Sunday Wisdom

“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

Today, we honor all mothers and give thanks for their willingness to bring us into this life. We honor those who are still living, those who have passed from this earthly life and those women who while they may not be our biological mother, have supported and loved us unconditionally.

As many of you know I lost my mother in June, so this is my first Mother’s Day without my mom, but I feel her love every day and thank God for the grace she was to me and many others while on this earth.

This month we also lost my mother-in-law, who was also a gift to so many.  So while my husband and I are sad not to have our mother’s present, we know that Mary, our spiritual is rejoicing with them in Heaven.  So whether your mom is with you or not, let us celebrate the sacrifices and love of all mothers. We ask the Blessed Mother to watch over us teach us how to be love for one another.

Happy Mother’s Day!

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

Do you know the Father?  Jesus tells us that no matter how far we stray there will always be a place prepare for us in Heaven.  All we have to do is invite Jesus into our hearts and that includes the daily joys and sorrow of living on this side of heaven. Heaven is truly a mystery and while we might have an idea of what it will be like, we really don’t know. And so we walk by faith and not by sight.  What we do know is that Jesus is the way to the Father and the Father dwells in heaven.

So how do we get to know Jesus better?  I choose daily prayer. It allows me to invite Jesus in and allow Him to take control of my life so when disappointments and sorrow come, I will not be shaken.  Perhaps you like to pray daily as well.  Perhaps you enjoy reading daily scripture and perhaps you give of yourself totally in service to others.

As long as you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, you will find the grace and comfort you need.  Yes, heaven is real and yes, there is a place for all of us in the Lord’s kingdom.  So go ahead, invite him in, and spend some quiet time listening for his voice.  I know you will not be disappointed.

Lord Jesus you are the way to the truth.  Let our hearts be set on fire with your love. Help us to keep our eyes fixed on you.

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

Alleluia, Christ is risen! And I pray we all allow that to change everything, because it does.  Jesus bore the sins and pains of all mankind so that you and I and all our brothers and sisters everywhere could have eternal life.

Through His cross and resurrection, Jesus opens a new life and a new way to the Father for all of us. We can all experience the power of His love and our freedom from sin.  When we allow Christ to enter into our lives daily, everything changes.  Christ longs for us.  He thirsts for us and is always waiting for us to invite Him in. 

The ways and views of today’s world should cause us to pause, but we should never lose hope. One day every wrong will be made right.  Jesus promises this and He died for it, so when we are waiting for an answer to a prayer that seems to never come, don’t lose hope. When we are pressed in by the evils of this world, don’t lose hope.  When we are not sure if we can go on, press on and don’t lose hope. 

We must never lose sight of the victory of the cross.  So together, let us embrace our individual crosses and lift each other up in prayer.  Remember my friends, there is always hope, hope in the victory of the resurrection, hope in the love and Christ and hope in the love we have for each other.

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

My dear friends, as we begin Holy Week and prepare for Easter, we recall the Passion of our Lord and enter more deeply into the sufferings He took on to save and transform us all.  After all Lent is our own personal journey back to God and I pray yours has been fruitful.

This week as we turn our attention away from the busyness of our days, let us focus on the good God is already doing in our lives and remember that each time we pray we move one step closer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The heart of Jesus’ message is always overflowing with love, compassion and forgiveness no matter how far we have strayed.  Our Heavenly Father is always waiting to eagerly embrace us and offer us peace.  Sometimes we just need to ask and then be still and allow God to speak to our hearts.  Remember, little is very often enough.

So as we contemplate Jesus’ unwavering, unilateral forgiveness from the cross, may we be filled with the hope of His Resurrection knowing that every little prayer and every sacrifice, no matter how small is an act of love and that is certainly treasure we will be able to take with us to Heaven.

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

Have you ever been so blinded by what you thought was true that you actually missed out on something real?  Sometimes we let our fears and our presumptions of what we think other people are doing and saying steal our joy.  And so, Jesus wept.

God always stands ready to welcome us, regardless of what we have done, how we have failed and especially when we turn away from him in anger.  He is not making a list of how to get back at us. He wants to offer us forgiveness, mercy and peace.  When we experience a mercy so full of love and compassion, we realize it not only forgives our sins and weaknesses, it changes our hearts.

Jesus weeps for us and waits for us.  He longs to fill that part of our heart that is missing.  When we struggle He is by our side.  When we are filled with grief, Jesus longs to hold us close to His Sacred Heart, even if we cannot feel His presence, He is with us.  Jesus understands our darkest hours and is waiting to comfort and console us. 

So with faith and confidence in God’s unconditional love and abundant mercy, let us turn to him in our time of need and ask for forgiveness.  He will heal us!

My Lord and My Savior, in good times and bad, thank you for never abandoning me.

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

In today’s gospel we reflect on Jesus’ transfiguration and perhaps we are able to see a glimpse of our own conversion. During this time of preparation for the resurrection of our Lord, we are invited to an inner change that can transform our lives completely.

So how do we do that?  Well, the first step is to simply spend time walking with the Lord and allow Him to supply our every need. I know sometimes this is not always easy, but we all need to be changed. We all need to soften our hearts and lean on God just a little more. It is during the challenges and difficulties in life that we allow Jesus to transform our hearts.

Just like the apostles in today’s gospel, we too can have a mountain top experience. And if you have ever experienced that then you know we eventually have to come down from the mountain and pick up our cross, but the good news is we do so with Christ by our side. Then slowly as we come to “know, love and serve the Lord,” we grow in trust. We begin to open our hearts, our eyes and our ears to the one who renews our lives.

Mother Mary, pray for us. Jesus we trust in you.

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

Being in the dark can be scary, right? The last time the lights went out in a storm, I bet the first thing you reached for was a candle. I think in today’s gospel Jesus wants us to be a candle in the dark. That single source of light that can transform a dark room. 

In today’s first reading from Isaiah, God gives us a clue on how to be the light in the dark. We can glorify Him by serving others.  We do this through the corporal works of mercy; feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked and giving to the poor.  This is when people see and experience God’s love. This is how we allow God’s grace to shine before others.

When we put away our pride and humble ourselves to help others, everyone wins and our unselfish act becomes the light in a dark world. God not only wants us to give Him the glory, but he wants all of us to share in that glory.  Trust me He notices and people will also notice your kindness. Then slowly your generosity will overcome the darkness.

So today, reflect on those people in your life to whom God is calling you to shine His light. Ask the Lord to reveal to you who is in need of an act of charity, mercy, compassion or forgiveness.  Ask Him for the grace to be the light in their darkness. Ponder those times in your life when God’s light was revealed to you, perhaps by a friend, loved one or even a stranger. I know when someone lifts me up I am filled with gratitude. And gratitude always leads to kindness.

So today, be there for those who dwell in darkness.  Put on the light of Christ and be the light of the world glorifying Christ by your light.

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