He and I - a conversation between Jesus & Gabrielle Bossis

Imprimatur Msgr. Jean-Marie Fortier, Archbishop Sherbrooke, November 14, 1969

Jesus speaking to Gabrielle Bossis:

"Yes, I am Truth. Sin is falsehood, error, darkness. Every form of goodness is truth: the desire for good, work for justice. . ." (January 13, 1944)

 "If you knew what the love of God is, it would be impossible for you not to abandon everything to Him and let yourself be lost to Him." (June 22, 1944)

"If you suffer, I am there to suffer with you. And this is my cross again-- this suffering in your suffering. Share it with Me, for everything depends on oneness. And if you believe in My love, suffering will be sweet to you." (June 28, 1944)

"I need each one of you as though you were the only person in the world, as though the cosmos had been created for you alone, and My love is greater than the cosmos. So let this thought be a strength to you and your smiling calm." (March 6, 1947)


Gabrielle: "Lord, I rack my brains to find ways of loving You and I don't succeed."
Jesus: "I am all simplicity. Love Me simply. When you think about Me, feeling sorry at not being able to do better, you love Me. When you act rather from duty than inclination, you love Me. When you belittle yourself in our own eyes and before others, you love Me. When you want to pray and you deplore the distracts that make your thoughts wander, you love Me. When you hunt for words without being able to express your desires, you love Me. When you forgive a wounding remark; when you give pleasure for the sake of giving Me pleasure; when you cease to think of yourself in order to reach Me; when you attempt to leave everything as though it were the day of your death; when in your thought you join the angels and saints, like one who arrives ahead of time; and when , in the evening you welcome your tomorrow morning that will unite us, you love Me.  It's all different from what you thought you ought to do in order to love Me. Oh, My little girl, simplify yourself sweetly in My Presence, your wide-awake. You know very well that I Am always there." (September 9, 1948)

New Year Resolution 2015: Speak Life to . . . Yourself

Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8

Most people for the New Year make "health" related resolutions. This is good because to be healthy is to be whole, or "holy".

Health: the general condition of the body or mind with reference to soundness and vigor: before 1000; Middle English helthe, Old English hǣlth. See hale1, whole, -th1 

Holy: devout, godly or virtuous: before 900; Middle English holi, Old English hālig, variant of hāl e.g.  equivalent to hāl whole + -eg -y1; cognate with Dutch, German heilig, OldNorse heilagr

One way to gauge our mental, emotional and spiritual health is to look at the quality of conversations in our relationships.  How much positive and how much negative do we deliberately speak to another?

The way we relate to others goes back to a further more causal internal motion: the dialogue we have with ourselves. 

Are we kind to ourselves or do we beat ourselves up?  

Do we love ourself in our most secret rawness?

Do we consider our own soul to be beautiful? 

Do we distract ourselves by our external accomplishments?

Do we call ourselves names?

Do we encourage ourselves?
Are we even mindful of what is in our vocabulary? 

Our thoughts are heard by God. Are we praising or damning His creation by patterns of words that go around and around?

Can we change our thoughts?

YES!!!

Watch your thoughts.
Think about the depth of your words.

SLOTH vs DILIGENCE - Day 3

Dorothy Sayers describes sloth as “a sin that believes in nothing, cares for nothing, seeks to know nothing, interferes with nothing, enjoys nothing, hates nothing, finds purpose in nothing, lives for nothing, and remains alive because there is nothing for which it will die.” 

What a sad, sad, existence. 

The following article claims that sloth can be tolerance and it can be hidden by purposeless activeness:  http://www.catholic.org/clife/lent/story.php?id=32656

We are given an allotted amount of time, what are we doing with it? 

How many hours a week do we spend watching tv, day dreaming, doing purposeless tasks, counting down the hours, minutes and seconds until we can do something else?

How much time do we spend with God?

He will ask for an account of our lives: what did we live for?

Just a Thought: There are...

There are four letters in HATE,
but there are also four letters in LOVE...

There are seven letters in ENEMIES,
but there are also seven letters in FRIENDS...

 HURT,
 HEAL...

 NEGATIVE,
 POSITIVE...

FALSE,
TRUTH...

Everybody has a story. But none of us know how long it will be. Some of us have volumes, others have chapters, while others, mere pages, paragraphs, or simply, the title. Death comes like a thief in the night. Every comma, letter, word, subplot adds up to the life we lived. Giving a finite amount of characters, how do we fill them? Leaving them empty is a choice, too.

If your story were to be written, what words would be used to describe your life? Would those around you agree with you? How many other stories would be inspired by yours? How many have been or will be extinguished because of you?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TAKING,           ANGER,           FIGHT,            SAD,           FAITHLESS,

  GIVING...          MERCY...         PEACE...         JOY...          INTEGRITY...

WASTE,        COLD,          REVENGE,         RUDE,         STAGNATE,

  RENEW...      WARM...      FORGIVE...         KIND...        IMPROVES...          

LUST,            ADDICTIONS,          DISAPPOINTS,       NEGLECT,       

  PURE...          DISCIPLINE...          RESPONSIBLE...    NURTURE...  

GLUTTONY vs TEMPERANCE - Day 6

From the Catechism:

1809 Temperance is the moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods. It ensures the will's mastery over instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what is honorable. The temperate person directs the sensitive appetites toward what is good and maintains a healthy discretion: "Do not follow your inclination and strength, walking according to the desires of your heart."⁷² Temperance is often praised in the Old Testament: "Do not follow your base desires, but restrain your appetites."⁷³ In the New Testament it is called "moderation" or "sobriety." We ought "to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world."⁷⁴

To live well is nothing other than to love God with all one's heart, with all one's soul and with all one's efforts; from this it comes about that love is kept whole and uncorrupted (through temperance). No misfortune can disturb it (and this is fortitude). It obeys only [God] (and this is justice), and is careful in discerning things, so as not to be surprised by deceit or trickery (and this is prudence).⁷⁵

1838 Temperance moderates the attraction of the pleasures of the senses and provides balance in the use of created goods.

2290 The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkenness or a love of speed, endanger their own and others' safety on the road, at sea, or in the air.

2341 The virtue of chastity comes under the cardinal virtue of temperance, which seeks to permeate the passions and appetites of the senses with reason.

2407 In economic matters, respect for human dignity requires the practice of the virtue of temperance, so as to moderate attachment to this world's goods; the practice of the virtue of justice, to preserve our neighbor's rights and render him what is his due; and the practice of solidarity, in accordance with the golden rule and in keeping with the generosity of the Lord, who "though he was rich, yet for your sake . . . became poor so that by his poverty, you might become rich."¹⁹⁰

2517 The heart is the seat of moral personality: "Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication. . . . "³⁰⁵ The struggle against carnal covetousness entails purifying the heart and practicing temperance:

Remain simple and innocent, and you will be like little children who do not know the evil that destroys man's life.³⁰⁶

It is a Problem of Thought

QUOTE OF THE DAY:
It is never true that we have no time to meditate; the less one thinks of God, the less time there will always be for Him. The time one has for anything depends on how much we value it. Thinking determines the use of time; time does not rule over thinking! The problem of spirituality is never, then, a question of time; it is a problem of thought. For it does not require much time to make us saints; it requires only much love.
-- Bishop Fulton Sheen

Read more: http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/inspiration.htm#ixzz1diae7PAW

Conference on Spiritual Warfare

My daughter, I want to teach you about spiritual warfare.  Never trust in yourself, but abandon yourself totally to My will. In desolation, darkness and various doubts, have recourse to Me and to your spiritual director.  He will always answer you in My name.  Do not bargain with any temptation; lock yourself immediately in My Heart and, at the first opportunity, reveal the temptation to the confessor.  Put your self-love in the last place, so that it does not taint your deeds.  Bear with yourself with great patience.  Do not neglect interior mortifications.  Always justify to yourself the opinions of your superiors and of your confessor.  Shun murmurers like a plague.  Let all act as they like; you are to act as I want you to. Observe the rule as faithfully as you can.  If someone causes you trouble, think what good you can do for the person who caused you to suffer.  Do not pour out your feelings.  Be silent when you are rebuked.  Do not ask everyone's opinion, but only the opinion of your confessor; be as frank and simple as a child with him.  Do not become discouraged by ingratitude.  Do not examine with curiosity the roads down which I lead you.  When boredom and discouragement beat against your heart, run away from yourself and hide in My heart.  Do not fear struggle; courage itself often intimidates temptations, and they dare not attack us. Always fight with the deep conviction that I am with you.  Do not be guided by feeling, because it is not always under your control; but all merit lies in the will.  Always depend upon your superiors, even in the smallest things.  I will not delude you with prospects of peace and consolations; on the contrary, prepare for great battles.  Know that you are now on a great stage where all heaven and earth are watching you.  Fight like a knight, so that I can reward you.  Do not be unduly fearful, because you are not alone.  -- St. Faustina, Divine Mercy in My Soul #1760

The Violet & the Servant

"Be like the violet, which blossoms unseen. This modest little flower grows in the midst of the loftier plants which surround it, being itself unheeded and unknown, Charming indeed it is in its robe of purple; delightful is the fragrance it diffuses; yet it knows not that it is so sweet and fair. Do you resemble this flower? The more firmly this tendency to pride is implanted by nature in the heart of woman, the more edifying and meritorious it is when she, with the aid of divine grace, fights against the tendency and gradually eradicates it, planting in its stead the fragrant violet of humility, causing it to take root to flourish and blossom. The violet of humility is indeed one of the fairest ornaments of woman, and of the young girl more especially. "- Father Lasance, The Catholic Girl's Guide 

Now He told a parable to those who were invited, when He marked how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, "When you are invited by any one to a marriage feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest a more eminent guest than you be invited by him; and he who invited you both will come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say 'go up higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted."- Luke  14:7-11

“Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance.” - St. Augustine

I have been reflecting on humility for seven days now...

Observations thus far:  
1) it is not placing yourself above others; 
2) it has the characteristics of a violet: pleasant, small, and unheeded; 
3) it is the precursor for other virtues;  
4) it serves others. 

Reflection on myself for today: Have I exulted myself above those in all my interactions?  Were my actions, words or thoughts humble?  Did I have a pleasant demeanor?  Did I make a big deal out of insignificant things?  Who did I serve today?  Was I Christ to anybody?  Or did I expect to be served?

Watch Your Thoughts

June is my favorite month, mostly because it is my birthday month. :-)

 As I thought about what I want to do for my birthday and who I want to spend it with, I reflected upon what I did last year for my birthday.

Last year a friend bought me a huge bouquet of red roses and hosted a party for me. He even made the dinner and cake himself! The whole thing was wonderful... until I blew it with my thoughtlessness.

For awhile I was harboring some resentment for some plans we were making for the summer.  I was really frustrated by a particular situation.  The discussion of the summer came up at the party and I blurted out something that completely humiliated him and brought me to shame. It was almost as if an evil spirit came out of me. My resentment and self-centeredness just poured out. What I said was only about two or three sentences worth, but it was enough to hurt him. It was a mortifying experience. While this friend was putting forth the effort to give me a great birthday, I showed ingratitude.

This year for my birthday, I wish to improve myself so that my soul isn't that ugly anymore.  I sometimes feel like Dorian Grey.  This time next year, I want to reflect back on my year and be happier at the choices I made.  This past year has been filled with many regrets, I made many foolish and selfish decisions.

Consequently, my birthday present to myself this year will be humility. I am going to spend the month examining and practicing this virtue.

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.

Watch your words, for they become actions.

Watch your actions, for they become habits.

Watch your habits, for they become character.

Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

-Author Unknown