Thank God for the inside gifts...

"I will give thanks to your name,
Because of your kindness and your truth.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me."
Psalm 138

As we near our feast of thanksgiving, there are a couple of things that strike me.  First, it seems ironic that we pause (so briefly) to give thanks for all we have before we tear out the door in the middle of the night to buy more stuff (!)  And second, we give thanks for the goods we have, but do we stop to think about the more important gifts God gives, such as strength?  I believe that God's interaction with us happens within us.  To me, God doesn't manipulate the events of our lives as much as God builds us up from the inside so we can cope with the events of our lives. Many ask where God is during tragedies we experience and I believe God weeps with us through the tragedies and gifts us with the strength to endure. God's gift to us of our own free will can wreak havoc in the world and that is when God works within us, gives us strength and spreads kindness and truth through us.  So, as we think about and thank God for our many gifts, let's especially think of the inside gifts God generously gives to us. God gives us the strength we need to cope with the results of our own free will and that may be the best gift of all!  Blessings to all as you gather this week!  See you Monday!  Love, heidi

The end of mercy? Never!

“God has no memory of sin, but only of us, of each of us, we who are his beloved children. And he believes that it is always possible to start anew, to raise ourselves up.”
Pope Francis, closing out the Year of Mercy

So the Year of Mercy is over. It sure went fast, didn't it? We had a ceremonial final walking through our Mercy Gate at Christ the King over the weekend and it couldn't have come at a better time.  I'd gone to mass early to read and pray.  Trouble was, it was hard to concentrate, there was a lot going on there just then. I found myself getting irritated and short-tempered...just in time to walk through the Mercy Gate one final time.  Later, as I snuggled down into bed and started my prayers, I was still irritated and wrestling with people in my mind. "Now, now," Jesus whispered to me. "Remember the mercy you asked for and received walking through the Mercy Gate earlier? Pass that mercy along to others." Whoa! Right as always, Jesus, thanks. Mercy never ends from God's side.  We need it now in our world, more than ever and it's up to us to pass it on.  Love, heidi