God's Hand

  Many years ago, I was attending a healing mass for my mother.  My children and I arrived just as the mass was about to begin.  Of course when you are running late, someone always has to go to the bathroom.  My young daughter and I quickly headed towards the bathroom as the commentator began his opening remarks.  He said, "Today we will actually see the hand of God at work...."  I didn't hear much more than that, because my daughter started full out running towards the bathroom.
  I thought to myself, "Wow, she must really have to go."  By the time I made it to the restroom, she was already done and washing her hands.
  "Mom, come on let's go!" she said impatiently.  "They have God's hand out there!"
   I smile every time I think of that memory.  I loved how excited she was at the thought of seeing God's hand!
  Many of us are like the apostle Thomas, we want to physically see God's hand in our lives.  We have so many questions, concerns, and doubts when our prayers seem to go unanswered.  At times we must have great faith and trust in God's plan for our lives.  This week I would like to suggest that we make a point to really look for God's hand in our lives.  We might be surprised at how many times we are touched by Him.

-Susan


  This is what I had intended on posting tonight.  However, I received a phone call from the same daughter in the story tonight.  I would like to share our conversation with you.
  "Mom, I wanted to tell you about church tonight.  My church has a relic of Father Solanus Casey. It was one of his metacarpals (a bone from his hand).  I got to touch it, and I prayed for you and "private intention".  I also have a scapular that has touched the relic for you, too!"
   My smile grew wide as we continued our conversation.  Now it was my turn to be very excited!  God's Presence was so clear to me in that moment.  I saw the hand of God.   Seeing the hand of God is really quite easy.  Just look at the hands of those He has placed in your life!
  

The Storm

  Leonard was walking his usual route across town when he heard the alarm on his phone.  He pulled the phone out of his pocket and saw the warning:  Flash flood alert take cover.  Flash flood?  He looked up at the sky.  He didn't see any ominous clouds.  He thought the path he was on was pretty safe, so he continued walking.  A few minutes later the winds began to pick up and the clouds began to darken.  "This is crazy," he thought to himself.  "Everything was just fine a few minutes ago."
  As the sky turned dark, Leonard tried to assess the situation.  He looked around searching for a different path.  Within seconds Leonard could feel the rain pouring down.  "I have to find higher ground," he thought to himself.  Instinctively he began to run.  As he ran, he knew he was in trouble.  "Lord," he cried out, "Please help me!"
  The rain and the wind became relentless.  Confused, Leonard looked around and felt completely lost.  He appeared to be all alone.  He shook his head and screamed, "Lord, I need your help!  Please help me!"  He listened for an answer, but all he could hear was the storm around him.  From out of nowhere a fallen tree limb crushed him to the ground.  He felt the pain everywhere in his body.  On his hands and knees he continued to search for safety.  He wasn't sure if it was the pelting rain or the tears in his eyes that blurred his vision, but he could no longer recognize where he was.  He couldn't hear the Lord, nor feel His Presence.  Leonard felt completely defeated.  His pain intensified.
  Leonard made an attempt to stand.  Failing, he fell flat on the ground.  He stretched out his hand to pull himself forward.  His hand miraculously felt a wooden beam.  Leonard wrapped both hands around the wood as the wind blew stronger and stronger.  Over and over he prayed for the Lord to keep him safe, to show him the way.  Darkness was all around Leonard. 
  After a long time, the storm finally passed.  Leonard used the beam to pull himself to an upright position.  For the first time he looked up at the beam and noticed the crossbar.  This was no ordinary beam of wood.  Leonard had been clinging to the cross of the Lord.  It was the safest place he could have been during his storm.  This time his prayers and tears cried out, "Thank you."

-Susan

Eternally Grateful

  As I was walking up to my front door, I glanced at my statue of Mary. "Wow, I thought to myself, when did those ferns get so big? They are starting to obscure Mary."  I put my things inside and came back out wearing my work gloves.  I began to trim back some of the bigger plants and pull out a few adjacent weeds.  As I took care of Mary, I wondered how many times she has taken care of me?  How many obstacles has she removed from my path so that I could see more clearly?  How many of my bad habits has she trimmed back or encouraged me to remove? 
  Being a mom, I know I do a lot of little things out love for my children.  Many of them go unnoticed.  Most of the prayers I say on their behalf are between me and God.  I pray that my children will discover God's Will in their lives, and that they have the courage to act on it. I want the very best for them.
  When I finished weeding, I smiled.  Mary looked beautiful.  Her presence felt strong. For a moment I held Mary's hand and felt blessed her for all of her acts of love and prayers she said on my behalf.  I whispered a soft, "Thank you, Mary" knowing that I will be eternally grateful.

-Susan

Enjoy The Feast!

  Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.  How fortunate are we to be able to enjoy this feast today and whenever we wish!  How often do we take for granted that Jesus waits for us to visit Him?  Perhaps if we left our heart at the Blessed Sacrament with each visit, we would long to return.  Our bodies cannot survive without our hearts, and souls can not survive without being nourished by His Presence.  Grace after grace, let us fill our bodies with His everlasting love.  Moment after moment, let us fall more deeply in love with His tender and merciful love.

-Susan

Light The Way

  This week try to keep in mind the following verse.  Jesus said, "You are the light of the world."  He is counting on you to share His love with others.  Sometimes it is the smallest gestures, the softest voices, and the warmest smiles that can make a big difference in someone's day.  Give Jesus permission to use you as a vessel of His love.  Let your light break through the darkness of someone else's day.

-Susan

Love...

 Jesus said, "I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.  This is how all will know you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35)   Love one another.  It sounds simple, but unfortunately, many of us have complicated it.  We do so by adding one extra word to the end of Jesus' commandment.  Most of us have added the word "except".  Love one another except..... and that is where all the trouble begins.
 Unfortunately, we don't even realize we are doing this.  We are so much better at judging and excluding people who are different from us, then we are at embracing and loving them.  I wonder why that is? 
  This week try to spend some time reflecting on who you have not been willing to love, and then ask God to help you love them.  Ask God to transform you into one of His disciples of love.

-Susan

Are You Serious?

  Being a parent is not an easy job.  A parent's perspective can be so different from a child's.  Sometimes the way I remember a particular event is completely different from my kids.  I love reminiscing about our family vacations.  I will be remembering how much fun we had, and my kids will bring up the one thing that went wrong.  My usual response is, "Are you serious?  Do you know how much time I spent planning everything for you?  Why would you focus on the negative?"
  A parent's perspective can definitely be different.  I wonder how many times God has wondered the same thing about me?

-Susan