Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Privacy Policy - By the way

Please note that I personally do not collect  any of your data when you visit this page. I don’t check this blog often enough to do so. I may on occasion check to see how many people have visited this blog, but I don’t do much else. I personally believe that everyone has the right to privacy.  What blogger.com or Google collect about your visit, I think they make a notice here somewhere. Please check your own privacy settings and how you share your data or information. 

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Year of Faith!

Pope Benedict XVI has called for a Year of Faith --
it will run from October 11, 2012 until November 24, 2013. It is meant to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II, and the 20th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism.
As Pope Benedict XVI expresses faith as: "a personal encounter: it is touching Christ's garment, being touched by Christ, being in touch with Christ, to trust in Christ, to have and to find Christ's LOVE."
(all emphasis's are mine).

It is not just about faith having been given as a grace, but also faith which is being sought for. I think this is what is being expressed when Pope Benedict XVI mentions the touching of Christ's garment. It may take a deep courage to reach out like that, to want to TOUCH, and allow one's self to be IN TOUCH. As mentioned in my previous post, I believe TOUCH and being IN TOUCH is what helps people encounter LOVE and healing. Thomas always comes away as being dis-trustful because Jesus says that blessed are those who believe even when they do not see. I am not sure if Thomas really deserves to be stuck in a "lesser" category because of his request to want to see and touch. In fact, to some extent, perhaps he was pretty courageous to speak up like that and to make such a request. After all, he got to stick his fingers in the holes of Jesus's pierced hands! He was able to get closer to Him than some of the other disciples. I don't think he lacked trust. If anything, he had enough trust to know that Jesus was not going to deny his request. I always considered TRUST to be equivalent to full Faith. In my mind, it is the same thing. TRUST also requires courage.
When thinking about all these things, one thing becomes clear: FEAR will prevent any good.
COURAGE is what is needed nowadays. Courage to be in love. To express that love. To not give up on love, no matter how dismal everything seems.
It's hard. But if you and I don't give up on love, we can show others that it is OKAY to want to love. To want to trust. To have courage. We can encourage each other. We need to remember that we need God, because we need love in our lives. And to love someone means that you are teaching them about God.
True love, which has its roots (or was "instigated") in God, never ends. It is eternal. No matter how far apart and how weird circumstances seem to be.
XP

Monday, September 24, 2012

"Taken by the sea...", Love and other thoughts..

...is the title of a song I have heard recently. Let me say I can relate to what is being said or implied in the lyrics...the wish of all sadness being taken by the sea. But also the hope of being embraced by love which appears to be as large and endless as the ocean.
clearly, only God can truly love to such a degree. But how does one feel God's embrace or sense His presence or hear His voice?
We, as human beings in a body of flesh and blood, we are hopelessly sensual beings in need of touch and warmth, so how do we relate to someone who in His human form hasn't showed Himself as such for the last 2000 years? As Catholics, we encounter Him in Holy Communion as a consecrated Host - but even though it is His flesh, body, soul and divinity we encounter, we don't actually see a physical human being who talks back, hugs and touches us...we see by faith, not by sight. This can be problematic though for someone who may still need the comfort of physical touch, etc. I heard there was an experiment made with withdrawing human interaction from newborn human babies - they withered away, and if they didn't die from the lack of care, they developed serious physical, emotional and mental health problems. Personally, I believe the same can happen even when you're an adult.
------->
I started this post OVER A YEAR AGO, and yet I still feel strongly about it. What to do about Love, or a perceived lack of it? I'm not just talking about marriages, or spousal love, and how people communicate or interact, but also friendships, working relationships, as well as our relationship with our Faith or God.
There's a certain line we don't cross out of respect, but also very often out of fear. Sometimes what we think is respect for another person or for God, may in reality be our own fear which is telling us NOT to act upon feeling one way or another. The point is this: You can't help how you feel. You are NOT God.
Yes, we are called to holiness and perfection, and mastery over our passions help us to perhaps act more prudently, but there's a fine line between prudence, respect, and the ability to completely suppress or ignore what your heart is telling you. God knows how you feel. He doesn't need you to necessarily
prove to Him how you love Him, or not. As every spouse, of course, He doesn't mind hearing about it. But God, being who He is, is NOT dependent on us. The opposite is true. WE need HIM.
And I do believe that He will always love us. Human beings are a different story, though. Due to our nature (& no matter how "holy" you think you are or have the intent to be), we need someone to tell us that we are loved. It is what keeps us alive. With no love, there is no hope. No reason to bother trying to be a better person, no reason to do anything.
The fact that Jesus died for our sins, and that that would be reason enough to continue living, seems strangely out of place 2000+ years after His death.
Mainly because we don't recognize Him as one of us or belonging to our "race", but we see Him as something abstract, or in some cases, even as "unreal". We don't know what He looks like, apart from our imagination, or through "blind" faith, if you so will. Anybody who has ever dealt with someone who is struggling with faith and the belief in God, will know what I mean.
We need other human beings to show us how Jesus is still alive in our midst, and how He is still relevant, apart from the moral teachings he passed down to us through scripture and tradition via the Church.
Hence the thought that God needs OUR bodies and extended hands to pick others up from the dust, give them a hug or a kiss, and teach them about intimacy and healing and why life is worth living and that it isn't just all about the rat race of work, being successful, having possessions, having kids, or this or that.
The sad thing is that those we often look to for guidance really need to be taught about love and faith themselves. They have successfully learned to avoid or ignore the way they feel inside out of fear of offending someone, their vocation, or out of convenience. One can't really blame them- they are also human beings after all. They will call this "detachment". That can be a very useful tool to kill or at least suppress oe ignore any emotions that ever crop up, whether it be of a physical or emotional nature. Effectively, they learn how to become almost like a living corpse. Eventually, you are enticed to follow suite, and also become "detached", because they seem happy, and you think that maybe there's something to it. The trouble is, if you are married, the last thing you want to do is become a "corpse", no matter how much you may think it funny when you read or watch the "vampire Diaries". The same goes for anybody who actually wants a REAL relationship, not just a temporarily thing that makes you occassionally feel good about yourself and temporarily relieves your loneliness.
In fact, what is the point of living, if you are doing all you can to not be alive as such?
..If you end up denying that you feel strongly about someone, and nobody apparently truly wants to show you how they truly care about you, but rather would treat you politely, but without affection?
No birthday cards, no Christmas greetings, no phone calls or texts, no emails or letters, no time to meet up with you, and no intent on trying to make that happen, either. No surprise visits or any sign of care, consideration, affection or love. Some people who work with each other, but otherwise are not friends, at times show more respect by at least sending a birthday card, or manage small talk. Does it matter? Yes, and no. Who cares about small talk if you can't go deeper into a subject? But then again, to not pay someone any attention because you are afraid - of what? Is that better?
To tell someone you love them, and then a few years later be completely "stumm" about it - what's up with that? Was it the truth? A lie? A moment of madness? Is is still lingering? Are you still afraid? Do you still know what love is?
And then people wonder what is wrong with the world. What's to fight for, if not love?
PX

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Health matters

Ahh, so finally I have a few minutes. I just made myself some rose-hip and hibiscus tea, washed two smaller sized apples, and had home-made stew for dinner.
The stew consisted of chicken left-overs from a roast chicken, fresh potatoes, carrots, parsnips, chopped red pepper, onions and garlic with low-salt vegetable stock and herbs. I'm trying to eat healthier because I've noticed myself feeling a bit run-down lately. I got a "needle-less" flu shot a week ago, and I think I am still trying to recover from the side effects. I haven't had a flu shot for 12+ years, and now I thought I'd be brave and see if I'd survive it (after all, I survived heart surgery).
So many people get the flu shot each year and are perfectly fine, why shouldn't I be?
My husband got that same shot just a day prior to me getting mine, and his not reacting adversely to the shot gave me the confidence to go for it.
Well, I'm not sure what exactly I'm reacting to, but it may be the preservative they put in the vaccine, or the latex cover of the needle-less flu shot which presses onto your skin (which I found out about AFTER I started reacting...), but I can tell you that about two days after the shot, the injection site got red, itchy and had a bit of a swollen bump there. One week later, the arm looks okay (still a slightly visible patch there though), but it still feels a bit weird and itchy.
I am indeed somewhat sensitive to latex, and the questionnaire sheet they have you fill in only asks for medication, egg or chicken allergies (I don't consider latex being a medication, so I didn't write that down), and common sense doesn't automatically make you think about latex when you are meant to receive a shot, whether or not it is supposed to be "needle-less", but next time I guess I'll know.
Let's hope I don't get any other disturbing or serious effects.
Prayers are certainly appreciated, thank you!
The reason for me getting the shot in the first place is because I have that issue with my heart.
That makes me a prime candidate for potentially serious complications should I catch the flu. It doesn't prevent catching the flu, but if I did catch it, then my chances of only getting a really mild case would be so much higher.
Or so the medical authorities say. Or perhaps it's really the pharma companies?
Anyways, I don't think I'll be getting another flu shot after what I've now experienced.
Perhaps a regular shot would have been better, but I now don't know what the cause of the reaction is: the vaccine itself, the preservative, the latex?
Either way, I think next year I'll take my chances again as I have done in the last 12+ yrs. In the meanwhile, I pray and hope I don't get some long-term physical damage somehow. My trouble is that I have exzema as well, which generally makes my skin feel itchy, sensitive, etc. So if I did end up with anaphylactic shock, I probably wouldn't notice until it actually happened.
This is one of those cases where I will submit to God's mercy to help me through this.

Having said that, there is a lot we can do for our physical health: watch what we eat and drink. I just watched a  movie about juicing, where the incredible claim is being made that most of our diseases, illnesses and physical ailments could be cured, or at least controlled, simply with the proper diet. No medication needed. Needless to say, I am looking into it. Cautiously, of course, because nowadays you really don't know about people's agendas.
But, after all, why shouldn't it be possible that all we need in order to live a good and healthy life is right in front of us?
God promised to give us everything we need. If he thought we'd need tons of medications right from the start, wouldn't he have made a "medication" tree?
That can only mean that what we need is, or should, already be present, but it's up to us to find it, recognize it,  and make use of it.
No matter which way you look at it though, clearly there can be no harm in eating more fruits and vegetables. God gave us those fruits and vegetables, and surely the way he made them must be perfect enough, so why do we as a society end up manipulating these perfect foods? Last I heard, apples didn't grow with shellac wax on their skins, nor did they come into being in plastic bags or containers, nor did they come with a "needs genetic modification" sticker on the outside.
Nevetheless, I decided I am going to incorporate more fruits and vegetables in my diet. Hopefully this will help "balance" my body out soon.

The other thing is that I feel that I need more sleep. Could be an effect from the vaccination, but could also generally be because I've been very busy trying to get acquainted with my new workplace, and trying to get used to having 1 and 1/2 hrs less of free time each day, because of my work commute.

Either way, I need to make sure I get to bed early today so I'll be rested enough to tackle another work week including rush-hour traffic!

XP

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Where does the time go?

Seriously...it's been a long time since I posted anything here..so much has been happening to me within the last two months, it's nearly unbelievable!
Having said that, with God all things are possible.
Strangely enough, that is also the Bishop's motto of our local Catholic Diocese.
Long story short...just a few months ago I was studying...and barely having gotten the certificate, I found a new job.
I love my new job, but it's full-time and therefore I hardly have much time to go online anymore... I have myself being incredibly busy!
Between the new job and duties/responsibilities and obligations at home, I really hardly know where the time goes anymore!
Some people have been asking me if I'm alright because they haven't heard or seen anything of/from me lately...Yes! I'm alright!
I'll try to update more soon, but in the meanwhile...I need to get my dinner!

XP

Friday, June 24, 2011

Corpus Christi & the meaning of the Cross

It is the Solemnity of the birth of St. John the Baptist today.
Because of this my local Parish decided it would be a fitting day to expose the Blessed Sacrament on the Altar for Adoration.
"Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament" means to put a consecrated Host (also known as "Eucharist") in a "monstrance" on top of the Altar, and let "it" be adored by the congregation or whoever wishes to go pay Him a visit.
Now, you may have noticed that I used the words "it" and "Him" for that Host, as if the words were interchangeable.
I did this intentionally, because most people don't realize what they are saying when they are saying it, and I wanted to point this out in order to clarify who it actually is that we are adoring up there hidden away in the Tabernacle, or who it is we are adoring during Exposition of the Bl. Sacrament.
Clearly, "it" would refer to what we see with our human eyes: a thin wafer - a thing - , and is the term used by those who see only with those eyes, rather than with the eyes of faith, trust and spirit.
For well educated Catholics though, this consecrated Host/Eucharist is in reality Jesus Christ Himself: truly present in body, mind and soul, fully human and in all His glorious Divinity.

So now that we have that covered, let me continue with what I wanted to share with you today...

The following came to me during Adoration today, and I know that except for God giving me this grace, I would not have had this understanding or deep comprehension of the meaning of what I'm about to say.
I don't know how this will come out now that I am writing it down, but I hope that the Spirit of God may help me with this.
After telling a priest about this, it was confirmed to me that this is the truth what I am about to write.

I had the idea or thought, somewhat like an interior vision of sorts, that the cross that Jesus carried on His back on the day He was to be crucified, was in reality His Bride.
I literally "saw" a bride in a white wedding dress being carried on His back, and it was made clear to me that He (Jesus) had espoused Himself to the cross, therefore the cross was His bride.
Since this is a solemnity for John the Baptist, who came to baptize people with the waters of repentance, and Jesus willed Himself to baptized by him as well with those same waters, although he had no need for repenting anything (since he was without sin), this clearly shows that Jesus has indeed come to be espoused and united to those who were baptized with those waters....
Now, to continue this thought of Jesus being espoused to the cross and carrying it on his back and shoulders, hugging it tightly, weeping upon it, moaning because of it, enduring the pain of the splinters etching their way into His flesh (making it burn and cause Him great pain)..
...if He has espoused Himself to those people baptized in the waters of repentance,...
therefore: to those baptized in His Name...
and we are indeed the cross He has decided to carry and be married to, regardless of the splinters (our faults, sins, etc) that cause Him pain,
regardless of the heavy burden we may be to Him,
regardless of us being the tool which would cause Him torture in more ways than one,
What does this say about Him? And what does this say about us?

Our sins (the splinters of the wood) caused Him pain, and tore His flesh so it bled.
That blood then seeped into the very fibers of the splinters, -of the wood of the cross.

If you ever tried cleaning blood stains out of wood (for example if you accidently hit your finger with a hammer while doing woodwork) or have ever watched a liquid drop onto wood, you would know that although you can clean the surface of the wood, you can never fully remove the blood out of the wood (even with soapy water), because the wood has absorbed it.
Jesus knew this. He's the son of a carpenter, after all. (okay, little joke - but true!)
He didn't want to be removed from His spouse,  - the wooden cross
=> the Church/those baptized in His Name.
This is comforting, because this means that it is nearly impossible to be separated from Jesus, once He has claimed you as His own, and once you have taken part of receiving His Body and Blood in the form of the Eucharist/consecrated Host.
Going to Mass and receiving Jesus as the Beloved and Lover He is into our hearts, souls and bodies therefore is a very intimate experience, once you come to comprehend that He is indeed your Spouse, even though the world and your state of Life may suggest otherwise.

I think the only way not to be united with Him so intimately can only be due to the following:
perhaps you are a piece of that cross that He carried, but His Blood, tears or sweat never touched you....
nothing of His, therefore, seeped into you.
And yet, He did carry you, and you are still a tiny fiber of the whole cross, which connects you to all those who have been touched and marked by Him profoundly.
The only way to remove you from the whole, is to ask that you be cut off or extracted from the cross (this implies that it would be your choice, your free will).

This though would make you incredibly lonely and you are likely to get lost amidst all the dust on the ground.
Soon enough, you will then be trampled underfoot.

The better thing to do would be to ask that His blood, tears or sweat may also seep into you, so you may know your value, understand His Love, care and passion for you,
and so by this dew of either the one or other fluid of His, you may stay fresh and moist and therefore resistant to high temperatures and fires that may threaten your existence.

Although the wood of the wood of the cross may seem dead, it is alive.
So therefore, even though Jesus' suffering on, with and through the cross may seem a stupid idea for a person who hasn't been infused by His passion (--> someone who sees only with worldly eyes),
since it would seem that He wanted to die, rather than live,
in reality He wanted to live eternally....through His true presence (be it whether His blood, sweat, tears or scraped flesh pieces) intimately and inseparably united to us "wood pieces" or "splinters".

That is why Jesus said that "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it." - Mark 8:34-35.

And although this would be a great explanation of the meaning of the wood of the cross for Holy Friday, this explanation came to me now: two days before the Solemnity and Feast of Corpus Christi - The Body and Blood of Christ.

Now, that would be a very huge cross for Him to lug around town, if He wanted to include all of us to be partakers of His passion.
He does actually want all of humanity to be able to be united with Him, but in order to do this, He took it up a notch in terms of intimacy, as if having His Blood (for example) run through the fibers of your being wouldn't already be enough...
Just as His blood seeped into the wood, never to be removed again, so was His sharing of the meal at the last Supper.
"Jesus said: " I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.
He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 
For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me.
This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever." (John 6:53-58)

He's explaining this as He is preparing to share bread and wine with His disciples....the way I see it is this: He is effectively (though He's not directly telling them that He's going to be crucified) asking them to not just be infused with His Blood, tears and sweat, but to refresh  and seal that imprint He would leave on them by continuously nourishing it with His Substance and presence.

As a mark/stain on wood would get deeper and more intense, the more frequently the same substance seeps into that mark/stain, so it is when we receive Communion: we become more and more like Jesus, because we are accepting into our lives His real body and blood, soul and divinity.

Eventually you will no longer see the original color of the wood, though the shape may be the same, and the fibers may still remain intact....so it is with our bodies when we die in Communion with Christ, through the carrying of our cross (which in effect may be Jesus for us, since it is HIS blood, sweat, tears and body tissue which has seeped in the wood) and the sharing in His Body and Blood through receiving Communion --> our bodies will be the same, but transformed,  because of the seeping of Jesus' Body and Blood into our very own bodies and cells.
And this is how we manage to live.
Although we seem to be dying.

This had a great impact on me today, because I had an incredible experience when I was hospitalized for open-heart surgery almost three years ago: I had to be re-opened after the initial surgery due to a Haemotoma.
This must have happened around midnight.
Nobody told me that I had required a second surgery, because nobody wanted to upset me. I found out about all of this four days after it happened.
I was "conscious" in regards to me having recollection of what I said and did, about the third day after my surgery, which would have been a Sunday. Just like Jesus, it seems I went down into "darkness", in order to be resurrected on the third day.
And yet I knew something happened, because I remember feeling as if I was being pushed around, I felt my arms being stretched apart (as they would be if you were being crucified - or, in my case: probably getting my chest re-opened), and intense pain.
Next thing I know is that I heard some mumbling, though one word stuck out : "Mercy." I've always been a great advocate for the devotion to Divine Mercy and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, so I was wondering if someone was praying for me.
Only recently did it sink in that maybe it was Jesus Himself...He is our ultimate intercessor.
Again, right after this, I see Jesus laying for me in the hospital bed, and I was up on His cross, and it was as if Jesus had taken my place for me, and I had taken His place up on the cross.
His heart, which bled from the wound He received, was mine, and my heart in turn, was His.

He took away the pain I was feeling, and I got a sense of His Peace, as our Hearts were beating as one, our blood having mingled, ...becoming one.
The physical pain was intense, but the Love I experienced and felt was so much greater.
Now this really made me aware of the fact that we are indeed the temples of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, it is important what we do with our bodies.

Now this is something I didn't ask the priest about whether or not this is doctrinally true, but I feel that it is:
Truly, He (Jesus) is our Spouse, regardless if you are married, single, a religious or priest in this world...in heaven nobody is married in the way the world would understand it, but rather we are all espoused to the Trinity in heaven, and through this Union and connection we are then espoused to each other. 

I'm sure there may be some rational medical explanations for me perceiving the events of that night like this, but I know with absolute certainty that if Jesus hadn't come through for me that night, I would not be sitting here right now writing this.
Certain things simply cannot be explained properly.

All of this is an act of Faith, Belief, Trust and Love.

And this is how we should approach Him when we think of receiving Him in Form of the Eucharist.

He is not just simply a piece of bread or a wafer or a sip of wine in a chalice.
He is true God and true human being, and this is truly His body and blood,
the one who gives us life,
the one who truly loves us, ....splinters and all. ;-)

XP

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Hmmm...

...Well, I contacted my "long-lost & M.I.A." spiritual director, and he's still "missing in action."
Either way, I left a message for him to check out the stuff I write here, since I don't want to be stepping on anybody's big toes.
Let's face it: I'm no authority of any kind in regards to these spiritual or religious things I try to explore here.
The only authority I'm following as of right now is my conscience and I am hoping it is (or at least somewhat is) in tune with the Holy Spirit's Will.
Having said that, since I am also just another human being, my thoughts could very well be flawed, or not always explained properly in the sense that I mean it (part of that problem goes back to me being bi-lingual and multi-cultural, so that an expression in one country comes out differently in another) --> hence the search for some input from a trustworthy and experienced source, as well as from someone who knows me quite well.
Not that I want all that I write here to be censored.
I just want the Theological and Historical aspects that I provide within my thoughts or musings here to be more or less accurate.
In part, I really want this because it will continue to educate me as well as you, the reader.
And yet, I want to provide all this without losing authenticity, integrity and my (hopefully) down-to-earth simple approach.....as a "learner", or "disciple", who will never know it all until the day I die.
(And even then it will be up to God to fill in the blanks.)

So I guess we will see if I can get any "authority" figure to help me out here. ;-)

Either way, the spider bite is hardly visible anymore, and I will be walking for a Charity Walk this weekend. The proceeds will benefit the Rett Syndrome Foundation and the walk will be about four and a half miles long.
That's not too bad.
I've done quite a bit of walking lately, and although I personally don't see the physical results yet in regards to my figure, my scale has detected some weight loss, so that's a good thing.
I plan to keep on walking and do some extra exercises as well as keep up with the diet goals I have set for myself.
These aren't major changes to diet, but minor ones which should have a major impact, for example: no extra snacks unless it's fruit or vegetables. Cut down on Caffeine (instead of two to three cups of coffee, I plan on only having one in the morning --> after that: just water, herbal tea, or juice mixed with water), try to avoid restaurant food (which is usually loaded with fat, sugar and salt).
Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention that I will continue one of my favorite pastimes: turn up the volume and dance! There's nothing like jumping around the house like a "lunatic" to get your metabolism going and those endorphines up and running! Hahahahaha!! :-)

Obviously, I will keep the blinds down for that. Ahem. ;-)

All fun aside, it just generally feels good to be active, in one way or another. It gives you a sense of accomplishment, and I think that's pretty important.
There's a saying: If you don't use it, you lose it.
If you don't use your muscles, they will eventually atrophy.
If you don't use your skills, you will forget how to use them.
If you don't exercise your rights, you may soon not have them anymore.
If you don't make an effort to desire, want and practice love, you may lose the ability to love.
If you don't strive for eternity and a spiritual life, it will ellude you.
(simply put: you may never understand what it's about until you're faced with it --> and whether you want to or not right now: you WILL have to face it one day).

If you don't communicate with those you've called your friends, they will no longer know how to communicate with you.
I suppose that's okay, if that's what you want (or what God may desire for you), but is it really what you or God wants?

Sometimes (quite often, actually) we have a tendency to avoid things or people which may seem difficult, emotionally or physically "charged" or challenging.
There's a perfect explanation for that: we sometimes DO need to set up boundaries regarding certain people and situations, because if we didn't, we'd be ignoring our own needs (I'm not speaking of "wants" or "desires" here, because a "want" or "desire" could be selfish and not an actual necessity for our functioning as a normal human being).
BUT: constantly avoiding these difficult, "charged" or challenging situations can also make us stagnant and stale....like the story about the salt becoming stale and no longer of any use to anyone. Salt with no flavor is bound to be spat out as soon as it touches the tongue.
So we need to discern when it is "okay"  or even desirable to face these situations and when not.

One good way to try to make a decision: ask yourself what God would probably want you to do. Ask yourself if you would be harming yourself (physically, spiritually, emotionally, etc) or anyone else (your family members should always come first when you make that evaluation), and if the outcome of the given situation or challenge is worth the potential damage, and what exactly are you trying to achieve, and for who?
Ideally, all should be done for the greater glory of God.
Why? Because as a child of God, He's your dad, He's your ultimate Family Member, He's your creator, He's the one who always will be with you. He's the one trying to direct your thoughts, He's the one who only wants the best for you, and He is and always will be your only true friend.
All you do, and ever can do, is only because HE has enabled, and willed you to do it.
So therefore, for righteousness sake, He deserves the credit and your Love.

I realize there are sometimes grey areas in our lives which doesn't make that kind of decision making all too clear. In such a case, if possible, hold off on making any major decisions or acting rashly.
If it is not possible, and you are required to act quickly, then allow yourself at least some time for a quick prayer and ask God for some common sense and some quick inspiration.
Sometimes our Lord will put you in a situation where you have no time to really think through the whole situation.
In such a case, He just wants to see you do the best you can, and He's testing to see where you're at in life.
Of course, He knows where you are at life, but He wants you to know it, too...!

If it was a bad decision, and yet He allowed you to make that decision: rest assured, He only allowed it so He could teach you a valuable lesson.
This may not sound like a consolation, but in fact: it really is.

If you make a correct choice, then all is well, and you may reap some fruit.

But sometimes when we make a bad choice ( even when we've prayed about it and were under the watchful eyes of God), He makes up for what we thought we had lost by allowing even more fruit to be harvested...

So although we should strive to make a correct choice, we should not be disheartened or become despairing just because we made a bad choice (or in the course of a life-time even possibly multiple bad choices)--> as long as we take that situation and hand it over to God.

Because when we do this, He will do the watering and fertilizing of that seed of good will  we have planted in His Garden. Occasionally, He may ask us also to water and fertilize that seed. But He never asks anything which He doesn't oversee or knows we can't do.
That then, results in the abundant fruit.
That "seed of good will" is the Faith, Trust and Love we put into Him, which results in our sharing those virtues, deeds and hopes with others and accepting them also within our own beings.

That's my interpretation anyhow.
What are your thoughts? Please share below in the "comment" box! Your comment will be posted as soon as I read and approve it. I have chosen this option so anybody who wants to leave me a private or confidential message, may do so, without the whole world immediately seeing it all. (If you mention that it's confidential or don't want it to be posted, I won't approve it for posting, but will only read it and proceed as needed).

In line with all I've written lately and today, today's Mass Reading seems to be very fitting (and interestingly enough, I got to read this reading at Mass today....I could have not tried to express myself better; In these regards, St. Paul really knows how to express what I currently feel):
 2 Corinthians 11:1-11 :

"Brothers and Sisters:
If only you would put up with a little foolishness from me!
Please put up with me.
For I am jealous of you with the jealousy of God, since I betrothed you to one husband to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts may be corrupted from a sincere and pure commitment to Christ.
For if someone comes and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it well enough.
For I think that I am not in any way inferior to these "superapostles."
Even if I am untrained in speaking, I am not so in knowledge;
in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.

Did I make a mistake when I humbled myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached the Gospel of God to you without charge?
I plundered other churches by accepting from them
in order to minister to you.
And when I was with you and in need,
I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my needs.
So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way.
By the truth of Christ in me,
this boast of mine shall not be silenced
in the regions of Achaia.
And why?
Because I do not love you?
God knows I do! "

AMEN!!

XP