Little by Little

Lord, thank you for answering my prayer, for revealing bits of your wisdom each day. You give us what we need to know. The scripture says "now we see through a glass darkly, but then we will see face to face." Thank you for allowing me to peer through the darkened glass a little for now.

Thank you for scripture that inspires, heals, brings comfort and resonates within the deep places of our souls.

Thank you for friends that speak the truth.

I love you,

Esther

Compelling Life Thought...

This isn't what I intended to write about at all, but I saw the picture and just had to.

Isn't it compelling? I wish it were possible in a physical way.

In a spiritual way, it begs a great question (how?) and offers an appealing challenge (live your life this way).

How may I embrace Christ on the cross? How may I share His burden? How may I bring Him comfort? How may I join my life's work with His?

Fulfilling this is my greatest calling and deepest wish.

(Something to ponder as I work among the flowers with St. Therese today. ;)

Psalm 37

Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:

He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

The days of the blameless are known to the LORD, and their inheritance will endure forever.In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

Song by Casting Crowns

"Praise You In This Storm"

(Words by Mark Hall / Music by Mark Hall and Bernie Herms)

I was sure by now

God, You would have reached down

And wiped our tears away

Stepped in and saved the day

But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls

I barely hear Your whisper through the rain

"I'm with you"

And as Your mercy falls

I raise my hands and praise the God who gives

And takes away

And I'll praise You in this storm

And I will lift my hands

For You are who You are

No matter where I am

And every tear I've cried

You hold in Your hand

You never left my side

And though my heart is torn

I will praise You in this storm

I remember when

I stumbled in the wind

You heard my cry to you

And you raised me up again

My strength is almost gone

How can I carry on

If I can't find You

But as the thunder rolls

I barely hear You whisper through the rain

"I'm with you"

And as Your mercy falls

I raise my hands and praise the God who gives

And takes away

I lift my eyes unto the hills

Where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord

The Maker of Heaven and Earth

When this song came on the radio yesterday, the words struck me as being both real and faithful, and since it was exactly what I needed to hear, it brought cleansing tears. We all have stormy times, some more severe than others, and remembering to trust God through and despite it all is important. This song encourages that. He is with us, our provider in times of trouble. Storms always pass. Sunshine is coming, bringing with it the most incredible rainbow!

Manna from Heaven

Jesus feeds us heavenly food. Spiritual sustenance is given through the physical.

What a treasure to discover I was called to a deeper closeness with Christ through the Eucharist, a hidden secret previously unknown, like gold shining in a dark corner of a cave. I desperately desired this communion with Him, to share the experience of ancient Christians and all who followed through the centuries. In the same way that one can be married without its consummation, one can follow Christ without the Eucharist. But there is more. Much more. Christ awaits in the deep, rich, real experience of the Eucharist which draws us close to Him.

When I first became Catholic, I sought Christ in the Eucharist daily. He met me there, filling me with palpable peace as I had never known.

Heavenly Bread

Heavenly bread, heavenly wine
Through the grain and cup,
We partake of the Divine
This is my Body, this is my Blood
Poured out for you, a new covenant

Blessings to the One who feeds His church this way
Blessings to the One whom we sup with today

Heavenly bread, heavenly wine
Through the grain and cup,
We partake of the Divine
This is my Body, this is my Blood
Poured out for you, a new covenant

Through Christ's sacrifice and the grace that He gives,
We reap eternal life through this food that makes us live

Heavenly bread, heavenly wine
Through the grain and cup,
We partake of the Divine
This is my Body, this is my Blood
Poured out for you, a new covenant

(Copyright Esther Oertel 2004)

Greater Love Has No Man

This is the love of my life, my true Valentine. There is no one who loves me more fully, completely or passionately.

Here's what He did as recorded in ancient scripture:

"Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:6-11)

He gave up who He was to commune with man. (Still completely and fully God, he took on the nature of man when He "made himself nothing...") The Divine, a fully dimensional being living outside time and space, limited Himself via time, space, flesh, blood and three dimensions, all for the sake of revealing love to us. Love being the motivator, and knowing we could not reverse the process to go to Him, He came to us. Nothing but love would give up so much... "even death on a cross!"

A human infant is utterly helpless, with its survival depending upon the good will of those around them. Jesus came into the world, making Himself helpless. He experienced formation in the womb, birth, growth, learning, pain. All for us.

We must see everything in our lives with the backdrop of the incarnation, the cross and the resurrection.

The incarnation changed the world. We were important enough to God for the Divine to become human. And we are still. We are the apple of His eye (Deuteronomy 32 and Zechariah 2); His thoughts toward us are more plentiful than all the grains of sand (Psalm 139).

The cross revealed great love. "Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) Whatever happens, however painful, we must see it in the light of the cross and know that "greater love has no man" for us. St. Catherine of Siena said, "Everything comes from love; all is ordained for the salvation of man. God does nothing without this goal in mind." Sometimes God's "severe mercy" (CS Lewis) is what preserves us in love. We place ourselves in His hands and even "what Satan intends for evil" (Genesis 40) becomes the course of His love for us.

And finally, resurrection. Resurrection is the conversion of heart after the struggle. Resurrection is transformation. Resurrection is the promise, the hope, the rainbow in the clouds after the flood. Resurrection is real, both now in our earthly lives and forever in eternity. Christ equals the resurrection. He bought it for us, He lives it in us, He gives it to us.

Truly there is no love greater than this.

On My List

I really want to go here before I die.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jellyfish_Lake