June 30, 2019

Last night I attended Mass at St. Ignatius Church in Chapel Point, MD. This holy place is full of memories and possibilities and graces. It is the place of my Baptism and First Communion and Reconciliation and Confirmation. It is the place where friends met and sang in the choir. It is the place where I first learned of Jesuit Spirituality from the priests who ministered there from its beginnings in 1641.

Here in this place family members are buried and the light shines and the waters of the Potomac flow. This is a place of life in Christ, a place were life does not end. It is a place of peace, of Jesus’ story, of authenticity, of community.

Talk with your family today about your comfort areas, about where you find Jesus and peace and comfort.

Happy Sunday! Happy Family Day!

(Vacation is calling me so I will not be posting for a couple of weeks. You will continue to be in my prayers during this time. Please pray for me. Lots of blessings and peace be with you!)

June 29, 2019

If today were not June 29th and the Feast of Peter and Paul, it would be the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Missing a feast of Mary feels a bit strange for me, so I am opting to share some thoughts about Mary’s generous heart.

This feast follows the Sacred Heart of Jesus as both are filled with love for all of us. Mary as mother and friend has already experienced the pain we experience, the joy we experience and the confusion and the delight. She holds it all in her heart and beckons us to embrace it all. Most especially, she holds us in her heart! Large enough to contain each of us, she welcomes us to that heart.

St. Teresa of Calcutta prayed: O Mary, give us a heart as beautiful, pure, and spotless as yours. A heart like yours, so full of love and humility. May we be able to receive Jesus as the bread of life, to love him as you loved him, to serve him under the mistreated face of the poor. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!

June 28, 2019

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in You!

• in times when I need guidance and am unsure…
• in times when I know without doubt that You are the One who has set me on the path I am traveling…
• in times when I am in doubt or filled with questions….
• in times when life is ordinary and I feel Your arms around me…

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in You!

June 27, 2019

It always feels good to return to the state of one’s birth. No matter where God may lead and the places one is blessed to enjoy, what Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz, runs true “There’s no place like home!”. It’s there where the beginnings happened, the growing up occurred, the first risks taken and where God was introduced.

Returning to the familiar brings grace and blessing. Looking into the heart of Jesus does the same. Each of us is written there and is known better than anywhere else. Jesus’ heart is big enough for everyone and is always open to hear of our joys and angst, our disappointments and triumphs. His heart beckons us at every moment to receive His love and wisdom, His truth and compassion.

As we approach the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on Friday, take a few moments for a conversation, a catch-up, a renewal. For with Jesus we are truly HOME!

June 26, 2019

The Lord remembers his covenant forever. (Psalm response for Wednesday, June 26, 2029)

Each day is a gift from God. It is a gift that sparks our praise and thanks. It can put a smile on our face or a desire to offer kindness to another.

God is generous and loving toward us. God remembers His promises and has given us family and friends and a beautiful universe. He has given us inspiration and creativity. Blessed be God!

Down through the ages we have had many faithful men and women who have shown us how to love God more. Through the simplicity of their lives, God has continued His plan for all humanity.

This day, we praise and thank God for blessings and gifts and graces.

The Lord remembers his covenant forever.

June 25, 2019

After Mass yesterday we were encouraged to sing, “Whatsoever You Do”. From various places in the church came voices on different pitches and on different words within the song. It was definitely a joyful song offered to the Lord! Perhaps only God found praise in it while many of the parishioners found an opportunity to enjoy the efforts of one another.

Is it wonderful to know that our God truly enjoys all that He created? On pitch or off, listening to the rhythm of the song and being in sync or maybe a line or two behind is all great. God just loves us, laughs with us, delights in us. As long as our focus leads to Him, He accepts and probably turns it into something very beautiful.

How blessed we are in our God! Today we continue to praise and thank Him especially for all that we take for granted. Thank You God for being God and for all that You have done for us!

June 24, 2019

Yesterday was one of those special Feasts where a Sequence may be read at Mass after the Readings and before the Alleluia. There was a line in this Sequence that jumped out at me:

Bring Him all the praise you know.

The “you know” part was very profound – not just what you think, or believe you ought, but what is held in the deepest part of the heart and mind. There are so many ways to express praise. It can be done with thanks, with acknowledgement, with truth, with facial expression, with uplifted arms, with song, with poetry…… So many ways…

Today, in whatever way fits you or cries out from your heart, praise God! Whether today you feel blessed or sad, rich or poor, alone or held close, begin your day with “all the praise you know”.

June 23, 2019

Memories are a gift! Whether they spark a joyful time or a challenging time or even a time of sadness and grief, they are a part of our story. They tell us who we were and who we have become. Memories are conversation starters, they elicit laughter and awe and sometimes tears.

It is good to have Sundays! As a special part of attending Mass, listening to the readings, hearing a homily and receiving the Eucharist, the memories of God’s story, of Jesus’ blessings. flow through us. Over and over we hear this story. Over and over we rejoice, we hear something new. Over and over we revel in God’s goodness and Jesus’ words and works.

This Sunday, as in the past, it is time for family! It is time to tell our family story. It is time to form traditions, to laugh and if necessary to forgive. Don’t miss this opportunity to be ONE, to be FAMILY.

Happy Sunday! Happy Family Day!

June 22, 2019

The Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ carries with it our faith and devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist. We pray…

Lord, hear our prayer!

• In gratitude for the Eucharist and Jesus’ Presence, we pray…
• That we may share of the gift of generosity to assist others in their needs, we pray…
• For the gift to listen to others, and to respond with compassion and generosity, we pray…
• For an open heart that is always attentive to the voice of God and the promptings of the Spirit, we pray…

Lord, hear our prayer!

Let us pray:

O Sacrament most holy!  O sacrament divine!  All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine.  Amen.

June 21, 2019

Thank You, Lord, for all the people You place in our lives who remind us of You. For our family and friends, co-workers and acquaintances who speak Your Word and walk Your steps. They show us how to fall graciously and start again. They show us how to praise and glorify You in gifts received and graces provided.

Many, Lord, have burdens to carry and questions that seek answers. They are faithful to seeking Your Presence. The inconsistencies of those on whom they placed their trust is unsettling. For them they beg Your forgiveness; we join in their prayer.

So Lord, whether in thanks or in fervent petition, we Your people come to You. We trust in You. We believe in You. We love You. Amen.