Month: February 2018

“And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
– Philippians 4:7

Live It! Tip of the Week:
Take some time to meditate on the passage of Mark 4:35-41. When you are in a storm of life, do you take the position of some of the Apostles and attempt to solve the problem by your own intelligence and strength? Do you cry out to the Lord but in a spirit of panic and despair? Or do you become a companion of trust in the Lord’s providence and power?

Prayer
Lord, you have said, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.” Help us during the storms of life to keep our eyes fixed on you. May we come to trust ever more in your power and love. With the father in the Gospel, let us say, “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.”

“See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.”
– 1 John 3:1

Live It! Tip of the Week: As you enter more deeply into Lent, take a step back to recall with the Lord the times when your life was ruptured or interrupted in a particularly intense way. What thoughts or actions got you through that time? What did you learn about yourself? What did you learn about God? In recalling these memories, can you see how you remained a beloved son or daughter of the living God? Let that realization of your core identity – as a child of the living God – sink in and inform your thoughts and actions this week.

Prayer
God, you are the Everlasting God. You are my living and faithful Father. You have adopted me as your child into your eternal family through your Son, Jesus Christ. Help me to trust that your love is unconditional and everlasting in my life. Amen.

“Deep calls to deep at the thunder of thy cataracts; all thy waves and thy billows have gone over me.”
– Psalm 42:7

Live It! Tip of the Week: Consider where you are in your life right now. Are there places where you feel or have felt “shattered on the rocks”? Bring those experiences before the Lord in a time of quiet prayer and ask Him to begin to reveal Himself in those experiences to you and shed His light on them. Consider reaching out to your spouse, a close friend, or a mentor as well. Let this Lent be one of transformation and renewal.

Prayer
Jesus, I turn to you. Jesus, I trust in you. Have mercy on me, a sinner.

He said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”…[The lawyer] said, “The one who showed mercy on him.” And Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
– Luke 10:29,37

 

Meditation
In living out the greatest commandment to love God and to love our neighbor, we may become overwhelmed or frustrated in our attempt to look beyond ourselves through a life of service. Where should we go when we need to return to the basics in our quest to love? The answer is simple – with Jesus.
In the Incarnation, God becomes man. He becomes our neighbor. He reveals to us the unconditional and infinite love of God. By simply returning to Jesus and allowing ourselves to fall in love with Him, we will actually return love for love and begin to fulfill the greatest commandment. Why? Because we love Jesus who is God and who is also my neighbor. Mother Teresa simply stated, “Once you fall in love with Jesus, everything else follows and becomes easy in a way.”

Live It! Tip of the Week: Return to the life of Jesus in Holy Scripture by reading through a chapter or two of a Gospel account. Pray for the grace to encounter Christ and His love.

Prayer
Lord, in the power of your Holy Spirit grant that I may encounter you anew through Holy Scripture. Elevate my mind, open my heart, enliven my strength, abide in my soul. Amen.