The Soul of the Gospel

"For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." -Matthew 6:14-15

As Catholics, there is one prayer we say every time we go to mass.

It's specifically talks about forgiveness.

Growing up, I never put much thought into it, because the mass is very repetitive.  But if we take the time to truly understand each prayer being said and allow it to heal our hearts and souls, it becomes more than just repetitive.

"So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying that same thing." -Matthew 26:44

Jesus would pray the same prayer more than once.  If He is repetitive in His prayers, then us as Christians should never feel that prayer is just repetitive.  The more we say it, the deeper it becomes engraved in our hearts, and then it begins to heal to us.  It begins to help us see who Christ really is.

Once we see Christ, we are able to open our hearts to Him and let him into our every day lives.

Forgiveness.

"Our Father who art in Heaven,

Hallowed be thy name;

thy kingdom come;

thy will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread;

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us;

and lead us no into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Amen."

This is not just a prayer we say in mass, it is found in the Bible too.

Matthew 9:6-15

God wants us to forgive.  Without forgiveness, our souls begin to fill with anger, resentment, frustration, and anxiety.

When we choose not to forgive, we are turning our backs to God.

There is no peace without forgiveness.

I've struggled  with this for years, and I will always admit that.  I've been incredibly angry with someone who did me wrong.

Someone I should have always been able to trust.

About 7 years ago, I thought I had forgiven this person.

And I had.

But I didn't continue to forgive this person.  I didn't pray for this person every single day.

So that frustration and anger started to build back up.

I became so angry with this person that I lost who I was.

I lost who I was and started to become a horrible version of myself.

I forgot how to love myself as God has loved me.

I was reading a book this morning about rediscovering Jesus.

One chapter in this book talked specifically about forgiveness.

I immediately thought of this person who I was so angry with and remembered that I haven't been praying for this person, asking God to forgive them for the wrong they have not only done to me, but to others.

As I'm learning to rediscover Jesus again, which truth be told, no one should ever stop!

But as I continue to, I need to remember that no matter how many times I've been done wrong, I must always forgive.

By praying for those who have done me wrong.

Whether it be someone who cuts me off while driving.

Or someone who says horrible things about me behind my back.

Every single day, we can be caught up in resentment towards anyone who causes us hurt or frustration.

But in those moments, we must remember to pray those wounded souls.

Pray that during their times of darkness, that they find the light.

That they find the truth in Christ.

In doing so, we are not only learning to truly forgive, we are letting go of all the negative feelings and emotions that are deep within our hearts.

We are learning to love ourselves again.

In turn, we learn to love those around us, no matter how they've treated us.

It doesn't mean we have to forget what they've done, but it helps us learn that we are all sinners in this fallen world.

Those who are struggling are the ones who need forgiveness the most.

That's why we must pray for them every single time we feel that anger towards them.

We can't let our hearts grow cold.

We have to keep it burning with passion for Christ.

"As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience." - Colossians 3:12

Let go of the bitterness.

Pray for those people in most need of forgiveness.

To the person who has done me wrong....

I forgive you.

I pray for you.

I love you.

God loves you too.

Heavenly Father, I pray today that you help this person see their weakness.  Help them see that they need you and need your forgiveness.  Yes, they have done me wrong.  Please help me grow to love them unconditionally, as you love us.  Thank you for your forgiveness.  Thank you for your love.  I pray that this person feels your love and understands they need you.  Help me let go of all the bitterness towards them.  Amen.

I will end this blog on an even more powerful prayer that if said every day, it will change your life.  I know it has started to change mine.

Father Rookey, a healing priest who I believe with all my heart healed my sister, believes that if you say this prayer faithfully, no matter how you feel, and you get to a point where if you sincerely mean each word with all your heart, Jesus will change your whole life in a special way.

"Lord Jesus, I come before You, just as I am, I am sorry for my sins, I repent of my sins, please forgive me. In Your Name, I forgive all others for what they have done against me. I renounce Satan, the evil spirits and all their works. I give You my entire self, Lord Jesus, I accept You as my Lord God and Savior. Heal me, change me, strengthen me in body, soul, and spirit.

Come Lord Jesus, cover me with Your Precious Blood, and fill me with Your Holy Spirit, I love You Lord Jesus, I praise You Lord Jesus, I thank You Jesus, I shall follow You every day of my life. Amen."

Forgiveness.

Light your World.

Greatest Gift of All

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders.  And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

-Isaiah 9:6

During the Christmas Eve Mass last night, the priest had all of the children gather up front.  As I watched them run up to the front of church, I was overwhelmed by the pure innocence of each child.

Once all the children made their way to the front and sat down, the priest asked,

"What present do we want the most at Christmas?"

Majority of the children yelled out,

"Baby Jesus!"

He then had three huge presents that he let the children open one at a time.  One box full of socks, another box full of jump start cables, and the last one full of candy.

The socks represented that Jesus is essential to our every day life.

The jump start cables represented how we seek Jesus in times of need.

The candy represented how we want and crave Jesus and need to share His truth with everyone around us.

I know He is essential in my every day life.

His grace and mercy heals my heart and soul every day.

He brings me more joy than anyone could ever bring to my life.

When I thank Him for all the good in my life every day, I find myself shining my own light of His truth through my actions and words.

I find that I'm less negative and don't complain as often.

And during my times darkness, my relationship with Him lets my light keep burning. 

I used to be the kind of person who would only call out Jesus' name when I was suffering and when I thought I needed Him.

And yes, during those times of pain and suffering, I cry out to Him.

I ask for His healing hands to take away my pain.

I let myself cry in order for His grace and mercy to heal my brokenness.

But in that darkness, I continue to thank Him for all the good He brings me.

It truly keeps me going and brings me out of that pain and suffering so much faster.
It's helps me stay positive when I see the positives in my life. 

And because He is essential to my every day life, I'm able to share that with those around me, through my actions.

He lights a fire deep within in soul.

His unconditional love brings me a love I never knew I could have for people.

His truth gives me hope.

I pray this Christmas, that you not only let Him be apart of your every day life, but you let Him light a fire within you to burn and share with those in your life.

Let His light shine through the dreary weather,

negative feelings,

and all the horrible things going on in this world.

We can be that light and strengthen to those who are struggling and weak.

As you let your Christmas lights shine tonight, remember He is the light in the darkness.

He is the greatest gift of all.

Today and always.

Merry Christmas!

Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel

One of my favorite Christmas songs.

But that's not the reason I'm writing this post.

The final word in the title of this beautiful song has more significance than I think most realize.

That final word is what we as Christians need to believe in our hearts every single day.

Through our pain and suffering.

Through our praise and thanksgiving.

Emmanuel.

Emmanuel means "God With Us."

You know what that means, right?

We are NEVER alone.

The holidays are a time to be joyful and thankful.  However, in this world, there will always be things that will causes sadness and darkness.

It can be the loss of someone very dear to us.

It could be our own personal struggles within ourselves.

It could be unhappiness in relationships or our careers.

Rejection.

Betrayal.

Broken promises.

No matter what our hurt or sadness is from, God is always with us.

He doesn't promise to take the hurt or pain away, but he promises to always be with us and never leave us.

We have this beautiful opportunity to open our hearts through this suffering and lay it at the feet of Jesus.

He promises to take on our burdens and walk this difficult journey with us.

"And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:19

It can be hard to remember His promises when we are in darkness.  As cliche as this might sound, there is always light at the end of this dark tunnel.

His promises are that light.

The truth. 

What are some of his promises?

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 

-2 Corinthians 12:9

"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.  And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."

-1 Corinthians 10:13

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." -Romans 8:28

Even in our darkness, He fulfills His promises.

In our darkness, He is our light.

Rather than focusing on trying to get away from this suffering, embrace the pain and lean on God.  Lean on those promises.  Through those trials, we become stronger.

"For I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

-Philippians 4:13

Jesus experienced betrayal, torture, and darkness.  He experienced the ultimate suffering and pain.

He overcame it.

God has promised us victory over death.

"But thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
- 1 Corinthians 15:57

Death did NOT win.

The pain and suffering did NOT win.

Jesus gave us HOPE.

Cling to His promises, the truth, and the light.

Our pain and suffering will NOT win.  We will overcome all of it with the hope that has been given to us through Jesus Christ.

God With Us.

Emmanuel.

"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
- Revelation 21:4

  

Make the Choice

"There is not enough room in your mind for both worry and faith.  You must decide which one gets to live there."

Which do you choose?

I know recently I've been more concerned about "what if's" and questioning things in my life, rather than just giving all my worries and concerns to God.

He's in control and often times I find myself still trying to cling to that control, even when I know I shouldn't.

"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."

-1 Peter 5:7

If we read further into this chapter in Peter, we see how choosing faith isn't always easy, but it's essential to our lives.

"Be alert and of sober mind.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, STANDING FIRM IN FAITH, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings."

-1 Peter 5:8-9

We are all struggling in our journey of faith.

Holidays are hard.

I have found myself in tears most of this weekend so incredibly hurt and angry; even dreading this Christmas.

Every day can be absolutely painful.

Whether we are struggling physically, emotionally, mentally, each day can be a struggle in this broken world.

We have to make the choice on whether we let that worry and sadness take over our lives, or stand firm in our faith and know God has a plan.

A plan that is beyond our imagination.

A plan that God has carefully created for each of us.

A plan that will be revealed when He knows we are ready.

I saw that quote earlier today.  I didn't quite let it sink in right away, as I knew I had to be vulnerable in order to understand it.

As the day progressed, I let myself be vulnerable.

I let myself cry.  I let those tears of sadness, hurt, and anger pour out of me and turn to tears of healing.

I felt the presence of Christ's arms around me and I could feel my shattered world (at least that's what it felt like) start to piece itself back together.

I choose FAITH.

Always.

I know I will stumble and fall at times, but if I allow it, I will let Him pick me right back up.

I choose to keep pushing forward.

I choose to keep looking up.

I choose to NEVER lose FAITH.

What do you choose?

Have a blessed week and may you find peace among the chaos of the holidays.

XOXO