More scraps of meditation while rereading:

Page 32.

stripped of [their] belongings, knowing that [they] owned something that was better and lasting

I’ve only ever been in two situations where I felt so terribly alone and couldn’t cling to anyone else but God. The first was many years ago when we first moved to the US and I was forced to give up everything that was familiar. Life changed and I had to grow up, pronto.

The second one was ~10 years ago when I had to deal with a situation I was totally unprepared for. I remember being on the bed, curled up in a fetal position, and crying out to God to just take it all away. I looked and felt pathetic. But it was another instance of having to grow up quite suddenly.

I could, I suppose, resent those times when God allowed the rug to be pulled out from under me. There have been moments I’ve wallowed in that resentment. But I cannot begrudge Him the seeds that He planted in my heart, of faith just waiting to bloom. They are in full bloom now. But I’m sure there will be other moments of uncertainty, of loss. If I can manage to cling to Him, I know He’ll be there for me yet again, ready to plant more seeds.

Page 33.

This sublime sanctity is not of this world; it has a divine stamp on it.

The only way to sanctify ourselves is to remember at all times that our possessions, our very lives, are temporary. Everyone and everything that we have can be taken away in a heartbeat. If we keep this in mind, we will also realize that the only constant, the only forever thing in our lives is God and who we are in relation to Him.

Further on, in the responsorial Psalm 81, we read that the Lord wishes to feed us “with the best of wheat, and with honey from the rock I would fill them.”

Very much like the saying, you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot force him to drink. All that we could possibly need or want to grow our faith is already here…. apps, books, people, churches, charities, radio, blogs, etc. But it takes US actually using these things, reading the books, listening to the shows, interacting with people, to progress spiritually. I have a handful of people who are near and dear to me, and I wish I could shake them sometimes by the shoulders and get them to just ENGAGE. I am out of ideas how to turn the light on for them — so I just pray. If you’re reading this and are moved to prayer as well, please pray with me.

My favorite Catholic apps — these are only the ones I’ve used myself, either on our old iPod Touch (that now belongs to the 16-year-old), my tablet, and lately my phone.

Divine Office

iMissal

iPieta

iBreviary

Laudate

My Year of Faith

Catholic Calendar from Universalis

That said, my husband’s example proves one thing: you don’t NEED any of the above-mentioned apps to get closer to God. He’s been constant in his scripture-reading, his prayer life, his Mass-going, his partaking of the sacraments, for years. That’s how he knows God intimately. More than access, it’s really COMMITMENT that’s key.