http://eucharisticadoration.com en-us N/A admin@eucharisticadoration.com Fri, 25 May 2012 22:27:41 EDT 20 http://eucharisticadoration.com/blogs/14/What-Is-Truth.html We have all heard people claiming "This is the truth." But what is "Truth"?

The most basic definition of truth is the conformity of the intellect with what the thing perceived actually is. This would be objective truth.
Many in our culture want to make such truth relative, meaning, you have your truth and I have mine.

This is not truth if one's perception does not conform to what it actually is, then one is in error, no matter how convinced they are, and certainly no matter how one feels about it.

People who are color blind are not seeing all the true colors before them. Their perceptions are distorted, even though they might not be aware of it.

When I make a statement about something that does indeed exist, then such a statement could be called "truth".
Any statement that would contradict that statement would then be an untruth.

If such a statement is deliberately made in order to deceive, then that statement is called a lie.

God is the source of all that is, and knows His creation perfectly. He is the Source and fullness of Truth.]]> no@spam.com (Anne Van Tilburg) Sat, 15 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EDT http://eucharisticadoration.com/blogs/14/What-Is-Truth.html http://eucharisticadoration.com/blogs/13/Not-Entertainment.html Over a period of time I have overheard people discussing religion, but some of the thoughts of different people are quite disturbing.

A teenager, talking to a group of her peers said that: "Mass is soooo boring. I don't know how a priest can say the same things every Sunday."

A man declared: "I am Catholic, but I don't see the need to go to church. After all, I know a lot of bad people who go to church and I know a lot of good people who don't go to church."

A lady stated that: "I'm a Catholic, but I don't go to church every Sunday. The homilies are so bad, I can't stand them. When I do go, I sometimes take a novel with me to read during the homily."

These statements suggest that there are some people who are apparently looking for some sort of entertainment. Sadly, they do not understand that when and if they go to Mass that it is not entertainment, but a great mystery in which Christ becomes truly present in the Eucharist.

The Mass was never meant to be a form of entertainment, any more than the sacrifice on Calvary was meant to be. The Mass is a bridge between heaven and earth, a serious business which can never be taken lightly.]]> no@spam.com (Anne Van Tilburg) Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EDT http://eucharisticadoration.com/blogs/13/Not-Entertainment.html http://eucharisticadoration.com/blogs/12/God039s-Will-For-Me.html Every person at one time or another will die, this is a fact no one can deny. The point is not when will we die, but how shall we die. Will it be in God's grace? Will it be a holy death? At the end, the reason for a holy death will not be because of the amount of money we have accumulated in our bank account. Nor will it be because of all the amazing worldly things we have achieved. The reason will be whether we have lived our life here on earth according to the Will of God.

I recently had a conversation with a man who was well in his seventies. He lamented the fact that his life had been wasted because he never had the opportunity to be a husband or a father. When I asked him what he had done in his life time, he gave an account of many things, which would not have been possible if he had been married.

All his adult life he had been involved with St. Vincent de Paul. He was and still is, the right hand of his parish priest. Every Sunday he availed himself to pick up handicapped people to take them to Sunday Mass. His earlier years were spent as a school teacher, and from what I gathered in the way he talked about his students, had been an excellent role model. Did he waste his life? No! I am sure that he lived his life exactly in the way that God had intended, the single state.

Maybe we should take the opportunity to examine our conscience and ask ourselves this question: "Am I living God's Will in my state of life."

"He who gives his property to God by distributing it among the poor; his honor, by patiently bearing contempt; his body, by fasts and penitential works, gives Him a part of himself. But he who offers God his will, gives Him all he has, and can truly say: "My Lord, after I have given Thee my will, I have nothing more to give." (St Alphonus Liguori)

"You are My friends, if you do the things that I command you." (John 15:14)]]> no@spam.com (Anne Van Tilburg) Mon, 18 Jul 2011 00:00:00 EDT http://eucharisticadoration.com/blogs/12/God039s-Will-For-Me.html http://eucharisticadoration.com/blogs/11/Remembering-The-Gifts-Of-The-Holy-Spirit.html
That is the time that we should remember the Gifts of the Holy Spirit which we received at Confirmation.

Charity, which means "love."
Joy, the feeling I have if I love God and everyone else for the love of God.
Patience, helps me to stay calm when I am tempted.
Goodness, makes me want to do good to others, no matter the circumstances.
Kindness, which helps me to do good to others, no matter the situations.
Mildness, enables me to stay calm, slow to become angry.

Do we add or subtract from other people's gladness? Whether a day will bring us more or less joy is largely beyond our power to control, but whether we give happiness or not, does rest with ourselves.
]]> no@spam.com (Anne Van Tilburg) Tue, 21 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EDT http://eucharisticadoration.com/blogs/11/Remembering-The-Gifts-Of-The-Holy-Spirit.html http://eucharisticadoration.com/blogs/10/The-Legacy-Of-A-Mother.html The last two years of my mother's life was spent in a retirement home with high care, which means that 24 hours a day someone would watch over her.
My mum was in love with Jesus and Mary. I remember her reading the book "Fatima" over and over again. I cannot tell you how many times she read it, but it was year after year.
Mum prayed the Rosary every day of her life. She would tell me that when she was a little girl, the whole family ( mum was one of 18 children), would gather around Grandpa's chair and recite the Rosary. The little one's playing with the Rosary around his chair.

In the retirement home her only desire was to make the Rosary known and loved, and Catholics and non-Catholics alike owned a Rosary given to them by my mother.
The walls in her room were adorned with her treasures, pictures of Jesus and Mary, her deceased husband (my dad) and her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Each day, as she recited her Rosary, she would position her wheel chair in front of the photo's and each person on the photo in front of her would receive a Hail Mary.
This exercise, this retreat, this meditation on the Holy Rosary lasted for at least two hours, and if she had visitors in between, sometimes all day.

Mary was mum's constant companion, and it made her always joyful and happy, right up to her last day on earth. She never complained even though she had been in a wheel chair for many years. The legacy my mother left to her family is one of love for our Holy Catholic Faith and in particular for Mary and Her Rosary. Mum was, and still is, a role model for us all. Her education was almost nil, but she had a wisdom which surpasses many educated persons.]]> no@spam.com (Anne Van Tilburg) Sat, 07 May 2011 00:00:00 EDT http://eucharisticadoration.com/blogs/10/The-Legacy-Of-A-Mother.html http://eucharisticadoration.com/blogs/9/Put-Your-Faith-In-God039s-Friends.html Last year I came, by accident, (or was it?) across a website of St. Jude Thaddeus, who is one of the twelve Apostles.  I was impressed with the statement that he was, Patron of hopeless cases, and of things almost despaired of.  As I was badly in need of some help from above, and my prayers seemed to reach deaf ears, I decided to give St. Jude a chance.

He answered my prayers, and I will always be thankful to him, and  encourage devotion to him.

The son of a family, whom I know well, had been an alcoholic for twenty years.  One night he decided to end it, and was found by God's grace, in time before it was too late. He spend two weeks in hospital, so it was a serious attempt.

Prayers were offered up for him long before the attempted suicide.  He left hospital and has not touched alcohol for over twelve months, and now is secretary of an A.A. meeting, and wants to help others to give up drinking.

The prayer mentions, things almost despaired of.  With God there is no such thing. Even though our prayers seem to reach deaf ears, He is listening.  Sometimes He just wants us to acknowledge His friends, who are in Heaven close tho His throne.

And it is almost as if He is telling us, "Give them something to do" and the saints love nothing better than to help and assist us in our difficulties!
]]> no@spam.com (Anne Van Tilburg) Thu, 03 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST http://eucharisticadoration.com/blogs/9/Put-Your-Faith-In-God039s-Friends.html http://eucharisticadoration.com/blogs/8/Truthful-Even-At-The-Cost-Of-Friendship.html Last week I received an Email from a friend. We had been friends for many years, studied the teachings of the Church together, and in short, supported each other through good times and hard times. My friend was a daily Mass goer until she started to work.  She is a mother of four children, and all attended a Catholic School.  The two older boys were altar servers.

Then she decided to earn some extra money, started to look for a job, which in fact she found and it was a well paid.  All of a sudden there was no time for Mass, even Sunday Mass became a burden and soon that was also on the "too busy" list.  I remember I urged her to attend Sunday Mass, but she replied she had free will and this was her choice.

Twelve months later, there was enough money for a bigger house, another car etc.  Then one day the husband left.  As can be imagined, total devastation and confusion on my friends part.  The two older boys left home and one of them moved in with a girl (these were the very ones who had served at the Altar of the Lord with the grace of innocence).  I more or less lost touch with her from that time on, apart from an Email every now and then.

Four weeks ago I received an Email from her and she told me how happy she was with a new "partner" and how he understood her and supported her.  This was my firend, what was I going to write back?  I could not tell her how happy I was for her, because this was adultery she was talking about, and obviously, she wanted me to condone and congratulate her on her new life.

At the cost of losing touch with her altogether I debated whether I should tell her the Truth and ignore the bit about adultery.  Truth won.

This is what I wrote

Dear.......

I realize that I might not hear from you again.  Not because you don't believe what I tell you, but precisely because you do believe it.
If tell you anything that differs from truth, if I tell you what you want to hear I would be a hypocrite, and I would be telling you something I do not believe myself.
I do not call that true friendship.  If I care about someone, I want the highest good for that someone, and that highest good is heaven.

You once told me that you have  free will, (which is called "freedom"), that is true.  But freedom is not what you do, freedom is being able "to do".  It all depends on what you do with this freedom.  We have the ability to do anything, good or bad.  But we only have the right to do good or better.  We never have the right to use our freedom to sin.

We have a secular law which instructs us from the outside, like driving according to the speed limit.   But God said: "Deep within them I will write my Law on their heart".
The Law of God instructs us from within.  This is actually the Holy Spirit.  He instructs and moves us from the heart and this is a Supreme Law above any other law.
But He never forces us.

To be able to listen to Him clearly we have to be free of mortal sin, for mortal sin cuts us off from the grace of the Holy Spirit and makes us blind and deaf.  This blindness will not be removed unless we ask for this power of the Holy Spirit to make us see and hear.

Seeing and hearing comes from the heart for that is where the Love of God is, and if we love Him and our neighbor, and we desire the highest good for our neighbor, He will instruct us, and move us to do what is really obedience to God's Law. 

There is no way I am giving up on you, even if I do not hear from you again, I will always pray for you.

She did send me a  note back and asked me to keep praying for her.

This shows the destructive slide of a family where God is literaly cast aside.


]]> no@spam.com (Anne Van Tilburg) Sun, 27 Feb 2011 00:00:00 EST http://eucharisticadoration.com/blogs/8/Truthful-Even-At-The-Cost-Of-Friendship.html