If you caught yesterday’s article, you’ll know I talked about the devil and his tricks. As I was writing that, I thought of some things that by knowing them have helped me keep my head up even when I haven’t wanted to. Without further ado, here’s the list for today. Yes, today, of course there is more. God bless!
- We have free will– I have heard people say, “goodness, why can’t God just take my free will, so I won’t sin again… I mean, I love HIM. I don’t want to mess up”. And that, my dear friends, is why He doesn’t take our free will. If we didn’t have free will, then we just wouldn’t be able to love HIM. Love is free. Love should be total, free, faithful, and fruitful. Once you aren’t free, then it really isn’t love. It’s Stockholm syndrome or something. God created us, not because He needs us. He doesn’t. God created us because He loves us. How do we love Him back you might ask? By being free and using our freedom to love Him. Will we fall? Yes. Is it difficult? Yes. Will we have to make an effort? Yes. Is it worth it? OH, SO MUCH YES. So yes, having free will might mean we have the capacity to sin, but it also means we have the capacity to choose God, get up, and try again.
- God is an ever flowing exchange of love- I think this deserves an article just by itself, but I am going to blurt it out here because it is such an immense source of hope for me. God is a never ending exchange of love. So there is God the Father from whom the Son was begotten not made. Okay? It’s in the Creed. Now, here’s the fun part. God the Father and God the Son are all the time giving and receiving love so much so that a third person flows from that… the Holy Spirit! So when we were created in God’s image we are created for community. We are created to give and receive love, AND because God is so amazing He literally allows us to participate in that creative power. So, when a husband and a wife give themselves to the other in the spousal hug freely, totally, fruitfully, and faithfully (as they promised in their wedding vows) heaven kisses them and a little person with an eternal soul is born. Get it? It’s a giving and receiving of love that creates another person. It’s like a beautiful, limited example of the overflowing love of the Holy Trinity that proves that God wants us to know Him. So much so, that He allows us to cooperate in His creative power!!! He didn’t have to do that. Storks could’ve brought us babies but no… God is way more creative and beautiful than that. Just imagine what other ways He wants to show Himself to us!
- God doesn’t have a merciful and a judgemental face. God is merciful and just-So, here’s another thing that hit me. I heard somewhere that when we sin, the devil shows us God’s merciful face. It gets us thinking “It’s cool. I’ll just sin and then go to confession and then God will forgive me and all is fine again”. BUT THEN… You are about to go to confession and the devil shows you God’s judgemental face. Then, we start to think “What I did was awful, God will never be able to forgive me. Going to confession is useless”. Then, sometimes worse case scenario happens, and we stop going to church all together. Here’s the thing though. God is simple, not because we can understand Him, but because He doesn’t have parts. The Merciful God isn’t different from the Just God. One isn’t more all knowing than the other. More directly speaking, God is only ONE GOD. All we need to do is get close to Him, and honestly try not to sin again.
- The only sin not forgiven is the one that we don’t ask forgiveness for– My dad talks a lot about the sin against the Holy Spirit. The greatest mistake, or at least a HUGE mistake that we make often is thinking that our sin is somehow greater than God’s mercy. So, we just decide to save everyone some time, and we just don’t confess it. Don’t fall in that trap. God’s justice is infinite, but so is His love and His mercy. Always, always, always go to Him.
- The Rosary is a lot more powerful than we think- So, short personal story, one time, I was so done with my boyfriend. So, so done. I texted him (I know I should’ve talked to him in person, that’s on me) and I was like, “I’m done. I think we should break up”. So, my wise and God-inspired boyfriend texted back saying, “Fine, but I want you to write me a letter of all you like about me, and I want you to pray a Rosary”. I was feeling petty. I said no, and he answered, “Okay, then can you please just listen to me pray a Rosary?” He called me and immediately started saying, “In the name of the Father…” and instantly I felt a weight off my shoulders, and I began to cry. You guys, the Rosary is such a versatile weapon. In that instance, it stood as a mirror before me showing me all my insecurities. There have been times when it has been a source of comfort. Other times, a source of strength. Saints have stood by the rosary time and time again. I’ve heard it described as the Bible on beads. Whenever you feel temptation close, start the rosary, and pray it. If you lose track, start where you can and try again. The rosary is the strongest most powerful tool against all evil. Against all weakness. Against all things that lacks God. Cling to it.
- We are following good footsteps– As Catholics, we know we are never alone. We have a whole army of angels and saints and each other. This Sunday during Mass, the priest said something that struck my very core. “Many of the great saints became great saints when they repaired for their greatest sin”. St. Paul, St. Augustine, St. Bartolo Longo (a former satanic priest who later dedicated his life to the Rosary and the Virgin Mary). One time, I went to confession completely broken down by my sin. I was waiting for the priest to yell at me or get super mad or something, and he chuckled and said “Welcome to the big leagues”. Every Saint has fallen, has doubted, has cried, has thought about given up. We just have to keep our mind in heaven, our feet on earth, get up, and try again.
- The name of Jesus is a prayer in itself- I saved this for last because I’m astounded by it. You know when you just can’t? When you feel the weight of the whole world on your shoulders, and you don’t know where to move or how to pray? You know when you kneel, do the sign of the cross and for no reason you are overwhelmed with feelings and you just pray God can read your mind and unscramble your thoughts for you? It gets to a point where it’s like, “Jesus (then you inconsolably cry for no apparent reason and turn to the cross as if you’ve said anything worth understanding and whispering to Jesus) you know?” and you feel Jesus comfort you saying, “Yeah, I know”.
So, here is my list. If you have anything to add, I invite you to leave a comment! You never know who might need it! I hope it helped! God bless!
