Do Unto Others

I can hear her voice now . . . "do unto others what you would have them do unto you." My mother probably said that to me a million times growing up.  Nineteen months separate my younger sister and me. Being so close in age, we were together a lot. One thing she was very good at . . . subtly provoking me during play time to react loudly, quickly propelling mother in our direction yelling "Bonnie Ann!" (My middle name was over exaggerated when she yelled, the "n" drawn out as if the longer she kept the "n" going, the closer she was in proximity!) I must have been in trouble at least once a day. By the time I was a struggling rebellious teenager, I took that saying and made it my own . . . "do unto others what they did unto you!" I was pretty rough on my sister in high school.  When we moved from California to Colorado the middle of my junior year (her sophomore year), people would ask me if I had a red-headed younger sister, to which I replied, "nope, I'm the youngest." Eventually word would get back to her of my denial, causing her to react loudly. You will be happy to know we grew up and actually love each other. But, every once in a while over the years, she lovingly recalls the torment I caused her to which I respond with my apologies. I wish I would have known then what I know now . . . the true meaning of my mother's words. My daughters growing up were so much kinder to each other than my sister and me. Hopefully, my grandchildren will be even better.

Todays Gospel (Matthew 7:7-12) gives us easy answers when we are struggling:

Jesus said to his disciples: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.  Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asked for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asked for a fish? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.

“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.  This is the law and the prophets.”

In Volume Seven, St. Damien asks us to remain centered on Christ when we struggle with our ego:

"I watch your difficulties and understand your struggles. You walk with Jesus, though, and if you remain in an awareness of His presence you will feel stronger and more confident. Many of your struggles can be minimized with constant acts of Holy Indifference. Jesus, along with all of His many helpers, needs you to be His hands, His heart, and His representatives. He can get the work done through you quite easily. You are a part of the work but not the whole work. Let me make this even clearer. If you remain small, understanding that without the help of God you are without power, He can do the greatest things through you. When man swells in his heart and feels that it is he himself who is accomplishing these things, the trouble begins. Egos are difficult friends and dreadful rulers. Keep your ego on a very short leash and understand that your merit lies in your obedience to Christ. Do not take credit for what Christ does through you. He cannot entrust great missions to you if your ego swells with each success. When your work is successful, praise God. When your work fails, praise God. When the sun shines, praise God. When the rain falls, praise God. Do you get the idea? You serve Him and He will do great things through you. These great things have nothing to do with you except that you allowed heaven to use you as an instrument."

Lay apostles, how do you react when accused? By yelling and screaming, seeking justice to heal your wounded ego? Or, do you respond calmly with the facts? Sometimes, not reacting is the right answer. Instead of yelling, ask God to open another door.  Ask Him to fight the fight for you. Did you realize He always wins, but in His time, not ours? Make it easy. Do unto others what you would have them do unto you.

Thank you, Lord, for the ability to let go and continue climbing the mountain. 

God bless,

Bonnie

A Simple Truth

Faith is a gift. I never understood the depth of that statement until I found this apostolate. Every day we come across people who don't believe in God, who have no desire to believe in God, because it means changing their heart. Some are so wounded, they blame God for their problems. No accountability, no responsibility for their actions. They seek to judge others because it makes them feel better about themselves. Well, the simple Truth is we ARE all accountable and responsible for our actions. And yes, sometimes our choices are not stellar. But, I have discovered something along my journey in life . . . I was given the gift of faith, and that I owe to my mother. I have never doubted God's existence. I believe in God as sure as I have a nose on my face . . . always there with me no matter where I go! So, if you've been given the gift of faith and only partially opened the gift, it's time to take the lid off and begin receiving all the graces from it!

Todays Gospel (Luke 11:29-32) provides a simple truth, stop searching for proof of God's existence, and look to His Son for confirmation:

While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.  Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.”

In Anne a lay apostle's book Lessons in Love, she beautifully illustrates the importance of doing all for His Glory:

"I often think of St. John the apostle at the foot of the cross. We could look at St. John’s role in the Passion and think correctly, ‘My goodness, what a privileged position St. John was awarded.’ In considering the matter, one might wonder what qualified St. John to accompany Jesus and Mary so intimately on this torturous day. What we know about St. John is that he was remembered by the purity of his love. He is called the Lord’s beloved apostle. What did love prompt him to do that day that nobody else did? He showed up, first of all, and then he stayed. The day got uglier and uglier, the crowds more venomous. It did not appear to be a day of triumph, even though we know it turned out to be so. St. John showed up, and he stayed. Was Jesus able to verbalize his tremendous gratitude to John at the time of His Passion? Was Jesus able to chat about John’s concerns? Hardly. He had his hands full dealing with His own considerable difficulties. The best Jesus could do was to assign John a task. “Son, behold your mother.” Was there any other apostle there to accept this task? No. Just John. I would guess that John did not do a lot of talking on that day. I would guess he just stayed, suffering Jesus and Mary’s anguish, uniquely willing to remain in a circle of suffering and grief that could be called unparalleled. Is there a greater example of loyalty, love or fellowship? Can we imagine the Lord’s gratitude even though it was not expressed on that day? I do not think so. I do not think we can ever imagine the extent of the Lord’s gratitude to St. John. I think, though, that His gratitude resonates throughout heaven, eternally preserved. We are called to be like John to each other. We are called to show up for each other and we are called to stay, often in silence or in service or in silent service. This is pure love. Why does pure love seem to be so elusive during this time? Well, we are called the Me Generation. That, all by itself, is a condemnation of our times. Love cries out for sacrifice but many of these cries go unheard. In some cases, the cries are mocked. People are encouraged to seek satisfaction for themselves. But we are a community people, intended to give and accept Christ in each other. If I am wholly concentrated on serving myself and filling my own needs, I become unavailable to serve others. As stated, people crave love as Christ craves love. This is the way we are created. But now some people experience guilt about this as though they are not worthy of being loved or as though they are not entitled to be loved or even as though they are asking too much in expecting to be loved. There are many making do with crumbs from the table when they should be experiencing a great Christian feast. We should never be ashamed that we crave love, from God, from each other, and from the world around us. Each person is created to be valued and loved and in this period of great advances, there is a historically unique opportunity to live out the Christian call to honor each of God’s created children." 

Lay apostles, if you haven't fully committed yourself to walking this journey with Christ, what is your hesitation? Think about that today. It's surprising how what we think is a hurdle is actually a curb. Hope your Lenten journey is changing your heart . . . I know it is helping mine.

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of Faith. I am forever grateful You instilled it in my mother. 

God bless,

Bonnie

Focus On The Good

As I sit at my desk this afternoon to write, my thoughts are scattered. I have to keep repeating "FOCUS" to myself every time I get distracted. How ironic todays Gospel is all about focusing on what is good for us spiritually. I am always open to what He sends my way to help me grow in humility, service and love. And boy does He send people to expand my world, my vision and my focus. A few weeks ago a gentleman became a follower of mine on Twitter. I am grateful for every follower, so I send a word of thanks and follow back if they have a positive attitude and/or spreading the Words of Christ. Well, Shane Jeremy James is a man on a mission . . . "World change only happens because of consistent actions. Consistency is the key to all success. Myself I have never been smarter then anyone but I have been more consistent on a daily basis. You can't start and stop. You can't go half way. You MUST act daily and dreams do happen! Actions of Compassion will only work with daily actions. Actions always speak louder than words!"  We corresponded back and forth a few times, then another follower, Jill Page entered the scene. She works with Shane as the VP of Sales and Marketing. Talk about a ray of sunshine! Long story short, we set up a conference call last week to discuss the synergy of our missions in life and business . . . I think we talked for an hour and a half! It's not very often I encounter successful people who truly care about serving others. I am proud to say I am an Empowering Messenger working with these amazing individuals on a project called Actions of Compassion. More to come on how to be a part of this revolution to change hearts by spreading kindness in place of judgement; love instead of hatred; to serve rather than be served. I am truly blessed.

What is your focus? Todays Gospel (Matthew 23:13-22) makes it very clear:

Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men. You do not enter yourselves,
nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.

“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing,
but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.’ Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’ You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it; one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it; one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it.”

In Volume One, Anne a lay apostle has nailed spot on how we should all practice what Jesus has been trying to teach us all along:

"Jesus asks us to focus on people’s strengths and attributes, rather than their flaws. Shining a light on someone’s good qualities is like sunshine on plants. It makes them grow. If we focus on their flaws, or negative qualities, it has the same effect in a negative way. We must practice being supportive and not critical, even in the face of the faults of others." 

Lay apostles, don't waste precious time and energy holding grudges, harboring anger, or lashing out at those closest to you. It's time. Time to make a positive change in this world by focusing on others in need. It's time to stop being the "victim" and begin actions of compassion. The more given in service to others, the more graces He rewards to heal our own woundedness.

Thank you, Lord, for teaching me how to focus on the good and getting past all the old wounds and hurts. I am a work in progress, but my eyes are more in focus now!

God bless,
Bonnie