Looking upward - often
Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” Mark 7:34
Greetings my friends and Happy Sunday!
The below meditation quote popped in my inbox last week and I thought I would use it as the backdrop for this week’s share. As you likely know by now I’m blessed to be part of a waterski show team here in Tampa. Yesterday, we put on a waterski show in downtown Tampa in an area of the Hillsborough river that is between two sea walls. So as I got ready to jump off the dock into a barefoot act I was to attempt, watching the waves bounce back and forth in front of me I made the sign of the cross and said my “go to” Phil 4:13 “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Things went well despite some pretty rough water - but I know it was all Him, any talents I have come from Him and it is only by His grace that at 64 and counting I still get to do this fun stuff. Sometimes, I admit I forget to look up and forget to give Him the glory. But I know that is the key to the life ahead with Christ as my guide. What about you?
Ti Voglio Bene,
Larry
-“It is necessary to have an absolutely sure intention in all our actions, so that the generous fulfillment of our daily duties may be directed toward the highest supernatural ideal. Thus, our life, apart from moments of prayer, will be a prayerful life. It is clear that the habit of giving an upward glance to God at the moment of action is a great assistance in aiding us to behave always with a pure intention and in freeing us from our natural impulses and fancies, so, that, retaining our self-mastery, or rather, God becoming the sole Master, all our movements become dependent upon the Holy Spirit. We see in the Gospel that whenever our Lord was about to undertake some important step, He always paused for a moment to raise His eyes to Heaven, and only after this moment of recollection did He take up the work He had to do. ‘He lifted up His eyes to Heaven’ is a phrase that recurs with significant frequency. And doubtless, when there was no outward sign of this prayer, there was the inward offering. The ideal is the same for us. The constant subjection of self to the guidance of the Holy Spirit is made easier from the fact of His presence in the soul, where He is asked explicitly to preside over all our doings . . . We shall not submit wholeheartedly to the invisible Guest unless He is kept in close proximity to us.”
—Raoul Plus, S.J., p. 37-38, How to Pray Always
Glory to God!... and in his Spirit we give ourselves completely!
Larry, it took many years before I started to give credit to the Lord for those things which he had blessed me. For a long time, I took all the credit, for those accomplishments in my life that were only possible with the love and the gift of blessings that our Lord had given to me. During all those years I failed to recognize or to acknowledge that I can do nothing without God's blessings... Sometime, during the past years I came to understand that there was one gift that I was given and it wasn't until someone had pointed it out to me and and told me that this gift did come from God and not from me. My friend told me to recognize this gift and to devote myself to doing God's will and not my own. Now, at the age of 85 I asked my Lord, Lord how much longer do you want me to carry on..... Since he still has not answered me I guess I have to continue to do his will. Thanks again for sharing your life with me. Blessings, Vic.