Sunday Wisdom

“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. In today’s gospel Simon Peter asks a crucial question, “Lord, to whom shall we go, you have the words of everlasting life.”

True enough, but what is faith? For me, faith is listening to the Lord, believing what I hear and acting on what I believe with love! Sure there are a lot of distractions and even evil goings on in our world, but the one safe way to know we are on the right track is to listen with our hearts and always act with love.

Life gets messy! Bad things happen to good people! What we must always remember is that faith is what sees us through even the darkest of times. So listen with your heart, believe what you hear and act in kindness and love.

I pray you will have a blessed and faith-filled week.

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

Mary certainly was a women of great faith and trust. Elizabeth praises her because of her belief and her courage to live in truth. Did you notice how Mary responds? She passes along the praise and gives glory to God.

There is no false humility in Mary’s prayer. It is the true humility of knowing that all that is being accomplished in her is being accomplished by God. She not only accepts the greatness of her mission, but she accepts it fully, joyfully and without hesitation.

It is much like the line in today’s gospel, “The hungry he fills with good things while the rich are sent empty away.” We have come to understand that the hungry are those who are aware that they can do nothing by themselves and that everything is a gift from God. The rich would be those who think they have it all when in reality, they have nothing that lasts.

Let us choose then to put our trust in the Lord and to do His will l joyfully and fearlessly, giving all glory to the one who created us. I pray that you have a blessed week!

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

Amen, Amen I say to you I am the bread of life, whoever believes will have eternal life.

Sounds simple right? Well maybe not so much, for to know and love is to move through life with compassion and as Paul teaches us, there is no room for bitterness or malice, none. Love is kindness through compassion and must always include forgiveness.

Jesus taught us how to love by offering love, mercy and forgiveness to everyone. I have to admit sometimes this is so difficult. To forgive those who have hurt you is tough and may at times seem impossible, but if we are going to imitate Christ, we must first forgive. Without forgiveness our love is conditional.

Forgiveness typically brings more healing to the one forgiving, not the forgiven. Forgiveness is a choice and sometimes depending on the situation, the one being forgiven is totally unaware. We can forgive and be healed without coming face to face with the one who has hurt us. Forgiveness is the key to loving and living fully and compassionately. Don’t wait for someone to ask for forgiveness. Forgive anyway and move on. You will experience the healing power of God’s mercy!

Lord, teach me how to love with a love that always forgives.

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

Today’s gospel is so familiar, we hear it a lot and while it appears that Jesus is taking care of the hunger needs His people are experiencing, Jesus wants to give us so much more.

Yes, He always takes care of our physical needs, but He wants to nourish our souls as well. What is your soul thirsting for? As we look deeper into today’s gospel reading we find that Our Lord and Savior is offering His Love and Mercy to us and is willing to be with us every step of the way.

Jesus is the one who sets up tiny miracles in our everyday lives. He also prepares us to receive these miracles and when we spend time in prayer He gathers us close to him and sometimes we can see His hand in our lives.

So, what is your soul thirsting for?

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

Jesus knows the importance of balance. There is a time to be set aside for quiet prayer and a time to be with others. This gospel passage brings so much hope because Jesus knows exactly what we need and is always with us. He knows and understands human suffering and yet he is a ray of hope.

This passage emphasizes Jesus’ identity as the true, divine shepherd, who will guide his sheep into the kingdom and heal us whenever we open our heart to His mercy.

Jesus needed some time to “Come Aside and Rest Awhile”. He even knew that his disciples needed a quiet place to recharge and yet, when he saw the crowd, he was moved with pity and compassion. He recognized His flock of lost sheep and “began to teach them many things” (Mark 6:34).

We are all hungry. Hungry for spiritual food, the very word of God. So be filled with hope today. Call on the divine Savior, the Good Shepherd, for He will lead us all to the kingdom of heaven.

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

The gospel reminds us that we who hear the Good News belong to the chosen ones. We have all been chosen to be sent. We all have been given special talents to build up the kingdom of God.  Maybe we will not be sent to a foreign land but we can make a difference in the lives of our immediate family, friends and co-workers.

We can bring hope to those in despair or even heal a broken heart. Sometimes all we need is to take the time to listen and be willing to help.

We all have a mission, so whatever place we are in, let’s make a positive impact. A simple smile or sincere offer of help to the needy is a great place to start.

Do not be afraid and don’t be concerned if people reject us. They already rejected the ONE who sent us.

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

Today the gospel reading tells the story of how the people in His hometown were at a crossroad and their lack of faith became their biggest stumbling block. But not everyone rejected Jesus, he was able to heal. What is one person’s stumbling block can be a stepping stone for another. Thank goodness the Lord is patient with us.

Apparently it was hard for them to believe that a simple son of a carpenter could be so filled with wisdom and power. This must have caused Jesus some internal suffering, after all everyone wants to be accepted in their hometown, and Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith. Jesus could not exercise His power of healing because of the negativity and lack of faith.

Every day we face a variety of situations where we find ourselves at a crossroad to be an imitation of Christ or not. It is good to ask the Holy Spirit to give us the strength and the courage to get out of the way and let the Lord heal us.

I am thankful that Jesus is merciful and compassionate as He continues to knock at the door or our hearts. This image is depicted in a famous painting of the Good Shepherd knocking on a door without a latch. The door of our heart can only be opened from the inside. God does not force anything on us and the decision to open the door and surrender our heart to Him is ours.

So let us be filled with courage and open our hearts.

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

Because Jesus sacrificed His life for all us, we can receive the riches of His love daily.  In today’s gospel Jairus and the hemorrhaging women were desperate and knew they needed healing that only Jesus could provide.

When we acknowledge our spiritual poverty, we open our hearts to the riches of Jesus’ love and mercy.  It is hard to confess our weaknesses and acknowledge our temptations, but when we do our faith grows.  We humble ourselves to receive!

Let us strive to be like Jairus and the woman in today’s gospel, to not only admit that we need Jesus, but to trust and have faith that God will provide for all of our needs.

Jesus, thank you for dying for us.  We trust in your love and your wisdom to meet all of our needs.

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

Happy Father’s Day! I am blessed that my Dad is still in my life and living about 25 minutes from me. The gospel for today is perfect for Father’s Day because who is better than our earthly Father and our heavenly Father at calming all our fears! It is both our earthly and heavenly Father who calms our anxieties.

Sometimes the storms of life can be overwhelming, but that is precisely when we need to trust in our Lord and Savior because He is always in the boat with us. He is always watching over us.

When we rely on our own strength or understanding to do things our way, we can only do so much. But Jesus’ power is limitless. Sure sometimes things don’t work out easily or ever, for what we consider to be the best, but that does not mean that Jesus has abandoned us. He always cares about us and is always in the boat with us, no matter how rough the storm.

Sometimes Jesus does calm the storms in our lives and other times He calms us, giving us the strength to bear our burdens and carry our crosses. When we trust and when we have faith, then we are filled with a calming peace, even in the toughest of times. Father in heaven, thank you for sending your Only Begotten Son to us.

Jesus I trust in you!

The Kingdom of God exists for us all and everything makes a difference. The simple things we say or do can have a big influence on others.  It is like the saying I used to tell my kids, especially when they were in high school. “People might not remember your name, but they will always remember your kindness.”

The seeds of kindness sprout everywhere and no matter how small our deed, we can bring love and hope to our communities.  We can spread peace and justice and yes, we can make a difference.  So be that tiny mustard seed and allow yourself to grow. Let’s change the world one heart at a time.

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