Confronting and Controlling Thoughts

Where are your thoughts today?

"The mind is the battlefield where man first meets with sin.  It is the frontier wherein mankind encounters its grim archenemy, the devil.

           It is not strange that the enemy should choose man's mind as the battlefield for waging his ferocious struggles.  Psychologists say that the mind is the crown atop the human body which directs our actions and behavior whether we are awake or asleep; it controls feelings, awareness, emotions, the will, and thoughts as well.  Thus is man's mind the center that controls human behavior.

             Therefore if man is defeated in this battlefield, it is the devil that is then in possessions of all man's talents and capabilities.  Along with this the devil, as we know him, is a mental force with powers that are extraordinary and varied.  However, in spite of all this, he still does not have access to us except through our minds.  This is an important fact that many of us need to be aware of - especially those struggling in the realm of virtue, righteousness, and chastity.  For although the devil is a formidable spiritual power, the sphere of his activity against man is quite limited.  He cannot approach anyone except through the mind, the only part of our nature that is susceptible to doing battle with him - the mind is the target of his attacks."

                         -Orthodox monk, Father Matta El-Maskeen

Guard your thoughts and be freed from the devil.  That is why God commanded us:

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."  Phillipians 4:8

Receiving Joy.

"Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.  

A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love." 

-Mother Theresa

Love is selfless.  I have found that once I lose my self-love and realize that this life is all about the One who created me, I usually begin laughing.  

A joyful laugh.  

I laugh because once I come to the realization that I am not the center, a burden comes off of me and I am immediately filled with 

JOY.

Joy comes from His love.  

My mother in this picture is a perfect example.  I am dressed in my baptismal dress and my mother in her selfless love...gave everything to her children....all while exuding

JOY.  

We must just now receive this Joy, by submitting our selves to the One who first loved us.

Love.

Love says:

I will love you always.

I will not count your wrongs.

I will still be here for you even if you leave me.

I will cherish you as my enemy.

I will not speak badly of you.

You are more important than myself.

There is nothing that you can do that will make me stop loving you.

I will love you always.

-This is a picture of a very important community that I met in college and this is where I began to practice unconditional love.  We must at some point in our lives begin loving everyone around us, despite how they treat us, despite how we feel, and we must love with our whole heart.  

We receive this love from our Father in Heaven.

Robin

There she is. Robin, who broke my heart.

I began to love her, the day she swore at me.

I saw her for who she was.  She loved her girls, 

I saw that.

There she is. Robin, who broke my heart.

I began to pray for her, the day she slapped her daughter.

I saw her for who she was.  She loved her girls, 

I did see that.

There she is.  Robin, who stole my heart.

I began to learn from her today, after 1 year.

I now see her as a little girl, who wants to play.

I see that now.

There she is.  Robin, who is loved.

I began to see her, the day she moved out.

I now miss her and pray her well.

I hope that now.

Starting with the Masses and ending with Heaven

Yesterday, I found myself amidst a mass of people at an art show...

I often find myself amidst a mass.  Whether that be in a bus, observing a mother with her child; whether that be in line waiting to buy my well deserved ice cream cone; or walking through the busy streets of New York City, hoping no one will make eye contact with me.  There are many masses I find myself in, and I notice that I despise them.

These last two years my husband and I had been living amidst a mass of people in New England.  As I would walk down and out of my apartment I would see on average 6 people outside just walking around.  I would drive to work I would get honked at almost every time; and as I would try to find peace at a coffee shop - guaranteed someone would ask for my empty seat, or even have the guts to ask to sit with me...why?  Because the coffee shop was filled with flesh.  I started to despise people, hiding myself under the blankets of my bed, but even then I could hear the music of the mass below.  I suppose this is where I began despising the masses.

But what is a mass?  By definition it is "Pertaining to, involving, or affecting a large number of people".      As I begin to contemplate this definition I notice that it includes a very important word: "people".  Individuals make up a mass and they are filled with a soul, given by a God of Love.  So then, why do I still despise the masses?

Yesterday, I found myself amidst of mass of people at an art show...

But this time I felt like I was in heaven for 3 hours.  I saw what Heaven will be like.  This mass was filled with faces I had long ago known with deep, genuine, and loving memories.  One after another, these faces showed up, my heart was only filled with love.  All my worries, all my pain, and all my baggage, slowly faded as I saw a slight appearance of Heaven amidst everyone around me.  I suppose Heaven will be filled with kinship.  I suppose Heaven will be filled with love.  I suppose Heaven will be filled with deep and rich historical friendship.  The love from God is in all of us, and it is what makes a "mass" beautiful.

The masses are just filled with the love of God in all of us.
I suppose we must just stop and dig into each piece of the mass to find Heaven on earth.