Who Is My Neighbor.....

You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind……..You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:34-40



My soul longs for you my God;
Only in you can my spirit find rest.

You are Holy indeed, and you call me to holiness.

In my imperfection, I wonder what this means.
Is holiness obtainable for someone like me?
I stumble and fall so easily.

Yet your hand is always stretched toward me,
And you ask me to walk in your ways.

You remind me that you lived a simple and ordinary life.
You sought  neither fame nor fortune.
And everything the Father gave you, you shared with me.

You ask me to do likewise for my neighbor
But I am not sure who that is.......

Then you show me the one in need, the one you have put before me.
I don’t have to look very far.
My neighbor has many faces, as do all of God’s children.
And, I find him in many places.

You ask me to care for him as I would care for myself,
To share with him all that I have for his benefit, as you did for me.

You call me to holiness in the ordinary simplicity of sharing with others the love you share with me,
To stretch my hand forward and hold nothing back,
For you held nothing back for me.

Opportunities to Witness

Early this morning as usual I got to make my hot cup of ginger mint tea, say my morning Rosary, then read and reflect on today's scripture readings.




The first reading hit me.

"Brothers and sisters:
If I preach the Gospel, this is no reason for me to boast,
for an obligation has been imposed on me,
and woe to me if I do not preach it!  

An obligation has been imposed on me....wow, that is a powerful line.

I began to think about
the commitment I made at my baptism, then later at my confirmation, these were the beginnings of my lifetime journey toward discipleship.

Paul continues...
"I have made myself a slave to all
so as to win over as many as possible.
I have become all things to all, to save at least some."

I thought to myself, when my time here on earth is over will I have helped to save at least one; will I have been instrumental  in guiding at least one soul toward heaven like Paul mentions? Or, will I have missed my opportunity to be a witness for Christ?

After prayer I went over to the computer to read my email, where I came across this:

Jesus teaches us how to live in the present time. He identifies our present time as the end-time, the time that offers us countless opportunities to testify for Jesus and his Kingdom. The many disasters in our world, and all the tragedies that happen to people each day, can easily lead us to despair and convince us that we are the sad victims of circumstances. But Jesus looks at these events in a radically different way. He calls them opportunities to witness!

Jesus reminds us that we do not belong to this world. We have been sent into the world to be living witnesses of God's unconditional love, calling all people to look beyond the passing structures of our temporary existence to the eternal life promised to us. Henri Nouwen

I thought of a conversation I had with my daughter at lunch yesterday. She has recently been introduced to a wonderful older lady named Adelle, a Third Order Franciscan. She shared with me that one of the beautiful things about Adelle was not only her peaceful spirit, but her ability to listen and answer truthfully in love. She is a living witness of Christ's love by being love in that moment to the person right in front of her.  As she shared this with me I was reminded also of Paul.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

In a world that is always in a hurry, the unselfish gift of giving time to someone in need is a beautiful way to witness.  As Mother Teresa once said, "Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing."

Today I pray for the gift of love, not to hold it close or keep it for myself, but to give it away freely as Christ did then and still does today, as an opportunity to witness..... Amen

Love Will Remain

Hope and faith will both come to an end when we die. But love will remain. Love is eternal. Love comes from God and returns to God. When we die, we will lose everything that life gave us except love. The love with which we lived our lives is the life of God within us. It is the divine, indestructible core of our being. This love not only will remain but will also bear fruit from generation to generation.

Daily Meditation, Henri Nouwen

Love looks not to itself, but to others.

Love nurtures self-respect, thus it respects others.

Love is never greedy; it never takes more than it gives..

Love never competes, it complements.

Love is neither angry, nor does it hold a grudge.

Love is a uniting force that brings separated brethren together.

Love is Christ within us, it is what He wants us to pass on to others.

In these days before Pentecost, as we wait for the Paraclete, may we pray for an outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit upon ourselves, our families, our Church and our nation. And above all, let us pray for an increase of the divine love within us that comes from God alone.

"Dear children! Tonight I wish to tell
you during the days of this novena to pray for the outpouring of
the Holy Spirit on your families and on your parish. Pray, and
you shall not regret it. God will give you gifts by which you
will glorify Him till the end of your life on this earth. Thank
you for having responded to my call." BVM,Medjurorje, June 2, 1984

I Have Given You Love, So That You May Give it to Others

“The love of God is the only eccentricity the world does not and will never accept.” Elisabeth Leseur (+1914)

Lord of all, you have given yourself entirely to me without reserve;

Oh, that I may give myself to you entirely and without reserve.

Everywhere I look I see your goodness.

You are the gentle eyes of the elderly man that looks toward me as I stand in line at the market.

You are the laughter I hear from the children waiting for the school bus near my house most mornings.

You are the song of the birds in my trees;

You are the cooing voice of the baby on his daddy’s shoulder at mass in the pew in front of me on Sunday morning.

There is nowhere I look that I do not see your face. Alleluia


It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain…..John 15:16


"I have given you my love, so that you may give it to others." BVM, Medjugorje to Marija 9-1985

Ask not what your mother can do for you...

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13: 1

Last night my husband and I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a home mass with a group of eleven dear friends. The evening started with the recitation of the rosary, then mass, finished with a wonderful meal.

When I walked into the kitchen to help with the meal preparation I saw a plaque on the wall; it was a Mother’s day gift from the host's son and when I read it I thought of our Blessed Mother.


"Ask not what your Mother can do for you,
But what you can do for your Mother. "

This simple message said so much to me. I thought of a mother's love and it was a gentle reminder to pray for for the gift of love, not only for myself and my family, but for the world as a whole.


"Dear children! Today I call you to love with all your heart and with all your soul. Pray for the gift of love, because when the soul loves it calls my Son to itself. My Son does not refuse those who call Him and who desire to live according to Him. Pray for those who do not comprehend love, who do not understand what it means to love. Pray that God may be their Father and not their Judge. My children, you be my apostles, be my river of love. I need you. Thank you." BVM , Medjugorje, March 18, 2010 Message

Community

I am up a little earlier than usual this morning. Sitting on the front porch with rosary beads in hand I can hear the birds speak to one another, softly at first, but their cheerful melody increases as their small community begins to grow a little larger.



Community…My small neighborhood community is starting to stir. Lights are coming on, garage doors are opening and engines are warming up. Their day is beginning too, though their melody is not nearly as sweet as the birds.

I start to say my rosary, as I do every morning and the Lord whispers softly in my ear, “Pray for your community today, for those that live nearby and for others that make up your community”

It is now the second joyful mystery, “The Visitation”. The charity and love of Mary prompts her to visit her cousin Elizabeth who lives about five days away. Though it is a laborious journey, Mary is joyful for she bears with her the Incarnate Word. The whisper of the Lord takes on another meaning now; I begin to understand what He is telling me.


Community… I need to start reaching out to my neighbor as Mary did, through prayer and deeds. The busier my life gets (or should I say, the busier I let my life get) the less I notice my neighbor. Forgive me O Lord , I acknowledge my selfishness and want no further part of it. Please take it from me.


I remember what I have read earlier this morning ; it is God’s will that we bring Jesus into the life of other people once He has entered into our life, to bring him into other people’s joys and sorrows, into other people’s darknesses and bitterness 1


Community…Give me such love for you, O Lord, and for all men, as will blot out all hatred and bitterness.” 2  Help me strengthen my communtiy by sharing your love and by noticing the needs of my neighbor.




1 Pray with the Heart, Medugorje Manual of Prayer, Fr. Slavko Barbaric, O.F.M.


2 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who wrote these words while in a Nazi concentration camp.

Mirror of the Soul

If I were to gaze into the mirror of my soul,

What reflection would I see?

Would I see the smiling eyes of love gazing back at me?

Would I see a heart that radiates a burning love so true?

Would I see a hand of mercy outstretched to hold onto?

As I end this day O Lord, I ask you to purify my soul, that it may be a reflection of Your love. And, for all the many blessings you have bestowed upon me and my family, I give you thanks