In His Footsteps

Posted on February 13, 2013 by Martha
Resurrection Tapestry, Vatican Museum, taken by Martha Wiggins 2012

Resurrection Tapestry, Vatican Museum, taken by Martha Wiggins 2012

As we begin the Holy season of Lent, let us begin with this Gospel from Matthew:

Matthew 6:1-6

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

Concerning Almsgiving

“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

“So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.   But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.“

Concerning Prayer

“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.“

      As we put into practice those things which will serve to bring us closer to God, let us ever look to Jesus as the perfect example of how to.  He had a public ministry of teaching and healing, and He had a private prayer life in a deep and close relationship with His Father.  Let us walk through Lent in His footsteps.

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Lent, Journey Of The Soul

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Martha
Ephesus, Turkey taken by Martha Wiggins, 2011

Ephesus, Turkey taken by Martha Wiggins, 2011

“But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.”  Deuteronomy 4:28

     Lent is a special time of reflection and preparation.  We reflect on the meaning of our life and we prepare to receive new life through the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

     Giving up candy and chocolates, snacks between meals, or foregoing some pleasure we look forward to, are some ways of denying ourselves comforts that we enjoy so we can offer it up as a sacrifice.  Self-denial is only one part of our Lenten journey.

     Alms giving is another way to sacrifice.  Giving our money or our material supplies shows our commitment to care for all of God’s children.  While it is good to put the needs of someone else ahead of our own, alms giving is also only a part of our Lenten journey.

     The real Lenten journey begins within ourselves.  It is an inward reflection on the very meaning of our existence.  We ask questions such as, Who am I?  Why am I?  What am I supposed to do?  Why did God send His only Son to live and die for me?  How can I get to Heaven?  Without the answers to these questions our lives are meaningless.  Without the answers to these questions we are merely wanderers through space and time.

     In the book entitled “A Deeper Walk,” a compilation of inspirational devotions from famous Christian authors, is a very pointed inspiration on seeking salvation for ourselves:

“Life’s Breath — An inquirer went to a wise hermit who was known as a man of God.  “Tell me the way of salvation,” he asked.  The hermit led him to the river.  There he grabbed the inquirer and held his head under the water.  The man fought desperately to get free, but the hermit was strong and held him under.  Finally, when he thought his lungs would burst and he had nearly lost all strength, the hermit released him.  As the man coughed and gasped for breath, the hermit said, “When you want salvation as much as you wanted air, you will find it.”  God knows that we will not truly come to Him until we realize that our lives depend on it.  When we recognize that we need God more than anything, we will seek Him desperately.”  (Contributed by Tom Jones)

     Lent consists of 40 days and nights beginning on Ash Wednesday, which this year falls on February 13th.  In the next couple of days start and end each day with a prayer  asking God to show you who you are meant to be, to show you personally why He sent His Son to save yo,. and in what way He would like you to use self-denial and alms giving to increase your sanctity and deepen your relationship with Him.  Develop a plan and be ready on Ash Wednesday to implement it.  Write it down and refer to it often to check your progress, or where you have fallen short and need to double your efforts.  Lent is a journey, not in the physical sense, but rather a journey of the soul culminating in Eternal Life with its Creator. 

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified.  He has risen! He is not here.  See the place where they laid him.”  Mark 16:6

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Journey Of Patience And Faith

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Martha

 

Ruins at Corinth, Greece, 2012, taken by Martha Wiggins

Ruins at Corinth, Greece, 2012, taken by Martha Wiggins

 “Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”  Isaiah 40:30-31  

     Wait for the Lord.  To wait for the Lord means to pay attention, to watch for signs, to be patient.  To do so we must cease to focus on ourselves and turn our focus to God to seek His wisdom, His counsel, and to anticipate His good.

     When I focus on Him, I often find that the time spent waiting passes more quickly.  This applies whether waiting in line at the grocery store, at the hospital for a loved one in surgery, or waiting on a major life change for myself or a loved one.

     Patience is a virtue, but one that we each have in varying amounts.  When we focus on the Lord we don’t have to worry about being patient.  We are so busy concentrating on the source of all good, the source of all hope, and the source of all life, that we don’t have time to be impatient.  We just trust instead.  Patience actually is trust.  In patience we trust in His timing, and in His outcome.

     Faith is the grace by which we see beyond ourselves to God.  Faith enables us to pray for His help, and to believe that He will help, and to be certain it will be the best outcome possible for all involved.  Faith is certainty.  In faith we are certain He is listening, certain He is there for us.

     The Holy season of Lent is a time when we wait in hope for the Lord.  While we wait for Him, we gain strength through patience and faith.  The hardest waiting period of the entire liturgical year is that of Holy Week as we participate in the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and anticipate His Resurrection.  We watch as He is beaten, scourged, crowned with thorns, made to carry the weight of our sins upon the cross, brutally nailed to that same cross, unmercifully speared piercing His Most Sacred Heart, and then left hung upon that cross to die for us.

     And then, we wait.  We wait for Our Risen Lord.  Through our Lenten journey we have learned to cease focusing on ourselves and have turned all of our focus to God in anticipation of His Son.  We now wait in patience, in faith, and in certainty.  We know.

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Lord, You Are Hope

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Martha

Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Italy, 2011

Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Italy, 2011

Lord, You are Hope.

Forgive me, Lord, when I think that all will remain as is, or that this is all there is.  Forgive me when I fall into complacency, or hopelessness.  Let my hope forever more be in the future, in You.

Thank you, Lord, for Hope in Life Eternal.

     Sometimes we get on a roll where things are going great.  Sometimes we get in a rut and things are boring, or difficult.  In either case, we can become complacent and think things will always be the same.  Let us not become complacent, or accepting of what is.  Let us look to the future with hope in our heart, hope in Life Eternal.

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Grace To Begin, Again

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Martha
Interior of Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome, Italy, 2011, taken by Martha Wiggins

Interior of Saint Peter’s Basilica, Rome, Italy, 2011, taken by Martha Wiggins

“From His fullness we have received, grace upon grace.”  John 1:16

     No one sets out to fail.  We would would never begin if we knew we were doomed from the start.  We begin our endeavors with a good attitude and a hopeful heart, believing in, or at least wishing for, a successful outcome.

     Sometimes in the process we stumble.  When we do, it is usually ourselves we trip over.  We become our own obstacle to success.  We lose strength or courage to go on.  We lose willpower or faith.  We falter because we don’t know how to proceed after we trip.

     In His wisdom, grace, and infinite mercy, God has devised a plan to rescue us from ourselves, from our failures.  He offers us hope and guidance, and more importantly for most of us, another chance; a do-over.  He forgives and forgets.

     When we bring our failures and lay them at His feet, at the foot of the Cross, Jesus takes them on Himself.  He wipes the slate clean with His Blood and tears.  He then sends us out with enough grace to begin again, and again, for as many times as needed.  We wonder, “How can this be?  Why doesn’t He give up on us?  Why doesn’t He just walk away from us forever?”  The answer is simple; He loves us with an everlasting Love.

     We are His children.  He has vested a part of Himself in each one of us.  When we know this Truth, when we believe it within our heart, we are free to begin.  We are free to falter; we are free to fail.  Most importantly we are free to begin again, and again, and even again!  With His grace He picks us up, dusts us off, and sets us on the path again.  With Him there is success.  With Him we are not doomed to fail.  We may falter, but we will succeed.

     At the start of each New Year we look forward with hope in our hearts.  It is a time when we venture forth, sometimes on a wing and a prayer, sometimes with a goal and a well laid plan.  We seek success.  As this New Year blossoms in full, remember to seek His grace, believe in success, and get started!  If need be, start again.  Jesus is with you.

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In The Midst Of Hope

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Martha
St Mark's Cathedral

Saint Mark’s Cathedral, Venice, Italy, 2012

The following is an entry from Journey Through The Stillness, my personal spiritual journal shared publicly on facebook.  Sometimes we must cling to hope because there are no answers forthcoming.  When we place our hope in the envelope of trust the Lord will ever provide. 

August 21, 2012 – The Stillness today is one of thankfulness and awe.  I went to bed last night deeply concerned about a situation.  In fact, I didn’t sleep much.  I just kept praying over and over and over, “Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in You.”  This morning I got up and did what I needed to do not knowing an outcome.  And now, there is new hope.  I still do not know the complete outcome but I am paying attention to the small answers from Him along the way.  I have placed my trust in Him and He has provided Hope.  I will continue on in hope, prayer, and guided action.  My Hope is in the Lord.

(Personal thoughts – Time and again when I apply my lessons learned, when I pray and act according to His lead, I find myself in the midst of Hope.  Not always knowing the outcome is not so bad.  It is knowing He is with me that brings a new hope in whatever situation I am dealing with.  My heart is thankful, hopeful, and peaceful with Him.)

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Constant Prayer

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Martha
View of upper facade of the Duomo, The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence, Italy, 2012, taken by Martha M Wiggins

View of upper facade of the Duomo, The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence, Italy, 2012, taken by Martha M Wiggins

“Teach me the way I should go,  for to you I lift up my soul.”  Psalm 143:8

     For some ‘living in constant prayer’ may sound like a just figure of speech, an unattainable goal, a myth, or even a luxury.  In truth, most believe that living in constant prayer is something only a Saint could achieve.  The real truth is that spending time in daily prayer and stillness before Our Lord is a must for survival in this world.  Prayer is our link to that other world God has so lovingly prepared for us.  Heaven patiently awaits each and every one of  us. 

    Most of us don’t have the luxury of spending great amounts of time on our knees in prayer.  We have jobs and family responsibilities that pull us out into this world even though we might wish to remain in the ‘other’ world.  While we may not be to able to remain kneeling in prayer, we can live in prayer.  The Saints actually were holy people who lived their lives in prayer.  The key word is live.  They went about their daily tasks and lives as they offered all up to God, remaining constantly in His Sight, and thereby His Grace.  When we offer up all that we are, think, do and say to Our Lord, our thoughts and actions become linked to Him in a way that is very pleasing to Him.  When we are linked to Him we remain in constant prayer. 

       Being holy is something each one of us is called to, and is something each one of us is capable of being in our own everyday, normal life routines.  None of us start out as Saints.  Striving to live in constant prayer is along the path to holiness, and we must train our minds to do so.  We can begin each day offering up all of the day’s prayers, works, joys, sacrifices and sufferings.  I also like to include, “Lord, I offer up to you all that I am, and all that I am not, for I know your Holy Spirit will see where I am lacking and make it complete in your Sight.”  Then, throughout our day, especially when feeling stressed or inadequate, we can call to mind our offering.  We can recommit knowing He will always take our efforts and bless them, making us holy in His Sight. 

     May God bless each and every one of us as we strive to be holy through our effort to live in constant prayer.

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Face To Face

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Martha
St Peter's Basilica Statuary, taken by Martha Wiggins, 2011

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

“My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’  Your face, LORD, I will seek.  Do not hide your face from me …”  Psalm 27: 8-9

     When did you last see Jesus?  Did you recognize Him right away?  Did you allow His image to imprint your soul?  Did seeing Him make a difference? 

     Jesus wants and expects us to see Him in others, especially the poor, the downtrodden, and the oppressed.  When Jesus shows Himself to us He desires something from us in the way of prayer, witness, or action.

     Often we catch a glimpse of Jesus and simply continue on our way.  We are either too busy or too uncomfortable to be truly moved out of our comfort zone.  If it is an ‘awe’ moment we may embrace it, and pray about it.  If it is an ‘aha’ moment we may spend time pondering it, and say, yes I get it.  But do we move?  Do we allow the sight of Jesus to motivate us to act on His behalf?  Or do we sit silent, hide behind social correctness, or even run away.

     In his book, “A Revolution of Love, The Meaning of Mother Teresa,” David Scott writes about how Mother Teresa saw, and taught us to meet, Jesus in the poor.  “In the poor, she believed, we meet Jesus -not a reminder of Jesus, not a symbol of Jesus, but Jesus himself, face-to-face, hungering for our love, thirsting for our kindness, waiting to be clothed by our compassion.” 

     Scott continues by relating a time when Mother Teresa was once approached by a highborn Hindu woman who desired to help the poor, but had a weakness for buying very expensive saris for herself.  The one she wore that particular day cost 800 rupees.  “Recounting the story, Mother Teresa said she prayed silently to the Virgin Mary, seeking the right words with which to respond to the woman.  Finally, she told her, ‘Next time, when you go to buy a sari, instead of buying a sari of 800 rupees, you buy a sari of 500 rupees, and with the remaining 300 you buy saris for the poor people.’  Thus began one very wealthy woman’s journey to the poor.  Soon she was buying herself saris worth only 100 rupees and giving to the poor more and more of her money, time, and possessions.”

     In Mother Teresa we find a very simple woman who saw Jesus.  She saw Him in the faces of the poor and allowed it to imprint her soul.  Seeing Him made a difference in her life, and the lives of many of the poorest of the poor.  By her example she also taught us how to recognize Jesus when He is right in front of us.  Like the highborn Indian woman, we may need some time to grow into His image and likeness through our actions.  We may need to start out with small steps, but like her, will soon find ourselves right in the heart of the action.  We will have seen Jesus, recognized Him, allowed His image to imprint our soul, and then let Him make a difference in our life, and the lives of those we reach out to in His Name.

     Seek His face; He will not hide it from you.

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Battlefield Of The Soul

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Martha
Bernini's Holy Spirit at Saint Peter's Basilica

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

“You have to see your inner lives are all they should be, and then the work is accomplished.  Not in rushing and striving on the material plane, but on the battlefield of the Soul are these things won.”  (Excerpt from God Calling, A.J. Russell, January 30th entry.) 

     Love, Joy, and Peace are fruits of the Spirit.  They are the internal longing of our souls and can only be achieved by looking inward and seeking Jesus there within.  Many seek Love, Peace, and Joy from worldly goods and worldly acclaim.  Because it does not come from Jesus within us, it is superficial and fleeting.

     Our soul is wise beyond worldly measure.  It seeks out Truth and longs to be one with it.  It remains in constant battle with our brain, in constant turmoil, when its longing goes unfulfilled or ignored.  When Satan realizes there is a battle raging he jumps on the battlefield to lead the charge for the army of world.  He throws every temptation and enticement at us.  He seeks to destroy the longing of our soul for Truth and replace it with a longing for the spoils of sin.  As this battle between Satan, the world, and the soul rages on, our soul desperately seeks wisdom, a path to follow, and a light to guide it.  Even with its intense longing, the soul cannot win the battle alone.  Jesus, the soul’s creator, must be at its side, and must be invited to be there.

     If the world is greatly tempting you lately, recognize it as Satan.  Invite Jesus into your heart ask Him to lead the charge on the battlefield of your soul.  Satan is powerless against Him, but all conquering when we push Jesus aside or block Him from entering.   Love, Peace, and Joy are consolations of His Spirit only to be found within, and only on the battlefield of the soul are they won.

     From the same entry in God Calling:  “Love, Joy, Peace, welcome these.  Let no personal feelings, no thoughts of self banish these.  Singly, they are miracle-producing in a life, but together, they can comman all that is needed on the physical, mental and spiritual planes. … It is in these wonder-realm attributes, all succes lies.” 

     Seek His Spirit within and accept His consolations.  Win on the battlefield of your soul.

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The Echoing Voice

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Martha
One of the Stations of The Cross inside the Pantheon, Rome, Italy, 2011, taken by Martha Wiggins

One of the Stations of The Cross inside the Pantheon, Rome, Italy, 2011, taken by Martha Wiggins

 “But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25)

“Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands.  Reach out your hand and put it into my side.  Stop doubting and believe.”  Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”  (John 20:27-28)

     “Stop doubting and believe.”  Jesus is speaking these words not just to Thomas, but to all of us.  In His Holy Word, His voice is echoing down through all the ages, throughout Eternity. 

     We each have an opportunity everyday to put our finger in the nail marks of His Hands, and in the wound of His Side.  Jesus presents His wounds to us continually through the pain and sufferings of our fellow man.  When we ease the sufferings of mankind in the Name of Jesus, we affirm our belief.  When we serve others needs our actions cry out, “My Lord and my God.”

     Are you listening for His voice echoing across time?  Do you hear His call?  Stop doubting and believe.  He is calling you.

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