There
is an old Jewish saying which goes that no matter how dark the tapestry
God weaves for us there is always a thread of grace. I pray that we may
always find the luminous thread of His grace
woven into the tapestry of our lives.
Welcome to
Thread of Grace!
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Thread of Grace? Click on the player
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Some one once
said that the world will end with a
whimper and not a bang. I say that it will end with a
whisper,
the hushed sound of Christ reciting every name of everyone
that
ever existed.
Looking at
the teaching of the Church some might
be tempted to ask you "what are you doing in there?" To any
such
questions let us reply, "what are you doing out there?"
How do we
better keep our resolutions, be they
made at the end of January or any other time of the year?
Simple, don't start with a resolution, start with
a prayer.
Let us always
remember that becoming a saint is
about who and how we love and not who we are. To that end,
being
a member of a family is the perfect place to start.
St. Francis'
biographer, Thomas of Celano, wrote
that the Saint so completely lived the Gospel that his whole body
became a tongue preaching the Word of God.
How do we,
then, transform our nature to so
completely live the Word of God?
Why would God
expect men to be pure of heart and
yet give them hormones like testosterone? Perhaps the answer
is
that "purity" lies in the struggle and not just the outcome.
How do we
become a saint? Do we need to
find and suffer some great trial or tribulation for Christ's
sake?
Nope - trials and tribulations do a fine job of
finding us.
Have you ever
been distracted while you
pray? Is the Pope Catholic? Fear not, God hears your
prayers
even if you can't hear them over the noise in your head.
When we think
of getting gifts, we think
about those things that we want and those things that we need.
But
let's be honest, when we think "need" we are
still
thinking of what we want. Which leads us to a question: if we
are
given something that we in no way want, can it ever be called a gift?
If you are
like me, I am sure that when you pray
you often ask Jesus to help you "be" or "do" something.
However,
a friend once shared a prayer that reminded me of
what we
should ask Jesus to help us not to be and not to do.
Many of us,
including me, say that we want to dine
at the table of the Holy Spirit. What we fail to
realize is
that the Holy Spirit's favorite dish is humble pie.
I recently
participated in a retreat at
a women's prison. The individuals that I met there
were
exceptional, and they left me wondering who's really the
prisoner.
Sam, my
youngest, is now moving from little
boyhood to just boyhood; more and more interested in TV and trucks than
in "I love you mom." Sigh. I was listening to a
reflection
that I recorded over two years ago, and, well, come and reminisce with
me for a few moments.
Last time
time we asked why is it that we
seem
most sorry after we
are backed in to a corner? Are we sorry or desperate? But
when facing down the serpents that strike at us, does it
matter?
As summer
ends I wanted to share
this letter
with you that I wrote to my daughter. These are the word that
hang in our minds the longest and connect us to one another over the
distance of years.
Where do we
go when our future turns out
very
different than we thought it would? To answer this question,
let
me read to you from an essay by Fr. Callum.
When you
think of mortification of the
flesh, what
comes to mind? Hair shirts and hard, hard fasting?
Mortification is, however, much more about what happens
between
you and Christ than what happens to your body. As with many
things spiritual, let us not confuse the means with the ends.
How often we
confuse the difference between
punishment and consequences. True, consequences, like
punishment,
can be unpleasant. The "why" of how we experience either of
the
two makes all the difference.
I am
privileged to be part of the program Mary's Touch.
I have found that the gift of the Blessed Mother is as much
in
the sharing of the stories about Her as it is in Her sharing of Her Son
with the world.
Unfortunately,
for most teenagers the
language
used to explain Christ's love leaves them a little
flat. How might we discuss this concept in a way that might
connect with them? Here, today, I'll try.
I am so sorry
- again, but I have
been away for the
last few
days... but, happily, I am back. As we move into Holy Week
let us keep our focus on the meeting point of our journey.
I am so sorry
- I have been away for the
last few
days and, unfortunately, will be for the next few days as well.
In the meantime I want to share one of my favorite
reflections
with you. It reminds us that Lent is really not about fasting
and
doing without, but about faith.
Today is Ash
Wednesday. As we
head off
to Mass let us remember what is on the other side of the ashes -
resurrection. But in between, what should we let go?
What do we cast off?
I am back -
thank you so much for all your
prayers. Let's do some catching up! This weekend I had the
pleasure of a retreat and high tea - let me tell you all about it!
Please
continue to
pray for
Sally. Until she returns to the studio, enjoy this
reflection
on the potential of a greater union through prayer, part two.
Sally is
still away - please continue to
pray for
her. Until she returns to the studio, enjoy this
reflection
on the potential of a greater union through prayer.
Have you
ever noticed that when many people
talk to a baby how happy they become? They do not see, or rather see
past, all of their troubles and worries. No, all of their
responsibilities do not magically disappear. Rather, they
come to a deep and immediate understanding of what's really important:
love and life. One of the many gifts of the Christ Child is the
opportunity to see the forest and not the trees.
Of the many
places he went and the many
people he
met, who do you think most inspired Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen?
Listen to today's meditaion and the answer, I am
certain,
will not surprise you.
As we
approach Advent, what would you say if
our
Lord asked you to tell the world about His coming? Why should
God
bother to become one of us? Tell them the Truth - tell them
that
He loves us.
I am just
back this morning, and I will tell
you
about the weekend later this week. Until then, let me ask you
-
what are we afraid of, really? Do we not know where we are
going
in life, or after, for that matter? Surely we should.
Listen
