Saint Clare of Assisi

Saint Clare of Assisi

Feast day: August 11

Patron of sore eyes

Clare was a beautiful Italian noblewoman who became the Foundress of an order of nuns now called "Poor Clares." When she heard St. Francis of Assisi preach, her heart burned with a great desire to imitate Francis and to live a poor humble life for Jesus. So one evening, she ran away from home, and in a little chapel outside Assisi, gave herself to God. St. Francis cut off her hair and gave her a rough brown habit to wear, tied with a plain cord around her waist. Her parents tried in every way to make her return home, but Clare would not.

Soon her sister, St. Agnes joined her, as well as other young women who wanted to be brides of Jesus, and live without any money. St. Clare and her sisters wore no shoes, ate no meat, lived in a poor house, and kept silent most of the time. Yet they were very happy, because Our Lord was close to them all the time. Once, He saved them from a great danger in answer to St. Clare's prayer. An army of rough soldiers came to attack Assisi and they planned to raid the convent first. Although very sick, St. Clare had herself carried to the wall and right there, where the enemies could see it, she had the Blessed Sacrament placed. Then on her knees, she begged God to save the Sisters.

"O Lord, protect these Sisters whom I cannot protect now," she prayed. A voice seemed to answer: "I will keep them always in My care." At the same time a sudden fright struck the attackers and they fled as fast as they could. St. Clare was sick and suffered great pains for many years, but she said that no pain could trouble her. So great was her joy in serving the Lord that she once exclaimed: "They say that we are too poor, but can a heart which possesses the infinite God be truly called poor?" We should remember this miracle of the Blessed Sacrament when in Church. Then we will pray with great Faith to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist: "Save me, O Lord, from every evil - of soul and body." Her feast day is August 11.

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and ask for humility as St. Clare did.

Left Overs

Left Overs

“ Still he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” “Seven,” they replied. He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute, and they distributed them to the crowd. They also had a few fish. He said the blessing over them and ordered them distributed also. They ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over—seven baskets. There were about four thousand people. He dismissed them and got into the boat with his disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha.” ~ Mark 8: 5-10

       With it being the day after Thanksgiving, two things come to mind. First, shopping and Second, Left Overs. Some feel that the left overs are even better then the meal itself.  To have left overs means that the host had an abundant amount of food and that even though they filled their guests appetite, they still had more to offer them. I always are concerned if I will have enough and always go over the top to make sure people will be able to take some home with them. God and Jesus does the same for us. They have so much to offer us and They can fill us so much that it overflows and we have left overs to last us. 

      In Mark’s Gospel we read that Jesus fed thousands with just a few loaves of bread and some fish. It was not just enough or that they only had little to eat, they were filled and there was still enough left overs to fill seven baskets. People were fed both physically and spiritually by Jesus that day. They left with His words. Jesus and God’s word can feed us daily. We just need to listen or read it. 

      God calls us to the table each week as Christians and He will always have more then enough for us at the table. There will be none of us that will leave the table not being filled. We first are fed by the word of God, then by the breaking of bread, Jesus body. We are always welcomed at the table and always fed in some way there. Even when we distance ourselves with sin and we are not fed physically, we are still fed spiritually by the word. 

        God and Jesus always has more to give us as long as we are willing to come back each and everyday and even many times a day if we choose it. When we leave mass we take the word with us and it stays with us. It is like the “left overs” from Thanksgiving. We take the word of God out with us and if we put it into action we again are fed by it. 

       There is also somethings else that can come of “left overs”. We can put them in the fridge and forget about them until we start cleaning out the fridge. Then we start the guessing game of what could it have been. The same can happen to the spiritual “left overs” we take from mass. We can place it in the back of our minds and not even think about it again. Then when we try we can not even remember what we took from the mass. It gone and forgotten. What we learned is wasted in that case.  Yet God will again invite us to His table the following week and again gives us spiritual food to take away again. 

        We can continually be fed by the left overs we got from mass on Sunday all week long if we allow it to be. It is both the physical word and spiritual word that we can set in the forefront of our mind, soul and heart each day. It is when we put it in the back of our minds, that what we got and took home from mass, that will spoil and we will not be fed again from it. 

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and take the word with you after mass this weekend, so you may be fed all week.

              

      

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

“Give thanks to the LORD for he is good,his mercy endures forever!”Let that be the prayer of the LORD’s redeemed,those redeemed from the hand of the foe, Those gathered from foreign lands, from east and west, from north and south.” ~ Psalm 107:1-3

Thanksgiving does not have to be just one day that we give thanks but everyday of our lives. Each day is a blessing from God. Each day is a new start. We tend to just ask for things in prayer but if we start with what we are thankful for, we may see that we might have prayed for, we do not really need. That what we have fills us and out wants are less. 

    Many people lost so much these past few weeks along the shore due to Sandy and yet many of those people are thankful for many things. They were thankful they made it out alive and that people came to their aid. People took a stand and helped each other. Neighbors helped Neighbors. People opened their homes to family and friends. Many people donated money, food, clothing and their time to help. This is the kind of things that those who lost are thankful for on this day. 

     Sometimes it takes such an event for us to see what we do have in our lives. During harder times we do see what we do have better then when things are going well. We tend to take things for granted. Same thing happens with God. We are asking and asking and rarely ever Thanking Him for the good things in life. 

       Take some time during the day to say Thank You for what you do have around you and for the people that are around you also. Friends and Family is something that we can Thank for everyday. God uses them to help us and they become His hands and feet here on earth. They comfort us when things are not going so well. It is a blessing to have people in your life. We complain more about those who wronged us but we really need t focus on the ones who are there for us. We need to be thankful for them. Be thankful for the food, the clothes, the roof over your head, your job etc... They may not be fully everything that you wanted but at the least you have something. Really take notice of what you do have then not.

         This is the season of giving. Giving gifts and giving thanks. Remember what God has given you in your life and the gift of Jesus to the world.  I know this blog is like yesterdays but i really feel that we need to be reminded of what we have and thank God for it all. 

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and remember to take notice of what you do have and be thankful for them. 

Give Thanks

Give Thanks

“In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” ~1 Thessalonians 5:18

   On the eve of Thanksgiving I tried to figure out what the topic would be tonight, and there is just a simple message for tonight. Think about the blessings you have in your life today. Thank God for them and pray that others are able to see what they have and not what they do not have this year. The east coast took a great hit and many people lost so much including close people in their lives. 

    When we lose so much, it is hard to see what we do have. Today pray for those who lost so much and that they are able to have a holiday free of stress and pain. Also pray for those who do have much and are not as thankful, so they may see the many blessings in their lives. 

      Take the time today to look around and Thank God for who and what is there for you. I hope that you may have a blessed and thankful holiday. 

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and remember each blessing you have and be thankful.

Community

Community

“We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works. We should not stay away from our assembly,^* as is the custom of some, but encourage one another, and this all the more as you see the day drawing near.” ~Hebrews 10: 24-25

    As Christians we are to build each other up and encourage one another in this life. We can do this by finding a community of believers to belong to. We may first find a church to belong to and that becomes the center of your community. Sometimes it may be a prayer group, bible study, choir, etc, that also becomes part of the community you belong to. 

    It is important for us to find a place of welcoming and faith filled. When we feel we belong somewhere the more you will be willing to join other events or groups in the church. I would not say it is a necessity to belong to other groups or out reaches of the faith beside church but I do feel that it will aid in your faith journey. 

    The community of believers can aid in the growth of your personal faith. We are able to express how we are feeling and what brings us together in an open forum. We can learn from each other by sharing our struggles and successes. Jesus had the apostles with Him and that was part of His community. That community continued on the teachings of Jesus and that is what the community of believers are to do today in the world. 

     Jesus knew that the faith would need a community of believers to continue the messages of His life. He chose the men that would aid Him in the mission of redemption. Then those men went forth and shared that news in other communities and it spread. It had to first start in a community. Without each other the mission could have failed. The faith community gathered together, worshiped, supported and broke bread. That tradition continued on and is still continuing on through out the world. 

     If there is no community then the faith could die out. We would lack that piece of brotherhood and sisterhood of faith. The message would not be shared. The breaking of the bread of life would be out of reach to many.  The church is that spot where we are able to join and continue on the faith. 

     The church itself is the larger community and the groups and ministries are the smaller communities within the church. The smaller communities help the larger community and we can share in both to gain strength in our faith. Take the opportunities from both of the communities, it will only help you with your faith.

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and be part of the community of faith. 

Masks

Masks

“Be eager to present yourself as acceptable to God, a workman who causes no disgrace, imparting the word of truth without deviation” ~ 2Timothy 2:15

  When we stand before God and Jesus, we stand as we truly are. There is no sin, pain, grace, joy, ect.. They do not know of. There is no hiding from God or Jesus or putting on a mask to cover who we are. They know what is in our hearts and there is no hiding from that truth. 

    We wear many masks in the world. Some are to hide our pain, some are to hide who we are, some are to paint us in a better light, some are to make us be stronger then we really are, and some are just to protect us from pain. It doesn’t always mean it is a bad thing but a reality of this world. It may be the only way you can get through a day. If you are in pain or having a bad day , you may just put on that happy face (mask) so you can get through. That is fine as long as you still deal with it. 

    When it comes to our faith and beliefs we really can not hide behind a mask. There was a time and still in some areas of the world where your faith could have been your death sentence. You would have to worship in secret. We are lucky in the world where we do not have to do it but yet we still hide behind the “secular mask” so we can fit in and do not seem different. What I mean by the “secular mask” is that you do not share your beliefs or faith to people, that you do not speak up when the faith is mocked, that you deny how important God is to you and is in your life, you down play your beliefs, and you let others beliefs be more important then yours. There are many other ways we  can do this as well.  Do you hide behind a “secular mask”? 

    I do fall short, I must say with this. I do share my faith and will speak up for it but I do not fully show how deep it is in me. It guides so much in my life and the direction it is taking again in my life. I present a very hard exterior and with that it hinders my faith at times. There is more of a chance of me putting on a mask so I will not get hurt then be so forth coming in the words I feel in my heart. I am able to do it here in the blog and I think it has also shown to me how deep it really is in me by doing the blog. It has helped me to remove part of a mask and also shown my true self to others and to me. 

    The saying of “ God knows what is truly in your heart” goes both ways for this. First, it says that just because your outward actions speak one of love, in your heart it maybe really for yourself, God knows that. Second, You down play your faith, and yet in your heart you praise Him, God knows that as well. In both cases there are masks being worn and both are not being worn for good. In both we are denying what the truth is and  in so denying God. We can not proclaim the word and not live it nor live it and not proclaim it in our hearts. 

     I know there are areas or masks that I have to work on and rid in my life. It is easier to hide behind a mask then face the world at times, but we have to stand true in our faith and our beliefs or we will suffer the same consequences as the rest of the world. I must say also we may face a harder test because we do know the truth. It is one thing to never know the truth, then know the truth and ignore it. 

      Think about the masks you wear and then ask if they hinder your faith in any way. If they do, then think about praying and asking for the strength to remove them from your life. It is not hiding anything from God but from ourselves and those in the world. If we are not careful we may start to believe what the mask means and only see what is on the surface and not what lies beneath the mask. 

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and remove the masks so God’s light and grace may shine upon your true face. 

Universal

Universal

“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it” ~Matthew 16:18

One of the great things about the Catholic Church is that no matter where you are in the world, the same mass is unfolding before you. You will not feel left out or unsure about what is going on. Even in another language you can still be a part of the mass. It is a great feeling to know that we are that Universal Church. 

      We gather each sunday and even daily where the same reading are read, the same prayers are said, the same responses are said and the same miracle of the Eucharist happens in each church. We are connected to each other not only in mass but as fellow Christians. 

      When Jesus set Peter on the rock, He set the church here on earth. Jesus proclaimed that Peter would be head of the earthly church and from him, the church will survive the test of time. Part of that reason is that we are universal. It shows unity in thoughts and action through out the church and the people. When we are like minded, we are able to survive the world. It is easier to defeat one person verses two, let alone millions of catholics in the world. 

       I think it is amazing that this still goes on today. The church has stayed strong and continues to move forward in the world. It is not perfect and how can we expect it to be when we are not perfect. I have explored many different religions and it is the Catholic Faith that I keep coming back to. It is home for me and will always be, even with its imperfections. 

       It is time for Us as Catholics to stand strong for our faith, beliefs, and the Church. We are the face of the Church in the world as well as the religious. Learn about the faith and from those who came before us, the saints. The only way for the church to grow is if the faithful grow as well with it. 

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and become in the universal church.