Sunday Wisdom

God trusts you more than you will ever know and today’s gospel reading reminds us that everything we own and everything we are belongs to God. God has given us all many and very different gifts. It is up to us to use those gifts to honor and glorify God. Our parable today reminds us that God is always in control and while he is not physically on earth with us today as he was with his apostles, if we allow him, He will walk each step of our journey with us.

Don’t waste your gifts and don’t waste precious time. Invite God into your life! We all have different gifts, one is not more important than the other, but what is important is to use your gifts to better the Kingdom of God on earth so we will be prepared to spend eternity in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time, be blessed, Renae

“Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”  (Matthew 22:21)

In today’s gospel Jesus reminds us that it is important to meet both our earthly and heavenly needs. As a member of society, it is important for us to pay taxes, exercise the right to vote, and defend our country. Regardless of our faith, nationality, or citizenship we also have the obligation to practice obedience by giving to God what is God’s.

What exactly belongs to God? Well, in my opinion, everything! We are all made in the likeness of God and depend upon Him for our very next breath. Our time, talent, and treasure are all graces given to us by our loving God. Being obedient in prayer, practicing the Sacraments, and showing mercy to others is part of our heavenly need and God is forever calling us and challenging us to surrender to Him.

So today, let us listen deeply, practice obedience and entrust our lives to the Lord. Peace!

Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time, be blessed, Renae

Today’s gospel is all about a wedding feast which also represents our eternal banquet in heaven.  Seems simple right? Our God is a merciful and loving God so all are invited. The young and old, rich and poor, sick and healthy and yet, the king refuses some because they are not properly dressed in the wedding garment.

We spend all of our lives preparing for this eternal banquet and so having a relationship with Christ that focuses on prayer, trust, love and forgiveness is how we prepare our final garments. We have a merciful and loving God has given us all free will, an opportunity to choose Him, to choose love over hate, peace over violence, truth over lies and most importantly forgiveness for all who hurt us.

We can accept or refuse His invitation. We can accept the invitation and refuse His grace.  This is why many are invited but only a few are chosen. So let us choose to accept His invitation, and choose to clothe ourselves with love, forgiveness and peace.

Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time, be blessed, Renae

Today’s gospel is all about forgiveness and mercy. “Should you not have pity on your fellow servant, as I the Lord had pity on you?” (Matthew 18:33)
Our dear friend Peter started it all with a very simple question, Lord how many times must I forgive? Jesus then shared a parable and we hear of a King who was moved with compassion because one of his servants begged for more time to pay off his debt. The problem was the man who was forgiven refused to forgive and show mercy to his fellow man, which is exactly the kind of mercy our Lord calls us to. We are called to show mercy, compassion, forgiveness and gratitude.

If only the servant whose debt was forgiven had been grateful enough to practice the same kindness he would not have been handed over to be tortured and pay his debt in full. Unfortunately we can often be like this very servant, failing to be grateful for the mercy and compassion shown to us.

Today, let us imitate Jesus and not only forgive others when they hurt us but show them compassion in giving them a second chance. God forgives us again and again and He never holds our sins against us but instead wipes our soul clean. Let us ask our Heavenly Father to strengthen us in showing mercy towards others.

Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time, be blessed, Renae

Today’s gospel teaches us the importance of lovingly correcting each other’s behavior. A healthy relationship always involves honestly. Wouldn’t you be grateful if someone helped you change a bad habit?  I personally would want to know if I was hurting someone. And yet, being directly honest with one another can be challenging. But guess what folks, Jesus never promised us an easy life. Then again, how can we tell if someone is trying to help or just being a gossip?

Gossip can be defined as is a story about people that is designed to hurt, not rescue, and spread among people anonymously.

How can I recognize a gossiper from a compassionate person just trying to help?
Well, first ask yourself is what you are hearing designed to help or hurt?  
Does there seem to be a sincere desire to for accurate truth about all involved?
Did the person talk directly to the all involved as Jesus told us to do in today’s gospel?
And finally, what if the stories you are hearing were about you?

Jesus asked His followers to judge based on what they saw and heard from their own eyes and ears, this alone can help us avoid gossiping. Jesus calls us to be compassionate and understanding.  Even if we have to walk away from the situation we should do so with love and respect.  After all remember how Jesus treated the Gentiles and the tax collectors?  Shouldn’t we do the same?

Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time, be blessed, Renae

I just love Peter, don’t you? He gives us so much hope because even as close as he was walking with Jesus, he was still learning. How is it that one minute Jesus is singing Peter’s praise because of his profound spiritual awareness and the next minute is rebuking him for thinking in worldly terms. Isn’t that the way our Christian prayer life is, filled with ups and downs, highs and lows or desolations and consolations? Sometimes we get it right and other times we fall short.

Just like Peter you and I are showered with amazing grace and unfathomable mercy each and every day. Remember we are all children of God and His light shines in all of us, yes, God forever dwells in you and me and He will never abandon us. He will take care of all our needs, even when we fail to embrace the cross and fail to trust in Him.

Peter shows us that it is okay to fail and it is okay to try again. Peter eventually gets it. Right? He embraces the cross with a love for the Lord that goes so deep, he too is crucified for our faith. Jesus will never abandon us and like Peter, we will eventually understand the beauty of the cross. So if you are a little slow like Peter, have faith, never give up and keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, the one who knows you, understands you and loves you unconditionally.

Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time, be blessed, Renae

Today’s gospel is all about how the good and evil of our world must exist together until the end of time.  If you know anything about farming I am sure today’s parable makes sense to you.  Pulling weeds can also damage the good crop, but in this parable the Lord is also showing His mercy.  As Christians, we strive to be the wheat, but let’s face it, sometimes we fall short and unfortunately represent the weeds.  No, we are not intrinsically evil, but God reminds us that we are not perfect, and that we need His Mercy, which is life-giving and endless.  This gives us hope because we too can change and become part of a richer soil that bears much fruit.

So as we continue to lift each other up in prayer, let us remain humble, filled with gratitude, and always in awe of the Mercy of our God.

Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time, be blessed, Renae

“God so loved the world that God gave God’s only Son.” – Jn. 3:16

Today’s gospel is a familiar one and yet the message of truth, love, hope and mercy is always comforting.

As John reflects in the gospel, God showed his love for us and his faithfulness by sending us Jesus so that all who believe in Him might have eternal life. God was not trying to trick us. Jesus was not sent to condemn the world but to save it. Jesus through His most merciful and sacred heart continues to call countless people in our world to be a witness of God’s love.

If we encourage one another, trust in the mercy of Christ and live in peace, God will never abandon us, not even in our darkest moments. While we always need to hold fast the truth and remain faithful in prayer, we do so knowing that God is asking us to put aside any differences and bring more love into the world. With all violence and hatred it seems elementary that we would want to foster peace, offer hope and remove all division. But we are human, broken and weak so we must lean on the faithfulness of a God who loves us and longs to be in relationship with us.

God our Father, thank you for sending your Son to save us from ourselves.

Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time, be blessed, Renae

Today, on Pentecost Sunday, isn’t it comforting to know that as children of God we have the Holy Spirit as our advocate. When we allow the Spirit to move freely in our lives things typically go more smoothly.  Why?  Well for one thing the Holy Spirit dwells within the hearts of all faithful and is constantly working to defend us against evil.  When we are in doubt or unsure of which path to take the Holy Spirit is there to guide us and to be our constant advocate.

I don’t know about you, but for me that is comforting.  Comforter is another name for the Holy Spirit. It is reassuring to know the Holy Spirit is always ready to comfort us in times of sorrow.  But for me, one of the greatest consolations the Holy Spirit offers, is truth. Come Holy Spirit show us the truth of who we are and who we are called to be. The Holy Spirit reminds us we are all called to holiness and that God not only loves us for who we are but, He wants to spend all of eternity with us.  Now that is comforting!

“O Holy Spirit, Soul of my soul, I adore you. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. Tell me what I ought to do, and command me to do it. I promise to submit myself to all that You ask of me, and to accept all that You permit to happen to me. Only let me know Your will. Amen

Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time, be blessed, Renae

“Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you, just as you gave him authority over all people, so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him. Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.”

Sounds simple right? Well, it is true that God ultimately wants us to be with him for all eternity, it is also true that sometimes on our journey of faith we can become burdened with anxiety, sadness and fear, causing us to struggle along the way. While in our hearts we long to be with God and that brings us great joy, it also means there will be suffering.

Tomorrow, we will lay my mother-in-law to rest. She is now with God for all eternity and while that brings my husband and I great joy, we are also sad to no longer have her with us. We did not imagine losing both of our moms in one year and yet, the Lord’s timing is not our timing. So what do we do? We pray, we trust and we continue to love, giving all the glory to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Yes, there will be more joy and more sadness ahead, but as we continue to journey our way in faith, we know that one day we will all be reunited again.

Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time, be blessed, Renae