Will

"We have nothing of our own but our will.

It is the only thing which God has so placed in our own power

that we can make an offering of it to Him"

The Cure D'Ars

I read this some time ago and at first I did not understand. Some time later an occurrence happened in my life that shed some light to this thought:

There was a time in my life where an acquaintance started to become a friend, and my feelings for that male friend started to intensify, as we were spending time together and sharing our thoughts on life and the world in general. Those feelings gained control over my mind in such a way, that I could say it was like falling in love, the thoughts about this friend occupied all the time my head and it came to pass that they also started to have an effect on my will. I was one night sitting at the sofa, praying fervently to God about it, asking for help not to act upon these feelings and to remain faithful to my husband. As fervent as it was the prayer, and sincere in my admittance of powerlessness, as other times in my life had been, it came then too an answer. The phone rang, and a woman called Faith asked for an uneventful matter. I hang up the phone shortly and came back to my sofa, when suddenly I realized that the answer was exactly there, it has been given to me in such a phone call, it was FAITH. I had to remain having faith in God and in his deliverance.

Nonetheless, later on, I did act upon my feelings, and though the faithfulness in my marriage remained intact as far as actions go, I cannot say so in matters of thinking and feeling, and just by the Grace of God my actions did not end up in adultery.

Finally in my life I was able to understand King David in his turmoils and suffering, where previously I had disdain, having a hard time believing God could be friend to someone that was in so much of a mess, I had now symphathy and understanding, and my heart went out to his life events and his repentances.

So in the subject of Faith, and Faithfulness, how we keep intact the contract with our spouses in a way that is faithful in its ample sense, a faithfulness that comes from the willing-heart and not from the head in its dry law-giving? How we keep loving God and his commandments out of love and not out of duty, duty which at the end produces emprisonment of the souls, phariseism and dryness of hearts? How we can make an offering of our will to God in love?

Wedding of our cousins this last summer.

New Year Revision

We have been doing an experiment for the last half of the year, regarding our family and our environment, and it is time now to observe the results of the experiment.

We are living in town, (not yet in our dream homestead!) amidst neigbors of varied beliefs and cultural habits, and since last June we have been open to them and their lifestyles, because it did not seem right to protect me from people that were different, because ultimately we are all sinners, and why one sinner would be more rightly held than the others?

I have seen recently a video about sexual sin and homosexuality that while opposing homosexual marriage firmly, it also puts down the barriers between THEM and US, because we are all guilty of some sort of sin.

I believed that love for our neighbor should be strong to go over the barriers of difference in religious and cultural beliefs, and that the exercise of this duty of love, which starts with our spouse and goes towards brothers and sisters in Christ, spills out to all the nations, and eventually we would carry the burdens of everybody we encounter with christian joy.

Now, while still holding the above as true, I also have to recognize that the effects of being involved with the larger community has had an impact in our lifes, and not just positive.

We had noticed an increase in disrespect from our children, in general, and also in particular aspects like they cannot sit at the regular 50 minutes Mass without complaining, while before they were contentedly sitting through the Traditional Mass for hour and a half. The unity of husband and wife in marriage, well, is more separated than united, as we feel stranged from each other and carry resentments towards each other. My working for outside endevours, as much worthy as they seem to me, have left the house in disorder, I cannot tend to the laundry anymore, with clothes spilling all over the room, my meals are far from thoughtful, many  times burnt,  and I start to also resent my home because all the disorder in it. It seems that if we continue in this direction we may end up working in jobs outside the home, children in public school and getting a divorce!

Now why this is so, if our values did not change? I think there are mysterious ways that things happen, and eventhough i cannot know the whys, it is obvious to me that the exposure to the larger community erodes the beliefs one holds inwardly, and perhaps unconsciously, it starts to change them until it might be to late to go back. Romans 1 and 2 comes to mind as a possible explanation of this shift in thought patterns, and also the verses were we are admonished to be among believers, comparing the light with the darkness. Frodo, eventhough he had a lot of purity in his heart, was changed by the ring.

So, unless we acquire a pure heart unable to be corrupted, I have to admit that it is not such great idea to be open to the large currents of thoughts, nay the people that sustain them, and that it is of utmost importance to be in the company of believers to feed each other from the Water of Life. Not for nothing did the old saying say: "Divide and Conquer". We shall be united, in our marriages, in our congregations, in our love for God.

So for this New Year, we are putting our house for sale again, and trusting God to lead us to homesteading, to do His Work amidst his children.

Christmas and Holy Nights

I had said I would give a story for each of the Holy Nights, but I changhed my mind, instead I would give a list of virtues for each one of the nights in order to inspire all of us to create either a story or a memory from childhood that we can tell our children before going to sleep.

24th December-Devotion becomes the force of renunciation.

25th December-Equanimity becomes progress.

26th December-Persistence becomes inner happiness.

27th December-True generosity becomes purification.

28th December-Compassion becomes freedom.

29th December-Clarity of thought, courtesy becomes sensitivity.

30th December-Inner contentment becomes serenity.

1st January-Patience becomes knowledge.

2nd January-Mastery of the thought and speech becomes truth.

3rd January-Courage becomes redemption.

4th January-Silence becomes prayer.

5th January- Magnamity becomes Love.

Merry Christmas!

Fourth Sunday

The Purple Angel

The last Sunday before Christmas an angel with a soft and warm lavender cape appears in the sky and flies over the earth, bringing in his hands a big lyre. He plays with this lyre a sweet music and sings in harmony and clear voice.. But to be able to hear this music the hearts have to be very silent and attentive.

His music is the great song of Peace, the song of the Baby Jesus and the Kingdom of God that comes to the earth. Many angels go with him, singing as well, and they rejoice in the sky.

Then all the seeds that are sleeping on the earth awaken, and the earth itself listens to it and shivers: The song of the angels is saying that God does not forget the earth, and that someday it will be a Paradise again.

Soline and Pierre Lienhard

Third Sunday

On the third Sunday, and angel completely in white light descends to the Earth. He has in his right hand a ray of sun which has a wonderful power.

He goes to all humans in whose heart the red angel has found true love, and he touches them with his ray of light. Then this light penetrates in the hearts of those humans and warms them from inside.

Is like the sun itself would ilumine through their eyes and descend through hands, feet and all the body. Even the poorest of man, the most humble ones, are transformed and start to ressemble the angels, if they embrace some love in their hearts.

But not everybody sees this white angel. Only the rest of the angels and those men who have been ilumined with his light. This light is the same that on Christmas day makes possible to see the child in the manger.

Soline and Pierre Lienhard

Second Sunday

The Red Angel

In a day like today, a second angel descends from the heavens; He is dressed with a big red cape and brings a big golden basket in his left arm. The basket is empty and the angel longs to fill it and then bring it back to the Throne of God, but what is it that would be inside?

The basket is very delicate and fine, because is made out of sun rays; so it should not be filled with heavy or hard things.

The Angel visits all the Earth, and very discreetly looks in all the homes. What is he looking for? He looks into the hearts of all men to see if he finds in their hearts a little bit of truly pure love. And this love he keeps under his cape, and brings it into the heavens. There, the inhabitants of heaven. the angels and the souls of the departed, take that love and from it they make light for the stars.

Soline and Pierre Lienhard

First Sunday of Advent

In order to reflect the change of rhythm in this Advent season, the posts will be shorter and on Saturday, each week describing the story of an angel annunciating Christmas.

The following week, concerning the twelve Holy Nights, I will post each day a story, which I will tell my children at night before going to bed.

The Blue Angel:

How do we know that Christmas is approaching? we cannot perceive it with our eyes, because the days and nights go on as usual, and men live and take care of their business as usual; we cannot perceive it with our ears, because the sounds resounding are the same as always, the cars passing by, the planes landing, the children screaming, and so on.

But nonetheless, four weeks before Christmas something very special happens: a great angel comes down from heaven to invite the inhabitants of the earth to prepare for Christmas; this angel has a blue cape, weaved with silence and peace. Most of the people do not perceive him, beause they are busy with many other things, but the angel sings with a deep voice, and only those who have an attentive heart can listen.

His song goes like this: "The heaven is coming to earth, God comes to inhabit the hearts of Men, Pay attention! Thrust the door wide open!

So it is, that in a day like today, the angel passes by, and talks to all mankind, and those who listen take care in preparing Christmas, singing some songs and lighting candles....

Soline and Pierre Lehnard