FINDING GOD IN EVERYTHING!

AS GOD'S EYES ARE FIXED ON THE SPARROW, GOD IS LOVINGLY WATCHING OVER YOU.

EVEN THE HAIRS ON YOUR HEAD ARE COUNTED.

SO DO NOT BE AFRAID, YOU ARE WORTH MUCH MORE THAN THE SPARROWS!

LUKE 12:7


MAY WE ALWAYS RECOGNIZE 
and TRUST in
GOD'S GREAT LOVE 
FOR US!

With God, all things are possible!  Mt 19:26

ALWAYS BELIEVE 
THAT 
IN EVERY MOMENT 
OF OUR LIVES
SOMETHING WONDERFUL
IS ABOUT TO 
HAPPEN!

LENTEN REFLECTION - GOD'S ENDURING LOVE FOR US!

In the midst of the struggles that we encounter 
along our life's journey,  seeking for truths and certainties 
in the seeming endless blows of questions and doubts,  
may we experience that deep trust in God 
who continually draws us closer
to the Life of our Triune God. 

May we constantly be reminded that 
our faith is not something that we possess, 
but something that we enter into - 
a real dynamic relationship with God. 

Just like giving time and attention to our beloved partners, 
may we then be more patient, 
more generous with our time and attention, 
being more aware and more attuned 
to God's abiding presence in our lives each day.  
 May we then come to cultivate in our hearts
 that deep confidence in the groundedness 
of our relationship God, 
even jumping at the point of staking our lives on it.

May our hearts be more sensitive to the sacredness 
of both joy filled and painful revelations unveiling before our eyes 
and trust that what ultimately matters
is the growing intimacy of our relationship 
with our Ever Abiding and Ever Loving God
who accompanies us so closely on our life's journey.

May we always find the profound peace that we long for -
God is with us even in our deepest joys 
and in our most unfathomable sorrows.
God, too, rejoices and labors with us! 
Our dark nights, too, will pass...

Blue Macao's Balancing Act at Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga

HANG IN THERE! 

PROVERBS 3:5

Hope we'd become stronger and wiser 

in whatever struggles and hurdles 

we encounter each day 
and always see God's Grace 
in all of our 
life experiences!

FOR I AM THE LORD, YOUR GOD,, "DO NOT FEAR, FOR I AM WITH YOU,

DO NOT BE AFRAID, FOR I AM YOUR GOD,

I WILL STRENGTHEN YOU, I WILL HELP YOU

I WILL UPHOLD YOU..!" ISAIAH 41: 13

You are in our thoughts and prayers!

Most often,

it's worth noticing that

if we change the way we look at things,
or if we look a little father from our myopic visions,

we can see  that there are always 
Something Special

in the ordinariness of our life events!

May our lives be always full of God's blessings and surprises!

"The Lord is in your midst."  Zepaniah 3:17

"You do not have to see the wind

to know that it's rustling gently in the trees;

You don't have to see the bird 

to enjoy it's sweet singing;

You don't have to see God's face

to know He hears all the prayers for you

and smiles upon you now 
with Love!"



HOPE YOU KNOW 
HOW OFTEN YOU ARE THOUGHT OF
AND
HOW MUCH YOU'RE CARED ABOUT!

GOD IS OUR REFUGE AND STRENGTH, A LOVING PRESENCE IN TIMES OF TROUBLE

The Beloved is our refuge and strength,

a Loving Presence in times of trouble.

Therefore we shall not fear though

the earth should change,

though the mountains shake 

in the heart of the sea;

Though its waters roar and foam,

though the mountains tremble with its tumult.

Psalm 46 (Psalm for the Praying, Invitation to Wholeness)

Nan Merril

May Faith, Hope and Courage
be our Guiding Light
today and always!
May God be praised!

GOD'S SEEMING ABSENCE AS GOD'S PROFOUND PRESENCE

"Dark Night of the Soul" is a profound feeling of God's seeming silence
and distance to everything that craves for deeper union with God

I have experienced the "Absence of God" so  profoundly

and that this "negation" has gradually became 
God's New Presence in my Life! 
May God be Praised!

EVER PRESENT GOD, 
THANK YOU FOR REMINDING ME 
THAT YOU ARE THE GOD OF DARKNESS AS WELL.
EVEN IN MY DARKEST MOMENTS, YOU ARE THERE,
SEIZING ME AND LOVING ME.
I PRAY THAT I MAY ALWAYS FIND YOU
IN THOSE MOMENTS 
WHEN I AM UNMOVED TOTHE BEAUTY OF CREATION, WHEN I AM FROZEN TO THE LOVE OF COMMUNITY, WHEN I AM OBLIVIOUS OF YOUR ABIDING PRESENCE. AMEN.

You made the night your cloak,
you covered yourself in a canopy of storm clouds.
Psalm 18:11

WITH GOD, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.

MATTHEW 19:26

CARRYING OUR CROSS
by Joyce Rupp

RESPONSE:  JESUS, GRANT US STRENGTH TO CARRY  YOUR CROSS

• On those days when life seems too demanding with all its cares, burdens and concerns...
•   When we experience great loneliness deep inside and the pain of separation fills our spirits...
• When we feel the pain of our world and unite in compassion with the Earth's suffering people...
• When we struggle with decision-making and the time comes to make good choices about our lives...
• When we are with others in their physical pain or when we vigil with one who has terminal illness...
• When we are asked to go the extra mile, to be generous with our time and our presence...
• When we feel weary and worn out, when it seems like all of our energy has been drained away...
• When we are challenged to risk our security and to accept new growth in our relationship with you...
• When we experience the effects of aging or extended illness on our bodies or our minds...
• When we feel discouraged, desolate, depressed and want to withdraw from others...
• When worries and concerns choke our peacefulness and leave us with anxieties and fear...
• When we harbor old wounds and are called to offer or to receive forgiveness...

TOGETHER: 

Crucified Jesus, help us to take up our cross day by day.  Through these crosses we can grow closer to you. Help us to lean on you and to learn from you. May we not give in to self-pity or self-doubt. Rather, let us trust in your presence which strengthens us. Encourage us on our tomb-like days. Remind us of your Resurrection. Help us to keep our vision focused on life and growth. Amen.

BLESSED ADVENT

A GIFT OF HOPE
An Advent Prayer by Joyce Rupp

God of all those who yearn for a glimmer 
of assurance on the long journey to you, come!
Come with the vast storehouse of renewed dreams, 
hopes and peacefulness!

GOD OF HOPE,
Enter into my memory and remind me often 
of the yearning of the people of history. 
Stir up stories of how the ancestors 
hung on your promises, 
how they stole hope from tiny glimmers
about you, passed on from age to age. 
Help me to hear the loud, crying voices of the prophets who proclaimed that a new age would dawn.

GOD OF HOPE,
Enter into this heart of mine 
which often loses itself in self, 
missing the message of your encouragement 
because I am so entangled in the web of my own whirl of life.
 Enable me to not lose sight of the power of your presence or the truth of your consolation.

GOD OF HOPE,
Enter into the lives of all those I hold dear, 
the ones whose lives are marked with pain,
 struggle, and deep anxiety, 
those whose lives bear ongoing heartaches, 
those whose difficulties threaten to overwhelm 
them with helplessness and despair. 
Come and gift them with a deep belief about you 
and your never-ending faithfulness and companionship.

GOD OF HOPE,
Come into every human heart 
that cries out for a glimpse of your love, 
for a sign of your welcoming presence, 
for a taste of happiness. 
Be the one who calms the restless 
and gentles the ache of the human journey.

GOD OF HOPE,
Enter into this Advent Season 
with the grace of joy and laughter. 
Fill faces with smiles of delight and voices 
with sounds of pleasure.  
Let this gift come from deep within. 
Replenish all with the joyful blessings that only your peace can bring.

GOD OF HOPE,
Be the Morning Star in our Midst, 
the Light that can never go out, 
the Beacon of Hope guiding our way to you. 
Come into our midst and make of our lives a home,
 where your everlasting goodness resonates with assuring love and vigorous hope.

May the Light of Christ 

that has come into our world

fill all of our hearts with Joy and Peace!

Join me in fathoming the depths of this liturgical season of the year by immersing ourselves in a profound spiritual prayer that I have found so powerful to enter into 

during this Advent Season. 

A BLESSED ADVENT TO EVERYONE!

Do not look forward to what might happen tomorrow;

the same everlasting Father, who cares for you today,

will take care of you tomorrow and everyday.

Either He will shield you from your suffering 

or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it.

Be at peace, then,

and put aside anxious thoughts and imaginations!

St. Francis de Sales 

To pray is to enter into a relationship with God
and to have that relationship
make a difference in my life."
Kenneth Leech

Though the mountains may fall and the hills turn to dust,
yet the Love of the Lord will stand:
And the Shelter for All who will Call on God's name
"Sing The Praise and The Glory of God!"

Could the Lord ever leave you,
Could the Lord for get His Love?
Though a mother forsake her child,
God will not abandon you!

"Nothing is more important than finding God, 

that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute and final way!

What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, 
will affect everything.

 It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, 

what yo do with your evenings, 
how you spend your week-ends, 
what you read, 
who you know, 
what breaks your heart, 
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. 

Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything." 

Quote attributed to Fr. Arrupe, SJ

LOVE  is founded on our desire for completion

"to be whole, to be in harmony, to be connected, to be free."

What is it that completes us?

 It does not have to be a person,

it could be work, an experience in nature,

a hobby or something else...

MAY WE ALWAYS BE IN LOVE, 

that is, may we be always in touch with and be grounded on

 what it is that completes us!

"A heart that is full of love always has something to give."
Pope John XXIII


"This is the MIRACLE that happens every time to those who love:
the more they give, the more they possess."  
  Rainier Maria Rilkie


JOY IS THE MOST INFALLIBLE SIGN OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD!
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ

May this Christmas Season remind us

of the most important and powerful Christmas message of all.

It is about God's Special Love for Us

and the relationship that has been created by this Great Love!

May we always be open to recognize God's abounding grace

and be always wiling to be drawn and seized by God 

to participate in this Circle of Love

in all of our life endeavors

especially in how we care for and love one another (Jn 13:34)!

A Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year to All!

Nativity Scene displayed at the St. Augusting Chapel

of the Alexian Brothers Residence

Signal Mountain, TN. 2010
http://www.flickr.com/photos/exequiel_mapa/6626020293/in/photostream

Living on a Prayer

Living on a Prayer - A powerful write up of Aron Ralston's life recaptured by "Inspiration by God." This article showed how his tragic yet courageous experience in Utah can spark hope in us all, particularly to those who are experiencing dark nights in our lives. While "canyoning" in the rockies of Utah, Aron was trapped and pinned down for four days, by a boulder of rock that fell on him. For five days and five nights, he was alone, helpless and almost desperate and was crying out for help. Until, a sudden surge of spirit dawned upon him that made him do the unthinkable - to cut his arm so that he can free himself and live. He claimed that it was God who spoke to him and sustained him but it was the combination of his faith and free will that saved him. Amazing life story. Aron's strong character and his refusal to be in despair, I believe, arose from his being grounded on God in his sufferings. 

Aron's remarkable testimony reminds me of Dawana Markova's inspirational poem, which has become my "mantra" during my own trying times.  -  

  "I Will Not Die An Unlived Life"

        "I will not live an unlived life, I will not live in fear, of falling or catching fire.

         I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open to me,

         to make me less afraid, more accessible;

         to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise.

         I choose to risk my significance to live 

so that which came to me as a seed,

         goes to the next as blossom,

         and that which come to me as blossom, 

goes on as a fruit."

May we, in our personal lives, not only befriend our own pains, trials and tribulations and like Aron, may we come out stronger and blessed in the process of embracing them. May we also, in return, continue to be a source of grace and blessings to others, especially to those around us.