Sunday Wisdom

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

In today’s readings, we are reminded of God’s abundant love for us and that Jesus will never abandon us. By offering us the beatitudes Jesus envisions our everyday life transformed into something new. He challenges us to care for the poor and be aware of injustice. He wants us to think about his promise of love to us and how we can extend that same love and mercy to our neighbors. He wants us to step out of our complacency and change the world.

This is a life of hope where our rewards will be great in heaven. But, we cannot do it alone. We cannot rely only on our human strength, we need the Holy Spirit so we will have the courage to move forward in holy boldness. We have to first strengthen our relationship with Jesus and then we will be filled and able to extend unconditional love and generosity to others.

So today, read through the eight Beatitudes and focus on how Jesus is teaching all of us the virtues and values in life that will result in blessings and rewards.

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

The main characters in each of today’s readings, Isaiah, Paul and Peter, all have a sacred encounter with the Lord. Praise God there is something captivating by His holy presence. When we truly encounter our Lord, something miraculous happens, Jesus cuts straight to our heart and offers us all sacred hope.

In the midst of our everyday, ordinary lives, we are a mixture of good and bad. Sometimes our faith is fervent and pure, other times, not so much. And sometimes in the midst of God’s holiness, we can only focus on our unworthiness, but the good news is that God is not going anywhere. Of course God’s holiness should stop us in our tracks and fill us with awe, but it can also bring us hope.

The Lord is always walking with us. He is always in our boat, even when we turn away from him or try to run from his love. He is always willing to cut straight to our heart and remove any doubt and/or fear. The real question is how will we respond to His love and mercy.

Will we respond with love, mercy and thanksgiving, or will we reject His sacred grace? We are all unworthy, but the good news is that when we stand before the Lord empty and little, with open and humble hearts, he can fill us with the grace of His love, mercy and sacred hope.

So don’t let your feelings of unworthiness keep you from Jesus. Go to him, empty and little. I promise you he will fill you and bless you with more goodness than you could ever imagine.

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

In our world today success seems to be the primary goal. We set goal for ourselves and when we fail to attain them, wonder what is wrong with us. And yet we hear in today’s readings the only real goal is love. The questions we should be asking ourselves is how well do we love and are we loved by others?

After all loving and being loved is the only accomplishment we can take with us to our life in heaven. Sure working and being successful at our job is good, but love is the greater good.  Good news we can do both!.

The Presence of God’s eternal love is something Mother Teresa knew well. Her example of ordinary and extraordinary acts of kindness changed the world. How can we be that light for others?  How can our ordinary acts of kindness change the lives of those we will meet today?

To live in real love is to think of others first. It is to live in the present, not dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. Living in real love is not easy, but it is rewarding because love without sacrificing is empty love .However, in order to live in real love we have to love by God’s standard and not our own and that can be hard.  

Jesus is our supreme example of how to continue to move forward in love despite opposition and rejection. Sure sometimes we fail to recognize Jesus in our lives, but He is there, always with us, always protecting us. Our lives are for but a moment, so take some time in prayer today and allow Jesus to rekindle your fire of love for others.

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

In today’s gospel Jesus performs his first miracle which begins His public ministry and in doing so he teaches us and his disciples a lesson in great love and also magnifies powerful love of Mary our Mother.

Mary in her great love and gentleness tells the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”  Mary is concerned about the young couple and those at the wedding feast, not herself or her son.  She shows her great love and concern for the needs of this young couple, just as she does for all of our needs, big and small. Jesus’ great love and obedience for his mother led him into ministry.  This is why we can confidently call on our Mother Mary to intercede for us. To Jesus, through Mary!

Mary certainly gets the attention of the servants who have just filled six stone jars with water.  I wonder who all of their lives were changed that day? Did you know that the number six signifies imperfections?  Interesting how Jesus not only turns ordinary water into extraordinary wine and makes perfect those six stone jars.  He not only transforms the water, but he transforms the jars. They turn from an ordinary instrument of daily work into a spring of joy. 

Throughout marriage while sacrificing for one another our jars can become empty.  We could allow them to become as hard as stone or we can allow Jesus to enter our hearts in order to bring love and forgiveness to one another. This will transform our jars and we will be filled with joy.

Mary is gently whispering to you, “Do whatever He tells you, Do whatever He asks you.”  What is Jesus asking you to do?  Will you empty yourself for Jesus and allow Him to turn your water into wine? 

With the help of our Lord, ordinary tasks can become extraordinary. I pray that Jesus will fill you with His powerful love and mercy so that you can spread joy to those around you. Be blessed by friends!

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

The Baptism of Jesus is a celebration of the Father’s love and the beginning of the Jesus’ public ministry. The Father is filled with joy with His Son’s obedience, humility and trust.  With this great love and joy the Father announces from heaven that he is pleased with his beloved Son. “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22).

With so much that has happened in this world, the uncertainty and daily struggles often allow us to give in to fear and then doubt creeps in. I get it, but trust me it does not have to define you because your identity as part of God’s family can fill you with that unexpected joy of unconditional love.  God wants to continually fill you with the Holy Spirit so that you are strengthened and encouraged to fulfill the work God has planned for you.

The Holy Spirit is present at Jesus’ baptism just as the Spirit was present at your baptism. So go ahead, recommit your baptismal promise, ask for a renewed Spirit and then listen as God reminds you that you His beloved child and He will never abandon you.

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

What a joy it is to celebrate the birth of our Lord.  The readings for this Christmas encourage us to develop a heart of gratitude and inspire us to share the joy of the mystery of a child born from Mary with others. 

Whenever we receive a gift, it is precious and we rejoice because it is a sign that someone loves us and cares for us. God so loved the world, (that is all of us,  you, me, everyone) that he gave his only Begotten Son to us, which is a huge gift, right?  If you have children then you totally understand the magnitude of giving up one of your children for the good of all.  God’s tremendous love for us shows how much he cares us and is a light in our darkness.

The darkness of wintertime and the feast of this season reminds us of our brokenness, our sins and our need to be redeemed.  Into the darkness and messiness of our lives, God comes to dwell among us and brings light into our midst.

May the Light of Christ bless us all and fill our homes this Christmas Season.

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

As we continue to open our hearts throughout this Advent Season, let our Joy be bigger than our Fear so that our response is to follow the example of obedience and service established by Jesus and His mother. It was Mary’s willingness to accept GOD’s plan that brought so much Joy into the world. Her kindness and service to Elizabeth reveals how very much Mary is aware of GOD’s presence in her life.

 So these coming weeks, as we focus on the Lord Jesus’ presence with us, let us open our heart to be called to bring the Lord Jesus to others. Who in your life needs to be visited, who could benefit from a kind word or a gentle smile?

Our caring and compassionate deeds do make a positive impact on others and is a simply way to remind our friends, family, neighbors, even strangers that they are valued and blessed by GOD. 

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

During this Advent Season we continue to hear from John the Baptist and his message is simple, conversion.  It is a loud and boastful call for us to evaluate what is important in our lives and perhaps, change our direction.  What is it that keeps us from living authentic lives, the life Christ has called us to live?

This gospel is also a call for evangelization.  How well do I share my faith with others?  Of course not everyone will listen, but my friends the love of Christ and His Mercy is so powerful, I do not want you to miss out on living a life of being loved unconditionally by our Savior.

So, this Advent Season I pray we can all lay down our brokenness and our burdens and put on the face of Christ, so that we can be empty and little allowing the Holy Spirit to fill us and bless us with the fire of His love.

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