Come Back to Me Dear Child

 

-Susan

Happy Father's Day St. Joseph

 

  They are called the "hidden years."  It is actually a large span of time.  It is most of Jesus' life here on earth. Mary and Joseph spent more time with Jesus than anyone else.  I bet if we asked St. Joseph what he would call those years, he would call them "absolutely incredible years!"  Imagine St. Joseph's joy to hold baby Jesus in his arms, or the fun involved when playing with Jesus in the fields, or gazing at the stars together at night.  Imagine kneeling in prayer everyday with Mary on one side and Jesus on the other.  It had to be a foretaste of heaven for St. Joseph.

  I am certainly not discounting the stress of having to protect the long awaited Messiah and Mary, because I'm sure there were plenty of days  it weighed very heavy on him. Raising a child is difficult even under the best of circumstances , yet alone when authorities wanted your family eliminated.  I'm sure there were days when work was unavailable and food was scarce, but since today is Father's Day, I want to imagine the fun times.

  Have you ever wondered if St. Joseph told "dad jokes?"  Did Jesus laugh at his jokes?  What kind of jokes do you think Jesus shared with Joseph?  What was their favorite father/son activity (after praising God of course)? Did they ever play innocent tricks on Mary?  Often when we see statues or paintings of the Holy Family they seem so serious, but I can't help thinking they had a lot of fun too.  Today as I remember all the good times I had with my own father, I'm going to imagine the Holy Family smiling, laughing, and reminiscing about all their good times as well.

-Susan

The Beauty That Surrounds Us

 

  I was taking a bike ride a couple of weeks ago when I passed by this field.  "Wow! That's absolutely beautiful!"  I thought to myself.  

  I showed the picture to my kids and they responded similarly.  "Where is that field at?"  They were surprised when I told them it was near the entrance of our subdivision.  Beauty isn't just in the eye of the beholder, it sometimes depends on what time your eyes are opened.

  It's easy to take for granted the beauty that surrounds us every day. Beautiful friendships, a loving family, good health, or financial stability may go unnoticed or underappreciated until one day they are gone. I rode by that same field today and most of the flowers have faded and simply blend in with the foliage.

 Whether we are surrounded by beauty or we find ourselves being choked by life's weeds, the Lord expects us to bloom. During the seasons when we are not "flowering", God is still showering us with graces and fertilizing the roots of our faith. Sometimes we may not even realize that the seeds of our faith have become attached to others and will bloom without us ever knowing.  God is always working through and around us even if it looks like our current circumstances are dormant or trampled upon.

  Today, whether you are gloriously blooming or feeling a bit wilted, go out and hold your head up high.  Look towards the heavens and tell God, "I am firmly planted in Your Love, and I trust the seasons and pruning to you, O Lord! My life is in your hands. Allow me to notice and appreciate the beauty of my life.!"

-Susan

True Joy

 

  Finding joy in our lives isn't always easy.  Some days it feels as if everything is working against us.  When you are having "one of those days," remember that God is working for you. He is calming your thoughts, enlightening your mind, and softening your heart. Only a soft heart can feel His tender touch. Only a mind at peace is open to understanding. Only a will joined with His will bring true joy!

-Susan

Praise the Holy Trinity

 

 I wish I could say I fully understand the mystery of the Holy Trinity, but it is way beyond my thoughts.  Although I can’t comprehend, I feel incredibly blessed to have this living mystery in my life. It is amazing to me that when I was only an infant, God began sharing His divine life with me through the holy waters of Baptism.  Day by day, year by year He has been calling me to draw closer.  Even when I held back, God never did. He continued to share every part of Himself with me-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

 This week try to discover something new about the Holy Trinity.  Ask Mary to guide you in this journey.  The mysteries of the Rosary can reveal so many different insights of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.   Even though we may not be able to completely grasp the meaning of the Trinity, we can grasp our Rosary beads and try to see the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit through Mary's eyes. No one knows the Trinity better than Mary, who is His handmaiden, mother and spouse. Let us ask Mary to help us praise the Holy Trinity.


-Susan

Celebrating Pentecost

  I love reading how the apostles, Mary, and other disciples experienced the Holy Spirit in the upper room. A mighty wind, tongues of fire, speaking in different tongues sounds absolutely amazing!  The entire room must have been filled with such joy and excitement! I would love to have this same experience, but my encounters with the Holy Spirit have been quite different.

  In my life the Holy Spirit is more like a close friend, a gentle nudge, or a breath of inspiration. The Holy Spirit often calms my racing thoughts, reminds me that I am loved by God, and holds my heart when my mouth utters the words, "Your Will be done Lord" as tears run down my face.

  This blog is called Dwelling With the Spirit because I heavily rely on His inspirations. Sometimes I am awoken in the middle of the night with an idea, sometimes my ideas come while praying the Rosary, and sometimes I begin to write something and it slowly becomes something I had never even considered. Most of my longer stories that occur over several weeks are never planned ahead of time.   I just trust that the Holy Spirit will continue to unveil the storyline to me as well each week.

  I would love to experience tongues of fire, but I am also perfectly happy just dwelling with my best friend. I trust in Him completely and couldn't imagine life without Him!

-Susan

  

Time for Eternity?

 

  

  "Live longer, stronger, better." This was on the cover of a magazine I received this week.  I think this would have been a great motto for the apostles to have used. It just needs a small additional clause: Live longer, stronger, and better with Jesus in Eternity.  Sometimes I wonder if I would be a better disciple if I had a better understanding of time. 

  I always wear a watch. My whole day revolves around the time on my watch, and I try to make the best use of my time.  I generally think of time in infinite terms.  But what if the time on my watch was a mere fraction of a second compared to my time in Eternity?  If I had to do everything I could in that mere second in order to gain an infinite amount of time in Eternity, what would I do differently?

 

  Wouldn’t it make sense to give God as much of my time as possible?  My smart phone sends me a message every week letting me know if my screen time was up or down from the previous week. I think it be awesome if heaven could just send me a message letting me know if my faithful discipleship time had increased or decreased in the past week? I would have a better grasp on time. 

 I really do want to live a longer, stronger, better life in Jesus in Eternity which is why this week I’m going to ask God, “How can I spend my time better?” 

-Susan