A Grain of Wheat

Women of Faith:

“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.” Jn 12: 24-26

As mom’s we quickly learn to put aside our wants and desires to meet the needs of our children. Maybe it’s self preservation, that we don’t want to listen to a baby cry, but I’d rather think it is because that is the heart that God created in women. I see this character trait even among women who for whatever reason are childless, an inner sense of responsibility and compassion for someone in need… especially the needs of infants and those who seem otherwise “helpless.”

I also think that this is why he blessed men with us as their helpmates – so that the stereotypical strength and courage of a man would be softened by the stereotypical caring and compassion of women – it takes both, together, to be able to imitate the full realm of God’s persona. For, together, we have been created in his likeness and image—and asked to continue the creation of His kingdom here on earth.

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” Mt 16: 23-26

Again, Jesus speaks of growing by dying, of bearing our crosses and becoming like him, of losing our earthly life by putting our needs behind those of others, of putting our humanly life on the cross so that we are free to strive for heavenly rewards… to be self-giving rather than self-receiving.

For what good is it if we have earthly “things” but fail to attain eternal joy in heaven. What good is it if we have clothes, shoes and vacations if we have broken marriages and children starving for attention?

Male and female, created together, under one mission, complementary, so that joined together we have the strength and power needed to carry the cross, the caring and compassion needed to assist each other, bear the burdens of day to day life, and the mercy and acceptance it takes by both in forgiving each other when we don’t quite live up to the roles we have been given.

Dying to my own needs…. Putting others before me…. Finding the joy in bearing my cross as He did for us. My mission may be difficult, but it is also necessary, not only to obtain my own place in heaven, but to grow and show heaven to others. This is the one, true mission that God set before each of us, to be a grain of wheat which dies so that others may live—first in the domestic church through our family and then in the worldwide church through our community.

Heavenly Father, it is in Your image which I have been created, it is to Your image in which I hope to be changed by conversion. Through your Son, Jesus, You bore the cross for each of us. Help us now each to bear our crosses for you. May I see and accept each person you place near me as a child of God who needs my love, compassion, and forgiveness. Amen.

Take up your cross, die as does the grain of wheat and live for Him by sowing the seed of faith in others.

Blessings,
Charlotte

Power and Equality

Friends of Faith:

First I would ask your prayers for Andy who began a seven day silent retreat yesterday as part of his orientation to Mundelein seminary where he will be studying theology for the next 4 years before his priestly ordination. Please pray that the challenge of living physically and mentally without any “outside” interference (primarily his IT devices) will lead to a deep spiritual “inside” connection to God’s call in his life.

"Thus says the LORD: Observe what is right, do what is just; for my salvation is about to come, my justice, about to be revealed.
The foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, ministering to him, loving the name of the LORD, and becoming his servants—all who keep the sabbath free from profanation and hold to my covenant, them I will bring to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be acceptable on my altar, for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Is 56: 1, 6-7

Insiders and outsiders, power and equality, foreigners and citizens, the chosen and the outcasts.

Our world is a dichotomy and a struggle to have both equality and power. In order to have earthly power, control, superiority, and to be “inside” then someone else must be “outside.” It is common to give power to the governmental elite who are able to make decisions which affect my lifestyle; to let the “inside”elite set societal norms; and to feel that the “chosen” are those who have money which set the standards for what I then think I deserve.

And these power struggles in turn create a social struggle directly opposite because of our innate desire to be “equal” – to have “equal” rights, “equal”opportunity, and “equal” choices.

Reality and entertainment are challenged by our competitive nature: our desire to win, to be the best, to be the leader, to be big, and to be chosen, accepted, powerful, and righteous.

And yet in “equal” there is no winner or loser, no hierarchy of power, no big or little, no leader or follower, no inside or outside, no control over another person, no principality, no more or less, there is nothing that is deserved.

“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She said,“Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour. Mt 15: 21-28

While I might deem the most powerful person as the pope, president, king or queen or doctor; you might deem the most powerful as your boss, the mayor, even a sports team, coach or player. It depends on our context in asking the question, or even in the context of the time the question is asked.

So who really deems me “the winner?” Who do I think is the most powerful? Who really chooses me as an “insider?”

As a Christian whose ultimate goal is heaven, there can be only one answer: God! It is through him I am created equal, it is in Him I am given power. It is by Him I will be allowed “inside” and it is by Him I hope to be chosen.

HE must be first and I must be last. Will I choose to be the obedient child of the Father, with no false god’s before me? Will I give selfless, unconditional service to all others? Will I live and serve faithfully under His commandments? And will I respect those to whom God has given earthly authority?

Heavenly Father, You are the one and only power. We are created in Your image and likeness. I strive to live as Your chosen. Thank you for giving me all that I need each day. Help me to honor you by living in faithful acceptance and with the sincere trust it takes to set aside worldly inequality. Help me to accept the challenges of sacrifice and suffering so that I may be your willing witness to others. Amen.

God is the only power. And thankfully we are created equal in His likeness. I seek only to be accepted and chosen by Him. May you choose the same.

Blessings,

Charlotte

www.morningreflection.blogspot.com

Blessed Are You

Friends of Faith:

Life as we know it here on earth is a constant battle between good and evil: of being challenged to use our gifts so that we can be made aware of the many blessings God gives us or to be tempted by societies promised pleasures which cause us to hide, miss or outright turn away from the peace and joy He promises.

That is why it is so appropriate to follow yesterday’s feast of Pentecost, the sending of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the Church here on earth with today’s famous blessings of the challenges of the Sermon on the Mount passage.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.  He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Mt 5: 1-12

The fire used to symbolize the coming and the presence of the Spirit leads us by it’s light, moves us by it’s energy, melds and molds us into whatever shape we allow.

God wants us to accept the gifts of the Spirit:  wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety and fear of the Lord (wonder and awe) so that we can receive the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

In turn both the gifts and the fruits become our blessings when they are used to answer the call of His famous Sermon, the blessings of giving back the gifts and spreading the fruits to others through His Christian Church.

So blessed and loved are we all to be a part of His Church and a child of His through our Baptism.

Come Holy Spirit, Come. May we accept the gifts you present us and use them wisely for the benefit of others. Help us to allow others to see Christ through the fire you light in our hearts by the sending of Your Spirit. Thank you for the gift of your Church which becomes our family and community of support for our faith journey. Amen.

Blessed are you who believe. May your faith burn brightly for all to see,
Charlotte

Everything I need

Friends of Faith:

A very wise young lady has had me thinking for the past several days about this answer to “What is heaven like?”

Her response, “Heaven is right here, right now. Because we have everything we need.”

"Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God. For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment. Perhaps he will again relent and leave behind him a blessing, Offerings and libations for the LORD, your God.” Jl 2: 12-14

Since I knew early Monday that this reflection was going to be late, I decided to do an Ash Wednesday  thought  instead – one fed by my own soul searching after hearing her response—and tied to our Lenten journey of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

Hopefully these questions and thoughts will help us all focus on Lent, our personal preparation, how we might make Christ present for others and how Christ has made himself a sacrifice for us on the Cross, to give us the heaven we have here on earth and the heaven promised by an Easter resurrection.

Prayer: What am I praying for? Is God telling me no, because I already have what I need? Do I ask (pray) to God for my wants or do I pray to Him for my needs (more trust, to let Him have control)? Am I praying for more and not recognizing what I already have?

If I am sick—am I turning down help and missing blessings God is trying to provide for me? Despite some of the financial headaches of our healthcare system we still have the best healthcare professionals available.  Do I find and thank God for both the smallest and the greatest of these blessings?

If my spouse doesn’t seem to be all I think they should be—am I telling my spouse what it is I need, or are they attempting to fulfill the wrong needs because they truly don’t know what else to do? Am I praying to change others when I should pray to change myself instead?

Am I thankful that I have the opportunity to pray publicly? And do I take that opportunity?

Fasting: Our readings this week were about how we cannot honor both mammon and God. How much do we have and how much do we really need?

Most of us have plenty of food, and some of us could probably do with eating a little less. Most of us have a warm roof over our heads, while many are living without shelter or inadequate sanitation. Most of us have plenty of clothes in our closets, while some barely have the shirt on their back, or sandals on their feet. Who could we help by sacrificing a meal, a degree on the thermostat for even a day, or a single shopping trip? Should we be making a donation to the local clothes closet or food pantry, or as Pope Francis suggests “to look those in need directly in the eye” by helping in a soup kitchen?

Almsgiving: Our Christian call is to make ourselves holy, and to help others see Christ in and thru us—to help make others holy. Our baptismal call is to make this earth a small piece of heaven for others. That doesn’t mean to just give money (although we need to do this too), but more importantly to share a piece of ourselves, to do something for others, to make someone laugh or smile, and to make someone feel important enough that we care enough by being a good Samaritan—rather than walking past and hoping someone else will take care of them.

“Jesus said to his disciples: “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward…..  “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites,… “When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites….Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.” Mt 6: 1-6, 16-18

Heavenly Father, You sent us Your Son, Jesus, a “peace” of heaven, to dwell within us. Jesus, You did not put on the gloomy face of a hypocrite, but accepted Your sufferings and died to save us so that we might have a piece of heaven. Holy Spirit, Enlighten us, to the pieces of heaven around us.  Thank you for giving me everything I need. Amen.

Don’t make Lent about “me.” Make Lent about seeing the pieces of heaven around you, and about helping others to see the pieces of heaven around them. YOU may be everything they need!

Blessings this Lenten season,

Charlotte

Compete

Friends of Faith:

“Compete well for the faith.” 1 Tim 6: 12

Volleyball season at our house can be a challenge, often stressful and overly busy. The past couple of weeks have certainly been that, as Stan’s team played their toughest two challengers, immediately followed by homecoming week, another two tough matches and concluding with the distraction of a tournament on the day of the homecoming dance.

Over the years, we both remind ourselves, others, the parents and the team—“it’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.”

So the challenge in a week where you end up going from a decisively winning season to a so-so just over break even season, is to truly believe those words and to look for and find the good in “how you played (or coached) the game.”

The same can be said in a far more important game, that of our eternal faith life: “Am I competing well?” “How am I playing the game?” “Am I giving it my all?” “Am I working as a team, and bringing them up with me?” “Am I listening to and following the coaches (God’s) instructions?” “Would God, the final judge, call me a winner?” AND “Am I spending as much time on training for heaven as I am on winning socially here on earth?”

These are the team instructions:

“Those who are under the yoke of slavery must regard their masters as worthy of full respect, so that the name of God and our teaching may not suffer abuse. Those whose masters are believers must not take advantage of them because they are brothers but must give better service because those who will profit from their work are believers and are beloved.eaching and True Wealth

Whoever teaches something different and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the religious teaching is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a morbid disposition for arguments and verbal disputes. From these come envy, rivalry, insults, evil suspicions, and mutual friction among people with corrupted minds, who are deprived of the truth, supposing religion to be a means of gain. Indeed, religion with contentment is a great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, just as we shall not be able to take anything out of it. If we have food and clothing, we shall be content with that. Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains. “But you, man of God, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Compete well for the faith. Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you before God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate for the noble confession, to keep the commandment without stain or reproach.” 1Tim 6: 1-14

First we need a goal in life. Is it heavenly richness? Or is it earthly riches.

Next we need a game plan with the assistance of His coaches…The Church (His apostolic succession, trainers of the Word) and His Word--BIBLE (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.)

And finally we need to actually do the things we say we believe – we need to train for the game, give God’s instructions, the coaching manual, our utmost attention, and spend our time living for Christ at 100% so the rest of the team will win with us.

The instructions say: respect (the maker—God AND the players, those created in His image and likeness—every human being), serve (train well by doing good works), don’t listen to and be tempted by false teachings (societies“what makes me happy” goal), get back to the basic richness (food and clothing, the Eucharist), and find contentment with simple religion (the Church Christ instituted).

Heavenly Father, ultimate coach and trainer, You gave us all the means to win, by giving us Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you for your constant forgiveness and mercy of my continual training errors (sins). Send Your Spirit upon me with the grace of courage and perseverance against the enemies of conceit, envy and earthly riches. Help me to have the discipline and focus to follow your moral truths and set aside my own selfish desires so that I will serve the team (my spouse and/or my family) and encourage my neighbors to an even higher level of competition. Amen.

There is only ONE Team Win that matters—and it’s how we live the journey that will accomplish the win for us all.

In Christ,

Charlotte

www.morningreflection.blogspot.com

The Reward of a Servant

Friends of Faith:

It is human nature to want to be paid for our jobs; and rewarded for doing what is right—treats and stars when we were little, a paycheck when doing our jobs, or rewarding ourselves with a pair of shoes, a great meal or a glass of wine.  We sometimes expectreturned “favors” from those we have helped in the past and like the disciples request (or even demand) a “reserved seat in heaven.”

He replied, "What do you wish me to do for you?" They answered him, "Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left." …Jesus said to them, …but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared." Mt 10: 35-36, 40

But as Jesus said to his disciples, the power, the seat on his right and the seat on his left, is not for Him to give—that will only be judged by the supreme God on the final day. And only he knows what he has prepared, and what we have given of our hearts.

I have come to realize that happiness doesn’t come from instant gratifications or even from the things that “instantaneously gratify” me (like fast food and a drive thru) but rather from the smiles I receive for doing something for someone that isn’t used to receiving, or because someone else has received God’s miracles which we often take for granted:  life, health, happiness, or forgiveness.

How many times have I expected respect, praise or some type of power just like the disciples “expected” to become the authority by having a place reserved in heaven? But Jesus was quick to remind them (and us) that it is the “least” among us who will be rewarded.

Jesus summoned the Twelve and said to them, "You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mk 10: 42-45

Our prayers are not supposed to be demands with expectations, but rather praise and thanksgiving for all that we have been given, and an invocation for grace (instead of complaint) to accept the sufferings that are a result of our human choice to disobey (sin) in the Garden of Eden.

Heavenly Father, You are the ultimate power and I am Your servant. Help me to see and to not overlook those who are in need of a helping hand. May I have the humility to step forward and selflessly give my time, talents and treasure so that others may come to know the love, hope and the strength which only You can give. Thank you for the opportunities this week to see You in the miracles of innocent children, the smiles of spouses who are working to make their marriages as God designed, and the elderly who so joyously looked forward to the Eucharist. Amen.

Do we ask to receive and serve to be served? Or do we serve those who serve us—our parents, our employees, and our students—by being selfless children, employers and teachers?

Do we demand or assume our place is “reserved” in heaven, or are we constantly serving others as Christ served us—til death do us part?

Blessings in Christ,

Charlotte