quick quote: know thyself through prayer

in love... but miserable?

In love, but miserable? I’m so sorry you feel this way! You should not have to.

If you are lonely, a boyfriend is not the way to cure the problem. In fact, I guarantee that it will only make it worse.

Our culture so often links self-esteem to getting attention from the opposite sex and being “in love”. This is distorted and downright cruel.

If you are lonely, the best way to deal with your loneliness is by reaching out and making friends. Boyfriends are often temporary. Good friends are permanent—they stick with you through your life, and they don’t “break up” with you when they find another friend.

You didn’t mention your family. If you have one, spend time with them. Work to build those relationships and to make them strong. They will be your family for life, so you may as well get along as well as possible.
Do things that get you out of yourself. Find out what talents God gave you and develop them. Reach out in love to others who are lonely—people who are sick, people in nursing homes, and so on. It is amazing what giving a little love can do.

Most important of all, of course, is to develop a relationship with the divine Source of all love—God. Your self-esteem should not come from a boyfriend. It should come from the fact that you are created in the image and likeness of God and that He loved you enough to die for you. That love, dignity and respect you will never get from a mere mortal boyfriend! Remember what God did for you and how much He loves you. Stay in regular contact with Him.

I know all of this may be easier said than done. If you are feeling bad about yourself, and if it doesn’t get better with new friendships and prayer, make a couple of appointment with a good Christian therapist. I honestly believe that good, Christ-based counseling can help everyone at one point or another in his life. There are often deeper emotional reasons for our insecurities and fears. Find out what yours are, expose them to the light and then trust God to help you deal with them.

Until you have done all this, don’t worry about finding a boyfriend. Worry about finding yourself. Then, when it is time, you will be in a much better position to pick a great guy, instead of just taking the first one to come along.

from...
Real Love
by Mary Beth Bonacci

is chastity the same thing as abstinence?

Abstinence means that a person is not sexually active. If I heard that a guy was abstinent, that would not tell me much about him. Maybe he is a man with courage and character and is saving himself for his bride. Maybe he just can not find a date. Either way, abstinence is defined as what is not happening to a person’s body—in other words, no sex.

Chastity is different because it is defined by what a person is doing with his or her sexuality. It means having the strength to use your sexuality according to God’s plan, whether you are single or married. Living this virtue purifies your heart, heals your memories, strengthens your will, and glorifies God with your body. For an unmarried person it is sexuality dedicated to hope—saving sex for marriage. An unmarried person who has already had sex can still choose to be chaste by starting over.

For the married and the unmarried it means having reverence for the gift of sex. Chastity is a virtue that defends love from selfishness and frees us from using others as objects. It makes us capable of authentic love. In short, abstinence ends in marriage but chastity holds marriage together.

from...

If You Really Loved Me

by Jason Evert

consumed by the finite // 2013.05.16

Have you seen an episode of A&E's Hoarders? If not, it's a TV series that goes to houses of people that hoards practically everything to the point that they literally have no more place to live in within their own home. Hoarders basically forget that not everything will fit in their house. Imagine 80% of your house filled with anything, regardless if useful or not.

Think about that and imagine how impossible it is for a finite creature to contain the Infinite. We're not even talking about making the ocean fit in one pail. The ocean doesn't even compare with an everlasting supply of water. How can we, finite humans, ever contain our Infinite God? The answer is Jesus.

One of the greatest mystery of our Christian faith is Jesus' incarnation, when God took the form of man to be one with us. The psalmist asks, "what is mankind that you are mindful of them?" That God who is infinite and lacks nothing reaches out to a finite creature that even rejects Him?

Jesus tells us in today's Gospel that God wants us to be one with Him. The Infinite who lacks nothing has an Infinite love that He seeks to share, and through Jesus, we are able to receive this love -- because through Him we have been made full members of God's family!

And just so you won't miss this great mystery, Jesus instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist. In case you're still unaware of how big and great this is, we believe that the Eucharist we receive is Jesus Himself. Think about it, God enters you every Mass!

And so we pray, thank you God for your infinite love, that love so great that it seeks us sinful people to be partakers however unworthy we are. We thank you for the Incarnation and the Eucharist, that we can call ourselves members of your Church, members of your family. We pray that we may be able to at least give You ourselves without anything held back.

Click here to read today's readings.

a promise kept after a seeming departure // 2013.05.12

We are all created to love.

The Church tells us that we can only find our lives in an authentic giving of oneself to others. That is why funerals are always filled with sad and crying people. They mourn that they may be able to release all their sadness and be able to move on.

It was the same when Jesus ascended to heaven. The Apostles felt the same as if someone died. They trusted Jesus and His promise of not leaving them by themselves, but they still had to face the sadness of their loved one parting.

Did they remain desolate and alone? No. Jesus kept His promise and the Holy Spirit filled them with God's love. Their zeal returned and they knew for real that Jesus is still with them, even more than before.

Today, trust that even if you didn't live when Jesus walked the earth you, He is still with you. Let the Holy Spirit fill you with God's love, and receive Him in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

as accurate as it can get // 2013.05.11

Click here to read today's readings.

Anyone caught in God's love can easily understand someone like Apollos in today's readings. He studied the Scriptures very thoroughly, was instructed in the Way of the Lord, and most importantly, had an ardent spirit for God. Why not use his gift of eloquence to speak about Him?

Unfortunately, Scripture does not interpret itself. A verse can mean many things which are not always evident. And while it is easy to "fish" for thoughts in God's words, it is also easy to "hook" the wrong ideas from it without even knowing it.

As the Bible itself states, "no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation" (2 Peter 1:20). It also tells us of Phillip who tells God's angel that someone needs to guide him (Acts 8:30). How then can one know with certainty that he is not interpreting God's word on his own, or that his guide is also not doing the same?

Reading further, we see Priscilla and Aquila approaching Apollos, teaching Him more accurately. They are traditionally listed as one of the seventy disciples, and are thus authorized teachers of the Church. Jesus promised that the gates of hell will not prevail against His church, so we can be assured that they are teaching what Jesus taught.

Thousands of years after, we still have the Church from Peter and the other disciples, to Francis and all the other bishops who have inherited the office of teaching us inerrantly in matters of faith and morals.

The Bible is the best book you'll ever read, but always look at the Church whom Jesus left to safeguard its truths.

with loots of toys promised // 2013.05.10

My father was working abroad when I grew up, and being a child, you can't blame me for being excited when he'd ask me what I want and tell me that he'd buy it for me when he returns home.

Unfortunately, even at a young age, I yearned for my father to be beside me more than the toys. We'd exchange a lot of letters to each other and talk over the telephone whenever possible, whenever I see my neighbors' dads with them, you can imagine how easily I become sad and easily forget about the promise of toys, clothes and out of towns.

In today's Gospel, Jesus tells His disciples that He will leave, and that the world will make them suffer. The world will rejoice while you will suffer, make you think that God has forsaken you, make you forget about His promises, and tell you to live your life like there's no tomorrow.

But Jesus assures us, "your grief will become joy... your hearts will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy away from you." And to top it all, He tells us, "whatever you ask the Father in my name He will give you". That definitely sounds more exciting than the loot of toys my dad promises.

Tired and weary of the world's pull? Confused with what the world is trying to offer? Envious of those that make you feel like you're missing a lot if you'll stick with God? Don't be! God is way more than enough. Hold on and know that God loves you. And just as I was comforted by my dad's words and letters while he was abroad, let God always comfort you when you pray to Him. You'll be surprised at how much He really is with you!

Click here to read today's readings.