Mom, Do You Know Everything About God?

“Mom, do you know everything about God?”

Today my eight year old and I sang in the church choir, while my husband sat with our five year old on the other side of church during mass.  When we came home it was time to paint and carve pumpkins, fold laundry, clean dishes, get our workouts in, run errands and get dinner on the table.  Finally, the boys were freshly bathed, in pajamas and their teeth were brushed.  I had just finished reading a bedtime story on the oversized bean bag chair in their room.  My eight year old takes a running jump onto the back of the bean bag.  He rests his chin on my shoulder and says, “Mom, do you know everything about God?”  Before that moment I had no clue what I was going to include in the blog that I promised to write.  All I knew was that I had to get it done Sunday night, or it would NEVER get written. 

Being a Mom raising a family in today’s church, that was what I would write about.  Do I have all the answers…  Of course not!  All I know is that I do the best that I can.  I grew up Catholic, with a Jewish family on my mom’s side and a Catholic family on my father’s side.  My mom or dad would drop me off at Sunday School every week; and when I was old enough, I walked from down the hill after Sunday School every Sunday to sit in church with my grandmother, Nanny.  Nanny was the only member of the family that attended 10:15 Mass every week.  Afterwards, we often went to breakfast then she took me home.  Once I received my Confirmation, I was a teacher’s helper at Sunday School until I graduated.  St. Peter’s in Liberty, NY was my home church and Father Ed was the only Priest I knew.

I went off to college in 1999.  I quickly found Music Ministry at the College Masses and the Newman Club which was the Catholic club for college students.  The church at college got me through a lot of the struggles that college students have.  However, once I left college, I had a hard time finding a Catholic Church that was a good fit for our family.   I often would travel back to Liberty to take Nanny who was now in her late 80’s to church on Sunday.  I decided to have our local church in Monroe, New York baptize both of our children.  When I went to the church to register my second child to be Baptized, Sister Rose commented on how she has never seen me at a Mass before.  Of course, my heart began to race.  Oh no, I have sinned!  I have been neglecting to go to church.  I had a newborn and a very active 3 year old that can’t sit still more than 5 seconds.  I felt SHAME.  Our oldest began to take CCD classes that were an hour and a half long EVERY SINGLE week.  He fought me tooth and nail every single Saturday morning because he did not want to go.  I would attempt to take my children to church but it was always more than a handful. 

My husband moved to Duxbury about a year ahead of the rest of us.  When we would come up to see him once a month, we started to attend Mass at Holy Family.  I loved the music at the Children’s Mass.  There were children everywhere and no one seemed to mind when my younger child was louder than I would have liked him to be.  I had found my “home.”  I had found Him again!

I’m not going to try to hide it.  If you have been to the 9AM Mass on Sundays, you have most likely either heard my 5 year old screaming at the top of his lungs, just to hear his voice echo in the Church or seen the little blond kid tackling his brother when the priest calls the kids up to listen to the Homily!  Yup!  Those are mine!  Needless to say, I have my hands full.  When we go out to dinner or lunch, my children are absolute ANGELS.  Parent teacher conferences?  Again ANGELS.  Home? Church?  You would expect to see little horns appearing out of their heads.

Being a Mom does not come with a manual.  I thought I had this parent thing covered when I decided to have kids.  I can control a music class of 26 children and hold a choir rehearsal for 85 all by myself. Class management was my thing.  So it came to a HUGE surprise to me when my own children wouldn’t listen to me.  My judgmental family would make comments such as “You need to get those boys under control” or “Your children need you to be firmer.”  Those comments hurt, but I ignored them the best I can.  

There was one extremely challenging Mass for both my children about a year ago.  I left the Mass in tears because I was so embarrassed by the way my children were acting.  I was new to the church then, I knew very few people in the town, let alone the church.  I remember Father Tom stopping me as I was leaving.  I sobbingly apologized for the display of HORRENDOUS behavior from my sons.  He looked at me and said that “There is no need to apologize.  This is the Children’s Mass.  We are very tolerant of young children in the Church.  You are welcome at any Mass.  God Bless you and your family.”  All of a sudden, my tears turned to tears of relief and thankfulness towards my new church.

I am blessed; Blessed with two beautiful yet active young boys.  Today a woman came up to me after Mass to tell me how adorable my younger son was today.  My response was “Adorable? Yes.  But very active.”  She then told me that she knows a young child that has special needs and that cannot be active.  I once again was reminded how blessed I was amidst the struggles.  

Getting back to my son’s question…  Do I know everything about God?  Of course, I don’t.  But I want to learn more.  That is why I go to church.  I am not perfect.  I make many mistakes being a mom, being a person.  But I ask forgiveness and I pray to be better.  Wasn’t that what the homily was about this week?  The two men who came in to pray.  One man took his position in the pew and prayed because he did everything the right way, giving God thanks, while the Tax Collector went to the back of the church to ask for forgiveness from God because he knowingly cheated people.  Of course, I do not cheat people, but as a Mom, with so many things to get done I feel that my children get cheated at times, that they may not get the best of me.  I pray for more balance in my life, so I can be a better mom.  But God knows that I am doing the best that I can. 

I don’t know everything about God, but God knows everything about me!

Reflection by: Megahn Hughes

We all need God's Mercy!

In this week’s Gospel (Luke 18:9-14), Jesus addresses his parable to all who consider themselves righteous and superior to those they consider morally deficient compared to themselves.  Having recently completed Faith Formation’s series on the Parables, I appreciate that while the parables teach a universal truth, how this truth is perceived can be seen from various perspectives, e.g. from the perspective of a first century Jew and from a modern day Catholic.  Additionally, upon further reflection, Parables often offer a deeper meaning.  

In the Parable, in order to demonstrate how self-righteousness and feelings of superiority are contrary to God’s wishes, Jesus uses an extreme comparison.  The Pharisee who is self-righteous and considers himself superior to the tax collector would probably be also considered by virtue of his position in the religious hierarchy superior by the general Jewish population.  The tax collector, on the other hand, would have been reviled and probably considered morally inferior by Jesus’ audience.  The Pharisee thanks Jesus for making him superior and lists his positive attributes which may exceed the minimum strictures. In fact he may be speaking to himself when comparing his life to the tax collector. He does not request mercy nor asks God for anything.  This indicates that he feels in control and does not need God. It also shows that he has no understanding of the reality of humility.

In contrast, the tax collector recognizes that he is a sinner and places himself at the mercy of God.  Jesus teaches that this prayer is acceptable to God.  Unlike the Pharisee, the tax collector understands that he is dependent on God’s mercy.  While the Pharisee’s conduct was laudable (fasting, paying tithes, etc.) he appears to think that he is not in need of God’s forgiveness.  God knows his deeds. The Pharisee does not need to list them for Him. He exalts himself with words while the tax collector humbles himself and understands the reality that we need God.  The fact that Jesus states that the acceptable prayer was the one the tax collector prayed demonstrates that, among other things, God’s judgement is not based on appearances or actions. God knows what is in a person’s heart.  

Although in today’s world tax collectors are not quite as reviled as in the first century and there aren’t many Pharisees around, I believe that we still need to guard against comparing ourselves to others either favorably or unfavorably and avoid any feelings of pride when we perform good works, which we are mandated to do anyway.  At times such comparisons or feelings may be subtle and may manifest themselves in anger. For me I know I am particularly vulnerable when listening to politicians, celebrities, or athletes espousing views that are contrary to Catholic teachings.  I need God’s help to keep in mind that only He knows what is in their heart and what really causes them to believe what they proclaim.  This is especially trying when they claim to be Catholic. Consequently, I am always in need of God’s mercy.      

Reflection by Robert Galibois

The Widow and the Judge

This fall, I have been a participant in Seekers II, an adult faith formation group at Holy Family.  The group met several times to discuss Catholic Social Teaching (CST) and the parables that support and explain CST.  With the guidance of our leaders, Linda Crowley and Jeanne Creagan, the participants and I quickly realized the parables are not as straight forward as they seem.  The first glance parables appear to mean one thing but on further careful inspection and research mean something else entirely. Itis only with some persistence the meaning of the parable will be revealed.

The parable in this weekend's gospel "The Widow and the Judge" (Luke 18:1-8) tells the story of a widow who repeatedly appeals to a judge for help.  Every time the widow comes to the judge with the same plea he refuses to do anything to help the widow. Eventually, after an unnamed number of pleas; the judge relents to the widow's plea.   Sadly, the judge did not answer the widow's pleas out of compassion, a sense of righteousness, or even for a fear of God. The judge finally answered the persistent widow because she was a nuisance to him.

Thankfully, the Gospel reading does not end there.  Jesus turns to the listeners and begins to compare God to the judge; God as loving and the judge as indifferent.  If we are as persistent as the widow in our own daily prayer life won't God, who loves us so completely, answer our prayers with a loving heart?  Jesus ends the telling of the parable by saying "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:8).

   If you want a scholarly interpretation of the parable it is easy to find one by doing an internet search.  For me, I did not search for the meaning of the parable but immediately thought about my own prayer life. The things and people I have prayed for, and how the prayers were answered. There have been times when I had a robust prayer life and others when my prayer life was less than what God deserves.  Typically, my prayers center around the health and happiness of my family, friends, fellow parishioners, that all people will know God's love and have strength to live with the circumstances of their life.  

There have been a few times in my life when I prayed in moments of enormous need.  Twice, separated by decades, I prayed for God to save the life of two different family members’.  The first time, my prayer was "not answered" and my loved one died. The second time my prayer was "answered" and my loved one lived.  I have had prayers for my personal health "answered" every day. And I have had prayers go "unanswered" for many years. In the end, all our prayers are answered.  Perhaps not the way we wanted or can comprehend. Regardless of the outcome, I continue to persistently pray because I have faith that God listens to me and knows what is best.  Although, I or my loved may suffer despite prayers I must continue to be persistent. And when all else fails, I hold on tight to the hope that all things will be revealed to me when I am reunited with God and my loved ones in heaven.

My prayer today is that you and I will be persistent in our prayer life and our continued faith in God.

Reflection by Aimee Casale

I need more time to think.

My day is often filled with news, email, social conversation, home and office administration, etc. Our society has evolved to a point where we need to fill every waking moment. It often feels uncomfortable “not to be fully engaged – all the time.”  Now later in life, I have acquired a good bit of knowledge that often sits unused. God gave us free will and intellect. I fear I’m not using these gifts.

Recently when I observed “TV news sound bite” about the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, a parish Priest was Blessing pets which is a longstanding tradition. St. Francis is allegedly to have preached to even the birds and of course he is the patron Saint of animals. Pets often bring great comfort to people who are lonely. Pets are known to provide unconditional dedication.  But there was so much more to St. Francis. He renounced his wealth and possessions, to serve lepers and the poor.  St. Francis believed in a life of sacrifice, poverty, and humility.

As with many young people, especially those coming from a wealthy family, Francis in his youth was given to follow the vanities of life.  Tradition holds that he loved wine, food, and feasts, and lived a life of indulgence. 

After a period of self-examination, Francis began to spend long hours in intense prayer, religious exercises, and in the contemplation of God.  I’m taken with the concept of self-examination.  But unlike St. Francis, I often forget to develop a strategy to change my behavior.

In his autobiography, through self-examination, Benjamin Franklin decided that they were thirteen virtues he deemed important and developed a complex daily process to “habitualize” changes in his behavior. Franklin also found that “… the most acceptable service of God is doing good to man” I’m a simple person and I like St. Francis’ moto “Pax et bonum” Peace and Goodness be with you. Metaphorically speaking, I keep forgetting to get some “dust on my sandals.”

Walking the talk: I have witnessed two examples of “Peace and Goodness” that often comes to mind. I was walking with a Franciscan from the Arch Street Chapel in Boston to a meeting when a homeless man asked the Priest “Father can you spear a couple bucks for an old altar boy?” The Priest replied, “I will give you five bucks if you can say the Confiteor.” The homeless man replied, “how about in Latin for $10?” The Priest accepted the offer at which the homeless man recited a perfect Latin Confiteor. The Francians take a vow of poverty and he reached deep into his pocket for that $10.

In another instance: I received a promotion at work and was assigned to an upper-level manager who was known to mentor subordinates. On my first day with him, he called me and asked me to go to lunch with him. Notwithstanding my enthusiasm for some sage advice, I knew he ate lunch at the Harvard Club every day. We met in the lobby and started walking, before I knew it we ended up at the McDonald’s on Washington Street in downtown Boston. While still engaged in “business talk,” my new boss ordered two “happy meals!” Not wanting to get off on the wrong foot, I too ordered two happy meals. We continued our business discussion and walked back toward our building. My personal thoughts at the point were – this guy is a nut, I’m in trouble. During our walk back towards our building we encountered several homeless men and women. He engaged them in friendly talk and gave out the happy meals (I did as well). We did in fact eat at the Harvard Club. I came to find out, he did that most every day.

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:25–30

Prayer to Francis of Assis

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

Grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console;

To be understood, as to understand;

To be loved, as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.

Pax et bonum,

Bob Lyons

MUSTARD SEED FAITH

Okay true confessions – I am a People Pleaser!  I could pretend to deny it (and recently have), but truth be told, I am sometimes swayed from a point of my own conviction, in order to please or appease the person who is voicing a difference of opinion or suggesting a different course of action.

This Sunday’s readings for the 27th Sunday gave me pause.  St Paul’s letter to Timothy, though short in words, struck a strong chord.  “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love.”  Cowardice – a strong word that caused my reflection. “…….bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.”  How different our lives could be if we relied on strength that comes, not from our own ego and pride, but from God.  

Then Luke’s gospel states Jesus’ words to his followers.  “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say…..’be uprooted and planted…..’  If we really hear those words in the depths of our hearts, we would readily apply them to us – his followers in 2019.  Our faith is not even close to the size of a mustard seed in Jesus’ eyes. I know for a fact that I often try to accomplish my responsibilities, both at church and at home, without imploring the Lord’s help and guidance. How else can one explain the people-pleasing approach that I keep in my back pocket.   

And then Luke continues with Jesus’ story to his apostles about the servant who is just expected to do his job as has been required by the master.  It becomes clear that with all that is expected of us, our lives could be so much more fruitful if we had more awareness of the Lord’s hand guiding us in all that we do.  How much freedom that would give our weary spirits. Spirits that often feel alone or are afraid of saying and/or doing what one assumes others expect of us.

My prayer…….the words of the psalmist……..

”If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”

Reflection by: Mary Keefe

Foster - Transform - Empower

You may have noticed recently some staff members and parishioners wearing white Holy Family T-shirts with our new parish logo and wondered what the words on the back of the shirt mean.  The words imprinted there are: Foster – Transform – Empower.  It comes from our Holy Family Parish Vision Statement developed by our pastoral staff and endorsed by our Parish Pastoral Council.  It can be found at the bottom of the Welcome Message page on the I’m New drop-down tab of our parish website.  Here it is and what it means:

Parish Vision Statement

Holy Family Parish aspires to be a community guided by the Holy Spirit that will:

·         Foster fullness of life in a personal relationship with Jesus.

·         Transform members into intentional disciples.

·         Empower them to make other disciples who love God and love neighbor.

As you can see these are action words, which connote movement.  First, it depends on our docility to the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, guidance and motivation to deepen our relationship with Jesus through regular participation in the Sacraments and personal prayer.  This forms the foundation of a more meaningful, purposeful and fuller life that reflects the joy and peace of Christ.  Second, with a dynamic personal relationship with Jesus, the Holy Spirit can work wonders transforming us into the image of Jesus, whereby we intentionally think with His mind, feel with His heart and love with His actions.  Third, with the grace of the Holy Spirit alive within us, we are motivated and empowered to share what difference life in Christ makes in our lives and seek to convince others to become intentional disciples of Jesus, too. 

So, now you know.  You may want to keep this for reference since I understand it is a lot to take in and digest.  And it will take a lifetime of continued perseverance.  But, if you own this vision for yourself and seek to live by it, look out.  Your life will never be the same!

                                                                                                God bless you!         

                                                                                                    Fr. Bob

                            

                                                                                                   

We can not serve two masters...

Jesus reminds us over and over again what our priorities must be.  First and foremost we are called to serve one Master, and that is God.   There are so many distractions that take us away from our true purpose.  Once in a while we need to put down our iPad, our iPhone, and the remote.  We don’t need to get rid of them, but we must realize that all of the things the “world” values are distractions from our true purpose, and that is to serve God.  We serve God by loving Him and our neighbor, and by helping those in need.  

Jesus tells us in this week’s Gospel that you can’t serve two masters.  We “will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other.   You cannot serve both God and Mammon”.

So what exactly is Mammon?  I think of money when I hear the word Mammon, and it is money, but it can be many other things too!   Originally the Hebrew term meant money or something of great value (treasure).  Over time the term evolved and became known as something that was held either with a banker or someone you completely trusted, knowing that when you needed it, it would be available for you.  Mammon was now becoming an object of trust.  Next, the word began to be written with a capital letter signifying its importance, and people began to put all their hope and trust in this “Mammon”, and it became their god.

We live in a society that LOVES Mammon.  We are so fortunate in this country to live, for the most part, extremely comfortable lives, and I don’t believe that Jesus is saying wealth is a bad thing.   But he is saying we should be wise in how we acquire it, spend it, and how we should use it to build up the Kingdom of God, and not ourselves.  It’s when the purpose of “Mammon” becomes self-gratifying, that we can become enslaved to it, and our motivation and disposition can quickly turn from God to self.

The Lord knows our limitations, and our potential.  There is no “God quota” for prayer or good works.  He does not have unrealistic expectations.  He knows what we can and cannot do depending on our state in life.   But He does expect us to do something! 

So, what is your “Mammon”?  Where do you place your hope and trust?  What obstructions are keeping you from serving God?  What is getting in the way of your special purpose that God has planned for you?      

Reflection by Cheryl Provost

The Forgiving Father

Upon reflection of the readings this Sunday, the idea of mercy keeps presenting itself.  We see the mercy of God when Moses pleads with the Lord to be merciful and not have His “wrath blaze up” against the Israelites who have been behaving badly.  Mercifully the Lord listens to Moses and spares them his wrath.  Of course we are all familiar with this week’s gospel story about the prodigal son who takes his father’s money and squanders it on prostitutes and high living.  He then returns to his father’s house remorseful and broken and is greeted warmly and doted on as having returned!  Not only was the father in this parable merciful but also overjoyed upon his son’s return regardless of what he had done.  Saint Paul also mentions God’s mercy towards him for having appointed him to his ministry despite his past of being a persecutor.  God had mercy towards Paul’s “ignorance”.  Mercy, mercy, mercy!  What a powerful and wonderful gift from God.

As I was on vacation this summer I was perusing my social media.  I happened upon a blog post from Bishop Barron.  I was so struck by his message post that I had to re-read it a couple of times.  I even went so far as to get up from my comfortable recline and seek out other members of my family to show them this little treasure I found about the far reaching mercy of God and his everlasting love for us.  Because the post was so beautifully stated, I dare not paraphrase it, lest it loses something so bear with me as I restate most of it here.  Bishop Barron says “God sent, not simply, a representative, a plenipotentiary, but his own Self, his own heart. And this divine Son, incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth, entered into the darkness and the tempest of human disorder.  He went to the poor, the hungry, the self-righteous, those drunk on power and those with no power-to everyone languishing in the iciness of the far country-and he called them home.”  He further goes on to say, “Now what is death but the furthest outpost of the far country and the coldest place in the Artic landscape of sin? And therefore the assault on death was the ultimate mission of the Son of God.  There could be no place untouched by the divine mercy, no refuge from the press of God’s relentless love.  And so God died that we might never be alone and hopeless even in this most desolate of places.”  How awesome that sentiment is to imagine.  Thank you Bishop for putting into beautiful words God’s mercy and love for us.  The bishop further goes on to point out that through Christ’s suffering on the cross, “God becomes our friend, our brother, our fellow-sufferer, even in that most terrible moment.”  Such a comfort to hear that God is our friend even in our darkest times, when we are despairing, sick, in pain, hurting or grieving, God knows our condition personally in that moment. Bishop Barron finishes his post by saying “Because God has established his power even at the furthest outpost of the far country, there is literally nowhere to hide from Him.  Because the Son has gone to the limits of godforsakeness, we run from the Father only to find ourselves, at the end of our running, in the arms of the Son.  As a parent would go anywhere – into prison, to a foreign land, into the gravest danger – in order to rescue his child, so God the parent of the human race, went into the darkest reaches of body and soul in order to save us.  And therefore this is the meaning of the cross; God is heart-broken love.”  

After reflecting on the readings this week and Bishop Barron’s eloquent post, I’m thinking, two things.  The first is that we are the Israelites, we are the prodigal son, we are St. Paul, we are the lost coin, and the lost sheep.  We are sinners, we are lost, we are “ignorant” and yet there is nowhere to run from God’s mercy and love.  As any good parent would go to the ends of the earth for their child to bring them home, to keep them safe, and to shower them with love, so God is ever ready to do this for us and is doing this for us. God yearns for us to be close to Him.  The other thought is that like a child who has made mistakes, sinned or has done wrong but is seeking forgiveness, guidance, shelter or mercy, God again is always there. As the prodigal son’s father was there for him so God is there for us.  When we are ready to seek God out, receive His love and mercy and let Him in, His joy in that moment is immeasurable.   

Reflection by: Mary Juliano Hayes

True Humility

When reading this weekend's readings I was drawn at first to the Gospel; I thought that I may have been drawn to it because I spent last weekend at a family wedding and had a great time.  In my head I'm thinking, "ok I got this, I can totally play off of this week's readings and my wedding from the other day" but before I sat down to write, I reread all of the readings again and realized I wasn't drawn to the Gospel because of the wedding, I was drawn to the Gospel (and the 2nd time around) the first reading, because of the message of humility.  

"My child, conduct your affairs with humility,

and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.

Humble yourself the more, the greater you are,

and you will find favor with God." From the Book of Sirach

And 

For every one who exalts himself will be humbled,

but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." From the Gospel according to Luke

Humility is one of the most misunderstood virtues and one that is often fun to reflect on what authentic humility actually is.  When I am being humble, am I just pretending to be humble or do I actually feel that humility in my heart, is that how I truly feel?  

Each day, I try to read something spiritual and not just the front page of espn.com.  Sometimes I succeed in reading daily and sometimes it's more of a challenge and I only do it once or twice a week.  When I do make time to read, one of things in my rotation of spiritual readings is a website called "Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy: 365 Days with Saint Faustina."  Ever since I visited St. Faustina's convent in Krakow, Poland, I have had a deep love for the Divine Mercy and St. Faustina.  One of the images on the wall in my office came from that convent; it's an image of Jesus' Divine Mercy shining down on Pope Saint John Paul II and the words "Jezu Ufam Tobie" written underneath, which is "Jesus, I trust in you" in Polish.

When reflecting on the readings today I remembered an article from that site that I had read recently on humility that I really enjoyed and thought I would share with all of you this week:

"The glorious virtue of humility must be understood, continually pondered and continually embraced.  What is humility?  It is nothing other than knowing the truth about yourself, believing that truth and living in accord with that truth.  Only you and God know the depths of your conscience.  Human opinion matters little.  Some may offer false judgments of you presuming your pride or another sin.  And at other times some may speak words of flattery, exaggerating your virtue from impure motives.  Neither false criticism nor words of flattery foster humility because they both have as their intention something other than the truth.  Some holy souls may even seek to misrepresent the truth of who they are by either exaggerating their holiness or by misrepresenting their misery so as to gain the praise or sympathy of others.  But, again, humility has as its goal the truth of who we are.  Seek to know and believe the full truth of your life, and then seek to live that truth openly and honestly.  This purity of intention will allow your true self to emerge, and through this humble act the Lord will shine forth from your soul (See Diary #1502-1503).

Ponder today the truth of who you are.  Seek complete honesty in regard to your actions and your intentions.  Understand yourself and seek to know yourself as God knows you.  Doing this will foster great humility.  As you grow in humility, see also the truth of God and His greatness.  Humbly acknowledge all that God does for you.  Seeing God at work within you and honestly expressing this with gratitude will allow Him to shine forth beautifully for all to see.  This is truth and this is humility.

Lord, I desire to know the truth of who I am.  I seek this truth and desire to allow it to shine forth with honesty and integrity.  I pray also that I see Your greatness and acknowledge Your workings in my life.  You are glorious, dear Lord.  May this truth shine forth.  Jesus, I trust in You." From https://divinemercy.life/2018/10/02/reflection-311-the-truth-of-humility-2/

Reflection by: Matthew Bensman

#HolyMoments

As I reflect on Luke’s gospel this weekend, two lines spoke to me.

“Do you think that I have come to establish peace on earth? No, I tell you but rather division.”

Division! That sure does ring true for our times now especially if you listen to mainstream media. Families will be divided. Everywhere I turn now, that is what is happening. And many of us happily participate in the dividing by our comments on social media, through our bumper stickers, ignoring our neighbors and/or family in need as put our heads down and look the other way.

We are dividing ourselves by picking sides in every war, battle and/or skirmish—political, religious and social. We see our families and communities being divided by drugs and depression at alarming rates. We also see more and more people moving away from religious beliefs and practices which breaks down the community that develops when we pray together rather than singularly or not at all.

Recently I was speaking with a young man at a business conference. He told me that he was not raised with any faith and doesn’t have any today. He didn’t not believe but didn’t feel the need to go to the effort to get involved in an organized religion. He felt like living by the “Golden Rule” was enough. That is a great rule and practiced in a faith community has the ability to have a much deeper and greater reach.

“I’ve come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!”

In many ways I do feel the earth is blazing. There are “hotspots” of emotion everywhere, including in our own church, and if we continue like this we may burn up and burnout. The answer? In my opinion it is to create holy moments. Stop amplifying the differences among each of us and seek the common good.

Maybe God does divide us in order to wake each of us up so that we set the world on fire for the love of Jesus. Rather than hiding in our differences, we will seek to love one another for our humanness and to understand the other before judging and/or dividing them.

My husband and I had a holy moment last weekend when we were at AutoZone putting large amounts of oil into our Jeep. A stranger came over and offered to help. We didn’t necessarily need it but he knew a thing or two about cars so we accepted his help.  He went out of his way to offer some insight and kindness. After talking a bit, I offered him a hug for his kindness. For in these times where we are all so busy, often being divided, he took the time to just help. Where have you experienced a holy moment lately? Or better yet, where can you create one, or two or ten this week? Together, we can set the world on fire. #HolyMoment.

Reflection by Paula Harris

Finding Joy

        These are the years of memories. When you reach a certain (unspecified) age memories tend to flood in at unexpected moments. A scene in a movie, the scent of a meal or flower, the mention of someone’s name or even an inspiration spawned by a scripture reading... like this weekend’s readings. Imagine!

        “Vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!” Thoughts come rushing back of younger days, working at a great, since defunct, company. Being part of Polaroid’s Vision Research Laboratory in the 80’s was at once challenging, rewarding and exciting. From one day to the next our lab never knew what we would be asked to find, prove or just try to see if the principle was sound. If we were successful Dr. Edwin Land would exclaim it “fun”, his favorite term for experiments gone well.

    One Spring afternoon, while attending a brain-storming meeting of minds discussing a perplexing obstacle to our experiment, I proposed a resolution, which was swiftly ignored much to my chagrin. By the end of that week we sat in a subsequent session to resolve the obstinate problem when a colleague offered the identical solution I had voiced a couple days prior. To my surprise this was received with great fanfare and hailed as a major break-through. It was not proper scientific etiquette to claim this was my original proposal.

         I departed work that day with some mixed emotions regarding what to do. My initial reaction was to speak up and claim at least a portion of the credit, which I believed I was due, for this solution. On thinking further, I decided silence might be the best avenue… the higher road. After all our project needed to be assembled, tested (played with) and presented in a couple days to Dr. Land. There was much to do and, as there were only a couple people in our lab with the ability to accomplish such a complex mission, forging ahead was the path I chose.

            That night, while seeing my youngest daughter to bed, I received a lesson in simplicity and humility. After the customary prayers and stories, I found her smiling a huge grin. When I asked what brought  her such joy she told me she couldn’t wait to go to sleep so she could wake up in the morning and enjoy another day, and all the wonderful things she’d do “while growing up.” The power of those words still amazes me!

  

           The next morning, I unlocked the laboratory door and dug in to complete our mission, happy to have been given the skills and intellect to do so, and to be part of a small team charged with accomplishing the near impossible. It was awe-inspiring to know God had provided me the gifts necessary to fulfill my responsibilities and the position in which to enjoy the fruits of these gifts… perhaps the greatest of which is another day to enjoy all the wonderful things I could do.

                Be happy! Be grateful! Stay well!

Reflection by Beau Stebbins