Renewed in the Holy Spirit

Good Morning, dear reader. We are continuing the celebration of Jesus's resurrection! Today is also the feast day of Saint Mark the Evangelist. So it is fitting that our readings echo this observance. I will try to do a separate post with some information and the video of Father Bill's reflection.

Our reading in Acts this morning restates, in a nutshell, the events that lead up to Jesus's death and resurrection. It also reminds us that everything that happened was preordained by God. At the time this takes place, the disciples were still afraid to really go public with their devotion to Jesus. They do, however, implore Jesus to protect them so that they may continue to preach and teach the Gospel of the Lord. As they are praying, the Holy Spirit ffills the space where they are. This emboldens them to continue to pray and speak the name of Jesus without fear. 

The reading in John sort of carries through with the dealings of the Holy Spirit. Since this is early on in John's Gospel, Jesus has not yet been brought to the cross. The purpose of this reading is to understand the process of being "reborn" through faith in Jesus Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit. 

Many Christians are "born again". That is, they accept that Jesus Christ is the Lord and Saviour, they believe in His death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins. This rebirth" process isn't something usually seen within the Catholic church, since we are baptised as infants, which then cleanses us of Original Sin. This is seen more often in the Pentecostal and Evangelical Christian faiths. As one makes a conscious decision to follow Jesus, their past is forgiven through baptism and they start over with a clean slate. 

This process is what Jesus is trying to make clear to Nicodemus. It is not a physical rebirth but a spiritual one. But, it is just as miraculous and glorious! In my opinion, I think this makes a real statement because we are making the decision on our own to be disciples of Jesus rather than more or less a process of Catholic catechism and "initiation" into the Catholic church. 

Whatever your belief, be assured that however you came by your faith, it is still an important decision because you choose to stay faithful to God each and every day. If you are a new believer..welcome to the family!! Remember, dear reader, as you walk in faith each day, be a nice human. 😇

The Nicene Creed reminds us of our beliefs and promises to God. Take a moment to recite this again and reaffirm your faith:

We believe in one God,

the Father, the Almighty,

Maker of all that is seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,

the only Son of God,

eternally begotten of the Father,

God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God,

begotten, not made, consubstantial

of one Being with the Father.

Throught Him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation

He came down from heaven and

by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the

Virgin Mary, and became man,

For our sake He was crucified 

under Pontius Pilate;

He suffered death and was buried.

On the third day He rose again in

accordance with the Scriptures;

He ascended into heaven and is

seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the

living and the dead, and His kingdom will

have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the

giver of life, who proceeds from the Father

and the Son. With the Father and the Son

He is worshiped and glorified.

He has spoken through the Prophets.

We believe in one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness

of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead,

and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

Fidelity to God

Good Morning beautiful reader!! It sure is a chilly one here this morning! I hope you had a chance to read my post on methods of bible study! It should be helpful to both you and me! This morning, I am going to use the questions from my study guide to help guide me in todays reflection.

• Point one-- An important lesson we learn from Hosea has to do with the theological method; that is, that the way to knowledge of God is through the observation of human experience. 

• How is God like a faithful spouse, a loving parent, a friend seeking an enduring relationship?

    We know that God is always with us. He is someone we can go to when we need some tender loving care. "In their affliction, they shall look for me: "Come, let us return to the Lord", For it is He who has rent, but He will heal us." (Hs 6:1, NAB). 

    In verse 4, God sounds very much like a weary parent, "What can I do to you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah?" He has already doled out punishment, yet they still won't obey. Oh do I ever hear that one!! God will punish to get His point across, to let you know that you did something displeasing. But, much like any parent, He will not stop loving you just because you messed up. 

• What does infidelity do to human relationships? Would the same things apply to our relationship to God?

    Infidelity can kill a relationship. BUT... it can also signal that there is something missing in the relationship. There are repairs to be made. The question you need to ask yourself is if you are willing to work on the relationship to heal it or would you rather walk away? 

    I think the same can apply to our relationship with God, except we are the ones susceptible to infidelity. We can find ourselves straying from God's path. We become enmeshed in secular persuits. We forget to make time for God. Or, something drastic can happen in our lives that makes us question God's presence or feel that God is punishing us for something, only we don't know what that something is. 

    This is why we daily have to make an effort to evaluate where we stand in our faith. Is there something missing? Are you making an effort? Are you confessing your sins to God? A relationship doesn't work if both parties aren't making an effort. 

•  Point two-- In Luke's Gospel, it makes the point that Disciples participate in the mission of Jesus. Disciples become participants in Jesus' ministry. They embody the reversals and the counter-cultural values of the Kingdom. They abandon wealth or put it at the disposal of the needy. Disciples give without expecting in return. They don't seek security in the things of this world, but store up treasures in heaven. They seek greatness by being servants of all.

    We see this lesson throughout the Bible. We must not become slaves to material things. We must not be selfish with what we have. Part of being a Christian is giving back to others, to doing for others what we would want done for us.  Just because you may be financially secure, or wealthy for that matter, does not guarantee that you are a good person. It will not guarantee you a spot in heaven. 

    Ephesians 2:8-10 tells us: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast. For we are His handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them."

    You are to stay humble when we do for others. When you boast about the things you have done, when you make a point to let people know how good you are for doing for others, then it is not doing it for the glory of God. You are doing it to bring attention to yourself. To assure yourself a place in heaven. But that's not how it works, folks! Do good for others, be humble when doing it, do not seek attention, do not boast about it. As Nike used to say "Just Do It!" 

   In the matter of fidelity (going back to Hosea) God has already prepared us the way in which to travel through life. If we remain faithful to Him, if we abide by Him, we will see our reward in heaven.  

Wow.. this one really got away from me. I do apologize. I pray your day is blessed. And, as always, be a nice human. 😇

For a shorter version, check out Father Bill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5w7WVECaNU

This is a great video by my favorite group, Casting Crowns. It speaks to what we learned today. Start Right Here

A House Divided

Good Morning, dear reader. I hope this finds you in good spirits. Today we are talking about hearing God's voice and living true to His ways. 

I know sometimes it's hard to have to live by God's commandments. We become slaves to society, always doing what everyone else is doing. We are "woke", we accept what they say is truth. We are led to believe this is how we should be. We allow them to tell us religion is bad. It's not the "in thing" to do. It's not politically correct. Our moral compass has strayed far beyond our reach. 

We see in Jeremiah that God has tried talking to His people, tried to reach out to them. He has sent many prophets to preach to the people. He has tried everything within His power to keep His people safe. But the people have become so hardened, so ingrained to conforming to what was deemed acceptable, that they virtually tuned out God's voice, His teachings, His laws. They have sunk to the depths of evil. 

We see the same theme in Luke. Jesus tells the people that they have allowed evilness to pervade their lives. The people have become divided. Their loyalties displaced. "A house divided cannot stand." There is no longer a strong foundation on which to build their faith. Jesus reminds them that those who do not follow Him, those who speak against Him will be scattered in the wind like the petals of a wilting flower. There is nothing that can hold it together. You're either with me or against me, is what He is basically saying. 

When we veer away from having God in our lives, when we don't hear what He has to say, it casts a darkness on our soul. The further we go, the darker it gets, until we can no longer hear God's voice. We allow the evilness of this world to harden our hearts, taint our soul, and colour our perspective. Sometimes this can happen without us even realising it, till it becomes the norm in our every day life. We become numb to its effects. 

BUT, dear reader, all is not lost!! We can allow Jesus back into our lives!! We can turn away from that darkness!! All we need to do is take a moment, one small moment, to tune out what is around us and ask Jesus to drive out that gloom that has crept into our lives. We don't need grand gestures, we don't need to run to the nearest church to have the demons driven out. It can be as simple as just saying "Jesus, help me." Three simple words, spoken with conviction, are all you need. 

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

Here is a great video from my favorite "pastor", Joyce Meyer, on hearing God's voice:

https://youtu.be/b5ea0P2xSR8

Here is a song to give you a little inspiration: https://youtu.be/EqsnGE3_dsg

 

Signs

Water. It's important. Something we need for survival. In the Bible, we see water as cleansing. It is used to baptise the believers, it is used to heal, to bless, to wash. Matter of fact, water is so important that it is mentioned in the Bible 722 times! In the story of the leper, he is told to bathe in the river Jordan seven times and he would be healed. Naaman got angry with this. He thought that God would come down and lay healing hands on him in order to be cured. He was expecting some sort of grand miracle. Instead, he is basically told to take a bath in dirty water. (At that time, the Jordan was a muddy river.) You'd think that was the last thing you should be doing!! 

Apparently Naaman's servants knew something he didn't. I guess Naaman figured he had nothing to lose if he tried this. At the very worst, he would still be a leper. So he did as Elisha had said. And voila! That did the trick! He was absolutely thrilled!! He then went back to Elisha and offered to give him gifts for this magnificent healing. But Elisha refused. He wasn't looking for anything other than helping this man as God had wanted.

When we pray for healing, don't we expect some great thing to happen like we see in the movies? Something that is an undeniable sign that God hears us? We always seem to be looking for the grand gesture, the big bright sign. We want tangible, unmistakable signs that God is moving in our lives. We tend to overlook the simple, the every day. There is a beautiful song by Laura Story called "Blessings" which reminds us that sometimes God's work shows up in ways we wouldn't expect. "What if your blessings come through raindrops? What if your healing comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know Your here? What if trials of this life are Your mercies in diguise?" Sometimes the best things are the simplest things. And that's what God wants us to understand. Don't look for the big answer. Don't look for glam and glitz. Remember this acronym, KISS-- Keep It Simple, Stupid! lol 

Today's Gospel reading involves our first reading. I've often found that in order to understand the New Testament, you need to understand the Old Testament. Much of what we see in the New Testament harkens back to the Old Testament. It's a reaffirmation of the coming of Jesus, the birth of a Savior. We are reassured that these things will happen and that they were preordained by God, delivered through prophets, signs and symbols. 

Our story opens with Jesus being back in His hometown of Nazareth. He attends  temple on the Sabbath day (Yes, Jesus was a Jew.) He spoke eloquently and the people were impressed. But when He told the story of Naaman the Syrian, this story really made the crowd angry. The people of Nazareth want a glorious sign that Jesus is, indeed, the Man who will save them. Why should the people outside of this city, outside of this country be the benefactors of Jesus's healing? Why are the lowest of the lowley being helped? Why include the poor? Do they think these people aren't worthy of what God is giving because they are looked down upon? 

All of this enrages those at the temple and they throw Jesus out and try to kill Him. This will be a common thread as we work our way through the New Testament. It is the foreshadowing of Jesus's eventual death upon the cross. He is constantly rejected, His life threatened. How could this Man, son of a carpenter, be the promised Savior? Why does he include the ones who aren't a part of "mainstream" society? Why doesn't Jesus perform grand miracles to prove who He is? Surely this Man must not be who He claims He is. We see this doubt throughout the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Acts. 

When we pray, don't look for immediate answers. Don't look for the bright neon billboard saying that God heard you and will be with you shortly. It doesn't work that way. It's all in the timing, God's timing and not our own. Keep plodding on, waiting, and praying. You'll eventually get your sign, it just may not be in the way you expected.

Today, look inward. What kind of signs are you hoping for? What are your expectations? Take that inner reflection to Jesus and ask Him to help you have patience, hope and faith. Ask Him to remind you that it's in the little things. Keep an open mind and an open heart. It will come to you eventually.

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

"Blessings" by Laura Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xRNrnh__SE

Today's reflection from Father Bill Hill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fatr7Y_Rp4A

 

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.

Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Husband of Mary

Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.  Matthew 1:20

Today we celebrate Joseph, the Earthly father of Jesus. He was a brave man. Here is his fiance, a virgin, who is all of a sudden pregnant before their wedding. Then, in a dream, he is spoken to by an angel who says he is to become the father of child who will become the Savior of the world! Talk about being overwhelmed!! This was a lot for poor Joseph to have to swallow. But he heeded the angels words. "When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife (Mary) into his home." (Mt 1:24, NAB).

And then there is Mary. This young girl who is engaged to a carpenter, being chosen by God to bear His holy child! How was she going to tell Joseph? And would he even believe her!?!? Would he still love her and want to marry her? I can't even begin to imagine how Mary must've felt. 

Todays readings are a story of hope and faith. Trusting that God knows what He's doing. To have hope in knowing that God is bringing us through whatever it is that we may be struggling with. To be strong, to wake up every day and know that whatever it is we may encounter during our day, we are not doing it alone. Remember Joseph and Mary and the awesome responsibility thrust upon them. Kind of makes whatever it is we are going through seem not so bad. It puts everything in a whole new perspective. 

Today, pray for God's guidance in your life. Give Him your burdens. Pray to Joseph. Pray to Mary. Be reminded of what they did. And remember Jesus, who suffered and died for us. As always folks, be a nice human. 

Father Bill has some interesting facts about Joseph. Have a listen to what he has to say about today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FXuNN9HroI  **Remember, you have to copy and paste link into your browser.**

Image: "The Dream of St. Joseph", Anton Raphael Mengs (1773/1774) 

Prayer

 Today's reading takes us back to the subject of prayer. We see in Esther that she is totally reliant on God to help her as she is about to go to Emperor Haman to plead with him to not destroy the Jewish people. Verse 14 tells us how she prayed "Then she prayed to the Lord, the God of Israel, saying "My Lord, our King, You alone are God. Help me, who am alone and have no help but You, for I am taking my life in my hand." 

Think about this for a moment. Do you totally rely on God? Do you trust in His will for you? Most of us can answer this rather quickly with an unequivical "no". Relinquishing our own power can be scary. But that's just the point. When you rely on God to guide you in your every day life, you should have no fear. God knows what He's doing. He will help you through whatever it is you are facing. You just need to ask.

Which brings us to Matthew. He tells us outright "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and the one who knocks, the door will be opened." We just need to ask God to move in our lives. He is the ultimate waymaker. He hears our pleas, He knows what we need.

Reflect on what your prayer life look like today. Do you make time daily to spend with Jesus? If not, then why? Examine your heart, speak your fear, and wait on God's heavenly timing. You may not get what you ask, but you will get what you need.

Spend some time today in prayer. Open your heart and your ears. Allow God to speak to you. 

Here's another lovely video from Fr. Bill Hill from Holy Spirit Catholic Community.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKdGUcE6Gtg&ab_channel=hsccwyo

Here is a lovely song to help you prepare your heart to pray

https://youtu.be/iJCV_2H9xD0

**copy & paste links into your browser**

Prayer

 

Good Morning Lovely People!! 😇

Today's word brings us to the topic of prayer. We are reminded that God hears our prayers and often knows what we need before we utter a single word. But, like every good father, He wants us to actually come to Him and tell Him what we need. This is, indeed, a humbling act. Which is why He expects this of us.

In this morning's reading from Isaiah, God reminds us that His word gives us nourishment of the soul, much like bread gives nourishment to the body. In Matthew's Gospel, God tells us HOW to pray, saying "Thy will be done", just as in Isaiah it says "It (our prayers) shall not return to Me void, but shall do My will". 

When we hear "Thy will be done", how do you interpret it? Do you think it means that God hears you and it will get done or do you hear that HIS WILL will be done? There's quite a difference in the meaning of each. When we follow God's plan for us, when we do what He wills us to, then we will achieve what it is that God wants from us. We do His will, His bidding, but it is always all for good. So we must "pray always" with intent, wait to hear God's response and trust that He knows what He's doing. I can promise that it won't be easy, but it will be worth it. 

Be blessed dear friends. Go forth and spread the word of God. 

First Sunday of Lent

 

So often in this world we are tempted by so many things, some good and some not so good. During Lent, we are called to give up something as a sacrifice for our faith, to remind us of the ultimate sacrifice made by Jesus on the Cross.

We all know that when we give up something, it seems that we are presented, almost on a daily basis, with visual reminders of that which we have give up, thus making our sacrifice that much harder. But, we learn to persevere in our sacrifice, knowing it will result in something much greater at the end.

Sacrifice and temptation lies at the heart of our faith in Jesus. How many times was Jesus asked to prove He was the Son of God? We see in Luke's Gospel that the devil asked this same question of Jesus. Prove it. Prove who You say You are. But, Jesus did not give in. I'm sure He must have been tempted, if for no other reason than to shut the devil up once and for all.

How many times have we been in the same situation? Is it easier to give in or easier to walk away? Which would give us the most satisfaction? Is it worth the sacrifice to just walk away? I believe that the harder the decision, the greater the reward. Doing the right thing is hard. Saying no in the midst of being tempted is the hardest thing to do. But, the satisfaction that comes from doing right is always a good thing.

As we walk through this time of Lent, remember that your sacrifice is pleasing to God. It makes you stronger. And the end result is that much sweeter.

Prayer:

Dear God,

The battle feels intense some days. We get tired and weak, weary and worn. It's hard to keep going in the face of defeat. But, help us to remember that You will never leave us, that You're our Refuge and our Strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. We know that the enemy wouldn't be fighting so hard against us if we weren't making a difference for Your Kingdom. He wouldn't be trying so hard to stop us if he didn't think You had so much good still in store. Remind us that the battle belongs to You, and whatever we're up against can be taken down in one fell swoop by Your Mighty Hand.

Help us to trust You more, to never waste time spinning our wheels and wrestling or fighting our strength. Please forgive us, Lord, for the times we've failed to lift our hands to You, for the days we've forgotten to come to You first. Fill us with the Power of Your Holy Spirit this day. Fill us with Your joy, fill us with constant reminders that Your presence will go with us, and that You will give us rest.

Amen.

Mental Illness, Faith, and Patron Saints

There seems to be a patron saint for almost anything and any place. So, when I came across this article, I found it really quite interesting that there are saints that we can invoke spiritual support from for our mental illnesses. The story of St. Dymphna was truly heartbreaking. I shared it with my daughter who thought the same thing. But, we can use her story as inspiration for our own trials. AND....we need to share our trials with others so we can inspire and uplift them, as well. God never gives us problems without a way to use them for the good of ourselves and others.


As one who suffers from anxiety and depression, it makes life really hard. Recently I ventured out by myself and went to an early evening Mass at a nearby Franciscan chapel. That was a big thing for me. I really haven't been anywhere on my own in quite some time. But, I felt I needed to be there, so off I went. And I was glad to have gone. Unfortunately, my anxiety wouldn't leave me alone enough to enjoy the peace and serenity of it all, but it still was an accomplishment. The whole idea is to at least do SOMETHING, no matter how small. AND... be proud of yourself for accomplishing it, no matter how insignificant it may seem.

Give this article a read. If nothing else, it will give you some hope that you can keep surviving and moving forward. https://www.catholiccompany.com/getfed/mental-illness-patron-saints-6296?fbclid=IwAR30K5Np3eQjI0mqkycPB_TkHzWudUmPrQ0Q1ydBEwcDU17JjVlTkrCpqCc

Sending Love and Blessings. 😊💙✝️

MONTH OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY

I know the month is just about over, but it's a good reminder for next year (mark it on your calendar to help you to remember).

The Church dedicates the month of August to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It is a dogma of the Catholic faith that Mary is the Immaculate Conception; that is, in preparation for the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity in her womb, she was conceived without the corruption of sin through the foreseen and infinite merits of her Son, Jesus Christ. The physical heart of Mary is venerated (and not adored as the Sacred Heart of Jesus is) because it is united to her person and is the seat of her love (especially for her divine Son), virtue, and inner life. Such devotion is an incentive to a similar love and virtue.            

Over the centuries, as saints and theologians reflected on how Mary pondered and treasured the sacred events from the life of Christ in her holy heart, as attested in Scripture, her pure heart was recognized as something to be imitated. Devotion to Our Lady’s purity of heart began to flower—so much so that in the 17th century, St. John Eudes promoted it alongside the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The devotion rose to a new level after the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, when Mary revealed an image of her Immaculate Heart to Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco.

This devotion has received new emphasis in this century due to the many miracles ascribed to prayer to the Virgin. On October 31,1942, Pope Pius XII made a solemn Act of Consecration of the Church and the whole world to the Immaculate Heart. Let us remember this devotion year-round, but particularly through the month of August.       

Novena to the Immaculate Heart of Mary   

            

O Most Blessed Mother, heart of love, heart of mercy, ever listening, caring,     consoling, hear our prayer. As your children, we implore your intercession with Jesus your Son. Receive with understanding and compassion the petitions we place before you today, especially…(special intention).