Monday, September 30, 2019

A Reason, a Season, or a Lifetime

People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are! They are there for the reason you need them to be.  Then, without any wrongdoing on your part, or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.

Sometimes they die.
Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.

What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered. And now it is time to move on.

When people come into your life for a SEASON, it is because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They bring you an experience of peace, or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons; things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

Author Unknown

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Prayer for Making Decisions

God,
It seems that life is always requiring decisions.
Sometimes everything in my life is stable and settled,
And then a new opportunity presents itself, 
And I feel unsteady and unsure of which way to go.

At other times I become weary with stability 
And decide I want a change in my life. 
That’s when I look for other possibilities 
That may allow me to move in a different direction.

In either case, I can feel unsettled about making a decision, 
Especially when there is still some 
Haziness in my heart about the course I should take.
I do not, after all, want to make the wrong decision. 

I pray that you will guide my thoughts
When I am searching through options for my future. 
Help me be patient when the process 
Is unfolding more slowly than I would want.

Help me trust the spirit of intuition 
That you have given me as an aid for
Interpreting the signs that help me move forward.

From: Understanding God Today

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Houses

I walk in and out of many worlds. - Joy Harjo, Creek/Cherokee

In my mind are many dwellings. Each of the dwellings we create ourselves:
the house of anger, 
the house of despair, 
the house of self-pity, 
the house of indifference, 
the house of negative, 
the house of positive, 
the house of hope, 
the house of joy, 
the house of peace, 
the house of enthusiasm, 
the house of cooperation, 
the house of giving. 

Each of these houses we visit each day. We can stay in any house for as long as we want. We can leave these mental houses any time we wish. We create the dwelling, we stay in the dwelling, and we leave the dwelling whenever we wish. We can create new rooms, new houses. Whenever we enter these dwellings, this becomes our world until we leave for another. What world will we live in today?

Lord, no one can determine which dwelling I choose to enter. No one has the power to do so, only me. Let me choose wisely today.

Friday, September 27, 2019

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The parable in today’s gospel from Luke 16:19-31 (the Rich man and Lazarus) is another of St. Luke’s confronting stories.  St. Luke graphically reminds us that we must be aware of and share our resources with people who are suffering and in need.  To ignore the needs of others has dire consequences for anyone who follows Jesus Christ.  The rich man had many opportunities to reach out to Lazarus and help him.  But he didn’t.  He was so self-absorbed and complacent that he never noticed Lazarus starving at his door. Sadly, for the rich man his selfishness lands him in hell while Lazarus is carried by angels to the bosom of Abraham. 

If you happen to drive by the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Atlanta any evening, you will see homeless men and women gathering on the steps of the church.  Some bring pieces of cardboard to sleep on, others have blankets and a few fortunate people have sleeping bags.  They spread out over the steps and spill out on to the sidewalk; each preparing a space where he or she can stretch out and sleep.  In the morning, volunteers and staff at the Shrine distribute sandwiches and coffee before sending everyone off for the day.  Every Saturday volunteers and members of the Shrine provide meals for hundreds of people.  And during the winter months the Shrine and Central Presbyterian Church just a few yards away, open their doors to homeless men providing meals, showers, medical care, safety and a warm place to spend the night.  Volunteers come from all over the city for the privilege to serve meals and spend the night with people God loves so intensely. 

I suppose it is possible to drive by the Shrine and not pay any attention to the people sleeping on the steps.  It probably is a little more difficult to walk by and miss this mass of humanity.  However, when I was the pastor there, it was impossible for me to ignore what was happening quite literally on my doorstep even if I wanted to.  I couldn’t get out the rectory door without tripping over someone.  So, when I read the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, I find the rich man's behavior confounding.  How was it possible for the rich man to ignore a sick and starving person “lying at his door”?  The picture I have is of the rich man dressed in his “purple garments and fine linen” taking a giant step over Lazarus everyday as he went about his business.

The rich man in our parable today was not a bad person but he was grossly insensitive, self-centered and complacent.  He had countless opportunities to reach out and help Lazarus.  But he did nothing.  And so, when they both die, the rich man suffers the torments of hell while Lazarus is “carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham” (Luke 16:22).  All of us encounter people in need.  Our challenge is to respond appropriately, with compassion, mercy and love.  A practical guide for us is found in 1 Timothy 6:17-19, “Tell the rich in the present age not to be proud and not to rely on so uncertain a thing as wealth but rather on God, who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment.  Tell them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready to share, thus accumulating as treasure a good foundation for the future, so as to win the life that is true life.”

God of the poor and the powerless,
you reach out to us,
in every empty hand, in every hungry person.
Teach us to understand sin
not only as doing evil
but also as failing to do good.
Open our eyes to see you,
and our hands to serve you
in everyone we meet.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
AMEN

Thursday, September 26, 2019

God's Phone Number

Hello God, I called tonight
To talk a little while
I need a friend who'll listen
To my anxiety and trial.

You see, I can't quite make it
Through a day just on my own
I need your love to guide me,
So I'll never feel alone.

I want to ask you please to keep,
My family safe and sound.
Come and fill their lives with confidence
For whatever fate they're bound.

Give me faith, dear God, to face
Each hour throughout the day,
And not to worry over things
I can't change in any way.

I thank you God, for being home
And listening to my call,
For giving me such good advice
When I stumble and fall.

Your number, God, is the only one
That answers every time.
I never get a busy signal,
Never had to pay a dime.

So thank you, God, for listening
To my troubles and my sorrow.
Good night, God,
Until tomorrow!


Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Grateful

There is always something to be grateful for even when life is hard and times are tough.

Everyday is a blessing, and in each moment there are many things that we can be grateful for. The world opens up to us when we live in a space of gratitude. In essence, gratitude has a snowball effect. When we are appreciative and express that gratitude, the universe glows a bit brighter and showers us with even more blessings.

There is always something to be grateful for, even when life seems hard. When times are tough, whether we are having a bad day or stuck in what may feel like an endless rut, it can be difficult to take the time to feel grateful. Yet, that is when gratitude can be most important. If we can look at our lives, during periods of challenge, and find something to be grateful for, then we can transform our realities in an instant. There are blessings to be found everywhere. When we are focusing on what is negative, our abundance can be easy to miss. Instead, choosing to find what already exists in our lives that we can appreciate can change what we see in our world. We start to notice one blessing, and then another.

When we constantly choose to be grateful, we notice that every breath is a miracle and each smile becomes a gift. We begin to understand that difficulties are also invaluable lessons. The sun is always shining for us when we are grateful, even if it is hidden behind clouds on a rainy day. A simple sandwich becomes a feast, and a trinket is transformed into a treasure. Living in a state of gratitude allows us to spread our abundance because that is the energy that we emanate from our beings. Because the world reflects back to us what we embody, the additional blessings that inevitably flow our way give us even more to be grateful for. The universe wants to shower us with blessings. The more we appreciate life, the more life appreciates and bestows us with more goodness.


Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Trust Him


Then Why Don't We Pray?

The highest privilege ever afforded to humans is the power of prayer.
... then why don't we pray?

The right to talk to the highest power in all the universe...
... then why don't we pray?

The most powerful force accessible to people is the potential of prayer...
... then why don't we pray?

The greatest longing in the heart of God is to talk to His children...
... then why don't we pray?

Nothing is impossible to those who pray...
... then why don't we pray?

No one ever failed or faltered who gave himself to prayer...
... then why don't we pray?

Every sin is forgiven, every stain is washed clean, all guilt diminished to the one who prays...
... then why don't we pray?

Hell moves farther away, Satan flees from the one who prays...
... then why don't we pray?

Anointing will come, mountains will be moved, valleys made smooth, rivers made crossable, the inaccessible made accessible, the impossible made possible, dreams come true to the one who prays...
... then why don't we pray?

Jesus said that men ought always to pray...
... then why don't we pray?

Paul encouraged prayer without ceasing...
... then why don't we pray?

The riches of heaven are open to those who pray in His name...
... then why don't we pray?

Everyone can pray, the young, the old, the rich, the poor, the strong, the weak, the child, the aged, the sinner, the prisoner, in any nation, in any language, all people can pray...
... then why don't we pray?

Monday, September 23, 2019

September 23 - Feast Day of Padre Pio

On September 23, the Catholic Church remembers the Italian Franciscan priest St. Pio of Petrelcina, better known as “Padre Pio” and known for his suffering, humility and miracles.

The man later known by these names was originally named Francesco Forgione, born to his parents Grazio and Maria in 1887. His parents had seven children, two of whom died in infancy. They taught the five surviving children to live their faith through daily Mass, family prayer of the rosary, and regular acts of penance.

Francesco had already decided at a young age to dedicate his entire life to God. At age 10, he felt inspired by the example of a young Capuchin Franciscan, and told his parents: “I want to be a friar – with a beard.” Francesco’s father spent time in America, working to finance his son’s education so he could enter the religious life.

On Jan. 22, 1903, Francesco donned the Franciscan habit for the first time. He took the new name Pio, a modernized Italian form of “Pius,” in honor of Pope St. Pius V. He made his solemn vows four years later, and received priestly ordination in the summer of 1910. Shortly after, he first received the Stigmata – Christ’s wounds, present in his own flesh.

Along with these mystical but real wounds, Padre Pio also suffered health problems that forced him to live apart from his Franciscan community for the first six years of his priesthood. By 1916 he managed to re-enter community life at the Friary of San Giovanni Rotondo, where he lived until his death. He handled many duties as a spiritual director and teacher, covering for brothers drafted into World War I.

During 1917 and 1918, Padre Pio himself briefly served in a medical unit of the Italian army. He later offered himself as a spiritual “victim” for an end to the war, accepting suffering as a form of prayer for peace. Once again, he received the wounds of Christ on his body. They would remain with him for 50 years, through a succession of global conflicts.

Against his own wishes, the friar’s reputation for holiness, and attending miracles, began to attract huge crowds. Some Church officials, however, denounced the priest and had him banned from public ministry in 1931. Pope Pius XI ended the ban two years later, and his successor Pius XII encouraged pilgrimages to Padre Pio’s friary.

Known for patient suffering, fervent prayer, and compassionate spiritual guidance, Padre Pio also lent his efforts to the establishment of a major hospital, the “Home to Relieve Suffering.”

Padre Pio died in 1968, and was declared a saint in 2002. Three years after his death, Pope Paul VI marveled at his simple and holy life in an address to the Capuchin Order.

“A worldwide following gathered around him ... because he said Mass humbly, heard confessions from dawn to dusk and was – it is not easy to say it – one who bore the wounds of our Lord,” Pope Paul explained. “He was a man of prayer and suffering.”

CatholicNewsAgency.com

Sunday, September 22, 2019

September 22 - Feast Day of St. Thomas of Villanova

On September 22, the Catholic Church remembers Saint Thomas of Villanova, a 16th century Spanish Augustinian monk and archbishop who lived a life of austerity in order to provide for the spiritual and material needs of his people.

Born during 1488 in the Spanish region of Castile, in the town of Villanova de los Infantes, Thomas Garcia was raised to take after the faith and charitable works of his parents Alphonsus and Lucia. His father, a mill worker, regularly distributed food and provisions to the poor, as did his mother.

Generous and devout from an early age, their son was also intellectually gifted, beginning his studies at the University of Alcala at age 16. Within ten years he had become a professor of philosophy at that same university, where he taught for two years before being offered a more prestigious position at the University of Salamanca.

Thomas, however, chose not to continue his academic career. After his father’s death, he had determined to leave much of his inheritance to the poor and sick rather than retaining it himself. At age 28, after much deliberation, Thomas embraced a life of chastity, poverty, and religious obedience with his entry into the monastic Order of St. Augustine.

Thomas made his first vows as an Augustinian in 1517 and was ordained a priest in 1518. He taught theology within his order and became renowned for his eloquent and effective preaching in the churches of Salamanca. This led to his appointment as a court preacher and adviser to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.

Presented with the prospect of being named an archbishop, Thomas initially declined and instead continued his work within the Order of St. Augustine, during a period that saw its expansion across the sea to Mexico. In August of 1544, however, he was ordered by his religious superiors to accept his appointment as the Archbishop of Valencia.

Thomas arrived wearing the same well-worn monastic habit that he had worn for several years and would continue wearing for years to come. Given a donation to decorate his residence, he funneled the money to a hospital in need of repair. After his installation, he visited local prisons and ordered changes to be made in response to their inhumane conditions.

While continuing his life of monastic asceticism, the archbishop worked to improve the spiritual lives and living conditions of the faithful. He gave special attention to the needs of the poor, feeding and sheltering them in his own residence. During the same period he worked to promote education, restore religious orthodoxy, and reform the lifestyles of clergy and laypersons.

After 11 years leading the Archdiocese of Valencia, St. Thomas of Villanova succumbed to a heart condition at the end of a Mass held in his home on Sept. 8, 1555. He is said to have died on the floor rather than in his bed, which he insisted on offering to a poor man who had come to his house. Pope Alexander VII canonized him in 1658.

Help Me Find a Way

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace:
wherever I encounter anger and hatred, help me find a way to bring love;
wherever I find injury, help me find a way to bring pardon and healing;
wherever I find doubt, help me find a way to bring faith;
wherever I encounter despair, help me find a way to show hope;
wherever I encounter darkness, help me find a way to bring light;
wherever I find sadness, help me find a way to bring Your Joy.
And, Lord, help me to realize that sometimes I find these within myself!

My Creator, help me find a way –
not so much to being consoled, as to being compassionate with others,
not so much to being understood, as to listen and to understand others,
not so much to being loved myself, but rather than to love those I encounter.
For it is in giving of our own gifts and talents, that we receive,
it is in forgiving the hurts we receive from others, that we are forgiven ourselves,
and it is in giving up our old life that we are born to a new life both here on earth and eternally with You.
Lord, Help me find a way.

Amen.


Saturday, September 21, 2019

Paradox of Surrender

Perhaps the greatest paradox in the story of spirituality is the mystical insight that we are able to experience release only if we ourselves let go. This is the paradox of surrender. Surrender begins with the acceptance that we are not in control of the matter at hand—in fact, we are not in absolute control of anything. Thus the experience of surrender involves the “letting in” of reality that becomes possible when we are ready to let go of our illusions and pretensions.

If surrender is the act of “letting go,” the experience of conversion can be understood as the hinge on which that act swings—it is the turning point, the turning from “denial” as a way of seeing things to acceptance of the reality revealed in surrender.

The experiencing of release most frequently comes at the point of exhaustion, at the moment when we “give up” our efforts and thus permit ourselves to just be.
What blocks Release more than anything else is the refusal to “let go” that comes from the demand for security, for certainty, for assured results. Release, like spirituality itself, requires risk.

September 21 - Feast Day of St. Matthew the Apostle

Saint Matthew, the first-century tax collector turned apostle who chronicled the life and ministry of Christ in his Gospel, is celebrated by the Church today, September 21. Although relatively little is known about the life of St. Matthew, the account he wrote of Christ's ministry – traditionally considered to be the first of the four Gospels - is of inestimable value to the Church, particularly in its verification of Jesus as the Messiah.

Eastern Catholics and the Orthodox churches celebrate St. Matthew on November 16, along with St. Fulvianus, a prince who is recorded in some traditions as converting from paganism after Matthew's martyrdom.

The Gospel accounts of Mark and Luke, like Matthew's own, describe the encounter between Jesus and Matthew under the surprising circumstances of Matthew's tax-collecting duties. Jewish publicans, who collected taxes on behalf of the Roman rulers of first-century Judea, were objects of scorn and even hatred among their own communities, since they worked on behalf of the occupying power and often earned their living by collecting more than the state's due.

Jesus most likely first encountered Matthew near the house of Peter, in Capernaum near the Sea of Galilee. The meeting of the two was dramatic, as Matthew's third-person account in his Gospel captured: “As Jesus passed on,” the ninth chapter recounts, “he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, 'Follow me'. And he got up and followed him.”

Matthew's calling into Jesus' inner circle was a dramatic gesture of the Messiah's universal message and mission, causing some religious authorities of the Jewish community to wonder: “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus' significant response indicated a central purpose of his ministry: “I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."

A witness to Christ's resurrection after death, as well as his ascension into heaven and the events of Pentecost, Matthew also recorded Jesus' instruction for the apostles to “go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

Like 11 of the 12 apostles, St. Matthew is traditionally thought to have died as a martyr while preaching the Gospel. The Roman Martyrology describes his death as occurring in a territory near present-day Egypt.

Both the saint himself, and his Gospel narrative, have inspired important works of religious art, ranging from the ornate illuminated pages of the Book of Kells in the ninth century, to the Saint Matthew Passion of J.S. Bach. Three famous paintings of Caravaggio, depicting St. Matthew's calling, inspiration and martyrdom, hang within the Contarelli Chapel in Rome's Church of St. Louis of the French.

Reflecting on St. Matthew's calling, from the pursuit of dishonest financial gain to the heights of holiness and divine inspiration, Pope Benedict said in 2006 that “in the figure of Matthew, the Gospels present to us a true and proper paradox: those who seem to be the farthest from holiness can even become a model of the acceptance of God's mercy and offer a glimpse of its marvelous effects in their own lives.”

Prayer for God's Will

Dear Lord, I thank You for this day,
I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning.
I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God.
You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me.
Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to you.

I ask now for Your forgiveness.
Please keep me safe from all danger and harm.
Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude.
Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You.
Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things.
Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over.
And give me the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits.

I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart.
Continue to use me to do Your will.
Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others.
Keep me strong that I may help the weak.
Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others.
I pray for those that are lost and can't find their way.
I pray for those that are misjudged and misunderstood.
I pray for those who don't know You intimately.
I pray for those that will delete this without sharing it with others
I pray for those that don't believe.

But I thank You that I believe that God changes people and God changes things.
I pray for all my sisters and brothers.
For each and every family member in their households.
I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes; that they will be out of debt and all their needs will be met.
I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than God.
Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight.

Amen

Friday, September 20, 2019

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In today's gospel, Luke 16:1-13, Jesus presents a disconcerting story, the Parable of the Dishonest Steward.  A dishonest steward squandered his master's property.  When caught he devised a cunning plan to save himself.  Knowing that manual laborer did not suit him and acknowledging that he was "ashamed to beg," the steward went to his master's debtors adjusting their debts.  By doing this, the steward assured their indebtedness to him and guaranteed his welcome in their homes.  When the master discovered the steward's ploy, he does not get angry nor does he condemn the man.  Rather he "commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently" (Luke 16:8).

There are as many different interpretations of this parable as there are scripture scholars.  Is the steward nothing more than a common criminal?  Or, is he a shrewd and astute businessperson?  Why does the master commend the steward for cheating him again?  Is the master just as corrupt as the steward?  And what about the debtors?  Aren't they dishonest as well?  Are they all rouges?  Is there some sort of honor among this group of thieves?

The message Jesus offers us is very straightforward.  Our Lord is not praising dishonest practices, he simply observes the ingenuity, energy and determination the steward applied to save himself.  If we applied as much ingenuity and energy to building God's kingdom as the steward did to save himself, our world would be a very different place.  As Jesus said, "the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light" (Luke 16:8).

You have called us, O God,
to love and serve you as the one only God.
Make us wise and resourceful,
children of the light who continue your work in this world
with untiring concern for justice and the integrity of creation.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
AMEN.


Thursday, September 19, 2019

Grace of God

A priest dreamed he had died and was standing in front of the gates of heaven. As it will happen in such make-believe dreams, he came face to face with St. Peter, who was holding a big book and was ready to decide if this man - a priest -was going to be allowed into heaven.

St. Peter gave him a surprise announcement. "You're going to need 100 points to get inside the gates."

"Well," said he said proudly, "I was a priest for 47 years."
"That's nice," answered Peter. "That gets you one point."

"One point?! That's all I get? Just one point for 47 years of service?"
"Yes, that's correct," said Peter.

The priest was concerned at the scoring system. He tried to think of other things he had done in life.

"Well," he said, "I visited shut-ins every chance I got."
"One point."

"I developed a number of recovery programs, and I took part in many civic groups in our city. People loved me!"
"One point. Now you've got three points."

"I worked with youth," said the priest, "and surely you must know what that's like!"
"One more point," said Peter, "and that makes four. You need 96 more points."

"Oh no!" the priest cried out in panic. "I feel so helpless, so inadequate. Except for the grace of God, I don't have a chance."

St. Peter smiled a big smile. "Ah . . . the grace of God! That's good for 96 points. Come on in!"

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Suffering

The Elders say that if you want something good, you have to suffer for it."

People sometimes have a misconception of sacrifice. This is a strong word for Indian people. On the other side of sacrifice is another whole world. During sacrifice, our beliefs are tested. We may all have good beliefs but if you test a good belief, then you get real beliefs. Real beliefs make new people; real beliefs make new self images. Real beliefs allow determination and desires and faith to come true. Good is always available to us but we often can't bring it within until we let go of the old ways. We let go of the old ways by suffering. Suffering is only letting go of things that don't work anymore. On the other side of suffering is a new world.

Creator, help me to let go of old ways. Let my old thoughts and beliefs be abandoned. Every change is preceded by struggle. Help me go through the struggle today.

From “The White Bison”

Monday, September 16, 2019

Minor Decisions

A married couple was celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary. At the party everybody wanted to know how they managed to stay married so long in this day and age.

The husband responded, "When we were first married, we came to an agreement. I would make all the major decisions, and my wife would make all the minor decisions."

At which point the wife took up the tale, “And in 60 years of marriage we have never needed to make a major decision.”

Walking in a way that honors Christ may sound like a major decision ... to walk in a way worthy of your calling. But in a sense, this major decision is made with a long series - a lifetime, even - of minor decisions. You just make ‘em one at the time, like one little step at a time, and pretty soon, you're walking in a brand new way, right into heaven.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Value of a Rocking Chair

It's hard to believe, but in April, 1996, a used rocking chair sold for more than $440,000. In the same auction, a partial set of golf clubs brought more than $770,000, and a few salt-and-pepper shakers that cashed out for $11,500. All in all, this amazing garage sale brought in more than $34.5 million! No, none of the items were encrusted with diamonds, or covered with gold. The items weren't overly special in any way . . . except one. They had all once belonged to John and Jacqueline Kennedy.
The value of an old rocking chair isn't always in the way it rocks. Sometimes, the value is there because of whose chair it is. Likewise, the value of your calling isn't in what you can do in your own power, but in what God can do for you once you accept His calling.

September 15 - Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows


The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows commemorates the seven great sorrows which Mary lived in relation to Her Son, as they are recorded in the Gospels or through Tradition. Today we are invited to reflect on Mary's deep suffering:

1. At the prophecy of Simeon: "You yourself shall be pierced with a sword - so that the thoughts of many hearts may be laid bare." (Luke 2:35).
2. At the flight into Egypt; "Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt." (Mt 2:13).
3. Having lost the Holy Child at Jerusalem; "You see that your father and I have been searching for you in sorrow." (Luke 2:48).
4. Meeting Jesus on his way to Calvary;
5. Standing at the foot of the Cross; "Near the cross of Jesus there stood His mother." (John 19:25).
6. Jesus being taken from the Cross;
7. At the burial of Christ.

Prior to the Second Vatican Council, there were two feasts devoted to the sorrows of Mary. The first feast was instituted in Cologne in 1413 as an expiation for the sins of the iconoclast Hussites.  The second is attributed to the Servite order whose principal devotion are the Seven Sorrows.  It was instituted in 1668, though the devotion had been in existence since 1239 - five years after the founding of the order.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Four Wives

Once upon a time there was a rich King who had four wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to the finest of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the best.

He also loved the 3rd wife very much and was always showing her off to neighboring kingdoms. However, he feared that one day she would leave him for another.

He also loved his 2nd wife. She was his confidant and was always kind, considerate, and patient with him. Whenever the King faced a problem, he could confide in her, and she would help him get through the difficult times.

The King's 1st wife was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. However, he did not love the first wife. Although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her!

One day, the King fell ill and he knew his time was short. He thought of his luxurious life and wondered, "I now have four wives with me, but when I die, I'll be all alone."

Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I have loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?"

"No way!", replied the wife, and she walked away without another word. Her answer cut like a sharp knife right into his heart.

The sad King then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?"

"No!", replied the 3rd wife. "Life is too good! When you die, I'm going to remarry!" His heart sank and turned cold.

He then asked the 2nd wife, "I have always turned to you for help and you've always been there for me. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?"

"I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!", replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave." Her answer came like a bolt of lightning, and the King was devastated.

Then a voice called out: "I'll leave with you and follow you no matter where you go."

The King looked up, and there was his first wife. She was so skinny as she suffered from malnutrition and neglect.

Greatly grieved, the King said, "I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!"

In truth, we all have 4 wives in our lives:

Our 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it will leave us when we die.

Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, it will all go to others.

Our 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for us, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.

And our 1st wife is our Soul, often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power, and pleasures of the world. However, our Soul is the only thing that will follow us wherever we go. So cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only part of us who will follow us to the throne of God and continue with us throughout Eternity.

When the world pushes you to your knees......
You're in the perfect position to pray.