you feel the familiar hand on your shoulder.  "Hello, my friend" says Dominic.  "It is time for us to leave the desert.  Please follow me to the next town.  There is someone that I would like you to meet."  As Dominic begins walking, a path appears and the desert begins to disappear. In the distance you see an unfamiliar man waiting for you. 
  As you both approach the stranger he smiles and says, "Hello.  It is good to see you again, Dominic."
  Dominic and the stranger exchange a friendly hug before he turns to you and says, "I would like you to meet a good friend of mine.  This is Simon of Cyrene."
  Simon smiles as he reaches out to shake your hand and says, "It's nice to meet you."  As you shake his hand you realize that you have touched the same hands that helped Jesus carry His cross to Calvary.
  "Would you like to ask Simon anything?" Dominic encourages.
  You think for a moment and then inquire,  "Simon what was it like to help Jesus carry His cross?"
  "Well to be honest, it was shocking, confusing, difficult, and life changing.  I had never met Jesus before that moment. Of course, I had heard about him, but I wasn't one of his followers.  I could hear the loud jeers of the crowd forming along the street.  I knew something big was going on, but I wasn't trying to be a part of it.  I just wanted to get home.  Then some Roman guard grabbed my arm and pulled me into the middle of the street.  They ordered me to help the prisoner.  
  At first I was mad.  Why am I being forced to do this?  I have done nothing wrong.  I am not a part of this. But I knew better than to argue with Roman soldiers.  They were cruel and I was beginning to fear for my own life.  I looked at the man underneath the cross.  I was horrified.  He had been terribly beaten. Blood ran down his face from a crown of thorns on his head.  I wasn't sure if he could have even walked, yet alone carry this wood for his crucifixion.  
  I put the beam of wood on my own back.  It was heavier than I had expected.  I had no idea how he had the strength to carry it even this far.  He turned his head and looked at me.  I don't know how to explain it, but his eyes touched my soul.  Even though he looked completely pitiful, I felt the strength of his love.  I felt love like I had never known before. It was but an instant, but that instant changed my whole life.  Once you feel the immense love Christ has for you, nothing else seems important.
  I tried my best to carry as much of the weight as I could as I followed his lead.  His pace was very slow as each step appeared to be more difficult. The crowd and the soldiers were screaming insults, but I stayed focused on his barely audible voice.  I was completely shocked at what I heard. I could hear him praying.  He was praying for all those around him.  He seemed to recognize each face. He knew their names and he was praying for them.   He was asking God for mercy--not for himself, but for those who were persecuting him.  He loved them.  He loved each and every one of them. 
  As each step brought us closer his end, I no longer knew if I was helping him, or if he was actually helping me.  I had never known God's love until I picked up this cross. It wasn't until I felt the weight of the cross that I knew I was walking on the right path.  Before this moment, I had been stumbling but never even knew it.
  I love the fact that this day is now called Good Friday, because this was a very good day for me.  I had a one-on-one experience with Jesus and I encountered how incredible God's love is.  Dominic wants you to have this experience as well.  Good Friday isn't an event that just occurred in the past.  It is a window that allows you to have a one on-one-encounter with Jesus as well.  Today block out all the world's noise, and listen only to His voice.  What do you hear Him saying?"

-Susan

Into The Desert- Week 5

  You sit down in your favorite prayer space and close your eyes.  You allow yourself to take a few slow deliberate breaths in and out peacefully entering into meditative prayer.  Again you call out to the Holy Spirit, "Lead me into the desert."
    As you enter the desert, you notice something unusual in the distance. It’s difficult to make out, so you slowly walk towards it. After a few steps you feel the familiar hand on your shoulder.   You stop and smile at Dominic. 

  “I am glad you were able to take some steps without me," Dominic says with a smile.  “Where are you going?”

  “I’m trying to figure out what that is over there. It almost looks like a bed. But what would that be doing in the middle of the desert?”

  “Well let’s go see," says Dominic.

After a  10 minute walk in the hot, shifting sand, you begin to see things more clearly. “Dominic, that is a hospital bed and there is someone in it!” You start running towards the bed when suddenly you run face first into a clear glass wall. You take a few steps back, and begin to rub your forehead. "What just happened?"

  Dominic does not seemed surprised at all.  "It looks like you just ran into a wall. Are you alright?"

  "Yes, I'm fine. But why is there a glass wall here?"  You place your hands against the glass.  "Dominic that's a hospital bed.  What is that person doing there?  I don't understand?  What is going on?"

  "You are peering into an isolation room.  This patient is very sick and also contagious.  He is not allowed to have visitors--not even his own family.  Day after day his body becomes weaker from the virus, and the loneliness of the isolation weighs heavily on his heart and mind.  Come, there is something else I want you to see."

  As you follow Dominic around two of the clear glass walls your heart goes out to the man in the bed.  He looks so frail. You notice the oxygen tube around the his face, the IV bags and lines going into his body, and the untouched tray of food next to him. As you round the next corner, you notice a cord exiting the room and entering into a box.  Dominic opens the lid of the box revealing several torn and weathered paper hearts.

  You try to make some sense of the situation. "Dominic, I don't understand what you are showing me?"

  "That one phone cord is the only connection to his loved ones.  The patient's loved ones feel trapped and helpless because they can't enter the room to take care of him. The situation is breaking everyone's heart."

  "Is no one taking care of him then?"

  "The doctors and nurses are doing everything they can.  But he is not the only one.  There are too many just like him." Just then rows and rows of beds appear before you.

  "This is terrible!  What can I do to help?"

  "That is exactly what the Lord would like to discuss with you.  He needs you to help." Dominic takes hold of your hand and says, "Come, the Lord is waiting for us, His great Mercy will open the door."

-Susan

Into the Desert: Week 4

  It has been a week of changes.  You once again settle yourself into a peaceful meditative spirit of prayer.  You close your eyes and pray to the Holy Spirit, "Lead me into the desert." After a few minutes you feel the heat of the sun on your face.  You open your mind and eyes to another prayerful encounter.  You seem to be standing all by yourself.  As you look down you notice in large letters the word "TRUTH".  You look at it and then look all around.  As your eyes search the distant horizon you feel the familiar hand on your shoulder.
  You turn and smile at Dominic.  "I'm happy to see you.  I thought I might be out here all alone."
  Dominic returns the smile and says, "You are never alone.  You did look a little lost, though, as if you were looking for something."
  "Well, I was.  I saw the word truth over there, and I wondered what that was all about."
  Dominic nodded as if he understood.  "Many wonder what the truth is, but they seem to have difficulty looking at it and turn their eyes away.  Can I ask you something?"
  "Of course."
  "How important is the truth to you?"
  "It's very important.  I don't like when people lie to me."
  "I see," said Dominic.  "Are you good at lying to others?"
  For a few minutes you think about his question.  "I don't know how to answer that question," you admit.  "Do I lie?  Of course I do, everyone does.  There are plenty of times when honesty  is just difficult.  It can hurt people's feelings.  It also helps me avoid uncomfortable situations and sometimes it is just necessary in order to to avoid being penalized. I don't go around telling malicious lies just the small ones that don't really matter."  As you awkwardly shift your gaze away from Dominic, you notice the word "truth" appears much smaller and then disappears completely.  "Hey, where did it go?" you ask.
  "Where did what go?" Dominic replies.
  "Truth" just disappeared," you answer.
  "It often does.  Are you willing to search for it?" inquires Dominic.
  "Where?"
  "In your own life.  Spend this next week searching for the truth.  What lies have you told others or told yourself.  Where is truth missing in your life?"

-Susan

Into the Desert: Week Three

  It is week three and you are ready to venture back into the desert.  You close your eyes and pray to the Holy Spirit, "Lead me into the desert."  You clear your thoughts and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you again.  When you open your mind you are back in the desert but it seems to be bustling with activity. However, when you look individually at the people, they seem to be quickly moving in one direction only to circle back to where they once were. You feel Dominic's hand on your shoulder and you turn to smile at him.
  "There are so many people here today, but everyone seems to be going in circles.  Why?" you ask Dominic.
  "That is because they are lost," explains Dominic.
  "Why don't they ask each other for help?"
  "That's because they don't know they are lost. They look at each other and assume everything is okay.  Everyone is doing whatever everyone else is doing."
  You can't help but let out a sarcastic little laugh.  "Well that's stupid.  Why would they just follow along?  Aren't they trying to get somewhere?"
  "Of course they are. They are under the impression that as long as they are good at doing this, that should be good enough."
  "Well that doesn't make any sense.  They aren't going anywhere," you reply.
  "What would they need to do?"
  "They need to stop repeating their same steps.  They need to stop looking at what everyone else is doing and decide for themselves where they want to go if they want to make any progress."
  "I would agree.  What if I told you they all trying to get to heaven," revealed Dominic.
  Again you let a small laugh escape.  "How do they think that is going to happen?  They aren't going anywhere."
  "Are you sure you aren't just like them?"
  Dominic words cut right through you. "Oh my gosh, are you telling me I'm not making any progress towards heaven?"
  "No, I'm not saying that, but there was a time you were happy to just be good at going in circles."  You didn't want to admit it, but there were times when you just did the same old thing, said the same old prayers, went to weekly mass without giving it much thought, yet alone much of your heart.
  "Ok, your right.  Sometimes I don't always put a lot of thought into my spiritual life.  I kind of just do what everyone else is doing and think that it is good enough.  I can see now, that this is far from good enough.  I need to break my habits if I really want to get to heaven.  What should I do?"
  "That is a great question, but I can't give you the answer.  That is a question you should be asking God every day. You must desire the path He has for you more than the path which is comfortable.  I would be happy to bring you close to Him, but you would have to leave this circle," Dominic said with a smile.
  You nod and say, "Yes, I definitely want to move closer to the Lord. Help me step out of the comfort of my circle."
  Dominic smiles and hands you a torch. "Your heart must burn with desire for the Lord. Don't be lukewarm. Don't let others block His Light.  Be passionate about your faith." As you take the torch from Dominic you feel His flame in your soul.  It is an indescribable feeling.  "Come on, we are headed for the hill over there and then the mountain behind it. The journey will be long, but the Lord will be with us with every step. That will give you plenty of time to talk with Him."
 "But what about all of them?" 
 "Call out to them! Ask them to join us! Let them feel your love for God.  You would be surprised how many souls just one person could touch!  Be the voice crying out in the desert. Are you ready?"

-Susan