Death of A Loved One: The End, or A New Beginning?

For those of you who have followed my lifelong work (books, spiritual direction, and psychotherapy), carried on with my beloved and magnificent wife Kate, I need to share with you (so prepare yourself).

Kate passed away on July 5, 2019.

Oh my God! I was shocked and absolutely devastated. Annihilation is a good term for the inner chaos and nothingness that gripped my soul. I hardly remember the whole month of July. It felt like I was having open heart surgery every day. The emotional pain around my heart area felt like a knife had been plunged there.

On the other hand, there was a profound and surprising bright side. Kate has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's over a year ago, and the doctor believed it had begun long before that. She was also suffering with heart problems, and intractable pain from two recent back surgeries.

Nonetheless, what had kept her intellectually alert for so long was her vigor to always read new books, always begin writing a new one of our books (which she did the very week of her diagnosis!), always learn a new Tango or Salsa step, and always have invigorating and intimate conversations with me. Talk about bearing the Fruit of the Holy Spirit!

In Memory of the Magnificent Kate Montgomery

Even though we both saw the ravaging decline in her capabilities over this past year, I can tell you she prayed her heart out and tried her best to keep some kind of hardiness throughout her deteriorating condition. This in the face of agonizing memory lapses, memory erasures, and occasional severe identity confusion.

I let my private practice go during the last nine months so that I could attend to her. Through God's compassionate empowerment, we managed to experience the most peace, joy, and love we had ever known. But there was an ever-menacing dark side. Kate would slip into borderline personality episodes, where she would be overwhelmed by paranoia and thrown into bouts of rage -- then remember nothing of this the following day.

I felt so sorry for her, and would often stand over her while she slept at night, my hands raised in holy supplication for God to keep the nightmares away. I was also deeply moved that in lucid moments Kate's concern was for my well-being after she passed. She wanted me to continue with my Grand Adventure in Christ, which started at my conversion to Jesus Christ at the age of seventeen. And she said she would be watching over me as soon as she died and went to heaven.

She said the week before she died, "Danny, go ahead and grieve my passing for a season. But then rejoice in the Holy Spirit that I'm happy with Jesus and all who are in heaven. You must get out and date again. If you don't, I'll kill you -- just kidding. I know how relational you are. I want you to know that I won't feel jealous if you date and fall in love again. In fact, I'll be cheering you on with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!"

What a brave and compassionate woman, this glorious soulmate/wife I loved for 30 years! In fact, we had just celebrated our 30th anniversary shortly before she died.

Dr. Dan and Montgomery - 30 Year Anniversary

 Dear friends, it's been about 3 months since God took Kate home peacefully in her sleep. I am thrilled to know that because of Jesus Christ she is whole and happy and united with the heavenly family of God.

Kate Montgomery Resurrected by the Holy Spirit As She Died!

I miss her terribly, and every now and then another 90 foot tsunami smacks me down into heartbreak and heartache. But each time the Holy Spirit provides a ready help in my time of need. By God's grace, I am invariably revived and rejuvenated.

I KNOW NOW THERE IS LIFE AFTER DEATH OF A LOVED ONE. I BELIEVE THAT OUR ADVENTURE IN CHRIST ALWAYS MOVES FORWARD. WE CAN BY HELPED BY THE SPIRIT TO GRADUALLY, AND EVER SO SLOWLY, REPLACE FEAR AND LOSS WITH FAITH AND HOPE. THE BODY OF CHRIST ON EARTH WILL SEE US THROUGH!

And I'm determined to live life abundantly, as Jesus said. I do this for Kate's sake, for Jesus' sake, for my sake, and for your sake.

Thanks so much for your love, prayers, and support—and your special love for Kate Montgomery!

WHY YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST

What does Jesus Christ reveal to us about His Second Coming? 

We know from the Bible that Jesus Christ came the first time two thousand years ago. We know that Jesus delivered the Gospel and ministered to many, performing miraculous healing of body, mind, heart, and spirit for three short years as the self-declared Son of Man and Son of God. Then Jesus was crucified. He died on the Cross for our sins, and was buried in a tomb, only to rise three days later as the Resurrected Christ to sit at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. 

Jesus gave as His parting gift the earthly presence of the Holy Spirit, who resides within Christian believers; who woos and convicts individuals throughout the world: the Helper, who along with God the Father and God the Son, are the One God in Three Persons: the Blessed Trinity.

Just how does Jesus Christ return? Why does He return? What happens on Earth and in Heaven as a result? 

The Bible says, and we Christians believe, that Jesus Christ, the Son of Man and Son of God, returns to Earth to judge the living and the dead (Acts 10:42; 2 Timothy 4:1; 1 Peter 4:5). 

Read the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and see for yourself how Jesus urgently wants us prepared for His Second Coming:

“But understand this" says Jesus: "If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matthew 24:43-44 NIV).

Did you notice how Jesus describes Himself coming as a ‘thief in the night?’ 

The Apostle Paul adds: “I don’t think, friends, that I need to deal with the question of when all this is going to happen. You know as well as I that the day of the Master’s coming can’t be posted on our calendars. He won’t call ahead and make an appointment any more than a burglar would. About the time everybody’s walking around complacently, congratulating each other—“We’ve sure got it made! Now we can take it easy!”—suddenly everything will fall apart. It’s going to come as suddenly and inescapably as birth pangs to a pregnant woman” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 MSG). 

But how do we prepare? Jesus came the first time to show us how: 

JESUS THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd who carries a lost sheep home on His shoulder. He is now into 2,000 plus years of gathering His flock, all the while guiding and providing for them.

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” 

(John 10:27).

Do you listen to Jesus' voice? 

Read the Gospel of John. 

You will hear it there.

Jesus adds this directive:

“If you love me, obey my commandments” 

(John 14:15 NLT). 

Why must we obey Jesus' commandments? He tells us quite clearly:

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. 

The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide 

for the many who choose that way. 

But the gateway to life is very narrow 

and the road is difficult, 

and only a few ever find it” 

(Matthew 7:13-14 NLT). 

“But"—Jesus adds, giving us hope and the awareness 

we cannot do this on our own—

"with God, all things are possible!” (Matthew 19:26).

As the blind hymn writer Fanny J. Crosby wrote: “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way.” 

Why? Because suddenly, out of nowhere—no one but God the Father knowing the day or the hour, not even Jesus—The Son of Man returns!

MARK 13:32

“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, 

and all the angels with him, 

then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 

All the nations will be gathered in his presence, 

and he will separate the people 

as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 

He will place the sheep at his right hand 

and the goats at his left” 

(Matthew 25:31-33 NLT).

THE LION OF JUDAH 

We do well to take in now what Jesus declares to us today: 

“Stand up for me among the people you meet and

the Son of Man will stand up for you before all God’s angels. 

But if you pretend you don’t know me, 

do you think I’ll defend you before God’s angels?“ 

(Luke 12:8-9 MSG).

In the Book of Revelation, the Second Coming begins with judgment:

"The Angel swung his sickle, harvested earth’s vintage, 

and heaved it into the winepress, 

the giant winepress of God’s wrath” 

(Revelation 14:19-20 MSG).

There are other Biblical names for Jesus' Second Coming: 
The Day of the Lord 
The Day of Christ
The Day of Judgment 
The Coming of the Son of Man

At the Great White Throne Judgement, Jesus Christ consigns all who have ever lived on Earth as damned to Hell, along with the Devil. Those redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb are saved from perishing and resurrected into Heaven. Earth and Heaven are then transfigured into the New Jerusalem, or the New Heaven/Earth or Peaceable Kingdom.

HEAVEN & HELL

In the Peaceable Kingdom, people stream forth alongside the River of Life and the Tree of Life; a place where God is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and the Prince of Peace reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit world without end: where at long last, 

"They will be my people, 

and I will be their God” (Jeremiah 32:38).

NEW HEAVEN EARTH

"Jesus Christ" Is America's Favorite Curse Word - Why?

I was watching Super 8, a movie produced by Steven Spielberg. Four middle school boys are helping the US military fight off an attack by space monsters. But my attention wasn't on the aliens. It was on how those boys were using swear words in almost every sentence.

I found myself counting the times the Christian name for the Son of God is used as a profanity: "Jesus." "Jesus H. Christ." "Jesus F--ing Christ." "Christ." Along with a fair number of "G--Damns!" I quit counting near a hundred.

Before the movie began, I overheard two grandmothers sitting behind me swapping stories about their grandchildren. Now on screen the first alien leaps out to attack the boys. Both grandmothers scream in unison, "Jesus Christ!!"

Does this underscore for you that Jesus Christ is America's favorite curse word? Have you recently heard the Lord's name used in vain? Among friends or acquaintances? In your own speech?

Can you imagine Krishna becoming the favorite curse word in India? Buddha evolving into a profanity in Tibet? Allah an obscenity in the Middle East? Why then is "Jesus Christ!" the favorite swear word in America, not only in daily conversation, but in literature, television, and movies?

In past decades most curse words derived from bodily functions related to urination, defecation, sexual intercourse, or contempt for another human being. Why, then, this choice? This leap from excrement and sex to a sacred religious name, the name at the heart of Christianity? A name held holy by the majority of Americans and over two billion Christians worldwide? Why does Jesus Christ head the list of national vulgarities, so endemic to American culture?

Using Jesus as a swear word used to break a cultural taboo. Its shock value used to surpass those taboos broken by "F-you" and "you A-hole!" However, after three decades of usage, it no longer shocks at all. That's why the curse word "Jesus Christ" is used in so many contexts today -- anywhere from cussing out an enemy, to showing surprise and awe, reacting to physical pain, venting anger, and revealing contempt for a person or idea.

Those of us who choose Jesus as a swear word do it because of the power embedded in Jesus' name.

The power of Jesus' name, used perversely. 

Converting a term that stands for holiness, hope, and heaven into profanity repudiates the holy object, in this case the person of Christ. So in exclaiming, "Oh Jesus!" -- or "Jesus Christ!" -- a person consciously or unconsciously conveys, "I am not a follower of Christ and spurn what he stands for!"

When this particular cuss word becomes so second-nature that grandmothers and children use it to express negative emotional states (shock, fear, anger, or disgust), then, derogatory though it is, the  Christ-expletive becomes a societal merit badge. A badge of mockery. A verbal badge that dishonors Christ, Christianity, and Christians.

Perhaps this is a way of protesting the Gospel of Christ, which invites people to repent from evil and comprehend God's love for them. But rather than protesting Christ's message through derogatory speech, I suggest that we respect the freedom to worship God or not, and find tolerance for the religious differences that make America great.  

Here is a consciousness-raising experiment you might try out this week. When you stub your toe, witness a shocking event, or get furious at someone who crosses you, see if your unconscious flips into automatic pilot by erupting with a desecration of Jesus' name. If not, it means you've successfully averted this national trend. And if so, it means that with a little spiritual vigilance you can remove its influence from within your psyche.

Wouldn't we all find benefit from a constructive separation between religious sensibility and cursing?

For more about Dr. Dan's integration of psychology and theology in the 21st century, read:

COMPASS PSYCHOTHEOLOGY: WHERE PSYCHOLOGY AND THEOLOGY REALLY MEET

Carl Jung's Personality Theory Contrasted with Christian Personality Theory

Unlike his mentor, Freud, who was an atheist, Carl Jung saw spirituality as the defining trait of personality and human nature, manifested as a mysterious presence found in all cultures. Jung held the conviction that God existed and that in all important matters a human being was alone with God.

Jung developed the idea of the collective unconscious as a repository of universal archetypes like the divine child, the old sage, and the primordial mother. These archetypes and the symbols they elicit in dreams and through intuition, he surmised, are meant to guide people through an individuation process, offering fulfillment through reconciling opposing forces within the psyche. Jung saw a person's destiny as the result of a collaboration between the conscious and the unconscious.

While agreeing that spirituality is indigenous to human nature, compass personality theory more explicitly affirms the Trinity as the ontological foundation of personhood, Jesus Christ as the God-human mediator, and the Holy Spirit as the source of wisdom within the spiritual core. Rather than cultural symbols to guide people toward individual fulfillment, compass theory emphasizes the Word of God as the objective revelation of the Trinity without equal in revealing what people are called to become. 

Without this framework, the Bible says, “there is a way that appears to be right to a person, but its end is the way to death” (Prov 14:12). In other words, symbolic interpretation of psychic and cultural processes is insufficient in itself to establish communion and communication with the Creator, for this requires conversion of the heart, regeneration of the spirit, and living in existential responsiveness to the Trinity. 

Of all Jung’s concepts, introversion and extroversion have gained the widest general acceptance. Introverts focus on their own thoughts and feelings, recharging their psychic batteries through interior reflection and recollection. Extroverts focus on social stimulation, recharging their psychic batteries through interaction with others. Introverts see the world in regard to how it affects them, whereas extroverts are more concerned with their impact upon the world. 

In compass personality theory, introverted personality patterns include the  Avoidant Worrier, Schizoid Loner, Dependent Pleaser, and Compulsive Controller. Extroverted patterns include the Histrionic Storyteller, Paranoid Arguer, Antisocial Rule-breaker, and Narcissistic Boaster.

Perhaps what characterizes Jung’s theory more than anything else is his emphasis on polarities within personality as the key to understanding individual differences and helping people make progress in individuation. To Jung, the self can have  no reality without polarity.

Both Jungian and compass personality theory see the development of personality and relationships as a goal-directed enterprise, marked by the balanced development of all parts of personality, utilizing a free flow of energy between conscious and unconscious processes. Thus, the differentiation of opposites needs consistent integration within the self-system throughout the lifespan.

For Jung this means venerating what is God-like in the self, but also respecting what is most base, one’s shadow side, and learning how to give equal place even to the seemingly contradictory aspects of human experience. 

Compass personality theory is anchored in God’s invitation to trust in the Trinity as an edifying presence for developing healthy personality and relationships. Personality health is achieved through growth in developing a Christlike Self Compass as a person learns to recognize and dismantle the manipulative trends arising from dependency, aggression, withdrawal, or control. 

For more, read:

CHRISTIAN PERSONALITY THEORY:

A SELF COMPASS FOR HUMANITY 

 

Dan Montgomery Conversion to Jesus Christ

How can you and I participate more fully in Christ’s transformation of our lives and personalities? Jesus still transforms those who follow him. I know. My personality has needed regular tune-ups over several decades, but required a major overhaul when I met the Lord at the age of seventeen.

Las Vegas, New Mexico, was a dangerous place when I was growing up in the late 1950’s. Maybe it was a throwback to America’s wild west past. One year we had twenty-one murders, several right across from the local movie theater. That’s a lot of killing for a town of 14,000.

I started off as a gentle, curious boy. I collected stamps, flew kites and raised horned toads. I kept an old box turtle named Quonk-Quonk. But in the sixth grade, my life changed. I was sledding one afternoon when a gang of boys attacked me. Jimmy, the leader, beat me until I lay unconscious in the snow. Two friends dragged me home. Years later Jimmy went to the state hospital for murdering his father. I spent a lot of time trying to avoid getting beat up. Despite friendships I formed, a seething chemistry of dark emotions brewed within me. 

At fifteen I was beaten for the last time. A couple of gang members jumped me at lunch and knocked me out with brass knuckles. The next week I found the toughest boy in school. I asked him to teach me how to fight. We met for ten brutal sessions in the gym. The final time something inside me snapped, like a taut rubber band. I’m not going to take this anymore, not from anyone. I exploded with a vicious right fist that knocked him cold. As he went down I felt the heady surge of brute power and vengeance. Within a week I chased down one of the guys who’d jumped me at lunch and punched him out. The next day three of his buddies cornered me in an alley. I beat the leader to a pulp. The others ran.  

Suddenly I wanted to fight anyone who looked at me crosswise. When my Latin teacher threatened to send me to the principal’s office for acting up in class, I promised to destroy his car if he did. He backed down and I felt powerful. I no longer wanted to just protect myself; I wanted to prove myself. 

I started drinking on the weekends. That was like dousing a fire with gasoline. One Saturday night I was returning from a hunting trip with some friends. We came up on a motorcycle with two riders—Carlos and Julio, a couple of toughs who’d beaten me up in junior high. I shouted to Bobby, who was driving, “Pull up next to them!” Then I thrust my shotgun out the window, pulled back the hammer and put him in my sights. I raised the barrel about three inches above Julio’s head before pulling the trigger. The blast sent them spinning into a ditch where they cursed us as we roared off.

I was out of control. My parents were called into the principal’s office to hear about my drinking. My friends distrusted me. You’ve got to control your temper, I told myself. You’re turning into a maniac. I resolved to straighten up. I could control this thing. And for a while life went smoothly. 

Then, in the fall of my senior year, my girlfriend Marcia broke up with me and started dating Mike, the new guy in town. I wanted to kill him.

Mike threw a huge party at the Castaneda Hotel ballroom. Everyone was invited—except me. Getting good and drunk, I drove my Chevy over to the party. I made my way to the door and demanded to go in. When the chaperones asked to see my invitation, I went crazy. I screamed at Mike over the arms of parents who were trying to restrain me, “Come out and fight me like a man!” Only when one of the parents started to phone the police did I back off. Still in a blind fury, I jumped in my car and peeled out, tires screaming, radio blaring. 

Deep in my heart I hated what I’d become. Where was that sensitive child I’d once been? Now I never laughed or smiled. I wore a poker face and a mean stare to keep people away. I was digging a deeper and deeper hole for myself, and there seemed to be no way out.

Four nights after threatening Mike at the party, I was walking home with a half pint of vodka stuffed in my old leather jacket. I passed an old church on the corner. As I stood at the stoplight, singing reached my ears. I didn’t like churches. But a strange feeling grew in my heart—a friendly energy coming from the church, beckoning me through the doors.

The stoplight changed to green. I didn't move. The music faded. What will people say if I go in? I started to cross the street, but the tug on my heart strengthened. Suddenly I turned, walked up the steps to those big church doors, pulled one open and went inside.

It was a Wednesday evening service. Heads turned as I walked in and I knew people recognized me. My face heated up and I sat down quickly in the nearest seat. They'll probably throw me out, I figured. But instead, the friendliness that had touched me at the stoplight felt more personal, like a presence.

The reverend was talking about Christ. He said that Jesus could enter a person’s life through the heart and bring peace to every corner of that life.

Suddenly I was aware of a desperate emptiness inside, and a longing so deep I had no words for it. It consumed me. I wanted the peace God could bring. I knew that without it I would die.

After the service I went to the communion rail. I asked Christ to enter my violent heart and bring peace. I give my life to you, I prayed. When I stood up the warmth of his love flooded me. Tears streamed down my cheeks. Where emptiness had been minutes before an indescribable peace filled my very being.  And for the first time in as long as I could remember, I wasn’t afraid.

On the way to school the next morning I spotted Mike walking alone on the other side of the street. As I ran over to him he threw down his books and squared off.  

“Are you going to bust me up, Montgomery?” he shouted.

“Mike,” I said, stopping in front of him. “I want to apologize for acting like a jerk at your party.” I thrust out my hand. Mike eyed me suspiciously.

“Is this a trick?” he demanded.

“No,” I answered. “Something incredible happened last night. I still don’t completely understand it. But I don’t want to fight. I want to be friends.”

Mike searched my eyes, then took my hand. “All right, Danny. I believe you.” 

That handshake was a beginning. I spent a lot of time that school year making amends to all the people I had hurt. It was hard. But the peace that had come into my heart, and my involvement in the church spurred me on. 

My conversion fifty years ago has led to the greatest adventure I could have ever imagined—following Jesus and hearing the voice of his Holy Spirit guiding me throughout my life. I've faced innumerable difficulties and had my share of suffering and life crises. But Christ's complete faithfulness coupled with my simple faith have kept our companionship warm and real.

Dan Montgomery

Now at seventy I know that in not too many years I'll cross over from earthly life in Christ to eternal life with Christ. I feel peaceful about this, even looking forward to the day I stand gazing at him face to face. I'll tell him how much I appreciate all he's done for me. And I won't forget to ask him to watch over you, my faithful reader, in your adventure of living!
 

For more, read: GOD AND YOUR PERSONALITY 

God and Your Personality

Individual Transformation in the Image of Christ

Gradual Growth, Not Perfection

It is normal for people to think that they need to present a picture of perfection in order to gain God’s approval. 

But human beings are “perfect” only in the sense that David, Job, and Peter were perfect. Each loved and responded to God as they knew him, yet each was seriously flawed and prone to human frailty. It was when they stood up and counted themselves as most perfect that they fell on their faces. As the proverb says, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Pro 16:18).

Haughty Spirit

The perfection that God desires is an ever-humbling growth process in the direction of surrendering your personality patterns to God’s healing agency.

Though imperfections always remain, you are gradually transformed into your unique version of the image of Christ. 

Being Transformed in Christ

God knows the innermost workings of your personality—the motives, foibles, and desires—for “before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account” (Heb 4:13).

Because Christ became sin as humanity’s representative, God has patience, not condemnation, for the fear-driven personality patterns that plague people. 

God is Patient

Jesus says, “But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mt 24:13). Enduring means committing yourself to an open-ended process of inspired personality development over your lifetime.

I invite you to take your first action step in surrendering your patterns to the Lord:

The Self Compass: Charting Your Personality in Christ 

offers a self-administered inventory that provides a compass reading of patterns that are interfering with your personality growth, as well as revealing dimensions of your Self Compass that are functioning with good balance and integrity.

The Self Compass

Pope Francis, The Light of Faith, and the Transforming Power of Jesus Christ

The Catholic Church has declared October 11, 2012 to November 24, 2013 as The Year of Faith. As a committed Christian and theologian-psychologist I applaud this emphasis.

I believe The Year of Faith expresses the heartfelt cry of Christians worldwide to draw close to the Lord Jesus Christ in our modern day. As Paul says, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

I want to share with you some of Pope Francis' first apostolic letter “Lumen Fidei” (“The Light of Faith”). I do this with admiration for his spirit of pastoral care, and with the conviction that he is speaking on behalf of the Body of Christ, Catholics and Protestants alike:

Pope Francis

The light of faith is unique, since it is capable of illuminating every aspect of human existence. A light this powerful cannot come from ourselves but from a more primordial source: in a word, it must come from God.

Faith heralds the transforming power of belief in Jesus. Faith does not merely gaze at Jesus, but sees things as Jesus himself sees them, with his own eyes: it is a participation in his way of seeing.

We trust the architect who builds our home, the pharmacist who gives us medicine for healing, the lawyer who defends us in court. We also need somebody trustworthy and knowledgeable where God is concerned. Jesus, the Son of God, is the one who makes God known to us.

Faith makes us aware of a magnificent calling, the vocation of love. It assures us that this love is trustworthy and worth embracing, for it is based on God's faithfulness which is stronger than our every weakness.

To receive the transforming power of Jesus requires a personal transformation, a journey never completely finished in this life. But we can benefit from psychological and spiritual tools that help us move forward. One of these is the Self Compass. The Self Compass helps us renew our personal conversion to Jesus and cooperate with the Holy Spirit in guiding our daily lives.

This Vatican endorsed model for personality transformation is based on Christ's personality and lets the radical new reality of his resurrection shape our personalities. By applying the Self Compass growth tool, your life can be purified and transformed during this Year of Faith.

The Self Compass

LOVE & ASSERTION

Faith is deeply connected to personality health. Faith helps to counter the corrosive effects of anxiety, depression, and anger. The Self Compass promotes personality health and thereby increases a person's faith. 

Love and Assertion are two complementary compass points within every person's Self Compass. What is the connection between faith and Love? In order to love God or another person, we must reach out to them. We must open our hearts. We must risk caring for them. This requires faith! I have counseled hundreds of people who suddenly received this insight and gasped: "Oh no, now I realize I've lived my whole life to be safely self-contained. I've been too afraid to ever really love anyone." 

To grow in Love requires the courage of Assertion. Mary risked trusting the Angel Gabriel's message to her. Though she no doubt felt some fear, and though she certainly didn't know how she could become the Mother of our Lord, she ended the conversation assertively: "May everything you have said about me come true" (Luke 1:38). Mary dared to assertively express faith in the God whom she loved and trusted. We can become more like Mary.

WEAKNESS AND STRENGTH

Spend a few concentrated moments today or tonight hungering and thirsting for Christ’s presence in your life. Don’t be afraid of any Weakness. Integrate your vulnerability and even self-doubts into your faith in God’s Strength. The Catechism says, “Only faith can embrace the mysterious ways of God’s almighty power. This faith glories in its weaknesses in order to draw to itself Christ’s power” (273). Out of Weakness we are made strong. This humble Strength is what God loves to foster in us. A rhythm between Weakness and Strength never makes us arrogant.  

The Self Compass helps you cooperate with grace, so that you may be transformed in Christ. To help your journey of faith this year, I'm including a link to God and Your Personality: Revised & Expanded Catholic Edition. You can imagine my humble gratitude when I was notified that this book has been added to the Vatican Library. 

Paul Cardinal Poupard of The Vatican has this to say: “God & Your Personality is no New Age influenced waffle clouded in a mystique of blurb, but a useful tool for all those who seek to address personality issues and quench their innate spiritual thirst with the living-water which truly satisfies.”

God and Your Personality