Longing for FaceTime

~~~ 2 Kings 5:1-15AB ~~~ Psalm 42 ~~~ Luke 4:24-30 ~~~ 

Athirst is my soul for the living God.

When shall I go and behold the face of God?

Anger does spring forth from the depths

 of our being when things are not as we expect.

We get incensed...how dare such and such happen?

...the people in the synagogue heard this,

they were all filled with fury.

The people do not like what Jesus is saying.

They are so offended that they 

chase him out of the city to the edge of a cliff.

They turn into a mob.

They gang up against Jesus.

But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

Naaman thought he would come face to face 

with the one who would heal his leprosy.

Distance is no challenge for the powers of God

 or those he appoints to represent him.

God can and does chose to work through whomever he desires.

If we are waiting until we see the face of God 

for our healing; we may miss his representative 

standing right in front of us.

It was Naaman's friends who convinced 

him to follow the commands of the prophet.

Without seeing God he is powerful in our life.

Without seeing God he does heal us.

He can make us whole again.

He can restore our life.

He can cleanse our heart of anger and hatred.

Naaman was commanded to do something ordinary...

“Go and wash seven times in the Jordan,

and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean.”

Perhaps it was not just the act of washing alone.

Perhaps it was the prescription to wash seven times,

seven the number most often associated with God.

The number seven has come

 to be known as the perfect number.

If you take the time you will notice 

how the number seven is represented in the world.

It is God's holy number...his divine number.

Seven signifies perfection and completion in God's eyes.

Naaman was told to wash not once but seven times

and his skin became new and as fresh as that of a baby.

He was healed.

Every time we hope in the Lord and trust in him

we come ever closer to catching a glimpse of him.

Athirst is my soul for the living God.

When shall I go and behold the face of God?

The living God is with you always...

it is not dependent upon our seeing his face.

Blessed to be loved by God.

~~~Peace~~~

The Supreme Being

~~~ Third Sunday of Lent ~~~

~~~ Exodus 3:1-8A, 13-15 ~~~ Psalm 103 ~~~

~~~ 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12 ~~~ Luke 13:1-9 ~~~ 

This is what you shall tell the Israelites: 

I AM sent me to you.

There is nothing else to add...

God Is...he is all, everything...there

 is nothing more than the existence of God.

I AM contains God the Father, 

God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

God is the supreme being there is nothing higher,

 nothing greater.

God needs no one to endorse his authority.

God needs no one to validate his authenticity.

God simply IS.

God holds one title Supreme Being...

I AM spoke to Moses from the burning bush...

the burning bush that was not being consumed by the flames.

I AM spoke to Moses from holy ground.

God speaks to Moses in kindness and compassion.

I know well what they are suffering.

Therefore I have come down to rescue them...

The Supreme Being the one who IS...

the I AM cares for his people.

He cares for you.

Blessings from our kind and merciful Lord.

~~~Peace~~~

Swallow Your Pride

~~~ Micah 7:14-15, 18-20 ~~~ Psalm 103 ~~~ Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 ~~~

The Lord is kind and merciful.

If we but take the first step back to God

 we will experience his mercy and kindness.

This message of God's mercy is delivered over and over again 

to us yet we continue to find it hard to believe

 especially when it pertains to us.

Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt

and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;

Who does not persist in anger forever,

but delights rather in clemency...

God searches out the least of us

 inviting us to come experience 

what his mercy can do for our soul.

This magnificent mercy should 

make us love God all the more deeply,

but I fear it is too often overlooked.

Our thinking is that is makes for a good story,

but what does that have to do with me.

We have one such story in the gospel 

today of the Prodigal Son.

This story is probably one of the most 

well-known quoted from the Bible. 

We love this story it is filled with such idyllic scenes.

Do you believe that such a setting is possible?

Can you place yourself either in the place of the child or the father?

Sometimes we are the child...sometimes we must be the parent.

He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.

Notice here it is the father who rushes out

 to meet his son in the distance.

Before the father can see the son though

the son had to swallow his pride.

The son had to make the difficult decision 

to return to his father's home.

Lent is the acceptable time for us to do the same...

Swallow our pride and come back to our Father.

The father in today's gospel held a great celebration.

There was much rejoicing because the son admitted 

his selfishness which led to his poor decision.

This exactly what we are invited to do during this Lenten season,

The father does not ridicule the son.

The father does not belittle the son.

The father does not even try to make the son feel guilty.

The Lord is kind and merciful.

Pray for God to soften your heart 

so that you can overcome whatever is keeping 

you from returning back to the Lord.

There is no better time than NOW.

Coming home is filled with so many Blessings.

You will experience his overwhelming 

Peace.

The Bottom of the Well

~~~ Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13A, 17B-28A ~~~ Psalm 105 ~~~ 

~~~ Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46 ~~~

Remember the marvels the Lord has done.

Father,
favorite son, siblings,
 plot to kill, sold into slavery

Landowner, servants, abuse,
murder of the owner's son.

Which one of the characters in today's readings
speaks most to you?

Joseph's brother spoke out against his siblings
as they plotted to kill their own brother.
Instead they sold him into slavery not knowing
 what his fate would be in the future.

Remember the marvels the Lord has done.

Later we will hear that God
 was taking care of Joseph from the very beginning.
Abandoned by his own flesh and blood
Joseph is the one who will end up saving his family from starvation.

These brothers were willing to not only get rid of their brother
but to wound the heart of their father.

They considered leaving Joseph in the bottom of the dry well.
In reality they themselves were already in the bottom of the pit.

Their hearts were more empty than the dry well.

The landowner in the gospel parable gave his tenants
everything they needed to be successful.

Is this sounding familiar?
God gives us everything we need to be the best we can be
and still we allowed him to be nailed to the cross.

The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?

Even after his own son was brutally killed
the owner, for us God, continued his loving generosity.

...the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit.

Which group do you want to be a part of?
Are you someone who can produce fruit in your own life?

Remember the marvels the Lord has done.

Whenever you are faced with choices
then is the time to remember the marvels the Lord has done.

Recall the marvels the Lord has done as recounted in the scriptures
as well as in your own life.

Blessings come to you
 as you focus on the marvels of God.

Have you decided which person
 in today's readings speaks most to you?
One brother spoke out for Joseph's life; I hope
 I would be at least that bold.

~~~Peace~~~

God Remains Constant

~~~ Jeremiah 17:5-10 ~~~ Psalm 1 ~~~ Luke 16:19-31 ~~~ 

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,

whose hope is the LORD.

Though you have changed a hundred times

God remains constant.

He will never betray your trust in him.

The beauty of our God is that he allows us to run 

away from him and come back time and time again.

He remains constant.

When we cannot see we are encouraged to walk by faith.

It is possible to walk by faith because we know 

without a doubt that we can trust God no matter what.

I, the LORD, alone probe the mind

and test the heart,

To reward everyone according to his ways,

according to the merit of his deeds.

The more we believe that God probes our mind

 and tests our heart the more we come to realize

 how much we need him...how much more there is to learn...
how much more he has to teach us.

The greater your trust in the Lord
 the greater your faith...

the greater your hope.

If you can completely trust in the Lord then there

 is nothing that can deter you from clinging to him.

When the poor man, Lazarus, 

died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.

It is a mercy that our lives are not left to us to plan,

but that Our Father chooses for us;

else might we sometimes turn away from our best blessings

and put from us the choicest and loveliest

gifts of his providence.

~Suzannah Spurgeon~

Lazarus may have been ignored by the rich man
but he was never ignored by God.

When we are feeling particularly ignored and vulnerable
it is comforting to know we can always turn to God.

No matter what is happening in your life
ask God to reveal his presence to you.

He is there even if we cannot see him,
hear him, or feel him.

When God probes your mind what will he find?

When he tests your heart how will you respond?

Sometimes God wrecks havoc in your life
right before he works wonders.

Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

It is this hope and trust that we must have
 in our mind and our heart.

Blessed with a Mighty God.

~~~Peace~~~

Every Drop in the Chalice

~~~ Jeremiah 18:18-20 ~~~ Psalm 31 ~~~ Matthew 20:17-28 ~~~ 

“You do not know what you are asking.

Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”

Jesus barely gets the words out of his mouth

before this intense mother is asking for favors for her sons.

The revelation of how Jesus will suffer and die

does not deter this woman.

Perhaps she was not hearing the words of Jesus.

...mocked and scourged and crucified...

What mother would want this to be in the future of her child?

The chalice is the concrete visual of how
Jesus gained our salvation.

The chalice of wine, transformed
 from water at the wedding feast of Cana,
now becomes the blood of the Redeemer.

 ...the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve

and to give his life as a ransom for many.

In the chalice every drop of blood is poured out for us.
We may understand what it means to serve others,
but most of us have no idea what it means to serve
 with every drop of your own blood.

We respond to the call from the Red Cross
 to give blood...the gift of life.
This is a wonderful act of service.

Giving our blood for another does not result
in the giver compromising their own life.

Today at Mass during the consecration
as the chalice was lifted
right behind appearing to
come out of the chalice was the flame from a candle.

It made me think about how one swallow of wine
makes you feel warm inside.

Taking Jesus into your heart
can also be a heartwarming experience.

The ten apostles bickered among themselves over favoritism,
but they too missed the bigger picture.

They missed the deeper meaning of the chalice.
The chalice holds the ultimate example of service.
Ultimate because it is the life of Jesus...his blood
shed for us. There is no greater love. 

He Blesses us with every drop of blood
poured out into the chalice.

The flame above the chalice this morning
is a reminder of how much Jesus loves me...
how he gave his life in service of all of us.

~~~Peace~~~
Let this Lenten journey be the best ever.

You Can Do Better

~~~ Isaiah 1:10, 16-20 ~~~ Psalm 50 ~~~ Matthew 23:1-12 ~~~

Wash yourselves clean!
Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes;
cease doing evil; learn to do good.

If only it was that easy to just wash ourselves clean...
that is to wash our soul clean.
We can cease doing evil. We can learn to do good.

We must first come to the realization that we are doing evil...
that there is more we need to learn about doing good.

We cannot sit back on our laurels being proud of ourselves.
As long as we are still breathing we can learn to do better.
We can always become a better person.

I do not want to be like the scribes and the Pharisees.
They thought they had arrived that they had all of the answers...
that they were the authority and had the final words.

They focused their attention mostly on their physical appearance.
No matter how you are dressed
if you are acting like a jerk you are still a jerk.
...do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice.

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Rather than showing off it is better
 to be genuine and sincere when you are with others.

Let the love of Jesus come through as you interact with others.

Concentrate on how you can better be a representative,
 an ambassador of and for Jesus.

We have been called to serve others
 not rule over them
 with heavy hands and
countless rules and regulations.

He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way
 I will show the salvation of God.

Praise God in every situation.
God will Bless us as he shows us the path of salvation.
Have you praised God today?


~~~Peace~~~

Compassionate Shepherd

Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle

~~~ 1 Peter 5:1-4 ~~~ Psalm 23 ~~~ Matthew 16:13-19 ~~~

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

A shepherd tending his flock 

does not need good people skills.

A shepherd tending his flock 

does need to have good leadership skills.

A shepherd must have compassion for his sheep.

A shepherd must listen for each of his sheep.

If one gets lost he must be willing to do 

whatever it takes to find him.

A shepherd will never abandon even one of his sheep.

Jesus offers himself as the model shepherd.

Peter answers the big question from Jesus,

"Who do you say that I am?"

Peter knows in his heart who Jesus really is...

Christ, the son of the living God.

God chose Peter with all of his shortcomings

 to be the foundation of the church.

God chose Peter to be the shepherd of his church on earth.

Peter, embodies all of what it means to be human.

Peter has strong leadership qualities.

Peter was a good provider for his family.

Peter was a faithful friend.

Peter crumbled under pressure...he denied Jesus.

Peter overcame his fears and his weaknesses.

Peter kept his focus on Jesus.

Peter became the rock upon which 

the church we love today was built.

Peter did not give up on himself

 because he was in relationship with Jesus.

You are Peter, and upon

 this rock I will build my Church...

The Chair of Peter is a visible reminder 

of how our church has survived 

with the guidance of compassionate shepherds.

Throughout the history of the church

 we have been blessed with good shepherds.

God watches over his church.

God gives us the Popes we need 

for the times we live in at the time.

Blessed that we are led by

 those who are shepherds of our church.

~~~Peace~~~

The Glory Experience

Second Sunday of Lent

~~~ Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18 ~~~ Psalm 27 ~~~

~~~Philippians 3:17—4:1 ~~~ Luke 9:28B-36 ~~~ 

 ...from the cloud came a voice that said, 

“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”

The Transfiguration of Jesus.

Today we hear the second time in scripture 

where God the Father speaks from a cloud.

He address Jesus as his chosen beloved Son.

God continues with the statement for us to listen to him.

God is validating the person of Jesus before his closest believers.

During the Baptism of Jesus we also saw light

 surrounding him and a hidden voice speaking from above.

Peter, James, and John were speechless.

Imagine if you had been with them on that mountain top.

Many saints have had visions of the Lord, but this was not a vision

this was more than that...it was really happening.

The three heard the voice of God, the Father.

...becoming fully awake, 

they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.

They were not dreaming this was reality.

After this experience I cannot imagine these three men

 could have been the same.

Have you ever had an experience that profoundly changed you?

Are you willing to have such a life changing experience?

God wants to transform you this Lent.

How will you let him?

...our citizenship is in heaven...

If we want to get to heaven

 then we must allow the grace 

and mercy of God transform us.

This process of transformation

 is ongoing all the days of our life.

God made this covenant with us way back in the days of Abram.

Jesus will change us into a being of light and glory

to abide with him in heaven.

Oh what a glorious day that will be... 

Until that time we have our work cut out 

for us here on Earth.

Use it well.

So many Blessings in store for us.

~~~Peace~~~

Pray...Love...Be Perfect

~~~ Deuteronomy 26:16-19 ~~~ Psalm 119 ~~~ Matthew 5:43-48 ~~~

...love your enemies,

and pray for those who persecute you...

During this Jubilee Year of Mercy

we are invited to take this message 

from today's readings seriously.

It is contrary to love our enemies

 or those we believe are our enemies.

We often do not really want to love those unlike ourselves.

Is it possible that we could be mistaken

 in our perception of who our enemies really are?

Could it be a case where we assume someone to be our enemy

when in reality we do not know the individual?

Sometimes we even decide to consider an entire group

of people to be our enemies.

...pray for those who persecute you...

If we begin by praying for those we do not view as friends

eventually God will soften our heart.

It only takes a small change to transform our heart.

Consider the kaleidoscope...in one slight turn of the lens

 the entire picture changes.

By continuing to restrict your love to only those who love you

you may be depriving yourself of a whole different view.

A view that might be just as beautiful if not more beautiful.

So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.

We think of being perfect as totally out of our scope of possibilities.

Striving to be perfect is more about 

consistently challenging yourself to change your focus...

to turn the lens ever so slightly.

We are so blessed to have this ability to change...

we are not stone sculptures frozen in time.

Our faith would become dull and lifeless

if we could not strive to be more perfect.

Even the saints did not believe that were perfect;

they continued to make the decision to keep trying.

Let every day bring the intention

to love more..to strive to be more holy.

Let God fine tune your lens;

he alone can soften your heart toward your enemies.

He alone supplies the grace as we strive to be more perfect.

So be perfect...

You will be Blessed...It is good for the soul.

~~~Peace~~~

Sin and Quicksand

~~~ Ezekiel 18:21-28 ~~~ Psalm 130 ~~~ Matthew 5:20-26 ~~`

Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, 

says the Lord,

and make for yourselves a new heart 
and a new spirit.

The only way we can have half a chance of making a new heart
 is to get out of the 'quicksand' of sin as Pope Francis says.

Did you know that if you fight and flail around in quicksand
you will sink deeper,,,it will be more difficult to get out of it.

It has been reported that if you lie flat...ie prostrate
 on the surface you will not sink deeper.
If you lay back you will float.



The more you struggle in quicksand and in sin the deeper you sink.

The same is true with our sins.
Some time we try everything
but the one thing that will bring us back to God.

 If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?

Just as in quicksand,
 we must come to God with our heart, mind, and soul
in humility...in repentance...dependent on his mercy.

To get out of quicksand you cannot stand up and walk out;
you must lay back.
When we are caught in sin we must surrender to God.
We must ask to be freed the sins that bind us.

Let not the 'quicksand' of sin keep you
 from crying out to the Lord for help. 

He will never turn his back on you.
Jesus will never turn and walk away from one of his children.

Take advantage of the time of Lent.
Get out of the quicksand and wash away your guilt.

Cleanse your heart and he will give you a new spirit...
a spirit revitalized with his great love for you.

The Lord is here for you...to rescue you from
all of your iniquities.

Blessings to come back to the Lord.

~~~Peace~~~

Corresponding Grace

~~~ Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25 ~~~ Psalm 138 ~~~ Matthew 7:7-12 ~~~

Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

Why does Jesus need to tell us to ask, seek and knock?

Are we afraid of coming to Jesus with our needs?

Do we feel if we do not ask then we cannot be denied?

Ask and it will be given to you;

seek and you will find;

knock and the door will be opened to you.

Our prayers are always answered, but we 

do not always understand the answer.

There are passages in scripture that reveal 

to us just how long it sometimes takes 

for prayers to be answered.

The Israelites were in the desert for forty days.

Queen Esther lay face down on the ground in prayer.

She surrounded herself with her servants and maids.

Esther was attempting to isolate herself from outside distractions.

Now help me, who am alone and have no one but you,

O LORD, my God.

Esther cries out to the Lord 

in her most desperate time of need.

What about us?

Do we wait until we are desperate?

Isn't it much better to keep the lines 

of communication open with God all of the time?

Have you ever considered this...

What if God answers your prayers in order to reach someone else?

This may be how it happens...

You pray...God answers...you praise God for his answer...

you share this with someone else...

that person now finds reason to ask God for their needs.

Your Blessings from God are never just for yourself.

I heard this on the radio this morning.

Have you ever taken your blessings 

and used that grace to help you reach out to others?

Every Blessing comes with corresponding grace,

it is this grace which prepares us to reach out to someone in need.

Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. 

God makes all things work for good...his good.

Be willing, especially during this time of Lent,

 to God using you for the work in his kingdom here on Earth.

You have a unique part in his divine plan.

~~~Peace~~~

Begin with Your Heart

~~~ Jonah 3:1-10 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Luke 11:29-32 ~~~

...when the people of Nineveh believed God;

they proclaimed a fast

and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth.

All the visible signs of repentance

will be useless unless one 

believes God.

Just going through the actions 

and motions of repentance is a waste of your time.

You must begin with a contrite heart.

It is through our contrite heart

that the desire and inspiration comes for us to do more.

For the people of Nineveh 

conversion of their hearts led them

into fasting, ashes, and sack cloth.

When conversion begins in the heart

no sacrifice or penance will be a burden.

A clean heart create for me, O God,

and a steadfast spirit renew within me.

A clean heart is the precursor to a renewed steadfast spirit.

Even now, says the LORD,

return to me with your whole heart

for I am gracious and merciful.

It is never too late to return to God.

We were born from the goodness of God.

Our Baptism cleanses our soul...returns it to God sparkling white.

The primary criteria for returning to God

 is making the first step toward his mercy and love.

God listens even to the slightest 

attempt to reconcile your heart to his.

He rejoices every time you get back up...

every time you begin again.

God is loving, patient, slow to anger.

God is waiting for us to turn our heart back to him.

Jonah, one chosen by God, resisted in the beginning.

God called out to him a second time.

Finally Jonah gave in to the grace God

 was sending into his heart.

God is sending this same grace

 into our hearts during this Lenten time.

He will not give up on one of us

no matter how long or how resistant we have become.

God did not create our hearts to be hard and stiff as our bones.

God created our heart to be in constant motion.

Our heart beats, pushing the blood 

of our life through every part of our body.

God wants all of us...head to toe...inside and out...

physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Now is the acceptable time to Believe...

God is waiting for you.

Take the first step his grace and blessings

are there for your assistance.

He is the one who is greater than Jonah.

Begin with your heart.

~~~Peace~~~

How is Your Prayer Life?

~~~ Isaiah 55:10-11 ~~~ Psalm 34 ~~~ Matthew 6:7-15 ~~~ 

This is how you are to pray:

We have heard from scripture to go into our inner room to pray.

Why would we need to isolate ourselves?

Maybe we need to be alone to find our true inner voice.

Praying in silence, even alone,

we can be more intent with the words we use.

When you pray with others 

are you paying attention to what you are praying?

Or are you just 'babbling' words along with the congregation?

Pray from what is in your heart.

Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Caution: You still need to ask!

So shall my word be

that goes forth from my mouth;

It shall not return to me void,

but shall do my will,

achieving the end for which I sent it.

The words of the Lord 

are life giving because they are the spirit of God.

The words of the Our Father 

were given to us from the lips of Jesus.

The Word became flesh.

The words of God brought all of creation into existence.

How much more power do you think his words could hold?

The Our Father is maybe the perfect prayer.

Do you pray it with intention?

Lent is a good time to examine our prayer life.

How do you pray?

Do you pray with intention?

Do you pray without paying attention to the meaning?

Praying is not just gibberish and babble...

it is so much more than that.

Make your prayers today more than just words.

Make your prayers today fruitful in the life of the Lord.

Blessed in, through, and with prayer.

~~~Peace~~~

Be More God-Like

~~~ Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18 ~~~ Psalm 19 ~~~ Matthew 25:31-46 ~~~

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

The words of the Lord are living words.

They refresh the soul.

They inspire us, guide us, counsel us in his ways.

The words of the Lord teach us a better way to live.

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

I am the LORD.

Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.

Lent is the perfect time to focus on our state of holiness.

If God did not think it was important

 for us to strive to be holy he would not

 have spoken these words.

We are a constant work in progress.

Our life is about getting to heaven

 which implies that we must be holy.

The words of God are life.

To be holy is to be in tune with God.

Whatever becomes of our life begins within our heart.

What we believe in is what we reach toward.

If we believe that being holy

 is worth while then we will make 

the necessary changes.

It will not be too overwhelming.

It will be invigorating to be more holy.

We were created in the image and likeness of God...

to be holy is to be more God like.

Blessings to become more like God.

Holiness is not just for the Saints...

holiness is for you.

~~~Peace~~~

Praying Psalm 91

First Sunday of Lent

~~~ Deuteronomy 26:4-10 ~~~ Psalm 91 ~~~

~~~ Romans 10:8-13 ~~~ Luke 4:1-13 ~~~

Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

Psalm 91 is often prayed by our military men and women.

Why would the church give us this message at the beginning of Lent?

Jesus was led into the desert to be tempted by the devil.

Jesus found himself in what might be considered

his own personal storm.

The devil executed his strategic plan...

tempt Jesus when he was alone and seemingly most vulnerable.

Jesus did have a support system.

The devil thought he was isolated with no support system.

Jesus had the strongest support...

he had God the Father and the Holy Spirit

by his side.

The devil waited until Jesus was hungry

thinking that was his best opportunity.

The devil was wrong.

The devil is no match for Jesus,

 the Father and the Holy Spirit are one with him.

Some years ago the pine bark beetle took advantage 

of a weakness caused by the serious drought.

The devil is like the pine bark beetle...

he waits patiently until until we are caught off guard.

The devil waits until we are vulnerable...caught

 in our own personal storm.

This is when he chooses to burst into our heart.

Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

He puts crazy thoughts into your head.

He toys with you faith.

He may even try to convince you that God has abandoned you.

He may attempt to make you believe that God

 is the cause of your troubles.

“everyone who calls on the name

 of the Lord will be saved.”

Praying with the words of psalm 91 fortifies our soul,

giving us the strength to stand up against the devil.

Valentine's Day traditionally celebrates love...

Love does not waiver confronted with the devil.

Love is the key...to resisting evil.

Love of God.

Trusting that the love of God will keep

 our eyes and heart fixed on Jesus.

Believe God is with you at all times.

Pray with Psalm 91. It will bring you comfort.

~~~ Peace ~~~

Lift Up Your Soul

~~~ Isaiah 58:9B-14 ~~~ Psalm 86 ~~~ Luke 5:27-32 ~~~

Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

Sometimes the best thing to do visit a loved one in the hospital.
Today I visited a friend recently hospitalized with the
 unexpected diagnosis of cancer.

My intention was to pray with her and for her and her husband.
I opened the pink printed prayer blanket over her tiny
body silently covering her in prayer.

She raised her eyes and with a smile she thanked me.
This is what we are called to do...
visit the sick...

We are called to be used as God's instrument;
we are invited to share God's joy.

We are called to gladden the soul of a friend in need.

We are called to lift up the heart of a friend.

Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading.

Lord bless those who are sick and in need of your healing
especially your beloved daughter, Nancy.

Grant your peace...fill her heart...calm her fears...
Allow her to believe in your constant presence.

Guide her care givers to be your hands, Lord.
Direct her doctors to the best possible course of treatment.

We know, Lord, that you send special blessings
 when those we love are in the eye of the storm.

We believe that you can make all things new.
We believe that just the touch of your tassel has power to heal.

We trust that your will be done...
that all will be well.

Gladden the soul of your servant...

Blessings and Peace!

Fasting with Purpose

~~~ Isaiah 58:1-9A ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Matthew 9:14-15 ~~~ 

Would that today you might fast

so as to make your voice heard on high!

During Lent we choose fasting as one way to a keep this time 

set apart from our usual spiritual practices.

Fasting by itself can inspire us to focus on things 

our soul longs for

as our body reacts to less food.

Fasting is not a reason to be nasty to others 

just because you are hungry.

If fasting does not lead you to experience 

the depravity of others

it is practiced in vain.

God would never ask us to fast for the sake of fasting.

Fasting is to put us into solidarity with those who are suffering.

Now is the acceptable time...

The acceptable time to make your voice heard on high.

Make your voice heard not because you are fasting, 

but because you are...

releasing those bound unjustly,

untying the thongs of the yoke;

Setting free the oppressed,

breaking every yoke;

Sharing your bread with the hungry,

sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;

Clothing the naked when you see them,

and not turning your back on your own.

Now is the time to fast from all selfishness.

Now is the time to give something to the DSF fund.

Now is the time to give to your faith community.

Now is the time to be an active part of the living Body of Christ.

Fasting is personal there is no need to advertise you're starving.

But there is reason to distribute food to the poor.

There is reason to donate your extra clothes...to clothe the naked.

There is reason to support your local Habitat for Humanity.

Jesus went into the desert to fast for forty days

 in preparation for his active ministry to the poor.

Jesus ministered to the poor everywhere he walked...

Some were physically poor, 

some were mentally poor, many were spiritually poor.

His fasting prepared him for the mission of saving us.

Before Jesus died on the cross for us we were all spiritually poor.

Our souls may never have found the way back to the goodness of God.

This Lent remember that whatever you do for the least

you also do for Jesus.

If this does not change your attitude 

probably nothing will.

Let your fasting lead you to the Spiritual 

and Corporal Works of Mercy

...so as to make your voice heard on high!

Fasting with a Purpose.

Blessings when you are hungry.

~~~Peace~~~

Take Up Your Cross: Choose Life

~~~Our Lady of Lourdes~~~

~~~ Deuteronomy 30:15-20 ~~~ Psalm 1 ~~~ Luke 9:22-25 ~~~

...deny himself

and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Jesus gives us the prescription for his followers.

It is something we must do each day.

It is not something we do a single time.

It is not something we put away in the drawer for later.

Every day we must 'take up our cross'.

Some days our crosses may be greater than other days.

What is importance is that we pick them up and take them with us.

We join more completely with Jesus 

when we can joyfully take up our crosses.

Our crosses can also be a reminder to choose life.

Moses said to the people:

“Today I have set before you

life and prosperity, death and doom.

If we do not choose life we will not have

 the strength to carry our crosses.

Choosing life means we choose Jesus...

when we choose Jesus we also choose to pick our personal cross.

Jesus shows us how to do this...

carrying ones cross is not easy but may bring 

special graces into our heart.

In the wisdom of the church today as we begin Lent

we also commemorate the 

Blessed Mother's appearance at Lourdes.

Today we reflect on the healing water at Lourdes.

Mary appeared here...she continues to bless 

the waters of Lourdes with healing powers.

Those who are sick are very aware of the cross they bear...

they are very aware of the admonition to choose life.

Perhaps the life we must choose is eternal life in heaven.

Much of the time we can only see life as here on Earth,

but our eternal life is much more important.

Our physical life is only a blip on the radar of eternity.

Choosing life is parallel to picking up our cross.

Some people find a better life when they are carrying their cross.

The Blessed Mother knows about our crosses.

She is nearby to intercede on your behalf.

She will help you carry your cross;

while she was not allowed to help her son, Jesus to carry his.

We may not be able to visit the healing water of Lourdes,

but we can pray for those who are in need of healing.

Our Lady of Lourdes,

pray for us.

Choose life...

cling to the Lord;

you will be blessed.

~~~Peace~~~

Prayer Takes You Deeper

~~~ Ash Wednesday ~~~

~~~ Joel 2:12-18 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ 

~~~ 2 Corinthians 5:20—6:2 ~~~ Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 ~~~

Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

The Lenten message is always to turn away from sin.
We are further reminded to return to the gospel.
Returning to the gospel is not about carrying
around the Bible for forty days.

If we were to physically pack our Bible on our backs every day,
maybe we would be more cognizant of how we should be living.

...return to me with your whole heart..

You cannot hold back part of your heart for the world.
Jesus wants us to return to him in body, mind, and soul.

We must be willing to leave behind
that which does not bring us closer to the heart of God.

‘Where is their God?’

It is our responsibility to make sure that no one
 who looks at us would ask this question.
If our life does not reflect our God,
now is the acceptable time.
Make some changes today.

Cast me not out from your presence...

We humbly approach the throne of mercy.
We trust that we will not be turned away from his presence.

Give me back the joy of your salvation,

and a willing spirit sustain in me.

Lent is not about doom and gloom...
Lent is about the humble joy in our great gift of salvation.

Lent is about having a firm commitment
to stay the course even in the face of setbacks.

...we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

God makes his grace available to us as we search our hearts.
His grace gives us the clear vision to see how
we can render change in our heart.

Do not miss this awesome opportunity
 to receive his special grace of repentance.

...when you pray, go to your inner room,

close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.

Set aside quiet time during this Lent...
spend some alone time with God.

Maybe it means getting up a few minutes early.
Maybe it means attending daily Mass at least once a week.
Maybe it means coming to Adoration for some
intimate time alone with Jesus.

Come to pray when no one knows you are praying.
Pray in your car...
Pray when you are running errands...
Pray when you are cooking and cleaning.

It is vital for the health of your soul
 to spend time in prayer each day.

Lent is the perfect time...begin a new habit of prayer.

Deepen the prayer life you already have established.

We can always go deeper with God.

Forty Days
Blessings in repentance and change.

Mercy reaches down to touch your soul.

~~~Peace~~~