Sunday Wisdom

Today is the third Sunday of Advent and time to Rejoice! Christmas is almost here. If you are like me, then you love this time of year with all the glorious lights. It is also a time to reflect on God’s unconditional love. Mother Teresa describes it best:

“Whatever brings us true joy, whether the small joys of each day or the greatest joys in life, has its source in God, even if this does not seem immediately obvious. This is because God is a communion of eternal love, he is infinite joy that does not remain closed in on itself, but expands to embrace all whom God loves and who love him. God created us in his image out of love, in order to shower his love upon us and to fill us with his presence and grace.

God wants us to share in his own divine and eternal joy, and he helps us to see that the deepest meaning and value of our lives lie in being accepted, welcomed and loved by him. Whereas we sometimes find it hard to accept others, God offers us an unconditional acceptance which enables us to say: “I am loved; I have a place in the world and in history; I am personally loved by God. If God accepts me and loves me and I am sure of this, then I know clearly and with certainty that it is a good thing that I am alive”. ~Mother Teresa

Today we celebrate the second Sunday in Advent and the gospel reading is about John the Baptist.  Do you know what made John the Baptist truly great?  It was his humility and the way he pointed everyone to Jesus.

Sometimes one of our greatest human struggle is pride. We tend to be overly concerned about what others think of us and we begin to focus only on ourselves.  John the Baptist teaches humility by always focusing his attention on Jesus.

He knew who he was and whose he was, so humility was clearly found in his words and loving actions of placing the Lord first. Perhaps this Advent Season we can strive to be more like John and put others first. When we put others first, we put Christ first. 

“Deliver us, Lord, we pray from evil, graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ”.

I hope you have a blessed week! Until next time,

Stamping Hugs and Blessings,
Renae

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent calls us to seek, to trust, and to rest in the peace, hope, joy, and love that is Jesus.
It challenges us to be watchful and alert! It is important to be watchful for and alert to the people who need encouragement, support, kindness, respect.

Advent is also a season of waiting….waiting in in hope for the many graces of this season.  May your season be filled with the wonder and awe of the Lord’s unconditional love and mercy.

Stamping Hugs and Blessings,
Renae

Today’s gospel is a parable that emphasizes the connection between seeing a need and acting on it. The kingdom of heaven shows up where we least expect it.

This parable is not about what is going to happen in the future, but about opening our eyes to see the presence of Jesus. It is about us seeing the needs of others and responding. If I turn away from my brothers and sisters in need, I am turning away from Jesus. 

Let’s turn to Mother Teresa for her insights on helping others. “Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work. We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty.

Lord, help us all to recognize those around us who are in need and to respond with love, compassion and mercy.

God has given each of us a wide variety of gifts and talents and today’s gospel is a clear message that the Lord expects us to use these gifts to serve others and do our part to build up the Kingdom of heaven.

It is not acceptable to waste our gifts by putting them on a shelf, allowing fear to stop us from doing our part within our own communities of faith and beyond. It is not important to have all the gifts and talents, or to compare our gifts to others, but it is important to do our best to use the gifts God has given us.

How will you share your gifts and talents with others this week?  Perhaps we can begin with thanking God for our gifts and finding ways to show a bit more kindness to others.  I know if I am blessed enough to reach heaven, I want to hear, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” 

Have a blessed day!

The priest who married my husband and I became a very dear friend to us.  Years ago he developed pancreatic cancer and while he was suffering taught us many valuable lessons about living in the present moment.

I remember asking him if he was anxious or worried about dying and he replied, “Not as long as I remain in the present moment.”  He went on to explain that staying focused on the here and now brought him peace, but when he stepped outside the present moment he began to worry about the many friends and family members he would be leaving behind.  Staying in the present moment and be ready for the Lord to move freely is something Fr. Ed lived out daily. 

How is the Lord moving in your life?  Are you opened to being blessed at any given moment?  I know I often allow myself to be too busy and while many times I am busy doing good things, still I am distracted from the present moment and miss opportunities for grace to move freely in my life. 

The past is the past and when we continue to look back, we are no longer able to move forward. However, be careful not to move too far forward. Living in the future only invites fear, worry and anxiety. We must try not to be obsessed with the things we cannot control.  The future is not hear yet so why worry about something that may never happen. Right? Easier said that done!

Fears or worries about the future only causes undue stress and with all that is happening in our world, it is easy to give into fear. So let us seek to live in the present moment, where there is peace, and strive to remain open to the Grace and Mercy the Lord offers us all. Today, I am asking for the intercession of my dear friend Fr. Ed Schramm to bless all who read this message.  Jesus I trust in you.

Have a blessed day,
Renae

Today, as we celebrate and rejoice in the holy memory of our glorious saints of God, let us ask them all for their intercessions.  We also ask our blessed Mother Mary to intercede for us and store our world to health and peace.  

Asking the saints to intercede for us is no different than asking a friend for prayers.  We all have the potential to be saints, perhaps not famous and remembered by everyone, but certainly by those whose lives we have touched. After all if we can ask those still living on this earth to pray for us, how much more powerful would it be to ask those whom have already touched the face of God.

So on this day, let us thank the Lord for our friends and family members, both living and transformed to intercede for us. Let us strive to live holy and meaningful lives to bring about peace on earth.  O holy Saints, our inspiration of hope, pray for us!

“Nothing great is ever achieved without enduring much.” St. Catherine of Siena

Thanks for stopping by, tomorrow…..more crafting and card ideas. Stamping Hugs and Blessings, Renae

Happy Sunday! I truly believe the ultimate purpose of our existence is to love one another and to enjoy the gifts our Lord has bestowed upon us.  For me, one of those gifts is crafting and I love creating things to bless others.  I hope in my small way I am making a difference in the lives of others. I know it is not much, just a hand-made card, but it is truly is crafted with love and that brings me great joy.

For love to be pure, it must be freed from all selfishness.  Pure love looks only at the one being loved.  That is super easy when it comes to loving my husband, but at times, not so much when it comes to loving myself. So it is during those times that I just take a deep breath and try to focus only on God’s greatness and beauty, then I discover something quite glorious. 

As we continue to find our new normal in this world let us always remember to reach out to others in compassion. We must never forget to show ourselves love and compassion as well. We all make mistakes! After all as I used to remind my children, if you don’t make at least 10 mistakes a day you are not doing anything. Life is all about taking risks and learning to live with a compassionate and forgiving heart! Peace my friends!

My prayer today if for all who are suffering, especially those who feel alone. Lord grant us wisdom to act with kindness. If we lack wisdom about certain things in life, then just ask God. Get to know Him intimately, and trust Him to give knowledge, wisdom and understanding. We will encounter a lot of different people in our life time. God’s Word instructs us to love and treat strangers of other cultures with respect. It is never too late to share the love of Christ with others. Remember, regardless of how insignificant we feel our God-given talents are, we must walk worthy, using our gifts to glorify God and build up Kingdom of heaven.  As Mother Teresa so lovingly stated, “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”  Have a blessed day!