Walking the Walk, A Call to Witness

For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ........Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ Matthew 25 35-40

The greatest lessons I ever learned were the lessons I witnessed first hand.

I learned to share, because I was taught compassion for those less fortunate.

I learned hospitality, because the door of our home was always open and an extra bed or plate was always available.

I learned prayer, because I was taught that prayer was a conversation of love with God himself.

And I learned love, because I was taught acceptance of myself and others.

 The greatest teachers I ever had were my parents. They were my first educators in the ways of the faith and they taught me by walking the walk and not just talking the talk.They understood that their job was not to be my buddy, but lead me toward the Lord.

In this month’s message from our Blessed Virgin Mary,  she asks us to walk the walk, to lead others the Lord, to be a witness of our faith to all we meet.This is not always an easy things to do, but as St. Therese of Lisieux  said herself, "seek out always the most perfect thing to do, and forget self". Through her "little ways" she committed herself to the tasks and people God sent her way. She was a joyful witness to the faith.

 

Message of September 25, 2011 "Dear children! I call you, for this time to be for all of you, a time of witnessing. You, who live in the love of God and have experienced His gifts, witness them with your words and life that they may be for the joy and encouragement to others in faith. I am with you and incessantly intercede before God for all of you that your faith may always be alive and joyful, and in the love of God. Thank you for having responded to my call." 09/25/2011

Prayer: Blessed Mother, through your love and intercession, pray that I, in my unworthiness , might still be a joyful witness for the Lord and that I might find great pleasure in serving Him in "little ways".

Noticing God....

 Colleen Spiro at Thoughts On Grace has such a beautiful post for today that I could not help but  re-post it here.   

Thank you Colleen!

Notice. This seems to be the word of the week. It keeps popping up in my mind. Over and over.
Wake up and take notice. Notice God’s presence and action in my life.
Anthony de Mello was fond of saying that we need to wake up. We need to stop sleeping through our lives. Grace is always with us, but we are not always aware.
We are often sleeping.

We are responsible for most of our own blindness and deafness. Yet the Spirit of God goes on renewing the gift. (Bishop John V. Taylor)

I write about God and God’s presence in my life so I need to stay awake. I need to take notice. But there are many times when I am not paying attention.
There are moments and more than moments, when my focus is elsewhere or when I miss God’s presence or his whisper.
Let’s face it. Sometimes God is hard to miss. I mean it is pretty easy to spot God’s presence in a beautiful rainbow that is plastered on the sky in front of you as you drive home from work. Or the birth of a new baby.
But those little moments. Do I notice?
The dew on the roses outside my window.
My husband cooking dinner for me.
The way my grandbaby’s eyes light up when his mother comes into view.
The way the air smells after a spring shower.
A kind face showing years of smiles and joy.
A hug when I least expect it.
A child’s belly-laugh.
How many God moments do I miss? How many do I not notice?

Open your eyes and see. (Thomas Merton)

Originally published in my ezine, Prayerful Morsels, September 2011
Copyright 2011 Colleen Spiro

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The Medjugorje Web - Apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Medjugorje

September 25, 2011 Message to Marija


"Dear children! I call you, for this time to be for all of you, a time of witnessing. You, who live in the love of God and have experienced His gifts, witness them with your words and life that they may be for the joy and encouragement to others in faith. I am with you and incessantly intercede before God for all of you that your faith may always be alive and joyful, and in the love of God. Thank you for having responded to my call."