At The Root Of Mysterious Disturbances In Life Are Often Manifestations Of Lust  

Is there something stubborn in your life that you can't rid? Are you mysteriously plagued? Are you "blocked" on the way to sanctity?

The answer may be in lust -- not just sexual lust, but lust in many "mysterious" manifestations.

While we think of it sexually, lust means overly wanting anything. It means concentrating on the worldly. It means letting the self and its flesh rule -- blocking the spirit.

Lust is the intensity of carnality, and it can cause many effects that we usually don't associate with it.

Lust is a root from which many weeds spread.

Many things stem from this cardinal sin -- especially anger. As long as we lust, we will not be able to rid our souls of the anger that constrains us from loving each other the way Jesus directed. When we lack love, we get mad (witness Virginia Tech).

Lust feeds anger and anger feeds lust, in a cycle that is vicious. When we have lust, it takes up space that should be filled with love. It crowds love out of the picture!

Lust is self-consumption. Lust focuses on self. Lust puts self above God. Lust is carnal. Lust is worldly. Lust binds us to the earth. Lust over-attaches us. Lust is what causes the devastation in relationships. Lust is the flesh winning over the spirit. Lust is greed. Lust is materialism. Lust is competition. Lust is criticality. Call it a "root-demon" because there is the stain of Satan as long as we have desires that are uncontrolled or bad habits that we do not correct.

There is "lust" for recognition. There is lust for material things. There is lust for food. There is lust for sex. There is blood-lust. We crave, we hunger, we covet, we yearn, and from this comes anger and deeper sin.

We should crave and hunger and crave for God alone.

Lust means an uncontrolled desire and on earth we see that the key to happiness often resides in discipline.

If you have problems loving others, or in finding peace, ask the Holy Spirit to shine His Light into your soul and reveal any lust that needs to be cast out. You may be amazed at what happens! Isolate the lust, confess it to a priest, and then work tirelessly at removing it from your thought process. The results will transform you. They will be miraculous.

Instead of lusting for everything to go "right" -- according to your plan -- offer any suffering for your sanctification. This is very powerful! Don't let your will interfere with your holiness. Adopt God's Will, remove carnality, and you will find the harmony of being.

What is your being? Who are you? What is in your heart? You can not ask yourself more important questions.

For what is in your heart will determine where you go first in the afterlife.

When you die you will go to where you soul fits.

Is it full of lusts and dark? It will feel most comfortable in a place of darkness. Is it gray? It will gravitate toward grayness. Or is it white and free of lust and ready to meld into God's Light?

Choose lustrous -- not lust!

When we die, we will not feel comfortable remaining in the Presence of God unless our souls are white.

This means that it is important for us each day to say, "Lord, where do I need to be corrected? Please correct me where that need is."

Only through His Light will we know where we have gray areas.

Often, they are not what we expect. When we die, we will see shortcomings that we never recognized as shortcomings unless we pray now on earth for revelation of where the shortcoming are.

We will die with the same bad habits and so should purge these beforehand.

Sanctify! You will go where your soul melds. Fear not the initial sting of the "bleach." If you are wearing dirty clothes, or even have a spot, you will not want to go to a wedding, and the same is true at death with a blotch on the spirit and entrance into Heaven.

Through prayer, through true conversion (changing the soul), and through the Eucharist (coupled with Confession) do we find permanent correction which leads to permanent happiness.

4/27/07

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