Sunday, October 23, 2016

Inspiration from St Paul and St JP2

It is easy to get discouraged these days.  

Between the poverty, suffering and endless bickering in society, it is not always easy to stay positive.

But the "stars" of this weekend give us hope.

Yesterday was the Feast Day of St. John Paul II (Oct 22) and some of his more famous quotes include:

Do not abandon yourself to despair.  We are the Easter people and Alleluia is our Song!
There is no evil to be faced that Christ does not face with us. There is no enemy that Christ has not already conquered. There is no cross to bear that Christ has not already borne for us, and does not now bear with us.
From Mary we learn to surrender to God’s will in all things. From Mary we learn to trust even when all hope seems gone. From Mary we learn to love Christ her Son and the Son of God.

And in today's second reading, St. Paul tells us:

But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength.
The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom.

These positive and uplifting reminders are certainly welcome at times like these.  With them in mind, hopefully we can - like St. Paul - compete well, keep the faith and finish the race.

God Bless you. 
 

Sunday, October 9, 2016

Quick Bytes: Where are the other nine(ty)?

I couldn't help but feel like today's Gospel was being re-enacted right in front of me today.  

From my Church's half-filled parking lot, to the empty pews during Mass, I could feel Jesus looking around, asking "what happened to the other nine(ty)?"  

The Lord gives so many gifts to us ... please pray that more people act like the Samaritan in today's Gospel and come back to praise Him.

God Bless you.