How's Your Inner Peace?

Have you ever heard the saying, "If you want to make God laugh, make plans"? I know it well and this week has it played out many times and it's only Wednesday.

Last week the kids went back to school. I don't have to drive them this year because our Senior has his license and access to a vehicle.  What a relief!  So, last week went something like this: get up, do my morning routine, pack my gym bag, kiss the kiddos goodbye and head off to Mass and then to the gym.  After my workout, come home, clean a little, read a little, play that darn "Candy Crush" a little.  You know, "me time".

So, come Monday, I was ready for more of the same. I had my gym back packed, Magnificat at the ready, and then my driver came out of his room looking a little green around the gills and told me he was staying home from school.  Ho hum.  Back to last year's routine.  Thankfully I didn't get upset, I just readjusted.  I took the kids to school, went to a different Mass and came home ready to work.  Then I got a phone call from my dear one.  He forgot his glasses; would I please bring them to the office?  Sure thing. {sigh}

Over the weekend I happened to pick up a copy of the book, 'Jesus Calling' by Sarah Young.  On a whim, since I had purchased it to give to someone else, I opened to the page for August 26, Monday.  This is what I read: "Trust me in the midst of a messy day."  I had to laugh.  God knew I needed that.  It went on to say,  "Your inner peace in my Presence need not be shaken by what is going on around you."

Good thing, because next, two of our fleet of vehicles died (thankfully not on the same day), the vacuum died and another child got sick.  Chuckle, chuckle, chuckle? Or, come to Me? Lean on Me?

How often do we let the world and its issues effect our mood, our outlook, our peace?  I could have gotten upset, and maybe next time I will.  This time, however, my peace was not disturbed and God took the time to remind me that I need to be this way all the time, not just on a good mood day.

There are many instances where I could have used this reminder. Sunday night comes to mind.  I was thinking about an issue over which I had no control.  But, not having any control was frustrating me. In the midst of my internal frustration, one of the littles was being very needy, way past bedtime.  I found myself becoming less kind by the minute and so I had to leave the house.

Instead of handing my frustration over to God, and receiving His peace, I let it get to me.  I did the right thing by leaving, so as not to inflict pain on an innocent heart. I fled to the Adoration Chapel, where God refreshed me.  We can't always have it together, but we can always flee to the one who wants to give us His peace.

Every day before my dear one leaves for work he asks, "What can I pray for?"  Ninety percent of the time my answer is peace.  Those prayers are working.  If you find yourself lacking that inner peace, pray for it.   God loves to answer those kind of prayers.

Take Time to Listen

Sometimes it is hard to listen to the Holy Spirit (or your guardian angel-I have an impossible time telling the difference) but you'll always be glad that you did, so be open to hearing that voice.

One day, a couple of weeks ago, I was privy to an interaction between a mom and her young son.  The mom was late for work and the son was moving a little too slowly for her liking and so she was yelling at him.  Had this been the first time I had heard this happening I probably would have just let it go.  I was very tempted to do so even though it wasn't the first time.  But, the Holy Spirit kept nudging me, so I walked over to talk to her. Since our conversation was very short and she left for work almost immediately, I have no idea if I helped defuse the situation or not.  But, at least I did what I was told.

Yesterday was no different in that I did listen to what I was told to do, however this time I got to see the whole scene played out and so I benefitted from the obedience.

I was in the dining room trying, for the umpteenth time that day, to get the table cleaned off.  There was a box of spaghetti noodles that I picked up and stuck under my arm to carry down the basement.  Well, the box was open and the open end was pointed down and so all the noodles hit the floor.  Heavy sigh!!!  Which almost turned into a rant, until I heard the word, "laugh" in my head.  So, I laughed.

My tenacious one and her big sister were in the room when it happened and they heard the sigh. They immediately leapt into action to help me clean up, but with looks on their faces like they were ready for me to yell!  When I laughed instead they both smiled and became calm, though still willing to help.

Not five minutes later, my little helper was opening a bag of cheesy rice for supper and she dropped it, spilling half of it on the floor.  Given my reaction to my spill, she just smiled at me (and I at her) and got the broom.  I saved the other half of the rice, which we had for dinner, but my earlier laugh saved the day.

She knew that I would not be upset with her because I had just laughed at myself.

Thank you Holy Spirit, or guardian angel.  I appreciate your ever watchful care over me.

www.thatslife12.blogspot.com

Note From Jesus

I often pray, and wish that God would answer with a letter or an email so I could know, without a doubt, that He heard me and was taking care of the situation.  I am excited to say, I got my note.

Last weekend I was blessed to be able to drive 5 awesome guys (2 sons, 2 nephews and a third "son") to a teen conference at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio and stay as a chaperone.

While the conference was specifically for the teens, the other chaperones and I likely came away with as much as the kids.

The point of the conference was to grow in our relationship with  Christ.  There were three Masses, times for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and many priests available for several hours over the course of the weekend to hear confessions.  All this, in an effort to help us put aside the world for a while and focus on getting to know the Lord a little better.

The teens rocked to great music, heard awesome speakers and got to know some new friends.

One of the ways to kids "communicated" with each other was with clothespins.  (The kind that pinch.)  The would sneakily attach a clothespin to a shirt tail or backpack to let the recipient know that someone was thinking of them.

The messages on the clips varied; some gave youth group names, some said a kind word, bolder kids left their phone numbers.

The highlight of the weekend was Adoration on Saturday night.  The monstrance was carried through the field house so the kids could have a close encounter with Christ.

The chaperones were alerted ahead of time to expect varied reactions from the teens and to be watchful in case someone needed extra prayers, a tissue, or just watching over as they encountered Christ on a very personal level.  I didn't expect an overwhelming reaction for myself;  no crying, no laughing, no physical feeling of anything different.

And yet, I was touched.  And my moment came before Adoration began.  I felt a slight brush on my arm, and for a second I did not turn around.  Knowing that I had been clothes pinned, I knew the person pinning me wanted to remain anonymous, and so I waited to take the pin off.

When I did, my moment came.  The clothespin had written on it, "I LOVE YOU" on one side and "pass it on" on the other.  To me, it was a message from Christ.  And try as I might, I could not re-pin it.  I could have reached out to several people over the last hours of the conference, but each time I was "told" to hang on to my message.

So, on the drive home, I pinned it in a prominent location:

on my picture of the Divine Mercy in the dashboard of my van.  Every time I read it, my heart thrills a little because it feels like Jesus is speaking right to me. After I read it, I say it back to Jesus.  As for passing it on?  I'm doing that right now: 

Jesus loves YOU!!

The weekend was wonderful.  I came home healed of a weakness of mine, and the Eucharist has become so much more intimate.  God is good, all the time.  All the time, God is good.  

Corpus Christi

Today is the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.  Given that the Eucharist is the source and summit of Catholic life, it's a pretty big deal.

On Holy Thursday, Christ instituted the Eucharist.

 Before that day, He told his followers:

"I am the bread of life.

Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;

this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.

I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat?”Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.” (John 6: 48-58)

At the Last Supper, Christ gave us the priesthood and Himself in the Eucharist. Our priests continue to bring the Eucharist to us on a daily basis.  How often do you participate?

If you were told to go to a certain spot everyday at a specific time and you would be handed $1000, would you go? Every day?

If you were told that Jesus, Himself, was waiting to give you the gift of a lifetime, in many locations, at many different times throughout the day, would you make the effort to go and receive Him who gives you life?

He is waiting. He is at many locations, at many different times throughout the day. He wants to give you the gift of a lifetime, actually the gift of LIFE.  Eternal life. (see above!)

Come to the Feast! He awaits.