" The greater your desire, the greater your capacity to receive." -St. Thomas Aquinas

Editorial from Magnificat by Fr. Peter John Cameron, O.P.

" He said to him, 'Follow me. And he got up and followed him'(Mt9:9). The immediateness with which Matthew obeyed shows how much he had been waiting for just such an encounter. The whole of Christ's earthly life resounds with this constantly repeated call to follow him...

Blessed John Paul II once said that the basic human drama is to live life without meaning. Where do we find that meaning? In the One who calls us to himself...So much of our self worth, our meaning is in the experience of being chosen--is in belonging to another. being elected is a way of being loved. We are waiting for Someone who, by calling us, in effect says to us, 'It is necessary that you exist.' As Pope Benedict XVI says, 'What is important for all people, what makes their life significant, is the knowledge that they are loved. The person in a difficult situation will hold on if he knows Someone is waiting for me, Someone wants me and needs me,' "

wrapped in mystery

" but rather adorned with the hidden character of the heart, expressed in the imperishable beauty of a calm and gentle disposition, which is precious in the eyes of God." - 1Peter 3:4

What of this calm

and gentle disposition?

Hidden & quiet..

There is a stillness about her--

Not one that airs with a dullness

or blank faced stare

But rather

A glow

That emanates from her rose kissed cheeks

and begins with the presence

in her eyes

She is

a mystery,

to be sought after

Discovered

Pursued

Fought for

Unravelled

& held

to his heart

For joy to the man

who sets out on this journey

The journey to a woman's heart

For great lies the treasure within

There he will find his pearl of great price

That for which he sells everything that he has

to have her

That she may be his

"A woman's heart must be hidden in God, so that a man must find God to find her."

Fix the eyes of your heart on the Crucified One and know the love by which He loves you

Before prayer, endeavor to realize whose Presence you are approaching, and to whom you are about to speak. We can never fully understand how we ought to behave towards God, before whom the angles tremble.

-- St. Teresa of Avila

Love with the heart of the Crucified One, united with the heart of His Loving Mother-- this is what I desire most ardently. Grant, O Crucified Lord, that I may live in the Shadow of your Cross, with the steadfast hope of your marvelous Resurrection. Totus Tuus Maria ego sum.

The love of the Cross has grasped my heart and soul. There is no other place I'd rather be right now, then with my heart fixed on the Crucified One. Where else would I rather be, then with the One who has loved me with a love untold? O glorious Lover, how I adore you and wish to follow you. Never do I want to stray from your most loving gaze. Imagine the heart of the Son of Man, beating so hard with love, carrying the cross for us.

And so when I pray, "Jesus, I trust in you!", I direct my heart to the One who was Crucified for us. Christ crucified, I trust in you. Though I do not fully understand the mystery of the Cross, I trust in You.

Audrey Assad - Known (Slideshow With Lyrics)

"My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going, I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following Your Will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing. And I know that if I do this, You will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust You always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death, I will not fear, for you are ever with me and You will never leave me to face my perils alone."

~Thomas Merton ~