R. The Lord is my light and my salvation. cf. Psalm 27:1a (this is a great phrase in times of trouble to meditate on. Do you believe? Can you trust in God? Come, Follow Me From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” As he was walking by the Sea […]
R. Lord come and save us. Cf. ISAIAH 35:4 (Psalm 146) This is the one whom I sent—a PROPHET! John the Baptist has lived like a patient farmer awaiting “the precious fruit of the earth.” From the midst of the “hardship and patience” that he suffers in prison for being a prophet “who spoke in the name of the Lord,” […]
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever. Cf. Psalm 72:7 Is anyone listening?! As a parent, Catechist (teacher) or even friend, we can feel like we are John the Baptist! We are a voice crying out in the desert. Is anyone listening? Our message that Jesus is coming can get lost in the noise […]
Scripture focus for October 2, 2022 R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. cf. Psalm 95:8 What’s a Parable? A parable is a story with a meaning. It has a purpose. Jesus wanted us to understand something better. And actually do something with it. It is one of the smallest of all seeds (only 2.5mm), but […]
The Greed Trap: It is easy to regard possessions as treasures and to find so much pleasure in them that we want more and more…How do we let ourselves fall into this trap? Certainly, advertisements play a role in convincing us we need to own everything that is new and improved…Our own insecurities also play a role—the more we possess, […]
Are you struggling? Tired? In pain? Discouraged? “I know from experience that God makes up for what is lacking with great generosity. He gives us inwardly what outward circumstances deny. With him and by him I must become more loving, strong, and peaceful, live the inner life more, and yet give myself generously to those I love and to all […]
Before I was humiliated I was like a stone that lies in deep mud, and he who is mighty came and in his compassion raised me up and exalted me very high and placed me on the top of the wall. St. Patrick In today’s language and grammar, this statement could be confusing. I would like to put a comma after the preposition at the beginning! But I know that in other languages, the meaning is a bit different. I imagine the stone walls or buildings of old. Could this be a stone wall around the sheep’s field? Or the high fortress wall of a great city? This analogy for our little resurrection is literally uplifting! Today, I may be stuck in the chaos and cares I face. Today, I may be stuck in bad habits that I don’t even see anymore! The image of feeling lighter and dropping all the useless baggage I carry has been a theme for me this year. I’m letting go. If the person I want to be is free, I want to let go of the things holding me back. Sometimes, that can be material possessions like clothing or shoes I don’t wear or even need anymore. It could be spending less time with negative people and more time with people that bring me joy. All of this reflection needs to be done with God’s glasses on and prayer. God knows when to help […]
My favorite Scripture is Numbers 6:24-26. It is a blessing that I pray/post for people on their birthday and have used in artwork for gifts. Look it up. Dust off your Bible? Find it? When I looked for the exact verses again today, I looked at the footnote and learned something new! What do your Footnotes say about peace? * [6:26] Peace: the Hebrew word Shalom includes the idea of happiness, good health, prosperity, friendship, and general well-being. To use this term as a greeting was to pray for all these things upon the one greeted. Shalom my friends! The Grace and Peace of Christ to you! #IloveScripture Photo credit: Freepik.com
Psalm Response: The Lord is kind and merciful. Ps 103:8 Last week, Jesus gave us words to live by, The ‘Beatitudes,’ or blessings. Today, Jesus reminds us to be compassionate and forgiving. Jesus continues to explain what he means and how we should live. We are so quick to judge others harshly. Would we want God to judge us that […]
Response: Blessed are they who hope in the Lord. He is like a tree planted near running water, that yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves never fade. Psalm 1 The BEATITUDES And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said, “Blessed are you…” Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. Luke 6 We cherish these words of Jesus even today. The ‘Beatitudes,’ or blessings, that Christ gives us takes everything to the next level. We even see that the prophets have said this before! Their message might have been said with a “woe to you if you are satisfied” instead of blessed are you. The paradox of our faith shows itself in these blessings. How can we laugh when we feel like crying? This distinction can be hard to understand for us today. You may have heard ‘happy are those’ in a different translation. We know that we can’t be happy all the time. Words for our blessings are satisfied, comforted and can experience the Kingdom of Heaven. It’s a different way of looking at the challenges we have in life. Interesting that the following verses in Luke Chapter 6 are love your enemies and the Golden rule. Check out the next posts! The Beatitudes are the way to live that goes beyond the 10 Commandments. Taking it up a notch! Why? What do we think? Then how do […]
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