Give Me Oil in My Lamp

 And the foolish said to the prudent, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” Matthew 25:8

Jesus makes it clear in this parable of the wise and foolish virgins that there is a very real danger that some of us will get ourselves locked out of heaven. The question then is who is Jesus and do we really believe what He is saying?

People believe what they like, and sometimes do not even care to find out the truth for themselves. I believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, because of all the prophecies about His coming that were fulfilled. Mathematically speaking, the chance of one person fulfilling only 8 of those many prophecies in the Old Testament, is 1 with 17 zeros! There are a lot of other rational reasons why I believe Jesus was sent by the Governor of all the earth, and sea and skies, to teach us how to get into His Kingdom. And that is why I read His words and ponder it. 

If life was an adventure movie like Indiana Jones and there was a map to this awesome treasure that was more valuable than any unicorn, everyone would be searching for that map, wouldn’t they? But here and now, in our real life, the map is everywhere! In all the bookstores, sitting on our shelves even! All we need to do is sit down, open it up, and ask God to help us find our treasure and He’ll guide us through step by step! 

In the parable Jesus told about the 5 foolish virgins and the 5 wise ones, all 10 were waiting for the bridegroom to arrive. All of them were eager, expectant, vigilant. But alas! 5 of them did not have enough oil for their lamps and their flames were sputtering! They asked for some oil from the other five virgins who were prepared and brought extra but were refused. They had to leave their waiting post and buy some more oil, and while they were gone, the Bridegroom arrived and they were left outside, not able to join the party. 

The lamps represent our spiritual life, and the oil everything that keeps our faith burning brightly. We cannot borrow prayer or studying the Bible from others. We cannot receive it from our parents or borrow from our brothers and sisters in our church or community. We have to have our own oil so we don’t run out. 

Father, thank You for the treasure You have reserved for each one of us. Thank You Jesus for pointing the way and leaving us the map. Thank You Holy Spirit for never leaving us alone as long as we take the time to listen and read Your Word. 

Glorious Riches

 “My God will fully supply whatever you need, in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

When I attended a retreat as a single woman, God gave me a vision, it was the first and last time He did that. It was very vivid and I remember it to this day, many many years later. I was in a beautiful garden, a wildly amazing, magnificent garden lush with beautiful plants, trees and colorful flowers. And Jesus was with me as we walked along a path. He said, “This is my garden. I am the gardener here. I take care of all of these plants. I prune each and every one of them. Come and I will show you a plant I do not prune.” He led me down the path to a dead, decaying tree. It was of course brown and shrivelled.  “I am sure you do not like to be like this plant.” 

Then He said, “I will go now. Where I am going, you cannot come. I am building your house. It is not a big house but it has everything you need.” True enough, through the many years, my God has supplied what I have needed. 

One time as I quieted my heart to listen, I felt Him saying: “Come and be comforted. When you are tired, in need of replenishment of your resources, I have an unlimited supply. When there is a job you need to do and you seek wisdom, I have an unlimited supply. If you need healing for your heart or body, there is healing in My wings. If you need a shelter from the storm raging around you, come and I will protect you. If you are caught between a rock and a hard place, I will give you escape. I am Your Father. There is nothing I will not do for you. Just trust. Seek to find me in the storm, in the difficulty, in the trial, in the questions. I am your Father, first and foremost. I was there in the beginning, in the middle, and I will be there in the end.”

Rejoice with Me!

 “Rejoice with me for I have found the coin that I lost!” Luke 15:9

What a relief it is when we find something valuable we have been looking for! A long time ago, one of my staff asked me if I threw away a rotten wallet and I said I had. He then showed me what he found inside, a couple of credit cards I had been searching for!!! I realized what a crazy person I was and thanked God He surrounded me with people who took care of me! 

The three parables in the 15th chapter of Luke shows us just how much our God loves us. He searches for the lost, even when we reject him. One of my favorite conversion stories is about Charlie Rich who grew up a devout Hasidic Jew in a small village in Hungary in 1899. His family emigrated to the United States and ended up living in a New York ghetto. Although he was very religious, he found it impossible to keep his faith in the noise and busyness of the city. He became an atheist and tried to kill himself three times. He did not succeed. One day when he was around thirty years old, he went inside a Catholic Church to escape the heat. He looked up at one of the stained glass windows which depicted Jesus stilling the waters. 

“If only it were true,” he said to himself. And he hears this voice answering him, “It is all true.” He became a Jesuit, and spent the rest of his life as a contemplative praying before the Blessed Sacrament for 12 or more hours a day. He wrote, “I have, since my baptism and 1st communion, acquired a happiness which I will not exchange for anything in the world.”

Several books of his writings and sayings have been published. This is one of my favorites: “You must convert everything into prayer, like throwing scraps, by themselves useless, into a stew and making the stew richer. Every insignificant thing – turn it into prayer.”

Indeed, there is so much riches, happiness and peace in our faith. Let us never lose our way, but we can be sure that our Father will look for us and find us if we do. 

Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

 "Blessed are the poor in spirit..." Matthew 5:3s

Why would being poor in anything be good for us? Especially in spirit. I would think we should aim for being full to overflowing in the spirit of God. But Jesus meant something else entirely when He said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit." Perhaps we should take a look at Mary as an example of poor in spirit. Even if she was chosen, and certainly special to God, she knew that did not mean she was entitled to special treatment. As a matter of course, she went off to her older cousin Elizabeth upon finding out she was pregnant as well. She took upon herself taking an arduous 90 mile journey to Ein Karem in order to accompany Elizabeth during her time of need. 

No matter how special we are, and no one can be more special than the vessel chosen to carry Jesus for 9 months, we should know that we are spiritually poor, bankrupt before the Almighty God. We have absolutely nothing to offer Him aside from our sinful selves. Still He calls us to Himself, worthless as we are. As His children, we are given robes of royalty in exchange for rags, beauty for ashes. Hallelujah! 

Fellow Citizens with the Saints

 “You are fellow citizens with the saints..." Ephesians 2:19

Saint Paul wrote this to the people of Ephesus, and I am sure if he wrote to us today, he would say the same thing. That we are fellow citizens with the holy ones, part of God's household. I could think I am no Mother Teresa who took care of the sick and dying, and who thought of herself as a little pencil in God's hand. I could tell myself I will never be a Pope John Paul II, a great man of God, who heard God call him as a young man, and followed Him to the Vatican, and helped bring down Communism. I'm not a Saint Francis of Assisi who left all his worldly goods to become a poor monk who built God's church at a time when it was crumbling. We may not be called to do something great, but like Mother Teresa, we can be God's pencil, and write what He wants us to write with our life. Nothing is impossible with God!

Firmly Planted

 “He is like a tree planted near running water, that yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves never fade. Whatever he does prospers." Psalm 1:3 

After a strong typhoon, we see some trees uprooted, but some trees remain. What is the difference? It is perhaps the roots. Roots serve to anchor trees to the ground. But it is also how the trees get their food. The more roots and root hairs, the more a tree can absorb nutrients from the soil. The roots also are the trees' pantries, where they store food for later use. When a tree is cut down, and its roots remain, the roots can send up a shoot that can start to grow into a tree again!

How important it is that we develop a strong root system, that we be FIRMLY PLANTED and established in the Word of God, so that even if we become "cut down" because of sin, there is always hope for new life! And how important it is that we keep a “store" of God's Word in our heart, so that when troubles come, we can draw strength and peace from it!

Love the Lord, Love One Another

 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39

How do we love God? This is expressed above all in prayer, for what person loves without minding the object of his love? We need to waste time with our Father, first of all. Thomas Brooks said this was a “secret key to heaven”. Prayer is absolutely vital to a human being. We need to pray as much as we need to breathe! 

I love what St. Augustine wrote, “Prayer is the encounter of God's thirst with ours." Indeed God thirsts for us to be close to Him, hungers for our love, waits for our communication. We will never encounter a God like Him in other religions or in the atheistic mindset because He is implausible. How can we hold in our mind a God who is timeless but entered time, all powerful but allowed Himself to be weak and tortured by the very creatures He came to save? Implausible. 

It is this same God who desires to live in communion with us. Just as the Father, Son and Spirit, live in constant love, in community with one another, we are also called to live in communion with each other. To love one another. 

It is ironic that this world is so interconnected now. We can easily talk to a friend halfway around the world through Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. But how many actually do so? Families and friends are usually gathered about a table with their noses buried in their cellphones! 

Sometimes when I am answering a message on my phone, or reading something on it, my little apo (grandchild) will put his tiny hands, one on each side of my face, so that I will concentrate on what he is saying. His earnest little face so close to my own reminds me there is nothing more important to this little person than connection. 

Sadly, there is a global mental health crisis. More people are lonely, depressed, starved of love. Although Generation Z (aged 18-22) is perhaps the most technologically connected, in the UCLA loneliness scale, they are the loneliest generation in America! Again, we need to waste time not only with God, but with our loved ones, our friends, our brothers and sisters. And leave our phones in our pockets. 

“Preaching to Myself

What’s in My Cup

 “Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord? or who may stand in his holy place? He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain.” Psalm 24:3-4

I think all of us want a clean heart, all of us want to be that good person who is looked up to. We want to be wise, kind, generous and forgiving. I don’t think anyone sets out to be the bitter person who holds grudges, and spits out acid and tells lies, and thinks nothing of stealing and cheating other people. It’s just that people have a tendency to protect themselves, put on armor, and when they make a mistake, they prefer to stay on that path, rather than say, “I made a mistake, I am sorry, please forgive me.” 

I read this somewhere. If you are cradling a cup of coffee and someone bumps you, you will spill the coffee on your clothes, the floor, everywhere. Ask yourself, why did you spill the coffee? 

The usual answer you would give is that someone bumped into you. But that’s a wrong answer. The correct answer is you spilled the coffee because there was coffee in your cup. If you had a Caramel Frappuccino, you would have the Caramel Frap all over your shirt. “Whatever is inside the cup, will spill out.” 

Life is like that. We always get shaken up one way or another. We can’t escape it. And whatever is inside us, will come out. We can have a sort of shell, or image, but once we are jostled by circumstance, the truth will invariably come out. 

So let us ask ourselves, “What’s in my cup?” When life gets tough, what is going to spill out? Can we ascend the mountain of the Lord because we try to live our life with courage, humility, peace, gratefulness, and love? 

Or do we desire what is vain, what is of the world, do we see life with bitterness and envy? 

It is not too late to ask the Lord to fill us with His Holy Spirit and ask for a renewal, a restoration and revitalization. God is only too willing to open His arms wide in welcome! 

By the Power at Work in Us

 “…that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend… what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine, by the power at work within us, to him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.  Amen.” 

Ephesians 3:14-21

What is Saint Paul saying here? SO MUCH! We have to take it phrase by phrase, word by word. But what I got stuck at is the phrase, “by the power at work in us”. In the Book of Acts, we can read that Jesus told His disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Jesus did not forsake us, and leave us without any means to fulfill what He asked of us, to become His witnesses, His ambassadors. Perhaps the kind of power we are expecting is the kind of power the people in Jerusalem expected Jesus to exhibit as the Messiah of His people. They rejected Him when He did not have the power to overthrow the Romans who lorded it over them. 

Let us ask Jesus for the power of the Holy Spirit, the power that St. Paul described to Timothy, “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” (Timothy 1:6-7) The power to conquer self and selfishness is the most significant power of all, because “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Step by Step

 “A person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” Luke 12:21

In the same passage we read: “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong? Thus it will be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.” 

In this life we are called a fool if we do not save up and take care of the future. But what we really need to learn is to trust God. In “Pondering the Anawim Way” the meditation book I read daily, I was struck with this passage: “There is no need to fight with our brother for our earthly inheritance. Our Brother, Jesus, is sharing with us His eternal inheritance.” 

Jesus instructed, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” Real life is not measured by how much we own. In God’s eyes, what is really more important is how much we share! I cannot help but think of the Vice President, the Senators, Congressmen, contractors, and other government people enmeshed in this huge corruption scandal dominating the news today. How much money and possessions can they possibly covet that they have to endanger their souls? 

It can be really difficult, but we can do it step by step. It is important to be generous consistently so it becomes a lifestyle. My mother used to say, “Yard by yard, life is hard. Inch by inch, it’s a cinch.” If we want to train ourselves in the ways of God, there is no other way but to just do it, until it becomes easier and easier. God cannot be outdone in generosity!

Sealed with the Spirit

 “In Him you...were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, which is the first installment of our inheritance..." Ephesians 1:13-14

First installment. Downpayment. Earnest money. Guarantee. Engagement ring. Pledge. 

When we buy a condominium, lot or a car, the seller usually asks us to give a deposit to show we really have the intention of going through with the purchase. In 1 Peter 1:4, Peter talks of our inheritance which is incorruptible, undefiled and unfading. It is beyond the reach of decay, and it is kept in heaven for us. We don't have to worry about termites eating away our inheritance, or that it will lose its value because of inflation, or that it will disappear because of a natural calamity.

Although that inheritance is in heaven, we can have a foretaste of it here on earth, 

because of the Holy Spirit. We're heirs! The Holy Spirit will work in us and through us, 

to make sure we get our inheritance, starting right now. We just have to accept Jesus, love and believe in Him, and most importantly obey Him!

Saint Teresa of Avila

 

Today is the Feast Day of Saint Teresa of Avila.

If we listen or read her autobiography, she says a lot about being wicked, and sinning against God, but does not say what it is she has done. My husband Luigi said that when you are close To God, you are more aware of your sins. In her autobiography St. Teresa wrote that she was ‘very fond of St. Augustine...for he was a sinner too.’

What impressed me is that she spent a lot of her time talking to God. Although she is the total opposite of Brother Lawrence, who was a simple man, unpolished and awkward, they both ‘practiced the presence of God’. In contrast, St. Teresa was sophisticated, her father was one of the richest men in Avila, and when she was young, she was very concerned about her looks, make up, and even perfume. 

Much to the disappointment of her father, she entered the religious life at the age of 20. She was sick for a long time, staying in bed for almost a year. What pained her about her sickness was she could not pray all alone as there was always someone watching out for her. 

Eventually, she found the laxity of her Order disturbed her. There were too many visitors of high rank, and unsubstantial conversations that intruded on the practice of contemplation and solitude. She then founded a ‘reformed’ Carmelite convent with stricter monastic regulations which included flagellation! She was a reformer and during the last three years of her life, she founded several convents and even men’s monasteries. 

What transformed this frivolous young woman interested in romance novels into one who only lived to serve God with her whole heart, soul and body? We can say it was the mercy and grace of God. 

St. Teresa de Avila wrote: “Trust God you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and everyone of us.”

Have mercy on me, O Lord, a sinner! 

Guided by the Spirit

 “For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” Psalm 1:6

The way of the wicked will perish, but while the wicked roam they make hell on earth. I read a missionary’s account of his trips to Somalia in 1992 when he represented many Christian relief organizations to see what they could do to help the people. The book is entitled, “The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected” by Nik Ripken. 

Somaliland was in the grip of a terrible drought, and caught in a brutal miserable civil war. Nik’s first stop was Hargeisa. For the seventy thousand people who still ‘lived’ there, there were only seven houses which had roofs still covering it. Everyone else were just wandering hopelessly through their devastated city with no destination. On top of that there were thousands and thousands of land mines scattered around the city.

Nik was informed by his contacts that in Somali there was “ninety percent unemployment, eighty-five percent starvation or severe malnutrition rate, more than three hundred thousand citizens starved to death over the preceding six months, as many as three thousand starvation deaths a day.”

When Nik went outside of Hargeisa, he just saw more despair and signs of violent and inhumane cruelty. Armed raiders destroyed the old fashioned hand pumps and permanently sealed off the wells by filling it with rocks and sand. All along the way there were rotting carcasses of camels, goats, and even people. The smell was horrific. In the little villages they visited, emaciated mothers were begging that they take their children. In other villages, all they found were stick thin dead bodies. 

Relief agencies were hesitant to help because over 80% of the relief goods were stolen and never reached the hungry. 

Nik asked why the callousness, and one of his staff answered with a Somali adage he had heard all of his life: “Somalia against the world; I and my clan against Somalia; I and my family against my clan; I and my brother against my family; and I against my brother.” This is the essence of evil: selfishness. 

I pray that I will root out any selfishness within me. But I cannot do it on my own. Only by God’s spirit will we be saved.

“Brothers and sisters: If you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God. In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.” Galatians 5:18-25

Set Free

 “For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1

In 1944, during World War 2, Intelligence Officer Hiroo Onoda was sent to the island of Lubang here in the Philippines, to gather intelligence. Using the guerrilla tactics he was specifically trained for, Onoda and his small group survived in the jungle. When they saw leaflets announcing the end of the war in August 15, 1945, they thought it was Allied propaganda. One by one Onoda's companions either surrendered or were killed until he was all alone. In 1974, a Japanese student named Nario Suzuki, set out to find "Onoda, a panda and the abominable snowman". Amazingly he found and befriended Onoda. 

It was only when Suzuki brought Onoda's old commander, Major Taniguchi, that Onoda finally set down his rifle, ammunition, and hand grenades. He wept bitterly realizing that he had wasted so many years of his life.

How many of us are battling a war that was already won for us thousands of years ago? Romans 6:18 says “You have been set free from your slavery to sin..." 

Some men in the QC Jail are free even if they are behind bars,  because they have accepted Christ and walk in the way of light, forgiveness and love. And some people outside of jail are in terrible bondage to hidden sin, unforgiveness, addiction, pornography, etc. The list is long, but the first step to freedom is confessing our sin, bringing it out into the light, surrendering to God, and committing to do everything to be the person Jesus sacrificed His life for.

The Lord is My Shepherd

  "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." Psalm 23:1 

The Lord is my shepherd. He leads me where there is everything I need, peaceful water, and green meadows. He protects me from my enemies. 

The Lord is my gardener (1 Cor. 3:9).  He takes care that I am fruitful, that I will bloom in due season. He prunes away the dead leaves and broken branches. He makes sure I am healthy. 

The Lord is my friend (John 15:15). Everything He learned from our Father He has made known to us. He has taught us what we need to know. Even the hard things. We are not His servants He said, because if He was, He would not have confided in us! Imagine the privilege we have as His friend! 

But the Lord can only be our shepherd and gardener and friend if we continue to be intimate with Him. If we have a relationship with Him. Otherwise, He will just be a stranger knocking at the door (Rev. 3:20). "If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and will share a meal as friends." 

Lord, what a friend I have in You! There is no one like You! How humble You are that You do not barge Your way into my life! You wait until I invite You in! Lord, shine Your light into every corner of my home, especially the dark places! Be my Shepherd, be my Gardener, be my friend! Without You, I am wretched and blind and pitiable! 

Blessed

Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and observe it." Luke 11:28

Blessed, filled with grace, possessing the good things

God has promised, to whom?

To those who hear the Word of God. NOT only to those who read, but who HEAR. Faith after all, comes from HEARING, from listening to the Word of God. (Romans 10:17)

To be blessed with God's good things, we not only need to hear His Word, His promises, His instructions, we also have to observe it, obey it, follow it.

What good are instructions if it goes into one ear and out the other?!!!! Faith without good works is dead faith!

(James 2:17)

I was listening to a preacher one night, and he said the aim of reading God's Word is to become living bibles!Would you like to be a living bible? To be like one of Jesus' followers, walking in His footsteps-

following the living way, not a dead way with archaic rules, but following what Jesus taught? It's the only way to be blessed!!!

No Anxiety

 “Brothers and sisters: Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7

Peace can be very elusive if we allow the anxieties and worries of the world to reign in our hearts and minds. But we are called to peace, it says in Colossians 3:15, which says, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” Instead of anxiety, we should let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. Easier said than done? 

When my mom was diagnosed with tongue cancer, she would sometimes be very restless and anxious. But I noticed that when I read to her from the Bible, or she would listen to preachers on YouTube, she would calm down and God’s peace would strengthen her. All her life, she turned to God and His Word. She read through the Bible from Genesis to the Book of Revelation many, many times. I can say my mom was a strong woman who found her strength in the Lord. 

I think many of us today have feelings of uneasiness and foreboding about the future. We have concerns about our children. We have apprehensions about the leadership of our country and the instability of the economy. If it is not that, then we stress about our work, conflicts in relationships, finances or health concerns. But we are instructed to cast our cares, all our anxieties, on God for He cares for us in a very real way. (1 Peter 5:7)

My particular favorite promise is found in Philippians 4:4-7 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!…Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

May we imitate Saint Teresa of Jesus, who wrote, “Nada te turbe”, “Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you, everything passes, God does not change, He who has God lacks  nothing.” 

You Know Me

“O Lord, you have probed me, and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I stand;

you understand my thoughts from afar.

My journeys and my rest; you scrutinize,

with all my ways you are familiar." Psalm 139:1b-3

Yes, God knows us better than we know ourselves! He knows our idiosyncracies, our faults and failures, our weaknesses, but He also knows our gifts, our strengths, our potential. He knows our capabilities and like a mother eagle who teaches her young how to fly when it is time, so does our God allow us to endure challenges for a good purpose, it boils down to TRUST. Do we trust our Heavenly Father with our lives? 

Like our Father, the mother eagle doesn’t teach by “telling” her eaglet it has to leave. Instead the mother makes the nest increasingly uncomfortable by removing the soft materials and leaving the sharp thorns. The mother may also stop bringing the little birds food, encouraging them to fly somewhere else to find it. 

The mother isn’t cruel at all. She knows her baby is ready to fly and experience what being a real eagle is like! So it is with us, God allows us to undergo painful, confusing experiences sometimes, so we become the person He meant us to be! 

Teach Me Your Paths

 

"Your ways O Lord, make known to me; teach me Your paths." Psalm 25:4

What a wonderful prayer to start our time with the Lord! Even if we've been reading the Bible for years and have gone from cover to cover, we will never be able to say, "I already know Your ways. I can stop reading and learning now." 

Even monks, nuns, and preachers have to ask God to continually guide them and teach them His ways. In St. Benedict's Rule for Monks, there is this important dictate: "Listen, O my child, to the precepts of the Master and incline the ear of thy heart." 

There was a beautiful, very successful actress in the 50s and early 60s named Dolores Hart. She made movies with Elvis Presley, Montgomery Clift, Anthony Quinn, and other famous leading men. Just when she was going to sign a contract which would have made her even more successful, she left her flourishing career in Hollywood, and her fiancé, to become a Benedictine nun in the Abbey of Regina Laudis.  She found out about the Abbey when she went on a retreat there after an exhausting time in her career. She recalls, “I wasn’t expecting just how peaceful it truly was. I found inner certitude. I felt like this is where I belonged. It became more than just a retreat. It’s the kind of feeling you get when you meet the person you’re going to marry. The more I came to visit the more it came calling to me. And the more I knew God was present to me in a very special way that I couldn’t deny.”

She is now 87 years old, wears a beret on top of her habit to keep her warm, and continues to receive letters asking her about how to find God and get closer to Him. She listened to the ear of her heart, which is also the title of her autobiography. 

Faith is a journey, an adventure. We need to be courageous, listen to God so He can lead us, and open up possibilities we would never even dream of!