Illuminate and Eliminate

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Martha

482px-Transfiguration-006“…anything shown up by the light will be illuminated; and anything illuminated is itself a light.  That is why it is said:  Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”  2 Ephesians 5:13-14

      When you shine a flashlight in the dark whatever the beam of light lands on is thereby lit up, illuminated.   Sometimes the most effective way to eliminate that which is unwanted is to shine a light directly on it.  This often works with a burglar, or a rat, and often with sinful behavior.  Once the behavior is brought out of the shameful darkness and into to the light it ceases to exist.  Unlike the burglar, or the rat, however, who simply run from the light back into the cover of darkness, when we confess our sins to God we bring them to the one true Light of the world.  When we confess our sins we bring them to the one true saving Light, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  In His Light we are redeemed, we are made whole, with no reason to hide in the dark.

For the remainder of Lent, arise from your sleep and take a flashlight to your own sinful behavior.  Illuminate it; eliminate it.

“for the effects of the light are seen in complete goodness and uprightness and truth.”  2 Ephesians 5:9

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Lead Us Not…

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Martha

800px-05_Tentaciones_de_Cristo_(Botticelli) Temptations of ChristWhen we pray The Our Father, we pray ‘Lead us not into temptation.’  In the Bible we read how Satan was allowed to tempt Jesus, and how He was able to resist each temptation.  We are often not as strong as Jesus and end up committing sins in our weakness.

Sometimes having a simple affirmation on the tip of the tongue can assist us in remembering why we must resist temptation.  It can be as simple as, “Jesus, I choose You.”  A simple statement such as this to say over and over again can change our thoughts, and can change our desire to sin.  It brings our mind back to Jesus, the Who and Why we choose not to sin.  In just saying His name we can be assured He will summon His army of angels to protect us, to fight temptation with us.

Remember we have only two choices when faced with temptation:  to sin, or Jesus.  Jesus I choose You.

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You Who Know Me…

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Martha
St Peter's Basilica Statuary, taken by Martha Wiggins, 2011

St Peter’s Basilica Statuary, taken by Martha Wiggins, 2011

The following is from Journey Through The Stillness, my personal spiritual journal shared publicly on facebook.  It is good Lenten food for thought…

Apr 6, 2010 – Today as I go into The Stillness I am thinking about how I continue to repeat my sins over and over again.  Even though I am truly sorry, I must not be sorry enough.  Jesus says to me, “When you hear the inner voice, just stop.  If that voice is not enough then see Me on the Cross, and if that is STILL not enough to stop you, then remember that the pain of the Crucifixion was not my greatest pain … it was the weight of your sins when I had to carry the cross.  That is what caused, and causes Me to this day, the most suffering.  You KNOW Me and continue to sin.  How can I expect those who don’t know Me to come to Me, when those who do know Me cannot.  Pray for increased strength, Martha, and I will help you.  You are mine, and I am yours.”

Indeed, if we who profess to know Him cannot give ourselves completely over to Him, how then can we lead others to do so?  As we go through Lent striving to be closer in union with Jesus, let us ask His help in trusting Him enough to let go of self and to let others see that we have.

God bless each of us on our own personal faith journey.

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Let Jesus Personally Lead You to God

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Martha

graveyard-set_2823473“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you really know me, you will know my Father as well.  From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”  John 14:6-7

The following is an entry from Journey Through The Stillness (my personal spiritual journal shared publicly on Facebook).  This particular entry is from Lent, 2010.

February 6, 2010 – Jesus covers my head with His hands and brings my ear to His Sacred Heart.  I do not hear the beat but am made aware of a great sorrow, sadness, a throbbing heart ache.  He lifts my face to look at Him.  I see the head of Jesus crowned with thorns.  He closes His eyes and tilts His head up.  His cheeks become sunken, hollow, gaunt.  His mouth drops open.  Tears seep through His lids and blood streams from the thorn punctures.  He is showing me that He feels our pain and our sorrow personally.  When we cry out to God it is manifested in Jesus, in His Passion and Crucifixion.  While I did not see, I am being led to write that it is the same for our joy.  When we praise and thank God it is manifested in Jesus, in His Resurrection and Ascension.  He wants us to know that our communication with Him is on a very personal level, much more so than we could ever imagine.

This journal entry is from a time, only a month into my personal journey, when I was still learning how to put into words all that was taking place in my time of silence before Our Lord.  I was constantly, and still am, amazed by all that comes to me during The Stillness.  I do not change or manipulate what occurs in any way.  I record it and post it exactly as I feel led by His Spirit.

I love the idea of a Savior whose love for me is so great, who having sacrificed everything for me, still witnesses and feels personally every pain, sadness, and disappointment that I feel, longing to wipe away my tears and make me whole again.  And, I love the idea of a Redeemer, who having Risen to New Life, sees every smile, laughs every laugh, and wants to welcome me personally into Life Eternal with Him.

God is merciful; God is Good.  His gift to us is the ultimate gift, His Beloved Son, Jesus.  God’s gift is His Son’s Life in exchange for our life.  His Son’s gift is His willingness to personally sacrifice all for us, His willingness to die so that we might live.

Take time during this Lent to see Jesus in The Way of The Cross, in His pain and suffering.  Cry out to God through His Son.  Also thank and praise Him through His Son.  Let His Son, Jesus, personally lead you to God, His Father, our Father.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You believe in God; believe also in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going.”  John 14:1-4

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Introspection, Repentance, & Rebirth, aka Lent

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Martha
Achilleion Palace, Corfu, Greece, 2012- former home of Empress Elizabeth of Austria (taken my Martha Wiggins)

Achilleion Palace, Corfu, Greece, 2012- former home of Empress Elizabeth of Austria (taken my Martha Wiggins)

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  Matthew 11:28

     Lent is a time of introspection, repentance, and by the end, a time of complete renewal, a time of complete rebirth.  Lent is a time of living in the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Introspection, repentance, and renewal do not generally occur in an instant.  They are part of an overall process that takes time, often years, to culminate in rebirth.  The term, a work in progress, aptly applies to most of us as we struggle to become the person God created us to be.  Mistakes and failures are often repeated along the way.  Being called to holiness is daunting, and yet, it is holiness that we are each called to.

I find the following excerpt from God Calling, edited by A.J. Russell, very comforting when faced with my own struggles and failures.  “All miracle-work is not the work of a moment as so often men imagine.  My servant Peter was not changed in a flash from a simple fisherman to a great leader and teacher, but through the very time of faithlessness –through the very time of denial, I was yet making him all that he should be.  Impetuous spokesman as he always was, ready to lead the other disciples, Peter could never have been the after power he was, had he not learned his weakness.  No man can save, unless he understands the sinner.”

  “The Peter who was a mighty force for Me afterwards, who more than all others, founded My church, was not even first the Peter who said, ‘Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God,’ but the Peter who denied Me.  He who had tested My forgiveness in his moment of abject remorse, he could best speak of Me as the Saviour.”

When we sin, it is against the l0ve of God; it is His love that we offend.  The ones we love the most, we often hurt the most.  During the remainder of Lent make it a priority to find time for introspection and repentance.  Think about His love for you, then think about His mercy.  Ask His forgiveness and experience complete renewal and rebirth in His Resurrection.

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Bought And Paid For

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Martha
Crucifix in Sistine Chapel, taken by Martha McDuff Wiggins, 2012

Crucifix in Sistine Chapel, taken by Martha McDuff Wiggins, 2012

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”  Isaiah 53:5

During Lent our thoughts turn to the pain and suffering of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  When they do, let us also remember why He suffered and died on the Cross.  Let us remember our personal, private, public, sinful behavior nailed Him to that Cross.  He bought us with His Life, through His death on the Cross.  Let us repent; let us reform, and let us live as He wills us to.

The following is from Journey Through The Stillness, my personal spiritual journal.  It is shared publicly on Facebook, and can be accessed from this website.

October 19, 2010 – I see the nail driven through His feet and the nails driven through His wrists.  Then I see the sword piercing His Most Loving Sacred Heart; the Heart which wrought my salvation.  I say to Him, “Lord how can I ever repay You?  How can I ever repay such love, such sacrifice on my behalf?”  He answers, “The price has already been paid.  I paid the price.  Your response is to love; love Me and love all I send you.  In loving, you will live in my will; you will reap the rewards of Life Eternal.  Remember this.  True love, love that is of Me, does not sin.  So go; love, and sin no more.”

“They pierced my hands and my feet.  I can count all my bones.”  (Psalm 22:16-17)   “…and by his wounds we are healed.”  (Isaiah 53:5)

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Souls Prayer, Dedication

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Martha
Basilica Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome, Italy, (Basilica of St. Mary over Minerva) taken by Martha Wiggins, 2011

Basilica Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome, Italy, (Basilica of St. Mary over Minerva) taken by Martha Wiggins, 2011. Saint Catherine of Siena is buried beneath the altar, and to the left is a statue carved by Michelangelo -Christ Bearing The Cross.

     I dedicate this post today to my wonderful parents, whom God so lovingly blessed me and our family with: My Dad, January 9, 1918 – February 19, 2013, and my Mom, December 18, 1921 – November 6, 2007.

    In The Stillness, I was once given this beautiful Souls Prayer.  I pray it now for my parents, and as you read and pray it with me, please add anyone you would like to include.

Souls Prayer

     Sacred Heart of Jesus, Redeemer and Lover of Souls, have mercy on all who are to die this day, especially those who will die during this prayer.  Have mercy on all souls who suffer in their agony in Purgatory, especially those who have offended You the greates and are in most need of Your Diving Mercy.  I (we) lift up to you now the departed soul(s) of

…….    my beloved Mother and Father     …………………………………………………………………….;

that if among the suffering, You will quickly end their reparations and bring them into the full communion of Everlasting Life with You.  I (we) ask this through the Immaculate Heart of your beloved mother, and our mother, the Virgin Mary, and through all the angels and saints, whose sole purpose it is to ever point the way to You.  Sacred Heart of Jesus, Redeember and Lover of Souls, all praise and glory are yours now and forever.  Amen.

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Lord, You Are My Sight

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Martha
Bernini's Holy Spirit at Saint Peter's Basilica

Bernini’s Holy Spirit at Saint Peter’s Basilica, Rome, Italy, 2011

Lord, You are my Sight.

Forgive me, Lord, when I fail to come to You in my weakness.  Forgive me, Lord, when I fail to look for and see Your extended Hand of Mercy and Forgiveness.

Thank You, Lord, for faith to walk in the dark, not seeing, yet knowing You are ever there.  Thank You, Lord, for being my sight when I am blinded by my weakness.

Amen.

     Where do you turn in your weakness?  Do you look for help but only see the darkness?  Step toward that darkness while calling out to the Lord.  He will Light your way.

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Own What You Believe

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Martha
View from the top of the Vatican, taken by Martha McDuff Wiggins, 2012

View from the top of the Vatican, taken by Martha McDuff Wiggins, 2012

“and they said to the woman, ‘Now we believe no longer because of what you told us; we have heard him ourselves and we know that he is indeed the Saviour of the world.”  John 4:42

     Do you believe?  If so, why do you believe?  If you don’t believe, then why not?

     Belief in God, in Jesus, and in The Holy Spirit often does not come easy.  For some the concepts are far too thought provoking.  They don’t ever take the time to examine their thoughts and feelings at such depths.  For others, belief in God, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit is too restricting.  They do not want to be held accountable for the thoughts words or actions.  They don’t want to admit to themselves that sin exists.  Still others have many personal issues.  They feel life has mistreated them and refuse to believe in a God who they feel has hurt them or deserted them.  And then there are those who say there is no real proof that a God even exists.

     Those who have faith and truly believe in God have many reasons for doing so.  For some it is a belief system they were born into and never questioned, or never owned for themselves, yet feel it to be true and good.  There are some who believe just because others believe, or because others, whom they respect, have told them what to believe.  Then there are those who believe because they have sought God with all their heart, have studied His Word, accepted the sacrificial offering of His only Begotten Son, and received His Grace through the Blessed Sacraments.  They have owned and live their belief.

     In the above Gospel of John, the woman at the well believes because Jesus, whom she has never met, can tell her whole life’s story.  She has heard of the Christ who is to come and who will be able to explain everything, so she asks Him about this.  Jesus says to her, “That is who I am, I who speak to you.” (John 4:26)  The woman then hurries back to the town and tells everyone what she has learned.  At first the people believe because of what she tells them.  After they go and hear Jesus for themselves, they believe on the strength of what He tells them.  They have sought Him out themselves.  They now own their belief.

     God calls on you to own what you believe.  He sent His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, His Word made flesh, to explain everything to you.  To hear what He has to say read the Gospels and flollow in Jesus footsteps as He teaches the Good News to any and everyone who longs to hear it.  He heals them physically, mentally, and spiritually.  He makes them whole.

     This Lent make reading in your Bible a priority in your faith routine. Study the precepts of The Church.  Learn what you believe and why you believe it.  Only then can you own your faith.

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Simple Key To Salvation

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Martha
Transfiguration

Transfiguration

 “Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves.  And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.  While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!”   Matthew 17:1-5

     In Matthew’s Gospel we learn about the Transfiguration.  Jesus takes three of his favorite disciples, Peter, James, and John, with Him up the mountain.  There the three witness a very entrancing scene.  They witness our Lord in all of His Glory and see both Moses, and Elijah with Him.  If that isn’t enough, they then see a cloud and hear the voice of God confirming that Jesus is His Beloved Son.

     As an artist, I find the imagery of the Transfiguration stunning.  It is one of my favorites because I also happen to have been born on the feast day of the Transfiguration, August 6th.  I don’t believe anyone’s imagination or any artist can do this scene justice.  Jesus would have been aglow.  He would have been so bright as to be blinding.  He would have been shining like the sun!

     Just as we would be, the disciples were in complete awe of such a scene.  They were quite possibly a bit dumbfounded, as the first thing out of their mouths has to do with entertaining, being good hosts!  They ask if they should set up dwellings for each of the three.  But then, the real purpose of this scene comes crashing down on them in the form of a cloud.  And, I am sure it could not have been any ordinary cloud because the voice of God came from within it.  It must have been electric to say the least.

     After hearing the voice in the cloud, we get a more realistic guttural reaction from the disciples.  “When they heard this, the disciples fell on their faces, overcome with fear.” (Matthew 17:6)  Instinctively, the voice of God strikes fear in their hearts.  It is authoritative; it is commanding.  God tells them to listen to His Beloved Son.  At once, Jesus comes to them.  He touches them and says, “Stand up, do not be afraid.” (Matthew 17:7)  Then the gospel continues on, “And when they raised their eyes they saw no one but Jesus.”  (Matthew 17:8)  Jesus then takes them back down the mountain and tells them not to speak of what they have witnessed until after the Resurrection.

     In being allowed to witness The Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John learn a very important message in a very simple way.  And, in this simple lesson they have the key to Salvation: Fear and respect God, and listen to Jesus, His Beloved Son.  I love simplicity!

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