LISS Day 32

Baptism and Confirmation

Matthew 3:16-17 and Acts 8:17

I love Baptisms. I love the reasons why we are baptised and I love the reasons we are confirmed. These sacraments are so special! Baptism is the true start of family life in the Catholic Church.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), article 1213 states 'Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua),⁴ and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: "Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word."^5'
I truly love this. Of course I wouldn't remember my baby baptism. But I certainly remember my baptism as an adult! I will never ever forget it, because it remains very much alive in me by grace of the Holy Spirit. Today is Valentines day, a difficult day for me - it comes part of being human, and having this human soul. But I gain so much strength and comfort from Romans 5:3-5. God loves each and every one of us so much - and I have been blessed with being shown even just the tiniest spec of God's Love for me. Oh how unworthy I am to know it! It is said that He chooses the lowly to know His Love.... but what about all the Saints that have gone before - not all of them had histories like Saint Augustine. Were they also then poor in spirit?

Jesus loves us despite our rejection of Him - He was and is the unconditional Love of God made Incarnate. He sacrificed Himself for those that the Heavenly Father Loves so dearly. When I was still blind to the Truth of Life and Love, I did not realise how much I was rejecting Jesus. My ignorance was part of my blindness - my heart of stone - my closed heart. But then, my soul and spirit was awakened, reborn, freed from sin!!! Now with a heart of flesh, I can no longer reject Jesus. How could I, it would be like striking myself in the heart with the sharpest most poisoned knife of the devil. He has given me a clean slate which to re-order my life, and although I have already faltered in the most heartbreaking way possible to me, my sin doesn't change the Truth, or the mission of the Church. At our event of Christ the King, Emmet and Lucy Dooley put this in the context of relationships. Jesus can take away all the hurt and the sin, and give you new life with which to begin relationships again. This applies to our relationship with Jesus. Jesus always gives us a second chance, as long as we are willing to get up from the pain and hurt and try again... trusting and hoping in Him. In abandoning and surrendering ourselves in Baptism, we rise to a new life, victorious over death... "he cannot die again" [see below]!

How do I share this Love that God has made known to me the best that I can? How do I share the message that "Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised form the dead, he cannot die again: death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God." [Romans 6:8-10]. This is what baptism is all about. 


Saviour and Sacred Heart of Jesus, I love you dearly. You are my heart's desire! How can I ever repay You for showing me just the tiniest spec of Your magnificent Love? Despite my human heartbreak, I am so Loved by You, and I am so blessed to know it! Thank you, for showing me what true Love is - for I can continue in life knowing that I have spent at least one St. Valentine's day in love with someone who Loves me in return... You. I long for a heart like Yours, Jesus, so that whatever path you choose for me, I may love with the same sacrificial and unconditional Love that you call each of us to share with each other.

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear..." [1 John 4:18] 

 

LISS Day 28

Transformation

Isaiah 43:19 & Galatians 5:16, 22-26

I don't know about you... but I have discovered over the past 8 months, that the word 'transformation', is a seriously big word. When I first realised that my faith was altogether different to the time before my pilgrimage, I started calling my experience a 'transformation in faith'... this is why on LISS Day 25 (Walk in His ways), I do not admit to calling my experiences a 'conversion' right from the start. But looking closely, it was not yet a transformation in faith... because really, the transformation in my faith is happening even as you read this.

Trans is the latin meaning 'cross' as in 'cross-over' or across. Often, I think of the word 'trans' to mean 'change' or 'move'... but 'change' and 'move' are not the same as 'cross-over'. I guess the difference is that you can change or move without there being a sort of threshold. But you cannot 'cross-over' something without there being a threshold. Also change and move doesn't necessarily imply that there is 'another side', whereas 'across' does. A prime example of 'trans' applied today is in our own existence. Right now, God has created us to be human, and the threshold of our human existence is our death, in which we cross over to eternal life.

The word 'form' has many meanings. But I will focus on the ones which apply also as a whole word of 'formation'.

• The shape and structure of an object
• The particular mode, appearance, etc., in which a thing or person manifests (becomes noticeable) itself
• Physical or mental condition

Let me then try, to put together a meaning picked out of the dictionaries for 'transformation'. Transformation would be a crossing over into a manifestation shaped/structured for its appropriate condition. Does that make sense? Well... yes... ish.
"I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect." [Romans 12:1-2]. I do not ask readers to quote me on this - I'm neither educated in holy things, nor am I gifted with much of an academic mind. Instead, I simply share with you my thoughts, which I try to make sense of with a little help from above.
So the appropriate condition for us is to become a 'living sacrifice' that we offer to God. That is our optimum condition. How do we reach this optimum condition? We shape ourselves (always through the Holy Spirit!) to become a living sacrifice by 'discerning what is the will of God'. In prayer and obedience, we develop shape and structure to our lives... prioritising God above ourselves for example. How does this become noticeable (manifest)? 'We do not conform ourselves to this age'. In fact, through transformation, the mind is renewed... our whole outlook on life (society in particular) completely changes. We understand the true value of life, and understand that each soul belongs to God... it's a matter of choosing to accept and believe that - a concept less alien to us when we have 'crossed over'. We cross-over when 'we offer ourselves as living sacrifice' 'by the mercies of God'... who is three persons in one Trinity. This is not something we do on our own - that is not possible! In the Love of God the Father, the salvation that is Christ Jesus and the eternal divine presence that is the Holy Spirit, we open ourselves to be transformed. And perhaps the best ways to achieve this are in prayer, silence, and service/witness.
Obviously transformation is about much more than this - because it is the point at which the threshold is crossed, a new heart is given from above, a new life in the Spirit is bestowed... so our existence - everything we do, say, become, is all part of offering ourselves as a living sacrifice. How do we fulfill the role of the new person God has transformed us into becoming? Well... that is something that we all must pray about in our own prayers :)

I can tell you something about being transformed though... and that is that never in my life before, had I ever been so sorry for all the wrongs I have done, any hurt I have caused, any selfishness I have garnered, any sin I have caused others to commit because I put myself before them. I would not have recognised this if it were not for the Holy Spirit.

O my God, because You are so good, I'm so very sorry from the depths of my body, soul and spirit, that I have sinned against You. With your grace, and by Your Will, I beg to become the person you created me to be, the person you have transformed me to become in the future. I live for Your Presence in the present, shaping me to become Your servant and living sacrifice... but I cannot do it on my own. I offer you myself and follow Your path to Goodness.

LISS Day 17

The enemy is overcome

Genesis 3:14-15 & Rev 12: 10-11

Who is the enemy? I used to think the enemy is Satan. The Satan outside of my body, soul and spirit. Satan was something completely external to me. To a certain extent, Satan still is the enemy. But after the past few days of discovering, sadly, how untrue to the Beatitudes I am, I have come to realise that the real enemy is within me. Sin. This is extremely dangerous because if I have no form of defense or attack against my internal sin, then how can I overcome this enemy that destroys and kills? For me, in recognising that my enemy is more internal than external (sin), I can begin to discern different ways to overcome my enemy... so I reflect on the following passage, which was given to me by the grace of God through my spiritual director:
Romans 7:14-25.
'Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!' [Romans 7: 24-25]

Oh Loving Lamb of God, who paid the ultimate sacrifice to defeat my (our) death and my (our) sin, I come before you with a heart full of desire for the gifts of Understanding and Fortitude by the power of the Holy Spirit. I humbly ask the intercession of all the Heavenly beings for guidance and escort as I discover more about how to overcome my internal enemy, so that I may be the most Christ-like that I can be.
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in this day of battle. Be our safeguard against the wickedness and the snares of the devil. May God rebuke we humbly pray, and do thou O prince of the Heavenly Hosts. By the power of God, thrust down into hell satan, and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the destruction of souls. Amen.