Thankful this winter.

I'm super late for my thanksgiving post.
As commonplace and standard as it may sound, I'm thankful for all the positive people and things in my life.  I'm thankful for a loving and understanding boyfriend, a wonderful, spunky son, and a small group of friends.  I'm thankful for a home and spending money, as well as food on my plates (with enough to share!)

But now, to talk about the harder things to be thankful for.  For example, my clutter (the bane of my existence).  While I have talked somewhat about how stressful it is, I'd also like to recognize that it is (unfortunately) a sign of a certain kind of abundance.  I'm also thankful for my medical conditions, as they allow me to appreciate the health I do have and the plight of other fellow #spoonies.  I'm also thankful for a crazy, stressful schedule of activities, as they are a reminder that I am utilizing the health I do have.

I'm thankful for the health I don't have, as it also reminds me that I need humbleness and the help of others to get through a rough patch in life.  Speaking of rough patches, I'm thankful for them, too. They remind me of how lucky I am to not be as lonely as my mind makes it out to be.

What are you thankful for?

Who do we worship?

Do we really worship God?  Do we give Him his dues?  Or do we just roll around on Sundays, shut the alarm clocks, sleep "five more minutes" and then realize we are so late for Church and just have breakfast/brunch and watch a rerun on Keeping up with the Kardashians?

I know, it is so tempting to sleep in on Sundays, especially when Mass is offered so early in the USA.*  Especially when it seems to be the only day we can sleep in.  Or when it seems to be the one day we can really rest after spending Saturday catching up with everything else we didn't do during our busy weekdays.  I know.  I have been there.  I have missed Holy Sunday Day of Obligation because I was so busy just... catching up on some really needed zzzz's.

But who do we really worship?  It's one thing to miss Mass one day for whatever reason, and another to miss Mass because we're binge watching THAT show one Netflix or Keeping up with whomever!

Piggybacking on my post from 6/20/2016, Of Clutter and the Kingdom of God, are we really putting God first?  Just a thought to put out there in your mind.  I am not talking about clutter and stuff now.  I am talking about people you put above God.  You know, that TV show you follow.  Or that artist you just can't get enough of.

Are you putting them above God?  Are you missing Mass, not saying your usual prayers, looking at sinful stuff (yes, I am looking at you, 50 Shades of Grey fans and others) because you just think that Mass is boring?

Just remember that Mass is practice for Heaven.  Can we at least dedicate one hour a week to God?  That's all He asks from us, and He still doesn't usually get as much, but those soap operas, oh My Word, we are not missing them.  Oh my Lord.  We are not missing that opportunity to binge watch Game of Thrones (or whatever other show you binge watch)??

Just something to think about.  Most parishes offer several opportunities to receive Our Lord in the Eucharist in the Mass several times a weekend (with Saturday Vigil(s) included), and we still somehow just not plan accordingly.


*In Mexico, there used to be Sunday Masses as late as 1800h.

How Do We Pray?

It is thought provocative to me... How do we pray?  Do we pray like we are superior to others?  Do we pray like we hold the truth?  Do we pray like the Pharisee, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’  (Luke 18: 11-12)  Do we pray standing in the corners, for everyone to see how pious we are? (Matthew 6:5) Or do we pray like the tax collector?  'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ (Luke 18:13)

The Pharisee is quick to point out everything he does right - and everything wrong he doesn't do.  The Tax Collector (also known as the Publican) just asks God for mercy, for he recognizes that he is not perfect.

And do we pray sincerely?  Do we pray humbly?  Do we recognize that we are not perfect and that we make mistakes?  Do we pray in our room, with doors closed? (Matthew 6:5)

Do we pray with honest intention?

It doesn't matter much if we pray all day when we are not sincere in our hearts.  When we pray for someone to have ill luck because we're angry, for example, it's time to evaluate what kind of intentions we have in our hearts.  It's okay to be angry with God.  I think it's part of every relationship to have angry moments.  But it's not okay to have ill intentions in our prayers.

Who am I called to be?

There comes a time in the life of Christians in which we ask "Who am I called to be?".

I can't claim to have the answers, because I don't think I do.  However, there are certain things that can help us discern who we are called to be.

Firstly, God created us in a very unique way.  No other human is exactly like us, and God had us in His mind, from the beginning of times, and placed us where and when we are.  When you think about this, I think that there must be a reason that God decided to put me in this world, in this day and age, and that I must figure out what He wants of me.

However, how am I supposed to know what He wants from me?

1.  PRAYER

Prayer is a relationship, a conversation with God.  How do we find out what others want from us?  We ask them in conversation.  So why not have the same approach with God?  You can approach prayer in any which way you want.  That is, with prayers that come from the heart, or from a book.  The basic idea here is to get talking to God.  It may take some time, but a prayerful life will bear fruit.

I know from my personal experience that prayer can seem very one-sided, especially at the beginning.  However, when we keep at it, we find out that God has ways of talking to us.

2.  LISTENING

Listening is very difficult, but as your prayer life increases, listening becomes easier.  God has many ways of talking to us.  In the homilies at Mass, in reading the Bible or the lives of the saints, in what other people may say about your problem without asking them, in dreams, etc.  However, one must be careful with listening.  Listening should be guided by the Church teachings.  God is not going to tell you, for example, to stop going to confession, because that is against Church teaching.  For help in discerning the listening, go to your nearest priest.

3.  HUMILITY

We don't know the answers to everything.  We can't do everything.  We can't make everything happen.  We can't control everything that is going on.  Not everything is going to go our way.  We must accept life's shortcomings with humility.  We are a community of Christians.  We don't need to do everything by ourselves.  With a humble mentality, we can begin to figure out how we can be of service to others.  It is often in service to others that we can begin to see what God wants of us.

4.  STOP TRYING TO BE SOMEONE ELSE

This is perhaps the most straightforward (as in DUH!) and deep (as in I hadn't thought of it before).  It is very easy to read about a person that plants a garden and tends to it, and think that is something we can do (yet we hate to dig our hands in dirt).  Or about people that do something that sounds oh-so-wonderful, but we can't do certain things about this oh-so-wonderful enterprise.  (For example, climbing Mt Everest... not everyone has the stamina to do so!)

To paraphrase Pope Francis, the Church is like an orchestra.  We are all different instruments.  Together we make beautiful music together, but we are not all the same.  It's okay to be different!

The key here is personal development.  When you concentrate on what you like, the gifts that the Lord has given you (that is, that isn't sinful!) and learn more about it, eventually, who you're called to be will be revealed.  Just remember to deepen your prayer life, prepare to listen carefully and with humility, be humble, and find yourself.

As St. Catherine of Siena once said, "If you are what you should be, you'll set the whole world ablaze."

Reporting on the 7 day challenge.

My gosh, has it been hard to be a vegetarian for 7 days!  Not because I love meat (which I do), but because being a mom on the go, I often eat out, and there aren't many vegetarian options out there!  Usually a salad, please hold the chicken!

I have a couple of days left in the challenge, and I am kind of happy that the fast will end.  I will probably keep fasting, but intermittently.  I know, it's kind of cheating, but I can't really be a vegetarian like I used to... It's just a convenience thing.  (I know, fasting is supposed to be inconveniencing...)  Just not my kind of lifestyle anymore.

But I was thinking vegetarian on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays?  Or other kind of fasting?  There are many possibilities.  But for now, it has been hard!  I know it gets easier the longer you do it and the more you are committed to it, because like I said, I used to be vegetarian (like 12 or 15 years ago...)

The purpose of the fast was to strengthen my prayers.