Perpetual Quietness

~ Attributed to Andrew Murray, South African Missionary, 1828-1917

7th Sunday of Easter - Ascension of the Lord

Today we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord when Jesus' resurrected body departed our world and was "taken up in glory"(1 Tm. 3:16) where He "is seated at the right hand of God"(Col. 3:1). His mission accomplished; Jesus returned to His Father in heaven. While the Ascension marks the end of Jesus' physical ministry here with us, it is a sign to all His disciples that our work building the kingdom of God is just beginning.

The disciples did not go out to build the kingdom unprepared. Jesus told them to wait "until [they were] clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). Once the "power of the Holy Spirit" came upon them, they could fulfill their mission to carry on the work Jesus began. Their mission was to preach "repentance for the forgiveness of sins" (Luke 24:47) and to proclaim the good news "in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). That mission is now our responsibility. Jesus expects us to witness, to teach and to proclaim the same good news. And like the first disciples, we too are prepared. We are "are clothed with power from on high."

Next Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost. During these days leading up to Pentecost please pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on our Church and on all of us so that we can follow Jesus’ instructions to preach the gospel of the kingdom “throughout the world as a witness to all nations” (Matt. 24:14).

Lord our God,

your Son Jesus Christ lives in your glory

to be nearer to us through his Holy Spirit

and to be near to all people through us.

Give us the Holy Spirit,

that we may have the courage

to help you save the world by serving it

and by building up your kingdom

of justice, truth, and love,

in the name of him whom we await,

Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord

and our Savior for ever.

Amen.

St. Pope Paul VI: Defender of the Rosary

Saint Pope Paul VI (1897-1978) was born in northern Italy and elected the Vicar of Christ during the turbulent 1960s and 1970s. Before being elected to the papacy, he had earned a doctorate in canon law and served as the Vatican Secretary of State, as well as the archbishop of Milan. Upon the death of St. Pope John XXIII, the Second Vatican Council was halted, but St. Pope Paul VI re-opened it and brought about its conclusion in 1965.

Saint Pope Paul VI was an extremely humble man. After his death, it became known that, during his papal visit to the Philippines in 1970, he had been stabbed in the chest in the Manila airport by a Bolivian poet and artist who had disguised himself as a priest. The man who stabbed him, Benjamin Mendoza, had purchased a dagger in a Muslim thrift shop.

Interestingly, the miracle that was approved for Pope Paul VI’s beatification was worked through the relic of the blood left on his vestment from the stabbing. The case involved an unborn child in his mother’s womb that had suffered brain defects during pregnancy. The mother’s physician advised her to abort the child, but the mother refused. Instead, she asked for the intercession of Pope Paul VI at the urging of a nun who gave her a holy card with a piece of the pope’s cassock from the attack in Manila. When the child was born, to the surprise of everyone, there were no brain defects.

Interestingly, it had been Pope Paul VI who wrote the landmark encyclical Humanae Vitae that defended all human life and condemned all forms of artificial birth control. Saint Pope Paul VI was known as the “pope of firsts” because he was the first pope to ever fly on a plane, the first pope to visit Fatima, and the first pope to visit the Holy Land since St. Peter. He was canonized on October 14, 2018. His feast day is celebrated on September 26.

Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC

Smoke Signal

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions.

One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, and soon there was nothing left. The worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. "God, how could you do this to me?" he cried.

Early the next day he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers.

"We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain, and suffering.

Remember this the next time your "hut" seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.

Keys to Holier Golden Years

1. Adopt a positive attitude

2. Trust in God

3. Appreciate the present moment

4. Accept God’s plan for you

5. Share yourself with others

6. Be aware of the love of others

7. Appreciate yourself

8. Pardon yourself and others

9. Accept change

10. Accept suffering

11. Find humor in your life

12. Validate your feelings

13. Pray often

God did not spare His own Son

It is said so quickly: "God did not spare His own Son." The words are too short to do justice for what happened. You might sum up the sacrifice of another person's lifetime by saying simply: "Her son died in the war." 

Ponder it over for a moment. "Her son died in the war. "Only six words to sum up the sacrifice of a lifetime? When she first discovered she was to be a mom, she felt the nausea for weeks. She connected with this baby first through the morning sickness. Soon, when the nausea passed, she felt the child kick her in the side. It was common for him to wake her in the middle of the night. Toward the end of the pregnancy, she slept hardly at all. Eventually, she felt the labor pains, and screamed in agony, moments before she saw the most precious sight she'd ever laid eyes on.

She nursed this baby boy, she gave up sleep for this boy, and she held this fragile infant. She changed the diapers, washed the diapers, dried the diapers, and folded the diapers. She bounced him through the colic and rocked him through the fevers. She cheered his first steps and wiped away the tears, and the blood, from his first scrape. She provided the discipline, she read the books, and she took him to school. She learned as many spelling words as he did, she explained math and history and the mystery of girls.

She watched him grow tall and strong and she provided socks and shoes for every step of the way. She learned the rules of his favorite sport, and the favorite meal for his favorite girl. She read the newspapers with the frightening headlines, she cried when he left for boot camp, she wrote the letters and prayed for miracles, she provided the perfect weekend for that last Thanksgiving together, and she answered the door when the officer came with the news that her baby boy had died in a ditch at the hands of an enemy who didn't give a moment's thought about the man he shot.

And so comes the sentence, "Her son died in the war." Can a six-word sentence really tell the story? No way. So, too, comes the sentence St. Paul gives us. "God did not spare His own Son." St. Paul uses only seven words to describe the heartbreak of heaven. We read them too quickly, in a matter of a second or two. We must slow down, and realize that there is no way any of us would ever comprehend what it was like for Jesus to take off his robe of light, leave the halls of heaven, and make himself an organism buried in the darkness of a peasant girl's womb, so that one day, after all of the words, after all the teaching, after all the miracles, he could die the most horrible death known to man - so that we might finally know God. God did not spare His own Son. God is for us. My, how God is for us. The cross is the unspeakable, indescribable proof that God is for us.

Memorial Day - We Remember with Gratitude

We remember with gratitude this day all those who lost their lives in service for our country. We also remember those men and women who have served or who are serving our country in Military service. We, who enjoy our freedom, are grateful for you today and always.

Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil

Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil, the priest who was kidnapped in 2016 and held captive for 18 months by terrorists in Yemen, said that his ability to persevere “was thanks to the prayers of everyone” who interceded for him.

“Prayer is the best thing that God has given us and can obtain everything,” he told ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish language sister agency. “Surrendered to the Lord's will, during my captivity I prayed to the Lord that they would release me soon, but I also asked him to give me the grace to complete the mission that he had planned for me.”

A Salesian missionary, Uzhunnalil first garnered the world's attention when he was kidnapped March 4, 2016, during an attack on a Missionaries of Charity home in Aden, Yemen, that left 16 people dead, including four Sisters.

His international profile grew when rumors spread that he was to be crucified on Good Friday, which were later discredited. After that, numerous photos and videos were released depicting Uzhunnalil, thin and with an overgrown beard, pleading for help and for his release, saying that his health was deteriorating and he was in need of hospitalization.

The government of Oman and the Holy See had worked for the priest’s release. He was freed Sept. 12, 2017.

In an interview with ACI Prensa the priest recalled the experience he went through in Yemen.

“The churches in Yemen had been attacked and vandalized, but in the days prior to my kidnapping the situation had stabilized somewhat,” he said.

However, on the morning of March 4, 2016, when he was praying in the chapel of the Missionaries of Charity, he heard gunshots outside. He saw jihadists killing four of the sisters.

“I prayed for God's mercy on the sisters who had died and also for those who had killed them,” he said. “They then told me to come outside and asked me if I were a Muslim. I told them no, that I was a Christian. And they put me in the back seat of the car.”

“A little later they opened the door again and threw in something metallic wrapped in some cloth. I knew that it was the tabernacle that the sisters had in the chapel,” he explained.

While Uzhunnalil said his captors did not physically harm him, he did suffer psychological torture.  “They took everything away from me, although they gave me a little water and food,” he recalled.  During that time, they changed his location five or six times, and he said that he never knew the exact location where he was being held.

In the 18 months he was held captive, Uzhunnalil relied upon prayer for perseverance.

“It was thanks to the prayers of everyone who prayed for me that I was able to endure what I was going through. It wasn't because of my personal fortitude but because of the prayers of my brothers and sisters in the faith,” he said.

Uzhunnalil also relied on personal prayer during his captivity.

“Every day, I prayed the Angelus; three or four Rosaries; an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be for the sisters who died; the Chaplet of Divine Mercy; I meditated on the Way of the Cross; and I celebrated Holy Mass spiritually - I didn't have any bread or wine but I said the prayers from memory,” he said.

“I prayed for my captors and I thanked God for the seed of goodness they could have in their hearts. Thanks be to God, I don't hold any rancor or hatred for them,” he added.

“God knew everything that was happening, because they should have killed me in the beginning, but they didn't. They kept me alive even though I said I was a Christian. Here I am now, free, to bear witness that God is alive, that he has heard our prayers and has answered us. I have witnessed the power of prayer,” he told ACI Prensa.

After his release on September 12, 2017, he met with Pope Francis, a moment that was “tremendously emotional.” 

“During the meeting with Pope Francis, I cried and I thanked him for the prayers he had prayed for me that he had asked to be prayed for me.”

Uzhunnalil encouraged all Christians who are suffering persecution today to be steadfast in prayer and in faith in God.

The priest currently lives in Bangalore, India, since Yemen is still at war. However, he assures that he is ready to go back to the country “if that's God's will.”

This article was originally published ACI Prensa. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Law of the Garbage Truck

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.

My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly.

So I asked, "Why did you just do that? That guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!"

This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck."

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage -- frustration, anger, disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't.

Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it.

6th Sunday of Easter

Today is the Sixth Sunday of Easter; our celebration of this holy season is near its end.  Next Sunday we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord.  And in two weeks, on June 8, we celebrate the glorious Feast of Pentecost.  In today's gospel, John 14: 23 - 29, Jesus is preparing the disciples for his departure.  He promises that God the Father will send them an Advocate to be with them always, "the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it" (John 14:17).  He also promises them the gift of Peace. 

This peace that Jesus offers the disciples and us is not worldly peace, it is a gift from God that "surpasses all understanding" (Phil. 4:7).  The peace that Jesus offers us is peace of heart; a peace that helps us to overcome our very human fears and anxieties.   We receive God’s gift of peace when we keep God’s word (John 14: 23).  In his Letter to the Colossians St. Paul gives us clear instructions on how we can attain God’s peace, “Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put-on love, that is, the bond of perfection” (Col. 3:12-14).  And finally, we must “Let the word of Christ dwell in [us] richly,” through prayer, thanksgiving and “gratitude in [our] hearts to God” (Col. 3:16).

During the next two weeks leading up to Pentecost, all of us should pray that the Holy Spirit, our Advocate who is with us always, will teach each of us what we need to know and continually remind us of everything Jesus said.  Then we all can share God’s gift of peace, a peace the world cannot give. 

Great and loving Father,

Your abiding gift to us is the Advocate promised by your Son, Jesus. 

Calm all troubled hearts, dispel every fear.

Keep us steadfast in love and faithful to your word, 

that we may always be your dwelling place.

Grant this through Jesus Christ, The first-born from the dead,

Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, 

God for ever and ever.

AMEN.

Surrender

One of the best ways of understanding surrender is this:

If you’re doing anything that moves you away from God – no matter what it is, no matter how good it feels, no matter how much you like it – stop it!

If you’re with anyone who moves you away from God – no matter who it is – change the relationship! Leave if you must.

If you’re in a place that moves you away from God, leave. Get out of there!

No matter what or who or where or when – whatever moves you away from God, change it!

On the other hand, if something brings you closer to God, it is holy. Do more of it. If someone brings you closer to God, they are holy. See more of them. A place that brings you closer to God is a holy place. Go there more often.

Prayer for God's Will

Dear Lord, I thank You for this day,

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

I ask now for Your forgiveness.

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

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

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

Amen

Slow Down

An American racing enthusiast entered his horse in Britain's famous Epsom Downs Steeple­chase. Just before the race began, he slipped his horse a white pellet. The Duke of Marlboro, who was serving as steward, caught the owner in the act and objected. "I say, old man, really you can't do that sort of thing over here!"

"Just a harmless sugar lump," the Ameri­can assured him. He gulped one down himself. "Here, try one," he said.

The Duke took a pill, swallowed it, and seemed satisfied. As the jockey mounted, the American whispered in his ear, "Son, keep that horse on the outside and stay out of trouble, be­cause once he starts running, there ain't nothing that can catch him...except me and the Duke of Marlboro!"

Do you ever feel that way - running so fast that nothing can catch you? Our busy and full lives are too often like that; we rush here and hurry there. We eat fast food. We run our errands. We use e-mail and put off reading our messages until we have the time. We hurry through meals and can only give friends "just a minute." We live fast-paced and anxious lives. Too often, we run so fast we lose our center.

But, in the end, it's not how fast you lived that matters, but how well you lived. Are you taking time to enjoy? Have you left enough time for you? Is there time to listen to a friend or visit a relative in need? Are you leaving time each day to nurture your faith? Do you need to slow down? After all, the only race that matters goes, not to those who run it quickly, but to those who run it well.

The Echo of Life

A man and his son were walking in the forest. Suddenly, he trips and feeling a sharp pain he screams, "Ahhhhhh!" Surprised, he hears a voice coming from the mountain, "Ahhhhh!" Filled with curiosity, he screams, "Who are you?" but the only answer he receives is, "Who are you?" This makes him angry, so he screams, "You are a coward!" and the voice answers, "You are a coward!"

He looks at his father, asking, "Dad, what is going on?"

"Son," the man replies, "pay attention!" Then he screams, "I admire you!"
The voice answers, "I admire you!"

The father shouts, "You are wonderful!"
and the voice answers, "You are wonderful!"

The boy is surprised, but still can't understand what is going on.

The father explains, "People call this an 'echo' but truly it is 'life!' Life always gives you back what you give out.

Life is a mirror of your actions. If you want more love, give more love. If you want more kindness, give more kindness. If you want understanding and respect, give understanding and respect. If you want people to be patient and respectful to you, give patience and respect. This rule of nature applies to every aspect of our lives."

Life always give you back what you give out. Your life is not a coincidence, but a mirror of your own doings​.

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

I Said Nothing

In Germany they first came for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me -
and by that time no one was left to speak up.

~ Martin Niemöller

5th Sunday of Easter

Throughout his ministry, the scribes and Pharisees tried to trick Jesus on matters of the Law. He deflected their ploys by consistently going back to the most basic and most important commandments in the Old Testament: "you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength" (Deut.6: 5) and "you shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev. 19:18). In today's gospel, Jesus gives his disciples and us a new commandment, "love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another" (John 13:34).

This new commandment to love one another as Jesus loves us is the greatest challenge facing most of us as Christians. This love is total, unconditional, selfless, merciful, sacrificial and forgiving love. It is a force so absolute and boundless that St. Paul declares " I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord"(Romans 8: 38-39).

The challenge for us is putting this commandment into practice. Talking about love is easy. Practicing total, unconditional, selfless, merciful, sacrificial and forgiving love is something each of us most struggle with every day. What Jesus is telling us in this new commandment is that we must love the people who hurt us, we must love the people who hate us, we must love the people who are angry with us and we must love the people who let us down and disappoint us. There is no room for compromise here. In Luke 6:27-35, Jesus makes his point explicitly clear: "love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you....For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them...then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked."

By striving to love one another as Jesus loves us, we are building the "new Jerusalem" that St. John saw so vividly in Revelation 21:1-5a. We are working in partnership with God our Father to "make all things new" so that he can dwell with us here in Peachtree City, Georgia and we can prove we are his people.

God, loving Father,

you made us aware of the depth of your love

when your own Son laid down his life for us.

Jesus asks us to love one another

the way he has loved us.

Make this new commandment of love

the very foundation of our lives,

so that, loving you and loving one another

we may show that we are Christ’s disciples.

We ask this through Jesus Christ,

the first-born from the dead,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God for ever and ever.

AMEN

Measuring

We are each so much more than what some reduce to measuring.

Our society places great emphasis on how well each person is doing. It makes us judgmental and competitive. As children we may have thought that our real value was measured by the grades we got in school or the scores of our soccer games or baseball games. As grown-ups we continue measuring our worth by things like the size of our wages, the model of the car we drive.

We can't stop the measuring, but we are in a faith that helps us step outside this system. We seek to know and do the will of our Lord and Savior, which is beyond the limitations of such measurements. Submitting our own will to our Lord releases us from the competition and the judgments in these games of measurement. Our loyalties are to values like honesty, respect, peace, and wholeness. Today, let us remember that our value isn't measured on a human-made scale.

This Too Shall Pass

Be Generous

Bad Parrot

A young man named John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary.

 

Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity.

John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to 'clean up' the bird's vocabulary.

Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even more rude. John, in desperation, threw up his hand, grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer. For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed.

Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute.

Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and said "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior."

John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude.

As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird spoke-up, very softly,

"May I ask what the turkey did?"

Being Human

Overcoming denial means intentionally and fully knowing oneself as a human being - warts and all.

• Being human means that you aren't everything you want to be - or everything you think you are - good or bad.
• Being human means that your thinking is sometimes irrational. It also means that everyday you have thoughts you would not like to have shared with people around you.
• Being human means that you live in a body which might not be perfect and sometimes has pain and is getting... older and probably is not in the same shape as what you see on TV and movies.
• Being human means you might not always have the kind of attitude you'd like to have.
• Being human means that you have those messy human feelings you wish would go away. Having feelings means that you sometimes make decisions based on feelings which aren't always in your best interest and sometimes hurt you and hurt people you love.
• Being human means that you can't do it alone - you need support.
• Being human also means that you are a child of Creation. A Loving God formed you and loves you as you are.
• Being human means that you are a spiritual being living in a physical body.
• Being human means that you are BOTH good and bad, BOTH saint and sinner, BOTH loving and selfish. Being human means that you have BOTH pain and pleasure.
• Being human means that you have needs that you can't always meet.
• Being human means that you are NOT in control.

Being human isn’t all negative. We are each gifted with mind and heart and wonderful senses to enjoy the world and to serve one another. We are all gifted and talented in tremendous ways – unique to us in a world filled with wonder. We each have many strengths in addition to any flaws we may have. We are made for great joy. God gave us a world filled with beauty and with pleasure. Being a Spiritual Person doesn’t mean we avoid all pleasure. But that we accept it with grateful hearts.

Holy Communion

To a friend she said, “The most solemn moment of my life is the moment when I receive Holy Communion and for every Holy Communion I give thanks to the Most Holy Trinity” (Diary of St. Faustina, 1804).

4th Sunday of Easter: Good Shepherd Sunday, 62nd World Day of Prayer, Mother's Day

Today is the fourth Sunday of Easter usually called Good Shepherd Sunday because the gospel for this Sunday always focuses on Jesus as a shepherd. It is also the 62nd World Day of Prayer for Vocations and it is Mother’s Day. In his Message for the 2025 World Day of Vocations Pope Francis chose the theme, Pilgrims of Hope: The Gift of Life. In this message, issued March 19, 2025, the Holy Father reminds us that, “A vocation is a precious gift that God sows in our heart, a call to leave ourselves behind and embark on a journey of love and service. Every vocation in the Church, whether lay, ordained or consecrated, is a sign of the hope that God has for this world and for each of his children.”

We all want good shepherds. Our prayers should be fervent when we pray for vocations in our parish, our Archdiocese, our Country and our world. Prayer is one of the most powerful ways to support vocations. When we pray for vocations, we lift up to our Father those men and women whom He is calling in a very special way.

As we pray for vocations to consecrated life, we must remember that all of us are called by God. Through our baptism we are called to be Good Shepherds. Parents are called to be good shepherds for their children – Christian formation begins at home. Teachers are called to be Good Shepherds for their students – Christian formation is strengthened by the examples set by educators in our schools. Business people are called to be Good Shepherds for their workers - Christian formation must be sustained in our everyday lives. Whatever our life situation is, we are called to be Good Shepherds and signs of hope founded in faith.

And again, Pope Francis reminds us that “Every vocation, once perceived in the depths of the heart, gives rise to an impulse to love and service, as an expression of hope and charity, rather than a means of self-promotion. Vocation and hope go together in God’s plan for the happiness of each man and woman, all of whom are called by name to give their lives for others. Many young people seek to know the path God is calling them to take. Some find, often to their surprise, that they are called to the priesthood or to the consecrated life. Others discover the beauty of the call to marriage and family life, to the pursuit of the common good and to a life of witness to the faith among their friends and acquaintances.”

Today in a special way we honor the vocation of motherhood. On this day we celebrate our mothers. We thank them for nurturing us and for loving us. and we give thanks for our mothers who made our lives possible.

Gracious God,

We thank you for adopting us into your family

through the miracle of your grace,

and for calling us to be brothers and sisters to each other.

Today, loving God, we pray for our mothers:

Who cared for us when we were helpless

Who comforted us when we were hurt.

Whose love and care we often took for granted.

Today we pray for:

Those who are grieving the loss of their mother,

Those who never knew their biological mother,

and now yearn for her

Those who have experienced the wonder of an adopted mother's love,

The families separated by war or conflict.

Lord, give them special blessings.

Keep us united with you and with each other,

so that we can be and become all that we are meant to be.

Amen.

Gratitude

Life Lessons Learned from Noah's Ark

1. Don't miss the boat.
2. Remember that we are all in the same boat.
3. Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
4. Stay fit. When you're 600 years old someone may ask you to do something really big.
5. Don't listen to critics, just get on with the job that needs to be done.
6. Build your future on high ground.
7. For safety's sake travel in pairs.
8. Take care of your animals as if they were the last ones on earth.
9. If you have to start over, have a friend by your side.
10. No matter the storm, when you are with God there's always a rainbow waiting.

Jubilee 2025: Pilgrims of Hope

2025 is the Jubilee Holy Year, the 2,025th anniversary of the Incarnation of our Lord, an “event of great spiritual, ecclesial, and social significance in the life of the Church.” The concept of “Jubilee” has its origins in the Book of Leviticus (chapter 25) as a special year of reconciliation, pilgrimage, and coming home. Pope Francis has designated the 2025 Holy Year as a time to renew ourselves as “Pilgrims of Hope.”

Archbishop Hartmayer celebrated Mass on December 29, 2024, to officially begin the Jubilee Holy Year. In his homily address Archbishop Hartmayer stated, “The goal of a Jubilee Year is to inspire, and encourage holiness of life, and therefore to strengthen the churches witness to God’s loving mercy in and for the world.”

The Archbishop has designated numerous pilgrimage sites in the archdiocese. These Pilgrimage sites do not have a Holy Door, nonetheless they been designated as a place where the people of God can pilgrim to reflect and obtain plenary indulgence satisfying the ordinary requirements of the Church.

In the Archdiocese of Atlanta, Archbishop Hartmayer has designated these churches to be pilgrimage sites:

• Mary Our Queen Catholic Church in Peachtree Corners, Main Pilgrimage Site
• Church of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Sharon
• Saint Matthew Catholic Church in Tyrone
• Our Lady of the Mountains in Jasper
• Saint Paul the Apostle in Cleveland
• Saint Brendan the Navigator in Cumming

These pilgrimage sites opened on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord Sunday February 2, 2025, and will end on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord on Tuesday January 6, 2026. Even though there are not “Holy Doors” at these sites there will be “Pilgrim Doors”, so all pilgrims are invited to enter through them.

Visit the Archdiocese of Atlanta website at: archatl.com/jubilee-2025/ which offers Catholics resources and ideas for celebrating the 2025 Jubilee locally, nationally, or by making a special pilgrimage to Rome. The site is regularly updated with the latest news, so be sure to check back regularly.

  

Change Your Perspective

“Every time I get worried about something I say my prayers more.” ~ Jim Burns

Whether we grew up in religious families or not, most of us seek help from some Greater Power when we're faced with terrifying situations. Often it's at an unconscious level that we ask for extra help. But the fact that we do elicit strength from some source comforts us, and this enables us to walk through the experience that appears so daunting.

We never outgrow the need for strength and comfort. That's good news. It's too awesome to think that we need to know all now, to understand how every detail of living should unfold. It's quite enough to limit our focus on the details of the next twenty-four hours.

Let's be vigilant about our search for guidance and comfort. And let's not forget that we have to listen for the response. If our minds are filled with worrying, there will be no space for the answers to enter.

Praying for solutions or comfort or just a moment of peace will change my perspective today. When my perspective changes, so do my experiences.

Reflection on John's Gospel 21: 1-19

Peter’s rehabilitation with Jesus is neat.  Jesus doesn’t address him as Peter (Rock) but as Simon, Son of John.  Kind of like our Mothers addressing us by our full names when we were in trouble – remember? And Peter was in trouble.  He had denied that he even knew Jesus three times and now three times he had to tell Jesus he loved him more than the other disciples.  And we know that eventually Peter would be crucified upside down to “glorify God.” Scripture tells us: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  (John 15:13).

If all of us were asked by Jesus: “Do you love me?”, I would hope we would respond somewhere along the lines of Peter.  But that is a difficult question to answer.  Do I truly love Jesus more than anything or anyone else in this world?  Lord, please give me the grace and strength to answer as Peter did: “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you​!"

Grace

3rd Sunday of Easter

Last week the disciples encountered Jesus in Jerusalem, while locked in a room cowering in fear and trepidation. In today's gospel, John 21:1-19, Peter, Thomas, James, John, Nathanael and two other disciples encounter the resurrected Jesus in Galilee. Peter returns to his old routine and decides to go fishing. The others follow him. However, their fishing expedition is a failure; they catch nothing. Only when Jesus arrives on the shore and offers them some advice on where to cast their nets, do they succeed. On their own, the disciples, led by a professional fisherman, have only empty nets to show for their effort. When they obeyed "God rather than men" (Acts 5:29) they managed to catch 153 large fish.

Although this is a great fish story, the focus of this gospel is on Peter and his reconciliation with Jesus. Before meeting Jesus on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias, Peter was ready to return to his safe and familiar old job. However, Jesus had other plans for Peter. He gently challenges Peter offering him a new life as a nurturing shepherd tending God’s sheep. Having witnessed the touchable reality of the Resurrected Christ and experienced healing through Jesus' loving forgiveness and reconciliation, Peter gains the strength and courage he needs to take up his new mission.

The contrast between the Peter in today's gospel and the Peter we hear about in our first reading from 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 is curing sick people and challenging the Sanhedrin, “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. We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit that God has given to those who obey him” ( Acts 5:30–32).

We too have the opportunity to encounter Jesus Christ every time we come to Mass and participate in the sacraments. Like Peter, we can experience Jesus’ healing power of forgiveness and reconciliation. We can share a meal with Jesus in the Eucharist and experience the full meaning of sacrificial love. 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 wherever 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

Grateful

A thousand eyes, but none with correct vision.  ~ Isacher Hurwitz

William Shakespeare referred to envy as the "green sickness." There are only losers in the game of envy. When we envy someone else, we have judged ourselves and found something lacking.

Lack of self-love is the soil in which envy grows. Envious people are never satisfied. Self-pity is never sitting far from envy. We feel sorry for ourselves for what we don't have. Self-pity is like a swamp, the longer we stand in the muck, the more we stink.

Concentrating on what we do have is the perfect antidote for envy. Every one of us has our own special gifts and talents. We find these by looking at ourselves instead of looking at others. By becoming grateful for what we have, we can rejoice in ourselves.

Today let me be grateful for what I have.

"Our Best Days" by Nancy Hull-Mast