Now that the tree is out on the curb, and you settle in for a long winter’s nap, savor these words called “The Work of Christmas” by African-American theologian Howard Thurman. 

When the song of the angels is stilled, 
when the star in the sky is gone, 
when the kings and princes are home, 
when the shepherds are back with their flocks, 
the work of Christmas begins: 
to find the lost, 
to heal the broken, 
to feed the hungry, 
to release the prisoner, 
to rebuild the nations, 
to bring peace among the people, 
to make music in the heart. 

Find the lost, and if you are the lost, may you know you have already been found by Love itself. 

Heal the broken, and if you feel broken, know that you are whole, as is, even with all your cracks. That’s how the Light gets in. 

Feed the hungry, and if you are hungry, may you find that spiritual food that fills one forever. 

Release the prisoner, and if you are imprisoned, may you be freed from the bondage of self. 

Rebuild the nations, and if you love this nation, give it your best self by voting, by serving on a jury, by speaking truth to power. 

Bring peace among the people, the kind of peace that comes from within that nothing outside can diminish. 

Make music in the heart and in the heart of this awe-filled, awesome world, sing your song, the one you alone came here to sing. 

SOURCE: "Breathe in your new life" by Regina Brett, 12/25/2022 

TAGS: Reflection

As 2022 comes to a close, we make New Year's resolutions in an attempt to want to improve our lives. While there's nothing wrong with self-improvement, the most important area of our lives that can always use improvement is our spiritual life. Instead of New Year's resolutions we often make and fail to complete, what about making 2023 the year we revitalize our prayer life? 
 
LORD, HUMBLE ME 
One of the biggest sins we can easily fall into without recognizing it is the sin of pride. We read our Bibles, bow our heads in prayer and attend church regularly. But if we're not careful, our spiritual growth based solely on our behaviors can lead to comparison and, eventually, pride. Let's live our lives like Jesus with a posture of humility. Let's seek to give grace-filled responses to those who oppose us politically, personally, or spiritually. 
 
LORD, GIVE ME PEACE 
As we round the corner of a global pandemic, mental health issues are on the rise. Anxiety is one of the most common mental health disorders plaguing people today. And Christians are not immune. Just as our bodies break down in this broken world, our brains sometimes break down too. There is no shame in getting professional help or using medication if needed. 
 
LORD, GRANT ME GRACE 
As we struggle to surrender our pride and become humbler, it is easier to treat others with kindness than to treat ourselves. Sometimes the hardest person for us to forgive is ourselves. The more grace we grant ourselves, the more grace we grant to others. Let's ask God to give us an extra measure of grace as we process through past pain, forgive ourselves, and move forward into becoming the examples of Christ God desires for his people. 
 
LORD, HEAL OUR LAND 
As the world continues to be an uncertain place, and large corporations make it more difficult to speak about the gospel freely without fear of persecution, the world is more divided now than ever. To regain our voice within society, we must be a people who are willing to reach across the aisle and unite with people who are diametrically opposed to our viewpoints. The Lord desires unity for his people, not division. Let 2023 be the year we achieve unity in America and around the world. 
 
LORD, HELP ME TO SEE 
Although we may see the circumstances around us, do we really see people the way Jesus would want us to see them? May God grant us new ways to see the world around us. 
 
LORD, MAKE ME MORE LIKE YOU 
The best way we can be examples of Christ is to demonstrate the fruit of the spirit in our lives. Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot claim to know God. Therefore, our actions should be evident in the holy spirit's presence in our lives. Pray and ask God for ways to cultivate these fruits every day in your life. 
 
LORD, SEND ME 
We sing the hymn "I Surrender All" in church, then go home and try desperately to cling to all the things of the world that are most important to us: our health, and finances, to name a few. Are we serious about dedicating our lives to God's will? Let's assume a posture of being willing to go, minister to others, and do anything the Lord chooses to do with our lives. 
 
Instead of settling for the same old stale resolutions, let's resolve to have the best prayer lives. Let's give over every area of our lives to Him and make 2023 the year we need revival not only in our hearts but in the world. Let's be a nation hungry for more of the Lord instead of hungry to exalt ourselves. 

SOURCE: https://www.crosswalk.com/special-coverage/happy-new-year/prayers-for-2023.html 

TAGS: Prayer

On this Feast Day of St. John of the Cross (December 14), let us reflect on one of his writings, “Advent Poem.” Each of us is called to be pregnant with Love, with Light, with Mercy that we give birth to in our neighborhood: “each of us is the midwife of God.” 
 
If you want, the Virgin will come walking down the road 
pregnant with the Holy and say, 
“I need shelter for the night. 
Please take me inside your heart, my time is so close.” 
Then, under the roof of your soul, 
you will witness the sublime intimacy, 
the divine, the Christ, taking birth forever, 
as she grasps your hand for help, 
for each of us is the midwife of God, each of us. 
Yes, there, under the dome of your being, 
does creation come into existence eternally, 
through your womb, dear pilgrim, 
the sacred womb of your soul, 
as God grasps our arms for help: 
for each of us is His beloved servant never far. 
If you want, the virgin will come walking down the street, 
pregnant with Light, and sing! 

TAGS: Reflection

Week 1: 
Lord Jesus, we wait in joyful hope for you. Come into our hearts so that when the time comes, we will be prepared to join you in everlasting joy.  Amen. 
 
Week 2: 
Father in heaven, during this second week of Advent, help us see clearly the times when we have sinned. Accept our sorrow for having pulled away from you, and give us firm resolve to stay close to you.  Amen. 
 
Week 3: 
Help us, Lord, not to dampen the joy of others. Remind us this week to rejoice always and to pray without ceasing.  Amen. 
 
Week 4: 
Holy Spirit, inspire us to live every day as if Christmas were just a week away.  Amen. 

SOURCE: https://thecatholicspirit.com 

TAG: Prayer

"What? No parking here? Oh, I didn't think that pertained to me." 

Excuses. We all use them to wiggle out of situations, or defend something we know we should or should not have done. 

But excuses aren't truth, and only truth is from God. 

Defend your actions with truth, not with excuses, as "the truth will set you free" (John 8:32). Excuses will only defile you. 

Spirit of Truth, guide me at those times when I want to put myself above the truth. Let the truth prevail. Amen. 

TAGS: Prayer, Reflection

Merciful Father, 

On this All Souls' Day, and during the entire month of November, we are called to remember those who have died, 
Particularly those who have died in the past year, 
And pray for their joyful reunion with you, their loving creator. 
As your son taught us to call the stranger 
neighbor, our fallen are many-- 

Names we will never know, 
Voices we have never heard, 
In lands we may never visit, 
Yet brothers and sisters all. 
And so we pray. 

For victims of war, caught in the crossfires of 
conflicts we could not quell, 
for soldiers and civilians, 
adults and children, we pray … 
Grant eternal rest, O Lord. 

For those migrants who have died seeking a 
haven where they hoped to find safety 
and opportunity for themselves and for their families, we pray … 
Grant eternal rest, O Lord. 

For victims of hunger, denied their share in the 
bounty you have placed before us, we pray … 
Grant eternal rest, O Lord. 

For victims of AIDS, Malaria, Ebola, COVID and other infectious diseases, 
who died before adequate care could reach them, we pray … 
Grant eternal rest, O Lord. 

For those refugees seeking asylum from war, 
who died in a land that was not their home, we pray … 
Grant eternal rest, O Lord. 

For victims of emergencies and calamities everywhere, 
who died amid chaos and confusion, we pray … 
Grant eternal rest, O Lord. 

Lord, as you command, we reach out to the fallen. 
We call on you on behalf of those we could not reach this year. 
You raised your son from the dead 
that all may share in his joyful resurrection. 

In Jesus' name, we pray.  Amen. 

SOURCE: https://www.crs.org/resource-center/all-souls-day-prayer 

TAGS: Prayer

"Do not abandon me in time of trouble, in the midst of storms and dangers." - Sirach 51:10 

They say the pandemic is easing and the COVID threat is decreasing. They say that the inflationary pressure on the economy is reducing. They say that Ukraine is regaining ground in the conflict with Russia. They say that the number of mass shootings is improved over the past years. They say the US southern border is secure. They say that a rising number of Americans believe that the US is on the right track. 

You feel great with all of this good news. Or at least you should. After all, that's what "they say." 

But how should, or do, you feel? Do you feel like crying out, "God, where are you?" Do you feel like God has abandoned us? Do you feel like God doesn't care? 

When the priest was asked about how to stop the mass shootings in the US and throughout the world, his reply was, "It's a simple but difficult question ... God help us." 

Let us turn over all of our simple questions to a God who never abandons us in time of trouble, or in the midst of storms and dangers. 

And let us pray: God, help us. Amen. 

TAGS: Inspiration, Prayer

They stop in the Adoration Chapel where Jesus is waiting for them in the Blessed Sacrament. They are joyous; they are sad. They bow; they kneel. They smile; they cry. They come from all walks of life; dressed in all sorts of attire. They are all ages, all genders, all sizes. They stay for a few minutes or for a few hours. 

Some are too ashamed to even enter into His presence, and choose instead to kneel in the hall before the open door. 

Each of them has a need: to talk,  to share, to dump, to heal. Each of them has a want: counseling, advice, direction, forgiveness. 

The young woman comes in seeking blessings for her school day. The young man comes in seeking companionship as he heads off to college. The adult woman comes in seeking relief for her grieving of the turmoil in her native country. The adult male comes in seeking forgiveness for his errant ways. The priest comes in seeking guidance in his ministry. 

It is a mixed population with varied histories, but all one faith. 

Each of them is looking and searching and finding ... Jesus, their friend. 

TAGS: Reflection

The address on the mailbox was "923", the Feast Day of St. Padre Pio. 

The mailbox must always be full with letters, notes and cards. People sending their thanksgivings, prayers and supplications to St. Pio. 

He reads them all, you know, because he had the gift of looking into souls and scrutinizing consciences. As he explained it, "Through Jesus, I see and hear all -- I see your soul just as you see yourself in a mirror." 

Write to him; speak to him. He will intercede for you. While your letter may never be delivered, your concern will be "read" nonetheless. 

St. Padre Pio, pray for us. 

TAGS: Reflection

Fear looks down, 
Worry looks around, 
Faith looks to Him. 

Where do you find yourself? With so much happening in our lives, our country, and our world of late, it's hard to keep a solid perspective. 

Am I fearful and feeling down because there is so much out of my control? 

Do I worry when around me is so much chaos and uncertainty? 

Or do I have faith in God that everything is in His power and trust that He will make all things new? 

God can fill us with joy. Joy comes when we take our eyes off our circumstances and remind ourselves of God’s eternal goodness. Jesus said we were to look at the beauty of birds and flowers and see how they are looked after… they do not worry! (Matthew 6:25-34) 

When we have fear and worry, we focus upon the problem, but when we look to God in faith, He can lift us above our circumstances and give us hope and an inner joy, even in the bleakest of times. 

Fear looks down, 
Worry looks around, 
Faith looks to Him. 

Find yourself in Him. 

TAGS: Inspiration 

 Photo by todd kent on Unsplash