Two for the price of one

A man in Lisbon, Portugal, was suffering from Parkinson's disease. As the creeping paralysis rose from his lower limbs, eventually closer and closer to the heart, the patient was plunged into deep melancholy. His wife pleaded with him repeatedly to go to another Mirian shrine like Lourdes, which was only 90 miles away.

One day, in mockery, because he knew that, like himself, his attending physician did not believe in miracles, he said to his wife in his doctors presence: "I'll go if he does." It occurred to the doctor that a trip to the church at Fatima might cheer his patient, or at least it would be a temporary distraction, so he surprised the ill man by saying: "Alright, let's go."

The day they arrived at the shrine was the 13th of the month, so there was a large crowd of pilgrims. The non-believing doctor and his non-believing patient were among the first in the rows of invalids. A man beside them was carrying a canopy over the Holy Eucharist as it was raised by the priest to bless the patient. Suddenly, the ill man pushed himself up from his wheelchair, trembling, he began to move and feel his legs. Then, over and over he pleaded to those around him: "Am I not dreaming? Am I not dreaming?"

The doctors mouth fell open in amazement and he slowly sank to his knees. Tears began to roll down his cheeks. "This is not for you." He exclaimed through his sobs. "This was for me."

A true story by John M. Heffert

Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima photos

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Allow others to see Jesus through you

At a very old age, St. Francis of Assisi was blind and in poor health. During the same time a nearby village was in an uproar about their priest and had called for St. Francis to help them. You see, the priest of this village was living in sin. He had a woman living with him in the rectory and the people of the village were absolutely furious about it.

St. Francis hobbled into the village, came up to the door of the rectory, and when the priest opened it... St. Francis looked at him through blind eyes, fell to his knees, grabbed the hands of the priest and said... "All I want to know is that these hands bring me Jesus."

The priest was instantly converted on the spot and from that point on he turned his life around.

St. Francis could have easily condemned, disheartened, discouraged, or warned the priest of his sinful ways. Instead, St. Francis humbled himself and through his actions, showed the priest Jesus.

Take from this story what you will... but one thing to remember is that all of us should be a light for others. Each day find one person who can see Jesus through you.

For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Matthew 7:2

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

A short prayer on Pride

Lord, help me to come to grips with any pride I might have in me that separates me, like a chasm, from the people I just don't feel comfortable with. You had to work on your disciples to get them over the problem of always wanting to be first by teaching them that, in the Kingdom of God, the "first" is last. Work on me, too, Lord. With your help, I can overcome any obstacle to serving You when you come to me hungry. Grant me some of the humility that prompted You to enter our human race as an infant in poverty, hungry and homeless. Amen.

-From the book... "When did I see You, Lord?"

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Reflections

As we prepare to enter into a new year, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on the past and also get into the appropriate state of mind for the future.

As part of our ongoing growth as Christians (followers of Christ), the short meditations written (below) are to help us overcome barriers in recognizing Jesus in our midst, so that we can serve Him. Specifically, the seven Capital Sins serve as reference points for our meditations because so often, those common failings in our lives prevent us from seeing Jesus all around us, and moving into the mode of serving Him.

Pride, Envy, Anger, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, and Lust are among the principal hazards of the spiritual life that prevent us from seeing and serving Jesus. There are others as well - for example, Ignorance and Fear. You may wish to add whatever else should come to mind as you consider these barriers.

However, with the grace of Christ, we are able to overcome these hurdles. Each hurdle we overcome, each struggle that we succeed, each small victory over sin that we achieve, brings us one step closer to preparing us for the heavenly reward that awaits those who see, follow, and act according to His words.

Meditations:

There is never a moment when God does not come forward in the guise of some suffering or some duty, and all that takes place within us, around us and through us both includes and hides His activity.

-Jean-Pierre De Caussade, S.J.
(Abandonment to Divine Providence)


If we do not recognize Jesus in the poor, he will not be able to recognize us at the Day of Judgement.

- St. Teresa of Calcutta


The bread which you do not use is the bread of the hungry;
The garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of him who is naked;
The shoes that you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is barefoot;
The money that you keep locked away is the money of the poor;
The acts of charity that you do not perform are so many injustices that you commit.

-St. Basil the Great

Many excerpts are from the book "When did we see You, Lord?" by Bishop Robert J. Baker and Father Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Routines

We all have a routine. In fact, many of us have several. Some routines may only last a few weeks, others a lifetime.

There are many types of routines (yep, we can be very creative)...

Some are essential in order to function in modern society like - showering regularly, brushing teeth, combing hair, etc. Other routines are self created like... needing to drink a cup of coffee first thing in the morning. Or even reading a few pages in a book in order to help fall asleep at night.

We were made in God's image, but that doesn't mean we are consistent in doing what we should be doing. You see, just like us, God has a few routines of His own. The one difference is that His routines are not selfish or self imposed. However, God's routines ARE essential for our eternal salvation.

If I were to guess, I'd say here are a few of God's top routines:

1. Forgiveness
2. Mercy
3. Love
4. Patience
5. Kindness

You see, without God following these daily routines we would have absolutely no chance of eternal life. Salvation would be lost.

So, tonight begin a new routine for yourself. Begin the routine of prayer. Take time to speak to God through daily prayer. It will be something you will never regret.

I know that God won't break His routine.

Will you?

"The miracle is not that I finished. It's that I had the courage to start."
-John Bigham


God bless you. And this is for His Glory!