Blog Post 6/30/2022 – The Lord is my Shepherd

 

The Lord is my shepherd;                                                                                                   there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.

 

He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness
no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort.

You have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever.  [Psalm 23, The Good Shepherd]

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
— as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Lamb himself will be their shepherd and will lead them to the springs of living waters. (Revelation 7:17).  

Today allow your Shepherd to lead you.

 

May God Be Praised!

Blog Post 6/29/2022 - Eternity?

 

There is no time with God: a thousand years, a single day: it is all one (2 Peter 3:8).

[Office of Readings – June 2, 2022]

 

As we prepare for eternity with God, “May we live in the radiance of God” while we journey here on earth.

 

May God Be Praised!

 

Blog Post 6/28/2022 – Pleas, Petitions, Prayers ….

“May God be gracious to us and bless us; may his face shine upon us.  So shall your way be known upon the earth, your victory among all the nations.

May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you!

May the nations be glad and rejoice; for you judge the peoples with fairness, you guide the nations upon the earth.

May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you!

The earth has yielded its harvest; God, our God, blesses us.  May God bless us still; that the ends of the earth may revere him.”  [Psalm 67]

 

The prophet Isaiah said, “In days to come, The mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills.  All nations shall stream toward it.

Many peoples shall come and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the LORD’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, That he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.’

For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.  He shall judge between the nations, and set terms for many peoples.  They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.  House of Jacob, come,

let us walk in the light of the LORD!”  [Isaiah 2:2-5]

 

Today offer God your Pleas, your Petitions, your Prayers, your Pains and most importantly your Life.

 

May God Be Praised!

Blog Post 6/27/2022 - Where is God?

 

“God to enfold me, God to surround me, God in my speaking, God in my thinking, God in my sleeping, God in my waking, God in my watching, God in my hoping.”  [Carmina Gadelica]

Today remember to recognize God's presence with you!

May God be Praised!

 

Blog Post 6/26/2022 - Where can we find our rest?

 

 

Psalm 131 reminds us, “Truly I have set my soul in silence and peace.
As a child has rest in its mother’s arms even so my soul.”   

 

Evening Prayer offers us an Antiphon, “Unless you acquire the heart of a child, you cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

 

Spiritual rest is necessary for our growth in the Lord, we find it by silently bending our hearts to the simple and humble heart of a child.

May your heart be in the Peace of God, today and every day.

 

                                         May God Be Praised!   

Blog Post 6/25/2022 – The Arms of God await you.

 

St. Philip Neri said, “Cast yourself into the arms of God and be very sure that if He wants anything of you, He will fit you for the work and give you strength."

Leap with faith and trust that God who create you, you will catch you in His arms and bring you to life eternal.

 

May God Be Praised!

 

Blog Post 6/24/2022 - A Promise Worth Keeping

 

We Renew Our Baptismal Covenant, Our Baptismal Promises Each Time We Bless Ourselves.

“Far be it from us to turn from the Lord, to serve other gods.  — We shall serve the Lord our God and shall obey his voice.

Even though there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth, for us there is one God.  — We shall serve the Lord our God and shall obey his voice.”  [Joshua 26:16,24; 1 Corinthians 8:5-6, Responsory from the Office of Readings 6/11/2022]

“In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  Amen.

Remember your origin is with God to whom you shall one day return, bring the Lord a gift of a well lived life.  You would not want to hear at the heavenly gates that your password [your life] and your name [your Baptismal Promises do not match, see below].

"You know well enough that Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them."
–St. Therese of Lisieux

 

May God Be Praised!

Blog Post 6/23/2022 Reverence – Foundation for Holiness

“Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy.”

 

Today avoid the sandals of sin and allow God’s commands to mold your actions.

 

May God Be Praised!

Blog Post 6/22/2022 – First a Thank you and then thoughts on True Happiness

Thanks 4 the 🙏🙏🙏.

My wife's surgery was successful, gallstones were very large, the surgeon expects a full recovery.

She rested comfortably and is scheduled to be released this morning after her surgeon visits.

 

"I call with all my heart; Lord, hear me, I will keep your commands ... I will do your will." 

That is where true happiness is found, may we do God's Will today and every day. 

 

May God Be Praised!

 

Blog Post 6/21/2022 - Water

This morning I have a special request my wife is having emergency gall-bladder surgery today.  Pray for her, her surgeon, her nurses and the medical staff who are treating her.  Thank you and may God Bless you, Deacon George

 

Water in Christian theology is seen a means of purification, and so we ask God to cleanse us every time we use holy water, pray the prayer below when you place your fingers into the holy water font

“Sprinkle me, O Lord, with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed;

wash me, and I shall be made whiter than the snow.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” [Psalm 51]

 

Then bless yourself, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  Realizing that you are praying inside the Trinity.

 

May God Be Praised!

 

Blog Post 6/20/2022 – How to live each day!

 

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque offers us this advice, "Let every knee bend before Thee, O greatness of my God, so supremely humbled in the Sacred Host. May every heart love Thee, every spirit adore Thee and every will be subject to Thee!"

 

For us bending the knee before our God means, our heart and our will are following God’s plan for us, with humility, love and gratitude.

 

 

 

 

May God Be Praised!

Blog Post 6/19/2022 - The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

  

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

 

 

“Spirit and grace, here in this meal; you are the wind that breathes through the field.  Gather the wheat and form us in Christ.  Come, be our source and breath of life.  In the bread, blessed, broken and shared, Christ is our life, whose presence we bear.  Come, O Spirit, make your grace revealed in this holy meal.”  [Ricky Manalo, CSP]

May the Eucharist always be “the source and summit” of our lives.  As we celebrate: the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, a formidable name, the old name was simpler and, in some ways, clearer.  The Feast of Corpus Christi (the Body of Christ).  This feast has a twofold meaning: Jesus’ Presence in the Eucharist And Jesus’ Presence in us.

 

In the Gospel we hear four verbs: TAKE, BLESS, BREAK and GIVE.  They focus our attention on the actions of Jesus!  Jesus gave us the gift of the Eucharist so by receiving Him, we could grow spiritually and our relationship with Him would grow ever deeper and more intimate.  Strengthened by the Eucharist we can bring Jesus’ Presence into the world by the life we lead.  Jesus asked us: “do this in remembrance of me.”

He asked us to recall His Words and Actions, by doing our best to live in a manner like Him.  Spend some time thanking God for the Gift of Jesus Christ who gave us His Body and Blood to nourish us on our spiritual journey.

 

Today we take time to honor our fathers I received a precious gift, a framed photograph of my granddaughter Berkleigh receiving her first Holy Communion from me, in Kennesaw, GA on May 7, 2022.

And as we celebrate Father’s Day let us pray that, “God, bless our fathers, that they may find strength in this world to allow their faith and love shine forth.  Grant that we, their sons and daughters, may honor them always with a spirit of profound respect.”  Author Unknown [Modified by Dcn. George Kelly  from Jesuit resource at Xavier University]

 

“Today I thank God for my father and I ask God to bless my sons Joseph, Brian & Kyle (my son-in-law) who are fathers, grant them Your wisdom and Your love to share with their children. Grant them the strength to be Christian husbands and fathers. May their example faith and love shine forth, and give them the grace [always] to act with a spirit of profound respect.”

May God Be Praised!

 

 

*The art work image was done by Bro. Mickey McGrath OSFS 

 

Blog Post 6/18/2022 A Great Blessing Celebrating Elin Kelly’s Baptism 6/17/2022 [Homily]

Love of God – like water: vital  and absolutely necessary.

 

Love of God – is necessary for us; God’s love of us is Gratuitous. 

Baptism the Gateway Sacrament to life in the Spirit, life in the Lord. 

1. Celebrate Elin’s Baptism each year on this day, 2. Christmas Eve, Jesus B-Day party, and 3. Read to her [and her sisters] every night from the Bible.

 

“I pray for Elin enough sun to keep her attitude bright no matter how gray the day, enough rain to appreciate the sun, enough happiness to keep her spirit alive.                                                    

 I pray for Elin enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger, enough gain to satisfy her wanting, enough loss to appreciate all she possesses.

 Most importantly I pray for Elin enough grace – so she shares God’s love and light with the world.”And As you know Elin means “torch”, “beautiful”, “light”, “bright” and “shining”.

About 200 years before Christ lived, a rabbi was teaching a group of his students (4 or 5 students) on a little hill outside of their village.  As he was teaching, their village was invaded by foreign troops.  There was screaming, yelling, mayhem, and fire. 

Finally, the rabbi looked up to heaven and screamed: “If only I were God!”

One of his students asked him, “Rabbi, what would you do differently if you were God?” 

The rabbi answered, “I would do nothing differently, but I would understand.”

The Oboe is used to tune the instruments of an orchestra; similarly, Baptism tunes us to the perfect pitch of God.  Today, the music of God reverberates in the heart and soul of Elin a child of God and Joseph and Amy. 

 In the days and months and years ahead, it will be your task to help her hear the music of God playing within her own heart, to teach her how to bring its harmony, tempo and rhythm into every moment of her life.  Joseph and Amy [parents], Kyle and Elizabeth [Godparents], it is your responsibility is to guide Elin so that the love that Jesus anoints her with shines brightly and plays clearly.

Michelangelo Story

One day when Michelangelo was working in his studio, with his hammer and chisel, when a friend walked into his work area, and admired his great talent, “Michelangelo what a great gift to be able to carve a statue from that big chunk of marble.” 

Michelangelo said, “No, the statue is already in the marble all I do is draw it out.” 

The same is true for each person we meet they have good in them, good that God put in them, we have to find that good, and draw it out.

Amy and Joseph may your gift to your daughter be your faithfulness to loving Jesus, who is Lord and Savior.

 

May God Be Praised!

 

Blog Post 6/17/2022 - A Thought About Baptism

 

In our Baptismal rite we pray that the parents (and the Godparents) will keep the light of Christ burning brightly, that they be the best of teachers by their actions, by their witness to the faith.

 

Josh McDowell tells a story about an executive head-hunter who said, "When I get an executive that I'm trying to hire for someone else, I like to disarm him.  I offer him a drink, take my coat off, undo my tie, until the exec is all relaxed.  When I think I've got him relaxed, I look him square in the eye and say, "What's your purpose in life?"

 

It's amazing how top executives fall apart at that question.  “… I was interviewing somebody the other day, had him all disarmed.  I looked at him and said, 'What's your purpose in life, Bob?'

 

And without blinking an eye, he said 'To go to heaven & take as many people with me as I can.' For the first time in my career, I was speechless."  (Sermons, July 4, 2010) 

 

Maybe these ?s can help us assess where we are spiritually and where we are in our commitment to Jesus. 

How committed are you to making a moral difference by the way you live? 

Does the Common Good enter into your analysis of politics and/or the economy?

Are you more concerned (or most) concerned about what is in it for you?

If someone compliments you for being successful: do they mean big home, expensive car? or do they mean living a good life loving your spouse, your children,  your family, your friends?

 

Do you trust that God is all you need?

 

Take a few minutes today to reflect on those questions and what your purpose in life is?

           

May God Be Blessed!