We all have needs, very few yet very important needs. If asked for a list, our minds fade back to those things which sustain life at first, food, water, shelter and such. But in our list have we reserved a place for God? Unlike mythology of the gods of Olympus, our God does not survive by our worship, but rather we survive because of his Love. We are all wonderfully made and beautiful creations in the eyes of our creator. No matter our physical appearance to others, we have been created with the same potential for perfection in the wisdom and love of our Father in heaven. Our beauty lies in our ability to further his message and kingdom here on earth. So how is it that our God doesn't make the top of our list of needs? My greatest stumbling block is that of true humility. I pray each day that I be granted the wisdom and strength to see beyond my desire for validation and seek to truly serve others whom God has placed in my life. I am reminded daily that God gives me what I need but not always what I want. Hopefully, as this journey continues, those things that I truly need will replace those things which I desire that I may be a true servant of my fellow travelers and so a better son to my heavenly Father.

Peace on earth

With the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season steadily winding down, may we take a little time to look back on those hurried days of shopping and preparations for those family gatherings to seek out and identify those moments of peace or quiet that we may have let slip by without giving them their due attention. The moments, or rather opportunities, to encounter the grace and peace of God when we most need it yet fail to avail ourselves of and instead,we almost instinctively retreat into the comfort of our busyness. And as we realize these moments, and mourn the loss of them, we pray for the wisdom to recognize them again and the courage to let go of our familiarity and embrace those moments as the gifts that they are. Let us cease the hurry and rush to find the true peace which our Father sets before his children. And in doing so may we become the instrument of peace to all our brothers and sisters that our God would use to reach them and bring them closer into himself.

The Will of God?

What is the "will" of God? It seems that we use our understanding of it to help us accept certain events that happen in our lives when we just can't come up with any other reason doesn't it? From the death of a loved one to tragedies around the world, as we seek to make sense of it all, we lay the cause at God's doorstep just hoping He'll explain it to us. Sadly we find that the answer isn't quite as forthcoming as we would hope and we chalk it up to yet another quandary we save for the day we stand before Him. Maybe it would be helpful for us to consider that just because God "can" do anything, that doesn't mean that he causes everything to happen. We would be foolish to think that our free will has no effect in our lives or the lives of others, or that through our actions or inactions we do not influence the choices and decisions that other people make for good or evil. So if our own free will can affect the lives others shouldn't the same apply to our lives and the effect the choices of others have upon us?
The Desire of God is our salvation. The Desire of God is our eternal happiness. Because of His Love for us, The Will of God can happen when we are willing to set our free will aside and ,in all trust and love, seek the wisdom of God's design for the salvation of all and allow His Will to place us completely in His service. When we are willing to do that, we see the beauty of His influence in the lives of others by way of us as His instrument.

Preparation

What demonstrates love more effectively than forgiveness? True forgiveness is when all memory of the offense is forgotten and the relationship begins anew with no ties to that injury of the past. Sounds almost too good to be true doesn't it? Yet that very same forgiveness is available to us every day by just walking into church and embracing the sacrament of Reconcilliation. Jesus demonstrated his knowledge of us when he gave us this gift of healing, as it addresses each of our needs as we seek to be reconciled to God. We approach humbly, we hear our own voices speak our sins, we hear the guidance of the priest and finally we hear the words of absolution. Praise God for this opportunity to heal and strengthen our wounded hearts. May we, as we prepare for the birth of our beloved Savior, avail ourselves of this sacrament of spiritual healing and rebirth. May we welcome Him with pure hearts and soaring spirits freed from the weight of our sins and joyfully proclaim his arrival as God incarnate.

The New Translation

As we have begun the season of Advent we begin the use of the new translation of the Roman Missal. Not a change in the Liturgy but rather a greater understanding through a more accurate translation. It may seem a little strange at first but everything new usually seems that way doesn't it? This Sunday at Mass take time to familiarize yourself with the new text. The changes, though not many for those of us in the pew, are profound in nature as they are intended to reveal a deeper meaning of our participation in the Holy Mass. With familiarity we can sometimes lose the intimacy of what we are saying to our creator as we gather to play our part in this Sacrifice. May we take this occasion of change as an opportunity to grow in our faith through greater participation in the Liturgy this weekend.
May God bless you and bring you peace.