Careful what you pray for--you may get it!

"Conversion happens most often in a slow, deliberate, and mysterious way, like a tree changing colors in the fall. And often you can't see the change in yourself."

Fr. James Martin, SJ, "Jesus: A Pilgrimage"

 

One thing I've noticed lately, is that, if you ask God to change something about you, be prepared to be changed!  It is often a deliberate and mysterious change, sure enough, but there are times it can happen quickly.  It's as if God is so excited that we are recognizing the need for help to change that God can't wait to begin! God never forces us to change but instead waits for us to see, ourselves, the need to grow.  And God delights in the humility it takes to see that.  Our God is a God of surprises and sometimes we are surprised how quickly we see God's hand shaping us, like clay in the loving hands of the Potter. Today, we rejoice in the beginning of the women's Cursillo, here in Idaho Falls!  Let us pray for all involved throughout the weekend...Love, heidi

The lessons of the women!

"If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured."

Mark 5:28

 

We were blessed to see a wonderful video presentation reflecting on this reading by Edwina Gateley at our recent Spiritual Direction class.  How I wish it was available for all to see! If you would like to check out her web page, I will include the link below.  Anyway, she spoke of the courage of the woman with the hemorrhage and how hard it must have been for her to leave her place of physical and social isolation to go out to Jesus that day. She was as "unclean" as you could get and going out into a crowd pressing in on Jesus that day would have been a major taboo. Not to mention her touching him or even his clothes!  But, her courage and her faith and, face it, her desire to be healed pushed her to do the unthinkable.  Do we ever want anything that much? Does our faith ever lead us to such drastic action? Another Gospel story comes to mind when I think about that.  The Gospel of the woman who wants Jesus to heal her daughter and, though initially rebuffed by Jesus, she persists (Mark 7:24-30).  Faith, courage, persistence.  What amazing gifts the stories of these women can give us! Love, heidi

http://edwinagateley.com/

The hidden (ordinary) years...

  "The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him."

Luke 2:40

 

What we don't know about Jesus--the years the Gospels do not explain--are called the Hidden Years.  And it's too bad.  We would all like to know what Jesus' childhood was like, wouldn't we?  Fr. James Martin, in "Jesus: A Pilgrimage," says that the Jesus' growing up years and his young adult years are fascinating to us because they would be the years most like our own lives.  He grew up in a small town, with family and friends and learned a trade from his father.  It doesn't seem like he did miracles during his childhood and young adult years or the people of his hometown would not have been so shocked when he began doing amazing things later. We can presume that Jesus' life was fairly ordinary in those early, young adult years. An ordinary life, like our ordinary lives.  In the midst of our ordinary lives, amazing miracles are happening every single day, we must realize.  Babies are being born. People are falling in love.  Strangers are reaching out to strangers. Children are learning to read.  These things may seem ordinary, but, if we look at them through the eyes of faith, they are really wonderful miracles.  Today, let's be aware of God's presence in our ordinary lives. God's favor is upon us, too.  Love, heidi