Solitude is Sweet

3rd Sunday of Easter

Today’s Gospel, John 21:1-19, presents some of the disciples in their third encounter with the resurrected Christ. But the focus is really on Peter and his “up close and personal” interaction with Jesus. Before this meeting Peter was ready to go back to his old routine – fishing. Jesus had other plans. He turned Peter around and directed him on a new path as a nurturing shepherd tending God’s sheep. Having witnessed the touchable reality of the Resurrection and experienced healing through loving forgiveness and reconciliation with Jesus, Peter had the strength and courage to take up his new mission.

The contrast between the Peter in the Gospels and the Peter we hear about in the Acts of the Apostles is dramatic. Peter has experienced a real conversion. The man who denied Jesus three times and cowered in a locked room after the crucifixion is now confronting the people he feared. Filled with the Holy Spirit Peter cured sick people and challenged the Sanhedrin, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5: 29 – 31).

We have the opportunity to interact with Jesus every time we participate in the sacraments. Like Peter, we can experience Jesus’ healing power of forgiveness and reconciliation. We can share a meal with Jesus through the Eucharist and experience the full meaning of sacrificial love. And finally, Jesus asks us the same question he asked Peter, “Do you love me”? Let us pray that through our experience of the Risen Christ we have the strength and courage to say, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you” and follow Jesus where ever He may lead us.

God our Father,

how different and how much richer our life would be

if we were more aware of the presence

of your risen Son Jesus among us.

Give us enough love and faith to see him

inspiring and guiding our community

on the road of compassion and justice.

Make us feel his presence

when we are toiling and struggling as if in vain.

Make us recognize him as a guest

in our homes and at our family meals.

Make us fully aware that he is among us

when we meet for prayer and the Eucharist.

For then we will be strong and joyful

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Brand New Day

Good Morning God,

You’re ushering in a brand day,

bright and shiny new,

and here I come again to ask

if you’ll renew me too.

Please forgive the many errors

I made just yesterday

and let me try again, dear God

to walk closer in your way.

But Father, I am well aware

that I can’t do this on my own,

so please take my hand and hold it tight

so I won’t walk alone.

Amen​

Parable of the Pencil

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box. There are 5 things you need to know, he told the pencil, before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be.

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone's hand.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil.

Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.

Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside.

And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write.

The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.

Now replacing the place of the pencil with you; always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God's hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems, but you'll need it to become a stronger person.

Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.

Four: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.

And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.

By understanding and remembering, let us proceed with our life on this earth having a meaningful purpose in our heart.

- Author Unknown -Taken from The Inspiration List

You are Accepted

It strikes us when, year after year, the longed for perfection of life does not appear, when the old compulsions reign within us as they have for decades, when despair destroys all joy and courage.

Sometimes at that moment a wave of light breaks through our darkness, and it is as though a voice were saying, “You are accepted.”

YOU ARE ACCEPTED, accepted by that which is greater than you and the name of which you do not know.

Do not ask for the name now, perhaps you will know it later.

Do not try to do anything, perhaps later you will do much.

Do not seek for anything,

Do not perform anything,

Do not intend anything.

Simply accept the fact you are accepted.​

May I have the Courage Today

Joyful Living

"But to know that which lies before us in daily life, is the prime wisdom.” ~John Milton

It isn't easy becoming an adult. We have to pay the dues as we go along the path of life. As long as we have had joy and suffering, we may as well learn to use our well-earned adult perspective. After all, look how hard we worked to get here!

Enjoyment is still there, free for the taking. All the intangibles we enjoyed before are still there -- love, honor, trust. We alone can decide, as we sift through the happenings of our days, whether to call our lives wreckage or success, whether to create delight or sorrow. A change in circumstances doesn't mean the end of joyful living. Such changes will often help us to begin living our lives more wisely, with greater appreciation and understanding.

I will find and accept the gift of joyful living today​.

A Simple Prayer

 

2nd Sunday of Easter

In today’s readings for the Second Sunday of Easter we hear two accounts of Jesus appearing to his followers. The first account comes from the Gospel of John when Jesus appeared to his disciples in a locked room where they were cowering in fear. The second account is from a vision of Jesus in his glory found in the Revelation to John. In both these accounts Jesus assures his followers that he has conquered death and that they are not to be afraid.

What really struck me in the readings today was the remarkable transformation of the disciples from timid cowards hiding in a locked room that we see in John’s Gospel to bold and forthright apostles carrying on Jesus’ work that we see in the Acts of the Apostles (our first reading today). The force of the Holy Spirit that God bestowed on the apostles was so powerful that people believed Peter’ shadow falling on them could heal them. St Luke tells us that while many people were still afraid to join the apostles in their ministry, they “esteemed them” and became believers.

Just as Jesus came to the disciples hiding behind locked doors, he comes to us today empowering us to rejoice in his Resurrection. He invites us to share in his Resurrection and life of glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit. He invites us to join his pain and suffering with our own pain and suffering so that dying with him we may also rise with him. In our confirmation we receive the same Holy Spirit that was given to the apostles. The words Jesus said to them he says to us “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (JN 20: 21). Over the next seven weeks we have the opportunity to reflect on the Resurrection of Jesus and the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Today is Divine Mercy Sunday. This feast is especially significant for us when we reflect on what is happening in our world. Rather than becoming fearful or despondent, Divine Mercy Sunday focuses our attention on the gifts of mercy and love given through Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. As Pope John Paul II stated, “Divine Mercy reaches human beings through the heart of Christ crucified.”

And so, we pray:

God, merciful Father,

in your Son, Jesus Christ, you have revealed your love

and poured it out upon us in the Holy Spirit, the Comforter,

We entrust to you today the destiny of the world 

and of every man and woman.

Bend down to us sinners,

heal our weakness,

conquer all evil,

and grant that all the peoples of the earth

may experience your mercy.

In You, the Triune God,

may they ever find the source of hope.

Eternal Father,

by the Passion and Resurrection of your Son,

have mercy on us and upon the whole world! 

St Pope John Paul II 

Two Days

There are two days in every week
about which we should not worry,
Two days which should be kept free of fear and apprehension.

One of these days is YESTERDAY,
With its mistakes and cares,
Its faults and blunders,
Its aches and pains.
YESTERDAY has passed forever beyond our control.
All the money in the world cannot bring back YESTERDAY.
We cannot undo a single act we performed;
We cannot erase a single word we said.
YESTERDAY is gone.

The other day we should not worry about is TOMORROW
With its possible adversities, its burdens, its larger promise.
TOMORROW is also beyond our immediate control.
TOMORROW, the sun will rise,
Either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds,
But it will rise.
Until it does, we have no stake in TOMORROW
For it is as yet unborn.

This leaves only one day – TODAY.
Any man can fight the battles of just one day.
It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternities
– YESTERDAY and TOMORROW –
That we break down.

It is not the experience of TODAY that worries people.
It is remorse or bitterness for something which happened YESTERDAY
And the dread of what TOMORROW may bring.
Let us, therefore, live but ONE day at a time.

Self-Definition

I do not define myself by how many roadblocks have appeared in my path.
I define myself by the courage I’ve found to forge new roads.
I do not define myself by how many disappointments I’ve faced.
I define myself by the forgiveness and the faith I have found to begin again.
I do not define myself by how long a relationship lasted.
I define myself by how much I have loved, and been willing to love again.
I do not define myself by how many times I have been knocked down.

I define myself by how many times I have struggled to my feet.

I am not my pain.
I am not my past.
I am that which has emerged from the fire

Failure Doesn't Mean

Failure doesn't mean - "You are a failure,"
It means - You have not succeeded yet.

Failure doesn't mean - "You accomplished nothing,"
It means - You have learned something.

Failure doesn't mean - "You have been a fool,"
It means - You had a lot of faith.

Failure doesn't mean - "You don't have it,"
It means - You were willing to try.

Failure doesn't mean - "You are inferior,"
It means - You are not perfect.

Failure doesn't mean - "You've wasted your life,"
It means - You have a reason to start afresh.

Failure doesn't mean - "You should give up,"
It means - "You must try harder.

Failure doesn't mean - "You'll never make it,"
It means - It will take a little longer.

Failure doesn't mean - "God has abandoned you,"
It means - God has a better way for you.


R Whitby

I Am

I was regretting the past and fearing the future

Suddenly, God was speaking,

“My Name is I Am”

He paused. I waited. He Continued.

“When you live in the past, with all its mistakes and regrets,

It is hard. I am not there.

My name is not I was”

“When you live in the future with all its problems and fears,

It is hard. I am not there.

My name is not I will be”

“When you live in this moment,

It is not hard. I am here.

My Name is I Am.”

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ has risen! Alleluia!

Can you imagine how Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James must have felt when they discovered the boulder rolled away from Jesus’ tomb and then discovered that Jesus was not inside? St Luke tells us that they were puzzled. These were some of the same women who stood at the foot of the cross and watched Jesus die just a few days before. It seems to me that feeling “puzzled” is a huge understatement. If I had been there, I might have been outraged or shocked or angry. The women’s puzzlement turned into terror when two men in dazzling white garments appeared to them telling them “He is not here, but he has been raised.”

When the women told the apostles what they witnessed, the men were skeptical and dismissive. I can hear Peter saying, “What a load of nonsense”! BUT Peter did run to the tomb to see for himself. Although he didn’t encounter the two men, when he saw the empty tomb, he went home “amazed at what happened.”

Consider for a moment how you might have felt if you discovered Jesus’ empty tomb. Of course, you and I have more than 2000 years of hindsight going for us. Putting our 21st Century selves into that situation isn’t really fair. Or is it? The Resurrection is the most important thing that we as Christians believe. It is the foundation of our faith. And it is the greatest mystery of our faith. None of Jesus’ disciples or followers actually witnessed the Resurrection. No one did. Yet they believed and we believe that it happened. The Resurrection is about the power of God’s love not only for his son, Jesus, but for us. The Resurrection is why we are here today and why we keep coming back.

Alleluia! Alleluia! Jesus has risen! Alleluia!

Lord God, this is the day that you have made!

Raising Jesus from the dead,

and raising us with him,

you have fashioned for yourself a new people,

washed in the waters of baptism,

sealed with the gift of the Spirit,

and invited to the banquet of the Lamb!

Continue in us the work of resurrection;

lift us above our faults,

to joy and unselfish love

as we serve you in one another.

We ask this through your Son,

our Passover and our Peace,

who lives and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God for ever and ever.

AMEN.

It is Finished

So they took Jesus, and carrying the cross himself he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle.

Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, "Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews." Now many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that he said, 'I am the King of the Jews.'" Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four shares, a share for each soldier. They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top down. So they said to one another, "Let's not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be," in order that the passage of scripture might be fulfilled (that says): "They divided my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots." This is what the soldiers did.

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I thirst." There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, "It is finished."

And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.

From The Gospel of John

But Still He Walked

He could hear the crowds screaming "crucify" "crucify"...
He could hear the hatred in their voices,
These were his chosen people.
He loved them,
And they were going to crucify him.
He was beaten, bleeding and weakened... his heart was broken,
But still He walked.

He could see the crowd as he came from the palace.
He knew each of the faces so well.
He had created them.
He knew every smile, laugh, and shed tear,
But now they were contorted with rage and anger...his heart broke,
But still He walked.

Was he scared?

You and I would have been
So his humanness would have mandated that he was. He felt alone.
His disciples had left, denied, and even betrayed him.
He searched the crowd for a loving face and he saw very few.
Then he turned his eyes to the only one that mattered
And he knew that he would never be alone.
He looked back at the crowd, at the people who were spitting
At him, throwing rocks at him and mocking him and he knew
That because of him, they would never be alone.
So for them, He walked.

The sounds of the hammer striking the spikes echoed through
The crowd. The sounds of his cries echoed even louder,
The cheers of the crowd, as his hands and feet
Were nailed to the cross, intensified with each blow.
Loudest of all was the still small voice inside his
Heart that whispered "I am with you, my son",
And God's heart broke.
He had let his son walk.

Jesus could have asked God to end his suffering,
But instead he asked God to forgive.
Not to forgive him, but to forgive the ones who were persecuting him.
As he hung on that cross, dying an unimaginable death,
He looked out and saw, not only the faces in the crowd,
But also, the face of every person yet to be,
And his heart filled with love.
As his body was dying, his heart was alive.
Alive with the limitless, unconditional love he feels for each of us.
That is why He walked.

When I forget how much My God loves me,
I remember his walk.
When I wonder if I can be forgiven,
I remember his walk.
When I need reminded of how to live like Christ,
I think of his walk.
And to show him how much I love him,
I wake up each morning, turn my eyes to him,
And I walk

His Blood Upon the Rose

I see His blood upon the rose
And in the stars the glory of his eyes,
His body gleams amid eternal snows,
His tears fall from the skies.

I see his face in every flower;
The thunder and the singing of the birds
Are but his voice—and carven by his power
Rocks are his written words.

All pathways by his feet are worn,
His strong heart stirs the ever-beating sea,
His crown of thorns is twined with every thorn,
His cross is every tree.

Joseph Mary Plunkett (1887–1916)

Prayer for Healers

The Legend of the Dogwood Tree

When Christ was on earth,

the dogwood grew to a

towering size with lovely hue.

Its branches were strong and interwoven.

And for Christ's cross

its timbers were chosen.

Being distressed at the use of this wood,

Christ made a promise

which still holds good:

"Not ever again shall the dogwood grow

to be large enough for such a tree,

And so slender and twisted

it shall always be

with cross-shaped Blossoms for all to see.

The petals shall have bloodstains

marked in brown and in the

blossom's center a thorny crown.

All who see it will think of Me,

nailed to a cross from the dogwood tree.

Protected and cherished this tree shall be

A reflection to all of my agony."

Faith

Unfolding the Rose

It is only a tiny rosebud,

a flower of God's design;

But I cannot unfold the petals

with these clumsy hands of mine.

The secret of unfolding flowers

is not known to such as I.

GOD opens this flower so sweetly,

when in my hands they die.

If I cannot unfold a rosebud,

this flower of God's design,

Then how can I have the wisdom

to unfold this life of mine?

So I'll trust in Him for leading

each moment of my day.

I will look to him for His guidance

each step of the pilgrim way.

The pathway that lies before me,

only my Heavenly Father knows.

I'll trust Him to unfold the moments,

just as He unfolds the rose.​

Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion

Passion Sunday begins our recounting of the most monumental events in human history, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. During Lent we travel with Jesus on his way to Jerusalem. The difficult part of the journey begins today when Jesus enters the Holy City. Riding a donkey, Jesus enters Jerusalem as a king coming in peace. People in the crowd spread their cloaks on the road and his disciples cry out “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.”

The sense of triumph is short lived, however. Within a few days the same crowd that threw their cloaks before Jesus is screaming, “Crucify him. Crucify him.” The disciples who shouted his praise are cowering in fear. Judas betrays Jesus and Peter denies him three times. To many of the people who witnessed the events everything seemed to be unraveling.

Unlike the people in the crowd, the disciples, the twelve apostles, the daughters of Jerusalem, Simon the Cyrenian, the members of the Sanhedrin, the two criminals, Pilate and Herod we know the end of the story. We know Jesus is victorious and triumphant in the end. We know that without crucifixion there can be no Easter. We know that resurrection cannot occur without death. We know as St. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15: 57, that God “gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

As we enter into the commemoration of the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus, events that changed the world forever, remember that this is a Holy Week. Let’s not waste it. Spend some time reflecting on St. Luke’s Passion that we read today (Luke 22:14 -23: 56). Come to Mass on Holy Thursday. Attend at least one of the services on Good Friday. And rejoice with your Christian family at the Easter Vigil as new members of the Body of Christ are received into the Church. Above all, pray.

Father, 

in your plan of salvation 

Your Son Jesus Christ accepted the cross 

And freed us from the power of the enemy. 

May we come to share the glory of his resurrection, 

For he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, 

One God, forever and ever.

Amen

God's Holding Patterns

Many times God will allow a painful situation or a painful circumstance in our life to "swallow us up." This season in our spiritual growth is a holding pattern. We can't move to the left or the right. All we can do is sit, like Jonah sat in the belly of that great fish, so God can have our undivided attention and speak to us.

God put Jonah in a holding pattern because He needed to speak to his heart. Jonah was all alone. There were no friends to call, no colleagues to drop by, no books to read, no food to eat, no interference's, and no interruptions. He had plenty of time to sit, think, meditate, and pray. When we're deep down in the midst of a difficult situation, God can talk to us. When He has our undivided attention, He can show us things about ourselves that we might not otherwise have seen.

Few Of God's Holding Patterns:

1. When you are sick in your physical body and you have prayed, but God has not healed you yet, you are in a holding pattern.

2. When you are having problems with your children and you have put them on the altar, but God has not delivered them yet, you are in a holding pattern.

3. When you have been praying for a loved one and they have not responded yet, you are in a holding pattern.

4. When you are in a broken relationship and you have given it over to God, but it has not been restored yet, you are in a holding pattern.

5. When the doors slam shut before you can knock on them, you are in a holding pattern.

6. When the stack of bills are higher than the dollars to pay them and you don’t know where it’s coming from, you are in a holding pattern.

7. When you are praying for an answer and it’s just not coming as quickly as you like it to, you are in a holding pattern.

When we are deep in the belly of a difficult situation, there are no interruptions. God has our undivided attention. All we can do is sit, think, meditate, and pray. We cannot run from God because there are no mountains that are high enough, valleys that are low enough, rivers that are wide enough, rooms that are dark enough, or places that are hidden enough from Him.

We must remember to praise Him while we're waiting and remember three things:
1. The pattern has a purpose.
2. The pattern has a plan.
3. The pattern has a process.

So stop struggling and start listening, praying and trusting. He'll keep you right where you are until you can clearly hear Him say, "I love you." The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor. The one who kneels to the Lord can stand up to anything. Be Blessed!

Prayer:

"Father, forgive my unbelief. I know you love me and will turn anything around to benefit me. You have planned nothing for me but victories and I am ready to receive them regardless of how difficult the path. Amen."

Take, Lord, and Receive

Take, Lord, and receive

All my liberty,

My memory,

My understanding

And my entire will,

All that I have and possess.

You have given all to me,

To you, Lord, I return it.

All is yours;

Do with it what you will.

Give me only your love and your grace,

That is enough for me.

~ From the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola

Staying in the Present

"Having spent the better part of my life trying either to relive the past or experience the future before it arrives, I have come to believe that in between these two extremes is peace."

~ Anonymous

How hard it, often seems, to quiet our minds so we can experience the present. We know that we're missing God's message now when we're obsessively caught in thoughts of another time. But too often we allow them to plague us anyway.

We're not failures if we need to repeatedly remind ourselves to be quiet, but we may think we are. It might be well for each of us to observe a small child who is learning to walk. She stumbles and falls and tries again and again, often with peals of laughter.

We, too, are children trying to master a new skill. That we didn't learn how to quiet our mind in earlier years is unimportant. We are here, now, and the opportunity to practice this skill, will present itself many times today. And we will become proficient at knowing peace with practice.

Today I'll willingly quiet my mind rather than let my thoughts carry me astray.

In God’s Care by Karen Casey

Approval

We can secure other people's approval, if we do right and try hard; but our own is worth a hundred of it. — Mark Twain

There was once a young girl who thought that if only she tried a little harder, she could please her parents; if only she were prettier, her friends would like her better. She tried constantly to gain their approval. Sometimes they said they liked her, and sometimes they didn't.

Then one night an angel came to her in a dream and told her, "You are fine just the way you are. You don't have to change. I want you to start noticing your own beauty and loving yourself exactly the way you are."

Doing what the angel suggested - giving love and approval to herself - wasn't easy, but she found that when she did it she felt a peace that was not dependent on what others thought. She thanked her angel for caring enough to come and give her such wise advice.

What are some things I like about myself?

5th Sunday of Lent

Over the past two Sundays we have considered Jesus’ call for repentance and reconciliation. Today’s gospel message focuses on forgiveness: God’s forgiveness of us and our responsibility to forgive each other. Repentance and reconciliation without forgiveness is incomplete.

In today’s gospel, John 8:1-11, Jesus confronts two guilty parties: the woman caught in adultery and the judgmental scribes and Pharisees who accuse her. Jesus did not condemn the woman nor did he condemn the scribes and Pharisees. He merely confronted the accusers with their own sinfulness. There is a lot of speculation about what Jesus wrote in the sand. The fact is, we don’t know and we will never know. What we do know is that somehow Jesus turned a potentially volatile situation into a moment of grace.

This grace is not cheap. There is still the expectation of total and complete conversion. Although Jesus does not condemn the woman, he does say, “Go, and from now on do not sin any more.” The challenge Jesus gave to the woman he gives to us, “from now on do not sin anymore.” While this challenge might seem impossible, St. Paul reminds us in Colossians 1:13-14, that God the Father through the death and resurrection of Jesus “delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Because God forgives our sins, our duty, like St. Paul’s in today’s second reading is to put the past behind us and strive for what lies ahead “the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus.”

Infinite is your compassion, O God,

to every sinner who stands before you.

Grant that we,

who have been forgiven so much,

may embrace as sisters and brothers

every sinner who joins us at this feast of forgiveness.

We ask this through Christ,

our peace and reconciliation,

the Lord who lives and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God for ever and ever.

AMEN.