LOVE HEALS

 Christ has given us a strong command, 'Love one another as I have loved you'.  This is not an easy example to follow, especially when we might even doubt God's love for us.

Perhaps that is where the difficulty lies, in becoming aware of the truth that God loves each one of us, regardless of how good or bad we might be.  This is hard  for us because by nature we measure love according to how we are loved etc. And, also when we are not good, we can feel ashamed and wish to hide, believing that we are not worthy of love.

God is Love, and so does not measure love according to feelings and responses, as we so often do.  When love is genuine, then it does not judge the actions of others, it simply focuses on the Presence of God which is noble and pure.

One example that might make this clear for us, is seen in the love of a mother for a child.  The 'child' who might well be an adult, can be far from good or holy, yet still, the mother's love will not fail. Love is love, regardless.

When we are able to believe in God's love for us, we will have the power to love, and experience how love heals!

 

BEAUTY

 'Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder...' so we are told, and how true that is. When our hearts are captured with delight at the sight of another person, or something of artistic value, we immediately respond with love.

You could say, this is the way God has formed us. We are made in His likeness and therefore we cannot but rejoice at the sight of beauty.  An innocent child will display the wonder of the soul and God's love for each one of us.

I visited Fatima, in Portugal, awhile ago and was touched by the knowledge of who was chosen by the Blessed Virgin, three little children, to carry the message of love to the whole World.  Through their innocence and obedience to Our Lady, we have confirmation of just how much God loves each on of us.

Of course, we have this wonderful World of ours, sending out messages of beauty as seen on Earth and the Universe at large. We just have to open our eyes and hearts to the beauty that surrounds us.

JOY!

 To  be joyful is such a wonderful state of mind, body and spirit.  We become as if  possessed with an inner strength that propels us forward, believing that the World is a wonderful place, and everybody in it is special.

True joy is heartfelt, an inner energy that helps us to stay on the path of love. It  could be regarded as a rebirth of our soul which takes over our whole being and changes us into a spiritually enlighted person.

One example of Joy can be seen through a mother who gives birth to her new-born child.  Of course, before the birth, there is suffering, yet as soon as the mother  holds the baby in her arms, her heart almost explodes with Joy!

This will be the same experience for us when we are overwhelmed by the power of Joy.  It is as if we become re-born as a person, and even our personality changes into one of love and appreciation.  All pain and anxiety disappear and we shine with the spirit of inward Joy.

To attain this transformation requires a deep sense of humility, realising that we are receiving a gift that we could never earn, this wonderful and powerful gift of Joy!

WINTER DELIGHTS

 WINTER DELIGHTS are here, and will stay with us for quite awhile.  Of course, the heavy rain and strong winds are great invitations to stay home and read and write. Such opportunities to put pen to paper and write those wonderful stories and poems that float about in our creative minds.

My first thrill of winter came in late October when the leaves began to fall from the trees, and the delight of walking in the park, through paths of golden leaves. Such colours and brightness, completely different to the bright colours of summer.

Perhaps a shopping spree will be necessary to replenish our thermal extras, and even to dream a little of a colourful scarf or outfit for Christmas. Most important of all, the meeting up of friends, hopefully without the scare of covid. For many, the new adventure of entertaining at home, helping to cut down on expenses, and have time to chat and share and learn from each other.

The highlight for me will be the preparations for Christmas, finding the hidden Crib figures and designing a new and innovative way to make the Winter Delights a way of creating new memories and pathways to welcome Mary and the Infant Child.

VALUE of HONESTY

 The VALUE of HONESTY encompasses the reality of being true to one's self. When we can say, I am honest / I speak the truth, then we are free from any and all pressure.

Pressure comes about when we deny ourselves the freedom to speak openly and truthfully.  It could be based on our fear of being rejected or not accepted.  We wind up trying to please others, and becoming very unhappy.

A spiritual mind will tell us that God is Truth.  If we were to meet God in human form, like meeting Jesus, we would be surprised and delighted to meet someone who we would love to have as a friend. We would meet an honest man.

Honesty is such a valuable commodity, like gold-dust. We would want to become an honest person so we can be like Jesus, and spread the truth of God's love everywhere.

Of course, we may well have this desire, yet it requires work to become an honest person, and this is where most of us could fail / would fail.  Still, no need to be discouraged.  Here we are dealing with the Divine / a world where we are free from the bondage of fear / free from the awkwardness of wanting to be loved and appreciated.

Honesty comes at a price, as we all know, so we can ask ourselves...  Am I willing to pay the price of becoming an honest person?  Do I really, really want to be like Jesus?

VALUE of little things

 In a world where great things happen, it can be both interesting and rewarding to value 'little' things that often go unnoticed.

Awhile ago, I met my sister in Dublin, and we were looking forward to a walk around Stephen's Green.  However, the wind and rain put a damper on our desire. We did eventually have a short walk before going our seperate ways, and enjoyed seeing the grounds covered in leaves, all shades of golden brown. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spied a lovely blood-red leaf. With raindrops falling, the colour was even more beautiful.  Only one leaf of that colour could be found, yet it was enough to lift our hearts at the wonderful beauty of nature.  

It made me realise, 'little' things happen, often.  Do we notice; are we impressed? All depends on how present we are in each moment, so I wonder, what little things will I notice today. Ah, just wait and see.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

As Dickons said, in one of his great novels, Great Expectations, we can be surprised by the good things that happen to us, and unaware of the sad happenings that afflict others.

Human nature is often based on what we believe is our need, and becoming blind to the truth that it is our true needs that ought to be addressed and not, our imagined needs.

Pope Francis keeps sending out messages to the World at large, to address and examine our wants, versus our needs. Simply put, we have desires that fill us with ideas of needs we do not have.  

Great expectations helps us to reach out to those who would gladly help us out, and in turn, encourage us to reach out to others.  A simple way to come up with answers is to look at what we have, not what we want.

For myself, just looking into my wardrobe helps me to see how far I am from being fulfilled with the joy of expecting gifts, rather than hoarding them. The clothes I have not had the chance to wear this year, could well be put away, and become gifts for others.  That lovely little top I love, yet have a need to lose weight to wear it, belongs to someone else, not me.

I'm beginning to realise the Mind and Love of God,  in how He treats us and guides us to become more honest and loving people.  I want to have great expectation in being loved and surprised by God.  I must let go, and let it happen!