We Would Love
to Keep in Touch!
With the beginning of this New Year of Our Lord, most of us want to look good. Of course, this isn't the world's loftiest motivation but it isn't totally bad either. If is better than not caring at all and better than nothing. It's a beginning. It's a start and for many of us at this time of year, a start is already an achievement.
Go ahead and accuse me of being prejudiced, biased, partial and all that, but a good step toward looking good in sober fashion would be to read the message Our Lady gave at La Salette, think about it, then sit yourself down and scribble down some serious New Year's resolutions. If you follow even one of them, you will look very, very good – guaranteed!
Six Days for Working
The beautiful Lady said: "I have appointed you six days for working. The seventh I have reserved for myself. And no one will give it to me." If God had obliged everyone to work seven days a week, the world would be in an uproar against his harsh demands. Respect for God's day breeds respect for one another. To rest, to visit the sick or the elderly, to eat and talk and play together and pray together as a family makes of Sunday a day truly dedicated to the Lord.
My Son's Name
Our Lady of La Salette also said: "The cart drivers cannot swear without bringing in my Son's name." Respect for the name of Christ means respect for him, and this in turn, is the beginning of respect for one another. Where there is no respect there is no love. To avoid taking the name of Christ as a swear-word is the beginning of a respect that can lead to love of and intimacy with the Lord.
Saying Your Prayers Well
Our Lady of La Salette, always weeping as she spoke, went on: "Do you say your prayers well, my children?" To pray means to keep in touch with God. Poor communication mean poor relationships – and that goes for our friendship with God as well. To pray well, pray simply. If one can't think of anything to say (it happens!) just stay in his presence and just say, “Here I am, Lord." He loves your presence before him more than anything else. After all, he died for you, didn't he? You are worth more to him than anything you could ever say. It is very god for you to think about this often during this coming year.
Go to Mass
She also said in reproach: "Only a few rather old women go to Mass in the summer." In fact she added that some people "go to Mass only to scoff at religion." Going to Mass every Sunday is a must for coping well with life and its tough problems. This is a perfect resolve to adopt for this New Year.
During Lent…
Our Lady of La Salette continued: "During Lent they go to the butcher shop like dogs." Penance is meant to make us generous and able to love deeply. It often takes the form of self-giving to others. There can be no love without penance or self-denial. Don't leave home without it.
These recommendations are really the path to intimacy with the Lord. They also express your love for God. Respect for God's name, for Sunday, for the Eucharist are some of the many ways of signifying my love for God and neighbor. Living out any one of these directives will make you feel “out of this world” – guaranteed!