Tag Archives: Catholic

The Smallest Seed 6-18-18

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Smallest seed

The reign of God is like a mustard seed,  which, when sown upon the ground,

is the smallest of all the seeds on earth;yet when it is sown it grows up

and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches,

so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade. —Mark 4.30-32

You are a tiny speck of God’s infinite love.

When you let yourself be sown into this world,

given to low places,

what seems tiny unfolds,

miraculously multiplied

because it is God,

and becomes great,

a cedar of Lebanon, a mighty oak of love,

a safe refuge for the weary,

a source of life and comfort for the meek,

a welcome home for God’s little ones.

We only see the seed,

but the unfolding awaits.

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Eye For An Eye 6-18-18

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Matthew 5:38-42

Eye for Eye

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[a] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Friends, today’s Gospel gives Jesus’ teaching about non-resistance to evil people. We are continually wanting God to behave as we would, that is to say, withdrawing his love from those who don’t deserve it and giving his love to those who do deserve it. But this is just not the way God operates.

Why should you pray for someone who is persecuting you? Why shouldn’t you be allowed at least to answer him in kind—an eye for an eye? Because God doesn’t operate that way, and you are being drawn into the divine life. Why should you turn the other cheek to someone who has struck you? Because it’s practical? No, because that’s the way God operates, and you’re being called into the divine life. Why should you go beyond simply loving those who love you? Because that’s the way God operates: he loves the saints and he loves the worst of sinners.

Is any of this easy to do? Of course not. Are we able to get to this state through willing it, through earnest practice? Of course not! That’s why love is referred to as a theological virtue. It is the sheerest participation in the divine life, and it can only come from God. – Daily Gospel Reflection by Bishop Barron

Embrace Surrender 6-11-18

Posted on by under Emotional Growth

We must learn to walk the path of surrender, and seek ways to keep us inspired. Once we embrace surrender as a way to be in our lives–open, receptive, trusting, and grateful, then we can seek inspiration.

Here are five simple ways to stay inspired to continue living into surrendering:

1 Find prayers, poems, or books to encourage you.

2 Be in nature—look at the sky, breath in the fresh air, notice a flower or a tree.

3 Share your soul with a trusted friend or companion.

4 Throughout the day, pause, take a few deeper breaths, and become more conscious of the presence and power of love within and around you

5 Remember what St. Benedict writes in his Rule: Always we begin again.

Colette Lafia

(Let us keep the Summit with North Korea in our prayer)

The Secret To Happiness 6-1-18

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We do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ… 

         It is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” 

         who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge 

         of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

         But we have this treasure in clay jars, 

         so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power

         belongs to God and does not come from us. 

         We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed….

                  —2 Corinthians 4.5-8

Here is the secret to happiness:

you are not the jar.

You are the light.

The jar cracks and breaks.

The light spills out.

Nothing can hurt the light.

Breath prayer:   Godly ∙ ray

Memorial Day 5-28-18

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We may not be able to change the world, but we can always view the world differently. Marv

Memorial Day

Note that the original purpose of this special day was reconciliation. At the end of the Civil War, it was a time for coming together to honor those who had made the ultimate sacrifice. We’d like to see the dual purposes of this day — remembrance and reconciliation — resurrected.

“Loving God, we pray to you for people of every race, religion, language and nation. Help us always to respect and love each other for You have made us all. Let those who have given their lives for the sake of justice, peace and freedom be rewarded by your generous love. May their families and friends, and we who honor them today, remember them with love, now and always. Amen” Rev. Ron Gagne

A Prayer For Deployed Soldiers 5-28-18

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A Prayer for Deployed Soldiers

Heavenly Father,

inspire those who are overseas for the cause of peace.
Send your Son, Jesus Christ, as the Prince of Peace.
Bless the men and women of our military
who respond to the needs of peacekeeping.
Keep them safe from harm.
Let them be models of discipline and courage,
and bring them home safely to their loved ones.
We ask this in your name.
Amen.

—from God and Country: Reflections for Catholics in the Military

Cups Of Water 5-21-18

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Cups of water

We who live by compassion

are so small in this world.

It seems sometimes as if

we face a forest fire

of fear and violence

with little paper cups of love.

They appear like magic tricks

in trembling hands,

not much, just little cups,

but we offer them,

the great baptismal, birthing flow

in little cups, mere drops

of God

that flood the world,

that never run out.

SGH

The purpose of life is to serve and to show compassion and the will to help others. Only then have we become true human beings.— Albert Schweitzer

All Powerful God 4-10-18

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All-powerful God,

You are present in the whole Universe

and in the smallest of your creatures.

You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.

Pour out upon us the power of your love,

that we may protect life and beauty.

Fill us with peace, that we may live as brothers and sisters,

harming no one. O God of the poor,

help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten

of this Earth, so precious in your eyes.

Bring healing to our lives,

that we may protect the world and not prey on it,

that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.

Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain

at the expense of the poor and the Earth.

Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,

to be filled with awe and contemplation,

to recognize that we are profoundly united with every

creature as we journey towards your infinite light.

We thank you for being with us each day.

Encourage us, we pray,

in our struggle for justice, love and peace.

Pope Francis

Mosaic of Life 5-7-18

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A mosaic consists of thousands of little stones. Some are blue, some are green, some are yellow, some are gold. When we bring our faces close to the mosaic, we can admire the beauty of each stone. But as we step back from it, we can see that all these little stones reveal to us a beautiful picture, telling a story none of these stones can tell by itself.

That is what our life in community is about. Each of us is like a little stone, but together we reveal the face of God to the world. Nobody can say: “I make God visible.” But others who see us together can say: “They make God visible.” Community is where humility and glory touch. – Nouwen

Good Friday 3-30-18

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“They will look upon him whom they have pierced…”

To gaze upon the crucified Jesus, or the dead Jesus in the picture detail of the Pieta by Michelangelo, is to look upon him as if you were gazing in a mirror. Something is catalyzed out of that self-emptying which is pure divine substance mirrored in our own true face. — Bourgeault