The other day, I was driving down the road and the Vanessa
Williams song came on, Save the Best for Last. At a certain point, it
seemed as if God were singing to me:

�Cause how could you give your love to someone else
And share your dreams with me
Sometimes the very thing you�re looking for
Is the one thing you can�t see
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It reminded me that God has always been the One with Whom I have
shared all of my hopes and dreams, grief and anguish, petitions and
intercessions, yet not always my affection, which has been given to
someone else or, sadly, more often, something else. It is not that
other persons or things do not have their rightful place, but
Ignatius instructs us of inordinacy and of not placing God first and St.
John of the Cross instructs us of disordered appetites. In the
Principle and Foundation of the Spiritual Exercises, the message is
First Things First.
And, in speaking of hopes and dreams, grief and anguish, I was reminded of the Vatican II document, Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, which is well known by its latin title: Gaudium et Spes. That title comes from the first three Latin words of the document's text, which translate into �Joy and Hope.� It is instructive to note, however, that the text opens: Gaudium et spes, luctus et angor -- where luctus et angor translate into Grief and Anguish. As we consider our Oneness and our solidarity with all others, in our Joy and Hope, may we be ever mindful of others' Grief and Anguish. And, when we are in grief and anguish, let us recall that the Sorrowful Mysteries are far outnumbered by the Joyful, Luminous and Glorious Mysteries. Let our hope be further nurtured by a confident assurance and faith and sustained and per fected by Love.

gaudium et spes,

pax, amor et bonum,

johnboy