The Calm After The Storm

 ”Heads up we just got hit with a tornado!” This was the message that popped up on my phone two weeks ago. The message was from a close relative. Tornado?!  Are you serious?  I looked outside and saw some clouds but nothing alarming at my house.
 The tornado had blown powerfully across the lake throwing his kayaks, iron table and chairs, umbrella and gazebo into the air before dropping them into the lake.  Fortunately, and most importantly, my relative and his family were not injured. The destruction took only a few minutes, trying to repair the damage took much longer. 
 I received another text from him just the other day. This is what he told me. "I had noticed that the lake was calm during my lunch hour. I decided to test the paddle board that was damaged in the tornado to see if the patch I used would hold water.  While paddling I tried looking once again for part of my gazebo’s missing roof."  (He had been searching for it for the past two weeks. The neighbor’s had told him they had seen it fly 200 feet into the air. ) "Feeling frustrated I just said out loud,  'Grandma I don't remember which saint you pray to when you lose something, but if you could please help me out here I'm still missing my piece of roof from my gazebo.'  I was just about to give up when I felt I should look a little further out.  I couldn't believe it when I suddenly saw my missing piece of roof more than 60 feet from the shore and in 8 feet of water. I smiled and said, 'Thank you Grandma!'  
 I asked him if I could share his story because it really touched me.  Not just because we got to feel my Grandma's love again, but it is good to be reminded how much God cares and loves each one of us.  God allows those who loved us during their lifetime to continue loving us from heaven.  He allows the saints in heaven to intercede on our behalf whether they are a recognized saint of the Catholic Church or our own saintly loved one.  Our God is beyond amazing! 
  I hope this story encourages you to pray to your loved ones that have passed.  I hope you still make them a part of your life.  I also hope the next time you pray the Creed you smile as you say, “ I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.  Amen.”  God showers us with miracles big and small to remind us how beautiful and true our faith really is. Those who follow Christ do have everlasting life.

-Susan

Bucket List

  Last week I found my daughters discussing their bucket lists for the summer. With 2020 being a year of so many cancelled events, they were determined to fill their summer days with fun memories.  Nothing extravagant, just small moments that sparked joy. This got me thinking...could we try to apply this same attitude to our prayer life. Instead of looking for some huge soul changing event to happen, what if we just concentrated on finding little moments that brought joy to our lives. 
 I would like to challenge everyone to make a bucket list of prayer opportunities.  Do something new and different.  Have a summer of adventure with God. You might discover that prayer doesn’t always have to be serious, it just needs to be genuine.  Here are a few things on my summer bucket list. I hope they inspire you to make your own.

-Susan                      

                                      

                                                               

His Healing Touch

  Sometimes when I'm reading the Bible I take for granted how amazing each story really is.  There have been times when I have breezed through a chapter a little too quickly because the story was very familiar.  I may have taken for granted how the glory of Jesus is being revealed.  Last week, however, I was stopped in my tracks while praying the third Luminous mystery-The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God.  On that particular day, I was meditating on how Jesus came to heal us. I called to mind some of the stories of Jesus' healings.  Many people were healed almost instantly when Jesus touched them.  But how?  Of course Jesus is God and nothing is impossible for Him, and His healing was as much spiritual as it was physical, but it got me thinking... there is a lot involved in healing a body.
  Working in a hospital, I am well aware of the number of tests that are often needed to make an accurate diagnosis for a patient.  Bloodwork, X-Rays, CT scans, ultrasounds, MRIs, EKGs, heart monitors, and the list goes on and on. Then once a diagnosis is made, the process of healing the ailment can be even more elaborate and involve surgery, rehabilitation, radiation, chemotherapy, medication, IV antibiotics, etc. Healing is often complicated, and it often takes a team of doctors to get a patient back on the road to recovery.  The major organs depend on all neurons, cells and platelets to be healthy and in balance.
  When Jesus' healing hand touched a person, He probably healed countless imbalances of numerous systems.  Jesus had a very intimate knowledge of each and every person that came to Him.  He didn't stop to study and evaluate the person. He didn't ask for a medical history.  He didn't need to, because He knew each person down to the smallest neuron and atom.  He knew the strengths and weaknesses of each person in that crowd. How incredible is that?!  
  As I continued to pray the Rosary, I imagined Jesus reaching His hand out to touch me.  I wondered what part of me Jesus would think needs healing the most?  I allowed myself some time to get caught up in the glory of God's goodness.  My Lord and Savior knows me-every thought, every pain, every atom and every neuron, and He loves me and wants me to be healed. That is truly miraculous!

-Susan

Keep It Burning

  Reanna slowly lowered herself to her knees and tried to pray. She really wanted to pray, she really needed to pray, but she was completely without words. It had been a bad week. It had been a bad year. Her scarred heart pumped  without joy or hope. She looked up at the altar and her eyes focused on the burning candle. She studied the flame. It was beautiful. She remembered younger days when the Light of Christ was easier for her to carry. She again struggled to find words to pray, and then she whispered just two, “Help me.”

  She closed her eyes and watched the light of her own candle become very, very small. She convinced herself that her trials were too strong. She had nothing left to give. She was done. 

  She was almost completely in the dark when she noticed another light coming towards her. The light joined Reanna’s and it became brighter. Then she saw lights from many other directions coming towards her and uniting to her candle. Her flame became incredibly bright. Reanna was amazed. She didn’t understand what was going on. 

  Then she heard a voice say, “You heard our voices when we cried for help. We are here to help you keep your light burning bright.”

  “Who are you?”

  “We are the holy souls you helped. Your prayers helped us in Purgatory, and now we reside in the eternal glory of God. We are forever grateful. Do not give into despair. Trust that God knows what is best for your soul. Don’t long for happiness. Aim higher—go for holy. If you obtain holiness you will be eternally happy."

  Reanna allowed a wave of peace to flow through her. After a few minutes she opened her eyes. Her heart was still scarred, her problems had not disappeared, but she could feel the Light of Christ burning within her. She was ready to begin again. 

-Susan 

Brighter Days

 The group of people gathered around the fire. The flames were warm and inviting.  The chill each of them had felt during the day had been chased away. Here they felt loved.  The power of the Spirit ignited desires to grow closer to God.  A small voice echoed through the cracklings of the fire. “Come and see where I abide. Draw closer to Me.”
 “Yes, let’s draw closer to God,” they agreed. “We have witnessed others carrying His Light.  We long for this as well.  Tomorrow.  Our journey will begin tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a great day!”  Eager and excited they returned to their lodgings.  
 Night came and darkness followed. The group individually heard other sounds. An annoying buzzing of self doubt slowly crawled through the camp.  “Why would God want to draw close to you?”  Followed by false whispers, “It will be too hard for you. You really don’t have the time for this. Quick get up there is something better down the road.”
 Unfortunately, some listened to the darkness and left the Light behind-- but not all. When morning came a few stepped out and saw the flame still burning brightly before them. “Yes, we are coming!” They stepped onto the path illuminated before them. 
 When they reached their destination, they heard His familiar  voice, “Welcome my friends, Mass is about to begin.  I am so happy you came!”  God hugged each and every one of them at Mass. He loved being so close to their hearts. Softly, He allowed His words to gently caress their ears, “I love you. I always will.  Remember to stay close to My Light so the sounds of the night do not confuse you.”

-Susan

Praise the Lord!

 Nick tossed and turned in bed.  He couldn’t get back to sleep again.  He looked at the clock across the room.  It was 3:00 am.  He didn’t even know what had woken him, but once again he found himself awake when he should have been sleeping.  The more he thought about sleeping, the more awake he seemed to become. After 45 minutes of trying to fall back asleep, he decided to try praying. 
 Nick was no stranger to prayer.  In fact, he dedicated time  every day to praying with God.  Lately, though, he found himself distracted and depressed.   He always seemed to find his thoughts wandering back to his good friend Russell.  Russell had been killed in a motorcycle accident 8 weeks ago.  When Nick heard the news, he felt as if someone had just kicked him in the gut, leaving him painfully wounded. 
    Nick tried to imagine what heaven might be like for Russell. He just couldn’t picture it. First of all, Russell was just a soul.  No body.  What was that like? Secondly, he couldn’t imagine Russell just singing praises day and night.  Russell was a good guy, but he also loved adventure. Would heaven be too boring for him?  Nick looked at the clock again.  It was 3:55 am.  Nick tried to imagine what heaven could be like—and that’s when it happened.  
 Nick clearly heard a voice in his mind, “Come, let me show you.” Nick did not “see” anyone, yet he felt a “presence”.  Nick rose from his bed quickly, at least part of him did.  Only Nick’s soul followed the voice. An instant later Nick found himself soaring over an ocean. Without speaking words, Nick knew to follow the voice’s instructions. 
 Together they were diving towards the ocean at an incredible speed, and just before hitting the water they leveled out. Nick was “flying” an inch above the water. It was incredible!  He was moving so fast, yet he noticed everything. The water was a deep sapphire blue. It was so clear, he could see to the bottom, and all the exotic fish swimming at the different depths. Large, colorful birds flew above and next to him.  The wind rushed by as cool sprays from the waves crashed just beneath him.  Nick could hear voices singing, “Praise the Lord!” and Nick began singing as well!  He could feel God’s love growing inside him, filling him completely.  He had never experienced anything like this before!  It was exhilarating!  He never felt so alive in his life!   Nick was so aware of the goodness of God!  It was so clear, so obvious, so amazing!  He sang louder and louder as joy consumed him. He was laughing and singing and crying all at the same time!
 Then without warning, the voice said, "It's time to return."
 Nick pleaded, “Please let me stay here. I never want to leave!  Please, please let me sing more praises to God!"
 “I’m sorry,” said the voice.  “It is not your time yet.”  In an instant, Nick could feel his pillow under his head, his blanket across his body. His body. He had a body again.  Nick looked across the darkened room to his alarm clock. It was 3:56 am. Only a minute had gone by. Nick smiled as he realized that one minute in eternity completely surpassed all the minutes he had experienced during his lifetime. He thought about his good friend Russell and smiled.  Nick knew that Russell was experiencing the most incredible adventure ever!  Nick knew without any doubts that Russell was completely happy and completely loved.  
 Just before falling asleep, Nick heard that incredible song in his head.  He fell asleep singing, “Praise the Lord!”

-Susan

Holy Trinity

  Yesterday we celebrated the Feast of the Holy Trinity. Every time we pray we begin with our belief in the Holy Trinity—"In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit." The sign of the cross is easy to do, but wrapping your head around the mystery of the Holy Trinity is not. To be honest, I’m ok with not being able to comprehend the depth of this mystery, because just scratching the surface of this relationship of love is so incredible to me. I don’t have to understand it completely, I just want to be completely a part of it. 

  St. Thomas tells us that the “Holy Spirit, Himself is Love.” The Holy Spirit is the love the Father and Son share for each other.  The Trinity is the most powerful example of love, and  is often symbolized as a triangle. (The triangle is structurally the strongest geometrical shape.)  It is this amazing, powerful love that God shares with each of us. It's okay that we don’t completely comprehend three persons in One God, we merely need to be open to placing ourselves in the midst of this triangle of love. We then need to love others the way God does. As we invite others to experience God's love, we build the Kingdom. 

  I like to imagine that each of us is a triangle in the Kingdom.  Each of us is surrounded by the love of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  We are bonded one to another in this Kingdom of Love. A Kingdom so strong, no power of evil could destroy it. The Kingdom is not waiting until the end of time to be built, it is only waiting for you to begin each day of your life “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

-Susan