The two birds were sharing the street light. Well, kind of. Obviously, social distancing rules were in effect! One occupied the west side of the pole, while the other occupied the east side. Certainly, a fight would break out if one bird happened to encroach on the territorial space of the other bird.  

Don't you sometimes act the same way? You want to do something or go somewhere, and the other party wants to do something else or go some place different. Or you have your opinion about an issue, and the other party has an opposite opinion, telling you that your opinion is wrong.  

God is often in the middle of these "social distances." While the world tells you to "shop 'til you drop" on Sunday, you want to attend Mass, have a quiet breakfast, and rest because it is Sunday.  

While it is OK for two people to have differing opinions, why does it seem like the other person insists that they have the right to say what they want but that you are "wrong" to say what you want. Even though, and particularly so, if your thoughts, words, and feelings are more attuned to God's way.  

Stay firm. Be unashamed. With God standing in your corner, know that you have taken the better path. Even though a "social distance" may be separating you and the other party, the "social distance" between God and you is non-existent.  

Dear God, thank you for permitting no "social distance" to separate me from You. Amen.  

TAGS: Prayer, Reflection

"His confidence is but a gossamer thread, his trust is a spider’s house. He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand; he shall cling to it, but it shall not endure." - Job 8:14-15 

According to the dictionary, "gossamer" is something super fine and delicate -- like a spider web. The original gossamer, from which the definition comes from, is the fine, filmy substance spiders excrete to weave their webs. 

According to the verse from Job, one cannot lean upon this super fine and delicate house because it will not stand; it will not last. 

Have you built a gigantic "empire," be it a project, a story, a career, a passion, only to have it fall apart and collapse due to its own weight or your solitary weight? 

Lean on the Rock. Build on the Rock. Trust in the Rock. 

It is more durable, substantial and lasting. 

TAGS: Inspiration

Do you know the story of the lilum longiflorum – the Easter lily? This majestic white flower, with its trumpet-like shape and sweet scent, is as much a symbol of Easter as any other. But why, and how? 
 
The Easter lily has a fascinating history. Native to Taiwan and the Ryukyu islands off the coast of Japan, it quickly became a prized European decorative plant in the 1700s, as Portuguese and Spanish sailors arrived in the area. But the true rise of the Easter lily in the West began when a World War I soldier, Louis Houghton, started cultivating them. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, growing lilies became an industry on its own. 
 
The symbolism of the flower in Christianity is multifaceted. On the one hand, the Easter lily blooms purely white – a color heavily associated with purity and holiness. The flower’s trumpet shape is said to symbolize a herald announcing Christ’s resurrection. But the very way a lily grows is symbolic: From a dormant bulb buried in the earth, a beautiful and vibrantly alive flower emerges, mirroring the story of Jesus rising from the tomb. 
 
A pious legend claims that after Jesus’ death and resurrection, lilies were found growing in the Garden of Gethsemane. The same legend has it that these flowers sprang up where drops of Jesus’ bloodied sweat fell as he prayed. 
 
But the Easter lily isn’t just about symbolism. For many, its fragrance is linked to a sense of celebration and spiritual awakening, as Easter finally arrives. 
 
The Easter lily holds both beauty and profound meaning. Its presence reminds us that even from the darkest times, new life will always bloom. 

Adapted from: https://tinyurl.com/Easter-Lily  

TAGS: Story

From night to night, 
In cold and fright, 
Stood I near charcoal fire, 

And, warming there, 
Did curse and swear, 
And show myself a liar. 

“Are you not he 
From Galilee, 
The friend of Him all meek?” 

The cock did crow. 
“I do not know 
The Man of Whom you speak.” 

But then He turned, 
And in me burned 
A flame, lit from His gaze, 

At which I wept 
For oaths unkept 
And all my lukewarm days. 

When He was tried 
Him I denied 
And failed to pass the test, 

Though promised I 
With Him to die, 
Should fail Him all the rest. 

Filled with regrets 
And empty nets, 
I turned to former hire. 

But when dawn came, 
He spoke my name, 
While burned the charcoal fire. 

Now at the shore, 
He asks once more 
If I will be His friend 

And, on the sands, 
With pierced hands, 
Gives me His sheep to tend. 

--by Fr. Timothy J. Draper 

TAGS: Reflection

Reflect on Holy Thursday: 
It is at that Last Supper that our Lord gazes through Peter to each one of us and offers to cleanse us of all sin. Reflect, this night, upon those sacred words of our Lord and hear them spoken to you: “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.” Say “Yes” to this offer of perfect humility and mercy from our Lord and let the saving Sacrifice of the Son of God enter more deeply into your life than ever before. 
 
Reflect on Good Friday: 
One of the most significant events of Holy Week is the crucifixion of Jesus on Good Friday. This event serves as a reminder of the suffering that Jesus endured for our salvation. When Jesus hung on the cross, He prayed for His persecutors, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34) Use Holy Week as a time to make peace where there is strife, seek to love others like Jesus loves you, and also reflect on the forgiveness He offers to you. 
 
Reflect on Holy Saturday: 
We don’t often stop to consider the significance of that silent Saturday. Saturday is that middle day when God occupied a grave in a garden outside of Jerusalem. Saturday is a day to reflect on the in-between moments of our own lives. It’s a day to sit, to wait, to hope, even when we’re unsure of what tomorrow will bring. We can look back and know now that Easter comes on Sunday, but Jesus’ followers didn’t know that back then. When you feel hopeless, lost, confused, or grieving, you can remember that Jesus’ followers know exactly how that feels. Saturday is about the hard and uncertain days that God still calls holy. 

TAGS: Reflection

This world will often leave you wishing you had just 5 more minutes. Let the following powerful words remind you to wake up each day realizing it is a gift and to make the most of it. 

Every minute someone leaves this world behind. 
Age has nothing to do with it. 
We are all in “the line” without knowing it. 
We never know how many people are before us. 
We can not move to the back of the line. 
We can not step out of the line. 
We can not avoid the line. 
 
So while we wait in line: 
 
Make moments count. 
Make priorities. 
Make the time. 
Make your gifts known. 
Make a nobody feel like a somebody. 
Make your voice heard. 
Make the small things big. 
Make someone smile. 
Make the change. 
Make love. 
Make up. 
Make peace. 
Make sure to tell your people they are loved. 
Make sure to have no regrets. 
Make sure you are ready. 

Are you? 

--"Every Minute Someone Leaves This World" by Marianne Baum with art by Logan Zillmer 

TAGS: Reflection

“For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” – Genesis 3:19 
 
On Ash Wednesday, we may hear these words while ashes are crossed onto our forehead. A young person may be confused by this phrase. “Of course we aren’t ACTUALLY dust," he may think. "When I get cut, I bleed blood, not dust! I am made out of flesh and bone!” 
 
Do you think this way? Do you see Lent as any other period of 40 days: normal? You may think there is nothing extraordinary about Lent except that it is the time leading up to Easter. Sure, you give up chocolate and don’t eat meat on Fridays, but that is it. But really think about what exactly the implications of these words are. 
 
“Then the Lord God formed man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.” – Genesis 2:7 
 
Dust is natural. It exists as the substance of inception of all mankind. By the will of the Father, through the working of the Holy Spirit, we were given life out of the dust. We often think of dust as the substance that flies through the air or sits on our dresser, not the substance from which we come. Yet God, in his Infinite Love, gave it meaning by transforming dust into our very beings, into humanity. 
 
Dust calls us to conversion. It reminds us of our beginning and our end—of our smallness, but also of the greatness of our God. We are invited to see ourselves as dust again, to detach ourselves from the things of this world and empty ourselves so that we might be filled instead with God’s ‘breath of life.’ By contemplating our beginning and end, we are better able to focus on the eternal life offered by Christ and the resurrection to which we are called. 

SOURCE: Excerpted from https://www.catholicapostolatecenter.org/blog/remember-you-are-dust 

TAGS: Reflection

"Sarah then said, 'God has given me cause to laugh, and all who hear of it will laugh with me.'" - Genesis 21:6 

We were kneeling before the tabernacle. Both silent, alone in our thoughts, yet present with the Lord. 

The array of flowers surrounding the Lord's house was astonishingly beautiful, lending to the serenity of the moment. 

After a while, she leaned over to me and commented about how the flowers were so nice. She even mentioned that she is normally allergic to flowers but was astonished that these did not bother her. 

I was silent for a bit, then slowly turned to her and said in a somber tone, "they're plastic." After a brief pause, she burst out laughing, and I, of course, joined her because of the levity of the moment and the expression on her face! 

How often do you get pulled into a situation that turns out to not be what it appeared to be? With "fake news" being such a catchphrase these days, how often have you chased something or shared something that turned out to not be true? How did you handle the situation? 

Turn to God. He caused you to laugh, and loves to laugh with you! Amen. 

TAGS: Inspiration, Story

When you get what you want in your struggle for self 
And the world makes you king for a day 
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself 
And see what that man has to say. 

For it isn't your father, or mother, or wife 
Whose judgment upon you must pass 
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life 
Is the one staring back from the glass. 

Some people may think you a straight-shooting chum 
And call you a wonderful guy 
But the guy in the glass says you're only a bum 
If you can't look him straight in the eye. 

He's the fellow to please -- never mind all the rest 
For he's with you, clear to the end 
And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test 
If the man in the glass is your friend. 

You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years 
And get pats on the back as you pass 
But your final reward will be heartaches and tears 
If you've cheated the man in the glass. 

--The Man in the Glass, author unknown 

TAGS: Reflection