More Than an Idea

I want to love You as no human soul has ever loved You before; and although I am utterly miserable and small, I have, nevertheless, cast the anchor of my trust deep down into the abyss of Your mercy, O my God and Creator! In spite of my great misery I fear nothing, but hope to sing You a hymn of glory for ever. Let no soul, even the most miserable, fall prey to doubt; for as long as one is alive, each one can become a great saint, so great is the power of God’s grace. It remains only for us not to oppose God’s action. -Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, paragraph 283 To become a Great Saint Wherever you are, whatever you were doing before even reading this reflection, now, in this very moment, God wants and wills you to become a saint. As long as we live—in spite of our deepest misery, sins, shortcomings, fears, weaknesses, and anxieties—God offers us the gift of sanctity. God desires this for us because God loves us. And holiness, to be a saint—to dwell ...

"Love is a mystery that transforms everything it touches into things beautiful and pleasing to God. The love of God makes a soul free." ( Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, paragraph 890).  Love is a mystery. Needless to say, this seems self-evident. Love, in the deepest sense of its meaning, cannot be explained. It is not rational. True love does not seek self-preservation; rather, love tends to self-abnegation, and at times, self-annihilation, all for the sake of the Other. The True Lover is willing to lay down his or her life for the Beloved.  The world does not want to love like this! The world "loves" by seeking its own fulfillment. What will "I get" from this relationship? How can this person "please me"? Where will this job "take me" in 5-10 years? Love in our secular age is selfish and self-seeking. This "love" is insular. It collapses in upon itself, turns in on itself, like an armadillo. Afraid, it slinks ...

To my Grandmother… How do you tell your grandmother that she needs to set her family on fire? This isn’t a joke or a “hook-line-and-sinker” opener… Mommom, if you want peace in the home, you need to inflame the love of God in the hearts of those you love; the only way you can do this is to be so consumed, so animated, so alive with the love and life of the Holy Spirit in your own heart. How? In short, pray. We must pray. And if we think we know how to pray we must admit that we don’t… “Lord, teach us how to pray!” (Luke 11:1). We do not know how to pray as we ought, therefore the spirit of God intercedes in us with inexpressible groanings… (Romans 8:26). This might sound ambiguous, intimidating, and perhaps even impossible. Honestly, I hope it does—because that means you’re human! What a task! To inflame the heart of Nick or Debbie with the love of Jesus Christ… where would we even start? Before we talk about prayer, we need to talk about peace. Peace within our...