The Whisper

He is speaking but
are we listening?
or rather
do we even care?
too much interference
preoccupations
responsibilities
interests
social and financial goals
problems at work or home
or both
so little time to
do so much
it's easy to say:
at least I go to Church
well, sometimes or
maybe when I'm
pestered to go or

feeling a little guilty

for not going in a while
but I don't
get much out of it anyway
so why torture myself
let my wife take the kids
that'll take care of it all...
then... reality strikes a discord
whether it be
sickness / crisis
job loss / lay off
affair / divorce
injury / death
any one or combination
to learn that
life is fragile and fleeting
many times unstable
with heartaches and sorrows
as unwelcomed invaders
things change
sometimes drastically....
so now, I'm listening but
don't hear anything except
echoes in my anxious mind
stability fades away
searching ascends while
darkness descends
only to find that
control is a fantasy
so is self-reliance and
in the end bring only
insecure self-absorption...
it is solely surrender that
opens my heart to
know the One who
gave Himself up for me
in an Encounter that
changes everything
He is Real and Alive
and Loves me
so I decide to give myself
over into His Hands

Ask Him to be my 

Personal Lord and Savior
to Take up my Cross 

Follow and Serve Him 

Always and Above All

for His Love is always
reaching out
the First to speak
actively not passively
with longing not indifference
deep within
piercing my defenses
resting in my soul
only then to recognize
His Whisper

Reflection/Discussion:

-Do you take the time to listen to the Lord?
-How can you practically do that?
-How do you discern if it really is the Lord?
-How does Sacred Scripture help you discern His word to you?
-Talk about this with someone who prays each day.
-Join a support group of fellow disciples of Jesus.

The True Intimacy

though unnamed
nor identified yet
so easily assumed but
so likely undeveloped and
more-often-than-not
un-attained
True Intimacy
beckons us from within
like a soft whimper
lost in the loneliness of night
longing for love
yearning for completion
while telling no one-
even your spouse- of
your emptiness and
desire for more
while you settle for the
status quo despite
vain pledges of
affection smothered by
colliding schedules
self-sufficiency delusions
self-fulfillment dreams and
self-protective habits which
drive you into
self-absorbed fantasies
and semi-acceptable losses
descending into desolation-
alone... wounded from
long ago..vaguely.aware of the
consequences but not
the source and questioning
what happened?
how did we get here?
is this all there is?
what do we do now?
but ...all is not lost because
Grace is always already offered
and can intervene if
we... seek and ask...
are open to
Love's Reality who can
redeem our forlorn
condition when we are
washed by Water and Blood
from His pierced side...
renewed by the Spirit
we willingly open ourselves to
knowing and being known
accepting humility's
confession of failure
giving and receiving forgiveness...
committing to change by
guaranteed Grace....willing to
get whatever help is necessary...
step by step
beginning with authentic
self-disclosure-not hiding
or masking my true
thoughts / feelings but
transparently communicating
what is really going on inside
thus being vulnerable-not
self-defensive / protective  but
making the decision to
willingly reveal our true selves
because we are willing to
pay-the-price to attain the prize
by embarking on the journey into
the promised land of
I and Thou...
Husband and Wife
Brother to Brother
Sister to Sister
a willingness to risk all to
love-as-I-desire-to-be-loved...
a foretaste of Heaven's
Perfect Union...
courageously accepting the
possibility of
getting hurt or
being rejected yet
surrendering to a
healing process of
Divine Transformation to
live out our actual selves in
True Intimacy

Reflection/Discussion
-What comprises true intimacy?
-What does it take to initiate true intimacy?
-Do you have true intimate relationships?
-Why? Why not?
-What prevents you from attaining that?
-How is this a "healing process"?
-Do you have an intimate relationship with Jesus?
-How can that happen?