Blog Post 10/07/2022 – Fly Like an Eagle

An Eagle's Egg Was [accidently] Placed in The Nest of a Prairie Chicken. The Egg Hatched and The Little Eagle Grew up Thinking it Was a Prairie Chicken.

The Eagle Did What The Prairie Chickens Did: it Scratched in The Dirt For Seeds, it Clucked and Cackled, and Never Flew More Than a Few Feet Because That is What The Prairie Chickens Do.

One Day It Saw an Eagle Flying Gracefully and Majestically in The Open Sky.  He Asked the other Prairie Chickens: "What is That Beautiful Bird?"

The Chickens Replied, "That is an Eagle, It is an Outstanding Bird, but You Cannot Fly Like Him Because You Are Just a Prairie Chicken."  

So, The Eagle got the wrong message and Lived The Life of a Prairie Chicken.

 

You and I are called, as disciples of Jesus Christ, to give the right message to those around encouraging them to soar in His love.

May God Be Praised.

 

Blog Post 10/06/2022 – Sage Advice

 

“Always be impartial and just in your deeds. Put yourself into your neighbor’s place, and him in yours, and then you will judge fairly . . . Frequently, therefore, examine your heart, whether it is so disposed towards your neighbor, as you would have his disposed towards you, were you to change places; for this is the true test.”
[St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, p. 226]

 

When our perspective is from the shoes of our neighbor, our hearts and our heads should be wiser in what we say and in what we do.

 

May God Be Praised!

Blog Post 10/05/2022 - Today’s Prayer

 

Today We Pray,

Father in heaven Your Son, taught us not to fear tomorrow but to commit our lives to Your care today and follow Your will and when tomorrow gets here it will be today.

Send Your Spirit to guide us in these times of trouble, violence and turmoil.  Hear and answer our prayers, O Lord, do not let tears fall on closed ears.  We put all our trust in Your mercy and goodness.

 

                                                      May God Be Praised.

Blog Post - Homily Cycle II 10/04/2022 – Rejoice, Exult and Be Childlike

 Rejoice, Exult and Be Childlike

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100122.cfm

Today, Isaiah reminds us to Rejoice and Exult, because of God’s great love for us.And we just prayed in our psalm to not be proud, to be stilled & [most importantly] to hope in the Lord.  That is a tall order, yet our Gospel provides us insight into how to Rejoice, Exult, Not Be Proud, To Hope and To Be Stilled, Quiet. 

Become like a child Trust that God is with you.

Having childlike trust is difficult to say the least, but we celebrate the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux [a.k.a.The Little Flower] who reminds us to "Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love."  Think about how you can live the Beatitudes using St. Teresa’s advice regarding “the Little things,” maybe the most important is Prayer. 

St. Teresa said, "Prayer … is simply a raising of the heart, a simple glance towards Heaven, an expression of love and gratitude in the midst of trial, as well as in times of joy; in a word, it is something noble and supernatural expanding my soul & uniting it to God. [St. Therese of Lisieux, Story of a Soul, p. 141]

Most importantly she said, “God gives me whatever I want, because I want whatever He gives me.”  That is how we can be the “greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”  Take a few minutes to reflect on your Trust in God, Trusting the Lord is the first step in seeking God’s  Kingdom. 

May God Be Praised.

 

Blog Post 10/03/2022 – Mary’s Heart and Will were Docile to the Will of God

 

Mary models for us how to give our will to God for His purposes, although many times doing that seems confusing and bewildering take a few minutes to ponder Henry Osswan Tanner’s painting of the Annunciation, although Mary was puzzled by the Angel’s message, she gave her will to God.

 

Meister Eckhart provides us this insight, “Nothing makes us true men and women but the giving up of our will. The only perfect and true will comes from entering into God’s will and being without self-will. For the perfection of our will means being in harmony with the divine will by willing what God wills, and the way he wills it. … This is the true inner detachment: in it, the spirit stands immovable in the face of everything that befalls it, whether it is good or bad, honor or disgrace or calumny, just as a broad mountain stands immovable in the face of a little breeze.”  [A Quiet Heart, Meister Eckhart]

 

May God Be Praised

Blog Post - Homily Cycle C 10/02/2022

 

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100222.cfm

The mustard seed is one of the tiniest seed in the world.  If the seed, like any seed is not properly cared for, it will not grow; it could even wither and die.  So, it is with the gift of faith that we have been given, if we do not feed it with the Word of God[the Scriptures], nourish it with the Sacraments and water it with prayer it will not grow.

Our faith will not be filled with gratitude for the awesome gift it is.  Our response to the gift of Faith should be humility and recognition that we should become loving servants of God, the Creator.  “If today you hear His voice harden not your hearts.”

How can we hear God’s voice?  Reading or listening to the Scriptures [the Word of God], in the Sacraments, in prayer.  In today’s 1^st reading we heard a plea to God, “How long, O Lord?  I cry for help, but You do not listen!”  Has God answered our prayer, but not in the way we wanted?

Our reading from 2^nd Timothy tells us “…to stir into flame the gift of God ….”  How can we do that?  We sang in our Gospel Acclamation, “The Word of the Lord remains forever.”  The Word of God is Living, and it can fill us, guide us and lead us with we allow it to do that, not for God’s good but for our good.

Let me try to paint a picture with this story so we can figure out what God wants us to do.  “Here’s to the ‘unprofitable servants’ among us . . . She’s a mom. He’s a dad.  Their day starts at dawn, getting the kids up fed and off to school.  Then it’s off to their job’s.

Most afternoons one or both … get their son to his soccer practice or their daughter to her music lesson.  Dinner is a team effort — but whether it’s take-out or a casserole made the weekend before, the important thing is that they eat supper together as a family.  Then it’s clean-up, homework, baths and prayers in the early evening.  Before Mom and Dad turn in, a load of laundry, some office work, then a few quiet minutes to themselves as they crawl into bed

And the next day they do it all over again.  Because that’s what loving families do.

Discipleship cannot flourish without gratitude and humility.  The gratitude and humility of the servant in today’s Gospel. Realizing that the gift of faith requires justice, compassion and forgiveness.  Becoming open to the clarity of God’s love, and how blessed we are when we see ourselves as ‘servants’ at the table of God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

What should drive us to fulfill the many roles we play in our lives is not: titles, honors,  compensation, but the good we can accomplish during our lives.  The love, peace, justice, we can bring to our families, our neighborhoods, our country and our world.  If we mirror God to this world, we can transform our world, not all at once but little by little.

The ‘unprofitable servant’ … is one who possesses the humility and selflessness to be God’s co-worker in building God’s Kingdom.  {Adopted & modified from Connections, October 2022}

You and I are called to be “unprofitable servants” because we will build God’s Kingdom not our own.  For a few minutes, in silence, think about your call to be a servant, an “unprofitable” servant in this world, so you can give honor, glory and praise to the God who created you, who created the universe.

 

May God Be Praised!

 

Blog Post 10/01/2022 - October the Month of the Rosary

A wonderful way to start October, pray the Hail Mary.

Hail Mary, full of grace

The Lord is with you

Blessed are you among women

Blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus

 

Holy Mary, Mother of God

Pray for us sinners

Now, and at the hour of our death.  Amen.

 

The mysteries of the Rosary are below, if you don’t already pray the rosary try at least once a week during October to pray it [unlike eating ice cream when you are on a diet, more is better].

 

The Joyful Mysteries

    The Annunciation, Mary learns that she has been chosen to be the mother of Jesus.

    The Visitation, Mary visits Elizabeth, who tells her that she will always be remembered.

    The Nativity, Jesus is born in a stable in Bethlehem.

    The Presentation, Mary and Joseph take the infant Jesus to the Temple to present him to God.

    The Finding of Jesus in the Temple, Jesus is found in the Temple discussing his faith with the teachers.

 

The Mysteries of Light

    The Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan God proclaims that Jesus is his beloved Son.

    The Wedding Feast at Cana, Mary asked Jesus performs his first miracle.

    The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God, Jesus calls all to conversion and service to the Kingdom.

    The Transfiguration of Jesus, Jesus is revealed in glory to Peter, James, and John.

    The Institution of the Eucharist, Jesus offers his Body and Blood at the Last Supper.

 

The Sorrowful Mysteries

    The Agony in the Garden, Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before he dies.

    The Scourging at the Pillar, Jesus is lashed with whips.

    The Crowning With Thorns, Jesus is mocked and crowned with thorns.

    The Carrying of the Cross, Jesus carries the cross that will be used to crucify him.

    The Crucifixion, Jesus is nailed to the cross and dies.

 

The Glorious Mysteries

    The Resurrection, God the Father raises Jesus from the dead.

    The Ascension, Jesus returns to his Father in heaven.

    The Coming of the Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit comes to bring new life to the disciples.

    The Assumption of Mary, at the end of her life on earth, Mary is taken body and soul into heaven.

    The Coronation of Mary, Mary is crowned as Queen of Heaven and Earth.

 

 

 

 

May God Be Praised.