Sunday Wisdom

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

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday and it is also Mother’s Day, so Happy Mother’s Day to all women who at one time or another used wisdom to shepherd one of God’s precious children, regardless of how old.

I think it is wonderful how Jesus cares for all of us, calls us each by name and will not abandon any of us regardless of how hard we might try to stray from the flock.  Jesus will leave the 99 to search for that one lost soul and that is great news to all of us, because if you are like me then you may have strayed a time or two in your life.

Jesus loves us with an unconditional love, much like the love of a mother for her child.   The Lord blessed me with two beautiful children and I am forever grateful.  I am also blessed to still have my mom, a devoted to Christ 84 year old who is carrying Jesus forsaken in the form of cancer.  Suffering is never easy, but praise God she is not in great pain and while she tires easily, is devoted to watching Mass on EWTN and saying her daily prayers.  What a gift.

My heart goes out to all of you who may be missing your mom on this day and I pray that the loving memories you hold of her will sustain you on this day. 

Thank you Jesus my Good Shepherd, for always guiding me and loving me, even when I went astray.

Happy Mother’s Day!

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

As many of you know my mom has been sick and is battling cancer.  She has her good days and her bad.  My dad is the “saint” who takes care of her every need day in and day out.  If you have ever watched someone you love suffer, then you know the faith and compassion that is needed to suffer in silence right along with them. 

The good news is that we do not have to suffer alone.  Our Lord and Savior suffered and died on the cross for all of us.  There is so much suffering all around us, with the war in Ukraine, the increased gun violence and the general disrespect for life. We all have struggles and if you are suffering, my prayers go out to you. Let us unite together and be aware of the presence of God in our midst. Let us band together and trust that God is with us in his power and strength, giving us the grace we need to move forward.

In today’s gospel even the apostles were suffering after the crucifixion of Jesus, but Jesus did not abandon them. He appeared again, the third appearance after his resurrection, to comfort and unite them. 

If you are like me then you can relate to Peter, always wanting to follow the Lord, but at times falling short.  But Jesus did not abandon Peter, not even after he denied Him three times.  Instead, Jesus returns to Peter and His apostles to strengthen them through the Eucharist. 

Like Peter, we are all called to follow Him and like Peter many times we deny Jesus through our thoughts and in our actions. Yet, Jesus did not give up on Peter and He will not give up on you.  Peter denied our Lord three times and three times our Lord gave Peter the opportunity to return to Him, begin anew and be a daily witness of love, compassion and forgiveness.  Like Peter, let us love the Lord despite our shortcomings, failures and weaknesses.  May God continue to bless you all.

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

Praise the Lord, He is Risen.  Christ not only died for you and for me, but He also opened the gates of heaven for us!  Now that is a reason to proclaim Alleluia!  May your Easter Season be filled with wonder and awe.  Let us all come together with one mind and one heart to praise our Risen King!

Happy Easter!

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

Let the first among you without sin cast the first stone.  Thank you Lord, for that is so encouraging!

Our gospel today is a reminder that we are all sinners and that no sin is too big for God to forgive.  What a message of hope.  The Lord’s mercy is upon all who ask!  Jesus is always calling all of us to a higher level of conversion, forgiving our every failure and asking us to begin anew. 

We are not defined by our sin, but by how well we receive and accept our Lord’s grace to keep striving for spiritual perfection.  Yes, sometimes our humanness slows us down, but every time we go to the Lord and seek his forgiveness, we are strengthened with renewed grace.

So pick up your cross, embrace it, and ask the Lord to help you carry it!  I promise you will not be disappointed.  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your soul –then you will find peace to continue the journey of living and loving all of God’s creation.

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

God’s love for all of us is not only unconditional it is unconceivable. When we put our trust in the Lord we are on the road to Heaven. To live a peace-filled life, we need to trust in the Lord our Savior with every fiber of our being. Be aware of His continual presence. Yes, this is much easier said than done but anything worth having is worth working for and while we do not need to do anything for the Lord, we do need to stay connected to Him through prayer.

Today’s gospel is about unconditional love, mercy and forgiveness. We need to wait in loving silence and trust in good times and bad. If we don’t how ever will we know which task of the day needs our attention. Today many people are in need and there are many good causes that need our help, but if we don’t take time in prayer to listen to the Lord and stay connected we lose sight of His Holy Presence and run the risk of missing the blessings and graces He has planned for us.

God’s love and mercy is not of this world and that is why forgiveness always trumps human justice and this is precisely why God’s mercy and compassion through reconciliation is so powerful. God never judges us, He just forgives and welcomes us home. Yes, our world is a hot mess, but we must continue to trust in the Lord and listen in prayer to hear and know our mission for every day. Yes we sometimes get busy doing good things and forget to take time for prayer and yes we sometimes fail, but if we never fail or have sadness, then we can never experience God’s profound mercy, compassion and love. God loves you!

Remember the acronym, BUSY-Being Under Satan’s Yoke and spend time in prayer to see where the Lord is leading you today. This week, be aware of His presence in your life, then wait in loving silence and be filled with Joy!

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

The season of Lent is a time for us to change our hearts, make a path for Jesus in all our ways and focus our minds on living and loving more like Christ.  However, as you know whenever we grow closer to the Lord, the Satan is always on our back just waiting to use our weakness against us and tempt us. 

This is why now more than ever we need to commit ourselves to silent personal pray and to read and reflect on Scripture.  Jesus was led to the desert by the Holy Spirit where the Father was waiting to strengthen Him and unite with Him in a deeply personal way.

We see in today’s gospel that Jesus was tempted three times by the devil in the same way Adam and Eve were tempted in the garden of Eve (Genesis 3:1-6).  The devil strives to tempt all of us through pleasure, power, and pride. Jesus, after being strengthened in the desert was ready to completely surrender to the love and mercy of His Father.  Praise God for that because He saved us! But we can spit it the devil’s face, by our loving offering of prayer, fasting and giving to the poor.

Sure we feel weak sometimes and our sinfulness can easily cause us to turn away from Jesus, but that is precisely what the devil is hoping will happen.  So this Lent let us allow the Scriptures of each day to strengthen us to overcome our personal temptations.  

Remember, Lent is much more about what God wants to do for us and how we allow God’s grace to work within us.  Be strong my friends and let us pray together: “Lord, strengthen me through your word this Lent.”

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

Today’s gospel is challenging and calls us to evaluate how well we love others. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Jesus provides us with some valuable food for thought.

Do you judge others?
Judging others can be easy and sometimes just slips into our thoughts.  How many times have we thought the cashier at the store was not very friendly or make a judgment when we smile at a stranger and they do not smile back. Or do we form an opinion or make a judgment on someone based on where they live, where they work or where they go to school….. even before we meet them?

Do you condemn others?
We have great freedom and with freedom comes responsibility. Just because someone is guilty of an offense does not give us the right to condemn. There go I but for the grace of God. Thank you Jesus for your endless mercy and compassion.

Do you forgive others?
The real challenge is how we love those who oppose us, betray us or just see the world differently from us. Forgiveness does not mean that you accept the offense or that the offense never happened. Quite the opposite, forgiveness sees a sin for what it is, forgives and moves on.  This is what Jesus does for us, unconditional love, mercy and forgiveness for all of our mistakes, big and small.  Forgiveness sets the victim free.  Forgiveness does not judge.  Remember the example Jesus gave us from the cross with his unilateral forgiveness.  “Father forgive them, for they know now what they do.”

The grace of God is for everyone, so we need to pray and by placing our needs, our struggles, and our fears before the Lord we are admitting that we cannot go it alone and we accept that we need God’s mercy to love as he did.

The Lord is indeed kind and merciful.  Let us strive to imitate Him.

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