Sunday Wisdom

In today’s readings and gospel we are reminded to be patient, have faith and wait for the Lord.  Well, that is so much easier said than done.  How many times in our lives have we been patient waiting for the Lord to answer a prayer.

There are many times we have to remind ourselves that God’s timing is not our timing and just because we don’t get what we want, or it takes longer than we think it should, does not mean God is not listening.  He hears our every prayer and is working on a solution that will be the best for our souls and for those around us.

Depending on what you are going through physically, mentally or spiritual being patient and waiting on the Lord is hard and sometimes the darkness of doubt and fear overshadows the light of Christ in our world.

If you have ever had doubts, do not despair because you are in good company. Even John the Baptist had doubts.  The good news is that Jesus is always aware. He was aware of John’s doubts and He is aware of ours. Do not lose hope and be encouraged because Jesus did not rebuke John for his doubts. Actually, just the opposite, He praised John to be “the greatest of all those born of women.” He treated John with love and compassion and He will do the same for us. 

Jesus always knows our struggles, He knows our love for Him and our desire to walk in the light of hope. So if you are having doubts this Advent season, then give it all to Jesus. Lay it down at the foot of the cross.  Allow Jesus to reassure you, to love you, to strengthen your faith and bring you back into the light of hope. 

My prayer today is that we will all allow Jesus to be present in our lives so we can feel His love and mercy. Jesus’ perfect love for us truly will dispel all doubts and fear. Jesus I Trust in You!

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

Today we celebrate the feast of Christ the King.  Yes, Jesus is the King of my universe, how about yours? 

I find today’s gospel filled with hope. Why? Because I say Jesus is King of my universe, but my actions don’t always show it. Oh my desire to do good and be Christ to others is there, but in my human brokenness, I stumble, fall, and fail. 

Rejoice, because Jesus knows the human struggle and pain.  He affirmed that on the cross when He died for you and me.  He understands when we suffer and the good news is Jesus also promised He would never leave us. He never promised an easy life, but in the struggle, in the pain, we find him at our side, faithful and ready to shower us with His forgiveness and mercy!

So if you are struggling today, lay your burdens at the foot of the cross and allow the King of Glory to enter into your heart and heals all your wounds.

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

Today’s gospel invites us to trust that Jesus will never forsake us.  It is an invitation to a deeper belief in the resurrection, which is the foundation of our faith.

What sustains you in times of adversity?  When you are facing difficulties in life or with your health, what gives you strength?  For me it is prayer and the steadfast trust in the hope of our resurrection.

Jesus calls us to be people of hope. Try not to be discouraged by situations of this world, but rather fix your eyes on Jesus and trust in His divine love. Stay connected to God through prayer, in good times and in bad, and then when death comes it will not be the end of our connection with God.   

So today, let us put our hope in God’s promise that He will never abandon us. Allow God’s love and grace to fill us with joy and trust that one day we will be united with our loved ones in heaven.

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

Sometimes it is easier to see the shortcomings in others so we don’t have to face our own insecurities.  The link between humility and divine charity always helps us all to follow Jesus more intentionally.  But let’s face it, true humility is hard. Daily prayer and living a more generous and charitable life is really the key to growing closer to the Lord.

In today’s gospel the tax collector was aware of his failings and shortcomings and he opened his heart to God and begged for mercy. The Pharisee on the other hand was more interested in singing his own praises. 

Of course we should not overlook the good deeds of the Pharisee, clearly he was a spiritual man trying to do the right thing, but because he allowed pride to get in the way, he missed the opportunity to have a sincere encounter God.

Let us lift our hearts in daily prayer in honesty and humility so our hearts will be open and we will be ready to receive all the grace and mercy our Lord has to offer us.

Today, let us reflect on how we can live a more generous and charitable life and invite the Lord in, so we can be transformed by His love.

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

In today’s gospel Jesus invites us to experience a deeper understanding of our journey of faith through detachment.  Jesus invites us to take up our cross and journey with him and in doing so, we mature in our faith.  He did not promise that it would be easy, in fact, he warns us of many obstacles.  We will make mistakes and we will have times of sorrow, but when we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, joy will come.  When we detach from the things or the people that hinder our relationship with the Lord, we find that God’s grace is enough.

What are the things or habits in your life that keep you from experiencing God’s love and mercy?

What are you willing to give up for the sake of Jesus?

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

In today’s gospel, Jesus refers to the strong who will be able to enter the narrow gate. How strong are you and how do we build up our strength? Jesus did not give us a routine exercise to follow, but he did give us the church. We must continue to exercise our trust in the Lord and have faith that we are given all we need, not always what we want, but what we need to grow in love.

We need God’s sanctifying grace to grow stronger spiritually, and to grow in holiness. We need to recognize that we are not alone. God is love and he is not going anywhere, regardless of how many times we turn our backs on Him. He is not going to go love some and not others. He does not change His mind about loving us because we made a bad choice.

This is great news for us and brings us hope. God loves the good and the bad. His sun shines on everyone and so we continue to build up our strength by loving others and growing in our relationship through prayer. When we trust that God gives us all that we need, we grow in humility and recognize our need for His mercy. As we open our hearts we can then recognize that God has many more graces waiting for us; graces that will continue to build up our strength.

So go ahead, flex those trust muscles and begin building up strength to enter that narrow gate. Jesus, have mercy on me. Jesus, I trust in you. God Bless you all!

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

Psalm 90:12-13 reminds us that we must gain the wisdom of the heart. God does not want us to focus on material things, He wants us to know that our true value. He wants us to see through His eye so we can be the man or woman He created us to be. This is hard because we can often be consumed with vanity and personal possessions, power, wealth etc.  But God does not want us to be of this world, He wants us to store up those things of heaven. To do this we must remain open to God’s voice.

Let us all reflect today on our personal struggle with greed and material possession.   
The Lord wants to give us so much more. We all know that happiness that can be bought is only temporary.     

Jesus offers us hope. When we prioritize the things that we have and focus on our life with Christ, we will find happiness. I guess we really need to ask ourselves this question, how can I help bring happiness to others using the gifts and things I already have? 

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

In today’s gospel, Jesus honors a Samaritan by making him the hero of the story, not the priest or the Levite. Jesus was making a point about love and neighbor.

Love is action.
In this parable, the law of love is written in the heart of a nameless Samarian man who through mercy shows compassion to someone in need. His compassion shows us how to love even when there is no personal gain.  His action shows us that color and creed do not matter when someone is hurting. We become united in suffering and when we take the time to walk with someone in need, we too are blessed.

The unfortunate reality is that sometimes we don’t want to be bothered and other times we don’t recognize those who are in need. But when we allow the mercy of our Lord to penetrate our hearts, we are able to look beyond ourselves, open our spiritual eyes, and see others in need.   

So who is our neighbor?
Jesus illustrates it perfectly in this parable. Our neighbor is anyone in need, regardless of their ethnic, religious, or socio-economic status. Loving our neighbor is challenging and often involves sacrifice. Sometimes we even have to reject the fear and prejudice that resides in our own hearts in order to show God’s mercy.  So maybe the better question is who will I be a neighbor to today?

Have mercy on me O God and help me to recognize those in need.

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

The Lord speaks to us all in so many different ways, including through Scripture readings. Today’s gospel is about spreading the Good News of Jesus and in doing so we plant seeds that only the Lord can harvest.

When the 72 were sent out to every town and place, they were given specific instructions on how to offer Christ’s love, peace and healing, but also warned that some may not be ready to hear what they have to say.  It all comes down to discipleship and even today, we are all called to be part of this mission.

Every time you offer forgiveness to someone, you share Christ’s love and mercy and you dispel the darkness.  Every time you reach out to someone in need, you show Christ’s compassion and generosity and you dispel the darkness.  Every time you share the truth about God’s love you give hope and yes, you dispel the darkness. 

Sharing the love truth about God’s love and mercy is what we are called to do and when we trust, the Lord will do the rest. Lord Jesus, empowered by your triumph over the cross, we praise you and share in your victory in silencing the “father of all lies.”

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

Praise be Jesus, for He will return.  What a hope filled gospel we have today to remind us that in the midst of all the pain, sadness, and violence around us Jesus promises us hope.  Hope that is, if we are faithful and allow Him to enter into our hearts. 

He reminds us to not be afraid.  Fear of failure can often rob creativity and leave us paralyzed. I am by no means a bible expert, but I do believe “Do not be afraid” or some version of it appears in the gospel at least 365 times!  Wow, that is once a day.  Probably because the Lord knows how quickly we fall and try to do things all on our own, but we don’t have to, which is precisely why, He sends us the Holy Spirit.

With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can understand the truth about God. Don’t be discouraged, even the apostles who walked side by side with Jesus did not fully get it. Many times the Lord had to repeat himself and tell them “Do not to be afraid”.  We are no different.  We too can ask Jesus to enter into our hearts to enlighten and empower us.

So today, open your hearts and allow the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ to enter in and fill you will hope and joy for the journey ahead. 

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