July 19, 2012

Lord Jesus, I find myself overwhelmed by the needs of my small children, but I know that you have provided me with all that I need to take care of them.  I know that you will give me rest when I most need it.  Be my strength today, be my joy, because I can not do this on my own.  Amen.

Reading 1 Is 26:7-9, 12, 16-19

The way of the just is smooth;
the path of the just you make level.
Yes, for your way and your judgments, O LORD,
we look to you;
Your name and your title
are the desire of our souls.
My soul yearns for you in the night,
yes, my spirit within me keeps vigil for you;
When your judgment dawns upon the earth,
the world's inhabitants learn justice.
O LORD, you mete out peace to us,
for it is you who have accomplished all we have done.

O LORD, oppressed by your punishment,
we cried out in anguish under your chastising.
As a woman about to give birth
writhes and cries out in her pains,
so were we in your presence, O LORD.
We conceived and writhed in pain,
giving birth to wind;
Salvation we have not achieved for the earth,
the inhabitants of the world cannot bring it forth.
But your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise;
awake and sing, you who lie in the dust.
For your dew is a dew of light,
and the land of shades gives birth.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 102:13-14ab and 15, 16-18, 19-21

R. (20b) From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
You, O LORD, abide forever,
and your name through all generations.
You will arise and have mercy on Zion,
for it is time to pity her.
For her stones are dear to your servants,
and her dust moves them to pity.
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
The nations shall revere your name, O LORD,
and all the kings of the earth your glory,
When the LORD has rebuilt Zion
and appeared in his glory;
When he has regarded the prayer of the destitute,
and not despised their prayer.
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
Let this be written for the generation to come,
and let his future creatures praise the LORD:
"The LORD looked down from his holy height,
from heaven he beheld the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoners,
to release those doomed to die."
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.

Gospel Mt 11:28-30

Jesus said:
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." 


It is all about daily conversion:)  This week has been one of those weeks...moms...you know what I mean...Anyway as I read the Gospel reading today I realized, again, that first I need to take up Jesus yoke, and learn from him, then I will find the rest that I long for.  If my first responsibility is to love God and learn from him...The fruits of the Holy Spirit will flow from me...and my work will become easy...I hope:)

 

A Tree with No Fruit?

Jesus, help me to be content with the work you have placed in my life to do.  Guide my mind, my heart, and my feet because I can not seem to do it on my own.  Help me to love more fully, help me to love despite my many faults, help others to see my faults not as a lack of love for you or an excuse to sin, but a testament to your Mercy and Your Love for me and for them. Help me to embrace every element of hardship in this calling to motherhood as a way of growing closer to you.  When I feel discouraged please lift me up, so my human frailty does not get in the way of your plans for my life. Amen.

Reading 1 1 Pt 4:7-13

Beloved:
The end of all things is at hand.
Therefore be serious and sober-minded
so that you will be able to pray.
Above all, let your love for one another be intense,
because love covers a multitude of sins.
Be hospitable to one another without complaining.
As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another
as good stewards of God's varied grace.
Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God;
whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies,
so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ,
to whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you,
as if something strange were happening to you.
But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ,
so that when his glory is revealed
you may also rejoice exultantly.

Gospel Mk 11:11-26

Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple area.
He looked around at everything and, since it was already late,
went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

The next day as they were leaving Bethany he was hungry.
Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf,
he went over to see if he could find anything on it.
When he reached it he found nothing but leaves;
it was not the time for figs.
And he said to it in reply, "May no one ever eat of your fruit again!"
And his disciples heard it.

They came to Jerusalem,
and on entering the temple area
he began to drive out those selling and buying there.
He overturned the tables of the money changers
and the seats of those who were selling doves.
He did not permit anyone to carry anything through the temple area.
Then he taught them saying, "Is it not written:

My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples?
But you have made it a den of thieves."

The chief priests and the scribes came to hear of it
and were seeking a way to put him to death,
yet they feared him
because the whole crowd was astonished at his teaching.
When evening came, they went out of the city.

Early in the morning, as they were walking along,
they saw the fig tree withered to its roots.
Peter remembered and said to him, "Rabbi, look!
The fig tree that you cursed has withered."
Jesus said to them in reply, "Have faith in God.
Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,
'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,'
and does not doubt in his heart
but believes that what he says will happen,
it shall be done for him.
Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer,
believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.
When you stand to pray,
forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance,
so that your heavenly Father may in turn
forgive you your transgressions.'

Sometimes, as a mom, I worry that I am not bearing fruit for the Kingdom of God because there are no visible, measurable, fruits of the work that I do.  Sure, I know there should be in the end...but in this fast world I feel like the fig tree in the Gospel.  I have leaves, the kids and I are all growing, but that's about all that can be seen.  The Gospel reading taken with the first reading, though, gives me hope.  If I continue to serve with the strength of God, despite my many faults, if I love those God has placed in my life with all the gifts God has given me for His Glory, His Good works will be completed through me.  I have nothing to fear.  I will not wither like the fig tree.  I just need to continue serving, praying for God's strength each and every day, and knowing that the fruit God wishes to see from me will come in time.  I also think it's interesting to think about this in terms of the righteous indignation Jesus had about those buying and selling in the temple area.  I am always worried that my work is not monetarily productive because, in our culture, that is the visible fruit of hard work. This scripture helps me think of my home as a temple, and my work as a prayer, when I begin to worry about money and proofs of my hard work it is almost an offense against my vocation. 

(I must add a disclaimer, this is for me, at this time in my life, my kids are 4, 2, and 1, and I am in a place in my spiritual life where God wants me to see this.  It may not be true for every mom, even with young children, but constant prayer and reflection are necessary for every situation.)   

Jesus, you will complete every good work that you have begun, help every Mom to see her work as a prayer. Amen

MAY 8, 2012 Hardships

Jesus, please help me when I shirk from serving you because I'm unwilling to bear the hardship I know it requires, I desire to be more like you, to be a real disciple, and yet I lack the courage within myself.  I can do nothing worthy of your Kingdom without you, be my courage.  Amen

Reading 1 Acts 14:19-28

In those days, some Jews from Antioch and Iconium
arrived and won over the crowds.
They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city,
supposing that he was dead.
But when the disciples gathered around him,
he got up and entered the city.
On the following day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.

After they had proclaimed the good news to that city
and made a considerable number of disciples,
they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch.
They strengthened the spirits of the disciples
and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying,
"It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships
to enter the Kingdom of God."
They appointed presbyters for them in each Church and,
with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord
in whom they had put their faith.
Then they traveled through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia.
After proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia.
From there they sailed to Antioch,
where they had been commended to the grace of God
for the work they had now accomplished.
And when they arrived, they called the Church together
and reported what God had done with them
and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
Then they spent no little time with the disciples.

Gospel Jn 14:27-31a

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me tell you,
'I am going away and I will come back to you.'
If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;
for the Father is greater than I.
And now I have told you this before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe.
I will no longer speak much with you,
for the ruler of the world is coming.
He has no power over me,
but the world must know that I love the Father
and that I do just as the Father has commanded me."

 I think as Christians we often gloss over the scriptures today.  We are under the delusion that if we follow God with everything we have, life will be easy and care free.  This just isn't true...look at the lives of most saints...Following Christ requires vulnerability to worldly danger and hardship, look at what Christ did for us to save us.  However at the same time He leaves us "Peace" ..."not as the world gives do I give it to you." 
Just last week we read that God will give us what we ask in His name.  If we are in constant prayer and our greatest desire is to be with God, and to gain souls for Him, we can be sure that any hardship we bear in His name will gain fruit for His Kingdom.  As Mothers, we have many opportunities to experience hardship in the challenges of bringing a child into this world and then to raise the child to love and serve God.   So far, my path has not been easy, and from what I gather, it isn't for most, but if we remain in Christs love by constant prayer, thanksgiving, and communion we will have the Peace to bear all these things For His Glory.

Father, I have learned so much about you by becoming a mother, the pain I experience when my children struggle is so great, it must only touch the surface of How you feel when your children stray from your love. Help all mothers who read this today to have your Peace. Amen

Monday May 7, 2012

Lord, open my heart to your word,  help me to embody them in the activity of my day today. Amen

Reading 1 Acts 14:5-18

There was an attempt in Iconium
by both the Gentiles and the Jews,
together with their leaders,
to attack and stone Paul and Barnabas.
They realized it,
and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe
and to the surrounding countryside,
where they continued to proclaim the Good News.

At Lystra there was a crippled man, lame from birth,
who had never walked.
He listened to Paul speaking, who looked intently at him,
saw that he had the faith to be healed,
and called out in a loud voice, "Stand up straight on your feet."
He jumped up and began to walk about.
When the crowds saw what Paul had done,
they cried out in Lycaonian,
"The gods have come down to us in human form."
They called Barnabas "Zeus" and Paul "Hermes,"
because he was the chief speaker.
And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city,
brought oxen and garlands to the gates,
for he together with the people intended to offer sacrifice.

The Apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their garments
when they heard this and rushed out into the crowd, shouting,
"Men, why are you doing this?
We are of the same nature as you, human beings.
We proclaim to you good news
that you should turn from these idols to the living God,
who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them.
In past generations he allowed all Gentiles to go their own ways;
yet, in bestowing his goodness,
he did not leave himself without witness,
for he gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons,
and filled you with nourishment and gladness for your hearts."
Even with these words, they scarcely restrained the crowds
from offering sacrifice to them.

Gospel Jn 14:21-26

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him."
Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him,
"Master, then what happened that you will reveal yourself to us
and not to the world?"
Jesus answered and said to him,
"Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
Whoever does not love me does not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me.

"I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit
whom the Father will send in my name--
he will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you."

I like the reflection here: :http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/

The first reading has made an especial impression on me this morning in light of the reflection of on the USCCB website.  As parents that proclaim that we are Christians, people have expectations of what we will be like.  It is risky business. If we live up to those standards we may fall into the trap of being put on a pedestal, which is not right, God only belongs on the pedestal, not us.  Also if we fall more people will be watching, using our failures to denounce God.  Our own children will do the same.  The truth is, being Christian, and a Christian Parent, is about recognizing our imperfections and our need for God.  Paul and Barnabas, when raised to the level of God's with the Gentiles actually,

"rushed out into the crowd, shouting,
"Men, why are you doing this?
We are of the same nature as you, human beings.
We proclaim to you good news
that you should turn from these idols to the living God, 
 who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them." 
 
My Parents, I think, did a great job with this.  They held themselves and their children to high christian standards, but were not afraid to show us how much they needed God because they were not perfect and neither were we.  When we came across obstacles in life we sat in prayer, together, asking Him for help.  Paul and Barnabas were quick to action when placed higher than the God they were proclaiming, rushing into the crowd and tearing their clothes.  Our children watch everything we do, it's almost like being famous...They want to make us their Hero, but also they are quick to recognize when we have fallen short...Let us be vigilant with our whole hearts, minds, souls, and bodies to follow God's commandments so that our children can follow suit, let us also kneel in prayer with our children that the Holy Spirit be with us each day and moment to remind us of Jesus word, let us always point to the Lord when we have success knowing that He is the author of all good things, and last of all let us embrace our children in our mutual humanity, understanding the pain of imperfection and the Glory of our perfect God who loves us anyway.


Jesus, help us in all these things. Amen

May 3, 2012 Thank You

Jesus, I want to thank you for keeping me and my children safe, as you know, last night we had a close call in the car...On the way home from my parents house a desk fell out of a large truck in front of us...there were cars to the left of us and the right...I couldn't move out of the way...I was so scared and started to pray asking you to deliver us...and you did...Kate was in the front seat as I began to pray out loud in Thanksgiving, she asked, "Mommy, did Jesus lift up our car so we didn't hit that big thing?"  I said, "Yes, yes He Did"...I was so scared...I don't know how we got out of that situation I can't even remember...but God through you all things are possible and my very own daughter knew in an instant that it was You that saved us...Thank you for another day with my precious family. Amen

Gospel Jn 14:6-14

Jesus said to Thomas, "I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you know me, then you will also know my Father.
From now on you do know him and have seen him."
Philip said to him,
"Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us."
Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you for so long a time
and you still do not know me, Philip?
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.
The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me,
or else, believe because of the works themselves.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,
and will do greater ones than these,
because I am going to the Father.
And whatever you ask in my name, I will do,
so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it." 


My Dad helped me to memorize Jn 14:6 when I was in junior high.  He taught our small group...we used to do what he called, "sword drills" because the word of God is our weapon against the world and all it's empty promises...this was one of the ones we did often for obvious reasons...The last words of the Gospel today were my mom's to teach...She often said when I was in high school and college, remember, " whatever you ask in (Jesus) name, (He) will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of (Him) in (His) name, (He) will do it."  I have noticed that this is true...and I have never been afraid to let people know, because the blessings that I have received are all from My God, my Lord, Jesus Christ.  My parents equipped me with these powerful tools of scripture, and I thank them.  Mom, Dad, Thank you.


Jesus, You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  Use my life to show this to my children, I want the best for them. Amen

May 2, 2012 saving light vs. condemning darkness

Jesus, help me to live out an authentic spirituality, remind me that my love for you, my family, and my neighbors is more important than any one law or teaching of the church.  I seek to follow your Way, fill me so that I may be a witness to your Love. Amen 

Gospel Jn 12:44-50

Jesus cried out and said,
"Whoever believes in me believes not only in me
but also in the one who sent me,
and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me.
I came into the world as light,
so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness.
And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them,
I do not condemn him,
for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world.
Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words
has something to judge him: the word that I spoke,
it will condemn him on the last day,
because I did not speak on my own,
but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak.
And I know that his commandment is eternal life.
So what I say, I say as the Father told me." 

The scripture today is so important!  Jesus came as a light to the world, not to condemn, but to save!  If we desire to be like Jesus, we are to do the same.  I noticed, when I became a Mom, that there is a lot of negativity out there in terms of how Moms raise their children.  There is so much judgement about how a parent disciplines, how a new mom chooses to feed her child, how you dress them, what toys they play with and even how you put your child to sleep...This, I think, comes from how much each parent loves their own child and tries to make the best possible decisions about every element of care.  When you have come to decisions about the best possible way to care for your child, it is hard to look at Moms doing it differently and say, that is good too.  Being a new Mom is such a hard thing to be...especially if you are at home, often there is little support or positive feedback, often Moms struggle with the loss of the life they once lived and the overwhelming needs of the new little one that depends so much on her.  As Moms that love God with our whole hearts, minds, souls, and bodies, it is important that we are loving to other Moms...even if we think we know what would be better for their child;)  The truth is, a loving, happy Mom is the best Mom of all.  Love first, then, if they ask for advice or help, just tell them what you do...don't say...you should, and even if they are telling you their struggles, that doesn't mean you should jump right in with suggestions...wait until they ask.

This is the same with Faith and religion...sometimes argument about Religion is important and good...working out what God really asks of us, and what is truth...but in order for these arguments to be fruitful in bringing anyone closer to the truth of Christ, love must come first.  In teaching young women and men about what the Church teaches on Chastity, they must first understand how they are loved and special first. One of the most wonderful things of married life is that our spouses can bring us closer to heaven by loving every element of our selves knowing our faults and loving us anyway, then nudging and sometimes even pushing us in the direction of God.  The bottom line in all our interactions we must show the light of love, not the darkness of condemnation, that is for the end of time, for those who reject God. 

Father in Heaven, thank you for giving us your son, to be our light in times of darkness.  I want to ask your special Grace for new Moms that each one find someone to show them the light of love and understanding.  I also pray for young people with the challenges they face in their fight for Chastity, that you give them the full knowledge of their worth.  I pray for husbands and wives to be ever mindful of their spouses spiritual well being. Amen

May 1, 2012

Jesus, I am humbled by what you were able to do with me yesterday in my own small world.  Thank you for the blessings you bestowed on me, though I did not deserve them.  I say Yes to you again today. Amen

Gospel Jn 10:22-30

The feast of the Dedication was taking place in Jerusalem.
It was winter.
And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon.
So the Jews gathered around him and said to him,
"How long are you going to keep us in suspense?
If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."
Jesus answered them, "I told you and you do not believe.
The works I do in my Father's name testify to me.
But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep.
My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father's hand.
The Father and I are one."

Check out this reflection from USCCB

Jesus, I know this is a small prayer request, but, we really need babysitting for our Mom's bible study group, please help us find someone who loves you, and has a special gift with children. Amen