Recently I was sharing with our Prayer Partners that over the last several months I have come to realize that though the need is great in our communities for food support and such, the greater need I often see in those we serve is for them to know the love of God.
The motherly heart within me longs for each person to know their own personal worth (and strength) in this very LOVE which is God; to know that each day is a new day in God. When we turn to God it doesn't matter what happened yesterday, two weeks ago, or 20 years ago - what matters is what you do today! So, following a prayerful inspiration, beginning Friday, October 16th - on the Feast of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, the Saint of the Sacred Heart, we will begin a 29 Day Novena of Trust for our visitors here at Joseph's House and the success of our upcoming Thanksgiving Assistance Program. A Novena, based on the days Our Lady and the Apostles spent in the Upper Room after the Ascension of Christ, is a time to pull ourselves away and open ourselves up to the Holy Spirit and the Voice of God. Though Novena's are usually 9 days or 9 weeks in length, ours will be a little longer, a little extra time to focus on the Lord and His desires for our lives. Will you join me? My Novena, as I mentioned above will be offered for the visitors here at Joseph's House and the success of our upcoming Thanksgiving Program. What, or who, will you offer your Novena for? More details and information coming tomorrow! Photo by See The Holy Land - Flickr: Mount Zion, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Some time ago I read a book that moved me very deeply and left me with a great deal to think about. The book was A Song for Nagasaki by Father Paul Glynn.
In this book, beautifully written, the reader is lead through the story of conversion, strength and authenticity demonstrated in the life of Takashi Nagai. One quote from Takashi comes back often to me in my work here at Joseph's House - "Assistance is authentic...when it helps restore a person's dignity." In this time of great need in the world, may we strive to honor, and restore when needed, each others dignity - which, is a gift from God Himself! Goal #1 of our Mission here at Joseph's House - to serve the entire person, not just the moments need. Please pray for our visitors, their needs, their desires and their struggles. Photo by Elijah O'Donnell on Unsplash "Man was created to praise, reverence, and serve God in this world
and to be happy with him forever in the next." - Servant of God Walter J. Ciszek, S.J. May our love shown for our brothers and sisters in crisis, of any kind, truly manifest our praise and reverence of God and our desire to serve Him! Our day begins. How will we fill it for the good of others? How will we serve our brothers and sisters? What offerings of love can we offer today to God? Servant of God Walter J. Ciszek, pray for us. Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash Today in the Church we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Peter Claver. His words remind us that what we "do" can often change hearts when what we "say" cannot, or will not. "We must speak to them with our hands, before we try to speak to them with our lips." - Saint Peter Claver May we love our brothers and sisters today with actions - spreading Christ's love to all we meet. Saint Peter Claver, pray for us! Photo by Andre Ouellet on Unsplash Yesterday was the Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene. Often confused for who she truly was, but known to truly love Jesus and be loved by Him! Healed by Jesus, she then followed Him. At His death upon the Cross, she remained at His feet. For her love He showered upon her the gift of being the first to encounter Him after His resurrection. With Saint Mary Magdalene we can say: Heal me Jesus. Give me strength to follow You. Give me courage to stand with You in every trial and agony. Place upon me the gift to see You, to encounter You and to love You! "When I see Magalene...I feel that her heart understood the abyss of love and mercy in the heart of Jesus." - Saint Therese of Lisieux Saint Mary Magdalene, pray for us! Photo by Grant Whitty on Unsplash What is true happiness?
Father Jacques Philippe in his book, Searching for and Maintaining Peace tells us, "This is the way to happiness,... leave God free to act in His way, He is infinitely more capable of rendering us happy than we ourselves are, because He knows us and loves us more than we can ever know or love ourselves." So often in today's world we base our happiness or unhappiness, on what we have or what we desire to have. Good Saint John of the Cross points out that it is only when we lay aside the things we strive for, trust God to provide our needs, and make a real effort to follow God's path that we will truly find the depth of happiness and peace that God promises: "All things were given to me from the moment when I no longer sought them." - Saint John of the Cross May we strive this day and always to allow God to show us what true happiness is and to live simply desiring Him and His desires for us! Photo by Ben White on Unsplash I love this time of year in the Church. Though the world has moved on from Christmas, Valentines Day is already out in the stores, as Christians we are called to live these remaining Christmas Days with focus and joy. (The last day of the Christmas Season is Saturday, January 11)
In the Liturgy of the Mass we hear and see Jesus, the man, demonstrate God's promise of love and care for all - the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. Yet at the same time, in the Christmas reflections (In Conversation with God) we hear and see the trust that Joseph had, while fathering Jesus the baby, in God's promise of love and care for all - the escape from Herod and the flight into Egypt. Even these chosen two, Joseph and Mary, were not spared from hardship and difficulty. May we always remember in the trials of our life that God has our back. May we strive to be open to His grace and attentive to His guidance. May we trust, even when we do not understand how things will work out or where the road is leading us. And, may we, like the apostles share our "five loaves and two fishes" for the glory of God and the benefit of others. "...being close to God does not mean being free from pain or difficulties. God has only promised us the serenity and fortitude to face up to them." - In Conversation with God / January 7th As we wait for The Child this Advent, may our Lord shower each of us with an understanding of our own call to Spiritual Childhood.
"Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." - Luke 18:17 A child lives fully in the present and nothing more. The adult's less admirable predisposition is to look restlessly to the future, ignoring the here and now, the present moment, which ought to be lived to the full. - Season of Advent, December 19th / In Conversation with God May we slow our Advent down and wait with joyful hope for the Babe who is our Answer and our King! (Photo by Ben White courtesy of Unsplash) WONDER AND AWE
There is a wonderful Spiritual Reading series called - In Conversation with God by Francis Fernandez. With reflections for the Liturgical Season and Daily Readings, this series is a wonderful way to live the Liturgical Year of the Church and grow deeper in your faith. Yesterday's reflection was all around St. Joseph! His call, his quiet (almost hidden) love and care of Jesus, and his trust in God. In a world that began celebrating Christmas back in October, may we strive to slow down and spend these remaining days of Advent with Joseph walking towards the Nativity. As we wait patiently for the Christ Child, may we know peace, love and joy in our life. Sancte Joseph, ora pro eis, ora pro me. (Saint Joseph, pray for them, pray for me.) - Season of Advent, December 17th / In Conversation with God |
Director -Deacon Dennis Moore
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