A few short profound words

These are important words for ourselves and our children from Pope Francis.  They are words that will give us hope and direction in all of the circumstances that meet our life, the best of them, and the most difficult.  If you read this with your , and family, and talk about it, it will open up a widening world of love in your homes and prepare your children for the outside world that might look very different from their life. "Go and be my witnesses to the ends of the earth."  And -  Be ready to be blessed by many others!

I thought that this was quite profound...and this has been my experience.

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-says-everyone-can-do-good-regardless-of-belief/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+catholicnewsagency%2Fdailynews+%28CNA+Daily+News%29&utm_term=daily+news#.UZ2x7KdH1-I.email

 

Testimonies, Sites, War Threats

Waking up this morning, middle of the night, to the chanting, call to prayer, by the Muslim groups here in Jerusalem. Each day has been filled to the brim with visiting sites or approximate areas where the miracles of Jesus took place, or major events in the Gospel. Yesterday we got to drink water from Jacob's well, and the day before we spent time in Bethlehem. We are now in Jerusalem now, and walking the way of the cross is on our calendar. On Friday we return to the States. Other highlights have been our times of prayer and time for reflections as a group. On the bus rides, many of the Pilgrims have shared their personal faith journeys, and these have been so inspiring. Sunday brought the news that Israel attacked Syria at some sites that held weaponry which threatened Israeli's safety. Syria claimed this an Act of War and promised to retaliate. Here we were, in the midst of it all. We thought at first that the airport was closed down and that we would be stuck in the middle of a war. But life here is going on as normal. No one here seemed to even notice.

First Few Days In Israel

Hi! We are staying in Nazareth! the City of 70 thousand is very different from the village of 500 or so when Christ lived here. It takes quite a bit of imagination. but the sky and the heat are the same and our boat trip across the Sea of Galilee today was quite memorable! we have an enthusiastic group, and we had some quite lively dancing on the boat. Someone suggested we dance the wonderful Jewish dance, and accompanied by music, we had a great time. Goodnight. We are all quite tired and need to be ready for our 6:30 breakfast and off to the sight of the Beatitudes.

Meet Me In Jerusalem!

When Bob first talked about wanting to go to the Holy Land, I only saw it as a "tourist" trip, and this held no interest for me.  But as the time draws closer, it has taken on a whole different meaning.  It is as though God is drawing me there to meet me there and I can hardly wait to get there.  Yesterday I had the privilege of praying with a woman on the phone who was dealing with some tough issues in her past.  When God reached down and touched her soul with truth about His love for her in places where there had been, just moments before, darkness and lies about who she was, she experienced great peace and joy.  So too, if God is truly drawing me to Jerusalem, Galilee,...to the land of Israel... I am so expectant of what blessings he also has in store for me and for those I love and serve when I return.

As I learn to juggle the beginning of a very busy 2nd year in Real Estate and Bob and I prepare for our Pilgrimage to Israel to celebrate our anniversary, I'm also thinking about my children and grandchildren and each of their lives.  When you go so far away, you always wonder if you will come back safely and your thoughts go to the special ones in your lives.

When we first begin our journey as mothers we are dealing with the immediacy of the moment...the 9 months of pregnancy, the labor, the delivery, diapers, nursing.  There is very little time to contemplate that these precious children, and their children, will be a part of the rest of our lives.  Just this past week in our family, Elena still struggled with her pneumonia and Maria with her concussion, Ena celebrated her 6th birthday, Maeve and Michael prepare for their First Holy Communion,  our Anne moves toward some changes in her life, Katie gets her hair all fixed up for her prom, Robert works hard in his new job position, Christine and Bobby prepare to move, and Father Jonathan came home for a visit. 

And when I think about my children and those I love, and leaving them for a short time, I think about those that lost their lives in the Boston Bombing. They were somebody's children, somebody's friend, someone's loved one. I will start our Pilgrimage of Thanksgiving to the Holy Land, offering my dread of flying over the ocean for so many hours, for these families, thinking of them, imagining their losses and reaching out to them in prayer from my heart. 

We will only be gone for 12 days..just a little bit more than a week and a half...you will hardly notice that I am gone...life will keep moving on as normal...but for me, and for Bob, and for the other Pilgrims, something meaningful and profound is about to happen.  I still have to pack my bags...and oh so many things left to do.  But, like my friend on the phone, we don't really even have to pack our bags and travel so many hours across the ocean for that meaningful and profound to reach our doorsteps, our hearts.  God is outside of time and place and will find us wherever we are.

 On Monday morning I'll be walking on the ground where the History of our Faith is rooted...wow...the privilege of a lifetime. I  want God to take root in my heart in a new and deeper way while I'm away.  I want to experience walking with Jesus on his road to Calvary, being in the area where he was born in Bethlehem, seeing with my eyes the sky he walked under, the heat he felt and reliving the Gospels.  I want to see first hand, the promised land,  the Jewish Homeland. 


Israel...Here we come!  God, I'm planning on meeting you in Jerusalem!

Judgment, Verdict, Bitterness! Just for Lent # 4

One of the signs

bitterness

is the tendency

to make "judgements" and set "verdicts"

on those that have wronged us or

shamed us or even done us harm.

To understand this, just think of a time when a family member or a close friend shamed you by ignoring you or said something they didn't like about you.

We bristle!

We begin to "judge" them as being thoughtless, uncaring, self-centered, a bad choice for a spouse or a friend, and we let that "verdict" against them...

settle into our hearts to protect ourselves from the deeper pain from the insult, yes, the deeper, almost unbearable pain of being un-loveable, worthless, no-good, ugly, or abandoned.

It isn't really the harm done to us by others that we need to get "settled" with God in prayer, it is these deeper beliefs that come as a result of others' thoughtless or intentional words or deeds. Have a conversation with God: Am I truly un-loveable? God, I believe I'm ugly....they just said it, and I remember when my Aunt told me that when I was young. Listen in the quietness of your soul for God's response... God... what do you think about me? Do you think I am worthless? He wants to speak to the very depth of your pain where lies about yourself are lurking. It is here you will get free of the wrongdoing of others.

Judgment and verdict are the "stuff" bitterness and hatred is made of. Anger, a fruit of bitterness makes us irrational and makes situations so much worse.

Getting free of our lies by drawing into the court room of our God, is where love begins and grows. Even the most horrible wrong done against us can be dealt with once we have that inner peace. Our decisions become more rational, our actions more precise and we usually make situations better. How wonderful it is to be free of the "power" that others have over me when I am in the midst of judging and giving verdicts.

When we become more adept at easily recognize signs of bitterness in ourselves, we can begin to take bitterness to prayer and have the Lord gently but surely release us from this strangle hold that it has on us, one layer at a time. You see, even bad emotions can be turned around for the good.

They can actually be the impetus for our healing and holiness. Don't run away from them, afraid to see the ugliness that lies there. Be patient with yourself. We can be free indeed.

Oh, Happy Lent!

Sharon

Pope Francis, You Make Me Feel Uncomfortable!

Pope Francis, do you really take a bus instead of a limousine? I have only ridden in a limousine a few times, but I really liked it! It made me feel special, important, "better than".

Pope Francis, did you really go to the hotel to pay your bill personally?  I like a good “deal” and would have been so happy to have someone pay the bill for me… and also feel the “privilege of being special”. 

Pope Francis, you resisted the pressure and expectations that you needed to wear the “special” robes as you went out to meet the people for the first time as Pope.  You chose the simple white garments and a very simple “wave” as you greeted everyone.  I would have loved to put on the garments that singled me out as “the NEW POPE”, a unique position of power.

Oh, and were you sincere, Pope Francis, when you told your people in Argentina not to come all of the way to Rome for your installation, but rather,  “Tell the bishops and the faithful to make an offering and an act of solidarity to the poor with the money instead”?  You have already made me think about my life.  Do I need ALL of the clothes in my closet?  How do I seek after “privilege” in my own life?  Why would I want to be more “special” than someone else? 

Pope Francis, something in my soul rejoiced with all of the angels in Heaven with the simple choices I have seen so far.  They challenged me and made me uncomfortable, but they quickened hope in my soul that there can be one among us who loves at a deeper level. 

I think that we all dream of a society that would be more just and more generous, more genuine and trustworthy.   Seeing a glimpse of a man living these qualities these past few days reminded me of a man who lived and died so many years ago…centuries ago.  It reminded me of Easter Morning.  And my heart quickens with the realization that you, Pope Francis, are following Him.  And that this gift of discipleship is a call to each one of us today as it was 2000 years ago.

Keeping Watch With Those Who Are Bitter

Sunday, March 3, 2013 Lent, 2013 Reflection Series: #3 Keeping Watch With Those Who Are Bitter. Lenten Newsletter sent Sunday nights by midnight. Lettertowomen.blogspot.com .   Are there those around you who are bitter at heart, whose suffering is large? Do they sometimes take it out on you? Even blame you? Are you tired of their unending stories of being wronged? Sometimes we just want to tell them to stop being bitter. Rooting out bitterness is a work of God, a grace, a journey. Understanding and seeing past the ugliness that bitterness brings with it, is a work of grace. As Jesus walks to Calvary, he looks into the crowd of bystanders and he loves them even through His pain. He knows their troubled hearts, what is good there and what is bad, and yet His eyes hold only love for them and compassion. Can we take a second look at our loved ones and see their pain, and renew our desire to love them more like Christ. Can we watch one more hour with them? OH Happy Lent! Sharon Colossians 3: vs. 12-14 "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience...Forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony." A Story of a Bitter Man Who Found "A Way Out" From His Bitterness From the Injustice Done to Him. My friend, Jack, had worked his whole adult life in the steel mills. He regularly requested double shifts, so that he and Georgia would have enough money to travel when he retired. He wanted to show his wife the world. Soon before he retired, The steel company was bought out by another company, and part of the buy-out included a loss of most of his lifetime retirement savings/pension and hospitalization. How could someone just come in and take from him what was rightfully his? Oh, how POWERLESS he felt. Deep sorrow. Who could blame him for being bitter? There was a real wrong done to him and it impacted his whole life.Georgia told me that he would go down the basement and just cry. His soul was so weary and burdened. He was bitter because of this deep sorrow. Jack was just a few years older than me but he looked like a very old man. The mills and double shifts had taken a toll on him. Jack came down with cancer and died. But before he died, he bought his wife a double wide trailer and felt as though he had given her something special. Maybe not the vacations , but a home...something they owned. Before he died, Jack turned his bitterness around...He made a new "picture" and didn't let the abuse by a large company tear his heart out completely, even though at times he thought it would break in two. I was blessed to witness Jack's tears, to walk with him through some of his sorrow and to love his wife after he was gone. Maybe you can help someone you love, or even a stranger, paint a new picture to help them out of their bitterness.