Author: Lana Kaczmarek

“I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us.” Suffering is a great mystery to us. We even ask why Jesus had to suffer. There are great graces that can form us during moments of suffering and can even give birth to virtues and beatitudes that help us to respond to the call to be good, to be holy, to be kind. Virtues can grow, develop, and deepen in us amid chaos and great suffering. We can learn to become more patient and more patiently endure hardships that can cause love and mercy to grow and even make forgiveness possible. Yet, for most of us, suffering reminds us of pain we would rather not endure, infliction we would rather not embrace, and discomfort we would rather not face. If possible, we would rather avoid suffering and would rather pursue happiness and peace. Suffering did not exist prior to creation for only God was there and there was only a profound existence of love. The kind of love that could foresee a fall from grace, rejection of its Creator, the emergence of hurt caused by sin and the sin of disobedience causing suffering. Yet knowing all this, God still chose to create embracing a love that is greater than sin and grace more powerful than its effects. Love will come to permanently heal all these things through a love that would and could only suffer greatly for the good of all and in particular, for the gracious good of the other. God’s suffering love would love in creation and love through salvation so that in love, suffering will go away, illness will be no more, and God’s profound love conquer sin which caused suffering and death in the first place. Comparisons in general are not good. We compare ourselves to one another and even compare ourselves to ourselves. We do so from a love that is imperfect, selfish, and wounded by sin. We make comparisons knowing that our vision is skewed and blurry, our judgement weakened and impaired and our intention self-serving and one-sided. It is difficult to be a good judge and to make good comparisons when tainted by sin. All the same, nothing and no one can compare to God. God is the perfect lover and the just judge. His glory reveals a profound love in us that freely suffers so that in the end, we may suffer no more. No more hurt, no more comparisons, nor more sin, just love forever. 

“The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness.” Some time ago, a commercial invited us to consider and ponder the question, “What’s in your wallet?” The response differed and depended on your working status or the means available to you at that moment. Your response could be a couple of dollars, some credit/debit cards or just a lot of stuff or not much this week until payday. Whatever the answer, it caused us to stop and think. It prompted us to consider what was truly inside our wallet. What if the question were to redirect you and ask you to go deeper than your wallet and to ponder, “What’s on your mind? or “What’s in your heart?” How might you pause and stop to reflect, or respond similarly or differently? Often what is in our heart or what is on our mind can project itself outward onto another person. It could also project onto a given situation and even onto our relationship with God. We tend to respond from knowledge gained from others or from personal experiences or even from personal judgements and preferences. We tend to project outward into a scene or inward to another’s mind and heart what’s on our own heart and mind. Projection can be a defense mechanism because of a person either being too inquisitive about our private life or getting a little too close to past hurts and pains. We redirect and move the inquisitor to consider a different question or get them to look or move in another direction. We use projection to deflect the focus off us and move the attention onto another, simply by asking a different question to consider, ponder or reflect. Projecting is a way to distract another person from looking to closely to what we have in our heart or from seeing to clearly what is truly on our mind. Projecting can be good if we are projecting joy, love, mercy, kindness. These are helpful and beneficial to all. What is not helpful or beneficial in anyway is impatience, anger, hurtful words, or negative attitudes. These reveal what is truly in our heart or truly on our mind. At times, we project negative thoughts and emotions onto God who is innocent and wants to assist. God is not the cause of our anger or caused our hurt or pain but the One that can help heal us and move us past it. Consider what’s in your heart or on your mind but project only the goodness of God.

“Announce the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.” At times, darkness can feel like life and life can feel like darkness. We cannot see darkness, but we experience it. The effects of low light or no light at all. Darkness can feel heavy, cold, isolated, and lonely. It can also feel creepy, fearful, and unsafe inside. The darkness we speak of is not like the beauty of a dark night, where the noise of light, the busy lights, does not interrupt the beauty of a night sky filled with endless stars, distant galaxies, and thousands of constellations. That is God’s gracious gift and the beauty of creation. The darkness we speak of is the kind of darkness we hope to avoid. The type of darkness where beauty seems hidden and unrecognizable. The kind of darkness where the pathways we take for granted seem closed off and inaccessible. The darkness that causes the walkways we often walk daily to be hidden, not easily seen. They seem somehow lost and unavailable to us. In the darkness, we simply cannot see. It causes us not to be able to see, filling us with fear of what may come or what may be. We lose our sense of direction. We lose our cool and calm. The darkness enters in. It creeps in slowly, quietly, unnoticed. It tries to hide, cover and blind the light. We feel lost, vulnerable, insecure, unsure, and afraid. There is also the fear of an interior darkness. Same effects and experiences of the darkness around us. The same feelings are caused inside of us. This kind of darkness can be extremely dark like a dark depression or as deep as a deep, dark secret. Sin is darkness. Sin causes darkness and darkness causes sin. Darkness blinds the truth, covers beauty, hides goodness. Fear not! Jesus is the Light of the World that burns ever so brightly within us. He is the light that darkness runs from, hides from, and fears. The Light of Christ can never be extinguished. Darkness can never overcome His light. Jesus conquered death, darkness, and the enemy of light. Saint John the Evangelist says, when Jesus comes in His glorious splendor and radiant light that, “Night will be no more, nor will they need light from lamp or sun, for the Lord God shall give them light, and they shall reign forever and ever.” Go therefore without fear to “Announce the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”   

“God proves His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Why does God have to prove His love to you, to any of us, or to any of our family members or friends? God is living and true. God is the very source and essence of love, an unquenchable fountain, unfathomable depth, overflowing glory. God is the origination of love, its originator. God is love’s continuation, the very existence of love extending love itself into all eternity. God is love, true love that pervades beauty and all that is beautiful, good, holy, and true. An unconditional love that lovingly overwhelms all, even those who may not feel so lovely or beautiful anymore. Scripture graciously informs us and honestly invites us to consider God’s love. To contemplate it, take to heart and prayer who God is and how He has already proven His goodness to all generations inviting us to not question but to trust in the boundless and limitless love, which remains inexhaustible and eternal. The Word of God says of love and of Himself, “Love is patient, love is kind… It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” Love draws its goodness and its pureness directly from God. Love derives from God, flows through Him, from Him and is itself like a stream of gentle water refreshing and renewing everything and everyone in its path. God is like light, gently, and quietly moving like the dawn bursting into daybreak into our hearts overflowing over everything. Love is true, good, beautiful and you. God’s love never fails. Then why must God prove His fidelity and covenant and faithfulness to you? Why must we continue to test God and ask Him to continue to prove His love for us and for all humanity? We might on occasion be requested or even challenged to prove our love, our response, a word of value or commitment to validate our love, our response to determine whether our oath is valid or true. Why? If our words were truly honest and sincerely from our heart, if our actions were consistent and truly willed the good of the other, if our yes was yes and our no was truly no, then chances would be great that we are considered creditable, believable, trustworthy, true. There would be no need to undergo a scrutiny, a challenge or test or need to defend, inflate, embellish, or stretch the truth. Love does not have to prove itself. God already has.

“Do not forget the LORD, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.” Where is your Egypt? You know – that place where God needs to rescue you from others and save you from yourself. That state of mind or frequented situation that causes you to resist God’s grace and solely depend on yourself and even permit others to take control of your faith and of your pursuit for all that is God, good, holy, and true. Your Egypt can be that habitual sin or that form of addiction that you do not want to be in but are not ready to leave or let go. For some, Egypt can be that unhealthy relationship that you understand and know is not good for you but perhaps considered the only means, possibility, or chance for some happiness. From their own personal Egypt, the People of God cried out in their need, their plight, and their great desperation and oppression. They needed to be rescued and freed not only from those who oppressed them and reduced them to slavery but also from their own self-oppression brought about by their own sinfulness and slavery to idols and false worship. They wanted God but they also wanted the freedom to sin. Although we have free will to choose or decide, sin is not from God. There is no freedom in sin. Even the Lord says he takes no pleasure in death but rather in life, in giving life and sharing life eternal. Sin enslaves us and places us in a prison like state. Rather than becoming free to love and free to be loved, our truest form of happiness, sin separates, takes apart, and renders us orphans and citizens of an oppressive state. God needs to rescue us from darkness, from evil, from the harmful effects of sin. God calls us children, beloved children, heirs to the Kingdom of God. We are not oppressed by God but rather free to share in His grace and in the glorious freedom of the Children and People of God. Love binds, mends, heals and graciously unites. Sin oppresses, abandons, isolates and separates. Love helps us to remember all the good that God has done personally to rescue us from the effects of our personal Egypt and sin. The oppressive enemy wants us to forget who God is and to remain in our Egypt and continue to recall our personal hurts, failures, and disappointments. Never forget the Lord your God, who graciously saved you from Egypt.

“If I find favor with you, O Lord, do come along in our company.” Embarking on a journey leads us to consider many points of interest and to consider many fascinating questions like where are we going, how long will it take, is the journey long, and are we there yet? A journey can be like an adventure, something we have been longing for, something we are looking forward to, something we are hoping to undertake. A journey can provide new prospects to visit, new opportunities to consider, new experiences to look forward to, new avenues to take, new insights to see. Conversely, a journey can also be an unwelcomed adventure. One that may require too much planning, involve too much uncertainty, and take too much time to prepare. As busy as we are, who has time for a journey or even want to take the risk that it might be an unpleasant trip? However, when we consider that life is an unexpected but amazing journey, and that the journey is leading us to a place that is familiar to our soul, and to a person who created us for Himself then the journey becomes something worthy, worthwhile undertaking and something we look forward to even when there are so many unknowns. We can consider heaven the ultimate destination or God to be the final stop or even the final resting place. But heaven is so much more. It is not an end but a new beginning. It is a journey within itself. For some, the journey itself is the most important aspect to consider. It is not about the arrival, but rather the experience of getting there. For others, it is not about the details, or points of interest or the experiences along the way, but rather about arriving safely naturally, after an on-time departure and expected arrival as well. For me, I wonder if it is not more about the One who says I am with you always until the end of the age, come follow me. The One who encourages us to consider that He is the Way that we must go, the Truth we must follow, and the Life we must undertake for all eternity. I am not certain if it’s truly about taking the road less traveled or avoiding pitfalls and obstacles along the way. It seems like the journey and destination are both one and the same. Jesus walks with us accompanying us along the way, drawing us closer to the Father our heavenly homeland and final resting place.

“It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established.” We say knowledge is power and so indeed in certain circumstances when we have knowledge that others do not possess, it is powerful. It seems to give us an upper hand like in career advancement possibilities as well as opportunities to grow and develop specialized skillsets. Knowledge is helpful in life’s negotiations and can even assist us in those unfortunate moments when we find ourselves having to defend our beliefs or defend the reason or rational for the decisions and choices we made. Learning or ascertaining certain details or obtaining more information than others can and does in fact provide a certain advantage over others and can be most helpful in navigating through life’s storms, developing daily strategies, and focusing on particular paths of discernment and even providing wisdom for better decision-making. So, what do we really know and is that information truly helpful to you? Will your knowledge and what you know help you to get to heaven? Will your decisions be based on information gathered from online posts, another’s point of view, personal judgements, or limited perspectives or will you seek the Lord for wisdom, knowledge, counsel, and assistance? Is your knowledge base and information sources reliable, trustworthy, true? As reliable, more trustworthy, or true as the Lord who is ever faithful in fidelity to His covenant and unable to misinform you, tell an untruth or provide any falsehood? Knowledge is power when used in a manner that is helpful for us to live in accordance with God’s will, intent, and desire. Knowledge of God and personally knowing Him, His way, His truth, His life better helps us to love God and love one another for love is who we are. Did you know that? Knowledge is the gift of the Holy Spirit. It provides us with the grace to know God in a very personal, intimate way and even to know God in and through prayer in a way that is even more intimate and most profound. Knowledge from God and of God helps us to trust that He really knows us. He knows everything about us. Since God knows everyone and knows everything about you, doesn’t that mean that God is more powerful and truly has the upper hand? If that is the case, which it is, we can trust God knows what is best for me, for you, for all our families. God does not want us to worry but to trust – He knows. 

“Blessed be God who refused me not my prayer or His kindness!” When the mind is agitated, heart heavy, thoughts and feelings gloomy, turn to prayer, turn to Our Lady for she gently hears us, cares for us, and graciously receives our poor little prayers then leads us ever so gently back to God. Mary understands us. She gets us. She knows where we are, where we have been and where we need to be. When we are lost or downcast, she shows us the miracle of the sun, of a cloudless day, of a deep blue sky, of the gentleness of a breeze and the grace and beauty of prayer when offered through Our Lady and Queen and Mother of Perpetual Grace. Mary helps us recall the Father’s loving embrace, the gift of a deep conversion, the grace of a good confession, the depth of heartfelt contrition, the room for true repentance. In prayer, the Father holds us. Never let Him go. It’s as if two individuals who have not seen each other for eons suddenly see each other after so many centuries and years. We hug as if to never let go. As prodigal children who left home seeking fortune and fame only to have squandered our inheritance, after so many years of searching and losing, losing, and seeking, seeking not finding until we remember to turn and walk towards home again. In prayer, we are back home in the Father’s house, in His home, in His heart, in His hand and grasp, in His loving touch and loving embrace and under His loving care. As prodigal children, we focus our attention on worldly things, gizmos, and gadgets, that only cause us to become lost faster, easier, cheaper, without ease. Until prayer, I never realized how beautiful being with the Father was. It is prayerful, dedicated time to reacquaint ourselves with heaven, with heavenly things and the joy and beauty of creation. It’s time to meet and serve with those who work in the Father’s vineyard. Time to rest and play by the meadow next to God’s house. Time to pray in His garden. To walk and worship in His field. God trusts us. It is a profound thing to consider. That God actually believes in you, has confidence in you. He really trusts in you. In prayer, love invites us to learn, to grow, to deepen our loving relationship with our heavenly Father. It’s a loving invitation to grow in God’s intimacy, through the heart and prayer of our beloved Mother Mary.   

Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you.” The word “repent” is an interesting yet important word to consider in our own individual relationship with God and our first and primary vocation as His beloved children. Repentance is important, necessary, and referred to several times in scripture and even highlighted as the theme for penitential services and certain liturgical seasons throughout the year. We hear scripture cry out to us when John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” However, what does that mean to you when you hear the word repent? Does repenting scare you or make you nervous or do you welcome it and are grateful to God for the gift and opportunity to repent? We hear Jesus in scripture echo John’s words to us and even begin every Lenten Season with the call to “Repent and believe in the gospel.” However, what does that mean and what exactly is Jesus asking you to do? It seems repenting is required in order to obtain the keys to unlock the doorway to heaven and enter the realm where angels get to sing, adore and play and all the holy servants of God get to worship, pray, and praise. We need to repent but why and how. Do you know how to repent? If asked to describe what repentance looks like, will you be able to do so with ease or even provide a helpful, useful definition to explain the concept of repentance off the top of your head and without using an on-line search? Can you explain the role of repentance with confidence and personally share with another the life-giving benefits derived from a life lived in a spirit of repentance? Repentance is significant to our spiritual pilgrimage leading us to the things pertaining to heaven. It’s also important in those deep revealing meditative earthly moments when on retreat or the deep contemplative state of divine intimate prayer. Repentance calls for true contrition, a change of heart, amendment of ways and behavior. The invitation we receive in our heart is for us to turn away from selfish disordered desires that give rise to disobedience and rebellion towards God and to “Repent, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away.” We repent when we feel sorrow or when we genuinely express sincere regret. We repent when we freely say we are sorry and humbly ask for forgiveness from the heart.

“Lord Jesus, open the Scriptures to us; make our hearts burn while you speak to us.” I am often amazed and filled with such wonder when God spiritually uses us, all of us as His holy instruments to gather light and wisdom, to record the loving responses and answers to our prayers and to become lifesaving scrolls and sacred journals to document God’s everlasting word. God graciously uses us as instruments to reveal His holy, sacred presence, to provide others with gentle reminders of the healing power of His word and provide the lifesaving remedy His word brings to those who are open to His will and receptive to the life changing truth His word always provides. God graciously uses us in spiritual ways to record and recite His words to those who need to hear or read them, and to respond to those who trustingly cry out to God for the remedy His life-giving gifts bring to broken hearted, poor in spirit, sin sick sinners like ourselves. God graciously includes us and faithfully calls upon each of us to gather His wisdom and capture His insights to instruct those who have become deaf to His presence and to announce His word and share His divine message to those needing spiritual formation or lack spiritual direction. God desires to use us to bring hope to those who faithfully cry out to Him in their need and heal those who do not know how to ask or pray or have exhausted the patience to do so. God uses us in such wonderful ways that we can become holy instruments in God’s hands, bringing light to those in darkness and love and newness of life to those who seriously need Him. God’s words burn inside of us as a purifying fire burning away all that is useless, hurtful, or not helpful in building up His kingdom and presence inside each of us and outside of us as well. God’s word heals brokenness caused by foolishness and hurtfulness caused by the selfishness of others. His word is like a gentle fire that radiates warmth, comforts souls, heals division and consoles us when we need a gentle glow to provide light to our journey and insight to keep going. God’s word is often compared to a seed that needs a little heat to break open and be set ablaze like a furnace to spread and grow. Open your heart and life to Scripture. God speaks to lighten your load, melt away your sadness and set your heart on fire.