Suffering = Sacrifice

God's ultimate message today: "The Angel said, 'Let everything you do be a sacrifice but, above all, accept all the sufferings God sends you as a sacrifice.'" - Lucy of Fatima (Kaya pala kinaya kong lakarin mula Matutum Street malapit sa Ace Water Spa Banawe hanggang sa Sto. Domingo Church sa ilalim ng araw. Buti di na-slain. :D)

Sulit din pala ang dalawang oras na tambay sa adoration. Isang realisasyon: Umiiyak din pala ang mga lalaki sa loob ng adoration. Kala ko kaming mga babae lang...

*Simply inspired to pray for the conversion of souls (including my own) to my favorite saint 

Fr. Robert Barron

http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/seven-deadly-sins-seven-lively-virtues
The most important truth of spiritual life: God does not need you
you have been loved into existence
love: to the good of the other
God can't be self-interest.
what God wants us to be: that we might be fully alive
be a conduit of God's love, divine generosity
the more you give, the more you get
saintly way of being
we forget who we are
we become afraid
Fear is the root of all sins
1 John: the opposite of love is fear
I need to justify myself
wrapping self up in desperate needs: power, money
you become a threat in my well-being
allow God's love to surge through us
St. Augustine: Sin is being caved in on oneself
deadly sins: negative attitudes, distorted
keeps us from being alive
self-imposed imprisonment

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/what-every-couple-should-know-about-marriage-and-prayer

http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/three-to-get-married
there is nothing beautiful in this world than 2 young people in love
spiritual and psychological differences:
man generally marries to have a woman.
woman generally marries to have a child.
man looks at the pleasure in marriage
man gives reason to love a woman (I love you because you're beautiful...).
a woman never gives reason, she gives herself: surrender
man is quicker to love bec he can love & ask things, experience with a woman
a woman is slower to love, she will not love unless she can give herself totally & completely wait longer to give self totally, discover all of inspirations, great act of self oblation
a man is afraid of dying before he has lived.
a woman is generally afraid of dying before she has begotten life.
reconcile difficulties/tensions
tensions expected in every married life:
tensions are not bec of a defect
tensions are part of fallen human nature
1. between wanting and not wanting love
courtship is a kind of masked ball, marriage takes off the mask
torn between longing and satiety
when longing disappears
love too much, there is discontent
love too little, there is emptiness
you are made for the great sacred heart of love: God's love (infinite)
finite companion the substitute to the infinite
see in the light of God
longing for love: yearning for God
finiteness of earthly love
St. Augustine: Our hearts were made for You, Lord.
in every marriage, a man promises a woman something that only God can give
a woman promises a man what only God can give
pull between the too lil and too much
too lil bec we want God
too much bec only God can satisfy, the human cannot
2. tension between wanting to be one with another person, feeling of so alone
self is lost in another
the flesh alone cannot unite, only the soul can
the flesh is the means to unity (not an obstacle) bec it is bound up by soul
love loses its soul...

http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/the-true-meaning-of-christmas

Love and Suffering

God's big message and greatest insight after listening to the Marriage and the Eucharist CD by Christopher West days ago...
"Love involves suffering."
To love means to suffer, so if I were to suffer over & over again in this life, I wanna suffer with you (OTL) by my side.

Loving and Living

"To be a saint means when God's will and my will become one.
God's will for me is to go to Heaven.
It's not God's will for us to go to purgatory." - Fr. Larry Richards

Isn't it nice to hear voices of angels singing and praising God once we kick the bucket instead of prolonging our suffering by undergoing purification in purgatory? Make a decision to be a living saint today (or at least prepare to be one someday). Love like Jesus! Love unto folly! Suffering on the Cross, enduring insults and pains, and sacrificing One's life is probably the craziest kind of love there is. Love like crazy! Love as if there's no tomorrow! And you know by then that you have lived life to the full. :D

Matthew Arnold

Found a good supplement for my School of Formation...

http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/which-came-first-the-bible-or-the-church
lay Catholic speaker, author,certified Christian counselor, 6 homeschooled children
www.matthewarnold.org
The Holy Bible: the most popular book of all time, the most widely distributed book in history
Pray the rosary with the Psalms.
common expressions come from the Bible: a Judas, a Jezebel, the salt of the earth
Biblia: book
Bible: a whole library of sacred book, during a course of more than 1k years
Bible: contains the inspired Word of God
All Scripture is inspired by God, profitable for reproach, teaching
2 Tim 3:15-17
CCC: God is the Author of Sacred Scripture, moved human authors (inspired, w/o error, saving truth).
Jesus: the substantial Word of God
Bible: single volume (Divine Author)
The primary Author is God.
Divided into 3 sections: Hebrew (OT), NT
OT: desire for the Redeemer, old agreement or covenant, God preparing people for the coming of the Messiah
NT: passion and death of JC, covenant
Is 42: 1, 6
46 books of OT: history, wisdom
1st 5 books: Pentateuch/Torah: Law
Pentateuch: Laws of God
Genesis: explains the beginning of many important realities (sin, salvation, etc.)
Gen 1:27
Gen 12: 2, 3

Lectio Divina by Mark Hart

Reading the Bible:
Have a plan.
Start with the Gospel of Mark: the shortest, easiest to read (writing to Christians in Rome).
The Gospel of John is the deepest.
Mark 1: the preaching of John the Baptist, baptism of Jesus, the temptation of Jesus
spend one day in one sub-section
less is more
when it comes to Scripture, you retain it in your brain and in your heart, or else God complex
start with a prayer before reading the Bible
God is not impressed with our language.
The Holy Spirit inspired.
inspiration: breathe in
respiration: breathe out
Invite the Author to the table.
Come Holy Spirit, 3 to 4 times.
There's an ancient art of reading the Scriptures: Lectio Divina.
Mark 1:9
step 1: reading: WWWWWH
pause for footnotes for explanations
step 2: meditacio: meditation, ruminating

Matthew Leonard

http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/pray-like-a-saint
life, sacrifice, and suffering
We are all called to a life of self-sacrifice.
Praying is a relationship.
to raise our hearts and minds to God
Prayer gives us life, helps us go through this fallen world, offer up our sufferings, road to holiness
It is THE path.
Prayer comes in several basic forms: blessing, adoration, thanksgiving.
St. Therese: Prayer is where we encounter Christ, turn of the heart, comes from the heart.
We have an interior life.
conversation inside self: revolves around me
Prayer changes narcissistic focus.
inward to upward
a hole that can only be filled with a relationship with God

Sr. Mary Gabriel

http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/power-in-prayer

All the deepest yearnings of the human heart can only be met in prayer.
Prayer: The Catechism of the Catholic Church
stillness & silence: The God who loves you is with you.
Prayer: The Lord allures you into the desert to speak to your heart.
Desert: a place where I discover my own limitations, where I see my dependency on God, where I rely on Him so that He can be God

Fr. Larry Richards

http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/discerning-god-s-will

the will of God is for us to go to heaven
to be holy & blameless
the general will of God
everything else will be secondary
God made me to know Him, love Him, serve Him in this world
we become great saints
there's a universal call to holiness
It's God's will for you to be holy.
Holiness is real.
Pope John Paul II made people saints: radically in love with God
To be a saint means when God's will and my will become one.
living in a unitive way
It's not God's will for us to go to purgatory.

http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/the-mass-explained

Confession

Confession by Fr. Larry Richards
the greatest gift God gave us: His mercy
God's 1st movement is compassion.
Sin is saying no to God.
full knowledge: Eve
If God says you will die, you will die because God is not the liar.
The devil 1st instilled lies.
original sin: I become sin, I become god
sin: I don't think that's wrong; it doesn't matter as long as God does
good, pleasing, desirable
Sin is missing the mark (going the other way).
Sex is good.
sin: something good, something pleasurable, always has a desire
Sin is not hurting other people for the sake of other people.
It is wrong because God says no
ultimately wrong with sin: God says no, I say yes
The center of all sin is I: I determine (my life, will, want).
Sin always brings shame (e.g. Eve).
The 1st verse of salvation: Mary & JC analogy
"The wages of sin is death."
Sin always kills us.
God says I will give you hope.
Just God: must fulfill His justice
eternal penalty to the orig sin
I will become one of you: I will fulfill My justice.
God Himself in JC fulfilled His own justice.
In JC, the justice of God is fulfilled.
Why would you go to Heaven? Why shall I let you in Heaven? only 1 answer: because JC died for my sins
earn way to heaven: heretic
Participate by the way we live in what JC has done for us.
confession: renewed in my heart
I rejected His love.
about breaking laws or rules
God wants us to be whole & go to Heaven.
a relationship with God
God has a right to have 1st place in our life because He bought us at a price.
Matthew 16:18
"I entrust to you Peter the key to Heaven."
John 20:22-23
The priest who forgives your sin, ordinary way of forgiveness.
Sin is like a cancer.
after cancer operation: Did they get it all?
important to get it all out in confession
Know what sin is.
Sin is a spiritual disease.
You have to go to a spiritual doctor.
Give all your sins to a priest.
The one who knows us the most loves us the most.
confession: encounter with JC
We love to condemn people.
God said you shall not judge.
no condemnation in JC, only freedom
JC came to set us free (temper, pride).
Before God gave the commandments in Mt. Sinai, He set the people free 1st.
confession should be a place for freedom
The purpose of our life is to be like JC.
1st commandment: Love God above all things.
fit God into your day: break the 1st commandment
Not one of us can love God above all else (prayer).
mortal sin to miss Mass on Sunday
only 1 mortal sin to go to hell
1 mortal sin is enough to bring you to hell.
mortal sin:
1. serious matter
2. full knowledge
3. full consent of will
confession: intention of never doing it again
intention: I am done with this sin
Forgiveness: You must repent of your sins.
Every sin must be punished.
Do no cling to the sin to receive God's mercy.
Missing Mass on Sunday is a serious sin.
Honor your parents: take care.
the only commandment with a promise: long life
Anger can kill more than any knife into our heart.
6th commandment: sexual sin
All of us are sexual beings. Do it His way.
Sexual temptation is part of who we are (every day).
The body is not evil (what you do with it).
use them for your own pleasure
sex should be outside of ourselves, not inside
Porn is an addiction.
Porn takes the place of God.
Let the priest set you free from the sin.
last chapter of Revelation
Intercourse is not the only way to fornication.
Homosexuality is wrong because no life can come forth out of it.
artificial birth control is wrong
oral sex is always wrong
It's not your body, it's God's.
We all need a Savior.
The priest is also a sinner.
God is a God of mercy.
Repent & believe in the Good News: you are loved.
good examination of conscience
God comes to love you, not to condemn you.

The Truth

"Satan is the great plagiarizer." He has a knack for distorting truths. Lay a solid foundation, remain grounded on your faith, read the Scriptures diligently, protect your sacred half-hour (prayer time), find a support group (who will serve as your spiritual family), discover mentors, and you are on your way to sainthood with Heaven as our final destination. Happy journeying with others! :D