Chatting about: Union with God on earth and heaven

Ruth (Guest): Hello Chat Friends. Welcome back Dawn. Hello Jane, welcome! Are you Guest 5205? I wonder why I don’t see your name or guest # on the list to the right.

Ruth (Guest): Are you in the monastery?

Ruth (Guest): I found this topic rather difficult too. It sent me to the “printed” (that is, Kindle) version, but not long enough to really get any clarity.

Ruth (Guest): Yes, Brain; I have experienced something like that at charismatic retreats –– mostly in the Black Forest, where I was part of the team, too. You could clearly “feel” and “see” how the Holy Spirit led us as a team –– often causing us to abandon “plans” in favor of something that was more important to the people present.

Ruth (Guest): But always our human weaknesses and faults get in the way of PERFECT union. Even when we strive wholeheartedly to let His Spirit guide every thought, word, and deed.

Ruth (Guest): I’m not sure, Carroll V. I catch myself sometimes focusing too much on MY longing; I call it “naval gazing.“ I think that to lose ourselves in HIM we need to be looking outward a lot of the time, seeing and responding to the needs of others, or of a situation. The Holy Spirit can work in stealth, too!

Ruth (Guest): Someone said we are not meant to be human beings but human doings. I feel that way; but I’m not so sure it would go along with a contemplative spirit; and those active communities whose active “missions” sometimes run ahead of the leadings of the Spirit of God, can get off track.

Ruth (Guest): May I offer this prayer from Friday’s Evening Prayer?: Lord, may everything we do begin with your inspiration, continue with your help, and reach perfection under your guidance.

Ruth (Guest): I feel like I found my way to the Catholic Church –– although I was baptised as a child –– through ardently seeking THE TRUTH. But it was He who gave me that desire, that NEED, and the perseverance –– in a largely hostile environment –– to do the seeking.

Ruth (Guest): Yes, we are living in an age of relativism. Dangerous! (that is, to souls) Natural law and God’s law do not change just for the convenience of us stubborn and sometimes lazy humans.

Ruth (Guest): I am so grateful to a few public school teachers and a librarian who helped to steer me in the right direction –– usually through good books, and to a 4-H Club leader whose example as a daily Communicant “rubbed off” on me. She was always so loving, even when it seemed she was being pedantic, e.g. about keeping records of our activities and accomplishments.

Ruth (Guest): I think Mrs. Frances Schroeder probably did not have to take a “detour” in purgatory. She even became a friend to my mother, which made my life at home a bit easier. She died suddenly and unexpectedly at home –– probably a heart attack.

Ruth (Guest): I think of St. Theresa saying “I’ll spend my Heaven doing good on Earth.“ How could the Church Victorious give glory entirely to God without doing everything in it’s power to help us here on the “battle field” of life?

Ruth (Guest): Yes! The Communion of the Saints! And when we feel we are alone, it is good to remember that we are, indeed, in Communion with all those who are struggling to follow the Way, the Truth, to Life, and those who have won for themselves the Prize of Perfect Union with God in Heaven.

Ruth (Guest): Sometimes [tears now!] I’ve been blessed with a sense of that PRESENCE of the Holy Ones praying WITH me. I am soooooo grateful.

Ruth (Guest): Yes, and how good it is, Brian, to remind ourselves that God desires the salvation of everyone. That helps us to pray for the people who have “done us dirty” and who, natural inclination, would make us wish less than He wishes for them –– probably lead us to sin, were it not for recognizing the price Christ paid for Our Salvation, and that the “Good Thief” by humbly admitting his sins was to be one of the first taken up heaven when Jesus rose from the dead: This day, you will be with me in Paradise!

Ruth (Guest): Good night. Continue in your Lenten practices. This helps us, truly, to turn away from sin and believe the Good News!