St. Joseph, let's get to work!

"O glorious St. Joseph, model of all those devoted to labor, obtain for me the grace to work conscientiously, to work with gratitude and joy..."

Pope Pius X

 

It seems interesting celebrating St. Joseph the Worker today after going to a fun retirement party last night, but here we are! I think my favorite part of this little prayer is the idea of working with gratitude and joy, because so often, as I drag myself up and out on a Monday morning, gratitude and joy are not my first inclination.  On a Friday I can muster up a bit of both so here I go.  I am indeed grateful to do what I do.  I can look back through my life and see God putting the desire within my heart to do this work and opening doors for me for the education and training.  God is all over this work!  And there is also a great deal of joy in meeting the people that I serve and being able to assist them in some small way.  So, on this feast of St. Joseph the Worker, I gather all the gratitude and joy within me and roll up my sleeves for another go at it.  And it should be easy.  It's Friday!  Love, heidi

The gift of spring!

"The promises of the Lord I will sing forever!"

Psalm 89:2

 

One of my little mobility kids asked me the other day if I like May (since it is coming up tomorrow!).  I answered her that I do, certainly.  "Why?" she asked. I thought about it and realized I'd much rather be on this side of summer than on the other side.  Days are getting longer, the smell of lilacs is in the air, the world just seems so fresh and new--new leaves, new flowers, new baby critters.  Yes, I like May, dear little student!  And all of that leads me to praise God for the gifts of spring. Today is a perfect day to praise God for the many gifts we are given each day.  Each morning we wake up we are given a gift of a new day.  Let's make a special point today of celebrating it well!  Love, heidi

Listen for the Shepherd!

"My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me."

John 10:27

 

This morning, on Pray-As-you-Go, we were asked to anticipate the voices we may hear on our Tuesday.  Sit with those anticipated voices and listen carefully for the voice of our Shepherd, Jesus.  This was a wonderful exercise for me, as I can imagine some challenging voices in my day.  In the midst of those many voices, can I hear the voice of Jesus helping me deal with the challenging voices?  If I am still and quiet enough, I can!  Jesus gives me exactly what I need to embark on the day ahead.  Today, let's think about all the people we will encounter as we move through our day.  Some of the voices we hear may be comforting, encouraging, challenging, irritating, or all of the above.  Can we also listen for the voice of our loving Shepherd?  What is he saying to us?  Love, heidi

Abundant life!

"I came that they might have life and have it more abundantly."

John 10:10

 

The older I get, the more I realize that this abundance Jesus is talking about is not an abundance of material wealth. It is more of an abundance within us...specifically, an abundance of gratitude for the tiniest of gifts.  Life is so much richer for us if we can see and appreciate the tiny, yet miraculous, gifts God puts in our day.  Much of yesterday was dreary, cool and damp; not the kind of day that gets me rejoicing! But I looked out the window and noticed a fat little robin in the yard and realized that, despite the momentary gloomy weather, it is still spring.  And I was so grateful! The abundance Jesus is talking about here is  an abundance of gratitude and appreciation for every living thing--from a fat little robin to the dearest of friends. Jesus came so we can see and appreciate the glory of God in everything and everyone around us. And that, gives us an abundance of wealth!  Love, heidi

Bread of Life, nourish us!

"I am the living bread that came down from heaven..."

John 6:51

 

What does this mean to us? How can Jesus' bread of life nourish us? Physical food gives us fuel for our bodies to function and perform.  How does Jesus being the bread of life actually work for us?  Jesus' spiritual food gives our spirits nourishment--fuel for the spiritual journey. When our spirits struggle due to difficult life circumstances, Jesus nourishes us with hope.  How often throughout the New Testament did Jesus tell us, "Do not be afraid!" Our Bread of Life gives us hope.  Also, Jesus gives us comfort in times of loss, no matter what the loss.  Our grief is shared with an understanding Jesus who, himself, wept at the loss of his friend Lazarus. Our Bread of Life gives us comfort.  And Jesus' bread gives us the will to carry on. Whether our journey seems long or not-so-long, it can still seem daunting. The road ahead can seem difficult or tedious, but Jesus is there, cheering us on. "You can do this!  I'm with you every step of the way!" Our Bread of Life gives us encouragement.  Jesus, Bread of Life, please nourish us this day, with your hope, comfort and encouragement!  Love, heidi

Jesus promises...

"For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day."

John 6:39

 

As fabulous as that sounds, I need a little something to get me through a Wednesday! So I scouted about and found promises of Jesus that apply to us, right here, right now.

Jesus promises to never leave us, to be with us always, no matter what (John 14:18, Matthew 28:20)

Jesus promises to calm our fears (John 14:1)

Jesus promises to love us, faults, failings and all (John 14:21)

Jesus promises to help us, each day, become the best we can be (John 14:26)

And finally, Jesus promises us peace.  "Peace be with you," he says (John 20:21)

Those are real promises I can ponder and celebrate all day, this spring Wednesday!  Love, heidi