Just in time to present it to Our Lady on her feastday, Saturday! Safe in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary!
I need a little feedback. Which title do you like better? A Search for God: One Man's Journey to Truth or A Search for God: One Man's Journey to Faith or do you have a suggestion for another title?
Darrell said: He healed my broken heart; He taught me the meaning of this life, and He gave me a mission. Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted! Darrell, Of the two, I prefer this one: A Search for God: One Man's Journey to Faith How about: Captivated by Truth, Transformed by Love :mrgreen: Safe in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary!
I used to help out in the Cursillo, a group that works on conversion retreats to help people come to the fullness of faith and to return to the faith when very,very many of them had lost it. I think the oil that made things flow was fasting and prayer for the candidates. I was just thinking last night of people who had found the faith and then lost it again and its just so very,very sad. One of them John came back to the faith and was wonderfully alive in the Spirit, a real inspiration . His wife and daughter were very prayerful and I used to see them at mass every time. Real women of prayer. As well as being close to God his wife was a very beautiful woman and John , well, adored her. Then she came down with cancer and it killed her, though they prayed very hard for healing. After this John lost his faith. You remind me Darrell of the importance of community and nurturing the faith and of the parable of The Sower: "And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: a sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."—Luke 8:4-8. Before I set up this forum I asked Our Lady to guide me in it as I felt so guilty in that my evangelical spiritual life seemed lacking, I asked my self the question, 'What are YOU doing to help souls??' She guided me to start this forum ,so every morning I get up and spend time writing. But as with all things were we give I got a million times more back from the forum than I have ever given. But its so true and Darrell shows it in his writings the natural action of the soul called by God to the path of prayer is to return and help our brothers and sisters along the journey also.
Padraig said: But its so true and Darrell shows it in his writings the natural action of the soul called by God to the path of prayer is to return and help our brothers and sisters along the journey also. What you say is so true, Padraig. It is precious to see how Darrell has made that connection between faith and love, as expressed in an active apostolate. I think of maryrose's prayer group and God's calling Sean to the priesthood. By the way, your teaching gift on the forum is very effective because the visual aids you utilize capture the essence of your instruction. Isn't it all wonderful! Thank you Jesus! An observation: Your story of John losing faith fits in very well with your thread on detachment. Here is a man who had experienced the love of Christ, but the separation from his wife produced such pain that he directed his anger toward God. His priorities were out of wack. So sad! Safe in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary!
I was listening to an audio recording this morning of what President Kennedy said all those years ago Terry, 'Ask not what your Country can do for you , ask what you can do for your country'. I think we can change this to, 'Ask not what your God can do for you , ask what you can do for your God' ..with a lot of truth. But it takes spiritual maturity, time spent in prayer to grow into this. It is so sad that many Churches do not teach this, it is all a prosperity Gospel of what God can do for us. But we are all little seeds of corn sprouting from the ground and we all of us have to pray that the wind doesn't come along and knock us over , or the birds come along and eat us, or that we are not sitting on some huge barren rock...and so we pray, 'Lead us not into temptation.' But I get really sad when I know folks who find the faith ,through grace and loose it again...for there may be no second chance, no second bite at the cherry before death:
