Living in the Present Moment

Perhaps one of the most helpful things in my spiritual life has been the idea of living always in the present moment. It is simple, and yet is a grace that is beyond simple understanding. In what does it consist? In my mind is the idea to live in reality, that is to live in the present moment, for only the present moment is real, the past is gone, the future is not yet here, only the now is what it is, only in the now is my opportunity to fulfill my desires and aspirations. It is very easy for many of us to live trapped in the past and its pitfalls, wishing in one way or another things had been different, and yet we are simply unable to change what the past is, and we waste the opportunity to live in the present moment at the fullest and with the opportunity it brings. At other times we may think about the future and how in the future I will do this or that, or when I get this or that I will be this way or that way, but the truth of the matter is that the present is all I have, and it is in the present that I can, and have the potential to direct my life towards the end for which I was created, that is union with God. It is in the present moment that I am being loved by God and it is only in the present that I can respond to that love also in an unconditional way by His grace. It is in the present that the indwelling of the Trinity takes place in my heart and my chance to live in union with God is being offered to me. It is now, that I have the opportunity to love God with all my heart, with all my soul, and my whole strength, it is now that I have the chance to love my neighbor, it is now that God is dwells in my heart, it is now that I can choose to say YES to God like Mary did in all things in her life, it is now that I can choose to be a saint with the help of God, it is the now which is real. It is in the now that I can find peace and joy, even in the middle of difficulties for God is with me now, and I do not even have to fear about the future for as some saints have said God is already there, so He will meet me when I get there and no matter what the circumstances of that future are He will lead me, guide me and provide for me, so I have nothing to worry about it. It is the present moment the time to be grateful , and even in the now I can be grateful about future blessings that God will certainly provide out of His generous nature. It is in the present moment that I am being challenged to allow myself to be loved by God and to respond to that love with total trust, it is in the present moment that I am being given the opportunity to live in the presence of God and experience His mercy.

Medjugorje and the Plan of Peace from our Lady

Although Medjugorje has not been approved by the Church and there is currently a commission from the Vatican in charge of investigating the alleged apparitions there, I continue to follow in the footsteps of the spiritual tenets of the messages delivered there by Our Lady. The reason? well, I was converted or brought back to the Catholic Church through Medjugorje, and I will gladly accept any decisions the Church will make in regards to the authenticity of such private revelations. So my point in this little blog entry is basically to remind myself and others who may read this blog, of the five pillars of the Medjugorje Message. Many have said that in the same way that David was able to bring down and kill the giant Goliath with five stones he had in his pocket (he actually used only one of the five), so we have been given five weapons to attack the strongholds of the enemy and to overcome the powers of darkness. These five weapons or pillars are:

1. Prayer of the Heart, which includes the recitation of the Holy Rosary

2. The daily reading of Holy Scripture and meditation on the Word of God

3. The worthy reception of the Sacrament of the Eucharist as often as possible

4. The practice of renunciation and penance, especially the practice of fasting

5. The need for conversion and ongoing transformation, especially by the frequent participation in the sacrament of confession.

I think these five pillars are very important, and although one may add others, these are certainly fundamental to any solid Christian spirituality.