God's healing love

Never be afraid of the healing love that God wants to pour out on us.

Bite the bullet, and let Him work. 

Take courage...he really HAS counquered the world! 

2-part miracle

Confession is actually a 2-part miracle.

The first part of the miracle is that we are called to the sacrament (and have the good sense to listen).  Because we can not approach God without being first drawn to Him.

The second part, of course, is the forgiveness and absolution of sin.

ten ways to love

1. Listen without interrupting.  (Proverbs 18)
2. Speak without accusing.  (James 1:19)
3. Give without sparing.  (Proverbs 21:26)
4. Pray without ceasing. (Colossians 1:9)
5. Answer without arguing.  (Proverbs 17:1)
6. Share without pretending. (Ephesians 4:15)
7. Enjoy without complaint. (Philippians 2:14)
8. Trust without wavering. (Corinthians 13:7)
9. Forgive without punishing.  (Colossians 3:13)
10. Promise without forgetting.  (Proverbs 13:12)

stone jars

There were six stone jars in Cana of Galilee containing water used for ritual ablutions; there are also 'six stone jars' of purification found in a soul which, motivated by love, converts from vice to virtue:
contrition, confession, prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and sincere forgiveness.

~ St. Anthony of Padua

anger

Anger is like a poison meant for someone else that we drink ourselves. 

walking the walk

When walking the Road of Conversion, there are 3 things that will help:

• daily prayer - should be more listening than telling
• regular confession - giving Jesus our weaknesses and imperfections turns us toward Him, regular confession is "preventive maintenance" for the soul
• fruitful reception of the Eucharist  - not receiving out of routine habit, but giving our lives to Jesus as He gives us Himself 

1.23.11

before confession

Before we go to confession, we must trust.

We must trust that God's mercy is greater than anything that priest is going to hear.

Judas was the one who betrayed Jesus.  The truth is, they all scattered.  But the others accepted Jesus' forgiveness.  Judas was sorry, but he didn't trust Jesus to forgive him.

stay out of that sandbox!

Discouragement is the devil's sandbox.

Once you get in the sandbox, despair is the next step.

Do NOT become discouraged.

Give those things to God in confession.

11.07

but i haven't killed anyone....

All sin is offensive to God - not just mortal sins.

(So you don't have to wait until you are guilty of mortal sins to go to confession!)

God loves to forgive!

(Lucky for us.)

about dwelling on past sins...

Jesus came so that we can walk in freedom.

He accepts our contrition and our sorrow, but then He wants us to move on to do His work.

When Peter said, "I am a sinful man," Jesus (who knew the extent of that sinfulness very well) did not reply, "You got that right, buddy!"  He loved him anyway and encouraged him to fish for men.

All of us - at the core of our being - have a desire to be "caught" by God.

9.30.09