You Are Not

Susan's Secret

A woman named Vicki once knew a young person at church named Susan.  Susan always seemed effervescent and happy, although Vicki knew she had faced struggles in her life. Her long-awaited marriage had quickly ended in divorce. She had struggled to get a grip on her single life. 

She hadn't chosen it, but she decided she would live it with utmost enjoyment and satisfaction. Susan was active in Sunday school, in the choir, as a leader of the junior high girls' group, and in the church renewal movement. Vicki enjoyed knowing Susan. Susan's whole face seemed to smile.

One day Vicki asked Susan, "How is it that you are always so happy, you have so much energy, and you never seem to get down?"  With her eyes smiling, Susan said, "I know the Secret!"

"What secret is that, what are you talking about?" Vicki asked.

Susan replied, "I'll tell you all about it, but you have to promise to share the Secret with others.

"Vicki agreed, "Okay, now what is it?"

The Secret is this: "I have learned there is little I can do in my life that will make me truly happy. I must depend on God to make me happy and meet my needs. When a need arises in my life, I have to trust God to supply according to HIS riches. I have learned most of the time I don't need half of what I think I do. HE has never let me down." Since I learned that Secret I am happy.

Vicki's first thought was, That's too simple! But upon reflecting over her own life she recalled how she thought a bigger house would make her happy... but it didn't! She thought a better-paying job would make her happy... but it hadn't. When did she realize her greatest happiness?

Sitting on the floor with her grandchildren, playing games, eating pizza or reading a story, a simple gift from God. Susan knew the secret, Vicki learned the secret, and now you know it too!

We can't depend on people to make us happy. Only GOD in His wisdom can do that. Trust HIM! And now I pass the Secret on to you!

 

Companions

It is possible to travel alone. But the good traveler knows that the journey is human life and human life needs company. “Companion” means, the one who eats the same bread. Happy are they who feel they are always on the road and that every person they meet is their chosen companion. The good traveler cares for his weary companions. He grieves when they lose heart. He takes them where he finds them. He listens to them. Intelligently, gently, above all, lovingly, he encourages them to go on and recover their joy on the journey.

~ Dom Helder

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

As I reflected on the readings for this Sunday it occurred to me that Jesus’ words found in Luke 4:24, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place,” are as true today as they were then. In fact, throughout history prophets have been scorned, ridiculed, imprisoned and killed – usually by their own people. Nobody likes prophets.

What is it about the prophetic voice that turns us against it? Prophets do not settle for the status quo. They are not team players. They are politically incorrect and they embarrass us. Prophets are radical. They do not stand silently in the face of prejudice, bigotry, oppression or injustice. Prophets get in our faces and shout the truth no matter what the cost. They call us to be faithful to God and to the Gospel. And they shout because that is the only way they can get our attention. Being a prophet is a high-risk occupation.

In today’s first reading God told Jeremiah that he was going to be “a fortified city, a pillar of iron, a wall of brass, against the whole land: against Judah’s kings and princes,

against its priests and people.” For his obedience to God Jeremiah suffered arrest, imprisonment, and public disgrace. St. Paul the Apostle, who wrote the beautiful passage about love in our second reading from 1 Corinthians 13, was beaten, imprisoned several times, abandoned by many of his followers and ultimately executed.

Jesus was not just another prophet. He is the Word of God. In Matthew 10:17-18, Jesus told his disciples “Beware of people, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans.” Later on, in verse 34 Jesus said, "Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword.” Jesus escaped from the angry people of Nazareth. The escape route he took ultimately led him to Jerusalem and death.

The question for us today is whose voice are you going to listen to?

Lord God, our Father,

You know us and you keep loving us

even when we fail you and one another.

Your love went as deep as giving up your own Son,

that we might live and learn to love.

Fill our hearts with a constant, grateful love

and let it overflow upon our brothers and sisters.

Give us the strength to keep loving people

even when we still bear the scars

of the hurt others have caused us.

We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

Amen.

Slow Me Down, Lord!

Slow me down, Lord!

Ease the pounding of my heart

by the quieting on my mind.

Steady my hurried pace

with a vision of the eternal reach of time.

Give me,

amid the confusion of the day,

the calmness of the everlasting hills.

Break the tensions of my nerves

with the soothing music

of the singing streams

that live in my memory.

Help me to know

the magical power of sleep,

Teach me the art of taking minute vacations

of slowing down to look at a flower,

to chat with a friend,

or make a new one.

To pet a stray dog,

To watch a spider build a web,

To smile at a child,

or to read a few lines from a good book.

Remind me each day of the fable

of the hare and the tortoise,

that I may know that the race

is not always to the swift.

that there is more to life

than increasing its speed.

Let me look upward

into the branches of the towering oak

and know that it grew great and strong

because it grew slowly and well.

Slow me down, Lord,

and inspire me to send my roots

deep into the soil of life's enduring values

that I may grow toward the stars of my greater destiny.

That I may find you, my God.

- Wilferd A. Peterson

Not Going that Way

As you travel through life there are always those times
When decisions just have to be made,
When the choices are hard, and solutions seem scarce,
And the rain seems to soak your parade.

There are some situations where all you can do
Is simply let go and move on,
Gather your courage and choose a direction
That carries you toward a new dawn.

So pack up your troubles and take a step forward -
The process of change can be tough,
But think about all the excitement ahead
If you can be stalwart enough!

There might be adventures you never imagined
Just waiting around the next bend,
And wishes and dreams just about to come true
In ways you can't yet comprehend!

Perhaps you'll find friendships that spring from new things
As you challenge your status quo,
And learn there are so many options in life,
And so many ways you can grow!

Perhaps you'll go places you never expected
And see things that you've never seen,
Or travel to fabulous, faraway worlds
And wonderful spots in between!

Perhaps you'll find warmth and affection and caring
And somebody special who's there
To help you stay centered and listen with interest
To stories and feelings you share.

Perhaps you'll find comfort in knowing your friends
Are supportive of all that you do,
And believe that whatever decisions you make,
They'll be the right choices for you.

So keep putting one foot in front of the other,
And taking your life day by day...
There's a brighter tomorrow that's just down the road -
Don't look back!
You're not going that way!

~~ Author Unknown

The Little Fish

"Excuse me," said a little fish. "You are older than I, so can you tell me where to find this thing called the ocean?"

"The ocean," said the older fish, "is the thing you are in now."

"Oh, this? But this is the water. What I’m seeking is the ocean," said the disappointed fish, as he swam away to search elsewhere.

(From Anthony de Mello)

What becomes clear to us on our own spiritual journey is that we don't have to look for God or for spirituality. We only have to look.

Magic Bank Account

Imagine that you had won the following prize in a contest: Each morning your bank would deposit $86,400.00 in your private account for your use.

However, this prize has rules, just as any game has certain rules.

The first set of rules would be:
· Everything that you didn't spend during each day would be taken away from you.
· You may not simply transfer money into some other account..
· You may only spend it.
· Each morning upon awakening, the bank opens your account with another $86,400.00 for that day.

The second set of rules:
The bank can end the game without warning; at any time it can say, Its over, the game is over! It can close the account and you will not receive a new one.

What would you personally do?

You would buy anything and everything you wanted right? Not only for yourself, but for all people you love, right? Even for people you don't know, because you couldn't possibly spend it all on yourself, right? You would try to spend every cent, and use it all, right?

ACTUALLY This GAME is REALITY!

Each of us is in possession of such a magical bank. We just can't seem to see it.

The MAGICAL BANK is TIME!

Each morning we awaken to receive 86,400 seconds as a gift of life, and when we go to sleep at night, any remaining time is NOT credited to us.

What we haven't lived up that day is forever lost.
Yesterday is forever gone.
Each morning the account is refilled, but the bank can dissolve your account at any time.... WITHOUT WARNING.

SO, what will YOU do with your 86,400 seconds?
Those seconds are worth so much more than the same amount in dollars.

Think about that, and always think of this:
Enjoy every second of your life, because time races by so much quicker than you think.
So take care of yourself, be Happy, Love Deeply and enjoy life!

Here's wishing you a wonderful and beautiful day.
Start spending!

God Said

 

Being Honest

If you have a solid spiritual life, you realize that nothing really disconnects you from others. Then it is a matter of courage to be yourself and to be honest about who you are. This means:

• To admit the hard things about yourself

• To be clear about hard things others must hear

• To not mislead anyone

• To not live a secret life

• To abandon false fronts and false pride

• To be clear about your intent

• To tell the truth

• To not hide from difficult moments

• To give up being “nice” all the time

• To state your needs and wants without shame

• To not cover or lie for anyone

The truth does, in fact, make you free.

Pat Carnes Ph.D. “The Betrayal Bond”

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today’s gospel reading is in two parts. First, We hear the introduction to St. Luke's gospel, Luke 1:1-4. Then we skip several chapters and continue reading from Luke 4:14-21. What happens in the chapters we skip over are the birth and infancy narratives of Jesus that we heard about a month ago, the baptism of Jesus that we heard two weeks ago and the temptation of Jesus in the dessert that we will hear about in the first weeks of Lent.

St. Luke begins his gospel with a prologue addressed to a fellow Christian, Theophilus, a name that literally means "beloved of God." The truth is any of our names could replace Theophilus in this passage. Because not only is St. Luke writing for Theophilus, he is writing for all of us so that each one of us, like Theophilus, "may realize the certainty of the teachings [we] have received" (Luke 1:4). And every one of us is beloved of God.

The words that Jesus spoke in the second part of today's gospel are his mission statement. Anointed by the Holy Spirit, Jesus, quotes the prophet Isaiah and declares that he has been sent “to bring glad tidings to the poor... 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). This mission did not end when Jesus ascended in to heaven. Jesus passed His mission on to his disciples and to us. We are anointed by the Holy Spirit at our baptisms to continue the work Jesus began.

Lord God,

whose compassion embraces all peoples,

whose law is wisdom, freedom, and joy for the poor,

fulfill your promise in our midst

that we may receive the gospel of salvation with faith

and, anointed by the Spirit, freely proclaim it.

Grant 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.

A Prayer by Thomas Merton

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that, if I do this , You will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust You always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for You are ever with me, and You will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Thoughts in Solitude

Spirituality is not a Formula

“Spirituality is not a formula; it is not a test. It is a relationship. Spirituality is not about competency; it is about intimacy. Spirituality is not about perfection; it is about connection. The way of the spiritual life begins where we are now in the mess of our lives. Accepting the reality of our broken, flawed lives is the beginning of spirituality not because the spiritual life will remove our flaws but because we let go of seeking perfection and, instead, seek God, the one who is present in the tangledness of our lives. Spirituality in not about being fixed; it is about God's being present in the mess of our unfixedness.”

Michael Yaconelli in "Messy Spirituality

Boxes of Love

I have in my hands two boxes

Which God gave me to hold

He said, “Put all your sorrows in the black,

And all your joys in the gold.”

I heeded His words, and in the two boxes

Both my joys and sorrows I store

But though the gold became heavier each day

The black was as light as before

With curiosity, I opened the black

I wanted to find out why

And I saw, in the base of the box, a hole

Which my sorrows had fallen out by

I showed the hole to God, and mused aloud,

“I wonder where my sorrows could be.”

He smiled a gentle smile at me.

“My child, they're all here with me.”

I asked, "God, why give me the boxes,

why the gold, and the black with the hole?”

“My child, the gold is for you to count your blessings,

the black is for you to let go.”

Donuts

There was a boy by the name of Steve who was attending Seminary in Utah. In this Seminary classes are held during school hours. Brother Christianson taught Seminary at this particular school. He had an open-door policy and would take in any student that had been thrown out of another class as long as they would abide by his rules. Steve had been kicked out of his sixth period and no other teacher wanted him, so he went into Brother Christianson's Seminary class.

Steve was told that he could not be late, so he arrived just seconds before the bell rang and he would sit in the very back of the room. He would also be the first to leave after the class was over. One day, Brother Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him. After class, Bro. Christianson pulled Steve aside and said, "You think you're

pretty tough, don't you?"

Steve's answer was, "Yeah, I do."

Then Brother Christianson asked, "How many push-ups can you do?"

Steve said, "I do about 200 every night."

"200? That's pretty good, Steve," Brother Christianson said. "Do you think you could do 300?"

Steve replied, "I don't know... I've never done 300 at a time."

"Do you think you could?" Again asked Brother Christianson.

"Well, I can try," said Steve.

"Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I need you to do 300 in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it," Brother Christianson said.

Steve said, "Well... I think I can... yeah, I can do it."

Brother Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday."

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, Brother Christianson pulled out a big box of donuts. Now these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited-it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend. Bro. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, "Cynthia, do you want a donut?"

Cynthia said, "Yes." Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?"

Steve said, "Sure," and jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Bro. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk.

Bro. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe do you want a donut?"

Joe said, "Yes."

Bro. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?"

Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut.

And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for every person before they got their donut. And down the second aisle, till Bro. Christianson came to Scott.

Scott was captain of the football team and center of the basketball team. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship. When Bro. Christianson asked, "Scott do you want a donut?"

Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own pushups?"

Bro. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."

Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."

Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?"

Steve started to do ten pushups. Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn't want one!"

Bro. Christianson said, "Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it." And he put a donut on Scott's desk.

Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow. Bro. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry.

Bro. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?"

Jenny said, "No." Then Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?"

Steve did ten, Jenny got a donut.

By now, the students were beginning to say "No" and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks. Steve was also having to really put forth a lot of effort to get these pushups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort

involved.

Bro. Christianson asked Robert to watch Steve to make sure he did ten pushups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. So Robert began to watch Steve closely.

Bro. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students had wandered in and sat along the heaters along the sides of the room. When Bro. Christianson realized this; he did a quick count and saw 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it. Bro. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.

Steve asked Bro. Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?"

Bro. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your pushups. You can do them any way that you want." And Bro. Christianson went on.

A few moments later, Jason came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled, "NO! Don't come in! Stay out!" Jason didn't know what was going on.

Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let him come." Bro. Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten pushups for him."

Steve said, "Yes, let him come in."

Bro. Christianson said, "Okay, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?"

"Yes."

"Steve, will you do ten pushups so that Jason can have a donut?"

Steve did ten pushups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down. Bro. Christianson finished the fourth row, then started on those seated on the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each pushup in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. Sweat was dropping off of his face and, by this time, there was not a dry eye in the room. The very last two girls in the room were cheerleaders and very popular.

Bro. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut?

Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you."

Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?"

Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda. Then Bro. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan, do you want a donut?"

Susan, with tears flowing down her face, asked, "Bro. Christianson, can I help him?" Bro. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, he has to do it alone, Steve, would you do ten pushups so Susan can have a donut?"

As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Brother Christianson turned to the room and said. "And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, plead to the Father, "Into thy hands I commend my spirit." With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, he collapsed on the cross and died. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten."

To Be Holy

Monks, mystics, hermits and the like may seem to say that holiness means setting oneself apart from the world, it's temptations, trials and troubles. In the desert wastelands, river valleys, lakesides, forests and mountain tops men and women have experienced God and come to know their selves and calls. But not so for the rest of us. We are called to be in, not of, the world. To be sure we are holy when we choose God and not ourselves and sinful desires. Being relatively sin-free is a worthy aim and no doubt a noteworthy accomplishment. But this is only a beginning and not the end of what is actual and authentic holiness. Nor is holiness something we put on and take off like brocaded vestments or religious jewelry. Neither is it restricted to churches and cathedrals.

Jesus Christ calls us salt and light. We are to make a difference in the lives of family, friends, and strangers by our words, with our actions, in our example, through our efforts. Words in a Jewish Prayer book remind us how and when we find holiness: There is holiness when we ... strive to be true to the best we know; are kind to someone who cannot possibly repay us; promote family harmony; forget what divides us and remember what unites us; we love -- truly, honestly, and unselfishly; we remember the lonely and bring light where it is dark; share -- our bread, our ideas, our enthusiasms; gather to pray to God who gave us the power to pray: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts; all of life can be filled with God's glory.

~ Father Paul Wharton (and Likrat Shabbat)

Who Are You?

A woman was in a coma and dying. She suddenly had a feeling that she was taken up to heaven and stood before the Judgment Seat.

“Who are you?" a Voice said to her.

“I'm the wife of the mayor," she replied.

“I did not ask whose wife you are but who you are."

“I'm the mother of four children."

“I did not ask whose mother you are, but who you are."

“I'm a school teacher."

“I did not ask what your profession is but who you are.”

And so it went. No matter what she replied, she did not seem to give a satisfactory answer to the question, “Who are you?”

“I'm a Christian.”

“I did not ask what your religion is but who you are.”

“I'm the one who went to church everyday and always helped the poor and needy.”

“I did not ask what you did but who you are.”

She evidently failed the examination, for she was sent back to earth. When she recovered form her illness, she was determined to find out who she was. And that made all the difference.

Your duty is to be. Not to be somebody, not to be nobody - for therein lies greed and ambition - not to be this or that - and thus conditioned - just to be.

From Anthony de Mello, SJ

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

As I was reading and reflecting on today’s gospel, the beautiful story of the Wedding at Cana (John 2:1–11), a few lines from Pope Francis’ Encyclical, Evangelii Gaudium came to mind. In the first paragraph of the document Pope Francis wrote, “The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew.” The source of joy’s enduring influence is “our personal certainty that when everything is said and done, we are infinitely loved” (EG I.6).

Like the messages we hear on Gaudete and Laetare Sundays, the story of the Wedding at Cana reminds us that Christianity is a religion of joy. While this gospel reading often is associated with the Sacrament of Marriage it is also about the Sacrament of Baptism and the Sacrament of the Eucharist; new joy, new life and new wine. In all these aspects of the story, the overarching theme is God’s abundant love for us. God showed us that love by sending Jesus to establish a New Covenant. The “sign” Jesus performed at the Wedding is our first glimpse of how this New Covenant will look.

If you read the eleven verses of this gospel closely Jesus’ miracle is an extraordinarily generous gift. Rather than have the young couple embarrassed by running out of wine at their wedding feast, Jesus performed his first “sign” by producing over a hundred gallons of excellent wine in six massive jars that normally held between twenty to thirty gallons of water each. This was enough to provide refreshment to every person in Cana. By performing this sign, Jesus saved the day for the couple and according to John, “revealed his glory.” As a result the “disciples began to believe in him.” For the disciples and for us it is an epiphany.

The epiphany that happened at Cana provides us with a glimpse of the abundance in the Kingdom of God. Our challenge as citizens of the Kingdom is to respond to human need with the same generosity of spirit. When we “do whatever he tells” us, when we listen with open hearts, when we share God’s abundant love with others we too can transform our world and help to bring the Kingdom of God to fulfilment right here in Peachtree City.

Faithful and loving God,

your Son Jesus shared with ordinary people

in the joy of a marriage feast.

Draw us to the table and pour for us

the delightful wine of your covenant,

bring us close to you and to one another

and warm our hearts with your own love.

Help us become your faithful stewards,

ready to do whatever Jesus tells us.

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.

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

I Didn't Have Time to Pray

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.

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....

Push

Paddy Reilly and his wife were awakened at 4:00 AM by a loud pounding on the door. Paddy gets up and goes to the door where an inebriated stranger, standing in the pouring rain. is asking for a push. “Not a chance,” says Paddy, “its 4:00 in the morning.” He slams the door and returns to bed.

“Who was that?” asks his wife.

“Just some drunk guy asking for a push.” says Paddy.

“Did you help him?” she asks.

“No I did not. It’s 4:00 in the morning and it is pouring rain out there!”

“Well. You have a short memory, “says his wife. “Can’t you remember about three months ago when we broke down, and these two guys helped us? I think you should help him, and you should be ashamed of yourself.”

Paddy does as he is told, gets dressed and goes out into the pounding rain. He calls out in the dark: “Hello, are you still there?”

“Yes” comes the answer.

“Do you still need a push?” calls out Paddy.

“Yes, please.” comes the reply from the dark.

“Where are you?” asks Paddy.

“Over here on the swing,” replied the drunk.

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.

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 Our Lord

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. This feast is the third in a series of divine manifestations of Jesus that we commemorate during the Christmas season. The first is the nativity of Jesus on Christmas day, the birth of Emmanuel, God with us. The second is the Epiphany when God revealed his plan for salvation to all the nations as represented by the Magi. And today we see Jesus revealed as God the Father's "beloved son" in whom God is "well pleased."

We heard the first part of today's gospel, Luke 3:15-16, four weeks ago during Advent when we focused our attention on expectation and preparation. The people of Judea sought the Messiah and they thought John the Baptist "might be the Christ." In the text we hear today, St. Luke makes clear to us that the Christ has arrived. And it is not John the Baptist. The Christ is Jesus, God's son, filled with the Holy Spirit and anointed to "bring glad tidings to the poor .... 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). The time of expectation and preparation is finished. Advent and Christmas are over. Now the real work of Jesus Christ begins; Jesus is launched into his mission.

With baptism, we become beloved daughters and sons of the Father. When we receive baptism, we are launched into the mission of Christ. At our baptism, God the Father grasps us "by the hand," and makes each of us "a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness" (Isaiah 42:6-7). Our baptism is a lifelong commitment to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ continuing the good work he began until he comes again in glory.

God our Father,

with your whole people reborn in baptism

we give you thanks.

In Jesus, each of us has become

your beloved son or daughter.

Fill us with the fire of the Holy Spirit

who guided Jesus in life and death.

Let this Spirit set us free

to serve you and one another

with unselfish, grateful love.

We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

Amen

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.

Three Important Things in Life

You've heard it said, “Be nice to your kids. They'll choose your nursing home.” Well, there may be other and more important reasons for being careful how we treat one another.

I think that U.S. industrialist Charles M. Schwab may have gotten it right. At age 72, Schwab was sued for a large sum of money. Many high-profile persons would have settled out of court, but Schwab went through with it and eventually won the suit.

Before he left the witness stand, he asked permission of the court to make a statement of a personal nature.

This is what he said: "I am an old man, and I want to say that ninety percent of my troubles have been due to my being good to other people. If you younger folk want to avoid trouble, be hard-boiled and say no to everybody. You will then walk through life unmolested, but…” and here a broad smile lit up his face, “you will have to do without friends, and you won't have much fun.”

Maybe that's why Henry James said, “Three things in human life are important: The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind.” It's a vital part of a whole and happy life.

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."

At the Start of this 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.

Happy New Year 2022

Happy New Year to All of You! May You have a Blessed 2022!

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.

Epiphany of Our Lord

Today we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord, the manifestation of the divine glory of Jesus to the Magi. This is one of the greatest journey stories in all of Scripture. However, this story is about more than a journey, it is St Matthew’s way of making sure that throughout all generations we recognize that Jesus, Emmanuel came to earth as a human being for all people – including us. God, the Almighty Himself broke into everyday life to live among us. God stepped into human history.

The Magi who followed the Star of Bethlehem were scholars. They were serious astronomers who, when they saw the “star at its rising,” 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