R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Psalm 95:8 The Woman At The Well Pope Benedict XVI wrote that “she thirsts for life itself and that all the assuaging that she seeks and finds cannot slake this living, elemental thirst…. There comes to light the real dilemma, the deep-seated waywardness, of their existence: she is […]
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,” […]
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 […]
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 […]
This was such a great resource from Loyola Press that I had to share it with all of my families in Faith Formation and especially our Grade 7 Confirmation class! The Beatitudes are so difficult to explain and understand, even for me. How can we apply to our lives? Starting in March, we will be giving BEE-attitude awards out in classes. The laminated page from Loyola Press has the Beatitudes from Jesus in Matthew 5:3-10 on one side and the Beatitudes for Families on the other. What a wonderful discussion for your family! One example: Blessed are the families who strengthen one another, encourage compassion, and desire to do good despite life’s blows and setbacks, for they help bring about the Kingdom of God. (Beatitude for Families #8) Praying for all families everywhere, Donna Doherty, Dir. of St. Gall Faith Formation Published in the St. Gall Bulletin for Sunday, 1/16/22
All things are possible with God.
Scripture focus for the February 7 Mass Jesus Heals the Sick all over Galilee Today’s Mass begins with Job crying out to the Lord in despair. Today, we might echo our own despair. Is this all there is? Why is life so hard? Why can’t I have an easy life like that guy over there? Can’t I just get a […]
I read the post linked below from Franciscan Media. They asked a good question. I took it a step farther. I agree that hope is difficult now. I am having a hard time taking the gift of hope out of the box so I can use it. I accept it, unwrap it, and take the lid off. The division and unrest I feel lately makes it hard to lift my arms to take hope out and use it. Like Moses, I need people to hold up my arms. (read Exodus 17! https://bible.usccb.org/bible/exodus/17) The Battle of Amalek: Moses said he would stand at the top of the mountain overlooking the battle with his staff. This is the staff that parted the Red Sea for the Israelites’ escape, and brought water and quail out of the desert landscape. Some say that this is the same staff that turned into a snake in front of the Pharaoh. This walking stick became the “rod of God.” (I digress – become the stick in the hand of God! interesting, transformation, hmmm) But Moses couldn’t hold his arms up for the whole battle. First they gave him a rock to sit on. Then Joshua and Hur held his arms up for him. Why? Because when he became weak, they started to lose the battle! With the inspiration of Moses, I need some people or something to hold my arms up. All of the division and negative […]
If only you were here, our brother would not have died! Those words were from Martha to Jesus about her brother Lazarus. This story from the Book of John is quite famous. Martha and Mary are sisters with different ideas. When Jesus came to visit, Martha thought she was doing all the work to prepare and feed everyone. Mary was just sitting at Jesus feet! We may have a lot to do but we need to sit at the feet of Jesus, too. We continue the story today with Martha very upset about Larazus’ death. They had sent word to Jesus but he didn’t come! Jesus tells Martha that Lazarus will rise again. Martha is grieving her loss. She knows that he will rise again on the last day! Jesus tells her that he is the Resurrection and the life. She knows that! It didn’t help her loss today. She knew he was the Messiah. That’s why they sent for him. He could have cured Lazarus! Jesus saw Mary and others weeping. Jesus asks them to take him to the tomb and roll away the stone. They tell Jesus it will smell bad, as if he didn’t know! Jesus says, Did I not tell you that you would see the glory of God? Jesus prays asking the Father to help him show everyone so that they will believe. He tells Lazarus to come out of the tomb. And he did! […]
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