We all, at one time or another, question our faith. The desire to become holier has made me aware of how tangled I have become with the things of this world. I had a short, interesting dream Sunday morning that helped me discern why.
I have mentioned in past blogs how the Lord instructs me in dreams. In this particular dream I was boarding a large, convertible bus. I yelled for one of my friends to join me, “Come on, jump on!” My friend was uncertain and said, “No, I can’t.” Again I extended my hand and repeated, “Come on, I’ll help you!” But it was too late, the bus was moving. On the bus was a prophet who was going to give me a prophetic word. As she approached me, she placed her hands over my head and said, “You are filled with faith, but you have an infection that is keeping you from getting closer to God.”
That is all I can remember about this dream. I was distressed because I knew it was a warning dream.
The Interpretation Of The Dream
I am going in the right direction with the right people, but something is holding me back. It’s my dreaded cell phone! This has become a hindrance to my spiritual growth. And this dream was a short reminder to redirect me onto the right path.
Padre Pio (Saint Pio of Pietrelcina)
I was listening to the Hallow app about Padre Pio. He was a Capuchin priest who lived in San Giovanni Rotondo. This priest exuded holiness; his Masses would last more than two hours. After Mass he heard confessions for 16 hours, with only a short break for lunch. If you were brave enough to confess your sins to this saint, you had better not leave any sin out because Padre Pio was also given the gift to discern souls. If you did not want to or forgot to mention a particular sin, he would remind you of it. This saint was given the stigmata, the five wounds of Christ. He also had the gift of bilocation.
I will never achieve even one ounce of Padre Pio’s holiness, but I do want to develop my gifts as God would will.
The Rosary
I pray the rosary with special intentions. For example, I could offer the First Decade to someone in my family who needs special prayer. On another decade I will pray for our country, etc. Needless to say, my rosary can last more than an hour. I was up early Saturday morning, but as I started to pray the rosary, I found myself completely out of the spirit, thinking of worldly matters. A strong spirit of conviction came over me, but I did not finish the rosary. I’m going to change that!
The Phone And The Computer
The phone is not my only distraction. I get distracted by looking up mindless information on the computer. Usually when this happens, things unrelated to the search pop up. All of our electronics are collecting personal information that is programmed to capture our scattered attention span. Hours later we end up in a deep rabbit hole, wondering how we got there in the first place. Besides this I suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and dyslexia!
Another distraction is online shopping. I may not purchase the items, but my cart is filled with things I can live without. Again, it’s the wasteful hours that take me away from my prayer life that plague me with guilt.
The Plan
Knowing fully well that change is a process, I’m going to start with spiritual baby steps to rid myself of the infections from the world. First I’m going to time myself on social media. I’ll start by setting an alarm for 10 minutes at a time and also keeping the phone at a distance if I’m occupied with something else. Listening to the rosary via an app will help me finish praying the five full decades. Please pray for me!
“Be content to progress in slow steps until you have legs to run and wings to fly.” Saint Padre Pio of Pietreicina
Spiritual Discipline
The Lord wants us whole. We can’t fully serve God if we have one foot steeped into the world of electronics. In everything in life there must exist a balance. We are dependent on our phones; both of my grown children know where I am 24-7. I keep tabs on them as well with the “Find My” app. These apps simplify our lives and give us a better perspective and appreciation for technology, especially if we have younger children. But God, too, has an app.
The God App
You cannot download this app because it’s supernatural. However, you can download it in your heart. God knows exactly where we are physically, emotionally and the path we are on. We need to clear away all the debris to reach holiness. The God app speaks to our conscience, but many cannot hear anymore because they have deleted it from their hearts. Some have chosen to block the God app because it’s become too intrusive. Some will keep the app but never use it, while others will gladly share the app.
Download The God App
God sees all the destruction of those who have deleted His app. They have unknowingly become slaves to the world; their god Satan prevents them from seeing the true light. It’s never too late to download the God app, because He is with you during your darkest days and wants to shed His light into your wounded heart.
My Prayer
Lord, forgive me for allowing all the worldly distractions to come between You and me. I humbly ask that You give me another opportunity to serve You as I should. Lord, teach us all to download Your app, so that we can live the life we have been called to. Father, bring us all to a greater of level of holiness. Amen.
