TSJ said:

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One of my morning prayers:

O Lord, grant me to greet the coming of the day in peace, help me in all things to rely upon Your holy will. In every hour of the day reveal Your will to me. Bless my dealings with all who surround me. Teach me to treat all that comes to me throughout the day with peace of soul and with firm conviction that Your will governs all. In all my deeds and words, guide my thoughts and feelings. In unforeseen events, let me not forget that all are sent by You. Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering and embarrassing others. Give me strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day with all that it shall bring. Direct my will, teach me to pray.
And, Yourself, pray in me. Amen.

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Really like that. Thanks.

Quote:

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Really like that. Thanks.

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+2

aggieband 83 said:

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Really like that. Thanks.

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+2

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All this and more at your local canonical Orthodox Church

I think all the questions you're asking shows you've been the whole time, and are still on, the right track.

None of us are will ever be worth the sacrifice we're offered. And although you and I have disagreed many times it's clear to me you've accepted it.

I think the Lord is giving you this gift of insight and you are humbly accepting his gift. Amen!

Your heart was in the right place. We are all imperfect vessels. Do not beat yourself up. What matters is what you do NOW. And as a good Catholic you know that if you sincerely examine your conscience and feel you have missed the mark, then you have access to the tribunal of God's mercy.

A few specific thoughts that apply to me every bit as much as they apply to you and frankly all of us:

1. Evangelizing does not mean converting. We evangelize; only God converts. No amount of rhetorical skill or logical precision can produce what only grace can give. Evangelists only announce the good news; God makes the good news, both in the world 2,000 years ago and in the soul today. Evangelists are like lighting technicians who make sure the lights are on in the operating room so that the Great Physician can perform his soul-surgery with the scalpel of the Spirit.

2.Evangelization is primarily about proclaiming the person of Jesus his life, passion, death, resurrection, ascension, and the formation of the Church and this proclamation is done through both words and a life of holiness. Christ does not tell us to force, cajole, bribe, threaten, sneak, or seduce all nations into discipleship but to teach them. Teaching engages the mind respectfully. It proposes, never imposes. Better to love people where they are and preach the Gospel with how we live rather than what we say or argue.

3. Arguments are tools, not weapons. They can remove intellectual roadblocks, answer honest questions, and demonstrate that faith is reasonable but the act of conversion is entirely God's work. The most powerful apologetic is always a saint: someone whose life so radiantly reflects Christ that the argument becomes unavoidable.

St. Francis de Sales didn't win back thousands of Calvinist souls in Geneva through debate alone he did it through persistent, charitable witness, combined with clear, reasoned writing. That is the Catholic model and probably should be the model all who love Jesus follow, especially with each other.

A beautiful prayer was shared above. Here's a shorter one that I have been trying to pray every morning and recall throughout the day:

Eternal Father, I give you permission today to use me in whatever way you desire for whatever purpose you desire. All I ask from you is the grace to recognize when and how you are doing this and the grace to embrace it.

Same comment to you. Disagree a lot, but that was very well said. In fact, read it a few times.

Thaddeus, I'd offer a slightly different angle on your thoughts as I have actually given a lot of thoughts to my own sins, struggles and failures.

I humbly pray (as a younger man (45) speaking to an older man) my personal revelations, struggles and thoughts may offer some pathway to a more positive and hopeful perspective.

There's a lot of "I" in the awakening you're describing.

"I should have figured this out, I was negligent, I finally realized."

While that selfexamination is valuable, it places an enormous burden on the individual (A western Burden obsessed with legalism).

Theologically I think most would agree that our salvation derives ultimately from God and His Grace that welcomes us despite our failures. You are placing an arrogant prideful burden of guilt on yourself. All of us are blemished, all of us are sinners and all of us are not capable of attaining our own salvation. God delivers that through his forgiveness and Grace alone.

The truth is, God always wants us close to him our entire lives. That relationship wasn't meant to wait until 75 but He knows our nature. Ambition, competition, lust, the striving and the loss of way in the world in which we exist.

Rather than abandoning us to it, He offers a gift. A long life. And with it, the gradual loosening of everything that kept us at arm's length from Him.

Plato recognized something of this. In the Republic, Cephalus describes being freed from sexual desire in old age to escaping a fierce and mad master. His tone isn't moral triumph but rather relief.

The appetite released him. He didn't conquer it.

That's where Grace lives. God doesn't just wait for us to finally figure it out on our own or abandon us. He allows the body to slow, the fire to cool, the noise to quiet and in that space, what was always true becomes finally visible. The peace you're feeling isn't you arriving late to this realization so much as Gods never ending Grace and Love for us. It's God's patience made manifest.

He gave you the years, poured out His mercy freely, and now gifts you this season of reflection.

You should view this opportunity as a manifestation of Gods Love and Wisdom for us and joyfully accept the gift of a long life granted to you.

Psalm 91:16 "With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation."

Proverbs 9:11 "For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life."

Both of these verses understand that long life is a gift and connects longevity to walking with God.

Be thankful to receive Gods abundant and never ending Love and Grace. You are not in a legal defense of yourself. Connect with God spiritually in a true relationship.


Psalm 71:9,18 "Do not cast me away when I am old… even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation."

When you figure it all out let me know how.

Psalm 71 was in my reading yesterday and was going to offer that same passage in addition to other pieces. The whole psalm really is wonderful.

Psalm 71:15
My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
of your deeds of salvation all the day,
for their number is past my knowledge.

Psalm 71:20
You who have made me see many troubles and calamities
will revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
you will bring me up again.

Why do you say "shalom"?

In the Church we say "peace be unto you".

Genuine question. Not a loaded "you pro Jew" kind of question.

dermdoc said:

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CrackerJackAg said:

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Why do you say "shalom"?

In the Church we say "peace be unto you".

Genuine question. Not a loaded "you pro Jew" kind of question.

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Shalom means to me a place of complete peace and rest with God. A wholeness with contentment no matter what the circumstances are.

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Good deal! Nothing wrong with that. Just a curiosity as to what it meant to you.

Here is a better definition

Great posts, everybody!

Glad I found this thread. Helpful, thought provoking

Everything that once was natural for me to do has now become very methodical = Move hand, pick this up, put here... I went to Walgreens this week to buy a gift card for the young man next door who just graduated UTSA, and I forgot my wallet. I got up out of my lazy boy to go do something, and when I got up, I forgot what that thing was. Time has sped up for me...The clock goes from 9 to 10 in half the time.

When I was a young man, I looked at the world through the lens of sex and beer. But I never lost my faith. God didn't give up on me, and I thank him A LOT daily for that. If I would have died in my 20's, I would have been in the lower rungs of hell. Now, there is hope for me, because I daily look at the world through the lens of praising Jesus for his love, his patience, and his forgiveness. and I pray that those traits of his become mine, in spades...

God bless you ALL! Jesus loves you!

Thad, thanks for sharing your experience. Your humility is inspiring. I personally think humility is the single best evangelical tool we can have in our toolbox.

Are you a reader? If so, I hope you won't mind if I recommend a book for you to check out. It's called "A Catechesis on Deification, Transfiguration, and the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary" by Dr. Matthew Tsakanikas. This book might help you understand how even if we are declining physically and/or mentally, if we are doing our best to cooperate with God's grace we are becoming new creatures in Christ as we are divinized by grace. It's the best news we can ever receive. It's why we exist. It's integral to the Incarnation.

Yes, I am.. I will order it today...Yesterday, I went to the nursery to buy some plants, and it was like I was watching a flower movie, instead of the reality of seeing it like I used to...Strange. But God is putting me through this to tell me to get ready. There will never be a day goes by when I don't meditate on His Passion for MY sins. Because He didn't ransom Himself for mankind, but for me personally, and that is a great lens to look at Him through. am Barabbas, the ugly guy in the Passion of the Christ who looked back at Jesus and was shaken by what he saw and felt..And then was set free...

FTAC - You should know that I write a monthly column for Catholic Stand.

https://catholicstand.com/author/ray-sullivan/

Here is one I wrote on deification...

https://catholicstand.com/the-grace-of-deification-becoming-one-with-jesus/

Friend, that's not old man stuff, if it is, I've been an old man since my early 20's. In my opinion, it is self awareness that is brought on by the Holy Spirit.

In recent years, I've come to the realization, that you mentioned in your message, that not all learning and growth comes from positive experiences, and there may be people that were placed in our lives at a specific time, to bring us, and them, to different places, (physically, mentally, emotionally), many years later.

Buford T. Justice said:

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Friend, that's not old man stuff, if it is, I've been an old man since my early 20's. In my opinion, it is self awareness that is brought on by the Holy Spirit.

In recent years, I've come to the realization, that you mentioned in your message, that not all learning and growth comes from positive experiences, and there may be people that were placed in our lives at a specific time, to bring us, and them, to different places, (physically, mentally, emotionally), many years later.

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Excellent point!

Peter is the poster boy for having to learn the hard way, but Jesus still made him the rock.

Like Peter, Jesus looks at us and says "Do you love me?" Initially in the Greek Jesus uses agape but later uses phileo. Agape love is sacrificial love. Jesus tells us that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul and mind and that the second one is "like it" in that we must love others as we love ourselves.

Every time Jesus commands, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" whether in Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, or Luke 10:27 the Greek word used is agp (or its verb form agapa). In Matthew 22:39, the verse reads: "The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" and the word used for love is agp. Likewise in Mark 12:31: "The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." again, agape..

So how can we "agape" someone who is love itself, lacks nothing and is perfectly complete in himself? The answer lies in the second commandment Jesus gives us: we love God when we love others, agape style, which basically means sacrificially. Agape is the highest form of love sacrificial, unconditional, and enduring. It seeks the good of others without expecting anything in return. It is the love God shows us in Christ.

We love God when we sacrificially love others. This is what Jesus is pointing out in Matthew 25 when he tells us about the judgment of the nations. The sheep and the goats are determined based on their actions that exemplify agape love, in line with the second amendment he gave us.