Together In Peace

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Martha

“Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace to His people.”  Psalm 85:8

     During Christmastime we are often faced with family challenges, family conflicts.  While most families have loving relationships with each other, all is not merry and bright at some family gatherings.  To say the least, this can be quite upsetting for all concerned.  Sometimes the best we can do is to manage the situation from our own perspective.

     First, we must realize, and come to terms with, the fact that no one is in our control.  We do not create, nor are we responsible for others’ thoughts, words, or actions.  Again, we are not in control of others.  Once we realize this, the pressure is off.  It is not on us to see that everyone behaves, that everyone has a good time.  We become free to add good vibes to the atmosphere.  We create an aura around our own orbital path that radiates self worth, love, and joy.

     Second, in order to create this aura we must go to the One who IS in control.  Spending time in His presence we release the burden of control to Him and seek His help to do so. By centering our orbital path around God, The Father, we feel the weight lifted, we feel loved.  We know that at the very moment our circumstances become embroiled, negative, or unloving, we can turn within to His love.

     Advent is a time of preparation, a time of gift giving.  Let us stock up on gifts to give in advance, by spending time with Him, filling up on gifts of love within ourselves to share with those around us… even with those we may find hard to love.  If we feel His Love within us, we will radiate His Love outwardly and bring peace to our surroundings.

     This Advent and Christmas do not let others rob you of His gift of Love for you, and do not be afraid to share His gift through words of Peace, Love,  and Joy.  Merry Christmas!

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When God Gives A Gift

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Martha

 “May mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance.”  Jude 1:2

     Gifts come in all shapes and sizes, in all kinds of packaging.  A beautifully wrapped gift is a joy to open and discover the surprise within.  Just as the gifts come in different styles, so do the recipients, the openers.  Some tantalize the onlookers, and themselves, by slowly untying the bow, carefully undoing the tape at the seams, and gently opening the box.  Others just rip through in a big hurry to get to the contents! 

     Not all gifts can be opened by pulling off the bow and paper, or by taking out the tissue and looking in the bag.  Not all gifts come packaged!  Something that was lost and is now found, a knowing smile, a good deed rendered, a thoughtful phone call, an answered prayer, or a sacrifice made are all examples of gifts that must be opened in a different way. 

   Each of these are all directly or indirectly gifts from God, our Creator, who loves to please us, who wants to see us happy.  Such gifts are only seen or noticed when we are paying attention.  When God gives a gift … it must be opened with the heart.  When we open our heart to Him, His gifts to us are endless.  In fact, they are Eternal!

     This Advent open your heart and receive your gifts.  You will find many wonderful surprises … if you are paying attention.  God Bless and Merry Christmas!

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We Are No Accident

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Martha

For it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will  and to work for His good pleasure.”  Philippians 2:13

     In the popular Christmas movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, a man gets to view life as if he had never been born.  He discovers that things would have been quite messy without him, especially for those he loved.  He discovers that he had made a difference, that people’s lives were better because he existed.  I believe this movie is so popular because each one of us longs to know that we make a difference, that we matter.

     At Christmastime, we see how Jesus entered the world as a babe in a lowly manger, and yet, His life and death left an imprint on the world which has lasted over 2,000 years.  How was this possible?  It wouldn’t have been if He was merely an accident, or merely human, but Jesus was both man and God.  His imprint is not just in worldly time and space, it is Eternal.

     We are no accident either.  We have been placed in the world by God, himself.  He created us in His image and likeness.  We enter this world in our mother’s womb, and we live and breathe in our orbital path, ever waiting to be returned to our Eternal destiny.  We are human; we are mortal.  And yet, we are Divinely inspired, we are Divine Love. 

     During Advent, let us remember, like Jesus, we have been placed here, in our orbit, at this exact moment in time.  We are no accident.  Our lives matter, especially to those who love us.  What will our imprint be?

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We Are Prepared To Give…But Are We Prepared To Receive?

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Martha

Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  Luke 6:38

     Selfishness is a learned trait usually beginning at a very young age when we have something we want taken from us.   While selfishness is learned, giving is actually an innate quality.  Most of us enjoy giving.  We enjoy the personal rewards reaped from making someone else happy.  We are prepared to give, but are we prepared to receive?

     If we have a selfish, self-centered nature we claw and grab for what we can get.  Our goal is the gift itself.  If we have a giving, selfless nature we wait quietly, patiently for our rewards.  There is a certain art to receiving graciously.  When we receive a gift graciously, our focus is on the giver, not the gift.  Our goal is to make the giver feel good, to feel as if they have greatly pleased us.

     A selfish giver seeks to make him or herself look good for the act of giving, or for the actual gift given.  A selfless giver seeks to bring genuine joy to the recipient.  When selfless givers and receivers get together there is true celebrating for they are actually celebrating each other.  Peace, Love, and Joy abound!  And that is the true spirit of Christmas!  

     In Jesus we have the most perfect gift of all.  God Our Father sends His only Son that we might live forever in Eternity with Him.  He sends His Son to be Light to the whole world.  He gives His Son to each of us selflessly.  Are we prepared to receive Him selflessly?  Are we prepared to give ourselves to Him selflessly in return?

     This Christmas let us each seek to be both a selfless giver and a selfless receiver.  Peace, Love, and Joy to each of you!

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Soul Giving

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Martha

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”  Galatians 5:22

     Christmas is a season of giving.  We often find that we have received more than we have given.  And, a gift need not always be of the material, physical realm.  Sometimes the best, most appreciated, most needed gift is the gift of self.  Self, freely given, whether it is our time, our voice, our concern, our empathy, or our prayer, is always received as heartfelt generosity.  It is recognized by the recipient as genuine love.

     This type of giving I call soul giving.  Soul giving is when part of who we are becomes invested in someone else.  We give something that cannot be snatched back by us and cannot be exchanged or returned by the recipient.  In fact, there are times in soul giving when the recipient knows nothing of the gift.  In particular, silent soul giving is very pleasing to Our Lord, and gains great reward for us.

     Advent is a wonderful time to reflect on the greatest example of soul giving.  It began with God The Creator, who lovingly placed a part of His soul in each of us when He created us in is own image and likeness.  Then, God The Father lovingly manifested His own soul in His Son, Jesus, whom He sent to us as a soul gift to become the Light of the world.  In Jesus’ life,death, and Resurrection we find the greatest soul gift, with the ultimate soul gift given in the Eucharist.  It is in the Eucharist, through His Most Holy Spirit, we find not only the physical body and blood of Jesus, but the soul of God embedded within His Son, allowing us to become one with our God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, of you and me.

     In this beautiful Christmas season of giving, let us reflect on God’s ultimate soul gift to us and find ways to do a little soul giving ourselves by giving our time, our voice, our concern, our empathy, and most of all our prayers.  More than likely, we will receive more than we give.

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A Simple Meditation On Luke 5:1-11

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Martha

“Don’t be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”  Luke 5:10

     As noted previously, this is a simple site based on a simple faith, mine. Spending time in God’s word during Advent is great way to prepare ourselves for His coming! Yesterday I wrote about a simple way to begin reading and meditating on a Bible verse.  Today I am sharing my own meditation on Luke, chapter five, verses one through eleven.  I begin with my prayer: Through your most Holy Word, Lord, I invite you into my heart.  Transform me according to your will.  I read through the passage slowly, knowing every single word is important to the message.  I envision myself there; one listening to the conversation between Simon Peter and Jesus.  Watching Jesus teach offshore from the boat, I notice how soft spoken He is, how the crowd is qsilent, how they lean forward to hear every word this man has to say about them and how they live.  When He asks Simon Peter to recast his nets after a long fruitless night of doing so, the first thing I hear is ‘BUT’.  Ah, I blush, for this would be my exact reaction.  I would explain, make excuses.  As Simon, I too would obey … but first I would say, “Jesus, I just want you to know I already tried that!”  (As if He didn’t already know!)  Then I would obey, with doubt, just like Simon Peter.

     As I continue to read, I realize that Simon’s obedience was an act of faith, of trust in Our Lord, even in the midst of doubt.  And then it comes, the blessing, the overflowing bountiful catch, the miracle.  Jesus always rewards trust with blessing.  Simon Peter’s reaction after receiving such a gift is to  immediately feel unworthy, guilty.  He humbles himself before Jesus to the point of begging Him to stay away.  He feels he is too unworthy for Jesus to even be seen with.  What does Jesus do?  As always, when we humble ourselves before Him, He forgives in Love.  We become His beloved, and there is so much Love we cannot help but follow Him.  Now He uses us.  Yes, with all of our buts, doubts, unworthiness, and guilt, He uses us.  We are transformed by His blessing and we are called to follow.  Just as He did with Simon Peter, He will call us, and His Love will pull us to Him.

     This is one example of one verse.  There are many more to choose from.  Open your Bible and pick one.  This is how I meditate, and when inspired to do so, write.  I allow Him to use me, even though I know my unworthiness, because I know He will take my efforts and make them whole.  He will make them worthy in His sight.

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Christmas Cards…A Greeting Of The Season Or A Winess?

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Martha

“The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.” – John 1:9

     It is that time of year where we reach out to others with best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, a.k.a. the Christmas card.  With all of the political correctness surrounding the celebration of any Christian holiday it is a wonder anyone sends cards at all.  If it says Merry Christmas it is certain to offend those who don’t consider Christ in Christmas anymore, seeing it only as a secular Santa celebration.  It might also offend someone of any other than Christian religion.  If it says Happy Holidays, you wonder if your Christian and Catholic friends will wonder if you are trying to be politically correct.  Who knew sending a simple card could be so confusing! 

     I personally choose to send only Christmas cards having a religious theme.  I view a Christmas card as not only a greeting but as a reminder of what the Christmas season is truly about … welcoming Jesus into the world and into our hearts.  More importantly I view it as a witness.  When I sign and send a Christmas card that focuses on Jesus I am actually bearing witness to all of my family and friends that I believe!  I let each of them see I celebrate His coming and wish them the Peace, Love, and Joy that His coming can bring to their lives.  If you send Christmas cards you might want to give this some thought.  If you don’t send Christmas cards, maybe you should!

     I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

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Advent: Hope In The Lord

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Martha

We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.  Psalm 33:20

(As I am spending the week with my new grandson, and helping our daughter during the first week, I will be re-posting some of my Advent posts from 2010.  I will edit and update with commentary where I feel it needed.  I hope you will enjoy or re-enjoy, and use these posts to help prepare your heart to welcome Jesus Christ!)

     Advent is a time of Hope.  We are a people of Hope.  Our hope is in The Lord.  Without hope in our lives a reason for living ceases to exist.  It could be said we exist for love.  In reality we exist because of love, the Divine Love of God our Creator.  What is love without hope?  Love is hope; the hope our love is received; the hope our love is returned; the hope our love is shared, thereby making the earth a better place for all mankind.  We love God our Creator and hope in the saving grace of His Son, Jesus our Savior, that we might one day live in Love Eternal.  We hope for the Life to come!

     Hope begins in our soul, spreads to our heart, and softly sings to our mind.  It is from the mind our hope springs forth into action.  To nurture an attitude of hope we must feed the mind.  We need to fill it with reminders to look for and live in hope, lest we forget who we are … a people of hope.  We prepare ourselves for the Life to come by spending time in the greatest story of hope there is, God’s Word, The Holy Bible.  In doing so we enlighten our mind with a proper diet, which in turn enlivens our heart, which then nurtures our soul, thus enabling the entire cycle of hope to continue.  It radiates from our soul to our heart, to our mind, outward to the universe, ultimately to God, and then back to our soul.  What we put out in the universe comes back to us tenfold.

     Advent is the perfect time to rediscover or reinforce hope in our lives.  It is a time of preparation; for getting to know our true selves better; for expanding our vision of hope to include all those around us.  Daily reading in and meditating on the Gospels, and supplementing it with prayer and stillness before God prepares us in the best way possible for the coming of Jesus, not only into the world, but into our own hearts and lives.  If we have hope others will too.  Be a channel of Hope to all.  Prepare the Way of The Lord.

     Start simply.  Begin with a simple prayer:  “Through you most Holy Word, Lord, I invite you into my heart.  Transform me according to you will.”  At first read only one paragraph, or only one verse.  A good place to begin is with John 1:1-9, “In the beginning there was the Word…”  Read it slowly.  Stop; envision it in your mind as if you are there.  Read it again; maybe even aloud.  Meditate a minute or two on what this means to your own life, or think of God’s great love for us.  Thank God for this time to grow in hope and love, then go about your day.  Over time He will transform you.  A few minutes a day, repeated again and again, becomes a habit, becomes something to look forward to … spending time with Our Lord.  Dare I say, you will be hoping for more?

     Choosing a time, and a place:  Bibles come in all sizes, even on line, even on phone apps.  If a quiet moment and place at home are out of the question, then possibly in the car before going into work, or on line at your desk during break time!   Find a few minutes that work for you.  God will be there.

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Advent: Proclaim The Good News!

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Martha

” Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.  As you go, proclaim this message: The kingdom of heaven has come near.  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.”   Matthew 9:35 –10:6-8

     In Matthew’s Gospel we hear how Jesus went to all the towns and villages proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven.  While there he cured the sick and healed the lame.  Then, we hear how he called upon his twelve disciples giving them the same authority.  “Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.  Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”

     We too are called to be His disciples, to proclaim the Good News.  At Christmas we receive him into our hearts, at no cost to us.  During Advent we can prepare our hearts by giving as we are called to give.  Love the sick, the dying, the poor, the homeless.  Cast out their demons as only love can.

Advent Prayer: Make me whole, Lord, that I may love all in your name.

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1st Friday of Advent, Courage To Wait

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Martha

“As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David!’  When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’  ‘Yes, Lord,’ they replied.  Then he touched their eyes and said, ‘According to your faith let it be done to you’; and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, ‘See that no one knows about this.’  But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.”  Matthew 9:27-31

     Two blind men follow Jesus, calling out to him.  Once inside the house they approach him, but He has a question for them.  “Do you believe I can do this?” “Yes, Lord.” they said to him. (Matthew 9:28)

     While probably only a moment, the interim must seem like eternity to them.  They are blind; they cannot see his face to read his reaction.  The air is thick with anticipation, thick with hope; they can only wait.

     What relief they must have felt as he touched their eyes saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” (Matthew 9:29)  Because they had the faith to approach, and the courage to wait, their eyes were opened.

     We must pray for increased faith, but we must also pray for the courage to wait for our answer.

Advent Prayer: Jesus, increase my faith, and grant me the courage to wait for your answer.

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