Exclamation!

By -


Happy New Year!

If only I were so bold. If only I could use my hair to proclaim the Good News… what would my up-do say?

“God Loves You!”
“Life is Good!”
“Don’t give up!”
“Hope in Him!”

I am afraid that this means of encouragement and evangelization might not play too well on the staid streets of Georgetown. The carpool line might not think it is as cool as I do. My kids would most positively never speak to me again.

But my heart longs to get the word out that God loves us all! How can I be an effective witness to what Christ has done for me? How can I be a light in the darkness of this world? How can I be a “Broker of Hope”, an “Atmosphere Architect”, a member of the “God Squad” and still be normal?

By living each day very well. By being all I want to say. By immersing myself totally in Him like a sponge and allowing all that is Him to flow through all that is me. I don’t need to plaster His words onto my hair, but I will etch them into my heart --and then share my heart with others.

New Years, can for some, bring a general feeling of dread. When we look ahead and see what will be asked of us, we might rather pull the covers back over our heads than do it-- all of us in this crazy-busy world are in such need of HOPE.

I have, at times, been overwhelmed with the sense that I couldn't do what was being asked and, truth be told, in my own strength, I could not have done it. Sometimes we just have to, as my friend Holly says, “Preach ourselves happy!” and praise God for the promises in His Word. We have to feed ourselves, drink deeply of the Word, put our feelings and emotions aside, and let the Word be our Stability and our Rock. We must pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit and the strength that only He can give us.

To encourage myself I feast on verses such as this:

“The LORD is my light and my salvation,whom should I fear? The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

“On the day I cried out, you answered; you strengthened my spirit.” Psalm 138:3

“Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the LORD is your strength!” Nehemiah 8:10

“I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” John 16:33

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4

Many years ago I heard the tragic story of a man who jumped off of the Golden Gate Bridge. In a note he left behind he said, “If just one person smiles at me while on my way to the bridge, I will not jump.”

Ever since hearing this incredibly sad tale, I have made it my goal in life to smile at everyone I meet. You just never know what one good word, or the simple sharing the love of God will mean to the people God places in your path. There are no coincidences...

Be a beacon in the darkness and share the Light you have… and truly it will be a “Happy New Year!” for all.

“For I know well the plans I have in mind for you—says the LORD—plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

Dear Lord,

Thank You for another year to worship, praise and serve You. Thank You for a year of HOPE. Thank You that You have given me another day of life and breath and thank You for all that You have done in the past to bring me to where I am today. Please give me the grace to trust in You, to believe that what it states in Your Holy Word is true… and that it is not just for others but for me as well. I dedicate this New Year to You and Your plan for me. Let me not fear any of Your Holy inspirations and please give me the grace to carry them out in love of You. I love You Lord, fill me to an even greater degree of that Love and let me be a light shining always for You.

I ask this in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Memorare

By Helen Gonsalves -
Image
This popular prayer, a favorite of many Catholics, dates back to the 15th century and takes its name from the first Latin word of the prayer, "memorare," which means "remember." The Memorare is of unknown authorship, although it has been attributed to St. Augustine (354-430), St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) and, with more reason, to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (c. 1090-1153). St. Bernard's sermons on Mary were famous, and it was his Cistercian monks in the monastery of Citeaux in the 12th century who popularized the name "Our Lady" for Mary. The Memorare has also been attributed to the French cleric Claude Bernard (1588-1641), known as the "poor priest" of Paris, whose homilies contain passages that echo its words. No matter who wrote this prayer, it was Father Bernard who did much to popularize it, teaching it in hospitals and prisons, where Mary's intercession was effective in working miracles of grace. The first manuscript of the Mem
Read more

The Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary

By -
Image
This is the image most often associated with the writings of the Belgian mystic Berthe Petit. She promoted devotion to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary. During my preparation for the retreat I am giving at the end of the month in Pantasaph, North Wales, I began reading a book by the late John Haffert (once the lay leader of the Blue Army of Fatima). His theory in the book, which speaks of God's "last effort" to convert the world before the coming chastisement, is that we are now living in the third or fourth "day" of the Fatima week. At this time, according to Haffert, we should be promoting devotion to The Immaculate Heart of Mary. I also consulted another book by Dr. Courtnay Bartholomew (whom I have been privileged to meet) which also speaks of the importance of this devotion, linking it with the writings and visions of the mystic Berthe Petit, and the importance of the full title of the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. These things will feature in
Read more

Why Modesty Is Not Subjective

By -
Image
Hi there, ya'll!  The modest fashion world is one very diverse place.  Even among Catholics, the definition of "modest apparel" can vary greatly from person to person.  Recently I joined a Facebook group that advertised itself as a haven for Catholic women of all ages to share ideas for modest style and makeup and was hoping to learn more about modesty from my fellow Catholic sisters.  After a few days of being a member, though, I sadly left the group feeling a bit discouraged.  No two members seemed to agree on ANY aspect of modesty whatsoever, and the prevailing theme of the whole group was that modesty is subjective, it means something different for each woman and each woman gets to decide what she considers is "modest".  One woman very emphatically declared that she wears bikinis every summer to the beach and doesn't feel that this violates the virtue of modesty in the least.  The same woman also announced that she was never going to caution her d
Read more