A thought From Sister Elvie 03.06.2010

 here's a thought for your guide this days: Ø Our catechism tells us that God created us in order to know Him, to love Him and to serve Him in this life and to be happy forever with Him in the next life. We are therefore created for another life. And that life is the life with Jesus Christ, our Divine Master. We shall merit this life if we follow the teachings of Jesus, his examples and in his union with the Father. But because of our fallen nature, we find it difficult to follow Jesus. Our fallen nature and the tempter pull us down. Many times, perhaps, we want to make an act of humility, by asking forgiveness from someone whose feelings we have hurt. But a little voice from within may tell us: “there is no need; it is enough to say an act of contrition.” At times also, we may want 
 to get up earlier in the morning in order to pray more; but we justify ourselves by saying: “I need a longer rest because I worked hard yesterday.” In many similar occasions we want to practice virtues but we are overcome by human respect. And in many other occasions, we are hindered from doing good acts. We therefore need to struggle and to do violence to ourselves in order to practice virtues for the love of Jesus. We need to make self-denials in order to follow Jesus who tells us: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.”(Mk. 8:34). With these words, Jesus tells us that spiritual work is doing violence to ourselves in order to follow him.