Exploring the depth of our prayers
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
John 14:27
Our world certainly doesn’t seem peaceful. The news is more and more stressful every day, trying to drive me nuts.
Time to check out of the daily disaster feed and return to my Rock, my Savior.
Continue reading “Peace”
As a child, I grew up with the idea that God acted through miracles in the world. If He wanted me to have a bike, then one would just magically show up one day.
Because God can do that.
Since then, I’ve learned that God’s gifts and presence come primarily through peoples’ actions. Our priest is an obvious choice, but most of God’s actions show up just through my daily random encounters.
But this presents me with a huge challenge!
Continue reading “The hands of God”
The metaphor of sheep and shepherd keeps cropping up in Jesus’ teachings.
When I first noticed this, it almost seemed offensive. After all, people keep telling me that sheep are rather stupid, and without a shepherd they’d quickly devolve into chaos.
OK, that’s maybe a little more accurate than I had hoped.
Continue reading “Our Shepherd”
“To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
Rev 5:13
be blessing and honor, glory and might,
forever and ever.”
This is about God, the universe, and all of humanity. Not only humanity, actually, but all of creation.
It’s all about the great gifts we’ve been given. So glory and honor and blessing are our appropriate response.
Continue reading “Blessing and honor, glory and might”
We just witnessed the greatest miracle of all time. God’s Son left us, then returned on the third day. Or at least that’s what they’re telling us.
Of course it doesn’t feel like a miracle right now. Only the benefit of time will show us the salvation of all humanity.
Jesus is here with us. His words? “Peace be with you.”
Continue reading “Peace”
We have been given a special gift by our Holy Father, Pope Francis.
On March 3rd 2018, he declared a new feast day, the Memorial of Mary, Mother of The Church. It will be celebrated on the Monday after Pentecost, which for the first time is May 21st 2018. This celebration was first granted by Pope Paul VI to a few countries at Vatican II, and has now been shared with the entire Body of Christ.
Perhaps we’ll see Pope Francis’ prayer added to the Rosary at some point? Continue reading “Mary, Mother of The Church”
Here we are, the traditional “birthday” of the Church. It’s interesting that we view this as attached an event of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit – not of one of the apostles.
Even Peter.
It’s about the complete mental flip they had to make. From follower to leader. From focusing on the Jesus they had lived with for three years, to a much, much bigger picture.
I am immortal.
Oh, sure, I’ll die from this life, but the important thing is that my immortal soul will live forever. In heaven with God, I hope, but forever either way.
That’s why my choices in this life are so incredibly important.
The decision I get to make in this life is deceptively simple: Continue reading “Ever shall be”
There’s no question that our Blessed Mother is holy.
Actually, I was a bit puzzled about this when I converted to Catholicism. I guess I’d assumed that the word “holy” was the same as “divine.” Godly. Not of this world, but of heaven.
What I’ve learned is that holiness is something that each of us – every person – is called to be. And can achieve.
This is Good Shepherd Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Easter. We don’t tend to think very deeply about the term Shepherd, treating it as just one of the many names we use for Christ.
But we are the sheep in this metaphor. And sheep aren’t, well, very honored. We view them as rather dumb.
Which is actually appropriate. When it comes to spiritual wisdom, we tend to rate rather poorly. Well, maybe it’s just me.