 The following is a short Christmas poem written by Servant of God, Father Solanus Casey, O.F.M. Cap., reflecting on making one's heart a crib for the Eucharistic Lord.
With love and with Christmas blessings to all Comes the Infant once more to free us from sorrow Whose love and Whose power and Whose gentleness call To each heart and each soul for a manger tomorrow. Whose love and Whose power and Whose wonders proclaim Him the Son of the Virgin as promised of yore. O, may He estrange us from sin with its shame! And reign in our hearts as His crib evermore! --"Always Christmas Eve - Holy Communion Daily", c. 1930 (Only in Eternity will it be known what each communion received or missed will have meant to our souls.) TAGS: Reflection  As you "prepare the way of the Lord, and make straight His paths" on your pilgrimage to Bethlehem this Advent, consider returning to a deeply spiritual approach by taking on some of these external and spiritual practices.
EXTERNAL PRACTICES:
SPIRITUAL PRACTICES:
TAGS: Reflection  "And now, bless the God of all, who has done wonders on earth." - Sirach 50:22
Good and gracious God, we give You thanks today, as we do all days, first and foremost for the gift of creation and the gift of life. We ask You to bless this food, that it may nourish us and sustain us, and strengthen our ability to do Your will. We pray in thanksgiving for all the hands involved in bringing it to our table. You tell us, Lord, that to whom much is given, much is expected. May this meal and the fellowship we enjoy not only serve as clear reminders of Your love of us, but of Your call for us to share Your love and to serve our brothers and sisters, especially those most in need. We ask this as we ask all things, through Christ, our Lord. Amen. TAGS: Prayer  The car pictured above is a Corvette Stingray 427 from the mid-1960's. Did you ever wonder why they called it a stingray? Well, "the name was used to give people a sense of the fierceness from the predatory stingray in the ocean." *
And what is a stingray that is found in the ocean? It is a type of cartilaginous fish. So what does cartilaginous mean? To put this into perspective, human skeletons are made of bone, whereas cartilaginous skeletons are made of cartilage, which is gristly, rubbery and tough. Fierceness. Gristly. Rubbery. Tough. That is what the folks in the marketing department hoped to convey in the naming of this car. Let's look at this with a spiritual eye. Do you want to be known as fierce, gristly and tough? Or would you rather be known for your compassion, warmth and love? The choice is yours. Be a stingray, or be a human. Father of All Creation, You have blessed me with my life and my being. May my presence always be representative of You. Amen. * http://blog.applechevy.com/2020/07/07/where-did-the-stingray-name-come-from/ TAGS: Inspiration, Prayer  "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars ... And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." - Luke 21:25, 27
Throughout this summer, the aurora borealis (or more commonly known as the "Northern Lights") have been visible on numerous occasions in the Cleveland night sky. Scientifically speaking, this natural light display is caused by charged particles from the sun hitting gases in the Earth's atmosphere. The solar wind carrying the particles interacts with the Earth's magnetic field which results in a stunning show of glowing, swirling curtains of lights that range in color from green to pink and scarlet. Non-scientifically speaking, consider it a "big sneeze by the Sun." Astronomical science ... or is it? The Bible tells us that there will be signs in the sky, with power and great glory. Truly, the Northern Lights are phenomenally beautiful, as the photo above from a neighbor recounts. The astronomical explanation may be technically correct, but the biblical explanation is worth contemplating as well. Father of all that is, let us look on Your wonders, from the big sneezes to the small hiccups, with awe and amazement, not processing the meaning, but meditating on Your message. Amen. TAGS: Prayer, Story  "Let no one deceive himself. If any one among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool so as to become wise." - 1 Corinthians 3:18
You've done it. We've all done it. You say or do something that just doesn't let your best side show. You regret it because you embarrassed yourself, you acted foolhardy, or you simply didn't allow the light of Christ to shine through you. Unfortunately, you cannot change the past. What you said is what you said; what you did was what you did. Maybe, then, it seemed like the right thing to say or do. You were so dead set and headstrong at the time. But, now, you sure wish you could take it all back. Instead of being a "bunny butt," when you find your self in a heated situation, stop, take a deep breath, and think about it. Maybe even walk away from it for a bit. Ask yourself these questions: Am I letting my emotions control my action? Will I be sorry for my action? Will I offend someone by my action? Am I being Christ-like with my action? O God, help me to control my words and actions so that I may think first about what Jesus would do in a similar situation, instead of responding of my own accord. Amen. TAGS: Inspiration, Prayer  "All the days of the earth, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." - Genesis 8:22
Well, did you celebrate the recent three day holiday? You didn't miss it, did you? You know which holiday. The one that occurs four times every year and lasts for three days. We'll call it the "seasonal holiday." Four times a year, there's the last full day of the expiring season (Day 1), the arrival of the new season (Day 2), and the first full day of the new season (Day 3). With the most recent holiday, we celebrated the last full day of Summer, the arrival of Autumn, and the first full day of Autumn. It was awesome, wasn't it? From beach balls to colored leaves ... all in the blink of an eye. Similarly, we go from leaf rakes to snowmen, snow shovels to glistening buds, and tulips to lawn mowers. There is an enduring nature to God’s creation. Despite the changes in seasons, there is a divine order and stability that governs the natural world. God is the ultimate creator and orchestrator of the changing seasons. Like birds, who recognize the changing seasons and adapt accordingly, so should we remain attuned to God’s timing and purposes, even amidst the changes of life. Hope you took some time during this recent three day holiday to relax and soak in the beauty of God’s handiwork in the world around you. Awesome God, may I always find comfort and reassurance in the constancy of Your presence, even amidst the changing seasons of life. Amen. TAGS: Prayer, Reflection  A friend went to a talk at a Catholic church. The priest-speaker was rather loud, boisterous and animated throughout his talk which definitely kept the audience captivated, but it was exhausting to listen to him.
At the end of the talk, the priest-speaker mentioned that he had a Franciscan habit that belonged to St. Padre Pio. The participants were invited to come forth and venerate the habit and touch the plastic bag which housed it. The priest-speaker also blessed each participant with the habit as they left the area. As my friend walked away, he noticed a distinct smell of roses. He asked the people around him if they smelled it, and they did not. He says that he has never had such an experience. As he left the church following the talk and venerating St. Pio's habit, he noticed an eerie silence. No car noises, no birds, no talk: no sounds at all surrounded him. All he could do was keep walking, alone with his own thoughts. But was he really alone? Was the presence of a mystic with him? As the smell of roses lingered, and the serene peace of the outdoors enveloped him, there was no doubt. St. Padre Pio, pray for us. TAGS: Story  "No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light." - Luke 8:16
Three objects set in a row. All perfectly matched, intricately styled, and embellished with raised curves and shapes. Looking at the shiny gold luster evokes a sense of ornateness, wealth and richness. The classic and timeless Gothic design is meant to add beauty and elegance to the prayer experience. Indeed they do. The bases of these brass stands enhance the symbolism of the crucifix and the light of the candles which they behold. We could set the crucifix on a box and light candles in plastic cups. The simplicity of this act would convey a message of its own. But choosing to display the crucifix in all its finery glorifies the Lord in all His magnificence. The light of Christ shines visibly and brighter when lifted up close to Heaven. Glory Be to the Father. Amen! TAGS: Prayer, Reflection  Is God’s existence no more reasonable than leprechauns?
“It is easy to prove leprechauns exist when you don’t have to find and present them – I have one sitting beside me now – anyone care to prove that I don’t?” – an atheist’s view of life. It is impossible to absolutely prove that you exist. Yet you casually assume that you do. You can’t absolutely prove that Australia or Manitoba or Andorra exist, at least without having witnessed them yourself. You take their existence as facts because others have testified to it. This is precisely the same sort of data that the Bible provides us with in the case of Jesus. People saw Him, witnessed His miracles, and met Him after He came back from the dead. Atheists think they can defeat such evidence by simply dismissing the very possibility of miraculous occurrences. God, on the other hand, has given us plenty of ways to overcome the atheists. We can second-guess God all we like and try to figure Him out, or we can start following His advice and have a much more happy, joyful life. We have to exercise faith and trust. We’ll never figure everything out about God, anymore than we can figure everything out about His creation. There are many very bright, sharp people, including thousands of brilliant scientists and philosophers, who believe in God. Yet, science still doesn’t have the foggiest idea of how the universe began, how life began, how DNA began, etc. They study and seek, but they still don’t know. We can seek and try to learn all we can, of course, but it shouldn’t be a stumbling block or cause a lack of faith and joy, let alone unbelief. So, who is lurking in your trees: a leprechaun or God? EXCERPTED FROM: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/davearmstrong/2015/08/god-no-more-reasonable-than-leprechauns.html TAGS: Inspiration |
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