I was reading a Via Crucis written by JPII recently.  For the Station, “Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross” he mentions that Simon was closer to Jesus than anyone on the Way of the Cross.  Think about that: this random passerby is forced under fear of death to help carry Jesus’ cross, and he is closer to Christ than His own mother or beloved disciple.  He didn’t choose to help Jesus out of compassion, as Veronica did.  He didn’t weep for Jesus as the women of Jerusalem did.  He was just walking along minding his own business and suddenly he finds himself front and center on the stage of human history.  In Mel Gibson’s interpretation of the scene, he makes it very clear that this is not something he chose, and that he is an innocent man, forced to carry the cross of one who is condemned.

What implications for all of us who suffer!  No one wakes up one day and thinks, “Hmm. Maybe today I’ll be in a car accident that will leave me paralyzed.”  No one goes in for that exciting first peek at baby and expects to get a fatal diagnosis.  These are things that strike us out of the blue.  And they hurt like hell.  And we do not choose them.  Yet we are closer in these moments to the Lord than we can ever imagine. Closer, maybe even, than the blue-haired lady in the Rosary group.

I would guess Simon, shouldering the burden, at first was repulsed by Jesus if he noticed Him at all.  Isaiah’s description of Jesus, after all, is that He was beyond all semblance of a man.  Should this not be all of our first tastes of suffering? It entered the world through evil, and therefore should disgust us.  But the fact that Simon and his sons are called by name in Scripture, as well as their place of origin, suggests that the Christian disciples receiving the Gospels would have known who he was.  Which suggests that this encounter with the bloodied, beaten Savior changed Simon.  Again, Gibson’s portrayal of this is very moving.  At a certain point, he begins to shoulder the burden not out of duty but compassion.  Later, as he leaves Jesus at Golgotha, there is something within him that registers: it was really Jesus shouldering  burden.

This is a blueprint for us in our suffering.  Let us behold in our desperate situations the Savior who understands them deeply because He has experienced them.  And let’s not turn away, but instead allow our closeness to Him transform us- not necessarily by changing the circumstance, but by changing our own hearts. 

Copyright 2010 Libby DuPont

By the time I got to the halfway mark, however, my thoughts had turned sour.  My chest tightened as my lungs cried out in anguish with each erratic breath and I began to wonder if my feet were still attached to my burning legs.  The clear blue sky gave me no hope of a sudden tornado or lightning storm to whisk me away from my misery.  I pathetically kept trudging along, feeling like my shins would rip apart any minute.  I yearned to drop to the ground and crawl into a ditch somewhere until after the medals were passed out and everyone had packed up and gone home.

In much the same way, the Lenten journey starts off with a bang of grand resolutions and lively hopes. However, by this time many are ready to curl up in front of the tube with a bowl of triple-scooped chocolate ice cream and turn away from any type of soul-stretching activity. For those who suffer from seasonal mid-Lenten blues, a quick splash of water and a reflection on Jesus’ own trek to the Cross can offer a quick remedy. The Stations of the Cross presents us with a simple fourteen-step guide through Lent.

1. The first station: Jesus is condemned to death. Examine your conscience and recognize you are guilty of sin and in need of God’s grace and mercy.

2. Jesus carries his cross. Receive your cross and commit yourself to stay the course of purification.   If you haven’t even made it to the start line, Lent isn’t over yet!

3. Jesus falls the first time. Allow yourself to be humbled. “The beginning of pride is man’s stubbornness in withdrawing his heart from his Maker.” (Sirach 10:12)

4. Jesus meets His Mother. Mary carried Jesus deep inside of her for nine months and then followed Him through His Passion.  Go to Mary to find Jesus.  Ask her to help you on your path of redemption.

5. Simon of Cyrene carries the cross. Partner up. Whether it is with your spouse, a close friend, or a spiritual director or confessor, find someone who can keep you accountable to your Lenten goals.

6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus. Review your goals and focus and then make any necessary adjustments. Are they pulling you deeper into God’s Love? What mark will this Lent leave on your soul?

7. Jesus falls the second time. Let yourself be thrown off your horse.  Are you giving your all or could you do more? “For pride is the reservoir of sin, a source which runs over with vice.”  (Sirach 10:13)

8. Jesus meets the daughters of Jerusalem. Offer peace and seek fellowship.  How can you bring comfort to those around you who are in pain or affliction? Read about the lives of the women Saints and of the Women of the Bible.  Join a women’s bible study or prayer group to strengthen each other.  “For wherever two or three are gathered together, there I am in their midst.” (Matthew 18:20)

9. Jesus falls the third time. Let God break you. Toss out feelings of self-righteousness. Deny yourself, pick up your cross, and keep moving.  You are almost there. “The roots of the proud God plucks up, to plant the humble in their place; He breaks down their stem to the level of the ground, then digs their roots from the earth.” (Sirach 10:15,16)

10. Jesus is stripped of His garments. Strip yourself of unnecessary or harmful attachments or habits.

11. Crucifixion: Jesus is nailed to the cross. Attach yourself to that which is Holy and pleasing to God.  Unite your heavy soul to the cross of Jesus.

12. Jesus dies on the cross. Give of yourself and your Lent completely into “His Hands”.

13. Jesus’ body is removed from the cross. Empty, go to confession and remove yourself from sin.

14. Jesus is laid in the tomb and covered in incense. Let your body rest and be healed through your penance. Think about where you started and how far you’ve come.  Find strength and rest in Jesus through prayer and adoration.  Be peaceful and know that you have “Run the good race, and fought the good fight.”

Copyright 2010 Erika Marie

Dear God,

I’m not asking for great riches or major transformation, just a little change every day, a little difference that will draw me closer to You.

I could stand on any old street corner begging for handouts, but that’s not the kind of change that will enrich my life.  Material riches won’t give me the kind of gain that will bring about lasting joy in my soul.  Instead, it is the spiritual riches that only You can give to me will endure and bring me peace.

I know that it is not within my power to make anyone else change.  My husband, my children, my coworkers and friends are all going to be whatever it is that you call them to be, even if it displeases me.  But if you would only give me a little change, modify my attitudes and the way I see others, I know that everything in my surroundings will change for me as if I had new eyes and a new heart.  Those things that irritate me in others will no longer be bothersome because the change you give to me will increase my tolerance in direct proportion to the increase of Your love in my heart.

So God, it is to you that I reach out my hand.  The change that I ask for won’t buy me a warm meal, but it will warm my heart and soul with Your gift of love.  This gift would be but a pittance for you to share, but to me, it is worth more than all the gold and silver in the world.  For with your love, I can do more than carry on and accept those around me who cause me difficulty or grief. When I am filled with Your love, I will be able to love others with all of my being.

Please hear my prayer, my plea for change, Lord.  Change me so that through this metamorphosis, the whole world will be brighter and more beautiful.  Amen.

Copyright 2010 Anne Bender

Another dawning day,

I humbly turn my thoughts to Thee

And right out loud I pray -

“I thank You Lord for by Your grace,

I survived the dark of night.

As now You gently kiss my face,

And lead me towards Your light.

I consecrate to You this day,

Those dearest in my life

Be they at school; at home; at play

Please keep them far from strife.

Oh merciful, glorious God of all

Unworthy as I may be,

I pray You catch them should they fall,

I humbly beg of Thee.

They are the beating of my heart,

These gifts of pink and blue

Until You call me to depart,

Help me take care of them…for You.

“Children too are a gift from the Lord, the fruit of the womb, a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children born in one’s youth. Blessed are they whose quivers are full.” Psalm 127:3-5

Copyright March 2010 Manuela Giannotti

On this week’s Deacon Moment, Deacon Tom tells of preaching a RED, WHITE and BLUE homily. It was the blue that caused a little bit of problem. Or was Tom preaching truth?

Avery has some words of wisdom on the topic of prayer and Lisa Mladnich recommends implementing the Bible into your classroom or home.

This week, during our Mary Moment, Sarah Reinhard takes us beyond being fed up with snow to a reflection on Our Lady of the Snows (taken in part from a column at Today’s Catholic Woman last year).

This episode of Catholic Moments is sponsored by CatholicMatch.com, the Leading Catholic Singles Community.  Share your feedback at 206-339-9272, comment here on the blog or email lisa@catholicmom.com.

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This morning, as we were seated around the table for our morning prayer before my boys left for school, I glanced over at Adam who was seated facing our kitchen windows.  His eyes squinted against the morning sunshine streaming in from the backyard reminded me that we are slipping into Spring – a few weeks ago, we huddled at that same table in darkness and now the lengthening days fill our lives with more light.

Today, Jeremiah says:

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose hope is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters
that stretches out its roots to the stream:
It fears not the heat when it comes,
its leaves stay green;
In the year of drought it shows no distress,
but still bears fruit.

Lord, as I continue my Lenten journey this week, help me to be like that tree planted near Your waters – help me to reach for you in times of stress, distrust, and exhaustion.  Let my soul be replenished by your love, and let me in turn bear great fruit for You.

The process of forming an opinion or evaluation by discerning and comparing; an opinion or estimate so formed; the capacity for judging; DISCERNMENT; the exercise of this capacity; a proposition stating something believed or asserted.

That pretty much says it, doesn’t it? The truth is, everybody uses judgment every day. It just gets more complicated when other people evaluate the “judgment”. Whether it was good or bad depends on who you ask.

So how do you know who to listen to? Who gets to decide if you’re showing good judgment?

The answer comes when you look to God for answers. Believing and relying on God’s word sheds incredible light on the issue. Because God has an amazing plan for you and your life, He does all He can to help you find and attain it. That means when you work with God, He gives you the grace to make right decisions and show good judgment.

Of course, I’m not so sure that extends to that ugly, green shirt you just bought because it was on sale. And it might not cover your decision to shave your head because you lost a bet. I think the consequences of those decisions will ultimately be yours and yours alone!

There is a real danger, though. Just because you’re working with God to move forward in your own life, doesn’t mean you have the right or responsibility to judge what someone else is doing. It’s so easy to “have an opinion” about others because you have no direct responsibility for what other people do or say. But God isn’t going to ask about other people when you stand before Him someday, He is going to be concerned about what you said and did.

So how do you get started working with God so you can start making right decisions and showing good judgment?

Make the decision to let God be God. You’ll never make progress in this area as long as you refuse to give up control. It certainly isn’t easy, and it certainly doesn’t happen overnight, especially if you’re a control freak as I once was. It almost drove me completely nuts when I gave up control of things. But it helped immensely when I realized there was somebody more qualified than me in charge of my life.

*  Study the Word. The only way you’re going to get to know God and His character is to study His word. It won’t take long before you’re able to judge situations and circumstances with a new view. Decisions are easier because you already know in advance the direction you want your life to go.

*  Surround yourself with people who are further along in the journey. There is no reason to learn every lesson yourself when you have a perfectly good example right in front of you. Learn from the mistakes of others so your own learning curve is less. You’ll be very glad you don’t have to go through every mistake, but trust me, you’ll still make plenty on your own.

*  Never give up. Be glad about your progress. Let yourself off the hook. You didn’t start showing poor judgment overnight and you won’t always show good judgment now, just because you want to. Just be happy you’re making progress and you’re seeing things in your life improve.

*  Showing good judgment takes time, but once you make the commitment to move forward in this area, you’re halfway there. Working with God is continuous, but so worth the effort.
For more help on this topic, go to How Sound is Your Christian Judgment?



Copyright 2010 Karen Wolff

The stereotypical self induced guilt that often gets slapped on a Catholic’s head like a scarlet “C” is a misunderstanding of what we’re supposed to discover by engaging in self reflection and conscious examination.  Every time we begin to look at our relationship with God, we can see how it could be, could have been and should be deeper.  We all know our own temptations and rationales for our own moments when we allow ourselves this one exception. “God will understand.” And He does, but do we understand what we are asking when we ask for that one exception, that one sin we cling to so fiercely?

Prayer and fasting, mass and penance, the point of all of these exercises is to break past the perpetual spiritual plateauing that “good people” mistake for progress.  Modern thinking subscribes to the theory that “I’m a good person ergo, I’ve arrived.” but a soul that embraces that sort of thinking ceases to seek, it stops and atrophies in its contentment which eventually devolves to bored self satisfaction.  It is a common error for anyone who can look at their life and say, “I’m praying. I’m going to mass. I receive the sacraments. I’m taking care of the kids or my spouse.”  God always asks of us more than we would of ourselves because He knows and loves us deeper than we do ourselves. Christ doesn’t say, “Take time for you.” and “Be sure to get in some “Me time.”  He says, “Take up your cross and follow me.” He always seeks our whole hearts in all things.

To love an infinite God is to want to love infinitely.  To do that, one must never cease increasing one’s willingness to love.   To love without limits means constantly knocking away the walls that sin and one’s own self and the age and the culture and others would put into place as reasonable.   It means dropping the fishing nets to run towards Jesus, it means being willing to step out onto the water; it means filling the cisterns with water; doing whatever He tells you, and passing out the loaves and fishes that were once only five and two.  It means walking all the way to the foot of the cross and returning to the tomb on Easter.  It means seeking God in all people and loving Him in all the things we say and do every day.

We’ve only taken our first step into the desert, and every subsequent step forward is an act of will, of obedience . The great gift of Lent is it can bring us to a place we would not seek absent these forty days.  Being fallen, we constantly seek to carve out a bit of ourselves that is not for anyone else, even God. These forty days can make our hearts for God alone and that takes courage to even pursue.  Fortunately, Christ also says, “Be not afraid.” And so we know, we are never alone in this 40 day desert. Walk on.

Copyright 2010 Sherry Antonetti

Once they cooled, Stacy would assist Trevor in cutting around each leaf’s outer edge before they punched holes in the top for stringing yarn and hanging on his mobile. Stacy was warned not once, but three times that morning alone, to be sure she didn’t singe either the leaves or the paper. Remember last year? Trevor had reminded her. How can I forget? Stacy thought ruefully.

What had started out as a simple afternoon extra credit science project collecting local flora had turned into a weekend long nightmare after Stacy’s daughter had a hey-day with her brother’s meticulously labeled leaves he’d left lying on the dining room table. Even though Stacy had been outside when the incident occurred, raking leaves no less, Trevor made it a point of insinuating it was Stacy’s poor disciplinary skills that caused the entire fiasco.

After a lengthy chat with Trevor, Stacy had made it crystal clear that the core issue wasn’t her parenting abilities, rather Trevor’s cavalier attitude. That discussion aside, Stacy recalled spending the better part of Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon helping Trevor resort his collection and/or gathering replacements.

Since then, Stacy continued to be amazed how different her children were in both looks and temperament. She’d had no problem figuring out her oldest two sons, but when it came to Trevor with all his fussiness and particular ways, Stacy was thrown off balance. Frequently, his speech was laced with negativity and pessimism. If he wasn’t dragging the other kids down, Trevor’s woe-is-me countenance wore Stacy’s nerves to a fine strand.

She wasn’t quite sure how to combat his defeatism other than kindly, but firmly, reminding him of the obvious blessings he enjoyed. Still, as Stacy took care to iron Trevor’s finds with attention to detail lest she ruin one or all, Stacy suddenly realized how alike people are to so many of nature’s creations. Every one of these leaves has its own style, its own signature. Some are rounded and smooth, others, rough and brittle to the touch. Not so unlike people, Stacy admitted.

But every one offers something unique to the whole collection, just like us. Lord, Stacy prayed, help me to see the beauty you’ve created in my son and to treat him as though he were the rarest of finds…because he is.

“The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil.” Matthew 12: 35

Dear Lord,

I finally get it. All this time, I’ve been missing the point with regard to my children. I believed you wanted me to take their personalities and mold them into miniature replicas of me. As if you had only created one type of person, my type. Lord, I need to ask your forgiveness. I’ve been spending countless hours trying to figure out my child’s take on life. I never seem to put my finger on where this youngster is coming from. He is so very different than me.

And now, I realize, that you simply want to me to love him as he is while setting the best example I can. Lord, in the days to come, enable me to be quiet more consistently…and learn to listen more attentively. Show me creative ways to engage my child’s heart and to lovingly bring needed encouragement as you reveal fresh ideas to me. I desire inner soul health and mental well being for my youngster, and I do not always understand the most effective ways to reach this child.

Lord, I commit my parenting to you again; I ask that you would fill me with your wisdom and vision for the future. Help me, Lord, to not become discouraged when we encounter setbacks…and we will. Bolster me for the long road ahead and give me all I require to parent in a way that honors your name with the understanding that you are watching over me, over us.

Amen

“Love God, and within the limitations He has sovereignly placed in your life at this time, do what you can.” Donald S. Whitney in Simplify Your Spiritual Life: Spiritual Disciplines for the Overwhelmed

Copyright 2010 Michele Howe

Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.

Honestly, it reminds me so very much of something my parents taught us frequently when we were growing up — and perhaps you’ve even heard me say it here in the past — “Always err on the side of generosity.”

So simple, and yet so difficult.  If you can find a way to say, “yes” to someone, do it.  Stop worrying about the time it will take, the compromises you will have to make, what it will cost you personally.  Stop asking yourself, “What’s in it for me?”  And yet this portion of Luke assures us that in the end, what we do to help and to love and to encourage others will indeed come back to benefit us in the end.   I love that very visual picture he paints for us, “packed together, shaken down, and overflowing” — as though there’s no possible way to fit in even one tiny little bit more of the goodness we’re being offered into our hearts.

Lately, my life is in that “overflowing” phase.  I’m not sure what I’ve done to deserve any of the countless blessings that are being showered upon me.  Realizing this makes me want to look around me and give more.  The true challenge is keeping my radar tuned in the midst of so much business, so many expectations, and even so many great opportunities, for that one person who is in need of the measure I am able to pour out today.

Do you find it easy to “give”, or are you burned out from giving too much?  How do you find the balance in your life between being generous and being taken advantage of?

The point of this parable is pretty obvious. Even a child would tell you that it means we are supposed to use the gifts that God gives us. He will hold us accountable for what we do with them. It seems rather straightforward. Use our gifts well and they will multiply. Ignore them and they will stagnate. What happens when this doesn’t go according to plan, however?

As one of my friends pointed out, the story needs a fourth servant. The fourth servant is given his talents and he (or in our case, she) goes out and tries to do all she can with her talents. And she fails, repeatedly. Nothing multiplies. Every effort comes up short. In an economic comparison, she invests all she has in the stock market and the stock market has crashed. When the master returns, she has little to show for her efforts, except a bucketload of tears of frustration. As my friend said this. I nodded enthusiastically. Yes, this is where I fall in this parable. I imagine many other people feel this way as well.

Sometimes, life is so hard. We pray to do God’s will and try to do it, and yet we seem to come up empty. The conventional wisdom is that if you are failing, you aren’t doing what God wants you to do – that if you are doing God’s will, you will meet with success. But what if you believe you actually are doing what God wants you to do? Where do we fall in the parable? We are not the servant who buried his gifts. We tried all we could. Did the servants who doubled their talents actually struggle in the process? Did they fall down repeatedly before achieving success? Does the parable just not tell that side of the story? That thought gives me some hope.

Our parable isn’t done being written yet. Maybe God has some plan we just can’t see. Maybe our work, our talents, is bearing some fruit we are unaware of. Maybe we are right where we are supposed to be. All we can do is keep trying. If we are truly doing God’s will, then we are where we belong. I am reminded of Mother Teresa’s statement: “We are not called to be successful, only faithful.” We are the fourth servant. I have to believe the Master will reward us in the end.

Copyright 2010 Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur

Music: “Lord, Send Out Your Spirit” written and performed by Susan Bailey

Masses for the Unemployed – submit your name to have masses said for you for one month

It is like that in life. How many of us are trying to find that balance? If we try to be the best we possibly can be at work we stay late and our mind is always on our work, we lean too far one way. If we put every thought and all of our time into our family our work can suffer, we lean too far the other way. How do we find a balance? It is a learned skill. I don’t believe the balance just comes naturally to anyone! I believe you have to try to ride that bike with balance daily. Jake learned by letting Ethan help him. It is easier to do it with help and guidance than all alone. Maybe God should be the one holding the seat of our bike. Maybe instead of getting on and trying to take off full speed we need to be conscious of God helping to get us balanced and then letting us go!

How often in your life do you feel overwhelmed and so stressed out you could explode? Is it from your work place or from your family life, committing too many extra activities, sports or clubs for your children? Think about one of those times you felt so stressed out for a moment. What was going on? Were you leaning too far one way or the other? I think it is a daily task to stay up on that bike and we need to recognize that, instead of just thinking it will all work itself out.

So today as you climb back up on your bike try not to lean too far one way or the other and let God be the one to help you learn the skill of balance by giving him some of your time. Say a prayer and ask that He help provide you with the wisdom to know when you are leaning and the strength to give Him a chance daily to hold on to the seat of your bike. When we learn to let God help us we can acquire the fine skill of balance in our daily lives.


Copyright 2010 Lori Hadorn-Disselkamp

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”

Jesus,

I am broken. I have separated myself from one of your children, and without that relationship, I am less than I was before. I am looking to be whole again, to be fulfilled in your love with the unity of your child from whom I am now apart. So, I cry upon your shoulder, and I lean upon your strength, because you have known this brokenness. I know that you understand my suffering. I ask you to lay down your cross for me, so that I may use it as my bridge to forgiveness. The slivers that may enter the soles of my feet will be as nothing compared to the pain that has consumed my heart from the disgrace that I have brought to you and your precious child whom you love.

Lead me, Jesus, slowly, across your bridge to forgiveness where joy and love wait for me. I believe that forgiveness will come to me, but until I reach it, remind me to walk softly, to speak gently and to pray deeply.

The wild river of pain and fear rages below me, but your cross will keep me above it all. You will safely lead me across the brokenness.

This bridge seems to go on forever, it takes so long to cross. The wind is blowing against my face and the sun is beating upon my body causing my progression to slow down. I understand that I cannot rush this process, because if I do, the peace of forgiveness will not be true or permanent, rather, it will be shallow and meaningless. What I want is a deep and lasting reconciliation that can only occur by taking one slow step at a time.

But I grow impatient for forgiveness! I hunger for it and the hunger burns in the pit of my stomach! There is nothing to nourish me and satisfy my hunger on this bridge. I can feel my hunger turn to bitterness. I am very afraid of this bitter feeling, I’m afraid that I will grow accustomed to it and begin to embrace it. I’m afraid it will move from my stomach to my heart and prevent me from ever loving anyone fully. I want my heart to remain soft and supple and loving.

I trust you Jesus, to bring me safely across this bridge, to overcome the pain and burden of this brokenness so that when I reach the other side, the glorious joy I will feel will be worth all of the pain that I have carried in my heart. On the other side of this bridge, a reunion awaits me, and you will hold our hands in yours so that we will never be separated again. Amen.



Copyright 2010 Anne Bender

Ash Wednesday starts the season of Lent, and for me, a time to reflect and get back in touch with God. One of my favorite ways to reconnect with God, is by walking His walk each week during the Stations of the Cross.  Each station allows me to take a step into what Jesus experienced during His Passion.  Sharing this journey with my family and fellow parishioners reminds me of the unity mankind shares with Jesus Christ.

The Stations of the Cross give us a glimpse into our Lord’s life.  With each station it is revealed to us how much Jesus loved us, how obedient He was to His father.  Jesus was willing to sacrifice Himself for the good of mankind.

How many people do you know are willing to sacrifice themselves or something they cherish for another?  I think most parents are willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their children.  However, every day in the news we see stories where parents fail their own children.

What about people who are willing to sacrifice themselves for a stranger?  What is it within a person that makes them willing to sacrifice their life for another’s?  What is it that grows within a person to love another, regardless of who they are or what they do?  It is hard to imagine loving every person on earth.  (I’ll admit,
there are a lot of people in this world I don’t love). These are just some of the questions I ponder as I walk with Jesus.

I believe Jesus is showing us the way. He is trying to show us how to love one another in spite of ourselves. I fall short, yet I continue to go to the Stations of the Cross with the hope that the God will enlighten me…perhaps, some day.  Until then, I will continue to walk the path before me seeking to know Jesus and to love as He loves.

Copyright 2010 Lori Lane Dyer

When we are THANKFUL to the Lord…we open our hearts to His goodness…and He fills us with HIS JOY…so that even in times of trial or suffering, if we look for the JOY, we can find it…WITHIN.

Sometimes it’s difficult to understand why we should even be thankful for our sufferings…but when we look deeper, we can see that it is during those times that we often grow the most in our walk with Christ…probably because it is also in those times that we must truly face our dependence on HIM, and HIM alone…recognizing that left unto ourselves, we are capable of nothing.

Gratitude naturally LEADS to JOY and vice-versa…they are a nice pair!

Years back, I purchased a very small, cloth-bound journal. I called it “My Book of Gratitude”. For one year, EVERY night, without fail, before I went to bed, I resolved to enter FIVE things in my little book for which I had been grateful that very day. No matter if it had been a productive, happy, easy day…or a stressful, tiring, chaotic day…I ENTERED FIVE THINGS…

These entries could have been as simple as writing “I was thankful for the pretty sky today”…or…”I was thankful that all went well at my Dr’s appt”…or as involved as “I was thankful that we have the ability to be together every day as a family who strives to reach our full potential in living out our faith and love of Christ”.

I STILL HAVE “My Book of Gratitude”…and every once in a while, I take it out and read it.

Going back through those pages is SO uplifting, and the lessons that I learned through the experience so easily re-surface as I remember many of the very moments about which I wrote.

Why not start your own “Book of Gratitude”? If “5″ doesn’t feel like the right amount of entries per day to you…choose your own number…however, I DO encourage you to choose a specific number as it helps to keep your resolve in this pilgrimage. (And, I do think it is a pilgrimage for it is a walk with the Lord, recognizing His goodness and blessings and strengthening us as we WRITE and SEE how many ways He bestows His generosity upon us each day…this leads us closer to Him)

When we write things down, it has a way of bringing those things to the forefront of our thoughts in a very tangible manner…so as we go from day to day, we recall our own grateful heart, which then leads us to be filled with JOY…

It is that JOY which attracts others to Christ. People see an inner JOY in you, and they want to know WHY its there and WHERE it comes from.

Gratitude is the root of the flower of JOY!

Start a “Book of Gratitude” today! You won’t be sorry you did!

Copyright 2010 Judy Dudich

It was a bitingly cold, blustery day in early January and the snow on the ground no longer looked pretty, just ugly and dirty.  Finding no parking spaces near the entrance I drove to the far end of the lot.

As I put the car in park, something bright red caught my eye.  I looked a little closer and noticed one small branch of what looked like Christmas holly berries.  They were tiny and didn’t appear to be attached to anything, it seemed as if they were growing right out of the dirt.

I glanced around and noticed the filth that is January in a busy parking lot.  There were old newspapers, empty water bottles, plastic bags, garbage and black snow all around this particular area with sad looking bushes leaning against a fence and in the middle, these bright little berries.  It kind of struck me as unusual, but then I had to get on with my shopping.

For the next few days the picture of the berries kept coming back to my mind.  These bright, fragile, hopeful little berries growing and thriving among all the detritus of the parking lot.  A lot like the light of Jesus trying to grow in my soul.

You see, I allow too much of the dirt and the garbage of the world to take up space in my mind, and my heart.  I pack in all the nonsense and irrelevant things like anger and disappointment and self pity.  I pay attention to all the drivel that is unimportant, I worry about what other people think of me and how I look and whether or not Angelina and Brad are still together, things that while seemingly important in this world are not really what we’re meant to fill our mind and spirits with.

You see, I believe we’re here for a short time and our everyday life is meant to support us to do the real work that God put us here for.  To find our calling, our talent, to share our love and support for our fellow travelers on this earth.  To create relationships with God and one another and most of all to allow Him to work through us to encourage and lift up other people.

We allow ourselves to get distracted and forget that we are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus in this world. To offer His smile, His kind words, His loving touch to our family, friends, even strangers.

After all these years on this planet I think our purpose is to just allow Him to steer the course, to listen to His promptings and be open to opportunities to offer His gentleness.  I know that when I am close to God in prayer and keep the lines of communication open, my life is different.  Oh, sometimes it’s imperceptible, and when I fall back to my old worldly ways, I often hardly notice the difference right away.

But we’ve all been there, we’ve all been in a position when we’re doing something, usually for someone else, and it feels right, it feels good, it feels like home.  When we’ve opened ourselves up to the possibilities that God had in store for us from the beginning, and the worries that usually haunt us seem to have drifted away for a little while.  Sometimes it’s in a place we’ve never been before, sometimes it’s just letting go, allowing ourselves to just be.

The bible tells me that God made you and me in His image.  I have a very long way to go.  But…He’s working on me.  I look at myself and my life over the past several years and I see his handicraft.  I see how I’ve been molded, chipped away as it were and I stand amazed.  Don’t get me wrong.  I’m as flawed as ever, but the tiny little filings of my soul fall at my feet.

When I allow him to be the artisan of my life, the director of my path, I feel peace.  Contentment.  Those little berries could teach me a thing or two.  They don’t look around and say, “It ain’t going to work here, I have to move on, Lord, put me in a lovely garden on a pretty street”. No they struggle on bravely, content, strong, doing their best in spite of their surroundings.  Bright and beautiful doing what God intended, exactly where He’s lovingly placed them.

It’s amazing when God shows you little signposts in your life, like little red berries, sparkling gems, glittering in the sea of life.  I want to be like those little berries, I want to accept where’s He’s put me and allow His spirit to grow so that I, like the berries, are not even aware of my surroundings, because they don’t matter.  I want to begin the real work of my life.  I want to be in alignment with His will and His plan for my life and just grow brightly and beautifully, shining His light for all the world to see.  It’s so restful when you allow Him to lead the way and allow His heavenly love to encompass you.  When you start to sit up and listen and pay attention to the little reminders that are everywhere around you it’s miraculous.  “If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts” Psalm 95: 7-8.

Just for today, I’ll soften my heart, I’ll quiet my thinking, I’ll listen with my soul.  For I long to hear His voice, and I cry out for His attention.  But the truth is, it’s never been Him that doesn’t listen.  It’s me.  And I’ll remember those tiny berries as a visualization of the seeds of love sown in me by a loving creator who dreamt of me before the beginning of time.  A reminder of the great plans He has for me as long as I don’t allow myself to get distracted by the things that just don’t matter.

Just for today.



Copyright 2010 Maureen O’Shea

Everywhere I felt distracted.  Everywhere, I felt I wasn’t giving the time and attention necessary; and the days got harder and harder and harder.   Cooking the meals; doing the dishes and even reading the stories, there was something of me holding back, being unwilling to give or be present because as I rationalized, I was doing so much.  It was true in all things, everywhere, I was restless; everywhere I was somewhere else.  For a time, I told myself I was being too critical and to relax and ignore it.  After all, I was still praying.  I was still doing. But the prayers done on the fly while still a gift, were not done mindfully; and the tasks done on the fly, while still acts of service, were not done mindfully.  I was cheating myself of the full presence of God and others by being distracted.

Our parish priest suggested kneeling or going off into a room and light a candle to bring about a more prayerful mindset.  I knew already that this was the correct advise because my brain came up with a thousand reasons not to do as he said.  I could hear with all those excuses of what I could be doing if I just prayed as I worked, “Martha, you are anxious about many things.”  And I was.  “How could I subdivide my time even more?” I wondered. The answer was, I wasn’t supposed to subdivide at all.

“Could I not stay?” I could hear.  It wasn’t harsh in my head; it was more like a request, an invitation.  Could I go on a date with God daily or not?  If I would learn to be fully present to those I loved, shouldn’t I begin by being fully present to the One who is love?  This was the spiritual food for which I had been starving but unable or rather unwilling, to seek.

The first stint lasted only seven and a half minutes; but tomorrow, I’m setting the timer for ten.

Copyright 2010 Sherry Antonetti

And the second Antiphon following it, “God’s grace in me has not been without fruits; it is always at work in me,” also raised my awareness of just how much Paul’s life in carrying on the mission of Christ was dependent on God.

When you reflect on these two passages together, what simply cannot be missed is a sense of humility before God. It is just such humility that each of us would be blessed to embrace.

How often do you go through your day, imagining that YOU have accomplished this or that, when all along it was God? Do you recognize that whatever good your actions or words produce is a result of God’s grace in you as well? Do you hear the constancy of God’s presence in the words, “always at work in me?”

Yes, God is with us always, pouring out his grace on us, perfecting our weaknesses and producing good fruits through us. This connection with God in our lives is tangible. It is something to marvel and we must be careful not to ever take it for granted.

God’s grace is indeed sufficient for us!

Copyright 2010 Janet Cassidy

As the introductory page states, the book is divided into “240 ‘six minute’ packages.” It is so very easy to read each morning. It takes longer for my laptop to turn on than it takes for me to read these short insightful passages. “The Little Black Book” begins the Sunday before Ash Wednesday and continues through Easter Sunday.

It’s one of those books I think my sons may actually take the time to read, but whether they do or not, I know I will. I really should get another copy, and I know right where I should put it for the best chance of reading: in the bathroom! Sounds a bit crude perhaps, but that’s where men do their reading much of the time. I tried this tact with another Bible-type book, and it worked. One day my 20-year-old started talking about a character in the Bible. I go with what works even though it may sound a little unconventional.

I highly recommend “The Little Black Book” for busy people who may need a little Lenten jumpstart every morning. It’s a great way to focus on the season of Lent. Happy six-minute reading!

Here’s the Web site: www.littlebooks.org.



Copyright 2010 Maureen Locher