The Power of Love

  I rediscovered this quote from Pope Benedict XVI.  I had wrote it down in a notebook a few years ago.  When I came across it again it made me smile, so I thought I would share it with you.
                                Let us bear witness
                                     to our faith in such a way
                            that it shines forth as the power of love
                                 "So that the world may believe."

 Love is most powerful when it is given freely, without limitations

or expectations.  Love encourages us to make sacrifices for the purpose of enriching someone else's life.  Jesus showed us what love is. Love is to offer our friendship to those who are lonely. Love is to heal and care for those around us that are suffering.  Love is to offer help without judging and to extend forgiveness even when it hurts.  Love is to completely empty ourselves so that God can completely fill us and change the world.

     The light of God's love must penetrate every cell in our body, so that our bodies and minds always move in the direction of His goodness.  Acts of love can come in all different sizes and styles.  This weekend rediscover the power of love in your faith and commit to one act of love.  Whether it is noticed or not, I'm sure it will make Jesus smile.

-Susan

Think, Pray, Love

Sometimes keeping it simple just makes good sense. Enjoy your day!

-Susan

The things we hear in church...

    Not surprising to anyone, I love the Sunday Mass!  The older I get, the more I fall in love with the mass.  I think it is absolutely beautiful and inspiring.  The music, the readings and gospel, the homily and all the wonderful prayers makes my heart desire the Eucharist even more.  This week I found myself very inspired as the priest began the Eucharistic prayers.  I was taken by a small, insistent voice of a three year old boy on the other side of the aisle.
  "Mom, why he say body?  Why he say blood?  I heard him.  He said body and blood."
  I did not get to hear his mother's response, because we as adults, know to quietly whisper answers to our children during mass. (I have to admit, though, I would have liked to hear his mother's response.)  I would like to extend a word of thanks to his mother.  Thank you for bringing your children to mass.  Often I hear the comment that parents think their children are too young to get anything out of mass. This little boy was obviously listening and wanting to understand.
   I think God speaks to each of us throughout our lives at whatever stage we are experiencing.  What father would wait for his children to become a certain age before he spoke with them?  And even though a small child may not be sitting still, his mind is still taking in all the sights and sounds around him.  How many times are we amazed (or sometimes embarrassed) because our children heard and understood something we said?
  This week I thought we could spend sometime answering this little boy's question.  Why is it so important that we celebrate Jesus sacrificing His Body and Blood for us?  What would you have told this little boy?  And then when you have given this some thought,   I would like to suggest you turn to your mother ask her the same question. "Mary, can you help me to come to a deeper understanding of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross?"  Be ready to spend some quiet moments listening, learning and reflecting.  May the peace of Christ be with you this week.

-Susan

Vacationing with God #5 -Assisi, Italy

  Assisi.  is a beautiful medieval town sitting half way up Mt. Subusio.  The small, narrow steep streets first led us to the Basilica of St. Clare.  Inside this basilica is the Chapel of the Crucifix which displays the crucifix which spoke to Francis.  As St. Francis  prayed before this crucifix, Jesus asked him to rebuild His Church.  As you gaze upon this cross, you can't help but be caught up in that moment.  I imagine St. Francis' heart must have filled with great joy and love as he tried to understand what Jesus was calling him to do.
  Next we entered the large Basilica of St. Francis.  The upper church was flanked with large frescoes telling the story of St. Francis' life.  As we descended into the lower chapel we could hear a group singing "Make me a channel of your peace.." in Italian.  It was if the spirit of St. Francis himself was inviting us to come closer.  The lower chapel displayed the garments of St. Francis and St. Clare and also St. Francis' brevery.  His tomb was in the middle of an enclosed glass wall which reached all the way up to the upper church.  Around St. Francis' tomb were also those of his friends.  As we circled his tomb his peace seemed to linger in the air and you could almost feel the love these men had for Christ and one another.
  After exploring the town of Assisi and imagining St. Francis walking these same streets, we continued traveling up Mt. Subusio to Eremo Delle Carceri.  This monastery is the home of the caves that St. Francis and his friars prayed, meditated, and lived.  You can actually walk through St. Francis' cave which then leads out to an area (marked by a statue) where St. Francis gazed at the stars.  Many paths led in and out of this wooded area where St. Francis taught his friars.  We passed a rough alter made out of giant stone with surrounding smaller stones for seats.
  We decided to sit and meditate here as St. Francis may have done.  Here in the quiet of the forest, with God's beauty all around, I discovered that freedom within.  I thought about how St. Francis gave away all that he possessed.  I thought about how difficult that would be for me to do.  But I think if you gave away all your possessions and sat in these woods meditating on God--His encompassing love and everlasting peace--away from the world's worries and worldliness you would be free.  You would be free to just dwell in God's love.  I sat there placing myself in God's presence and imagining being a follower of St. Francis and it was in this moment that I felt truly free.

Jesus and Daniel

     May the Child Jesus be the star that guides you through the desert of your present life.

     St. Pio

  I came across this quote by St. Pio and it got me thinking about Jesus as a child.  The thought of Jesus as a child just brings me such joy.  It has inspired me to write this purely fictional story about Jesus at the age of ten.  It is written with the hope that it draws you closer to the child Jesus and increases your wonder and love for the very human Jesus of Nazareth.

Jesus and Daniel

  Daniel was eager to finish washing the dishes from lunch.  He put the last bowl away and ran to find his mother.  'Mamma can I please go play with Jesus now?  He's waiting for me."

  "Did you finish all your chores?"

  "Yes and Papa says he doesn't need my help until later. Please can I go?  I don't want him to get mad at me "

  "Does he get mad at you often?"

  "No, he actually never gets mad at me.  He always understands.  But I get mad at myself when I make him wait.  So please can I go now?"

  "Well you can go but be back in time to help Papa. "

  " I will. Thanks Mamma."  Daniel ran as fast as he could.  He had seen Jesus up on the hill by his house an hour earlier and hoped he would still be there.  Jesus was his best friend. It just felt good being around him.  He told great stories and always made Daniel smile. He wondered how Jesus seemed to know so much more than him.

  "Hey Jesus," yelled Daniel as he began running up the hill.

  Jesus looked up and smiled as Daniel got close. "Hi Daniel.  You ran up the hill pretty fast today."

  "Ya, I know. Now I need to catch my breath.  So what were you doing?"

  "I was just praying."

  "You sure do pray a lot.  Does your mom make you?" inquired Daniel.

  "No one makes me pray.  I like praying to Yahweh.  I think my praying makes my mom smile though. She likes to pray a lot,  too."

  "My Papa said he was going to work with your Dad in town today. I think they're building a house.  Papa said pretty soon I'll be joining him and we will work together.  I want to be just like my Papa. How about you?  Do you want to be a carpenter, too?"

  "I'm going to build, too.  But not just one or two houses,  I'm going to build a whole kingdom here.  It's going to be called the Kingdom of God."

  "You can't build a whole kingdom yourself." said Daniel shaking his head.

  "I could," said Jesus,"but I don't want to do it alone. I want lots of people to help me.  I'm going to invite everyone to be a part of it."

  "Why would you want everyone to be a part of it?  I think you should just ask the really strong people or maybe the really smart people."

  Jesus picked up a stick and started drawing in the sand.  "I'm going to invite all the people who know how to love."

    "What?  That's stupid.  Why would you want to live in a kingdom where people just loved each other?"

  Jesus started drawing a stick person in the sand,  "Well wouldn't you want to live in a kingdom where people really cared about each other and nobody was jealous, greedy, or hurtful?  A place filled with peace and happiness.  Everyone would love each other not because they had to, but because they really wanted too."

  "Why would they want to?"

  "Because when they looked at each other, they would see each other the way Yahweh sees them."

  "Hmmm..... That does sound good....I think I would like to live there.  When are you going to start building it?"

 Jesus looked up from his drawing and said, "Well, will you help me?"

  "Sure, I guess." agreed Daniel.

  "Then I have already started.  I am just going to keep telling people about the Kingdom of God until everyone wants to join."

  "Well that sounds like a pretty good plan, do you think it will work?"

  Jesus started drawing in the sand again, "I think so, in fact, I would bet my life on it."

  Daniel smiled.  He wished he had thought about building a whole kingdom. "Hey do you want to race me down the hill?"

  Jesus set his stick down and said, "Okay, let's do it!" 

  

Striking it Rich!

  Last week there was a lot of talk about winning the huge lottery jackpot.  Many of us made mental lists of what we would do if we won.  Of course our lists contained charitable acts and names of those we would like to help, but most of us dreamed of quitting our jobs, buying things, and leading a life of luxury.  It is so easy to let the love of material things distract us.  Sometimes those dollar signs can obstruct our vision.  Taking off our money blinders may help unite our thoughts and dreams with the Lord so that we can see Him more clearly.
  Let's play a different game.  What if you had the chance to win perfect joy, unwavering faith, everlasting love, or a multitude of graces?  Would you buy a ticket?  What would you do with a million days of perfect joy?  Who would you share the secretes of unwavering faith with?  How could a million days of everlasting love be invested to become two million?  If you could chose 20 people to share everlasting love with who would you choose?  Would you choose family and friends or terrorists and criminals?  If you could gain one thousand graces or one thousand dollars, which would you choose?  The Lord wants us all to win big.  We just have to love Him more than the world.  Striking it rich is entirely up to us.

-Susan

Joyful mysteries

I.  The Annunciation 

When the angel Gabriel came to ask Mary to be the mother of Jesus, he knew exactly where to find her.  Mary was praying, like she did every night.  Prayer was a priority in Mary's life.  She didn't just squeeze it in when she had a few extra minutes or quickly rush through it so she could go on to do other things.  God  came first in Mary's life.  Her life of prayer and devotion to God filled her with tremendous graces.  Mary was about fourteen years old when she said "yes" to God and His Will to be the Mother of the Messiah.  Each of us will be asked to carry out God's will in different ways and at different times in our lives.  It may, however, be difficult to accept if we have not spent the time praying to God.  We might not recognize His voice.  As we reflect on Jesus being conceived in Mary's womb, let us follow Mary's example and be vigilant in prayer so that when the time comes we, too, can give God our "yes".

II.  The Visitation

Three days after the Annunciation , the Lord revealed to Mary in a vision that the child Elizabeth had conceived was a son and was to be a great prophet and forerunner of the Messiah.  For four days, Mary and Joseph journeyed to her cousin Elizabeth's house.  Upon their arrival, the sound of Mary's voice fills Elizabeth with the Holy Spirit and her child leaps for joy in her womb.  Mary, too, is filled with joy in her heart as she begins to pray what we now call the Magnificat.  Mary  exclaims, "My soul depth magnify the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.". When was the last time you allowed your own spirit to rejoice in God your Savior?  While you pray this mystery, close your eyes and picture Mary sitting next to you.  She is inviting you to rejoice with her.  Just look at how radiant  Mary is while she prays. With your eyes closed,  smile as you pray and allow your heart to be filled with joy.

III.  The Birth of our Lord

Again I'm going to invite you to close your eyes and imagine that you are entering into the manger where baby Jesus was just born.  Reverently bow before the Holy Family and then slowly come closer to baby Jesus lying in the bed of hay.  Look at how tiny and beautiful He is.  Now glance at His lovely young mother Mary and her devout and humbled husband Joseph beside her.  As you take a look at the Holy Family, ask yourself what could you do to make your own family more holy?   As you pray this next decade ask Mary what she would recommend.

IV.  The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple

According to the Law of Moses, every first born male was to be brought to the Temple to be dedicated to God on the 40th day after their birth.  Mary and Joseph in obedience walked the five mile journey to Jerusalem.  Mary and Joseph were faithful Jews and knew their religion.  How well do you know yours?  Would you be described as a faithful Catholic?  
Think about it.....  

V.  Finding Jesus in the Temple

When Jesus was 12 years old, the Holy Family made their yearly pilgrimage to the Temple.  On their way back to Nazareth, Jesus secretly withdrew from his parents.  Jesus spent the next 3 days answering the questions of the scribes in the Temple.  Meanwhile during these 3 days, Mary and Joseph desperately searched for Jesus.  This was a time of great sorrow and suffering for both of them. During this mystery let us consider that even during our times of suffering and trials, God's Will is being done.  Though we might feel frustrated and exhausted, God has a plan for us.  We may not understand it because we can't always see the big picture. Often God challenges us to become something more. We must seek the Truth with humble and loving hearts, eyes that are open to the needs of those around us, and arms that are willing to serve.  It is through our constant prayers, obedience and our search for holiness that we will find Jesus waiting for us at the church smiling with His arms extended and eager to embrace us with His love and grace.

-Susan