Faith
Our Holy Families
Today is the Feast of the Holy Family. Right at the beginning of Mass, the priest defined “Holy” as something that is set apart for God. It doesn’t mean being a person who lives a perfect life. A Chalice is Holy as it’s only purpose is to hold the Blood of Christ during Mass. Therefore, […]
Peace is…
Today I read a simple statement that spoke to my heart. “Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of Christ.” So true and can be so hard to realize. It also reminded me of another short saying, “No Jesus, no peace. Know Jesus, know peace.” I Found God today in the reminder […]
Temporary Emotions
I often struggle in trying to keep my emotions in check. I can be very quick to react based on how I’m feeling. Then I usually regret it and have to apologize. Tonight I read a beautiful reflection from “The Word Among Us”, based on today’s gospel. It said in part, “Emotions are temporary, but […]
Meaningful Mail
Today I received two special pieces of mail. One was a magnetic bookmark that says, “Those who hope in the Lord will soar on wings like eagles.” from Isaiah 40:31. A friend just thought I would like it. The other was included in my aunt’s Christmas card. It was a story from her local newspaper. […]
Philosophy
For my bible class, I have bee reading “Three Philosophies of Life”, by Peter Kreeft. It takes you through three books of the bible and what they say about the meaning of life. Ecclesiastes begins by daring to ask the question, “What is life all for anyways?” According to the author, it’s all futile. Nothing […]
RAWtools
I turned the news on briefly tonight to see if they were showing the local annual Parade of Lights. While it was on, they highlighted an organization called RAWtools. They take donated and surrendered guns and make garden tools out of them. As I listened, I thought of the scripture in Isaiah 2:4, ““They will […]
There Is No Other
This morning I prayed with Isaiah 45:15-25. The words, “I am the Lord, there is no other,” reminded me that it was the theme for a retreat I took the high school youth to many years ago as a youth minister. I was immediately taken back to the place, the summer heat, the music, the […]
God’s Love is Different
Tonight, the Advent meditation I read asked the question, “How is God’s love different from human love?” My mom and I pondered this a little bit. We felt that most of all, God’s love is constant and consistent. People fall in and out of love all the time. It is rare indeed to find a […]
Waiting But Not
First Sunday of Advent already. I heard and read several different reflections on the day. I especially enjoyed watching a video by a priest that my family loves. What I came to understand is that Advent is a time of waiting for both the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and for the day […]
Blessings of Chaplains
I received a follow-up email from my dad’s dentist who was there the other day. It included the bio’s of the individual dentists. According to his information, the man who saw my dad has a Masters degree in Divinity and is seeking to become a Chaplain as well. That didn’t surprise me at all as […]