Choose Your Outlook

Unlike some things in life, we can choose our outlook. Sometimes we just need a reminder that happiness can often simply be a result of choosing attitudes:

"I woke up early today, excited over all I get to do before the clock strikes midnight. I have responsibilities to fulfill today. My job is to choose what kind of day I am going to have.

"Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.

"Today I can feel sad that I don't have more money or I can be glad that my finances encourage me to plan my purchases wisely and guide me away from waste.

"Today I can grumble about my health or I can rejoice that I am alive.

"Today I can lament over all that my parents didn't give me when I was growing up or I can feel grateful that they allowed me to be born.

"Today I can cry because roses have thorns or I can celebrate that thorns have roses.

"Today I can mourn my lack of friends or I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new relationships.

"Today I can whine because I have to go to work or I can shout for joy because I have a job to do.

"Today I can complain because I have to go to school or eagerly open my mind and fill it with rich new tidbits of knowledge.

"Today I can murmur dejectedly because I have to do housework or I can feel honored because God has provided shelter for my mind, body, and soul.

"Today stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped. And here I am, the sculptor who gets to do the shaping. What today will be like is up to me.

"I get to choose what kind of day I will have!"

Two Dogs

There is a story they tell of two dogs. Both at separate times walk into the same room. One comes out wagging his tail while the other comes out growling. A women watching this goes into the room to see what could possibly make one dog so happy and the other so sad. To her surprise, she finds a room filled with mirrors. The happy dog found a thousand happy dogs looking back at him while the angry dog saw only angry dogs growling back to him. What you see in the world around you is a reflection of who you are.

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In today’s first reading from Deuteronomy 18:15-20 we hear Moses, the first prophet, define the role of the true prophet.  A prophet is one raised “up for you from among your own kindred” who speaks the words God has put in his/her mouth.  The prophet “shall tell them all that I [God] command.^”  A prophet is NOT a person who “practices divination, or is a soothsayer, augur, or sorcerer, or who casts spells, consults ghosts and spirits, or seeks oracles from the dead” (DT 18:10-11).  These people are “an abomination to the LORD” (DT 18:12).  A prophet is one whose words have been tested over time and found to be true.  Moses ends his prophet’s job description with two warnings; one for us and one for the prophet.  For those of us who hear the prophet, we better listen and act accordingly because we will have to answer to God.  And the prophet better make sure that he/she speaks as God directs or else.

Thousands of years later, Jesus of Nazareth, a humble carpenter, walked into the synagogue in Capernaum and astounded the people present with his authoritative teaching (Mark 1:21-28).  Not only did Jesus teach with authority, he acted with authority.  When confronted by a man with “an unclean spirit,” Jesus merely spoke a few words, "Quiet! Come out of him!" And the unclean spirit was gone.  Jesus’ powerful words had the ring of authority and truth and his acts of healing affirmed his authority and gave him a degree of credibility words alone could not achieve.  St. John tells us in his gospel that Jesus is God’s word incarnate, “And the Word became flesh - and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).  And, St. John reminds us that although “the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). 

The word of God as spoken to us through Jesus Christ, has withstood the test of time.  As baptized Christians, each one of us is a witness to that truth.  And each one of us is authorized to speak the truth to any who will hear it. 

Faithful God,

your Son, Jesus of Nazareth,

spoke the truth with authority,

and you confirmed his teaching by wondrous deeds.

Make us holy

so that by word and deed

we may proclaim his name

and bear witness to your healing power and presence.

Amen

Am I a Polar Bear?

A young polar bear cub approached his mother one day and asked, "Mom, am I a polar bear?"

"Of course you are," she replied with a smile.

"OK," said the cub, and padded off.

Later, he found his dad out by the iceberg. "Dad, am I a polar bear?" "Sure you are, son!" said his dad, wondering a bit at why his son would ask such a silly thing.

The next day, the cub asked the question again and again. "Are you and mom polar bears? You are? Well, then, does that make me a polar bear? Pure, 100% polar bear?"

Finally, his parents couldn't stand it any longer. "Son, you're driving us crazy with this question! You are a polar bear! Why do you keep asking?  The cub looked up and confessed, "Cause I'm FREEZING!"

And then there's me. Sometimes I go to my Father, and I say, "Am I really your child? Are you really my Father? Because sometimes I doubt, and other times, I don't act much like you. And I'm not sure if I'm the kind of person you would want to call your child. And sometimes things don't go well for me, and I have pain and anger and is that ok for one of your children?" And then, though I can't see it, I can feel it -- the warm hug, the reassuring smile, the affirmation of son-ship. I don't have to be perfect, I'm not expected to never feel pain or worry or care. But I'm expected to know whose I am, and that I belong. And that for whatever extravagant, outrageous reason, I've been loved and adopted by the One True God.

Even polar bears get cold. And even Christians, the adopted children of God, fail and fear and falter. But we are still His.

Praise God!

Hope

Class Assignment that Lasted a Lifetime

One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name. Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down. It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in their paper. 

That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual. On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. "Really?" she heard whispered. "I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!" and, "I didn't know others liked me so much," were most of the comments. No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on. 

Several years later, one of the students was killed in Vietnam and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student. She had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. He looked so handsome, so mature. The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to bless the coffin. 

As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her. "Were you Mark's math teacher?" he asked. She nodded: "Yes." Then he said: "Mark talked about you a lot." After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark's mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher "We want to show you something," his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket. "They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it." Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him. 

"Thank you so much for doing that," Mark's mother said. "As you can see, Mark treasured it." All of Mark's former class mates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, "I still have my list. It’s in the top drawer of my desk at home." Chuck's wife said, "Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album." "I have mine too," Marilyn said. "It's in my diary." Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. "I carry this with me at all times, " Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she continued: "I think we all saved our lists." 

That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again. The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will end one day. And we don't know when that one day will be. So please, tell the people you love and care for, that they are special and important. Tell them, before it is too late... 

- From “The Inspiration List​

Prayer for Hearing

“What’s wrong, Paddy?” asked the priest. 

“I need you to pray for my hearing,” said Paddy. 

The priest put his hands on Paddy's ears and prayed. When he was done, he asked, “So how’s your hearing?” 

“I don’t know,” said Paddy. “It isn’t until next Tuesday.”​

Clock and Calendar

Is Church Attendance Important?

A pastor heard that one of his parishioners was going about announcing to one and all that he would no longer attend church services. 

This rebellious parishioner was advancing the familiar argument that he could communicate with God just as easily out in the fields with nature as his setting for worship. 

One winter evening, the pastor called on this reluctant member of his flock for a friendly visit. The two men sat before the fireplace making small talk, but studiously avoiding the issue of church attendance. After a while, the pastor took the tongs from the rack next to the fireplace and pulled a single coal from the fire. He placed the glowing ember on the hearth. As the two watched in silence, the coal quickly ceased burning and turned an ashen gray, while the other coals in the fire continued to burn brightly. 

The pastor's silent message was not lost on the parishioner. After a long pause, he turned to the pastor and said "I'll be back at services next Sunday." 

From "The Sower's Seeds" by Brian Cavanaugh, T.O.R​

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

At first glance, it may seem that all our readings today, Jonah 3:1-5, 7; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; and Mark 1:14-20 are similar. There is a sense of urgency in the messages of Jonah, St. Paul and Jesus. They are all asking people to change, NOW. However, there are some differences. The people of Nineveh were involved in all kinds of scandalous behavior. Jonah’s message was their last chance to change before God exercised his judgment on them, “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed.” Fortunately, for the people of Nineveh, they believed Jonah’s message from God. They “turned from their evil ways,” they fasted, wore sackcloth and repented. God saw what they did, felt sorry for them and spared their city. 

The Christians in Corinth were not model citizens of the Kingdom of God either. They were fighting among themselves, they were disorderly, they discriminated against others and they did not practice charity. St. Paul’s message that “time is running out” and “the world in its present form is passing away” is a reminder to the Corinthians and us that we are new creations in Christ Jesus and that we should behave accordingly. In 1 Cor. 5:7-8, St. Paul compares Christians to fresh dough “Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” 

In today’s reading from Mark’s gospel, Jesus isn’t condemning people or giving them ultimatums, he is “proclaiming the gospel of God.” The English word gospel is a translation from Greek that literally means “good message.” The good message is: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” The entire gospel message is summed up in these two sentences. Jesus came to proclaim the good news of God’s love. Our job is to turn our lives around and believe the good news that God loves each and every one of us. Believing in the gospel message is not just an intellectual exercise it is an exercise of the heart. Jesus’ call to repentance is a call for a radical change of heart (metanoia). Jesus invites us to repent so that we can experience a “time of fulfillment” and enter into the Kingdom of God. Being a good citizen of the Kingdom of God is not easy as the people in Corinth found out. However, if we try, we will become better people and the world will be a better place. 

Almighty and ever-present Father, 

Your watchful care reaches from end to end 

And orders all things in such power 

That even the tensions and tragedies of sin 

Cannot frustrate your loving plans. 

Help us to embrace your will, 

Give us the strength to follow your call, 

So that your truth may live in our hearts 

And reflect peace to those who believe in your love. 

We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. 

Amen 

Be aware of giving from a desire to feel good about ourselves, rather than from a place of connection to all people. 

When we see a person in need, we may want to give them something as a way of helping them, but if we give without taking the time to see who they really are, honoring that most of all, our gift is nowhere near as powerful as it could be. We may want to give a homeless person a sandwich, for example, but if we give it without also taking a moment to look the person in the eye, making authentic contact, we rob them of the experience of being human. 

Being in a position of need leaves a lot of people feeling vulnerable and full of self-doubt. The greatest gift we can give is to meet people in need without judgment and with the awareness that we are not superior to them simply because we are not currently in their position. If we take the long view, we can see that we all began life in need of a lot of care and attention, and many of us end life in the same way. Giving and receiving are companion energies that take turns throughout our lives, and we all get a chance to be on both sides of the exchange from time to time. 

It's important to be aware of our own tendency to give from a desire to feel good about ourselves, rather than from an acknowledgement of our connection to all people. Letting go of our self-importance allows us to see that, regardless of appearances, we are all givers and receivers. When we are in the position of the giver, we honor those we are helping when we remember the many people who have helped us. Then we can look the person we are helping in the eye, aware that we are making contact with a human being who is our equal.

Perfectly Imperfect

Love must be learned, and learned again and again; there is no end to it.  Hate needs no instruction, but only waits to be provoked.  ~ Katherine Anne Porter

We often enter into our relationships believing there is one perfect way to act, and if we can only find that way, we'll be successful, accepted.  But there is no such thing as one best way to be with another person.  The wonder of any relationship is that it involves two imperfect people.

Believing that perfection will ensure love is addictive thinking.  Love is a gift that must be given freely, there is nothing we can do to control someone else's choice to love us or not love us.  All we can do is our part by learning each day to love as best we can.  It may be difficult to find within ourselves such qualities as emotional maturity, separateness, honesty, forgiveness, patience, and self-respect.  But those are the very qualities we must cultivate to love someone else.

It can be frightening to trust another person enough to take risks and let go of the outcome.  But love is a risk that's worth it.

I am learning that I don't need to be perfect to be accepted and loved by others.  I'm also learning that I don't need to expect perfection from others to love and accept them.

~ From “Answers in the Heart” by Anonymous 

Be at Peace

Do not look forward to the trials and crosses of this life with dread and fear. rather, look to them with full confidence that, as arise, God, to whom you belong, will deliver you from them. 

He has guided and guarded you thus far in life. Hold fast to His dear hand, and he will lead you safely through all trials. Whenever you cannot stand, He will carry you lovingly in His arms. 

Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow. The same Eternal Father who cares for you today will take good care of you tomorrow and every day of your life. Either He ill shield you from suffering or He will give you the unfailing strength to bear it. 

Be At peace then and put aside all useless thoughts, vain dreads, and anxious imaginations. 

~ Saint Francis de Sales​

Love

Even if I can speak in all the tongues of earth—and those of the angels, too—but do not have love, I am just a noisy gong, a clanging cymbal.

If I have the gift of prophesy such that I can comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge, or if I have faith great enough to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

If I give away everything I own to feed those poorer than I, then hand over my body to be burned, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient; love is kind. Love is not jealous, it does not put on airs, and it is not snobbish; it is never rude or self-seeking; it is not prone to anger, nor does it brood over injuries. Love doesn’t rejoice in what is wrong, but rejoices in the truth. There is no limit to love’s forbearance, to its trust, its hope, its power to endure.

Love never ends.

~ I Corinthians 13:1-8

Making the Most of Life

If I can throw a single ray of light across the darkened pathway of another; if I can aid some soul to clearer sight of life and duty, and thus bless my brother; if I can wipe from any human cheek a tear, I shall not have lived my life in vain while here. 

If I can guide some erring one to truth, inspire within his heart a sense of duty; if I can plant within my soul of rosy youth a sense of right, a love of truth and beauty; if I can teach one man that God and heaven are near, I shall not then have lived in vain while here. 

If from my mind I banish doubt and fear, and keep my life attuned to love and kindness; if I can scatter light and hope and cheer, and help remove the curse of mental blindness; if I can make more joy, more hope, less pain, I shall not have lived and loved in vain. 

If by life's roadside I can plant a tree, beneath whose shade some wearied head may rest, though I may never share its beauty, I shall yet be truly blest--though no one knows my name, nor drops a flower upon my grave, I shall not have lived in vain while here.​

Learning

Many of us, when we are young, spend a portion of our lives in learning. Unfortunately, some of us spend this time learning the hard way. When we are young we sometimes think we know everything. Sometimes we do foolish things. As we get a little older, we realize we don't know anything. This is when we become teachable. There is a saying that goes, when the student is ready, the teacher appears. We usually aren't teachable unless we are ready. The Saints are waiting and willing to help. When we are ready, many beautiful teachers start to come into our lives. Then we really start to grow and mature. We are ready for the spiritual lesson.​

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today’s first reading and gospel present us with two different human encounters with God. In the first reading, 1 Samuel 3:3b-10, we hear the story about God’s call to Samuel. Samuel heard God’s call three times but didn’t realize who was calling him. After Eli, the priest of Shiloh, grasped what was happening, he advised Samuel to respond “Speak for your servant is listening.” Not only did Samuel hear God’s call, he listened and responded. 

The gospel story, John 1:35-42, is a little different. John the Baptist was “standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, ‘Behold the Lamb of God’.” The two disciples immediately left John and followed Jesus. Jesus didn’t call them, John told them to follow him. At some point, Jesus turned, saw them and asked: “What are you looking for?” Clearly, they didn’t know what they were seeking so they asked Jesus a question. “Where are you staying?” He invites them to “Come and you will see.” 

In his commentary on The Gospel of John, William Barclay observed that it “is always God who takes the first step. When the human mind begins to seek and the human heart begins to long, God comes to meet us more than half-way…. God comes out to meet us.” God calls us over and over again, giving us opportunities to respond. God comes to us in dreams and in the ordinary events of everyday life. Sometimes God gives us people like Eli and John the Baptist who point us in the right direction. It is up to each of us, however, to respond to God’s call. Responding to God does not guarantee an easy life. But we can be assured that God will give us the grace we need to follow. 

God our Father, 

we believe in your Son Jesus Christ. 

Open our ears to listen to his word. 

Open our hearts 

that we may experience his message 

as a call addressed personally to each of us. 

And may each of us say, 

“Here am I, Lord; 

I come to do your will.” 

We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. 

Amen​ 

I Didn't Have Time

I got up early one morning
And rushed right into the day!
I had so much to accomplish
That I didn’t have time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me
And heavier came the task.
“Why doesn’t God help me? I wondered.
He answered, “You didn’t ask.”

I wanted to see joy and beauty.
But the day toiled on, gray and bleak,
I wondered why God didn’t show me.
He said, “But you didn’t seek.”

I woke up early this morning
And paused before entering the day,
I had so much to accomplish
That I had to take time to pray

Serendipity

Be aware of wonder. ~ Robert Fulghum

We have days when we experience the small coincidences in life -- our car breaks down and we run into an old friend at the service station; we're thinking about someone and she calls just because we've been on her mind; we ask ourselves a question and the answer appears on the side of a bus or out of the mouth of a stranger at the bus stop. These serendipitous events usually leave us with at least a bit of awe.

The more serendipity we have in our life, the more spiritually connected we are. We're turned in, attentive, aware, and detached. We're getting responses to questions and meeting the people we need to be with at just the right moments. We couldn't have planned it better. We couldn't have planned it at all.

Serendipity is a sign that we're letting the universe organize the events that lead to answered questions and fulfilled dreams. Life becomes a process of unraveling a mystery.

Today I will recognize the serendipity in the day's events.

From “Letting Go of Debt” by Karen Casanova

The End is Near

A priest and a deacon are standing by the side of a road holding up a sign that reads “The end is near! Turn around now before it’s too late!”

A passing driver yells, “You guys are nuts!” and speeds past them. From around the curve, they hear screeching tires—then a big splash. 

The priest turns to the deacon and says, “Do you think we should just put up a sign that says ‘Bridge Out’ instead?​

Be Still

I have noticed that the best way for me to get a few minutes of solitude at the end of the day is to start washing the dishes. And a few minutes of solitude is something I need frequently. A time to be alone. A time to reflect.

There is a difference between alone-ness and loneliness. Aloneness is necessary for the soul to thrive -- even to come alive!

German theologian and pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer was arrested and eventually hanged for opposing Hitler. While in prison, he wrote letters to his fiancée. The last letter she received was dated Christmas 1944. 

Speaking of the war that separated them, Bonhoeffer wrote this:

"These will be quiet days in our homes, but I have had the experience over and over again that the quieter it is around me, the clearer do I feel a connection to you. It is as though in solitude the soul develops senses which we hardly know in everyday life. Therefore I have not felt lonely or abandoned for one moment."

We can be alone without being lonely. In fact, those times of solitude are necessary respite for our beleaguered souls, set upon by the pressures of life. We need to take those moments to "get away" and just be still. "Only in quiet waters things mirror themselves undistorted," says Hans Margolius. "Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world."

Be still....

Addiction Prayer

O God, you call us to be your people and to minister to one another. Look with pity on all who are held captive by the bonds of addiction and other disorders. Free us from our own destructive impulses that we may choose life and enable others to find what is life-giving for them. Give discernment and wisdom to all who minister to those seeking liberation from any forms of addiction, that we may all know the joy of the freedom that is ours as your children. This we ask of you, Our Guardian, our God, Creator and Preserver of us all both now and in eternity. 

Amen​

~ The Sisters of Mercy

Does Prayer Change Things?

They say that prayer changes things, but does it REALLY change anything?

Oh yes! It really does!

Does prayer change your present situation or sudden circumstances?

No, not always, but it does change the way you look at those events.

Does prayer change your financial future?

No, not always, but it does change who you look to for meeting your daily needs.

Does prayer change shattered hearts or broken bodies?

No, not always, but it will change your source of strength and comfort.

Does prayer change your wants and desires?

No, not always, but it will change your wants into what God desires!

Does prayer change how you view the world?

No, not always, but it will change whose eyes you see the world through.

Does prayer change your regrets from the past?

No, not always, but it will change your hopes for the future!

Does prayer change the people around you?

No, not always, but it will change you - the problem isn't always in others.

Does prayer change your life in ways you can't explain?

Oh, yes, always! And it will change you from the inside out!

So does prayer REALLY change ANYTHING? 

Yes! It REALLY does change EVERYTHING!

Baptism of the Lord

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. For us, liturgically, this feast marks the end of the Christmas season and the beginning of Ordinary Time. Seven weeks ago, on the First Sunday of Advent, we heard Isaiah cry out to God, “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, with the mountains quaking before you, while you worked awesome deeds we could not hope for, such as had not been heard of from of old. No ear has ever heard, no eye ever seen, any God but you working such deeds for those who wait for him” (Isaiah 63:19, 64:2-3). In today’s gospel from Mark 1:7–11 we hear how God answered Isaiah’s prayer. When Jesus came, “up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’”

The baptism of Jesus was his commissioning. God anointed Jesus to proclaim His message, “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). When you and I were baptized, we too were commissioned and anointed to spread the word of the Gospel. At our baptisms, we became Christians, and we became official adopted children of God. The same Spirit that descended on Jesus, descended on us. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that, “The fruit of Baptism, or baptismal grace, is a rich reality that includes forgiveness of original sin and all personal sins, birth into the new life by which man becomes an adoptive son of the Father, a member of Christ and a temple of the Holy Spirit. By this very fact, the person baptized is incorporated into the Church, the Body of Christ, and made a sharer in the priesthood of Christ” (CCC 1279). 

As sharers in the priesthood of Christ, we have an obligation to carry on the “prophetic and royal mission” God gave to Jesus (CCC 1268). Jesus proclaimed his mission in the synagogue of Nazareth, where he had grown up: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19). He gave the disciples, and us, our mission, just before he ascended into Heaven, “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” (Matt 28:19–20). With such a huge mission, we all have a lot to accomplish! Let us pray that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit will give us the wisdom, strength and courage to get it done.

Father in Heaven, 

You revealed Christ as your Son 

By the voice that spoke over the waters of the Jordan. 

May all who share in the sonship of Christ 

Follow in his path of service to man, 

And reflect the glory of his kingdom 

Even to the ends of the earth, 

For he is Lord for ever and ever. 

Amen 

Take Time

Take time to learn,
It is a sign of greatness.

Take time to think,
It is a source of power.

Take time to plan,
It is the first step to fulfillment.

Take time to work,
It is the price of success.

Take time to dream,
It is the fountain of achievement.

Take time to act,
It is an expression of belief in oneself.

Take time to give,
It is a symbol of maturity.

Take time to smile,
It is the window of the soul.

Take time to love,
It is a gift of God.

Broken Resolutions

Most of us, I suspect, have our own long history of broken New Year's resolutions.

How many times have we begun a new year with the sincere intention of ending some bad habit and of finally setting ourselves to living life as we should have been living it all along and, after a very short time, have found ourselves again solidly embedded in our old habits and ruts?

Hence, most of us live lives not so much of quiet desperation as of quiet resignation: "This is the way I am! This is the way my life has always been! This is the way I will always be!"

The belief that things can be different, and for the better, is a crucial part of our Christian faith. To believe that there can be "a new heaven and a new earth" (and that we can be paragons of virtue and delight within it) is not something that takes its ground in natural optimism (for example, "I always see the positive in things.") but is something that is rooted in the belief that "nothing is impossible with God."

How to change? As Psalm 96 puts it, "sing a new song to the Lord."

Prayer of Mother Teresa

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.
        Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
         Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies.
         Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you.
         Be honest anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight.
         Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous.
         Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow.
         Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.
         Give the world the best you have anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God.
         It was never between you and them anyway.

Rocks in Your Life

A little boy was spending his Saturday morning playing in his sandbox. He had with him his box of cars and trucks, his plastic pail, and a shiny, red plastic shovel. In the process of creating roads and tunnels in the soft sand, he discovered a large rock in the middle of the sandbox. The lad dug around the rock, managing to dislodge it from the dirt. With no little bit of struggle, he pushed and nudged the rock across the sandbox by using his feet. (The boy was very small and the rock was very large.)

When the boy got the rock to the edge of the sandbox, however, he found that he couldn't roll it up and over the little wall. Determined, the little boy shoved, pushed, and pried, but every time he thought he had made some progress, the rock tipped and then fell back into the sandbox. The little boy grunted, struggled, pushed, shoved -- but his only reward was to have the rock roll back, smashing his chubby fingers. Finally he burst into tears of frustration.

All this time the boy's father watched from his living room window as the drama unfolded. At the moment the tears fell, a large shadow moved across the boy and the sandbox. It was the boy's father. Gently but firmly he said, "Son, why didn't you use all the strength that you had available?"

Defeated, the boy sobbed back, "But I did, Daddy, I did! I used all the strength that I had!"

"No, son," corrected the father kindly. "You didn't use all the strength you had. You didn't ask me."

With that the father reached down, picked up the rock, and removed it from the sandbox.

Do you have "rocks" in your life that need to be removed? Are you discovering that you don't have what it takes to lift them? There is One who is always available to us and willing to give us the strength we need. When the apostle Paul faced times of a broken spirit and sapped strength, he proclaimed to the Corinthian church,

My grace is enough for you. When you are weak, then my power is made perfect in you. ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9

At the Start of the New Year

"Hope smiles on the threshold of the year to come, whispering that it will be happier."

~Alfred, Lord Tennyson

At the start of this New Year, we look back at what has been and we look forward to the future. Our path has been filled with healing and hope. Rewards have come to us each day.  Now, looking toward the year ahead, we can't know much of what will happen, but we can recommit ourselves to our Healing and Spiritual Life.  We can have renewed comfort and optimism that we will not be alone and that we will be able to handle whatever comes our way. 

The start of a new year is a good time to make lists of the things we fear, the things we hope for, and the things we are grateful for.  These lists serve as a kind of snapshot inventory of our attitude toward the world and our relationship with our God.  They point a direction for us today and for the year ahead. We can put these lists in a safe place until next year when we will bring them out as a reminder of where we were and a measure of how far we've come. 

Today I once again turn my life and will over to the care of God.​

Feast of the Epiphany

As I was reading the scriptures for today’s Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord what popped into my mind initially was the news story earlier this year about Forrest Fenn’s hidden treasure. Forrest Fenn was a New Mexico art dealer who hid a bronze chest filled with gold and jewels somewhere in the Rocky Mountains in 2010. He announced a treasure hunt in his book, The Thrill of the Chase, inviting people to try and find it. Thousands of people tried to find the treasure. Some died in the attempt. In June of 2020 someone finally found it. Fenn died a few months later. So, what does this have to do with The Feast of the Epiphany? 

Fenn’s treasure is diametrically opposite to the quest of the magi. They were not on a treasure hunt; the magi were on a spiritual quest seeking “the newborn King of the Jews.” Materially there was nothing in it for them. These magi were serious astronomers. When they saw the “star at its rising,” they dropped everything they were doing to follow it. They studied the night sky watching for changes and movement. They knew this new star represented something extraordinary, the “newborn King of the Jews” and they were willing to make great sacrifices to find him. We don’t know exactly where they came from but St. Matthew implies that they traveled a great distance to get to Bethlehem. What is interesting to consider is that this star clearly was not invisible. Others must have seen it. The Scribes and Pharisees, the chief priests and scientists of Israel must have seen the star. But they did nothing to investigate. Pagan foreigners recognized the significance of the star and set out to find it. 

All our readings today emphasize that Jesus was born for the people of all nations. The Magi were non-believers, pagans, gentiles, not worth any consideration in the eyes of the people of Israel, but they were the people who had the faith and humility to seek and welcome Jesus into our world. They did not know where the star would lead them. However, they pursued their journey of faith knowing that the end of their journey would reveal something spectacular, “the glory of the Lord.” On this Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, we should ask ourselves, what star do I follow? Will I recognize a God sent star? What will I sacrifice to follow that star? 

Father, 

you revealed your Son to the nations 

by the guidance of a star. 

Lead us to your glory in heaven 

by the light of faith. 

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, 

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, 

one God forever and ever. 

Amen

Happy New Year 2021

Happy New Year to all of you - May you have a blessed 2021

May you get a clean bill of health from your dentist, your cardiologist, your gastroenterologist, your urologist, your proctologist, your podiatrist, your psychiatrist, your plumber and the I.R.S. 

May your hair, your teeth, your face-lift, your abs and your stocks not fall; and may your blood pressure, your triglycerides, your cholesterol, your white blood count and your mortgage interest not rise. 

May next New Year's Eve find you seated around the table, together with your beloved family and cherished friends. May you find the food better, the environment quieter, the cost much cheaper, and the pleasure much more fulfilling than anything else you might ordinarily do that night. 

May what you see in the mirror delight you and what others see in you delight them. 

May someone love you enough to forgive your faults, be blind to your blemishes, and tell the world about your virtues. 

May the telemarketers lose your phone number, may the commercials on TV not be louder than the program you have been watching, and may your check book and your budget balance - and include generous amounts for charity. 

May you remember to say "I love you" at least once a day to your spouse, your children, your parents, your siblings and your friends.

May The Promises in the Bible all be true for you.

And may we live in a world at peace and with the awareness of God's love in every sunset, every flower's unfolding petals, every baby's smile, every lover's kiss, and every wonderful, astonishing, miraculous beat of our heart.​