The Feast of the Holy Rosary
The rosary is the book of the blind,
where souls see Face of God.
It is the book of the simple,
which teaches the mysteries of Salvation.
It is the book of the aged,
whose eyes turn from the allure of this world to the next.”
Open the book of the Rosary
and discover love and life and salvation and eternity
beyond what any other book will ever show you.
Avoiding God Jonah 1:1-11
Jonah did not want to do what God wanted.
So he ran away.
And Jonah found himself swallowed up by a whale.
God however found him anyway.
And saved him from the whale that had swallowed him.
This is what happens when we run away from God.
We find ourselves swallowed up by things.
that threaten to eat us alive.
And it is only when God finds us in the belly of the whale;
That we too are spewed out of the mouth of the whale that has swallowed us
And are brought safely back to shore.
An Instrument of Peace
During the time of St. Francis of Assisi in the 13th century,
Italy did not exist as a country.
Instead there were city states all at war with each other,
Vying for power, money and influence.
Unable to get along or agree.
In particular Assisi and Perugia were at war with each other.
And so Francis put on his armor and went off to war.
He was captured and imprisoned for a year.
When Francis was released from prison,
while kneeling in front of the cross, the Lord spoke to him.
And told him to rebuild His church.
Everything at the time of St. Francis was falling into ruin.
The church, society, culture, economics, politics.
And Francis’ response was to walk around saying,
“God give you Peace!” “God give you peace!” “God give you Peace!”
Over and over again.
Because there was none.
None between cities;
None in the church;
None in the human heart.
From his spirit, we have received a prayer.
A prayer that should be on our lips and in our hearts
wherever we go
And with whomever we speak.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
God Give you Peace!
Feast of St. Francis of Assisi
When you think of St. Francis,
What is the first thing that comes to your mind?
Usually bird baths and bunnies!
Poor St. Francis, relegated to a birth bad!
Yet St. Francis is one of the most multifaceted and influential saints in the history of the Church.
Francis lived in a time of war and division.
City states were fighting with each other.
The Crusades were at war with the Moslems.
The Church was divided and falling into ruin.
All of this was going on 800 years ago,
But it sounds just like today.
And his response was Peace!
Everywhere he went and everyone he met he would say,
“God give you Peace!
Just imagine if instead of arguing about politics and what is going on in the Church today,
If instead everyone said to each other,
“God give you Peace”
Just that simple greeting would change hearts and attitudes
Far more than arguing and debating.
O Lord make me an instrument of Your Peace today!
Are we listening?
Jesus walked the streets of Chorazin and Bethsaida.
And preached and performed miracles there.
But no one listened.
Even in His own home town of Capernaum
no one listened.
It seemed everywhere Jesus went no one listened.
But if the Pagan cities of Type and Sidon, had heard Him
They would have repented.
our ears have heard the words of Jesus,
Do we listen?
There are angels everywhere.
Every Angel ever created is at Mass.
Because Jesus is there on the altar in the Eucharist,
Adoring Him.
But most people are not aware of their presence.
Only those willing to leave the things of this earth
for the heights of Heaven can feel the flutter of their wings.
Only those who are dying can see them,
Because the angles are preparing to carry them away.
Only those who no longer desire to walk among the pleasures of this world
Can fly with them.
St. Therese of the Little Flower
Look at all of the stars in the sky and how they shine.
There are so many and yet each one is unique and has a role to play in guiding us and enlightening us.
St Therese of Lisieux was like a star in the sky.
Just one among millions.
How could she stand out?
How could she let her light shine?
She said to herself, that she was not a scholar, a priest or a bishop.
She was not a missionary and had no talents or gifts to make her stand out.
She was just a simple Carmelite nun living in a small, unknown Convent in Normandy.
What could she do?
How could she shine?
Until One day she realized that her gift was to love!
It was the greatest gift of all and the one that would last forever.
So she set her heart on love.
Love in the small things;
Love in the simple, ordinary, everyday things.
And because she did, she shone brightly among all the stars.
