The Power of the Holy Spirit

Good Morning, dear reader. As I read through the passage in Acts, I realised that what was transpiring, with people selling their things, giving equally to all is what we now know as Socialism. It is a topic that most people are afraid of as it is equated with Communism. That is because the practice was taken up by governments as a way to inhibit free enterprise and to oppress people not favored by the institution. However, as we see it in the Bible, it was a way that all people would thrive and receive help from one another. It was a way for the poorest of the poor to have things they normally wouldn't be able to have. Perhaps, if the idea had not become corrupted, it would be a way for all people to have an even share of things, a chance to "do unto others". This was the lesson that Jesus was always teaching. To show kindness and mercy to all. Just think of how much better life would be if we all helped each other out. 

John's Gospel returns us to the story of Nicodemus. Jesus is trying to explain to Nicodemus how the Holy Spirit can work in our lives even though we can't see it. Jesus equates this to the wind. We can hear and see the wind blowing as it moves the trees, but we can't actually SEE wind. It is the same with the Holy Spirit. We can feel its presence, we can see the effects, but we can't actually SEE the Holy Spirit. Nicodemus is having a difficult time in understanding this. Jesus looks at Nicodemus incredulously. Nicodemus is supposed to be the ruler of the Jewish people yet he does not understand this concept. What Jesus is trying to say is that you believe in things you cannot see, yet you fail to believe in what the Holy Spirit can do within your life. It is only through salvation that one may go to heaven. It is only through salvation that leads us to believe in the awesome power of the Holy Spirit, through a belief in Jesus Christ. 

I have seen the Holy Spirit working through people as well as it working through myself. It is an amazing thing to see. It has the absolute power to change lives, to bring one closer to God. Just like the wind, we can't see it but we can feel its effects. Has the Holy Spirit worked in you? Have you felt its forcefulness in you? Has your life been altered in any way because of it? Take some time to reflect on those questions. You may find out that something that moved you, deepened your faith or changed your life was due to the Holy Spirit working in you and through you!! Allow yourself to feel those effects and let it help you to be a nice human! 😇

Father Bill's reflection on today's readings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA9K7S9Ce9o

"Holy Spirit" by Francesca Battistelli: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoZd7ZXh9yY

Divine Mercy Sunday

Good Evening, dear reader! I hope your day has been blessed. I do apologise for the lateness of this post. We have a lot to work through, so let's get started!! 

Today is Divine Mercy Sunday. Here is a little bit about how Devine Mercy Sunday came about:

"In a series of revelations to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska in the 1930s, our Lord called for a special feast day to be celebrated on the Sunday after Easter. Today, we know that feast as Divine Mercy Sunday, named by Pope St. John Paul II at the canonization of St. Faustina on April 30, 2000. The Lord expressed His will with regard to this feast in His very first revelation to St. Faustina. Divine Mercy Sunday

is NOT a feast based solely on St. Faustina's revelations. Indeed, it is not primarily about St. Faustina — nor is it altogether a new feast. The Second Sunday of Easter was already a solemnity as the Octave Day of Easter. The title "Divine Mercy Sunday" does, however, highlight the meaning of the day." (1) 

In Acts, we see people from all over coming forward to be healed. People are laid in the street, awaiting the arrival of Peter. Word had spread of his healing of the disabled man and now these folks are hoping that even if a shadow of Peter falls on them, they will be healed. And this exactly what happens. But, this is not of Peter's doing. He is the vessel of Christ, granted the power through the Holy Spirit, to be able to heal all those who have come. This was truly an extraordinary day! So many of Jesus's faithful followers were blessed, converted and healed just by being near Peter. 

I will admit that when it comes to disecting the book of Revelation, I find it a bit tricky to understand. One has to know that pretty much everything written in the book cannot be taken literally. The work is entirely symbolic. According to the study guide in my Bible, verse 9 "suggests that John is on the Greek island of Patmos as a punishment for his witness to Jesus.", John is recounting a vision he had. It is this vision that brings him comfort during his punishment. It also is also seen as an encouragement to all who are opressed at this time. 

In this first vision, John is commanded to write what he sees, to the seven churches. He sees Christ in glory, whom he depicts in great imagery, John hears Jesus describing Himself in terms meant to encourage Christians by emphasising His victory over death. (2)

In John's Gospel, we once again see Jesus making an appearance to His followers. It is assumed that they were in Jerusalem at the time. The fact that they were in a locked room when Jesus appeared illustrates the fact that He was not in human form, but neither was He an apparition or a ghost. But His disciples understand that this is the risen Christ who stands before them. In verse 22, it states "He breathed on them and said to them 'Receive the Holy Spirit'" This refers to when God breathed on man and gave him life and now the disciples are given new spiritual life through Jesus Christ. 

"Thomas", this passage is how the phrase "Don't be a doubting Thomas" came to be. It literally means that unless you see something for yourself, you won't believe it. So, again, Jesus appears in a locked room, this time Thomas is present. Jesus allows Thomas to poke around Him so that he will believe that this is Jesus, that He has risen as He promised, and He was here with him now. But, you can see that Jesus is a bit put off by Thomas's doubts. He tells Thomas that the only reason he believed that Jesus was here was because he had seen Jesus, touched His wounds. If it weren't for that, Thomas would still be doubtful, 

This is the whole foundation of our faith. We do not need physical proof for us to believe. That is why it is called faith. Yes, on ocassion we may receive signs or symbols of Jesus in our lives, but we don't need those to believe in Him. We KNOW He lives. We know He is with us always. 

Let us pray for those who do not know the wonder of Jesus Christ. Pray for those whose very lives have become uprooted due to war. Pray that our world can find peace. And, remember, dear reader... be a nice human.😇 

Forgiveness and Mercy through the Crucifixion

Good Afternoon, dear reader. Well, we certainly have our work cutout for us with so many readings. So let's get down to business.

Today is a waiting game. Everyone is trying to come to terms with what happened yesterday. How could Jesus be dead? Why did this happen? What do we do now? So many questions and no answers. Or is there?

The first two readings remind us that God created all we have. He reigns over all things living. It also reminds us that sometimes God puts us to a test to see how faithful we will remain when asked to do the impossible. This same theme is brought about in Exodus and the parting of the Red Sea. Moses was facing terrible odds. The Israelites were complaining. They were tired of travelling and not seeing any results. What was the point? They should have stayed where they were and made the best of it. But, Moses hung in there. He knew that this was something God wanted him to do. This can be viewed as Moses's test of faith. Could he still bring these people out of the mire they were in? Could he believe that God wanted this for His people? Moses remained faithful in his quest for God. God provided a way when there appeared to be none.

These readings resonate with me. At the moment, my husbaand and I are facing an impossible situation that doesn't seem to have an answer. We have tried our best and continue to keep going. My fear and anxiety multiply as each day passes. I don't want to face what the outcome will be if something doesn't materialise. But, my husband keeps reminding me to keep my faith in God, that He will provide an answer as He's always done when situations have been dire. 

I will be honest, dear reader. This has not been easy for me. I'm the sort of person who will work and work to find an answer. There has to be a way. There has to be something I can do to fix this. But, now, this time, there's nothing I can do. I've tried. And I have resigned myself to what the consequences will be. I've basically given up. BUT.. I have this teeny little glimmer, my hope in God, that He will somehow pull us out of this. So, I keep soldiering on... and I, as you,..continue to be a nice human. 😇

Father Bill's reflection on todays readings: https://youtu.be/FDNilYlRmXQ

Be Like Jesus

Good Morning, dear reader. We are another step closer to the end of our story. It's been a pleasure for me to bring you along. 

This morning, we once again learn about being a humble servant to God. He has carefully crafted each and every one of us according to His purpose. We are reminded that the work we do for His glory is not in vain. My husband said basically this same thing to me when I complained that no one was following my blog. He said that God knew what I was doing and that is all that mattered, which is very true. This has been a labour of love and learning. 

As we move on to our Gospel reading, we see that Jesus makes it known that He knows who the one is that will betray Him and also deny Him. I imagine this must've been quite heart breaking to Him. He had hand-picked these twelve men because of what He saw in them. These were His faithful ones. Once Judas was identified, he beat a hasty retreat rather than face Jesus. 

Betrayal and denial are hard things to fathom. What would move a person to do that? In Judas's case, it was greed. With Simon Peter, it was just a case of him wanting to save his own skin (by denying the fact that he was a follower of Jesus). Actions such as these say a lot about our character. It says we are not to be trusted and that we are not loyal to those who are important to us. It says that you think of yourself first. This is not how someone who revers and treasures their relationship with Jesus should act or have a reputation such as this. I imagine, though, that this must've been a poignant moment, as Jesus had been nothing but kind and loving to everyone, and yet His closest ones still turned on Him. However, Jesus being the kind and loving Person He was, He did not lash out at these two. He did not get angry. I think, because of this, Jesus decided to remind his disciples that we should treat others as He has treated us. We are to show mercy and forgiveness. It is in this way that we can be known as followers of Jesus. 

When we are faced with troubling and difficult people, rather than acting in a similar manner, take a deep breath and think for a moment. You need to chose your battles carefully. Most are not worth getting upset over. Sometimes it's easier to not say anything and just walk away. And, as I always remind you... be a nice human. 😇

Have a listen to Father Bill and his wise words to us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQTg31Zrxc

A New Creation

Good Morning, dear reader, and a blessed Sunday to you!! This morning we are looking at becoming a new creation in Christ. The two parables we read tell us about someone who has fallen away, but then repented and was received with great joy!

We see this same theme in Joshua, but in a slightly different manner. The Israelites have come through some awful trials. They are now on their way to a new, and better, life. They celebrate the feast of Passover joyfully. This is their new beginning. They remained faithful to God's word and followed His path. They are free to celebrate. They are free to worship God. 

In the Gospel readings this morning, Jesus uses parables, stories that teach a basic truth or moral about life, to demonstrate His point that even if it is one soul who departs from Him, it is still important to Him. He will seek out that one person and console them with His love and forgiveness.

In our first part, from the Gospel of Luke, we see the story of the lost sheep. The people who were assembled could not understand why Jesus would invite the sinners and the tax collectors to eat with Him and to pray with Him. Why would someone as Holy as Jesus choose to be with these kinds of people? Jesus uses the metaphore of the lost sheep to explain it. We should not ignore or foget the ones who fall away. We need to seek them out. We need to bring them back into the fold. We need to reassure them that Jesus loves them just like He loves the faithful and obedient ones. We need to celebrate the ones who choose to come back. We need to love the ones who voluntarily leave their sins behind so they can follow Jesus. 

In the second part of the parable, the prodigal son, we see how the son who stayed on to help his father, the one who remained faithful to his father, become indignant when the son who ran off to squander his fortunes, was welcomed back with a big celebration. Why would his father do that? This one did not stay to help. Rather, he went off to spend what was given him, to indulge in things that were sinful. What he didn't understand was that the son who wandered away was the one who CHOSE to come back and seek forgiveness. He was truly sorry for what he had done. It required him to humble himself to his father and beg forgiveness. It's a difficult thing to admit we were wrong, to admit our failings. It's quite the vulnerable place for most of us.

In our readings from 2 Corinthians, we are reminded that when we go to Jesus and admit our sins, when we admit our weakness, when we repent for our sins, we become new. We are given a second chance through Jesus's love for us. He will never turn away from one that willingly comes to Him. He reminds us that no matter how far we may have fallen, He will always be there to catch us. He will always forgive us if we are truly sorry for what we have done. It's not an easy task. And it shouldn't be. If it were easy, we would just keep doing what we were doing, and keep asking for forgiveness. But it doesn't work that way. We need to suffer, in a sense, for what we did. And we have to try and not do it again.

When Lent begins, it is a good time to reaffirm our choice to follow Jesus. We need to take the time to rekindle the flame of our excitement. It is also a time to celebrate with those who are newly born into God's family! It is our chance to help lead them along the path! 

Take some time today to be thankful for your faith. Take time to celebrate Christ and what He sacrificed for us. Remind yourself WHY you chose to follow Him. And, as always, dear reader, be a nice human. 😇

“A Prayer Of Affirmation Of Faith”**

Father, we are grateful to be Your children. It is not by our own goodness, behavior, or generosity that we purchase or earn this standing. It is because of Jesus, who came clothed in human flesh so that He might reach His own people and release them from their sins. Though many reject the Gospel message, we choose to believe and gratefully declare that we are the children of God. Nothing can compare with such privilege or power as we make our earthly journey below and anticipate eternity in heaven above. In the name of Jesus, we reaffirm and joyfully proclaim our decision to follow You all the days of our lives. Amen.

**Source: https://adailyprayer.wordpress.com/2021/12/10/a-prayer-of-affirmation-of-faith/

Here is a wonderful song that reminds us we can never fall too far from Jesus's grace and mercy. https://youtu.be/Sa7PrjpE8dY 

Mercy and Forgiveness

Good afternoon friends! Happy Tuesday! Our readings today emphasise the goodness of God's mercy and forgiveness, but also reminds us that our faith in the Lord MUST be unconditional. We can't say that we follow Christ, that we believe in Christ, except...._______ (insert excuse here).  

When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego* refused to worship the statue created by King Nebuchadnezzar, it was because they held on to their belief in God. They would not abandon Him to save their own selves. Upon hearing this refusal, the king had them thrown into a white hot furnace. The three men prayed and exhalted God. They knew that they had done things in their lives that didn't exactly live up to what God expected. They knew they were sinners (as we all are sinners). They felt that this was God's judgement on them. However, they also understood that it lay in God's hands to forgive them, as He had promised "For Your name's sake, do not deliver us up forever, or make void Your covenant." (Dn 3:34, NAB). What these men did is what we should do every time we pray. We are asking for God's mercy on our souls. We understand that there will be some form of punishment for what we did, but we freely give ourselves to be washed clean in the blood of Christ. 

In that same vane, in Matthew, we hear about forgiveness and mercy, but we look at our own ability to forgive. Peter asks Jesus how many times he is expected to forgive others. Although Jesus answers with "seventy-seven times", He doesn't mean that after you have forgiven the seventy-seventh time, you're off the hook. It's meant to illustrate that we are to forgive always. 

The story of the king who showed mercy to his servant by cancelling his debts is a great illustration of this. There was an unspoken expectation that just as the king cancelled the debt of his servant, the servant was to show that same mercy to others. When he found out that the servant punished those who owed him, the king felt that this man had taken advantage of his kindness. He demanded that this man needed to be punished for what he had done (which is only fitting, really).

At the end of the story, Jesus reminds Peter "So will My Heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart." (Mt 18:35, NAB). The point here is that God's absolution is already bestowed upon us. However, if we refuse to forgive others as God has forgiven us, that mercy will be withdrawn upon our final judgement. We will be held accountable and justly punished.

It's not easy to forgive others who have hurt us. I know I still hold much resentment for past hurts. We all do. We wouldn't be human, really, if we didn't. We are supposed to show the same mercy to others that God shows to us. But, sometimes, this can be so difficult to do. That hurt just runs too deep and it's been there for too long. Still, at some point it needs to be let go of. If you are having a hard time with it, pray to God to help you to release it. In time, it will become easier to just let it go. Let Go and Let God.

I found this prayer and thought I would share it with all of you. Ask God to help you.

Be blessed my friends. And, as always..... be a nice human. 😇

Father Bill's reflection on today's readings: https://youtu.be/6CVpZxp6b6Q

A great song by Matthew West about forgiveness: 

https://youtu.be/FMn0QNdiuGE

*Abednego.. King Nebuchadnezzar had changed his name from Azariah (which means "Yahweh has helped.") to Abednego.  The boys' names were changed as a way of encouraging them to forget the God and traditions of their homeland and conform to the ways and gods of Babylon.

Third Sunday of Lent

Good Morning and Happy Sunday!! Today is the Vernal Equinox, the beginning of spring!! And it is fitting that our readings deal with growth! 🌳🏵

In Exodus, we read about Moses and the burning bush. Moses was indeed humbled when God asked him to go talk to the Pharaoh. "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt?" (Ex 3:11, NAB). God promised Moses He would be with him through it all. And that's God's promise to us. Whatever difficulty we face in life, God is always with us. He gives us the fire to keep going. 

However, He does remind us in 1 Corinthians that we are not to become overconfident. That would be our downfall. We must approach everything with humility. Also, we can't just sit back and wait for God to make things happen. We have to do our part. Which brings us to Luke and the parable of the fig tree. The man who owned the tree wanted to cut it down because it wasn't producing any fruit. He didn't want to waste precious land on something that just sat there and served no purpose. (Remember, at that time, food sources came from only things that people could grow. They couldn't just run to the store.) But, the gardener wanted to give the tree a second chance. He asked the man to allow him one more year to try and give the tree a chance to produce fruit. In order to do that, the gardener would cultivate the land around the tree, water it, fertilize it, make sure it got enough sun. With that kind of attention, the tree was sure to bare fruit.

We are like that fig tree. Without attention we wither and die. God may plant the roots, but without a firm foundation, the tree will wither and die. God's word is our fertilizer. It allows us to grow our faith. We must allow Him to cultivate the good in our lives. And when the weeds of sin set in, as they always do, we need Him to weed out the bad so that we can continue to grow. But we must also do our part. Daily prayer, living by His word, mercy and sacrifice, all these things keep the roots growing deep so that we may flourish. 

Today, seek out God, ask him to remove the weeds of sin from your life, allow His mercy to rain on your soul. And as always friends... be a nice human. 😇

Prayer:

My virtuous Lord, I invite You into my soul to cultivate it and fertilize it with Your grace.  Please prune my sins and help me to sink my roots deeply into the nourishment of Your mercy. I am sorry for the ways that I have failed to bear fruit in my life.  I now entrust myself to You so that Your care will remedy all my ills and weaknesses.  Jesus, I trust in You.

St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all!! Who is St. Patrick and why do we celebrate him? St. Patrick of Ireland is one of the world's most popular saints. He was born in Roman Britain and when he was fourteen or so, he was captured by Irish pirates during a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep. At the time, Ireland was a land of Druids and pagans but Patrick turned to God and wrote his memoir, The Confession. He often used shamrocks to explain the Holy Trinity and entire kingdoms were eventually converted to Christianity after hearing Patrick's message.

Patrick preached and converted all of Ireland for 40 years. He worked many miracles and wrote of his love for God in Confessions. He lived in poverty, traveling and enduring much suffering. He died March 17, 461 in Saul, Ireland, where he had built the first Irish church. He is believed to be buried in Down Cathedral, Downpatrick, Ireland. His grave was marked in 1990 with a granite stone. In the United States, he is the patron saint of immigrants.

🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀

Today's Gospel isn't very difficult to understand. It states plainly that those who follow in the Lord and trust in the Lord will reap their benefits in Heaven. Those who value material things, those who do not reach out to others, who will not repent, will suffer their fate in Hell. It is basically "you reap what you sow". However, these are the very same people that we need to show mercy to. We need to pray that the Lord will change their hearts. 

In Jeremiah, the story reminds us that we should not rely solely on ourselves. We will become like a tree that is planted in the middle of the desert. There is not much nourishment for a tree planted in sand and exposed to heat with little water. If you plant that same tree near a water source, where there is equal parts sun and shade, that tree will grow big and strong. God's word is water to our souls. It provides us the substance we need in order to grow in our faith. 

Lent is the best time to renew yourself in God's love, to dive deep into His word. It will fill your soul with all you need to make your faith strong so that you will be able to withstand the storms that will eventually come into your life. Take some time to reflect on today's reading and take an inventory of where you stand with your beliefs. Ask yourself if you are too reliant on yourself instead of placing your burdens with God. 

Be blessed, dear reader. And, as usual.... be a nice human.

Here is today's reflection from Father Bill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zeek62WTFs

Here is a wonderful song to get your heart prepared for prayer and reflection: https://youtu.be/4g-iYws5868

Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy

Reflection 221: Glorying in Yourself

365 Days with Saint Faustina

Sometimes, those who are quite “religious” speak of many “religious” things. They speak pious language and talk about holy things. But in the end, it may be that all they say and do is actually said and done as a way of glorifying themselves in the sight of others. This is the struggle of the Pharisees. Sadly, those who struggle with this, just like the Pharisees, may even be fooling themselves into thinking they are exceptionally close to God. But their pride has blinded them. The goal of our lives must be to humbly point to God and offer all glory to Him, not to ourselves. This can be very hard, but when done well, as an act of the utmost humility and truth, we realize that God actually does draw us into His glory and allows us to share in the honor that we owe to Him. Only in this way do we come to realize our true dignity as His sons and daughters. And in humbly pointing to God in all things, we are also lifted on high by God Himself.

Are you able to give all glory to God rather than trying to lift yourself up for others to see? Reflect upon this in all honesty and humility. The problem is that if you lift yourself on high, you will not be able to lift yourself very high and will actually find yourself in a more humiliated state than you could have imagined. Lift the Lord on high and point to Him as the source of all goodness and leave the elevation of your own life up to Him. He will raise you higher than you could ever do yourself.

Lord, I pray for the gift of humility.  I pray that in my humility I will see the truth and proclaim only that truth.  I especially pray that I will be able to see the truth that all good things come from You and are accomplished by You.  All glory be to You my Lord!  Jesus, I trust in You

My Personal Reflection:

This one really spoke to me today because recently I had an encounter with a young lady on social media who just kept pushing that I wasn't really a believer in God, and actually tried to "test me" using The Ten Commandments. 

She was taking scripture literally without trying to understand it in the context that is was written (and context is so important when reading Scripture!). To her, it was black and white and not open to discussion or interpretation. She was actually giving out wrong advice based on her views and HER interpretation of Scripture.

I tried to be nice. At first I blocked her and ended our conversation because I was getting very frustrated and she had triggered my anxiety due to a topic we were discussing. So, the next day, I unblocked her and resumed our conversation. I swear it was like talking to a brick wall! I think I would've had better luck explaining things to our dogs!! At that point I really did have to stop our interaction and I blocked her once again. I haven't tried to speak with her again.

Today's Divine Mercy reflection gave me something to think about. And no, it was not to show mercy and go back to try once again explain things to her. For some people, there really is no way of convincing them to think anything other than what they believe. To me, it seems  that perhaps she was trying to glorify herself using the guise of belief of black and white scripture. That was sort of what turned me off for my faith for quite some time. People who call themselves "Christian" can be some of the most hypocritical people in the world. And I'm not really sure why that is. No person is better than someone else because of their spiritual beliefs. I'm no better than anyone else. I'm weak, I sin, I cuss, I take the Lord's name in vain...(I know..I know... 😲)

As I decide to take steps back to my faith, I will not flaunt it, I will not claim that I am such a perfect model of Christianity, because that would be a lie (and does it not tell us in the Ten Commandments that we are not to lie?!). Yes, I have flooded my social media (to an extent) with my new blogs and my thoughts... but I'm not doing it to show off. I am doing it as a humble expression of myself and hoping that maybe what I say may help someone else. (Plus it helps me to process what I'm learning because I continuously am repeating it by writing.)

That's how it should be....our words should be used to lift up, not condemn. We are NOT God, it is not up to us to bully someone into feeling that their faith or belief is not enough. We get enough of that from our negative self-talk (well, maybe not all of you....). I see my daughter struggling with a recent break up between her and her fiancee of two years. She constantly asks what she did wrong, why wasn't she good enough? Do we REALLY need to inflict that pain upon others for our own glorification!?!? 

Everything I have read and written today has been about facing our faith in our every day lives. And I've already quoted this verse a couple of times today, but it's worth repeating...over and over and over... 

"Let the words of my mouth meet with your favor, keep the thoughts of my heart before You, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:15 (NAB)

Sending Peace and Love to you all!💜💙💖🕊♱

Helpful links:

https://divinemercy.life/2019/08/09/reflection-221-glorying-in-yourself-2/