Chasing after Jesus...

"The Jesus said to her in reply, 'O woman, great is your faith. Let it be done for you as you wish.' And her daughter was healed from that hour."

Matthew 15:28

This Canaanite woman is such a good example for us for her persistence!  As a Gentile woman, she probably shouldn't have even spoken to Jesus, a Jewish man, but she went much further than that--she challenged Jesus! She essentially chased after him and used his own argument to prove her point.  Incredible!  Such a great example of faith and determination!  And it does not go unrewarded.  I think Jesus was impressed with the fact that she came to him asking for help for another person--her daughter.  She was selfless in her request.  But, also, that faith!  She probably realized she had one chance to plead her case to Jesus and she wasn't going to let him get away without her best effort.  We have much to learn from this woman, Friends! Our prayers for others are honored, especially when we come to God in faith and determination.  Love, heidi

Go outside!

"All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the children of the earth. We did not weave the web of life, we are merely strands in it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves."

Chief Seattle, Duwanish tribe, Oregon Territory

Never did I feel as close to nature as I did on retreat this past June.  Since it was a silent retreat and I wasn't there to commune with humans, I spent my time outside with a whole new flock of friends.  I sat for hours, watching squirrels, bunnies and birds.  I drew pictures of the spiders in the gazebo.  A couple of busy rabbits distracted me from my labyrinth prayers, but were a lovely distraction!  I gained a new appreciation for bugs and critters that has carried over since I returned home.  We are all inner connected to nature and responsible to each other--be we man or other mammal, insect or bird. During my hours of silently observing nature, I felt as though I was watching glimpses of God; a magical, mystical reality show.  "All this was going on all the time?" I wondered.  I just hadn't taken the time to tune in.  But I do now.  Today, let's stop and look around.  Summer is fleeting, time's slipping away.  Get outside and watch God's reality show.  Love, heidi

We are hungry...

"We are hungry, we are hungry, we are hungry for more of You,

We are thirsty, Oh Jesus, we are thirsty for more of you..."

Jeff Deyo, "We Are Hungry"

We sang this song at mass last night and it really sent me soaring...what an amazing and beautiful song!  Interestingly, by the time the music group finished and started going up for communion, the ministers were getting ready to put it all away.  We found one who turned around to give us communion, but it was close!  It brought home the words of this song, even as it was still ringing in my heart.  "We are hungry for more of You."  Please give us Jesus.  Give us nourishment, sustenance.  Yesterday's gospel was Jesus feeding the five thousand with five loaves and two fish (Matthew 14:13-21).  This reading is a harbinger of Jesus giving us the most precious food of all--His own body and blood.  And we are so hungry for more of You.  There is a beautiful rain falling right now!  Enjoy your summer Monday.  Love, heidi

More good than bad!

"The good is always more true than the bad. Whoever sees the deep truth about another, always sees someone, created in the image of God, to love and be loved."

Fr. Wilfrid Stinissen, "This is the Day the Lord Has Made"

It sounds so easy when he says it!  But that deep truth is sometimes hard to get at--especially if the other person drives us nuts.  But the sentence, "The good is always more true than the bad," is a powerful one and one we should be able to pull out of our memory whenever faced with a difficult person.  Remember when we learned about the weeds and the wheat growing together?  God sees the good in us and wants to give us the chance to grow and change.  We need to try and see through God's eyes and see the good in others.  And the fact that there is MORE good than bad should make that a bit easier.  Today, let's try to imagine each person we meet as God sees them.  And even ourselves--let's try to see ourselves as God sees us. And in doing that, we will have a blessed summer weekend! Love, heidi

Success or failure?

"We must never put our dreams of success as God's purpose for us.  His purpose may be the exact opposite."

Oswald Chambers, "My Utmost for His Highest"

What? Did I read that correctly? The exact opposite of success is failure...God wants me to fail? Oswald Chambers goes on to say that God's purpose for us is that we depend on God and God's power, right now.  God isn't as interested in the end result of our work.  God is more concerned with how we get there--to the end.  And God wants us to depend fully on God.  How did we humans get so wound around the axle about our success?  Success to us means getting the job done, but God is more concerned with how we get it done and who we rely upon to get it done.  I was thinking about my job and how my success is often measured by the number of clients served successfully. But the real success is the daily moments with the wonderful people I serve.  The little ladies showing me their scrapbooks and pictures of their grandchildren.  The former WWII veterans, telling me stories of their lives.  And I need to rely fully on God to do whatever I can to assist them.  Today, let's think about our successes and even failures. And let's think of them in terms of where God fits into the mix. If we are truly relying on God in our daily lives, God deems us a success!  Love, heidi

Beautifully and wonderfully made...

"As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ."

1 Corinthians 12:12

Last night I attended a concert by a jazz quartet down on the Greenbelt.  It was a perfect. A perfect summer evening with a slight breeze.  Perfect music by some of my favorite local musicians.  Perfect group of interesting locals, including the lady who dresses her cat up in doll clothes, the middle-aged gal who rides a razor scooter everywhere, a bus load of seniors from an Assisted Living facility, puppies, dancing kids and assorted other characters.  I thought to myself, "How many unique and interesting people does it take to make up our world?"  And we are just a tiny little corner of the world! Each one of us is unique and yet all of us together make up the people of God.  It is a beautiful thing to be unique and wonderfully made and also to be community; with many of us making up the Body of Christ.  Today, let's appreciate the interesting characters that we are! Love, heidi