Into the Desert

Lead me into the desert, oh Lord.
Make straight, my path.
Empty me of all that is self so that I may be filled with all that is You.
Purge me, gently break me, and rid me of pride, selfishness, arrogance, self-righteousness, laziness, vanity,
and doubt.

Lead me into the desert, oh Lord.
And, just as You did for Your Son, allow my angels to minister to me there.
As I come to You, on bended knee, to fast and pray.
Comfort me in my journey to the Cross.

Lead me into the desert, oh Lord.
Grant me strength to resist the wiles and snares that satan will lay before me.
Remind me that "men can not live by bread, alone".
Feed me on Your Sacred Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity; that my soul, my mind, and my body may be
nourished for all eternity.

I come to this Lenten Season with a heavy and troubled heart, my God.
Your beautiful and perfect Church is under attack in America.
Your beautiful and innocent babies in the womb are being left to killers' hands and their government will
not protect them, nor save them.
Your beautiful and precious Sacrament of Matrimony is being degraded and defiled and twisted in evil ways.
Those who profess their faith in you are being scorned, persecuted, mocked, and treated with disregard.

Oh, but You understand this, don't You?

For, before us, they did these things to YOU.

Breathe in me, Your words of comfort, (John 15:18) that before the world hated me, it first hated You.

And so, I ask You, oh Lord, my God...to lead me into the desert...for just as YOU were willing to suffer
at the hands of mere mortals for my sake; So, too, am I willing to suffer for YOU.

But, I beg of Thee, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit...let not my suffering be in vain.

Unite me to my Savior, Redeemer, and King, Jesus Christ, upon His holy Cross...that by HIS merit, by

HIS grace, and by HIS Passion, Death, and Resurrection, my humble offerings may be turned into blessings
to heal the sick, comfort the afflicted, love the unlovable, and save lost souls.

* The above is a meditation that came to my heart as I prepare and look forward to my own Lenten Journey, ahead. I share it with you, my brothers and sisters in Christ...here, in our wonderful Catholic Blogging Community, to let you know that I carry each and all of you with me "into the desert". I pray that Jesus will tend to you in the ways you need Him most and that these 40 days of prayer and fasting will draw you nearer to His Most Sacred Heart and bring you swiftly, and joyfully, to the glorious celebration of His miraculous RESURRECTION! I am blessed to be among you and I thank you all for your fellowship.

That Poor Man

At our recent Bible Study Class, we were discussing the many Scripture verses that are the basis for and connection to the Mass. The reading at Mass before our class had been about the man who was possessed by "Legion", the evil spirits that Jesus exorcised and sent "into the herd of swines".

Our discussion was a diversion from what we were actually studying at class, but our pastor was making note about the fact that MANY in the world today; albeit, even Christians, do not believe in evil or evil spirits!

One of our class members immediately drew the distinction that there were, it said in the Bible, THOUSANDS of swine in that herd. You will recall that when Jesus demands the evil spirit to reveal his name...he says that he is called "Legion...for there are many of us".

Never in my life did I make the connection...if there were thousands of swine and the spirits of Legion entered the swine...then, that means there were THOUSANDS of evil spirits in that poor, poor man.

My heart ached for him. My daughter lamented that it is a wonder he survived long enough to be healed.

And then, my thoughts turned to the current state of affairs in this nation. Today, I saw a video by Planned Parenthood, celebrating the recent decision by the Administration to force Catholic institutions to provide abortions and contraception in their health insurance packages. The woman at the center of the video...which was, essentially, a bunch of people from various ethnic backgrounds dancing in the streets; was dressed as a huge pack of birth control pills. We watch people petition for supposed "gay" marriages...I have received spam/emails from CATHOLICS regarding this topic...and more and more rights and freedoms are being stripped away each and every day.

I thought to myself, "This is Legion...or another group of evil spirits...that have loosed themselves upon our society". There are THOUSANDS, most likely.

I think of that poor, poor man...in fact, I always feel sorry for him at the end of that story, when he asks Jesus if he can go with Him and the Lord tells him no...that he must go back to his family.

My daughter says that, to her, this illustrates that each of us has a calling and not all are called to priests or religious...Jesus sends that man back to his "family" state in life. (Good point).

But, as I think of his tormented body...I think of the tormented bodies of the women who have had abortions and live to regret it...I think of all the women who are dying of breast cancers caused by their birth control pills...I think of all the tortured and confused souls who try to convince themselves that homosexuality lifestyles are not sinful...

...and I know that evil is real...and that evil spirits are real.

HOWEVER...GREAT is the mercy of CHRIST, JESUS...Lord and Savior!

And, just as He sent Legion fleeing in haste...He can heal the sinful souls of this modern world, as well.

We, who believe and trust in Him, must increase our prayers, fasting, penance, and devotions, so that those who are lost and those who are confused and those who are possessed...CAN BE HEALED.

Approaching the Sacrament of Confession

Some, maybe many, people have an ambivalent attitude towards the Sacrament of Penance (or Confession, or Reconciliation). I did for years. It was mainly because I didn't want to face certain things about myself and I was attached to certain sins I didn't want to give up. But all that changed one day when I made my mind up about something...

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