If you wish...

"Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean."

Matthew 8:2

I love the way this leper models for us how to pray. Of course he wants to be healed of his leprosy, but he indicates that he would yield his will to Jesus..."If you wish..." Since he addresses Jesus as "Lord," we can jump to it seeming like he is willing to yield to God's will in the situation. Jesus says the same prayer later, as he agonizes in the Garden. "Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will." (Mark 14:36) Both Jesus and the leper are teaching us to pray with their prayers. Both are showing a willingness to let go of their own will and yield to God's will. May that be our prayer as we celebrate our Friday. Lord, you know what I need and even what I want. Let Your will for me be done and please give me the grace to accept, even appreciate it. Amen! Love, heidi

Good fruit!

"Every good tree bears good fruit."

Matthew 7:17

As I was contemplating this reading this morning, I wondered what the "good fruit" looks like. The answer was as clear as day. Last week, I saw a dear, elderly lady who used to be a client and now is having more problems due to her vision loss. I met with her at her little house and we figured out some things that could really help her. As I got up to leave, she said, "I'm gonna give you a hug. I heard that you should always hug those you love and I love you, Heidi." For all my faults, failings, snarky comments and sins, somehow God has graced me with these adorable people who show me such love. Kids, friends, clients...all are amazing fruits of my relationship with God, who loves me so much! Let's enjoy our day today, knowing that every good fruit we experience is a gift. Some of our fruits may be a bit tangy, like a lemon or grapefruit, others may be sweet like a ripe melon, but all are gifts from God, who only gives the best! Love, heidi

Jesus among us...

"In the winter of 1947, the Abbey Pierre, a modern apostle of mercy to the poor of Paris, found a young family on the streets homeless, almost frozen to death. He scooped them up and brought them back to his little dwelling, which was already filled with other vagrants. He had no place to put them, so the Abbey Pierre went into the chapel, removed the blessed sacrament from the tabernacle, placed it upstairs in a cold, unheated attic, and then installed the family in the chapel to sleep. When his Dominican brothers expressed shock at such irreverence toward the blessed sacrament, the Abbey Pierre replied, 'Jesus Christ is not cold in the Eucharist, but He is cold in the body of a little child.'"

Brennan Manning, "The Ragamuffin Gospel"

Let's show reverence today for our fellow humans beings, who are Jesus among us! Love, heidi

Who I am...

"What, then, will this child be?"

Luke 1:66

"Then (Jesus) said to them, 'But who do you say that I am'"

Luke 9:20

The last couple of days' readings have been about identity. The first reading, today's Gospel about the birth of John the Baptist, has the neighbors buzzing about John's interesting birth, "What, then, will this child be?" In yesterday's Gospel, Jesus asks his disciples, "But who do you say that I am?" Take those two readings and mix in a country song:

"I am Rosemary's granddaughter, the spitting image of my father, and, when the day is done, my momma's still my biggest fan." (Brett James and Troy Verges, "Who I Am")

Welcome to my head! It's all about identity... who we are, who we think we are, who others say we are. Our identities can change as we grow and age, too. We begin as someone's daughter or son and somehow, through life, we change into someone's mother or father. It is all so apparent when we spend time with grown up children, as I just did this past weekend. We had a great time getting things for Sam's new apartment and, as she thanked me, I replied that I enjoyed every minute of it. In fact, I remembered doing the same thing with my mom as I got my first apartment on my own. So, who am I? First and foremost, I am a much-loved child of God. Then, I am Rosemary's daughter, the spitting image of my father, and Jeni, Blaine and Sam's momma. That's who I am. It's not hard to figure out and it is up to me to relish it. Love, heidi