Truly a saint!

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land."

Matthew 5:5

 

Today is the Feast of All Saints and I feel like sharing about a saint I recently just "met."  St. Alphonsus Rodriquez was a Jesuit Brother, who came to religious life after his wife and children tragically died when he was just under forty years old.  He sought the religious life in his mid-life years, which is inspirational in itself, but the fact that his job within his vocation was as a porter (basically, he opened the door for visitors) at a Jesuit school in Spain, is even more inspirational.  Each time someone knocked at the door Brother Alphonsus would say, "I'm coming, Lord!" Each visitor, he said, was Jesus.  That seems to me to be the ideal definition of a saint--someone who continually opens the door to Jesus.  Brother Alphonsus' humility and service teach us that, no matter how small a task we are to do, it must be done for Jesus. Each person who figuratively knocks on our door is Jesus and we should welcome them warmly.  Happy All Saints Day today and happy All Souls Day tomorrow...  Love, heidi

Absolutely nothing!

"What will separate us from the love of Christ?"

Romans 8:35

 

Such a good question to ponder and we slide down to the end of this week.  If we think back to all the most difficult times in our lives we can imagine Jesus right there with us.  So the bad times can't separate us from the love of Christ...check.  Now, let's think of all those joyous occasions--births, gatherings with loved ones, goals reached and celebrated.  Can we picture Jesus with us then? Sitting around the table laughing with us? Dancing with us? Watching our graduate parade in? Yes, Jesus can easily be pictured with us during the high times of our lives! Check. Finally, what about on our ho-hum days when we go about our business, whatever-that-may-be?  Why yes, there is Jesus at my favorite coffee stop.  There is Jesus on the other side of the screen door when I go to meet a new client.  There Jesus is everywhere in our ordinary day. Check. So, having done this research, I can conclude that St. Paul is right on!  Jesus is there with us, loving the dickens out of us, no matter what! Let's think about that today and bask in it...nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus.  That is worth celebrating...blessings on your All Hallow's Eve.  Love, heidi

Prayer is relationship

"Prayer is not a technique but a relationship."

Sr. Ruth Burrows, "Essence of Prayer"

 

The last couple of days have been a mixed bag for me.  One day, I am driving to Rexburg, frustrated and irritable, nothing is going right.  I whine and complain to God about this and that.  On the way back from Rexburg, I apologize to God for my foul mood and ask for help to do better.  The next day, mood restored, I am singing in the car (again on the way to Rexburg), I am almost bursting with contentment and joy; praising God and happy.  The point of me telling you all of this is this:  it is ALL prayer!  The whining, complaining, singing, apologizing, hands-raised praising, joyful thanksgiving--it is all prayer because, as prayer is defined here, it is relationship.  God was there and happy to hear all of it, even the whining.  Because God knew that the very next day the whining would turn to singing.  Talk to God.  No matter what you say.  God wants to hear it all from us!  Love, heidi

Hope for the future--live for today!

"For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance."

Romans 8:24-25

 

If we are in the midst of enjoying a beautiful, sunny day, we don't hope for a beautiful sunny day, right? We can hope it continues, but basically, we don't spend time hoping for what we already have around us.  The harder task is to hope for the elusive, the mysterious, the unattained.  Hope for something better to happen keeps us excited about the future, and a certain amount of that is good.  But we can't be so wrapped up in the future we cheat ourselves out of living today.  Today is the day in front of us. God has given us this precious gift of today and it is my hope for all of us that we live it to the fullest!  But hope for the future keeps us planning and scheming and saving and yearning.  Hope, itself, is positive and fruitful, but not if we sacrifice living fully today! Blessings on your waning-October-Tuesday!  Love, heidi

Your love is like a river...

"Your love is like a river flowing from my heart,

Your love is like a fire that will light my way,

Your love is like a rock that I am standing on..."

Third Day, "Your Love is Like a River"

 

This wonderful song was on the playlist in my head all weekend.  As I was driving home from a fabulous time in Montana, seeing dear, dear friends, I prayed this song.  I realized how incredibly blessed I am, how nurtured, how loved.  It is such an amazing time.  All the while, I am reminded that this time could be a difficult day for someone else. Someone, somewhere will lose a loved one today...or a job...or a dear friend may move away.  Today is a gift that is welcome and joyous for me, but others may be struggling this very day.  Lord, thank you so much for the joy and the wonder of today.  Please wrap your arms around those who may be suffering today and those for whom today is a trial.  If there is anything I can do to help someone else, send me!  Blessings on our Monday, the last one in October!  Love, heidi
Your Love is Like a River