A book of prayers to the Holy Face of Jesus

The Moment of Truth: Following Your Heart Or The HerdGrace Under Pressure. Great and Colossal things often start out in subtle and unintrusive ways!  They all seem to eventually have a defining moment, a moment of truth,when a decision has to be made that could turn the tide in one direction or another!  A decision that requires us to set aside what seems certain, and reach for what seems clear!  A time when we have to put aside what we know and trust, and make a decision on our innermost gut feeling that we know in our hearts to be true! It’s called grace under pressure!  Tough decisions that defy reality, but can change the course of human history! I think of Zachariah, who stands at the alter and the Angel Gabriel appears to tell him the good news of the birth of John the Baptist!  But Zachariah, a devout man, cannot believe what he hears and is struck mute, till John is born! St. Joseph on the other hand, has just been given some unbelievable and very disturbing news about Mary’s pregnancy and has made a conscious decision to spare her certain death, by giving her a quiet divorce!  Joseph has a dream! The angel that appeared, tells Joseph things that could easily be written off as a vivid dream, but Joseph responds immediately to the message, takes Mary into his home and becomes the surrogate father and the history of mankind changes forever!  Grace under Pressure!  Having enough courage to act out boldly on what seems to be unbelievable information, received in a dream, no less!Consider all the possibilities and then choose the life that is YOU!  And don’t rely only on what you can feel and touch in making the decision! Now I think you can start to understand the miracle of meditative prayer.  Silent conversations with God as our source of strength, guidance, and grace! Grace Under Pressure! Matthew 1: 18-24.​

Tapping Into Your Emotional Energy. We all have sources of emotional energy, some destructive, some protective, some foundation building!  Harnessing that energy, and making it productive and fulfilling is what we strive for!  We will always be emotionally torn until we ultimately have something worth going to bat for!  That emotional energy is LOVE!  Love is the cure for terror and rage, the healer of the helpless and the hopeless, the builder of a solid foundation in all relationships, and the greatest power we possess! “And these 3 remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”  1 Corinthians 13:13. Zen From Len Volume II, 4/23/2013​

The Simple Next Step. Ever sit and think as you are walking about each next step you’re about to take?  Focus on that for a moment and try to shut out every other distraction.  (I’ll warn you there will be plenty). Focus first on the distance between each step, the pace at which you are walking, the sound of your feet on the pavement and the rhythm of your stride.  Your breathing!  Now cast your eyes around you, starting with the 10 feet immediately around you and gradually expand your vision out further.  Pay attention to the smell of the air, the colors that you see, even the grey of the concrete or the blue in the sky.Now think about where you are going, but only to the location itself and not to the people you will be meeting or the conversation you expect to have!  Did you notice the stranger or the child that you passed?  How about people getting into their car?  You just experienced truly living in the moment and hopefully you got a taste of what you might be missing when we are preoccupied, rehearsing our next move, gloating or worrying about something out in the future! We need to have a plan for our journey and a time for reflection.  So don’t get me wrong.  But don’t ever forget what is right in front of you with each new step!  If you really can’t quite grasp what I am saying, watch a child for about 15 minutes while they are in their own element and hopefully this living in the moment will really start to sink in! “He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them.  And he said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.   And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.'” Matthew 18:2-6.​

There are no accidents. We have all heard in the face of tragedy how something was an accident, as a means of comforting someone who is suffering through a loss or pain.  But as hard as it may be to accept, each challenge or tragedy, or for that matter each joy or triumph is God’s will.  You see if you believe as I do, there are no “accidents.” God has known from the beginning how our story ends.  Every hair on our heads has been counted.  While we have been given free will, so that we have the ability to choose our own path, our “all seeing and all knowing God” knows in advance where we will be in the end.  Each triumph or tragedy is a milestone or hurdle pre-chosen by God for our own spiritual and foundational growth to get us to find our way or get closer to Him! So the reality of the situation is, that while we may feel like we have multiple choices on where we want to go in our own life journey, the only “real” choices we have are to:-Give Thanks to God when times are good…and-Offer It Up to God during times of suffering and turmoil.We should take time at the beginning and end of each day in reflection and in sincere Thanks for the blessings we have received, or in request of God’s grace through the sacrifices we have just made.  When we do this we are actually given yet another grace.  You see, when we do these things knowing it is all God’s will, then we do not spend precious time worrying about the past or what lies ahead in the future.  We do not spend precious time Gloating about our accomplishments, or dreaming in pride and vain glory about what the future holds! Instead we live this moment, in simple harmony with those loved ones and the people we encounter around us today, in the beauty of the world before us, and in praise and honor of the God who gives us both! ____________________ Morning PrayerOh my God, I adore you and love you with all my heart. Thank you for having created me, having saved me by your grace, and having preserved me through the night.I offer you my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day! Grant that they may be according to your will and for your greater glory. Keep me safe from sin and evil, and may your grace be with me always and with those I love. Amen. Now, Go out and Make It A Great Day!​

Be Still And Fully Present Amidst God’s Grace. Inner Peace. We have all had a moment when we experienced even briefly a period of peace and solace!  I have found it is usually at a time of quiet reflection on some joyous event or in sheer awe of witnessing something beautiful in nature!  When we stand on a sea shore and let the rolling waves consume us in solitude, we often feel like we are one with nature in this feeling of Inner Peace!  When we experience this Inner Peace with our eyes or with our hearts, all our worldly cares vanish, if even for a moment! The Holy Spirit according to Saint Paul is that connection.  He calls it the “bond of perfection!”  It creates and connects God’s inner peace to our heart and souls!  The Blessed Mother says “Dear Children, if you do not have peace in your heart, there is no possibility for peace in the world.” “And have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.11  Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.12   Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.13  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.14  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.15   Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”  Colossians 3:10-15. When we remove our own bias, anger, and worldly desires, we all stand unified in a true spirit of inner peace!​