Family!

 On Saturday, I was driving home from my sisters and my daughter asked, “Are Anthony and I related?” I said, “Yes, you are his sister, and he is your brother,” then my son asked, “what does it mean to be related?” I said, ‘being related means we are from the same blood line.’ I suppose that is right it also means we belong to the same family, group, or community too. I did however think of an Irish Gaelic phrase that is used in the film Million Dollar Baby, “Mo Cuishle,” meaning “My darling, my blood.” I find that very beautiful even if the scene leaves me feeling distraught.

What does family mean to you? Our answers will differ because all our situations are different, for me family can mean feeling safe, comfortable, loved, and happy although traditionally a family consists of parents and their children who make up a unit, but you don’t have to be related or blood to be family. Family, is where you are respected, accepted, encouraged, and supported to be who you are because the love you feel from your family is the greatest blessing of all.

Let’s talk about family and family life who makes up your family, what are the greatest things about your family?

May God Bless Always, Women of Faith and Hope by My Mother Rose and Written and created.

God is Our Father!

 

Romans 8:14-15

Everyone moved by the Spirit is a son or daughter of God. The Spirit you received is not the spirit of slaves bringing fear into your lives again; it is the spirit of sons, and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba Father!”

The spirit himself and our sprit bear united witness that we are children of God. And if we are children, we are heirs as well: heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, sharing his sufferings to share his glory.

I take this from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, (Christian Prayer, 2^nd ed., P. 663). “The Lord’s Prayer”- ‘oratio Dominica- means that the prayer to our Father is taught and given to us by the Lord Jesus. The Prayer that comes to us from Jesus is truly unique: it is’ “of the Lord.”

How beautiful Women of Faith and Hope? Well considering our journey in knowing Who God is and this weekend’s Gospel reading Luke 11:1-13 where one of the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray like John taught his disciples and Jesus says,

 ‘say this when you pray:

“Father, may your name be held holy,

your kingdom come;

give us each day our daily bread,

and forgive us our sins,

for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us.

And do not put us to the test.”’

 I want to take this opportunity to break down The Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father!” I love the fact that as a woman of Faith and Hope, I am, you are, we all are entrusted with a prayer so precious because it comes from our Lord Jesus Christ who is a great example and model of what prayer is and should be. The Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father,” is one I recite quite often even when I do not attend mass and one, I am teaching my children to say. For the “Our Father” belongs to each one of us even too little children because when we proclaim, “Our Father!” We are saying we belong to One Body of Christ, One Lord of all.

 I think what is emphasized in The Lord’s Prayer is “Our Father!” When I start the prayer in my mind, I do see a place, I straight away think of heaven but really, it’s more of a feeling, a presence and fullness in my heart of something magical and mysterious.  For the Father Who Art in Heaven has his attention on my needs and, on my desires and I am sorry if that sounds selfish, but I am not because when I pray the “Our Father,” I leave my individual self behind and pray for everyone in the world.

 Try to remember that Jesus died for all of us the whole world and when we start to pray, we are carrying our intentions and petitions towards God who is special and Holy, one that should be honored, respected in such a way that we invite God’s reign to be fully established here on earth. Because it is God’s desire for all of us to be saved and to know what the church teaches is true. I know that is my desire to learn and grow in knowledge, understanding and wisdom so we look to “Our Father” for he has our daily bread, our nourishment to live life to the fullest and to be good people.

For the spirit guides and leads us not into temptation but where our hearts are and usually our hearts can be pondering or contemplating all sorts of things that can sometimes weigh us down for example learning to forgive others as well as forgiving ourselves. Finally, when we pray to “Our Father” we are saying that we trust in Jesus for his love has won, his love prevails.

“So Be It.”

Amen.

May God Bless Always, Women of Faith and Hope

Written and created by My Mother Rose.

St Mary Magdalene

May God Bless Always, Women of Faith and Hope,

Written and created by My Mother Rose. 

God is Our Healer

 

We may look towards the Lord who gives us healing. A Christ who ministers to every need of humanity and whose mission it is to bring complete restoration, health, and peace to all creation. But what brings us healing? Is it God? Or is it music, the sound of your children laughing and having fun, being present in nature, sitting on the sand at the beach, or standing barefoot on the grass connecting to the earth underneath? Maybe you are healed by a touch or by being in the company of others. Healing truly is a process, and we all have different ways of processing and returning to our natural state of wellbeing. Through hope and faith God is a way of healing for me and I trust him finally in restoring us all to health and healing all our wounds from the past, present and future.

May God Bless Always, Women of Faith and Hope

Written and created by My Mother Rose.

God is a Friend.

1 Samuel 18:3

‘Love as though it’s your own soul.’

Do I want to share the lyrics and sing the theme song to the Golden Girls, “Thank You for Being a Friend?” Yes, but I will share it with you later.

I really like the story of Martha and Mary especially the relationship they share with Jesus. If you remember last year Women of Faith and Hope, we did a novena to Saint Mary Magdalene and what we found was this great friendship between Jesus, Mary, and her family, Martha, and Lazarus. For me their relationship is a great example of a friendship we can have with our God. Because God is our friend, and he calls us to choose the better part which is to sit at his feet and listen to him speaking.

Do we see God as our friend?

I have taken the long way around to appreciate and accept God has my friend. Also, to recognize a great love because we can have no greater love than a friend who would lay down their life for us. Time and time again God proves his love and profound respect for us even times when we face some type of adversity, he is there for us.

What does your friendship look like with God?

Sadly, I neglect our friendship and I can make all the excuses in the world as to why, but I am not going to instead I am going to try and work hard at it. For his friendship is sweetness it’s like a fragrant oil that gladdens the heart and comforts the soul Proverbs 18:24.

Friends come and go, and I always try to pray for my friends but as I grow older, I come to understand the importance of being a friend to God. Right now, in my life that is something I am called to work on. God is our friend; I am very grateful and blessed I love him with all my heart and soul.

May God Bless Always, Women of Faith and Hope

Written and created by My Mother Rose.

 

 

Andrew Gold - Thank You For Being A Friend (Official Music Video)

God is Wisdom

 

Wisdom is a gift, it is a quality of being wise, knowledgeable, and having understanding. God’s wisdom is perfect therefore one must only try and be perfect just as the heavenly Father is.

A few weeks ago, I was a little down, feeling lost and lonely. So, I decided to skim my fingers over the pages of my bible, and I asked God to show me the way and I stopped on Ecclesiasticus, chapter 14:20-27, 15:1-10 and 16:24.

I wanted to share it with you all because this is God’s wisdom and his wise words for me, and my hope is that you may find comfort in these words too. Whether that be today, tomorrow or it’s for another day, but God speaks to all of us we need to be opened to hear with our ears.

Ecclesiasticus, 14:20-27

‘Happy the man who mediates on wisdom, and reasons with good sense, who studies her ways in his heart, and ponders her secrets. He purses her like a hunter, and lies in wait by her path; he peeps in at her windows, and listens at her doors; he lodges close to her house, and fixes his peg in her walls; he pitches his tent at her side, and lodges in an excellent lodging; he sets his children in her shade, and camps beneath her branches; he is sheltered by her from the heat, and in her glory he makes his home.’

Ecclesiasticus, 15:1-10

‘Whoever fears the Lord will act like this, and whoever grasps the Law will obtain wisdom. She will come to meet him like a mother and receive him like a virgin bride. She will give him the bread of understanding to eat, and the water of wisdom to drink. He will lean on her and will not fall, he will rely on her and not be put to shame. She will raise him high above his neighbors, and in full assembly she will open his mouth. He will find happiness and a crown of joy; he will inherit an everlasting name. Foolish men will not gain possession of her, nor will sinful men set eyes on her. She stands remote form pride, and liars cannot call her to mind. Praise is unseemly in a sinner’s mouth, since it has not been put there by the Lord. For praise should only be uttered in wisdom, and the Lord himself then prompts it.’

Ecclesiasticus, 16:24

‘Listen to me, my son, and learn knowledge, and give your whole mind to my words.’

May God Bless Always, Women of Faith and Hope

Written and created by My Mother Rose.

Joan Osborne - One Of Us (Official Music Video)

Our Neighbor.

 

“Never see a need without doing something about it.” Saint Mary Mackillop.

I know many good Samaritans too many to name, and they would be moved by compassion to be charitable or helpful to their neighbor.

Do you think we can be good Samaritans in today’s modern world?

I must admit it can be hard I mean we can be so self-involved, forget, pretend as though we didn’t see anything, or we can say “it’s not my job or responsibility let someone else do it.”

What is our hesitation?

I suppose for me it would be putting myself in a situation which might be dangerous or makes me feel uncomfortable. Not to mention the enormous number of rules, laws, policies, and procedures one must follow that if we break or breach them there are serious consequences.

 However, if our goal is to inherit eternal life which we have by our faith, believing in our Brother Jesus Christ, trusting in him, and treasuring all his works. Maybe it’s time to take some chances, get involved, make sacrifices, live justly, mercifully, lovingly, and be moved by compassion. Or maybe each day we challenge ourselves to do one act of kindness whether that is for ourselves or our neighbors.

So here is the question an anxious man asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ Luke 10:25-37

It’s easy to love our neighbor God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength yet it’s difficult to love our sisters and brothers as ourselves. When we say neighbor, we mean those neighbors being anyone we have meet, that we can help, be generous with, to show kindness and to love. When we make a conscious decision to follow and be led by our hearts, we start to see a bigger picture and recognize that there is a whole world of people needing help, love, support, encouragement, and inspiration. We are reminded in this week’s Gospel of the Good Samaritan who took pity, or a nicer word showed kindness to a man who fell into the brigands’ hands.

‘Will we Go, and do the same as the good Samaritan?’

Are we willing and committed to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked, bandage the wounds, pouring oil and wine on them? Will you pray for souls, comfort the sick and sorrowful?

“To show great love for God and our neighbor we need not do great things. It is how much love we put in the doing that makes our offering something beautiful for God.”

Mother Teresa.

There certainly is a lot to consider and think about and as Mother Teresa suggests we don’t need to do anything big or count the cost, the risks, or the rewards. If we are only doing it for the reward, it’s not a selfless act it would seem there is an ulterior motive behind the act of kindness or compassion. Here is something to remember, never doubt that you have talents and treasures to be kind and be moved by compassion at some point we all have made some difference in the life of a neighbor, or a brother or sister. So, never close your heart off to anyone, we all need someone, we need more people in this world, in this life to be moved by compassion and love.

Proverbs 3:27-28

Do not refuse a kindness to anyone who begs it if it is in your power to perform it. Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Go away! Come another time! I will give it to you tomorrow,’ if you can do it now.

May God Bless Always

Women of Faith and Hope

Written and created

By My Mother Rose.