Belonging to a Holy Family

Today we celebrate the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, grandparents of Jesus!  Under the cross, Jesus gave us His mother. Her parents, therefore, are our grandparents and her Son, Jesus, is our brother!  What a holy family to which we belong!

In what ways am I, are you,  growing in our relationships with this, our family?  Grandparents are very special. They "spoil" us--Joachim and Anne would "spoil" us in a good way, bestowing graces that lead us into the life of the Spirit, into a deeper relationship with their grandchild Jesus and their daughter Mary!  Have I, have you, ever thought of praying to Saints Joachim and Anne for the graces we need to deepen/ grow/nurture our faith? Have we ever prayed for eyes that see the Presence of their grandchild in our lives? Have we ever prayed for ears to hear Jesus' voice more clearly as Jesus directs us to do the good we are called to do?  Have we ever prayed to Saints Joachim and Anne for the grace to develop a heart that loves Jesus and grows in understanding Jesus' teachings and ways of relating?

In today's Gospel, Mt 13: 10-17, Jesus rebukes those who do not see, do not hear, do not understand His ways of teaching in parables and blesses those who do: "...[B]lessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen,  I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."  Faith is a gift that, like any physical gift, needs to be exercised or otherwise it atrophies. What am I, what are you, doing to build the faith we have been given as members of the holy family?

Blessed, Broken and Healed

In today's first reading, Ruth1: 20-2:1=3, 8-11, 13-17,  Naomi and and  Ruth arrive in Bethlehem.  The women of Bethlehem ask: "Is this really Naomi?"  To which she immediately replies: "Don't call me Naomi but Marah because God has made my life bitter.  When  left here, I had plenty but the Lord has brought me back without a thing. Why call me Naomi when God has condemned me and sent me trouble?"

We are told that when Ruth and Naomi arrived in Bethlehem, it was harvest time. The barley crop was ready!  Riches await Naomi, but, in her brokenness, she sees only that which is bitter.  She is unable to imagine a plentiful life again.  Yet, God is her care-giver, as He is ours.  All of us will experience troubles in our lives. All of us will experience brokenness. It will seem as though God has condemned us; that the troubles of life have been sent to us by God Himself. At times, like Naomi, we will identify ourselves as bitter men and women, even so slightly or for long periods of time.

That which is broken, however, is capable of being put back together. Deserts can become fertile again. Assumed condemnations turn into blessings.  We know that in faith! And as Ruth did when they returned to Bethlehem,  encouraged by Naomi--going out in the fields and reaping the harvest, not sitting back feeling sorry for herself--we, too, can take action, however small.  In taking initiative as prompted by the Spirit, we are readying ourselves for a plentiful harvest.

Like Naomi, whom Ruth would never abandon and whom Ruth trusted as well, we, too, need persons we can trust and who encourage us to take action. That trust in another human being leads us to trusting God.  Who is that person in your life?

Happy New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happiness is about living a God-centered life,

About giving oneself in sacrificial love for the well-being of others and oneself, about

Pleasing God above all else and

Pleasing others and oneself by making choices that enhance life around us,

Yielding one’s will to the will of God discerned in prayer and respectful dialogue with others. 

Now is the time to recommit oneself to the Lord, our God,

Ever rejoicing and seeking that which is good and beautiful and life-giving

Wherever and whenever God calls us and we say

Yes to the call to make a difference in other people’s lives

Ever more and more aware of our responsibilities each day to be the mouth, the hands, and the feet of Christ in this world,

Acting on God’s behalf to reveal God’s love, compassion and forgiveness by

Reaching deeply into the fountain of grace available to us: the sacraments, the liturgical celebrations,  the Scriptures,

 personal prayer each day, and the love we give and receive from others each day.

Blessed are the poor in spirit

In today’s Gospel,  Mt. 5: 1-12, Jesus ascends the mountain, sits down and begins to teach his disciples:

               Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven….

 I stopped with that first Beatitude and asked myself: “What does that truly mean?”  The inspiration that came forth was the following:

Blessed are those who recognize God as God,

who believe in and rely upon a Power greater than themselves,
who do not lord themselves over others,
who are respectful of the Spirit at work in themselves and others,
who are humble of heart,
who are merciful and compassionate toward weakness in themselves and others,
who are interdependent upon God and others,
who repent of their sinfulness,
who are forgiving of themselves and others,
who seek justice and truth and rely on God to open their eyes to injustice and deceitfulness and inflame their hearts and wills to address wrongs.

And the Lord says:  “Blessed are you,   insert your name,  when you assume these attitudes and do these things through the grace and peace of God your Father and your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

As I reflected upon that rethinking of what it means to be poor in spirit, I needed to admit that when I do those things and assume those attitudes, I do taste a little bit of heaven here on earth! And when the opposite is true of me, I create a little bit of hell on earth! I then make life miserable for myself and others.  Lord, have mercy on me when I do those things and assume those attitudes; set me right in your eyes.