Why not spend a few minutes reading slowly, meditating deeply these ten short spiritual truths. In imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, let us learn to meditate and ponder the word of God in the depths of our hearts!
1. ETERNITY! I have one life to live! Either I will go to heaven or go to hell. Either I will be saved or I will be damned. My final destination will be eternal, forever and ever and ever! Therefore, all of my actions will be done in the light of my eternal salvation and eternity!
2. GOD’S LOVE! God loves me infinitely, totally, fully, and unreservedly. Even when I have the disgrace to fall into sin—even mortal sin—God’s love for me never changes. It is eternal.
3. GOD’S LOVE AND THE CROSS. If I were the only person ever created in the whole universe, Jesus would have come for me and suffered the most excruciating pains for me. He shed every drop of His Precious Blood on Calvary that Good Friday for the salvation of my immortal soul.
4. VALUE OF MY IMMORTAL SOUL. My immortal soul is priceless. My soul has been redeemed not by silver or gold, nor through the blood of rams and bulls. My immortal soul was saved and redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
5. LIFE IS SHORT. My life is very short in comparison with eternity. St. Augustine says that our
life in comparison with eternity is nothing more than a bat of the eye. The Psalmist poetically expresses it as such: “The life of man on earth is like the flower of the field that rises in the morning and dries up and dies in the evening.”
6. MY LIFE IS UNCERTAIN. Jesus constantly reminds us to be prepared because we know neither the day nor the hour. Our death can come like a thief in the night. Jesus reminded the Apostles and He reminds us: “Stay awake and pray so that you will not fall into temptation because the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”
7. WALK IN HUMILITY ALL THE DAYS OF YOUR LIFE. St. Therese stated with deep humility that she would be capable of committing the most serious sins of the worst sinners. The reason why she did not was simply because God cleared her path of the moral pitfalls! St. Philip Neri, seeing a bum in the street exclaimed: “There go I save the grace of God!” May we always walk humbly before the face of God, trusting in God and not ourselves!
8. HURT OR WOUNDED BY SOMEBODY? Forgive immediately! Nursing grudges, clinging to past hurts, fostering a vindictive attitude can wreak havoc in our spiritual lives and cause physical and mental problems. Remember the words of Shakespeare: “To err is human, to forgive is divine.” Better yet, the words of Jesus: “Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful… and “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us…”
9. AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE. Why not start today, right now to cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Meister Eckhart asserted: “If the only prayer that we ever said were that of thanksgiving, it would be sufficient.” In moments of desolation and sadness, call to mind God’s manifold blessings and thank Him. Your desolation will evaporate like the dew exposed to the rising sun! May the Psalmist prayer be ours: “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, His mercy endures forever.”
10. MARY’S LOVING AND MATERNAL GAZE UPON YOU. St. Juan Diego had a serious problem, which was a matter of life and death: his uncle Juan Bernardino was dying. Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to St. Juan Diego assuring him of her loving concern and protection. She said: “Am I not your mother. Are you not within my heart? Like Saint Juan Diego, in the midst of the storms, tempests, earthquakes, and Tsunami’s of life, let us lift our mind, heart and soul to our loving and tender Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. She will come quickly to your aid as the most
loving of mothers!
