And well.. while my life is a bit upside down right now in many good ways, I have little to offer you in terms of reflection. So, what I did do was look back and see what thoughts I had shared in the last few weeks in my Church bulletin. I won't be writing them for much longer - more on that possibly later (but no promises...)
Bulletin Reflection based on Sunday April 28th's reading:
We hear Jesus giving his Apostles the new commandment: “Love one another, this is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Do people know we are Christians? Do people know that we have given our lives to Christ based upon how we act? Teen, parents, kids, grandparents, does the cross around our neck change how we speak, act, or think?
Sometimes we fail. You fail, I fail. We sin, we forget, we take the easy way as opposed to the right way.
But in the moments we fail we have to look to the gospel once again. Jesus calls us to love, because He loves. We are able to love Him because He loves us. When we fail, let’s all run back to His love and forgiveness.
And another reflection from Mother's day Sunday - May 12th
The other day a teen asked me “What do I say to my friends who think Catholics worship Mary?” It is a good question, and one that many Catholics are asked.
What we do as Catholic is venerate and ask that Mary pray for us. And the most popular Marian prayer the Hail Mary, is mostly scripture.
“Hail May full of Grace the Lord is with you” These are the words that Gabriel said to Mary when she was pregnant with Jesus. (Lk 1:28)
“Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus.” This is what Elizabeth exclaimed when Mary visited her. (Lk 1:42)
Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Calling Mary the Mother of God was first done by Elizabeth in Lk 1:43 and the last phrase of the prayer simply is asking for her to pray for us.
Mary was important because she said yes and trusted God. When we pray the Hail Mary we praise her example, and ask her to pray for us that we may also be an example. Talk to your mom today.
One last one from Pentecost Sunday May 19th 2013
With 12 men, One Spirit and the message of Love the world was changed, the church began.
In the psalm we sing “Lord send forth your spirit, and renew the face of the Earth.” But what does that mean? How does the Spirit renew the face of the earth?
The world is full of faces—just look around! Each of us have a face, and we can use our face to look on others with kindness, to speak words of truth, and to listen to those in need.
If we each as individuals allow the Spirit to renew our hearts, the Spirit will shine through our faces!
Today, right now at Mass, let’s pray for the Spirit to be renewed in us. We can all walk out of the Church with a face that shows love with each look.
Imagine, each of us walking away showing Christ to everyone. With the Spirit’s help, we can renew the face of the Earth.
So those are my thoughts... at least a few of them. I'll hopefully be able to do more blogging as I move forward. We'll see if it pans out... if anyone even reads this.
in any event - have a beautiful day.
