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Lit Candles

Posted by eph21920 on April 5, 2026 in Connected, Faith, Prayer, Youth

Last night I went to the Easter Vigil – my favorite Mass of the year. The celebration started outside in the dark by the fire. The new annual Easter Candle was lit by the fire. Then, as we went back into the church, a few people lit their individual candles from the large

Easter Candle and shared their flames with others. From there, those candles lit other candles until all of us were back in our seats with lit candles. Gradually, more lights were turned on and the church glowing church got lighter. I love the symbolism of going from the dark into the light as Jesus was in the dark tomb, then full of Resurrected light. Later in the celebration, one of the young people from the Newman Center got Baptized, Confirmed, and received his first Holy Communion. It was so moving to me to see him be so serious, reverent, and emotional. There were about 10 others who received their Sacraments as well. After they were Baptized, they received their Baptismal Candle, lit from the Easter Candle. They held their candles while they were Confirmed. After everyone was Confirmed, they went out into the congregation as we got out our candles again. Everyone got their candles lit from one of the newly Baptized, or symbolically as people again shared the flames. This time, the action showed how we are supposed to go out into the world and share our faith. From there, it spreads. I love the rich symbolism and each action celebrated in the Mass.

I Found God today in rich symbolism in the Mass.

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The True Cross

Posted by eph21920 on April 3, 2026 in Faith, Family, Friends, Grateful, Humility, Jesus, Prayer

It is tradition to generate a crucifix at the Good Friday celebration. Tonight at church, they had 1 large cross for the congregation to touch, kiss, or respect in some way as we remembered that Jesus Christ died on that cross for us. It took a long time. As I was praying before and after my turn, I thought about what it would have been like to be at the foot of the real cross in real time when Jesus was crucified. I pictured him hanging high above me and not knowing if I would even be able to look up into his face. I would be sad, guilty, humbled, and not wanting to see his suffering. I remembered a show that I watched about the church that held relics of the “True Cross” that actually held the body of Jesus. I thought about how amazing it would be to be in the presence of such a thing. Then, at the end of the celebration, the priest brought out a relic of the True Cross. I was amazed. As I stood in line to venerate it, I saw people touching rosaries and scapulars to it. I took off my necklace of many religious medals and got the rosary out of my purse. When I knelt at the foot of the True Cross, and looked at the encased relic, it was so tiny I could barely see it. I thought that must be how big my cross is compared to what Jesus had to bear. I touched my things to the relic and prayed for everyone in my life – everyone. I was grateful for the beautiful, holy experience. As a bonus, when I walked out of church and looked up at the sky, there was Orion. I felt my dad giving me a little nod.

I Found God today in a holy night.

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Faithful Young People

Posted by eph21920 on April 2, 2026 in Faith, Grace, Lent, Life

Tonight I went to the Holy Thursday Mass that was concelebrated by a friend of mine and several young people from the Newman Center attended. At the washing of the feet, the campus minister and 3 of the young people went up front, barefoot, to have their feet washed by the priest. One of the young men has been going through preparation and will be baptized and receive the Sacraments on Saturday. It was a beautiful celebration tonight and will be quite an event on Saturday, I’m sure. My heart swelled as I saw the faithful young people worshipping and kneeling on the hard floor before the Blessed Sacrament after Mass. I pray that their path will be fruitful and God will be gracious to them.

I Found God today in faithful young people.

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Real People

Posted by eph21920 on April 1, 2026 in Answer, Connected, Faith, Life

I was talking with a couple of friends today who were sharing their experiences in Rome. That is on my list of places I would like to visit. One young woman talked about how the Bible became real to her upon seeing St. Peter’s church and other churches that housed the remains of disciples and saints that have gone before us. She realized that the Bible isn’t a fairy tale. It’s about real people who were alive and roamed this earth. They shared faith and worshipped God and gave their lives believing in the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I loved listening to her enthusiasm and her story.

I Found God today in a woman’s encounter in Rome.

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Gracious People

Posted by eph21920 on March 31, 2026 in Answer, Grace, Grateful, Humility, Problem

Yesterday I learned that there was a mistake made at work. I’m not even sure if I did it, but it was likely I had. I thought about it all night long and lost sleep over trying to figure out in my mind what might have happened. I prayed about it and tried to just put it in God’s hands. After all, there was nothing I could do at that point. I went into work this morning with a more positive attitude, knowing that God had the situation under His control. When I arrived, I spent the first half an hour trying to resolve the problem with no luck. I had to give in. When my boss came in, I told him how I tried to correct the situation, but just couldn’t and apologized. I had to call the client and apologize as well and then do my best to fix what I could. I was grateful that the client was understanding and so was my boss. The situation that kept me from getting a good night’s sleep was done and over in minutes. And I lived to tell about it. I am definitely my own worst critic. And all the worst case scenarios I thought of did not occur. Not only that, the client and my boss were very gracious. I was very grateful.

I Found God today in gracious people.

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Prayer To Begin

Posted by eph21920 on March 30, 2026 in Begin, Faith, Lent, Prayer

I saw a beautiful prayer today:

Lord, as Holy Week begins, slow my heart down. Help me not to rush past this story I’ve heard so many times. Let me feel it – the humility, the sacrifice, the depth of your love. Walk with me through each day, through the joy and the sorrow, through the waiting and the cross. And prepare my heart for the hope that’s coming.     Amen.

I Found God today in a beautiful prayer to begin Holy Week.

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Beginning Holy Week Again

Posted by eph21920 on March 29, 2026 in Begin, Death, Faith, Grateful, Jesus, Past, Tradition

Each Palm Sunday offers something new. I’m sure part of it is due to the fact that I’m in a different place of life each year spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. Today at the beginning of Mass, we all went outside where the deacon read the Gospel, then gave the homily. Even though there were so many people huddled around a pretty small area, the mood was peaceful and holy. The children and infants were quiet as well. After the reflection, we started processing into the church. Everyone was funneled into 1 open door and stopped to pick up their palm branch along the way. The mood for the rest of the long Mass continued to be peaceful and holy. Year after year on Palm Sunday, we begin holy week with the scripture reading of Jesus entering Jerusalem as a hero and end with His crucifixion and death. As part of the reflection, the deacon talked about his visit to the concentration camp in Auschwitz. He learned that as part of training young people in Germany, they are brought to the camp and told of what happened there. It was important for the young people to understand the atrocities in hopes that they don’t forget and repeat the same horror. So do we repeat the same Mass readings and Holy Week structure every year, to remind us of what Jesus went through for us, what He endured to defeat death for us and offer us eternal life. I know I am grateful for and need reminders of how much Jesus loves me.

I Found God today beginning Holy Week again.

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Beauty of Songs

Posted by eph21920 on March 28, 2026 in Connected, Faith, Music, Prayer

I have loved the voice and songs of Lauren Daigle since I heard her best selling song, “Look Up”. Her music is different, a little bit of soul, gospel, and praise, but very much her own style. Plus she has a quirky sense of clothing that I just love as well. Today I saw an interview with her on my favorite Hallow app. She spoke of her faith in a matter of fact way as her relationship with God is just a natural part of who she is. Yet, I thought that a lot of what she said was very deep. She is truly trying to give all of who she is to the glory of God. Here is a quote that struck me:

“That’s the beauty of songs – you can put language in the mouth of someone who’s been longing to connect the words to the feeling, the experience to the prayer. For me, the highest honor is to be able to give people language to pray to God.”

I Found God today in a young woman dedicated to helping others connect with God through her music.

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Empty Me, Fill Me, Use Me

Posted by eph21920 on March 27, 2026 in Faith, Lent, Life, Prayer

During Lent, the Hallow app has been focusing on the simple prayer, “Empty me, Fill me, Use me.” The first 4 weeks, the challenge was to empty ourselves from the things that keep us from allowing God fully into our hearts and lives. Last week we were encouraged to then ask God to fill us with all that He wants for us. This week, the goal is to live each day as an instrument in God’s hands. Everything that God has filled us with, we are now to share with others. More specifically is God’s love. God IS love. So, if we are filled with Him, we are filled with love. And just as Jesus commissioned His disciples before he ascended to Heaven, it is our turn to go out into the world and make disciples. How do we do that? Simply by loving those we are in contact with. I pray that I am able to live up to the challenge. Sounds easy – just love. However, we know it isn’t. I think I need to remember the prayer every day, ” Empty me. Fill me. Use me “

I Found God today in a valuable prayer and concept.

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Feeding Time

Posted by eph21920 on March 26, 2026 in Creation, Friends, Fun, Grateful

Yesterday after work, a friend and I went to the zoo. It’s school break, so there were many families with children there too. But we saw many animals up and about. Since it was later, near feeding time, there was a lot of activity. My friend mentioned how amazing God is, creating all the different kinds of animals. And we only saw less than a fraction of the different species that live on this earth. It really is mind boggling if you think about it. And they each have their own language and ways that they work together to survive. The meerkats always have one of them standing guard to alert everyone else of any danger. It was so cute watching him stand on the highest point and looking all around. The two old elephants were very vocal when they were next to each other as they touched each other with their trunks and gently rubbed their foreheads together. The male lion came out of his den and looked in the giant kong hanging from a big rock. He pushed it around, but it was empty. When it swung back and hit him, he snarled at it. Seemingly frustrated and/or calling for food, he started roaring. As the hippos were being fed, the big male ate first while the baby and mama waited in the water. The orangutans seemed to enjoy sitting down together to have their meal. It was really a great afternoon at the zoo and we were grateful to see and appreciate the different animals that we were able to see.

I Found God today in some of his amazing creations.

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