Advent Advice from the Mystical Poet-St. John of the Cross

One dark night 
Fired with love's urgent longings
--Ah, the sheer grace--
I went out unseen,
My house being now all stilled.

St. John of the Cross-Carmelite saint, Doctor of the Church, mystical poet, friend of St. Teresa of Avila....

Good Advent Advice from the great St. John of the Cross. Still your soul this Advent. Seek God within, clear your mind, breathe deeply and still your mind and soul so you can better communicate with God.

NJA

St Francis of Assisi on Doing the Impossible for Christ

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible."

St. Francis of Assisi

Christianity needs people who are willing to do the impossible for Christ, because the Church needs disciples now who go above and beyond. The future depends on it. NJA

William Faulkner Quote About the Past

"The past is never dead-it's not even past."

William Faulkner (1897-1962)

This seems to be the case with scandal in the Church. We all want so much for the scandals to end, for justice and healing to prevail,  for reparation to God to happen everywhere.  NJA

The Church Crisis 2018

The Catholic Church is in crisis. A modern day perfect storm in the Church, with cover-ups, sexual abuse, pain and suffering of innocents, denials, conflicts of interest, finger-pointing, clericalism and arrogance at its worst. Evil inside the divine institution. The insanity of it all.
Wake up Church, this is serious. What will real, honest, pragmatic reform look like? I'm waiting to see, we are all waiting, because what has happened this summer with grand jury reports straight from hell and cover-ups from high places, can't go on.
The Spirit must lead. Reparation must be made to God.
NJA

(There probably doesn't exist a famous quote that could cover the mess I've described, so I just wrote my own.)

The Eucharist Should Commit Us To The Poor

"The Eucharist commits us to the poor. To receive in truth the body and blood of Christ......we must recognize Christ in the poorest...."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church #1397)

Think of yourself as an incandescent power, illuminated and perhaps forever talked to by God and his messengers.
Brenda Ueland

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can become all we were meant to be. United to the "Vine" ...Jesus....we can do all things for good.
NJA

Do Good and Carry On!

To change the world for the better it is necessary to do good to those who are not able to return the favor, as the Father has done with us, by giving us Jesus. How much have we paid for our redemption? Nothing, totally free! Doing good without expecting anything in return. This is what the Father did with us and we must do the same. Do good and carry on!
Pope Francis

Be Receptive-Quote from St. Faustina

Be Receptive to God's mercy to the King of Mercy. Make time to come to God for graces and mercy. (Diary of St. Faustina)

Jesus wants us to be open to receive graces and mercy. As we prepare for Divine Mercy Sunday in the year 2018, we should "approach" God with arms wide open, ready to receive all the mercy and unconditional love that God wants to pour upon us. Amen.
NJA

Beauty and the Divine

Beauty is a manifestation of the Divine

Pope St. John Paul II (Letter to Artists)

The beauty in nature, the beauty in art, the beauty in seeing goodness and compassion evident in the world. The beauty of God's mercy and unconditional love for us.
NJA

Life's Most Persistent Question

Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I try to do good, I try to be generous but still I feel I could do more. I've always felt that the one thing I'm called to do, that could really make a difference has eluded me. But God is shining light on that and the Holy Spirit is starting to move to help me understand what that is. Perhaps I've finally stumbled upon it or more accurately have been led to it.
NJA