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Showing posts with the label Scripture

The Cost of Peace

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Peace between warring nations comes with a hard-fought truce. Peace between the oppressor and those afraid to resist comes at the price of slavery. Peace pursued constantly through pleasure and consumption is a fantasy that leads to obsession with whatever it takes to live stress-free:   comfort foods, constant distraction of entertainment, addictions. We strive to live so that we don’t hurt anywhere. Our relationships work to our advantage. We have everything we want on our happiness checklist. For now. Are we depending on ideal circumstances for a transient peace? Peace on our terms? We ask God for peace. We ask him to take away our pain and struggles so that we can have peace. Yet in the middle of a health crisis, a faith crisis or a relationships crisis, where is God? We find him there with us. Like the soldier in battle or the cowering slave, we stay poised to discover the peace that defies our understanding—and our control. No one can take that peace away from us. Peac

On Human Freedom: Our Son, The Lector

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Tonight at the 5 p.m. Mass, our high school freshman was trained by an older woman to become a lector. He sat beside her, a few pews in front of us, and listened as she whispered directions and instructions. In a few weeks, he will share the lectoring responsibilities with her and then, if all goes as hoped, he's at the ambo on his own. It was moving to witness her sit beside him during Mass, passing on the faith. Keep Reading Here

Six Ways to Encounter Jesus in the Mass by Nancy

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Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me. (Luke 22:19) Although God’s presence is everywhere, m ass is my favorite place to come into his presence. Every part of the liturgy helps me experience a personal encounter with Jesus. It will provide the same relationship with Jesus for you. ·             Christ is present in the assembly of the body of Christ in the pews, for he has promised “where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them.” (Mt 18:20)   So sing and pray knowing that Christ is among us, gathered as the body of Christ. ·             Christ is present in the priest or bishop who presides in persona Christi, in the person of Christ. When they vest before celebrating Mass the priests   "put on Christ" in a special way . Find more ways to encounter Jesus at  JoyAlive.net

Opening Our Hearts to Our Enemies. Now.

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We live in divisive times. Sometimes, that grieves me.  How do we reconcile these two perspectives? Can we? A homily I heard yesterday gave me hope. Keep Reading...

The Sword in My House

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Wisdom builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down. —Proverbs 14:1 I was clueless as a young wife mother and– on top of my naivety…I was alone a lot raising the boys while my husband traveled extensively with the corporation that owned us but paid our bills. We had moved far from any family or friends, had no church yet and nights were very difficult for me because I was still in the throws of PTSD and those dreadful nightmares . It was a really difficult time in our marriage and I had a choice to make; Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.. —Proverbs 3:5 Or, become a noisy, contentious, irritating wife that would make her husband prefer to live on the corner of a roof, rather than in the house with her. —Prov 21:9 Contentiousness doesn’t occur in a vacuum, but there was only one heart I could do something about. God will have nothing by halves….all my heart meant, All. This is when Scripture became practical for me. Proverb