There are some who believe that those with the most toys when they die, win. I don’t understand what they win, because they can’t take their toys with them. There are those who believe it’s how wild you live your life that matters most. They say, “I’m doing what I love most and I know I might die, but I’m okay with that, I’ve lived the life I’ve wanted too. Isn’t that the idea of what life’s all about, they ask”? Don’t get me wrong, for instance, I love WingSuit flying. Its one of my favorite sports. I do wish it were me out there. If we believe our life is a gift from God and we were created for God, to love God and adore God, love ourselves as God love’s us, are we respecting our life as we should when we take such risks? God wants us to know who He is and He wants to share His love with us. God promised to show us the way to Him through Christ Jesus. It takes discipline and hard work to empty ourself. Many think this is a negative journey, this emptying but it’s not. When we begin the journey of emptying our ego, the selfish part of ourself, the part of our self that keeps us chained from moving forward to the goal of emptiness, the Holy Spirit begins to fill our being with grace. Grace is the energy that sustains the journey. For me, this journey is a desire to see the world with the eyes of Christ, to speak with the mouth of Christ, to embrace another with the love of Christ and to have the patience and forgiveness of Christ when I’m assisting others. Since I’ve begun to open myself to Christ, I find myself with much more peace within my being. I’m finding myself wanting a deeper relationship with Christ. I want to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, the Holy Rosary, and to meditate on His life, death and resurrection. I’m inspired to read more about prayer, biblical theology, and spirituality. Life is difficult and at times extremely difficult. The mountain in front of us looks so daunting. If we’re alone in our struggle it’s even more daunting. We want to run as fast as we can in the opposite direction especially if we’re harboring secrets. At times, our secrets can be a weight to heavy to bare. This is the time to call the name of Christ Jesus. He is right beside us. In the Gospels, there is a parable/story that Jesus tells showing us that He is always right beside us as we struggle along. He describes a yoke which is an instrument that two bulls wear so they can plow the field. This yoke is made for two to work in unison. As we plow the field (of our life) we never plow alone. The Son of God plows with us, making our struggle less burdensome. When we fall He’s right beside us to lift us back to our feet. He dusts us off and encourages us to do our best. Christ knows we will fall many times during our life time, but He just asks us to do our very best. The mystery of suffering can be mind boggling. We often ask, if God is so loving, why is He making my life this difficult. It’s a fair question to ask. It’s okay to get angry and frustrated. God can take it because He understands what human nature is all about. He knows our weaknesses. But as long as we try our best our Heavenly destiny will be rewarded. Begin today to open your heart to God. Your life will change for the better. Peace will begin to enter your life. If you don’t believe me try it for yourself. Begin by opening your heart to Christ Jesus and ask Him to enter your heart, broken or not. Ask for the grace you need to be a disciple and to build a relationship with Him. This will be the beginning of your spiritual journey. In your suffering you will find peace. You’ll find contentment. You will find order in your life. The mountain is high and the journey rough but Christ will be right beside you. Like the wingsuit flyer must first take that leap to fly you must begin by inviting Christ into your life. Remember too, there will be others praying for you. The Hermits of the Holy Cross will be praying for you and offering up our own sufferings for your success. Blessings to you!

Your brother in Christ,

Mark