A Grateful Heart

How many times do we find ourselves envying others? "Sara" has such a great life or "Tommy" has it made. When we do this, we are adding a drop of poison to our souls and insult our Creator. If we are sure that we have done God's will to the best of our ability, then who are we to wish for anything different. If we have not been faithful to His laws, we still have a chance to turn our lives around.

Envy will take the soul to a place it does not belong. Once those doors are opened, the devil comes marching in whispering words of hatred and despair, convincing us that we are worthless and that others don't deserve what that have. Don't drink the poison. You can't imagine all the crosses that others have to silently bear.

Remember the old phrase, "count your blessings". This is so important. Everyone has something to be thankful for. Focus on those blessings and thank God for them. Thank Him for the sufferings as well because He has either given or allowed them for the good of our soul. Don't look for the reasons, just know that you are being guided by a loving God who could not have made you any more perfect than He already has. By perfect, I mean that God does not create anything or anyone in error.

God even uses our weaknesses for good. Think about it. What usually happens when catastrophe hits? The first response seems to be to pray! Also, when we see sickly children, our hearts burn with love for them and we want to help them. In the same way, our Lord loves us all the more when we are sick, whether it be mentally, physically or spiritually. He wishes to heal us if we desire it. Just like a doctor cannot cure an illness if we do not receive his prescription, God cannot heal us if we don't accept his commands.

So, take a look at yourself; you won't need a mirror. Look deep into your soul. Are you thankful? Are you at peace? Thank God for the beauty that He created and that beauty is you.

A Note from Me

Thank you for following "That's the Spirit". Please bear with me in posting as my schedule is quite full. Although I must say your comments encourage me to post more often, so keep them coming! Also, any comments on how this site can be improved or changed are welcome. Many blessings to you all +

We Remember

Seven years ago today our country suffered a huge loss of our friends, family members and co-workers. The heart of our nation was broken. The compassion, hard work and charity that followed was tremendous. We were truly united children of God. Not even a decade has passed and the hatred and carelessness among us is just as great as it was before that sorrowful day.


As I continue to age, the fragility of life becomes more clear. We don't know when we will be called to eternity; there is no guarantee. Imagine how many regrets so many of the families of the victims of that fateful day must have -- if only I said or did... The fact is that we cannot turn back the hands of time, but there is still time to make up for past regrets. Among the tears, pray for their souls! It's the best gift you could ever give them. Even if they are already in heaven, your prayer will not be wasted for it will be applied to another soul in need.


We all remember where we were that morning when we saw the planes crash into the Twin Towers, watching them collapse with numbness going through our bodies. The heartache we felt when we saw those who out of desparation jumped to their deaths was unbearable. Don't forget where your heart was in those moments. Bless those who curse you, love those that hate you and remember these words: Despise the sin, but love the sinner. Please don't get me wrong, when I say love the sinner, I mean to pray for them to have a change of heart. We are to work together unto good! This goal is unattainable if even we Christians cannot get along.


On this seventh anniversary, let us remember in prayer the souls that left this earth as well as those they left behind. We remember our own families and friends who have gone before us. We renew our vow to be kind to all those we meet and to live our life in gratitude to our Lord who placed each of us exactly where we were meant to be on that eleventh day of September, 2001.

Knock Knock

Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart, but you must open the door to let Him enter. He's calling out to us to be the salt of the earth, even to be saints. I used to think the saints were born saints who could perform miracles or set up orphanages or charitable hospitals. However, most of them became saints by their own free will with the aid of God's grace. Perhaps you think it impossible for a God so good to call you who is most unqualified. Remember these words (that I must give due credit to Fr. Anthony of my parish ;) ) - God does not call the Qualified; He qualifies the called!

Most of us are not called to become canonized saints as compared to Ss. Therese, Anthony or Augustine. Instead, we're called to be faithful to our current state in life, whether that be Mother, Doctor, Priest, Teacher or Plumber. How can we do this? First and foremost, we must pray. Ask God to make known to you His will in even the smallest task. Then, we must abide by it at every moment. It can be difficult and you will fail many, many times. It's truly a life-long process. Conquer your vices, one at a time. I know one of my vices is anger. I was stunned to learn that for St. Francis DeSales, it took him several years to control his anger. Little by little, I can feel it slowly withering away.

Maybe you think you want no part of sanctity, after all the sinners are much more fun. Really? Is it fun to be captive inside your own body? Things may seem fun in the moment, but when reality sets in, not only are you not having fun, you are filled with regret. Don't let anyone tell you that you shouldn't feel guilty for your sins. God gave us the gifts of wisdom, understanding and knowledge at our baptism, so that we would know better and receive the Sacrament of Penance. When we do receive that sacrament, we must let go of the guilt for God has forgiven us not on human terms but in His divinity releasing us from our sins. That is freedom at its best.

Finally, choose a saint and get to know them. Learn how they became saints and what stood in their way. Pray to them and ask them for their aid. You are being called, now if only you'll answer.

Tribute to Mary

A lady so pure born on this day
she chose life for her child in a most humble way

A perfect example to all here below
Her heart filled with joy; a pleasure to know

Her joy is contagious; her smile filled with love
She guides and protects us from the heavens above

Her promise to us if we so embrace
Stay close to your Mother who sends her Son’s grace

My gift to Sweet Mary as we celebrate Her birth
To make known her Son on this God-given earth.

Whatsoever you do...

We al l know this line: Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto Me. Jesus instructed us that the greatest commandment is to love your neighbor. Mother Theresa once said that the greatest starvation in the world was that of a lack of love. While it's easy to love those who love us (most of the time :) ), it's a bit of a challenge to love those that do not love us. It's a challenge we must face nonetheless.

When I was in school, two of my teachers had very different views on love. One proclaimed that love was a feeling, while the other shouted that love was a choice. At that young age, it seemed the obvious answer was that love had to be a feeling. Only later did I realize that true love is a choice made by the free will. True love chooses sacrifice of self for the good of the other. The truest love is the desire of the other to gain heaven, even if it means we must deny ourselves in the process.

Have you ever heard the term "Kill them with kindness." Let's put a little spin on that intention by choosing to put out the flames of anger, bitterness or sadness with an effort to bring some light to our neighbor. Sometimes all it takes is a little word or even a gentle smile. A smile could shatter a hardened heart into pieces. To again quote Mother Theresa, she said there is no greater gift than a smile for the smile is the beginning of love. You may be surprised one day to find that one little gesture of yours was the very thing your neighbor needed in his journey to eternal life.