Rely on Receiving

[F]rom the point of view of the Christian faith, man comes in the profoundest sense to himself not through what he does but through what he accepts. He must wait for the gift of love, and love can only be received as a gift. It cannot be “made” on one’s own without anyone else; one must wait for it, let it be given to one. And one cannot become wholly man in any other way than by being loved, by letting oneself be loved. That love represents simultaneously both man’s highest possibility and his deepest need, and that this most necessary thing is at the same time the freest and most unenforceable, means precisely that for his “salvation” man is meant to rely on receiving. If he declines to let himself be presented with the gift, then he destroys himself. (Introduction to Christianity, Benedict XVI)

Little Flowers

Our Lord has deigned to explain this mystery to me. He showed me the book of nature, and I understood that every flower created by Him is beautiful, that the brilliance of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not lessen the perfume of the violet or the sweet simplicity of the daisy. I understood that if all the lowly flowers wished to be roses, nature would lose its springtide beauty, and the fields would no longer be enameled with lovely hues. And so it is in the world of souls, Our Lord's living garden. He has been pleased to create great Saints who may be compared to the lily and the rose, but He has also created lesser ones, who must be content to be daisies or simple violets flowering at His Feet, and whose mission it is to gladden His Divine Eyes when He deigns to look down on them. And the more gladly they do His Will the greater is their perfection.
(St. Therese of Lisieux)

Flowers for Mary!

Bring flowers of the rarest
bring blossoms the fairest,
from garden and woodland and hillside and dale;
our full hearts are swelling,
our glad voices telling
the praise of the loveliest flower of the vale!

O Mary we crown thee with blossoms today!
Queen of the Angels and Queen of the May.
O Mary we crown thee with blossoms today,
Queen of the Angels and Queen of the May.

A Tiny Whispering Sound...

"Then the LORD said, "Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD; the LORD will be passing by." A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the LORD--but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake--but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was fire--but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound" (1 Kings 19:11-12).

"God is present to Elijah not in the big events but in the peace, in the serenity and gentleness... When we wish to feel close to the Lord, we must be able to find Him in the interior peace and interior gentleness, as much as possible, without letting all that surrounds us disturb us, whether it be wind, fire, or storm. We must make it a habit to create an interior cave in which we nestle next to the Father, without becoming disturbed by events or people. We should remain tightly united with God, to see Him somehow, even though not in the way we would like to, but in the answer Jesus gives to Philip, which is also an answer to our quest. We should make every effort to see the Father in Jesus...For, while we have this interior need, this longing, as did Philip, to see the Father, we also know that – although He is the invisible, the unutterable, the all-powerful, the greatest and the immense – He chose to come among us, to become visible flesh so that, unable to see Him directly, we could see Him in Jesus. Thus our desire to see the Father finds an answer in our listening to the Son" (Giaquinta, Face of the Father).

Our God is the God of Details!

O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!"For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?" "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for ever. Amen. (Romans 11:33-36)

Lilies of the Field

Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass which is alive in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O men of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be of anxious mind. For all the nations of the world seek these things; and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things shall be yours as well (Luke 12:27-31).