"Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."
Luke 1:38
Oh Mary, did you know what you were getting in for, Dear Woman-Child? Did you know that your Son would be heralded by angels to the poor? (Luke 2:8-9) Could you have known that people from far away would seek and find the baby and bring Him fancy gifts? (Matthew 2:1) Did you know that others would predict your life would take such a difficult turn when your child was still just days old? (Luke 2:38) Mary could not have known what her "Yes" to the angel would bring into her life, and yet she said it. Ah the zeal of youth! But we all can say that "yes" each and every day...in fact, we must. As difficult as it may seem, we need to realize that our lives are not fully our own and that God has big plans for us! And, just as God asks of us, God gifts us with just what we need to do what He asks. Today, let's think about the young Mary's "Yes" that made our Christian lives possible...think about what "Yes" we are asked to say ourselves this day...Love,
heidi
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Let God be God
"Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these things..."
Isaiah 40:26
Yesterday, I was listening to a Christian music station in my car. The DJ was talking about the recent discovery of a new earth-like planet and she was reflecting on how this puzzled her. She wondered out-loud how this would affect her faith--a faith that apparently depends on our earth, and us, being God's only people. I thought about it for a while and wondered why we humans decided we had God all figured out in the first place? I thought about how we tend to limit God into doing just what we think he's done, or what is written down what God's done. God can create as many planets as he wants--he's God! I guess it just didn't fit in with her view and that troubled her. Today, as we gaze up at the almost-winter heavens, let's just marvel at God's creation and not try to figure it all out. Let's let God be God. Let's just be in awe of it all! Love, heidi
Isaiah 40:26
Yesterday, I was listening to a Christian music station in my car. The DJ was talking about the recent discovery of a new earth-like planet and she was reflecting on how this puzzled her. She wondered out-loud how this would affect her faith--a faith that apparently depends on our earth, and us, being God's only people. I thought about it for a while and wondered why we humans decided we had God all figured out in the first place? I thought about how we tend to limit God into doing just what we think he's done, or what is written down what God's done. God can create as many planets as he wants--he's God! I guess it just didn't fit in with her view and that troubled her. Today, as we gaze up at the almost-winter heavens, let's just marvel at God's creation and not try to figure it all out. Let's let God be God. Let's just be in awe of it all! Love, heidi
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
God is in it all...
"If you honestly seek God, you will find him in everything, and everything will lead closer to him."
Fr. Wilfrid Stinissen
When we first made our Cursillo, many years ago now, we came out of there with wide, open eyes for seeing God. Everything was so different to us because we were able to see God in everything, just as Fr. Stinissen says here. Colors were brighter (which is why "De Colores" is the theme song of Cursillo!), music was better, love was vibrant and alive all around. We were honestly seeking God through that experience and God was so there! What we learn after that initial high, is that life goes on...days drift by...we return to earth. Blessedly, as we continue our journey, we learn to see God in the difficult and uncomfortable times as well as the happy, God-full experiences. We see God in places we never expected to see God and in people we never expected, too. We gradually realize that God is not an illusive, "out-there" experience, but that God is alive and well inside of us and each other. And, everything we experience, can lead us closer to the God-dwelling within. As we go through our nearly-winter Tuesday, let's be aware of God's presence in everything and everyone we meet. Let's take the experiences of our day and appreciate how they lead us closer to God. Love, heidi
Fr. Wilfrid Stinissen
When we first made our Cursillo, many years ago now, we came out of there with wide, open eyes for seeing God. Everything was so different to us because we were able to see God in everything, just as Fr. Stinissen says here. Colors were brighter (which is why "De Colores" is the theme song of Cursillo!), music was better, love was vibrant and alive all around. We were honestly seeking God through that experience and God was so there! What we learn after that initial high, is that life goes on...days drift by...we return to earth. Blessedly, as we continue our journey, we learn to see God in the difficult and uncomfortable times as well as the happy, God-full experiences. We see God in places we never expected to see God and in people we never expected, too. We gradually realize that God is not an illusive, "out-there" experience, but that God is alive and well inside of us and each other. And, everything we experience, can lead us closer to the God-dwelling within. As we go through our nearly-winter Tuesday, let's be aware of God's presence in everything and everyone we meet. Let's take the experiences of our day and appreciate how they lead us closer to God. Love, heidi
Monday, December 5, 2011
Listen for the knock
"Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God..."
Isaiah 40:1
Last night, Father gave a wonderful homily about God giving us comfort. So often we don't seem to feel God's comfort as we are going through difficult times and we may wonder, where exactly IS God in all this mess? Father talked about God knocking at our door, reaching out to us, but we just aren't opening the door. God sees us inside, but we don't leap up to answer it and let him in. This leads me to wonder how do we open the door to God's presence and comfort in our lives? Lately, I have been drawn to silence and I really feel that is my answer right now, at this point on my journey. I'd like to think that, sitting in silence--hard as that may be for me--is my way of opening the door and letting God into my heart. It may be different for you, surely, but for me, it feels as though God calls me into silent, still prayer. Let's think about how God is knocking at the doors of our hearts, so eager for us to let him in! We may be busy watching TV or sitting at the computer or, maybe we have the music turned up too loud to hear the knock. How can we be more open to God's yearning to be part of our lives? Love, heidi
Isaiah 40:1
Last night, Father gave a wonderful homily about God giving us comfort. So often we don't seem to feel God's comfort as we are going through difficult times and we may wonder, where exactly IS God in all this mess? Father talked about God knocking at our door, reaching out to us, but we just aren't opening the door. God sees us inside, but we don't leap up to answer it and let him in. This leads me to wonder how do we open the door to God's presence and comfort in our lives? Lately, I have been drawn to silence and I really feel that is my answer right now, at this point on my journey. I'd like to think that, sitting in silence--hard as that may be for me--is my way of opening the door and letting God into my heart. It may be different for you, surely, but for me, it feels as though God calls me into silent, still prayer. Let's think about how God is knocking at the doors of our hearts, so eager for us to let him in! We may be busy watching TV or sitting at the computer or, maybe we have the music turned up too loud to hear the knock. How can we be more open to God's yearning to be part of our lives? Love, heidi
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