Good morning ~
 
The phrase that goes through my head most often is “Megan, for Pete’s sake!” This self-admonishing is for anything from not going to bed at a certain hour, forgetting an appointment, burning toast… whatever.

When I hear other people yell at themselves my heart goes out to them and I want to tell them to be kind and grant themselves some grace. Then why don’t I do that for myself?

So instead, this last week I started counting what I was doing right and reflecting on the times when I was on track.

These moments don’t stick out because they’re so natural; they are the things we do every day like gently waking up our teenager to get to school on time, feeding the cat and giving him a pat on the head, or looking your spouse in the eye and greeting them warmly when they come home.

All in, there are far more moments in our lives where “normal” is the good work God has called us to. I think we just don’t notice them all because they are “normal”.

If our actions were placed on a spectrum – with mortal sins at one end and the heroically virtuous acts on the other, most of life is spent in the neutral middle. But what makes all the difference is doing these acts with love. God is love.

When we reflect His love into our every day normal, and we open our heart to His presence, we’re heading in the right direction.

So maybe this week you can take some time reflecting on what you did well, and offer up a little prayer of gratitude and say to yourself “Look what God and I did together this week.”

+Megan

Good morning  ~

As soon as the words “they got what they deserved” seeped into my brain, I could feel my heart cringe. 

The word “deserve” is loaded. It’s the word I use to talk myself into eating an extra pancake or wasting an extra 15 minutes scrolling through a social media feed I have no desire to be scrolling through.

It’s also how I try to absolve myself for judging other people. 

One of the Spiritual Works of Mercy is to admonish the sinner. That does not mean “revel in the punishment of the sinner”. 

This comes to mind as I consider “Cancel Culture” – meaning that if someone (usually famous) expresses an opinion that goes against the grain of what is “acceptable”,  the world of social media explodes with vitriol and absolutists statements.

Cancel Culture makes forgiveness really hard. We are encouraged to turn our backs on and vilify the perpetrator to the point that they are labeled permanently bad and irredeemable.

Maybe this is a symptom of a society that is losing faith in God. Maybe we don’t trust Him administer justice. 

Maybe we don’t want God to forgive because we aren’t capable of forgiveness. 

Do you ever find yourself wanting God’s mercy, but then pointing to bad things happening to other people and labeling it as God’s wrath? “It’s OK for God to be merciful toward ME, but certainly not toward my political rival or that jerk that lives down the street.”

There is something base in us that enjoys seeing someone knocked off their pedestal. But it’s like scratching an itch until it hurts. The moment of pleasure that I get from schadenfreude is followed by the longer-lasting suffering from the sin on my soul.

I have not remedy or solution or resolution to Cancel Culture. But no person is 100% bad.  Our Catholic respect for human dignity demands that we try to look at one another the same way God looks at us: with love. 

Choose love even when it’s the hardest option. Choose love because it’s the hardest option. Choose to love those who need it most.

Be merciful Oh Lord, for we have sinned. 

Love to all,
+Megan

Good morning ~

I’ve been reading The Mystical City of God and it is enthralling. It’s the life of Mary as revealed in visions to Mary of Agreda. It’s hard to put into words, but it has tapped into something deep in my soul, so the best I can do is to copy straight out of my prayer journal from the day I read about Satan’s fall.

“My heart is massively moved by an extra iota of understanding of what it means to love God.

“The angels love God so completely, and want to help Him without question or understanding as to the “big picture.” They praise him, take initiative to ensure His will is carried out.

“Like a child begging to be mom’s helper when she cooks – to contribute to her efforts to show love for her family. To be part of something bigger because of the great love and admiration for who she inherently is.

“My mind goes to the time I was helping my dad build the loft in the barn. In his infinite patience, he taught me and watched as I swung a hammer and twisted nails. I put maybe 1% of the nails in, but enjoyed the work because it allowed me to show him my love and be a part of something he built.”

Granted, the book can be very heavy. I made the initial mistake of trying to read it all at once when there is so much to consume in each chapter that I could write all day about single paragraphs.

If you have a quiet half-hour every night or a few times a week, I recommend it. I’m only 100 pages in and there’s a long way to go, but thought prickle up through my day stemming from this book. 

Love to all,
+Megan

Deacon used a phrase in his homily this weekend that made me sit up – “active role in your salvation”.

I don’t remember what came before or after those five words. But the phrase stuck in my head and I knew I had to use it in our Tuesday morning email.

“Active” as opposed to “passive”.  What would it look like to have a passive role in one’s own salvation?

I’m imagining someone with either an inflated sense of entitlement, or crippling fear, or maybe simple laziness.

Entitlement because they think salvation is owed to them and thus have to do nothing to earn it.

On the other hand, the fearful person is someone who can’t bring themselves to face God. They are wary of the wrath that they know they deserve. They don’t even know where to start, so they don’t start at all. Salvation is just a thing that will happen… or not. They don’t know and may not think they are even worthy enough.

The third might be the most dangerous. Procrastinating on one’s salvation due to a lukewarm heart or “I’ll worry about it when I’m old and need it” is an active rejection of experiencing the joy of knowing God now. That momentum will be tough to muster when you’re “old and need it”.

Being active in your own salvation can take so many different forms. It’s not necessarily daily Mass, but it could be. It’s not necessarily self-denial, but it could be.

It could also be being kind to a stranger that frustrates you. It could be writing a thank you note. It could be asking someone to come to Mass with you. It could be in creating art that helps others see God through your eyes.

Ask yourself this question this week: How am I an active participant in my own salvation?

Love to all,
+Megan