Wednesday, November 2, 2016

The Father's House

This last summer and this summer I was able to attend a retreat at FOCUS New Staff Training called 'The Father's House'. It is about the first person of the trinity - God The Father. He's amazing.

I was looking over my notes yesterday morning and was able to share them three different times throughout the day, so today I thought I'd put them on here and everyone can see. How exciting! I'll try to connect/explain the thoughts further but sometimes they might just be little nuggets of truth that you can chew on and pray through on your own or with a spiritual director.

Mystical Adoption - All baptized peoples. When you've been baptized, you've been drawn into the trinity. Everything in Christ's heart is now in your heart - that's mystical adoption.

Baptism.
-Complete identification with Jesus.
-You are Jesus' mystical body and you are called to be rooted in love (God = love : be rooted in God). Jesus and I now share the same eyes, staring up at the Father and into the world.
-You belong to Jesus and unless you run away completely, you have a rendezvous with glory!

When humans are healthy they can be happy and thrive. On their path to being healthy they always ask themselves, sometime in their life, these three questions.
1. What is the meaning of life?
-When they are hopeful, humans can survive.
-When they are easy to give up, they die.
2. Who am I?
-We need an answer to this and acquire them in all the wrong places.
3. Where do I find love?
-The single desire that dominated my heart was the desire to love and be loved.
-Our lives make no sense until/unless love is revealed to us.
 "after many experiences and a lot of thinking, I am convinced that the objective starting point of love is the realization that I am needed by another." - Karol Woytyla (Saint John Paul II)

Jesus shows us the answer to these 3 questions in His life.
Mark 1:9-11 - Jesus receives His identity from the Father and it is given and shared at His baptism.
-Jesus gets His identity and love from the Father and He exists to bring us to the same truth.

Conversion.
-At first you want to start doing everything for Jesus. Then you start to do things with Jesus as you develop a prayer life. Eventually, your will becomes so conformed to His will, that you are able to do things as Jesus. You're able to love more, like Him. You'll be able to sacrifice more, like He did. You'll be able to proclaim truth, like He did. You'll be able to bring souls to the Father, like He does!
-You don't have to give Him more than He is asking of you. In fact, you probably shouldn't because He gives us grace for everything we need. We don't need to do more than what He wants. Naturally, the question presents itself, "What's the point of our productivity?" especially in evangelization? That everyone we come across has value and deserves, just by existing, to be loved. God does not ask for perfect work, but for infinite desire.
"my Beloved Spouse, told us in the days of His mortal life: "Whatsoever you ask the Father in my name he will give it to you!" I am certain, then, that You will grant my desires; I know, O my God! that the more You want to give, the more You make us desire. I feel in my heart immense desires and it is with confidence I ask You to come and take possession of my soul." - St. Therese, Act of Oblation to Merciful Love 
How to enter the Father's House?
Mass
-a Christian that is baptized is not complete without the Eucharist. 

Living in the Father's House
1. Defend the Sanctuary
-from mortal sins
-from distractions
2. Enter the Sanctuary
-withdraw from the senses (prayer, love, faith are not feelings)
3. Adorn the Sanctuary
-little acts of prayer (one liners), "Jesus, I trust in you". 

And they closed with this gem. 

It's not even a fair fight anymore, you have to choose against God more than you choose God, because the reality of the power of baptism is always, always, always victorious. 

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