Bullseye

Yesterday  during Mass I had a vision of Jesus in a series of circles, much like a dart board. He of course was at the center and we, meaning all the people in the world, were scattered around Him. No one was in the exact center as He was, but some were in the next circles and all those around it, some weren't in any circle, but at least on the board and others were way off the board. It was impossible to see them all because the further away from the center of the board, the darker it was. So some were in the light and others were in complete darkness.

Those closest to the center, that is to say, closest to Jesus, were those attending Mass every chance they had (there are some who desire daily Mass, but are unable to attend due to illness or work), praying rosaries, doing holy hours, frequent confession, and prayers throughout the day, making a conscience effort to keep Jesus in their heart and minds throughout the day.

The further from the center, the less time people spent thinking about Jesus and fostering a relationship with Him. Those who attend Mass only on Sunday, to fulfill their “obligation” were not very close to the center, because their hearts are not involved.

The significance here is how much recourse we have to our Lord. Obviously those in the closest circle around Jesus need only reach out to touch Him, to ask His assistance, and He is right there to aid them. This isn't to say our Lord does not hear the prayers of the others, even those in the darkness, but those closest to Him know His voice, they heed His voice and they trust in Him. They are comfortable with our Lord. The further one is from Jesus, the less likely they are to recognize His voice when He speaks and feel His loving hands upon them as He comforts them.

The further one is from Jesus, the harder it is to gaze upon Him because they are not accustomed to His bright countenance. The light exposes them and their deeds....and do not think that those in the closer circles are fully immersed in the light, because any circle outside of Christ's begins to dim. Our love determines which circle we are in. We must be attending Mass, begging for mercy in the confessional and seeking His forgiveness and living in His presence constantly and we must also be encouraging others closer to the center.

When we draw near to God, He does draw near to us.

Talking to God.....

I love to see people in prayer. Turning themselves over to our Lord, talking to Him and hopefully, listening as well.  It's a beautiful sight, seeing people turn to the God of the universe and asking Him to be a part of their lives, to guide them, love them, heal them or what ever other needs they have.

I pray many different ways, praying the rosary and meditating on our Lord's life, praying the Divine Mercy chaplet or the Stations of the Cross and meditating on His passion and death, just sitting quietly (yes, even I can be quiet a little) and enjoying His presence. I thank Him, I praise Him and if no one is around I sing hymns. I also journal, telling Jesus what is going on in my life and working through difficulties.  

Time with our Lord is sacred time, never wasted. I desire a close relationship with Him and for any relationship to grow it needs to be fostered. You must spend time with one another. When I am in prayer, I try not to pay attention to what is going on around me because I am with the Almighty, our Father.  He alone matters, though I would appreciate a tap on the shoulder should the building catch fire!

I was praying one morning before Mass and the priest was kneeling at the communion rail, head bowed and clearly in prayer, when someone walked up and tapped him on the shoulder.  I was a little shocked that someone would interrupt him, after all, he is talking to God.   Then I thought about how that also happens to me, usually when I am journaling.  It's frustrating because it's pretty easy to lose your train of thought and sometimes I'm thinking several things which I am trying to get onto paper.  

Remember that others are in prayer to deepen their relationships with the Father, give them time alone with God, to draw nearer to Him.  There is no one more important to spend time with than our Almighty God.

Listening

Last week my husband was watching a talk show and the host was doing a Q&A.  A woman in the audience stood up and asked if it was necessary for her to feign interest in a conversation if the person talking is just going on and on.  I think a great many of us have been "caught" in conversations we're not particularly interested in, but I was shocked that someone would actually voice this question.

More shocking was the host's response.  He told her no, she did not have to pretend to be interested in what the other person was saying and should quickly get away from the "offender."  At first I thought he was kidding - probably because I thought the question was absurd - but it turns out he was serious.  He said he hates nothing more than for someone to drone on and he thinks it's foolish to waste his valuable time listening.  He went on to say that his agent tells him, if it's not making him any money, it's not worth his while.  He told the woman her time was also too valuable to be wasted listening to someone she had no interest in.

All I could voice upon hearing this was "wow!"  To the woman's credit, she actually did seem dumbstruck.  Almost as though she was expecting him to say yes, that politeness dictates you hear the person out.  It seemed she was now faced with a dilemma - opt for rudeness and walk away or show another human being some compassion.

This is part of what's wrong with our world today.  People value themselves so much, it's hard for many of them to fathom that others also have great worth.  In the eyes of God, we are all equal, unique, wonderful and beautiful creations.  Humans refuse to see that simple fact.

We are so caught up in the world that if someone doesn't have money, the right job, the right car, the right this or the right that - then they are not worth our time.  In other words, they have no value.

Honestly, all I could think was....what if you are the only one who listens to this person and you tell him he's not worth your time?  What if the only reason why he hasn't committed suicide is because he thinks you care about him?  What if the only thing keeping him from going to a mall or a school and opening fire is the fact that he truly believes you are his friend? 

I would love to contact this talk show host and tell him to get over himself.  If he thinks he hasn't droned on and on to someone in his lifetime, he's sadly mistaken.  I feel pretty safe saying we have all bored someone with our incessant chatting at some time or another.  Unfortunately, he appears to only have enough heart to love himself.  What a shame!  I pray for him - that God will show him true love.

Jesus tells us that what we do unto the least of our brethen, we do unto Him.  Where are you ignoring Jesus in your life?