Sunday 31 May 2020
Thursday 21 May 2020
Sunday 17 May 2020
Thursday 14 May 2020
Inclusive!
A
year or so ago, I took one of those free cards from the Parish and on the front
is Jesus, holding his staff and knocking at the door and on the back of the
card it says; Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my
voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they
with me. Down the below of the card it says; “All are welcome to our vibrant,
safe and welcoming community, “
What
does it mean to be inclusive?
Inclusive!
To be inclusive, you are aiming to provide equal access to opportunities and
resources for people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized. To be
included means to be considered a part of something, it’s being invited to a
group.
Why
do I choose to write about being inclusive, included?
Well,
we are currently restricted to attending any means of worship, adoration, bible
study groups, well apparently, I have recently learnt that there is one
available but it’s not opened to all Parishioner’s, only to those who have
attended Alpha. So, this means to me if you haven’t done Alpha, you cannot
study the bible or you have some sort of privilege to receive an invitation.
There is so much I can tolerate but the one thing that I cannot tolerate is a
church community being exclusive and a couple of weeks ago in the newsletter
dated 17/4/2020 says and I quote; “Are you good at making people feel welcome?
When we make people feel welcome, we make them feel like they are included
instead of being excluded.” In all seriousness, do they really feel and believe, they are acting, living and being a true image of Jesus Christ? I don't want to judge but I don't understand how invitations don't go out to all the congregation or gets posted on social media or announced in the Newsletter, it's like they have kept it to themselves or to a minimum or it's they way of making, fishing for Leaders, they are taking their strongest and making them known to the community, while the weakest are left hanging. So, here is a thought maybe it is a message or
good news from God.
We
are all one in Christ Jesus, though we are many, we are one body with Christ.
We are to live peaceably with all; we are to welcome one another as Christ has
welcomed us, we are to never make distinctions among ourselves or become judges.
Love one another, with patience and kindness, love, just as he has loved us.
Build peace with everyone, in your relationships, in your friendships, in your
families. When you have a party invites everyone, the poor, the crippled, the
lame, the blind, be kind, tenderhearted, forgive one another as God in Christ
as forgiven us. Never neglect to show hospitality to strangers, because it is
known some have entertained Angels. Put away false hood and be honest and
truthful with your neighbor.
All this you have read are some of the words from
the bible and I invite you all to open your bibles. Inclusion matters, as a
woman of Christ, I am committed and I have the courage to be a voice for all
those who feel excluded and marginalized. Inclusion, inclusive, included is a
right and a feeling for everyone and everything; it’s not a privilege for a
select few. You might invite me to connect on Zoom but what happens after, when
everything goes back to normal and restrictions are lifted? Maybe this was my opportunity to be someone in the Parish but in all honesty, I should already be someone in the Parish and I am, I am me, a mother, a woman of Faith and Hope. I have said this
before, we are one body, made up of different parts and we are different, this
is great because we are all special and unique, without diversity our lives
would be boring. Maya Angelou quote; “In diversity there is beauty and there is
strength.” My hope is seeing a church community that has its doors, ministries,
opportunities to learn, grow in knowledge and understanding of God opened to
all who knock at the door, all who enter through the door. “A community that
excludes even one of its members is no community at all.” Author Unknown.
I
know, I am known to be sensitive and possibly weak but never underestimate my
sensitivity or weakness because I belong to Christ Jesus. Without him, I am
lost, without him, I am no one, without him, I am weak, without him, I am
broken, without him, I don’t know the way, my soul is lost and confused,
without him, I am miserable, without him, I am alone but with him, I am found,
with him, I am someone, with him, I am strong, with him, I am in one piece,
with him, he shows me the way, with him, my soul is loved and nourished and
both spirit and soul are fulfilled. With him, I will never be alone for he will
walk and be beside me always and forever. With him, through him, we all are
welcomed, included and invited to the table, to the altar and in the Body of
Christ, we are all one in Christ Jesus, meaning everyone is included.
May
God Bless Always
Written
and created by My Mother Rose.
Wednesday 13 May 2020
Tuesday 12 May 2020
Friday 8 May 2020
'POWER!'
1Corinthians 2:10-16, These are the very things that God
has revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit reaches the depths of
everything, even the depths of God. After all, the depths of a man can only be
known by his own spirit, not by any other man, and in the same way the depths
of God can only be known by the Spirit of God. Now instead of the spirit of the
world, we have received the Spirit that comes from God, teach us to understand
the gifts that he has given us. Therefore, we teach, not in the way in which
philosophy is taught, but in the way that the Spirit teaches us; we teach
spiritual things spiritually. An unspiritual person is one who does not accept
anything of the Spirit of God; he sees it all as nonsense; it is beyond his
understanding because it can only be understood by means of the Spirit. A
spiritual man, on the other hand, is able to judge the value of everything, and
his own value is not to be judged by other men. As scripture says: Who can know
the mind of the Lord, so who can teach him? But we are those who have the mind
of Christ.
For the past month, I have been watching videos from the
Pentecost Pilgrimage, listening to beautiful testimonies of the Spirit of
truth, the Holy Spirit. Even before, I started the Pilgrimage, I was seeking my
truth and one word that has been knocking on my door is ‘Power.’ What is Power?
How do we use our power? Do we use our power for good and for the advantage of
others? Or do we use our power to get ahead, for our own advantage?
Well, we will get back to that, on Sunday, we acknowledge,
welcome and celebrate, the Holy Spirit. I must be totally honest; I had never heard
of the Holy Spirit before, it was only when I say, “In the name of the Father,
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” However, it wasn’t until I started my
spiritual journey, attended Alpha, started to grow more in my Faith, attending
workshops, that I was becoming more curious, hungry to learn, understand, to
have knowledge of this incredible presence, force, wanting to enter and be a
part of my life. Well, I must be totally honest again; what a presence! I have
become more opened and sometimes, I still scratch my head and wonder or I am
left totally and utterly amazed by the Holy Spirit or whatever it maybe, all I
know is, there is something working for us and with us to have a great life, a
happy life, a life that helps us to be in control of our choices, our attitude,
behavior and helps us to grow in our own spirit, our spirit of love, kindness, compassion,
patience, joy, goodness, health and charity.
So, let’s get back now to ‘POWER!’ Knowing me, I had to
research, pray about it before I could write and share with you all. Over Easter,
I shared that God was really asking me to bring alive and keep active the Word
of God because every word of God is Spirit and life, When we receive and live
and act on the Word of God, it is only then the ‘POWER’ of God will work in us.
Acts 1:8 but you will receive ‘POWER’ when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and
then you will become my witnesses, not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judea
and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth. “ABBA, FATHER!” The Word of
God, gives me ‘POWER!’ gives me new life, new hope, brings alive in me a Faith,
I never knew I had but I can’t keep all this ‘POWER,’ to myself, here is the
thing, we all share and have the same ‘POWER,’ all you have to do is receive the
Word of God. How do you receive the Word of God and this incredible blessing? Firstly,
the Word of God, is scripture. We listen to scripture, when we attend mass, bible
study groups, prayer groups, Adoration and of course, Women of Faith and Hope. We
also receive the Word of God, through sight, social media, billboards, magnets,
bookmarks, cards etc. When we are ready to receive the Word of God, our hearts
are opened and we believe, and trust in what he has for us. 2 Timothy 3:15-17, and
how, ever since you were a child, you have known the holy scriptures-from these
you can learn the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
All scripture is inspired by God and can profitably be used for teaching, for
refuting error, for guiding people’s lives and teaching them to be holy, this
is how the man who is dedicated to God becomes fully equipped and ready for any
good work.
It is our Faith that activates the ‘POWER of GOD,’ It is our
Faith in the ‘POWER OF GOD’S WORDS’, that turn our lives around, and we are
awoken to a ‘POWER,’ we never knew, we could possibly have. I want to finish by
sharing the beginning of Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: ‘Whom
shall I send? Who will be our messenger? I answered, ‘Here I am, send me.’ He
said. Isaiah, is my favorite chapter of the bible and it’s where the Spirit of
truth, leads me, when I am in need of comfort, protection, guidance, newness
and strength, the words in Isaiah bring me close to Christ, God, grace, life
and mercy and I am always left feeling the breath of wind, fire, water, light
and the Holy Spirit.
Women of Faith and Hope, may you all come to know the truth
and ‘POWER’ of the Holy Spirit, in your own lives.
Revelations 19:12-13, His eyes were flames of fire, and his
head was crowned with many coronets; the name written on him was known only to
himself, his cloak was soaked in blood, He is known by the name, The Word of
God.
May God Bless Always.
Written and created by My Mother Rose.
Wednesday 6 May 2020
Women Of Faith and Hope: REMINDER!
Women Of Faith and Hope: REMINDER!: “Behind every woman is another strong woman.” ‘REMINDER!’ Women of Faith and Hope, we are strong, brave and beautiful. Be the strong ...
He is the way, the truth and the life.
In both my hands, I hold five stones,
faith, hope, dream and peace but on one of my hands I hold Love and Love is
different. My son reminded me that love is the most important stone and I would
have to agree. This week’s gospel and readings, talk about rejection, believing
in the beauty and strength of the chief corner stone who is Jesus Christ and he is love. We
too are like the chief corner stone, not perfect but we are beautiful, strong
and sometimes, we hope and trust for someone to believe in us, to believe in
our very existence and to love us, like he loved us.
What does it mean to believe?
To believe we are accepting something
that is true, we have faith and walk and live our lives with confidence and
trust. Jesus says; “I am the way, the truth and the life.” I guess my question
is why should I believe him? Well, he is the way; the only way because he was
chosen by God, he was the only one to have come down from heaven and returned
there, he is the only sacrifice for sin, he alone fulfilled the laws of the
prophets, he is the only man to have conquered death and he is the only
mediator between God and man. Still, why is Jesus the truth? The truth is
simple, it’s our choice, it’s our attitude, and the truth is a way of being, a
journey, process, spirituality, and a relationship with God through Christ, who
is the way for us to see the world as God sees it. If we don’t love the truth,
if we resist it, we resist salvation and all the incredible blessings that flow
from God. Leaves me with one more question; why is Jesus life? I truly believe,
we come alive when we come to have faith in Christ, in something that is bigger
than any of us could ever imagine and I guess it’s true if we want to know God,
we must go through Jesus Christ first.
So, no matter how many times, they
stumble, walk all over you, and neglect you. Know this, our chief cornerstone,
who is precious, beyond and undeniably magnificent, we can too feel and
be this way, the truth and life for our families, friends and all those who
come and go from our life. “Christ alone, weak made strong in the
savior’s love through the storm, he is Lord of all.” Author Unknown
I do like that quote, for in our own
weakness we are made strong by our savior’s love, strength, courage, goodness
or is it by our faith, hopes and the peace we seek. Whichever it may be, Jesus
is the only way to the Father, it is up to us to follow, allowing him to lead
the way, it is up to us to trust and to have confidence in the word of God and
it’s up to us, to learn how to rely and respond more to his presence because
God is not past nor future, for he his present, present in this moment with us.
In one of my hands I hold five stones,
faith, hope, dream, peace and the greatest of all love. Do you believe me?
May God Bless Always
Written by My Mother Rose
Saturday 2 May 2020
Ascension.
There is a sadness to the Gospel and readings this weekend,
as Jesus ascends into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father
Almighty. Even though Jesus has blessed us, for forty days he parts from us and
is carried up into heaven, to assume his position as leader of the Church. We
might feel his absence but it’s believing and knowing his eternal presence, will
always be with us here on earth. It is our mission now to announce the Good
news, to announce to the whole world how powerful and mighty, our great God is.
You see, the ascension is our exaltation,
and, where the head has gone before in glory, the rest of the body is called to
follow with faith and hope. We become now, the hands, feet and heart of the ‘Body
of Christ,’ and it’s up to us, to be the risen Christ for those who meet us and
journey with us, for God is with us. With us in truth, grace, love, God is with
us through healing, comfort, strength and God with us, when we need guiding and
a light to see the path we walk on. So, let us not be sad, he is with us until
the end of time, let us make disciples and spread God’s great love among our families,
friends and to all who come and go from our lives.
Women of Faith and Hope.
May God Bless Always.
Written and created by My Mother Rose
Advocate!
I want to ask you all a question; What is the reason for the
hope you all have? Please feel free to share. I have been caught and I have
been asked a similar question, but I never had a great response, I do now
though. The reason for the hope I have, is because I have witnessed in me a transformation
and not just me but in the lives of others. How great is it, that we have the
Holy Spirit as an ‘Advocate? And, that we too can be ‘Advocates,’ for another. This
weekend is really, our last opportunity to be with the risen King, before he
ascends into heaven and an opportunity to learn, to prepare, so that we can
become a voice for all nations to hear, a voice that can be provided to all
those in need of help, support, encouragement and guidance. I feel very blessed
and I am overwhelmed with the great work, God is doing in me and I can’t praise
him enough and thank him enough for the incredible gifts and blessings that I
have received and I do want to share that with you all. Because, our lives, stories, the way God works
in us, through us, are great examples of the hope we all have. Let’s go back to
Wednesday, when we celebrated ‘Our Lady of Fatima.’ This is one of the greatest
examples, of the hope we all have, Our Lady, appearing to three Children in Fatima,
Portugal and let’s not forget that Jesus is asking us to keep his commandments
and in doing so brings God’s promises and that is another example of the hope
we all have. Know though, Women of Faith and Hope, that I can be your advocate and
help, plead your cause, stand with you in very difficult situations and I am
willing to speak on your behalf. For so long, I searched to find a spiritual
counsellor, guide, comforter, confessor and I can finally say, I have found my ‘Advocate.’
I do want to however mention, when you are searching and looking for a good spiritual counsel, guide, comforter and confessor, know it takes time and patience to find that one, who will sit with you and is able to read your soul, listen without judgement, give you their time and patience, also a spiritual counsel who can sit with you in silence, in prayer, which gives the soul strength. Sometimes, we might meet a spiritual counsel, guide, comforter, confessor and realize, they can be dismissive, they make it clear, they don't want you around, and they make it hard for you to be accepted and my advice, don't go back to them because their hearts are troubled and they too need, support and encouragement or ask around, ask a friend who they might suggest. So, I say pray, pray to God to lead and guide you to the right spiritual guide, comforter, confessor and counsel. Isaiah 58:11 The Lord will always guide you, giving you relief in desert places. He will give strength to your bones.
I do want to however mention, when you are searching and looking for a good spiritual counsel, guide, comforter and confessor, know it takes time and patience to find that one, who will sit with you and is able to read your soul, listen without judgement, give you their time and patience, also a spiritual counsel who can sit with you in silence, in prayer, which gives the soul strength. Sometimes, we might meet a spiritual counsel, guide, comforter, confessor and realize, they can be dismissive, they make it clear, they don't want you around, and they make it hard for you to be accepted and my advice, don't go back to them because their hearts are troubled and they too need, support and encouragement or ask around, ask a friend who they might suggest. So, I say pray, pray to God to lead and guide you to the right spiritual guide, comforter, confessor and counsel. Isaiah 58:11 The Lord will always guide you, giving you relief in desert places. He will give strength to your bones.
May God Bless Always
Written and created by My Mother Rose
The Good Shepherd
How do you distinguish the voice of your Shepherd?
Can you hear him?
Jesus, you are my true Shepherd, I can see what cannot been seen only when my faith is strong. But, I can hear you in my silence, I hear you whispering to my heart in times of despair, saying; “Do not be afraid.” You are truly my Shepherd. A Shepherd who proclaims great love, forgiveness, passion, you can test the best of us and I see and hear you in your words, also in your actions, reaching out to the outcast, the sad, needy, bringing them comfort, healing and hope.
Some of us, can be choosy of who we follow? Who we listen too? I believe this to be a quote or a saying “People are willing to lead but the question is; Are they willing to follow?”
All I know is Jesus, you are both Lord and Christ and the gate where I will only enter. Enter through you, for you are the only one who gives life.
May God Bless Always 🙏💐
Written, video and created by My Mother Rose.
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