God offers these consoling words for those who carry a heavy cross. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27.)
I am comforted that Jesus sees my struggles, when the winds of life are against me. I find peace in my faith that God watches over me. His protective love surrounds me.
A little girl, maybe 8 years old, was standing alone at a rural bus stop during a February winter blizzard. No coat, no gloves, no money, no phone. She stood before the closed bus door shaking from the brutal winds turning her hair into icicles.
Karen Black was an actress who starred in horror movies that I like to watch. She left our mortal orb in 2013. She wrote an epitaph about love that is etched on her tombstone. It reads, "To love someone is to make them feel seen."
Jesus invites you to know Him. The seed is the word of Jesus about His Kingdom. What is Jesus saying? Jesus wants to put His Grace into your soul. Grace is God's Love in action.
Psalm 126:5 says, "Those who sow in tears will reap in joy." Your suffering and sacrifices are not in vain especially when you endure them to restore the joy of a better life to another who suffers. Even the smallest act of love will make you worthy to follow Jesus.
St. Mary Catholic School in Hillsboro had only one secretary for its entire existence. Linda Bradford passed to the Lord on June 14. She packed a lot of love in her short 63 years. Knowing Linda has made me a better Christian. I thank God for the blessing of her life.
Jesus sends out His disciples to proclaim the Good News of His Love. Jesus gives you authority to lift up people's spirits above the hurt, to help them see Jesus healing your broken spirit.
God gave us Jesus because our eternal life mattered more than the life of His only Son. "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16.)
On the evening of His Resurrection, Jesus appeared to His Apostles who were scared out of their wits. He came to show them He truly is alive. He came to offer them forgiveness. When Jesus said, "Peace be with you," He was also implying, "I forgive you for deserting Me. I forgive you for when I needed you the most you abandoned Me."
A dad approached me after the 2 p.m. Mass I celebrated at Children's Hospital last Sunday. He made an observation that perplexed him: "This Mass was so different than other Masses I attended."
Making a child happy makes God happy. A little baby who is so small he or she could fit in your hand is directly connected to the all powerful God. Society considers them the least because they are weak and vulnerable. God says they are the greatest in His Kingdom.
