To Love with an Undivided Heart

Today was a quiet day. We did the grocery shopping and otherwise just stayed home. It was cool and rainy, highs in the 60s, feeling more like fall than summer. Since I made a sort of commitment to blog every day this week as part of Jen’s Epic Blog Challenge, I thought I’d share ta few this which popped up in my inbox this morning. The daily Read the Catechism in a Year email

“Does everybody have to be chaste, even married people?

Yes, every Christian should be loving and chaste, whether he is young or old, lives alone or is married. [2348-2349, 2394]

Not everyone is called to marriage, but everyone is called to love. We are destined to give our lives away; many do so in the form of marriage, others in the form of voluntary celibacy for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, others by living alone and yet being there for others. All human life finds its meaning in love. To be chaste means to love with an undivided heart. The unchaste person is torn and not free. Someone who loves authentically is free, strong, and good; he can devote himself in love. Thus Christ, who gave himself up completely for us and at the same time devoted himself completely to his Father in heaven, is a model of chastity, because he is the original model of strong love.” (YOUCAT question 406)

Dig Deeper: CCC section (2346-2349)

To be chaste means to love with an undivided heart.

That stopped me in my tracks. What an awesome definition of chastity. I could ponder that for a long, long time.

“The unchaste person is torn and not free.”

I could ponder that too.

And now that I’m on a roll, I share a few more things that I’ve been sharing over on Facebook….

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Also, this was great: Because What You Expect Holiness To Be Is Often Wrong…

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Kelly the Pew Lady at her best: “Don’t Bother Me! I’m PRAYING!” (and other non sequiturs)

Seems the founder of another Marian-centered order, The Oblates of Mary Immaculate, was in a chapel with a young seminarian, the latter reading his Office. A poor man entered the chapel begging for alms. The seminarian informed the man that he was busy at prayer.

The founder—Saint Eugene De Mazenod—promptly arose from his pew, snatched his breviary from the seminarian, and threw it across the chapel. “He,” the saint thundered at the hapless seminarian, pointing at the beggar, “is WHY you pray THIS!” he cried, pointing at the flying prayer book.

There’s a lesson to be learned here for all of us…for me, anyway.

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How to think about the afterlife (hint: you can’t, because you live in Flatland) – See more at: http://www.conversiondiary.com/2013/07/how-to-think-about-the-afterlife-hint-you-cant-because-you-live-in-flatland.html#sthash.BBttP1Vg.dpuf

“Joe pointed out that, given the grandeur of God, a more apt analogy might be a one-dimensional being — a little dot on a line, perhaps — wanting to fully understand Saturn. Trying to get Mr. Dot to really internalize what Saturn is like would be an exercise in futility. You could maybe explain the color, and say that it moves. But even roundness would be a foreign concept to the dot. At some point you’d have to just throw up your hands and say, “Trust me. It’s awesome.”

Dom says he finds the concept of eternity frightening after a while. I’ve never found it to be scary or intimidating, but exhilarating. Bring it on! Seriously, I can’t imagine ever getting bored of talking to all the people who ever lived, reading all the books ever written, not having to stop a conversation because you are tired or hungry or have something else to do. All the libraries ever ever ever are at your disposal… and we haven’t even begun to think about GOD. I seriously can’t wait and I know my imagination pales in comparison with what it will truly be.

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“To be an effective evangelizer, one must be a person of prayer. A person of prayer is not someone who spends all their time on their knees, but someone who is actively engaged in conversation with the Lord throughout the day. A person of prayer has a close relationship with God because they not only converse with Him on a personal level, but they also listen to what He has to say and respond accordingly. It is the Holy Spirit who guides their prayer life and encourages them to persist in prayer.

In evangelization, intercessory prayer is essential for both the person who is being ministered to, as well as the minister. Intercessory prayer softens harden hearts and prepares the soil for the seed to be planted. Prayer for the evangelizer enables that person to follow the promptings of the Spirit and to be strengthened for the task ahead.”

The Role of Prayer in Evangelization