Every part of the Universe in which we live, every detail, has within it encoded, the "fingerprint" of the Almighty!
The Earth, with its plants and animals, and all manner of life witnesses to the Love of God and His infinite care for us.
Used properly all creation inspires the spirit of every human being to glorify and praise God’s Name in all that we do. Though infinite in power, everlasting in almighty grandeur, God’s love for each human being is truly miraculous. His coming down from Heaven and becoming a Man truly mind boggling and incomprehensible. His suffering and His death on the Cross a mystery beyond our understanding.
If we take the natural history of the earth, and compare the existence of our planet with a 95 year old man, all of human history is less than the last 15 minutes!
Compared to the age of the known physical universe, the natural history of the planet is but the last blink of the human eye. Yet in all this mystery and grandeur, the Creator’s Divine Purpose is to make a suitable and wonderful temporary home for you. For each human being. The earth created in beauty and majesty, the whole physical universe with all its wonders, are all but a temporary stop in our eternal life with God. Like some sort of rest stop in a vast highway, this is but the first step of our eternal existence as children of God. The whole earth is the Lord’s kindergarten for His children. This is where we acquire the training and basic elementary education to be able to live with Him forever. Here we strive, we fall and rise, we become stronger and learn to over come weakness, all leading to our life in the age to come. Beautiful and wondrous, the earth is made as place for us to be able to walk with God, a garden that we are called to care for so that we may develop the muscles and the knowledge to walk with God for ages unending. For this reason Paul says that the suffering of this age are unworthy when compared with the glory which is to come. As our striving is a part of us that we had in kindergarten and yet is no longer the reality in which we walk, so also this life will be part of our eternal life, but is not the total sum of our life.
For this cause we need to never allow the sufferings, the temptations, the difficulties of this life weigh us down. The Lord will give us the strength and the might to overcome all adversity. He will never forsake us. All we need do is to try to walk with Him daily and in every moment of every day. There is nothing more sweet, more wondrous, more adventurous than loving God and walking with Him. All other human activity pales to insignificance when compared to our relationship with the Almighty Creator of the Universe.
On the planet, at this very moment, there are men and women that walk with God and who speak to Him as a friend speaks to his own Friend.
There is no greater honor that any human being can have than to be called the friend of God. This is our ultimate call. The purpose of our creation in His love is that He share His life with us. For this cause you were created. And though billions of human beings may inhabit the earth He loves YOU as though you are the only one of His creatures. His love is not spread around as we would say in human language. He loves each person as though he or she were the only person! Each challenge in life, each problem, each struggle are of infinite importance to our Lord Jesus Christ. For your sake He became Man and dwelt among us as One of us. His divine purpose in coming to earth was to save you! You as a person. If you were the only human being that ever lived, still He would have come just for you!
Though our Eternal and all loving Father lives and works beyond our understanding, He has planted certain markers, given us certain signs in life so that we may know how to relate to Him, and to understand in a dynamic and always increasing manner what He expects and wants from us His children.
Flowing from this sea and ocean of life which is the Gospel and the rest of the sacred scriptures, are rivers of life once again filled with the same refreshing power and strength of the Holy Spirit as lived and experienced by the saints, martyrs and Fathers of the Church. Though reflecting the time, needs and personal struggle of each blessed person, these written or orally preserved words are again God’s own Word alive in another human heart.
As in the Eastern Orthodox Resurrection service where each believer lights his or her candle from the one flame of the priest, the same fire on each candle but each candle belonging to each person as a person, so it is with the fire of the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit of God speaks to all, but the rays of His light are given the various colors caused by the prism of each individual human heart. One source of light but an unending source of rays of divine life unique in each persons heart.
The writings of the Fathers and the lives of the saints each reflect this love and life of God. Reading them, praying and communicating with our older brothers and sisters in Christ, some of which are still here on earth and others which have gone home to our God and Father, warm our heart, and fill us with hope and the gladness of the Holy Spirit.
One such Father of the Church that has been an inspiration to human beings everywhere that desire to walk with God is St. Isaac the Syrian. His written works, "The Ascetic Writings of St. Isaac the Syrian," as they are known are a handbook on how to become a saint and friend of God. Written in a courageous manner, with faith and hope abounding in each page, St. Isaac addresses common human frailties and struggles with frankness and openness making him timeless and useful to all generations that have preceded us and all those that will come after us. His works are translated in English and available in modern editions.
Reading the pages of this holy book one feels the conversation of the saint as being unique and very personal. Many life times would be insufficient to exhaust the spiritual treasures that are within these blessed pages. As a living commentary of the Holy Scriptures, each page is filled with references to the Bible and to the Life of our Lord on earth and His sacred Gospel.
The desert fathers, who live in the wilderness throughout the earth are most keenly aware of the prayer of creation to God and of it’s sacred character. The elements and the animals are friends to the desert fathers. Creatures that otherwise are untamed and even dangerous show respect and act as pets to these holy men and women, since the animals feel the presence of God inside them! Lions, wolves, snakes, and other wild animals are seen as pets to the holy desert dweller. Many times not only do the animals show respect and love to the holy hermit, but also are coworkers and assist in manual labor!
All spiritual warriors have as a prerequisite to leave the "world" so as to find Christ. Without this departure of our old self we can never walk with God. This is not something that we can do 100% on our own. As with all spiritual things, the Lord wants us to show Him our will to leave our worldly self and then He abundantly gives His grace to strengthen our resolve. He desires that we become strong warriors, athletes in Christ, He does not ever spoil us! He wants us to develop and be strong and not loose courage when faced with adversity and trouble.
How can we leave the world? How can we renounce the world? We have work, a profession, family, spouse, children, parents, how can we leave them? Not all can go into the desert and be monks and hermits! Yet all human beings are called to be children of God and to walk with Him. The Gospel is one and the same for the monks and for lay people as well.
We can be in the world but we must make our own desert, our own cave, our own retreat in our daily life where we can be alone with our God and Father.
This is the life line between us and God Himself. Without "retreating" to be with God, we will become weak spiritually and not be able to be athletes of Christ when we are called in life to compete!
This retreat may be a private room, a study, a place in our home or basement. Our retreat may be a place we love outdoors, a place where we can be alone, an hour at night when all others sleep and are resting. The retreat, our desert is a creative and dynamic place, we can search and find what is available to us as a place of dwelling with the Living and Eternal God!
Retreating has also the meaning of keeping our life simple. Preferring to live humbly even when we can afford to live in luxury is an important spiritual work. Keeping our life as simple as possible; living in peace with others, keeping our focus on spiritual wealth rather than on material attainment and gain is important in order to live and walk with God. This humble way of life will bring us inner peace, and will allow us to spend our energy and time on what really matters, loving God and other human beings. Resources saved can be used in helping those in need, and free time can be used in constructive giving and self sacrifice in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The more complex our life the harder it is for God to speak to us. The simpler our life the less distraction we have and our spiritual "satellite dish" is aimed in the right direction with less interference. Walking humbly upon the earth, as Children of God and servants of our Lord, and not as masters of the planet and of our lives, is simply the reality of our situation. By our own means not even one hair can be made white, or one blade of grass made green if it has withered. Recognizing who and what we are is humility. The Lord wants us real and unpretentious, no airs, no pretending, just really who and what we are. When we come to recognize this then He begins His work in us. As long as we stray from this self realization we limit God’s intervention in our lives.
Retreating, "fleeing" from the world is leaving behind all the garbage which is anything that has nothing to do with God. It is the first step in our journey that leads to unimaginable sweetness and joy. This walk with God, this self denial of all that is "worldly" may seem hard or may be considered by others who know not the Lord’s sweetness as "boring" away from the pleasures of this "life."
At times it may seem that in our life we face challenges, obstacles beyond our ability to overcome. Life’s troubles may seemingly overwhelm us. Our hope may at times grow dim, and our faith feel dry in our heart. Yet be confident my dear friend, there is no trouble to great, no mountain too high, no condition so bad that the Lord can not work miracles in! By His word the dead rise and the living become truly alive. A demonstration of this great hope was given to the Prophet Ezekiel in the Old Testament. In a time of despair and during feelings of failure, Ezekiel was granted a vision of the reality of God’s power to breath life into any situation, to make even dead and dry bones come to life, simply by His Word and Breath. Here is the moving Scripture passage for your reflection and prayer:
(Ezekiel 37:1-14)
1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones.
2 And He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, {there were} very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, {they were} very dry.
3 And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord GOD, Thou knowest."
4 Again He said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.'
5 "Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, 'Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life.
6 'And I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin, and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the LORD.'"
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone.
8 And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew, and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them.
9 Then He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life."'"
10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life, and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
11 Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.'
12 "Therefore prophesy, and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD," Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel.
13 "Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people.
14 "And I will put My Spirit within you, and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken and done it," declares the LORD.'"
Have hope and never give up despite the apparent hopelessness of the problem that faces you. Nothing is more defeating, more hopeless than a mass grave of dry human bones. No hope of life is there. And yet by the breath of His nostrils He can give life not only to dry bones, but create life out of nothing where it did not exist before.
Our existence upon the earth is a miracle. So many finally tuned details are in place by God’s divine command and Will. All this to create life here, to make life possible where there was none before, all this so that YOU may live!
Have hope and never give up believing in God and loving Him. Come see there are many more holy words spoken and written by holy men and women. Reading them, praying them, we are warmed by the love these servants of God have for Him. By reading these words prayerfully our hearts are warmed also. As you read these words in this humble site, if your heart is moved to seek the Lord ask Him to come into your life and He will. Be certain of His infinite love and care for you and that He will come and dwell in your home, in your family, in your car, in your garden, everywhere you are, but most importantly in your heart!
Come see many more pages....
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Joy and Help on the journey....
Strength for the journey...
With HIM all life is an adventure...
Call upon Our Lady to Help, She will, She is quick to hear!!!
Never alone....