Our Responsibility as Citizens

Women of Faith:

It seems fitting that I am sending this message late, since tomorrow, Tuesday, is Iowa’s primary election day and the readings for Tuesday just so happen to refer to our duty as citizens.

"Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God." Mk 12:17

“Caesar” gets back his earthly “dues”—that which is given to us by working for earthly rewards.

Is God getting back that which He has given to us for our heavenly rewards?

This election is not about the economy – it is about protecting life and the freedom to promote Christian values. For without a life with God we have no need of anything else.

God gave us everything and promises us more than we can even imagine in return. To give God back what belongs to Him is to give ourselves back to Him.  It means asking ourselves: “What would God expect of me and what decisions would God want me to make as an earthly citizen?”

We have a responsibility to vote for those who uphold our Christian consciousness: To vote for life and for those who will protect life; and to vote against the evils of abortion and against those who institute laws which fail to protect God’s institution of marriage, freedom of religion and His creation of family and family life.

By making our choices as citizens, through the lens of His commandments for daily living, we are giving back to God what belongs to God!

What does God see when he looks at my decisions? What evils does he see in me by the choices I make? Am I truly obeying him, serving him by serving others, and loving others as him, as I am called to do? Are my choices a reflection of His choices?

“Beloved: Wait for and hasten the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fire. But according to his promise we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you await these things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, and at peace. And consider the patience of our Lord as salvation.

Therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, be on your guard not to be led into the error of the unprincipled and to fall from your own stability. But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Pt 3: 12-17

“God doesn’t ask us to think about Him, he asks us to think about what He thinks about us.” Fr. Parr

Think about that statement for a moment… What does God think about the choices we make? Is He controlling the decisions in our lives, or is the evil one controlling us? (And this applies to all decisions—not just today at the voting booth.)

Heavenly Father: You have given us all life. Help us here on earth, by the decisions we make, to protect life, freedom of religion and the pursuit of your promises in heaven. Bless all of those elected to public office and may each of them always protect life and the institution of marriage which was created to give new life. Amen.

I hope that each of you will take a close look at the moral values being protected or promoted by the people you choose at the polls.

May we all be blessed by the votes of “one” Christian conscious on Tuesday,

Charlotte

Hope and Peace for the Heartbroken

Women of Faith:

Stan and I often feel the way our daughter, Sara Cross, did when she wrote a poem this week that expresses the heartbreak God feels when a marriage is broken. (And it is not about her own marriage).  I follow it with a prayer which will take away God’s and our heartbreak if we heed the prayer’s message.

Heartbroken by Sara Cross

“I only wish you could see the truth:
God is heartbroken watching you.

... The poking, the prodding,
The hurt, it aches.
To get out is human
Before any more breaks.

Have you forgotten
the Lord’s promise to you?
“It was not you who chose me,
but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name
he may give you.”
(John 15: 15-16)

What God has created,
Man cannot destroy.
Not by chance or by choosing,
“Coincidence” is a ploy.

God united your flesh,
A family begun,
Will always be connected,
Will always be one.

To quit this stare down,
And turn to the Lord together,
To ask Him to give you
Something better,
Is divine (do it with persistence as in Luke 11).

The past is behind,
Details don’t matter.
The pain that resonates,
God’s love can shatter.

Choose to hurt,
Harbor anger in a hardened heart,
Follow the way of our culture,
Which calls for divorce.

Or choose another way,
The more difficult route.
To trust patiently in the Lord
To work things out.

To forgive those who’ve hurt us
And let go of our pride
To admit we can’t do it
Without God on our side.
Marriage takes love that is truly divine.

For the Gospel of Matthew (22: 35-40) says:
“The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments:
You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Bear the pain for a moment,
And remember the cross.
It is bigger than you
If this marriage is lost.

It’s the Lord versus Satan,
We’re pawns in the game.
Let the Savior lead you
To a victory in His name.

For if it is lost,
The only winner is Satan.
Everyone else is
Heartbroken.”

Lord, Make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.  Amen. Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

The road to Christ is not an easy road, but we must rejoice, "although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:6-7).

Don’t be heartbroken. Surrender to God. Give yourself to do what He asks for the praise, glory and honor of Jesus Christ.

And be blessed by peace in Christ,
Charlotte

Right Road--Giving God Priority

Women of Faith:

Life constantly throws us “curve balls” readjusting our schedules, sending us new duties, illness, or even hurts and sufferings so that we are given the chance to reaffirm our “road” and to be allowed to make our choice FOR God.

And this was one of those weeks where I was reminded over and over again that as long as I stay on the “right road” I can accomplish and achieve something much more worthy by following Him than I can by following a road I made for myself.

Because my ultimate goal is to work thru God, for God and in God, then the journey He sets for me is often different than the one I expected, tried to control or even envisioned in my well laid plans.

If we have truly been called by Christ and have chosen to follow Him, then our mission, our goals in life, and our road to that goal will have been given to us by Christ’s life here on earth, not by our will, but by His. “Thy will be done.”

I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all…..

And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature to manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ. Eph 4:1-13

And as long as I know where I am going, what my priority is, what my goal is in life, than I will do whatever it takes to get there, I will constantly readjust the turns in my life to stay on the “right road.”

Jesus said to his disciples: "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." Mk 16:15-20

I was told over the weekend, “you don’t have time for this, you have other things to do, you shouldn’t be here and you shouldn’t be taking the time to talk to me.” And my answer was, “no, this is where God wants me to be, this is my choice, I will be here now, where my friends NEED me to be.”

I hope you too were given an opportunity to be called by God: to be a witness to Him. And that you took that opportunity and answered God’s call, YES!!

I hope that God chose you to lift up your spouse, to love a friend thru their pain, to find joy with a young person as they walked across a high school or college graduation stage or to care for a loved one who was suffering illness: to offer peace, comfort, caring and kindness as St. Paul did for all he met on the different roads he traveled.

Heavenly Father, we give glory in your name. Help us take the opportunity to push away the devil and our own selfish desires; and to listen to and speak the words you have given us which encourage and offer peace, joy and comfort to others. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be your servant and to build up Your Body of Christ. May we all become one in union with you, in one faith, in one baptism and in one Church. Amen.

Are you listening to God’s call? Are you willing to make Him your priority and to change your ways so that you will stay on the “right road, His road?” Are you making your spouse a priority even while patiently waiting for them to accept your love? Have you been available for a friend who needs your help or a stranger who needs a word of kindness or have you been “too busy” to see their needs?

Take the time, follow Christ’s road this week, and use your God given gifts to make His tasks your priority,

Be blessed on your journey down the right road!
Charlotte

Every day is Mother's Day

Friends of Faith:

Every day should be lived like a Mothers’ day.

“Jesus said to his disciples: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.

"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. Jn 15: 9-13

The joy of motherhood comes with the discipline of sacrifice. It comes because a mom is naturally given to care unconditionally. A mom has no expectation of getting something back for their love, yet they would give up everything they have to see their child rewarded by success, peace, comfort or joy. 

It is in giving that we receive because the greatest gift is the joy of seeing someone we have cared for and sacrificed for receive the blessing of an answer to a heartfelt prayer.

‘When the Holy Spirit asks us if we like the idea of love, we respond enthusiastically. But even though the Lord has actually commanded us to love, we balk and make all kinds of excuses and compromises…  A mother’s love is a sacrificing love, an unconditional love, a love that protects their children from danger and death, and that encourages them to grow and become all they can become. Mothers are the living examples of how much God loves us. May their presence in our world help all of us to love others more tenderly and more unselfishly.’ USCCB Meditation by Msgr. Paul Whitmore

Heavenly Father, You gave us Your Son and his mother, Mary, as human examples so that we would know what you meant by unconditional love. Help me to follow their example in my daily routine by living unselfishly, by honoring your commandments, by respecting the lives of the born and unborn, and by never comprising your truths. Thank you for the gifts of everyone who has acted like a mother, or who has ever been a part of my life by serving me in any way. Amen.

Will I find joy by loving unconditionally?

Mothers, Fathers, husbands, wives or children: will I follow the example and act in the Spirit of the greatest mother, Mary, by giving up my own happiness so that others may receive God’s blessings?

May your joy be completed by the sacrifices you make for all those you serve in love this week,

Blessings,

Charlotte

Overlooked

Friends in Faith:


As I sit here this morning and watch the sun come up, the birds tend the babies in their nest on my porch and the fields begin to turn green with new crops I realize just how much of God’s beauty I miss each day.

And how much God does without me, without my help, without my interference, without my conscious thought and that I only occasionally pray for or give thanks for.

Not only do I overlook the beauty in nature, but I also overlook the gifts that I already have. Gifts that I don’t fully appreciate or use in the ways God intended.

I think about the waste of excess food in our refrigerator or money spent on another t-shirt; the times I took someone for granted; criticized Stan for failing to put a dish in the dishwasher even though he was kind enough to prepare and serve me the food that I just ate; or disregarded a friends thanks.

God has gifted me with food on my table, the talent to be able to work through financial problems, and a loving faith community. Most importantly I am gifted with a spouse who leads me in a Christ centered marriage and extended family who place a high value on remaining connected through “thick or thin.”

In this negative world it is so easy to see the injustices, the immoral choices, the sins of self fulfillment and the lack of respect for family—both by individuals and our government.

Sometimes it seems that spending money is more important than working to help others survive; that fulfilling our own needs and getting our own desires is more important than helping others achieve; or that being fair and equal is more important than doing the charitable works as instructed to us by Jesus.

It seems as if the gifts I have are never quite enough. I seek “more” power, “more” stuff, “more” choices, “more” control and “more” glory.

Yet “I pray that I may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.” And he instructed in just one short reading this weekend:

“Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.” 1 Jn 3: 18

Do I act it or do I just speak it?

And the passage went on: “Now this is how we shall know that we belong to the truth…. for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in God and receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And his commandment is this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us.” 1 Jn 3: 19-23

Am I keeping his commandments, doing what pleases Him, appreciating his gifts and as sister said, “feeding the right wolf within me?”

And the reading concluded: “Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them, and the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he gave us.” 1 Jn 3:24

Am I overlooking what God is doing for me and around me every day? Am I overlooking HIS truths in my life? Am I overlooking the true gift—His Spirit within me?

Am I so busy searching for more and doing more, that I am missing the opportunities to say thanks? Am I freely sharing His Spirit by serving without expectation of repayment and with the confidence of faith that He will provide for ALL of our earthly needs and the rewards of heaven?

Heavenly Father, my day is for Your glory. May I never overlook the beauty you have placed in this world. Help me to have confidence that the evil that surrounds us because we are being tested as Christians will be overcome by Your grace and through your love, by your will, not mine. Thank you for the health of my family, for granting us our physical needs and for the love which surrounds us through you. Amen

Christ doesn’t promise power, stuff, choice, control or glory—Christ promised and gave us Himself so that we might live in Him, for Him and with Him—for all of eternity.

Instead of overlooking God, learn to expect that God will provide for us when we trust in Him,

Blessings in faith,

Charlotte

Wandering

Women of Faith:


Are there days when you are restless, wandering, uncertain of the path you are on, or even what you are seeking?

Do you open the refrigerator, cupboards, or drawers trying to find the right food, or the right tools to inspire your work?

Do you try to accomplish a task—but nothing seems to quite go right, or you don’t get the satisfaction or results you anticipated?

Do you look to your spouse, coworker or a friend to do something for you and they don’t see what you see, they miss the obvious, or you get impatient and end up doing it yourself?

Are there days when you don’t seem to accomplish anything? When the entertainment you sought doesn’t end up making you happy? When you feel as if what you said really didn’t make a difference or wasn’t even heard?

This is how I sometimes feel when my prayers become prayers for everyone else instead of prayers for myself: when I pray to change others instead of praying to change myself.

I find it is much more important to pray to change my own attitude than it is that I seek to try to make others change their attitudes. I have control of myself, of my attitude with the help of God. I don’t have control of anyone else’s.

And because my own attitude has been changed by God’s grace, I am able to accept more shortcomings, forgive more hurts and sorrows and be more willing to help others reach their own goals.

I pray for a “Christlike” attitude, that I will the Spirit of servitude and gratitude.

And when I feel “right,” it is easier to “do right.” It is easier to encourage those around me, to serve with a smile and to be more patient and tolerant. I have more hope and am able to persevere in overlooking the sacrifices and sufferings of irritations caused by our human inadequacies.

By praying for someone else to change so that they will serve Christ (and me) I am waiting for someone or something that is beyond my control.

But if I pray to change myself, than my heart will be opened to the grace of God’s joy in my own life. When I can be the first to smile, the first to serve and the first to give thanks than I will also be enriched with the knowledge that I have given someone else comfort, someone else hope and maybe even someone else a sense of peace or desire to search for the same joy of Christ they see in me.

Likewise, I am called to remember that when someone does something for me it is important to show my own gratitude for them because than their service will be multiplied for others.

This is how Jesus leads us. This is how a shepherd leads his flock.

“Jesus said: "I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them.” Jn 10: 11-13

We all sometimes become the lost sheep, seeking peace, love, and comfort. We think we want food in our stomachs, clothes in our closet, and we are looking for a kind word to energize us. We are seeking happiness through “human fame, human fortune, and human love.” It is all too easy to follow something or someone other than Jesus and let the “wolf” scatter us or even catch us.

“It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.” Ps 118: 8-9

Instead my prayer should be: “God change me. Come into my life. Open my heart to you. Be with me today. ‘Lord, you created us for thee. We will always be restless until we rest in thee.’” St. Augustine

“I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.” Jn 10: 14-15

Heavenly Father: ‘Come be the heartbeat of our lives. Come be our source and breath of life. Gather us in and form us in Christ. May we spread your wisdom through out all the earth. You are the wind that breathes through the field. You are the life that flows through the vine. You are the light that shines in this space.’ Amen. (Words from Spirit and Grace by Ricky Manalo)

Will I wander because I follow someone or something less than God’s truth? Or will I follow Jesus’ path of self-sacrifice and love; to be led by His Church and His truth? Will I be dependent on Him changing others or will I seek Him to change me?

May Christ be your shepherd, your leader this week. Follow Him,

In faith,

Charlotte

www.morningreflection.blogspot.com

Standing Together

Women of Faith:
“Lord Jesus, open the Scriptures to us; make our hearts burn while you speak to us.” Lk 24-32

“How do we get more people to join us?” was a comment from one of our date night participants last night.

They echoed both my sorrow and sometimes my frustration of not only the marriage ministry and enrichment program but of life and living in general.

I want EVERY person that I meet to experience love in their marriage, joy in their life and hope in their futures—the hope, love and joy we are promised by Christ if we follow Christ.

And while praying that we can stand together as Christians, I also struggle not to judge others actions because it hurts to watch the people whom I care about experience sufferings and sorrows in their life because of their own actions.

Friends who say they are Christians, but yet do little or refuse to turn to God; who deny their faith by their actions (although sometimes their words would say otherwise); who struggle to forgive or to accept; who are self-serving instead of self-giving or who seem stuck in a lifestyle that won’t allow for offered enrichment or hope to enter their lives.

“Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!” Ps 119: 23-24

“Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people. Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen.... came forward and debated with Stephen, but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.” (So they blasphemed him to try to take away his credibility) Acts 6:8-15

Even those in Christ’s time who were blessed to be present during his miracles denied, blasphemed, spoke against, crucified and tore down those who were clearly giving them God’s message.

“Jesus answered them and said,..."Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal." So they said to him, "What can we do to accomplish the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent." Jn 6: 26-29

We have been blessed by the Miracles of Fatima and Lourdes, given the living examples of Mother Theresa and Pope John Paul II and yet we doubt like St. Thomas, deny like St. Peter and have persecuted like St. Paul.

We are being asked as Catholics and as Christians to stand for the law of Christ against the law of the nation which denies religious freedoms in the current health care mandates. Will we?

We are given opportunities to enrich our faith by ministries such as the date night program, men’s and women’s faith sharing groups and bible studies. Do we do take the time and prioritize an event that will enrich our marriage or are faith life beyond our “one hour” of weekly church attendance? Are we even giving God the one hour so that he might “open the Scriptures to us”?

Heavenly Father, May our hearts burn as we hear the words you have spoken. Help us to truly open our hearts and minds to do the actions you require of us as Christians. May we have the courage to stand together to give full attention and praise to your law even if it means we will be persecuted because we must deny societal rules. Protect our priests and religious who publicly hold themselves up to your righteousness. And may we all follow you, by taking the opportunities to enrich our faith lives in daily prayer, in reading and studying scripture and by doing something extra to help someone else today. Amen.

May you be blessed by God and may you have the strength and courage to do what is right by God,

In Faith,
Charlotte