Catholic Spirit Bytes: 2013

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Wise Men Still Seek Him

In the book of Matthew, we read about the journey of the Magi , the three kings who were seeking to find Jesus.
It wasn't enough for them to know that Jesus was King and messiah. They wanted to meet him personally and the Wise men left everything and risked everything, including their lives to find Jesus. They must have known He is worth it. Matthew 2

Or As our priest suggested , are we more like Herod, who said to the wise men “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” I guess he is saying most Christians , Catholics included are All talk and no action, expecting others to seek and find Christ while waiting on the sidelines.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

The Snowman -Come Lord Jesus , Come

I built this snowman today. I knew I was too tired to make it well but I did it anyway.
I am not sure what inspired me but it was great fun. As I was rolling it's body in the pure white snow I noticed that bits of leaves and grass were sticking to it and ruining it's pure white coat, but I kept rolling anyway.
Here is a picture of him. As you can see it is less than perfect. In fact,when my brother saw it, he kidded with me that I was sculpturally challenged. I agree.
But it was still a joy to make the snowman and I knew I would enjoy him no matter how imperfect. Now that I look at him he reminds me of how imperfect we all are and yet God still delights in us.
In the background of this photo you may notice there is a nativity scene. Both the nativity and the snowman are reminders to me of how God embraces us in all our imperfections. The stable was a mess. This snowman is a mess. We are a mess.
The world demands perfection but God desired to enter into our imperfection. Often times I think of my heart as that messy and imperfect stable and I pray,
Dear Jesus, come into our mess.
Sometimes in life the world will judge us for our imperfections but we just have to keep rolling, trusting in the only thing that is perfect in this world;that is God's perfect love for us. Jeanne Dandrow

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

The Fall

The season of Fall is so beautiful. The leafs show their true beauty and color just before they die. Slowly they fall to the ground, slowly being transformed by the cold of winter they become nutrients for next years new growth. In due season they come back to life.
A paradox that shows Christ can bring beauty and new life even from sin and death.
On days like today, when I fall over and over, it is nice to remember that God came for sinners, not for the perfect. Today I will trust in the mercy of God to lift me up out of my weakness and carry me safely through this day. I will remember that people and things do not have to be perfect to be wonderful. I can unite it all to Jesus Christ.
Should I fall, I will rise up in faith that Christ still loves me and will show me the way. That's good news!
Amen

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Faith

"Faith is born of an encounter with the living God who calls us and reveals his love, a love which precedes us and upon which we can lean for security and for building our lives. Transformed by this love, we gain fresh vision, new eyes to see; we realize that it contains a great promise of fulfillment, and that a vision of the future opens up before us. Faith, received from God as a supernatural gift, becomes a light for our way, guiding our journey through time." Pope Francis, Lumen Fidei

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Let it Be

“Each one of us needs time and space for recollection, meditation and calmness…Thanks be to God that this is so! In fact, this need tells us that we are not made for work alone, but also to think, to reflect or even simply to follow with our minds and our hearts a tale, a story in which to immerse ourselves, in a certain sense “to lose ourselves” to find ourselves subsequently enriched.” -Pope Benedict XVI

Monday, September 2, 2013

FAILURE

"So you have failed? ... You have not failed; you have gained experience. Forward! St. Josemaria Escriva

God is so good to us! Like a good Father he picks us up when we fall.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Give Me a Sign

Dear Lord, Make us signs of Faith Hope and Love that point to you. Amen

Thursday, February 28, 2013

The Meaning of Suffering /Thirsting for Love

It is not by sidestepping or fleeing from suffering that we are healed,but rather by our capacity for accepting it , maturing through it and finding meaning through union with Christ , who suffered with infinite love"..."Dear brothers and sisters, let us look at Christ pierced on the Cross! He is the unsurpassing revelation of God's love.... On the Cross, it is God himself who begs the love of his creature: He is thirsty for the love of every one of us" Pope Benedict

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Prayer in Times of Distress

If you ever feel distressed during your day – call upon our Lady – just say this simple prayer

"Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be my mother now." I must admit – this prayer has never failed me "Blessed Mother Theresa

Saturday, February 2, 2013

St. Peter Julian Eymard

"Happy is the soul that knows how to find Jesus in the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in all things!," - St. Peter Julian Eymard"

Friday, January 18, 2013

New Years Resolutions- Everyday is at the Christmas Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament

Yep, It is twenty-five days past Christmas 2012 and my tree is still up. How about yours? Did Santa bring you what you asked for this past Christmas? I know what you are thinking, there are are more serious questions to answer than that. Well,here are a few questions,I heard a priest mention in a sermon, few weeks after Christmas. -How did your preparations during Advent prepare you to Meet Christ on Christmas and to bring the good news of his birth to others? -Did you experience an epiphany and if so what has Jesus asked of you? -In seeking Jesus this Advent, what new mystery did you find at Christmas? -Did you come to really believe that he came as a child because He wants you to know that you are His child? - Did this Christmas teach you to love Him and neighbor more? Did you have JOY?

These seemed like Good questions and thoughts for reflection. Did you experience real joy this Christmas? Thankfully, I did because my kids sent me away. LOL, I know what you are thinking but let me explain. At Christmas my kids and husband promised to send me away a few weeks before Christmas. (No, they don't hate me) They did this because they knew I would be tempted to work as hard as I did last year( on preparations) and consequently,make myself sick and tired. So instead, I got myself sick and tired going to the Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville Alabama. :) And it was soooo worth it! Actually, although traveling is always tiring I did really well. It was the best Christmas gift I ever received! The photo here doesn't do it justice. It is wonderful peace filled place to contemplate the infancy and love of Christ at Christmas time or anytime of the year. His kingship is so respected in all the architecture and worship services and yet He is so approachable. The people there were outstanding. I wish everyone I know could have a chance to go,because no matter what time of year one visits it is always Christmas there and a remarkable place of pilgrimage, of peace and of hope. It is a perfect place to seek and find the Christ child. Still if you can't travel to Alabama, we know Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is always present in every Catholic Church. He is waiting for us to make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament where we can bring Him our joys and sufferings as well as learn to trust Him with our hearts, as He has entrusted His heart to us. This is where I find my strength to cope with MS and the various trials of life. Spending more time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament would make a good New Years resoltuion. But then again, if resolutions are meant to be broken, I may think of something different as resolution this year. If you think you may want to travel you can check it out on their website. http://olamshrine.com/ "The Joy of the Lord is Our Strength"Nehemiah 8:10

Mother Theresa's Prayer

...Until you can hear Jesus in the silence of your own heart, you will not be able to hear Him saying "I thirst" in the hearts of the poor. Never give up this daily intimate contact with Jesus as the real living person, not just the idea. How can we last even one day without hearing Jesus say "I love you"? Impossible. Our soul needs that as much as the body needs to breathe the air. If not, prayer is dead, meditation, only thinking. Jesus wants you each to hear Him speaking in the silence of your heart. Be careful of all that can block that personal contact with the living Jesus. The devil may try to use the hurts of life, and sometimes our own mistakes, to make you feel it is impossible that Jesus really loves you, is really cleaving to you. This is a danger for all of us. And so sad,because it is completely the opposite of what Jesus is really wanting, waiting to tell you. Not only that He loves you, but even more, He longs for you. He misses you when you don't come close. He thirsts for you. He loves you always, even when you don't feel worthy. When not accepted by others, even by yourself sometimes, He is the one who always accepts you. Only believe, you are precious to him. Bring all you are suffering to His feet, only open your heart to be loved by Him as you are. He will do the rest. - Mother Teresa, 1910-1997

Saint Joseph

Saint Joseph

O thou, whom no one has ever yet invoked in vain, thou, whose power with Our Lord and Our Lady is so great, that it has been truly said, "In Heaven, Joseph commands rather than supplicates," tender father, intercede for me! St. Joseph, be my advocate with thy Divine Son, Whose foster-father and faithful protector thou wert here below. Add to all thy glories, that of gaining the despaired of cause that I confide to thee. I believe, yes, I believe thou canst obtain my deliverance from the troubles that overwhelm me, and the desolation in which my soul is plunged. I have the firm hope that thou wilt neglect nothing in favor of the afflicted who invoke thee. Humbly prostrate at thy feet, dear St. Joseph, I implore thee to have pity on my tears, cover me with the mantle of thy merciful protection and bless me. Amen.
“He was chosen by the eternal Father as the trustworthy guardian and protector of his greatest treasures, namely, his divine Son and Mary, Joseph’s wife. He carried out this vocation with complete fidelity until at last God called him, saying: ‘Good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord’” (St. Bernardine of Siena).

The Potters Vision

MONDAY, APRIL 30, 2007 The Potters Vision Isaiah 64:8 (NIV) This Scripture struck me in a new way Isaiah 64:8 (NIV) "Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay; you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." I wrote this to remind me of what it taught me. When the potter looks at the clay. He has a vision of what His skilled hands will create. With love and joy, he shapes the clay forming it into the image he has planned for it. As the Potter has plans for the clay, God has a plan for you. He is with you in your trials and walks with you in the fire. He longs to use these things to form you into the image of His son Jesus Christ. I wanted to look more closely at how the image of the potter is an image of the spiritual life. So I did some research. Interestingly enough, clay begins as Mud. For wheel thrown pottery the clay cannot be worked until it is pugged. This is when the clay master takes his raw materials and prepares them with a process by which it becomes thoroughly blended and almost all the air is forced out of the clay. (This can symbolize a purification from pride) Next, with water and sponge, and using the action of His spinning wheel the master patiently shapes the clay. And as the clay surrenders to the plan the master has for it, its beauty and form begins to take shape. In preparation to be “fired” the pottery is set on a shelf (left alone) to dry for several days. (In our suffering we often feel alone but God is using this time to prepare us. Remember the potter is watching, He has a vision and a plan, we are not alone.) It is then placed in the fired-up Kiln. The initial firing removes impurities that would cause the pot to break or return to mud in the glazing process. (This reminds me of how God wants to purify us of anything that will keep us from fully receiving His life giving, life changing love and He wants to make us strong.) As part of the glazing process the pot needs to be returned to the kiln for a second firing. It is important to note that before it is returned to the kiln for a second firing the bottom of the pot is placed in a pan of paraffin otherwise the glaze would adhere to the bottom and the pot would become a permanent part of the Kin shelf. (We belong to Him (our Lord) we do NOT belong to the Fiery trial.) The Third stage of firing is to create the glaze. During the glaze fire, stoneware clay continues to mature through a process called vitrification. This all reminds me of the spiritual life and how it presents itself with trials by fire. In our trials we often forget we are children of God. We are Not the pain we are suffering nor are we our mistakes. He walks with us in the fire and like the potter, He looks at us and sees a beautiful work in progress. As we submit ourselves to His handiwork the image of a lump of clay diminishes and with the help of a purifying fire The Potters vision becomes a reality and a testimony of the great things that God can do with a soul who trusts in Him. When the potter looks at the clay, He has a vision of what His skilled hands will create. He sees the image of His suffering and risen son Jesus Christ. With love and joy he shapes the clay forming it into the image he has planned for it. God is the Potter we are the Clay. God has a plan for you. Never forget that He is with you in your trials, and He walks with you in the fire. (Daniel 3:25,John 19) He longs to use these fiery trials to form you into the image of His son Jesus Christ Come Holy Spirit, send forth the fire of your Love, help us submit to God’s handiwork and to praise Him in the storm. Help us to trust in your power to bring good out of evil. Amen

FAITH

A Christian should never let adversity get him down except on his knees. -
Mae Nicholson

'Blessed is the man who endures temptation: for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."
James1:12 The photo here was taken by my brother Mark Petruzzi(copywrite 2011). The resolution on my computer doesn't do it justice but I love it as it reminds me the victory we have in Christ. The roses are in all their Glory as reach for the sun and they embrace the Cross trelace.

Dear Lord in times of difficulty and always,help us to reach for your Son, Jesus, to embrace our cross and to trust that through it, He will show us Your Glory.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JbEQHmCEFU&feature=related

Catholic Spirit Bytes