The Annunciation

  

The Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and asked her if she would bear God’s only Son. 

When Mary said “Yes” to God,

the Word became flesh and dwelt within her 

and it bore fruit 

and she gave birth to Jesus. 

When we go to communion, 

our “Amen” is our “Yes”, 

and through the Eucharist we receive,

the Word becomes flesh and dwells within us. 

Does it bear fruit in our lives?

Do we give birth to Jesus in the world as Mary did?

Only when we say “Yes” as Mary did,

Without hesitation or question or counting the cost;

Will the life of Jesus within us bear fruit. 

Tuesday 5th Week of Lent

 Who am I? Jn. 8:21-30

Who am I?  Is not always easy to answer

Life and times change

And as they do whose are and what we do changes as well

For example,

I am an infant, a teenager; a wife and then a widow. 

I am young and strong; I am old and tired;

We are constantly changing

But God remains the same. 

This is why Jesus told the Pharisees

That He is “I Am”

Always the same;

Never changing;

The God of the living and the dead

The Alpha and the Omega;

The beginning and the end. 

So that wherever we are and whoever we are;

Jesus is there with us;

Just as we are!

Monday 5th Week of Lent

The Light of the world

Whenever there is a Tornado warning,

A person has to be prepared for the lights to go out. 

So they do not stumble around in the darkness. 

Life is filled with storms

That threaten to cast us into physical, emotional and spiritual darkness. 

How prepared are we?

Jesus came into the world so that we might not remain in darkness. 

Yet some people prefer the dark to the light. 

And it is not Jesus but they themselves who will condemn themselves to darkness

Because they refused to follow the Light. 

5th Sunday of Lent

If Only.       Jn. 11

Tuesday

“If only!"

Who has not said these two simple words at some time or another in life?

And if you haven’t, you will!

If only I had not said that. 

If only I had not done that. 

If only things had turned out differently. 

If only I could do it over.  

Martha had her "if onlys" too. 

Her brother, Lazarus had just died. 

“If only I had noticed how sick Lazarus was. 

If only I had not waited?

"If only Jesus had been here." She said to herself. 

She had seen His other miracles. 

She saw Him raise up the daughter of Jairus. 

She saw the blind see and the deaf hear and the lame walk. 

So when Jesus came down the road, she ran up to Him and said,

"If only you had been here, my brother would not have died."

So Jesus looked at Martha and told her that her brother would live again. 

And he did!

Because Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. 

And Martha's "if only" disappeared as she placed her trust in Jesus. 

We can spend our lives saying "if only." 

Haunted by the past and what we could and should have done to make things different. 

Or like Martha we can bring our "If Onlys" to The Lord. 

And let Jesus take care of our "if onlys!"

And if we do..........

Then one day all of our "if onlys" will disappear in the light of Him Who is the Resurrection and The Life.  

Friday 4th Week of Lent

The Innocent are Condemned Wis. 2:12-22

In our legal system we believe that the innocent are set free and the guilty are condemned. 

Is this always true?

Jesus was innocent but condemned to death. 

So Do not be surprised when the innocent are 

tested, treated unfairly and condemned. 

For this is the way of the world and godless. 

When Jesus was unjustly condemned. 

He entrusted Himself to His Father

For God is the Just Judge Who will set things straight

And will vindicate the Innocent and condemn the guilty. 

St. Joseph

So many of us want to know what God can do for us. 
But all St. Joseph wanted to know was
What he could do for Mary and Jesus?

Joseph reminds us that true fulfillment is not in getting but in giving. 

Joseph was a father to Jesus;

Guiding and teaching Jesus in His youth. 

Joseph was a Provider

For Mary and Jesus. 

Joseph was a Carpenter who labored and put a house over the head of Jesus 

And Joseph was Protector;

from the persecution of Herod. 

And Joseph is the Patron of a Happy Death, 

For as Mary and Jesus gathered around his death bed, 

Jesus whispered in his ear;

“Do not worry, I am the Resurrection and the Life.”

When our day comes;

Joseph will visit us on our deathbed

And whisper in our ear,

“Do not worry,

My Son is the Resurrection and the Life.”

Wednesday 4th Week of Lent

 My Father is at work. Jn. 5:17-30

Jesus tells us that His Father is at work. 

And what is His work?

God the Father's work is never done. 

He is always creating. 

Creating new life from the smallest creature to the infant in the womb. 

Creating new planets, stars and galaxies. 

Creating plants and flowers and trees; 

Creating rain in the heavens to water them. 

It is a lot of work to keep the earth going let alone the universe!

God the Father is constantly watching and working. 

He watches over His children. 

He works daily at creating a world for them to live in and explore and grow. 

God the Father is actually very busy at work. 

And all He does is for us, His children!