Jesus Heals a Boy Possessed by an Impure Spirit

Mark 9:14-30

¹⁴ When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. ¹⁵ As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

- Imagine that. They were overwhelmed with WONDER and ran to greet Him.

Those people in this scripture  had encountered the living Christ. We have an opportunity to do this at Mass daily but how many of us run there in wonder to greet Him? Not many. I was there today among a few parishioners and I wondered,"Where are the crowds running to greet Him? " and "How can we get the message out that our Lord lives and he is with us in a most profound way in the miracle of the Eucharist? " 

Dear Lord , fill our hearts with everlasting wonder at your presence in the Eucharist. Help us to know, love and see you there. Through the reception of this great gift of your son, let us  be transformed so we can  be united to you more deeply and so transform our world. Thank you for this great gift of Mercy. Thank you for healing me as you greet me there. Amen

Mother Angelica -Pride

“If you want to be holy, if you seek meaning in your life, start looking into your own life and attacking your pride in all of its many forms. God will give you extraordinary light and the ultimate reward of holiness. For your holiness relies not on what you do, but on what you allow God to do through you. Have courage. God will perfect you.” Mother Angelica

Happy Christmastide!

Ant. Tell us, shepherds, what have you seen? Who has appeared on earth? We have seen a newborn infant and a choir of angels praising the Lord, alleluia. (taken from Liturgy of the Hours Morning prayer)

HAPPY FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH!

Dont Worry Be Happy

New Life

I love butterflies. This one in particular seemed happy to pose for the camera as I took it's picture. For me it was a sacred moment to behold it's beauty. Remembering that it was once a caterpillar gave me pause to thank God for His God's goodness and take consolation in the fact that this Butterfly, without saying a word, speaks of God's power to bring life and light out of death and darkness.

You are worth It !

"Have patience with all things but first with yourself. Never confuse your mistakes with your value as a human being. You are perfectly valuable, creative, a worthwhile person simply because you exist. And no amount of triumphs or tribulations can ever change that."

- St Francis de Sales

Patience is a Virtue

I received this quote in an email from Woman of Grace.

"The Lord was understanding towards His disciples. He had patience with their defects and their less than perfect ways. He did not give up on them. In the years to come these same men would be the pillars of His Church."
-Francis Fernandez

Patience is something I struggle with, that is patience with myself and all my defects. I always expect too much from myself and others.
I often wonder how it is that our Lord could be so patient with me and with our world. This quote helps me to put things in perspective and it gives me joy to think of how the very imperfections that I see as stumbling blocks on my journey, God plans to use as stepping stones to Holiness. God is a great optimist. We should be too.

Heaven is Real

3/21/14Recently someone shared with me how a friend wanted to have a personal relationship with Jesus and the thought came to me; "Is it enough to have a personal relationship with Jesus in order to be saved?" Judas did that and Judas still betrayed Him.

By a seeming coincidence, A few days later I was listening to the radio and a story was told of a Priest who was approached by a protestant sister who accused him of not having a personal relationship with Jesus because he was Catholic. She said to him that Catholics are not saved. He replied that he didn’t need a personal relationship with Jesus to be saved and that what he wanted and what he and all of us are called to, is much more than just a personal relationship with Christ. He said what we are all called to is “Union with Christ”. He said “I don’t just want to have a relationship with Him I want to be like him and to be Him for others."
His response was clever and it made sense, after all Jesus did say in Matthew 7:2121 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many [a]miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’
It should give us pause to think that we can deceive ourselves into thinking we are doing the work of Christ, we can call him Lord, and even cast out demons without being known by Christ. Obedience to Christ and His will is more evidence of our love for him then pious acts or the practice of our charismatic gifts.
Obedience has its rewards.

“If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make our home with him” (John 14:24). Now that's heaven!

A great site to read More on union and obedience can be found at the website below.
Read more: http://rcspiritualdirection.com/blog/2010/02/01/does-christ-suffer-with-me-when-i-suffer#ixzz2wevL

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

Give Me a Sign

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

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

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

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"

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