Monday, April 13

A LOVE LETTER TO MY CHILDREN

A letter to my Dear Little Ones...Madison, Savannah, Nicholas, and Isaac,

Every Christian mommy worries about her children becoming lost in this world of indifference

I want to tell you children some things that were put on mommy's heart today in prayer.  These are things that I have learned that I want to pass on to you.  The world is a confusing place, indeed.  It makes the strongest of Christians, doubt their faith.  I pray every day that your faith stays strong and solid and that you are able to go out into the world, confident in the knowledge of God's True Love and mission for each of you.

Here are a few things that mom has learned, just simply written from my point of view, so that you see how our Lord speaks to my heart just like He speaks to yours

A very amazing priest explained to me that the opposite of LOVE is not HATE, as to hate someone, takes as much passion, as it does to love someone

The opposite of love is INDIFFERENCE
This world does not support a strong belief in anything, as a belief is looked upon as judgmental, outdated, and closed-minded.  

The only belief that this world DOES strongly support.....is NOT to believe in anything STRONGLY

Wow, that philosophy is quite a scary companion accompanying my children on their journey towards Heaven

According to modern thinking, right and wrong is relative and the world will tell you that a "peaceful" life means to live without any worry beyond your own desires.

Lord, that You may increase, as I decrease
(a prayer that I try and say as I inhale and exhale...wouldn't that be AWESOME if we could train ourselves to make every last breath we took into a prayer)

Allowing my own desires to lead me through life is most contrary to what I know of our Lord and His teachings.  We should unquestionably love everyone AS they are, unconditionally......(notice that the thought is NOT completed, yet)

....BUT to really truly unconditionally love, is also to guide the ones that you love and lead them back to Christ.  This is most emphasized in one of my favorite quotes......

" Jesus, Love me where I am, but too much to leave me this way"

I truly love others by giving them the gift that I hold most dear in my heart....Our Lord Jesus Christ! 

I am not called to condemn or to shame (as I am never equipped to throw the first stone)  I am called to lead.  This guiding and leading can be under the guise of a silent example of true love for Christ (I'm working daily on my SILENT Christian example) or it can be through interactive teaching and guiding....honestly, it is whatever ministry our Lord has called me to in that situation.

Please don't read this as prideful, thinking that in guiding someone towards Christ, I must assume that I am further along than the person that I am ministering to.  We are ALL called to minister to each other and NONE of us are THERE yet!  We are ALL still journeying.....In that moment that we finally reach our Merciful Lord, it is but a moment too late to minister to someone on earth.  Unless, you just want to freak people out by being dead and talking to them : )

So often, my lack of confidence in my own capabilities, causes doubt and I find myself shying away from reaching out to teach others.
"Get over yourself, Kerry!"
Anything valuable that comes from me, is Him.  Without Him, I am truly worthless, as He gives me worth because I am His daughter and He can do whatever He wants IN me!  He is bigger than my fears, talents, intellect, etc...Look at your baby brother Isaac!  Jesus took my broken body and made life!  He could have gifted the world with Isaac, through any mother that He desired, but He chose ME!!
(I cannot even believe that, that is me!)

He has always revealed His Heavenly Power to me in so many ways and He continues to bewilder me with His Might!
(this pic of you, Isaac is so precious.  Daddy and myself, your brother and sisters absolutely adore it...it makes us all laugh)

We have been given an immense gift at our church, of a totally self-less, God minded, soul focused Pastor, Msgr James Hart
(Msgr Hart....He's so joyful and Christ-filled)
As my shepherd  he LOVES me enough to give me guidance that will lead me towards Christ and NOT lead me towards myself.  For in myself, I will find death.  Only in Jesus, will I find Life!

Msgr Hart does not guide his sheep driven by pride or vanity.  He loves us too much to worry about making us all happy!  He loves us ENOUGH to gift us with the TRUTH whether we want to hear it or not.  He is giving us the tools needed to acquire true happiness, where we will be filled with our Lord Jesus and not with ourselves.

The most important gift that Msgr Hart gives us are the Sacraments, most essentially, Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist!  Re-read John Chapter 6....The Eucharist is the True Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ!

(In this scripture, after arguing that the idea of literally eating Jesus' Flesh was too much for them....)

John 6:66
"After this, many of His disciples went away and accompanied Him no more."

Without Msgr Hart and all of the blessed priests of the world, we would not have our Holy Eucharist
(Love these humble servants laying prostrate during their ordination.....and truly see that no other could ever bring so many to such great humility, but Jesus Christ Himself.  His holy priests are His Hands, His Feet, and His Voice to our world)

Madison, Savannah, Nicholas, and Isaac,
I was just thinking about you and praying for each of you and felt called to write you this love letter.  I will love you no matter what you ever do, I will pray for you until the very last day of my life, and I will use my very last breath to teach you about Jesus, because you are worth it and you deserve nothing less than that.  God Bless you, my little angels.



Love, Mom