Broken Heart Remedy

~~~ Wisdom 2:1A, 12-22 ~~~ Psalm 34 ~~~ 

~~~ John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30 ~~~

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.

When you are in the brokenhearted realm

you may not be able to think clearly.

Merriam Webster defines brokenhearted:

filled with great sadness especially because 

someone has left you or died...

overwhelmed by grief or disappointment.

There really is medically something called

'broken heart syndrome'.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted because

the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual effects are real.

The Lord cares for us on every level of our being.

Severe emotional pain can cause physical

 damage to the heart.

The emotional pain of a great loss maybe 

part of our natural survival instinct. 

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted...

 the pain is real, it is not imaginary.

During Lent we may encounter a sense 

of our distance from God through our sinfulness.

This can result in feelings of deep grief.

Jesus desires to heal us of our broken heart.

Jesus desires us to be fully whole in mind, body and soul.

He is with us in our time of need.

He is with us especially when we experience

a broken heart.

...those who are crushed in spirit he saves.

Do you find this verse as comforting as I do?

It is so important to reflect upon things of such importance 

before we actually find ourselves in the

 grasp of a devastating crisis.

We must reinforce our faith in God's presence

in the good times and in the times when we are suffering.

Lent is the perfect time to meditate

on just how great God is...

that his love for us is immense.

He never wants us to suffer from a broken heart...

He never wants our spirit to be crushed...

He wants us to come to him in our times of distress...

times of brokenness and crushed spirit.

Has your broken heart or crushed spirit

brought you closer to the Lord?

Come to the feet of Jesus

curl up in the hem of his garment.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted...

the brokenhearted is invited to come to the Lord.

Blessings for the Brokenhearted.

~~~Peace~~~

Cries of the Poor

~~~ Zephaniah  3:1-2, 9-13 ~~~ Psalm 34 ~~~ Matthew 21:28-32 ~~~

The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

The other day as we were sitting in the doctor's waiting room
a woman came in being pushed in a wheelchair by her husband.
The woman appeared to be in good health, but
she was quietly moaning as if in pain.

We hear small children crying when they are hungry or tired.
We cry over losses in our own lives.
We even shed tears from being filled with joy.
Sometimes we cry for no apparent reason.

Today the psalmist writes of the Lord hearing the cry of the poor.

There are many ways we can be 'poor'.

So many times the cry of the poor goes unnoticed.
So many times their cry is so small we cannot hear it.
So many times their cry is a silent cry...
a cry from their heart.

The cry of the poor is always heard by the Lord.
He gives their cry a voice.
It is the Lord that makes their cry
touch the hearts of others.

It is the Lord that tugs at our heart strings
causing us to also hear the cry.

We have the choice to ignore the cry.
We have the choice to turn and walk away.
We have the choice to judge the one who cries.
We have the choice to hear the cry.

The Lord responds to the cry of the poor.
He responds with love and compassion.
The Lord responds with his grace...
he gives them hope.

When we respond to the cry of the poor
we are responding in communion with the Lord.

We must respond with our actions not just our voices.

During this season of love remember to hear the cry of the poor...
remember to take action and respond.

Blessed..
 Remembering to hear the cry of the poor.

~~~Peace~~~
Joy
to the World!

The Eternal Bond

~~~ Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~~~

~~~ Proverbs 9:1-6 ~~~ Psalm 34 ~~~ 

Ephesians 5:15-20 ~~~ John 6:51-58 ~~~

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood

remains in me and I in him, says the Lord.

How many times have you heard...
You are what you eat.
This is exactly what happens when we
receive the Body and Blood of Jesus...
when we eat and drink from his gift of eternal salvation.

When we consume the very body and blood of Jesus
he becomes part of our living flesh and blood.
We are the living tabernacles holding his precious body.
It is his flesh and blood that nourishes your soul.
He takes us unto himself every time we receive Eucharist.
He bonds himself to every cell in your being.
This bond goes beyond your physical body;
this bond flows into your soul.
This bond is undetectable with the naked eye.
This bond exists over all of time.

How can you ignore or even deny your body
 and soul such an eternal bond?

It is not necessary for you to try to understand this unique bond
you have with Jesus through the Eucharist.
The mystery of this relationship you have with Jesus
is meant to keep you returning time and time again.

This relationship is meant to sustain you until
 you are perfectly united with God in heaven.

The perfection of the Eucharist enters into our imperfect
bodies and makes us holy.

Who else but our loving God would
allow such a relationship?
We are not worthy to receive him,
but none the less he gives of himself to us.

Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Jesus is the Living Bread.
He is the Way the Truth and the Life.
It would be foolish of us to miss the gift he gives of himself.

Accept his gift of life as often as you can receive Eucharist.
It is his true presence within the bread and wine
that brings new life to your soul.
This is the life you long for in the depths of your heart.

Blessed to receive the most precious
Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

~~~Peace~~~

Reconciliation...a New Creation

~~~Fourth Sunday of Lent~~~

 

Joshua 5:9A, 10-12~~Psalm 34~~2 Corinthians 5: 17-21~~Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

 

 

Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

The Lord removes the negative, delivers you from fear...
he makes all things new.

"Whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come."

"...given us the ministry of reconciliation..."

"...We implore you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God..."

 

If you do not accomplish anything else this Lent,

examine your heart and be fully reconciled with God.

If you are reconciled with God you can

then extend the same reconciliation to others.

Perhaps it is a relative, a neighbor, or a friend that

you can extend your words of forgiveness.

 

Reconciliation is the healing of the heart.

Reconciliation is accepting the shortcomings of another.

Reconciliation can be the greatest gift of joy you can give a loved one.

 

Too many people wait until a loved one is on their death bed

before they consider reaching out in reconciliation.

 

Lent is a wonderful time for reconciliation between yourself and God

and yourself and others.

 

It is through the goodness of God that we have been reconciled with him.

Be Reconciled!

Generosity of the Spirit

~~~ Acts 5: 27-33 ~~~ Psalm 34 ~~~ John 3: 31-36 ~~~

Well the officials soon decided to execute them. Facing death, the apostles insist on obeying God rather than man. The Holy Spirit has reinforced the will of these men beyond normal capacity. So bold were they that they were openly accusing these very officials of putting Jesus to death.

They may have found strength in the words of the psalmist,  "...the Lord confronts the evildoers, to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.”

It is good to remember when faced with adversities to draw strength from the Lord. He is abundant in all that is good. We but need to draw from this pool of living water.

The gifts of the Spirit are not rationed, as John states. We know, however that the ways of the Lord are not our ways. The ways of the Lord are from above. The ways of the Lord are not subject to the whims of societal pressures.

The generosity of the Spirit is boundless. There is a constant out pouring of grace streaming from the Spirit. Our responsibility is to open ourselves to receive it. Just as we cannot put water into a closed container; we cannot make use of this abundant grace with a closed heart.

 

God the Father sent down his love incarnate in Jesus.

The words of Jesus are one with the Father.

“Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28: 20

I invite you to sit in a comfortable chair today and visualize your heart opening to receive God’s magnificent grace. Pray to receive the graces necessary to be the person God meant for you to become.