Category Archives: Uncategorized

Seek peace and compassion

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Gerard de Jode (ca.1511-1591)
The Parable of the workers in the vineyard, 1585
Royal Library of Belgium

Seek the LORD while he may be found,
call him while he is near. Isaiah 55:6

God is as near as my choice to love my neighbor as myself, to treat others with respect, to show compassion to those who are suffering, to forgive those who have hurt me, to be generous to those in need.

Today I will seek the path of love, compassion, and peace. I will call on the Lord to give me the courage and trust to follow this path.

 

 

The key is love

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James Tissot (1836-1902)
The Calling of Saint Peter and Saint Andrew
gouache over graphite on gray wove paper, between 1886 and 1894
Brooklyn Museum

Jesus said to his disciples, “But who do you say that I am?” Matthew 16:15

Peter has spent long hours and many months with Jesus. He has come to know the compassion of God manifested in every word and touch of Jesus.

This is the key to the Kingdom of God: knowing God’s love in my heart and letting it overflow to all people with words and actions that reveal kindness, gentleness, respect, encouragement, justice, and healing.

Do not be afraid

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Zeynel Cebeci
A male house sparrow (Passer domesticus’) at Eskibaraj Dam Lake, Adana – Turkey.
7 November 2018

Jesus said to the Twelve: “Fear no one.”  Matthew 10:26

Today I will open my heart to God’s love. I will ask for the grace to love as God loves. I will ask God to fill me with love, peace, compassion, and joy.

Love heals fear. Today I will choose love over fear.

Transfigured

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White as light

[Jesus] was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. Matthew 17:2

Those moments of transfiguring awe
when you see a rainbow in a dewdrop,
the translucent wing of a seagull in flight,
when you hear the silence
and know you are in the presence of God.

 

 

World Day of the Sick 2015

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Project Reach Out - Promising Practices

Prayer for Sick EnglishReach out on the World Day of the Sick, February 11. Join people around the world who will stop at 1:00 p.m. to offer a prayer for all those who suffer from illness, and their caregivers.

Resources:
Pope Francesco’s message for the 23rd World Day of the Sick
Prayer cards in English and Spanish

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National Day of Prayer for Victims and Survivors of Human Trafficking

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Project Reach Out - Promising Practices

Become-a-SHEPHERDFebruary 8th, the feast day of St. Josephine Bakhita, is the National Day of Prayer for Victims and Survivors of Human Trafficking. Pray for the survivors of human trafficking, their emotional, physical, and spiritual healing. Make a personal commitment to combat this modern-day slavery.

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Honest doubts

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Jesus appears to Thomas - John 20:24-29

JESUS MAFA. Jesus appears to Thomas, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” John 20:24

I wonder how convincing the other disciples were about their encounter with Jesus. Thomas may have had good reason to doubt them.

And I wonder how convincing I am as a witness for Jesus. Do I embody the compassion and unconditional love and non-judgment of Jesus? Do I embody the mercy and forgiveness and non-violence of Jesus? Do I embody the service and healing and humility of Jesus?

Honest doubt nudges me to deepen my commitment to practice the God-qualities that comfort and encourage others, and that bring peace to my corner of the world.

The untying

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The Raising of Lazarus

Rembrandt (1606-1669)
The Raising of Lazarus, circa 1630-1632
oil on oak panel
Los Angeles County Museum of Art

[Jesus] cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.” John 11:43-44

Sometimes I feel emotionally and spiritually dead, but Jesus calls me to come out of the tomb of depression and sends people to untie the bands of sadness, self-hatred, and self-preoccupation so that I may again relish the gifts of life, love, and companionship.

May I present…

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presentacion03Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord… Luke 2:22

Every day is an opportunity to present myself to the Lord. “Here I am, Lord. What would you like me to do for you and with you today?”

There’s only ever one answer: Love. Love God with all my heart and mind and soul. Love my neighbor as myself. Forgive those who hurt me. Treat others as I wish to be treated.