Writing in the Sand

Friends of Faith:

Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.” Jn 8: 1-11

What was the writing in the sand? Could it be that what was written in the sand was not quite as significant as the patience that Jesus displayed as he was writing? A patience that gives all the characters in the story time to examine themselves as sinners? Only God knows.

Not only is God all merciful, but it is only God we need to please. And it is in our task on the journey of life to not only know what pleases him, but to know how and if we are pleasing him. We can’t fool God.

Yet sometimes I try. I know sometimes that what I do, big or little isn’t what God would want or wanted me to do.

It’s not necessarily that my choice is to be a hypocrite, or even to do wrong. It’s that I am human. Sometimes I don’t know any better and I need someone with better judgment than me to tell me that I am, or what I am, doing is wrong.

Sometimes I haven’t yet received the wisdom to know differently and I need to study more about how the Christian Church was formed.

And sometimes I just need to understand that I am listening to the wrong voice within me. And while it may seem “easier” in my human nature to do what everyone else is doing, or what makes me feel happier because it gives me pleasure in that particular moment. If it is not God’s right it won’t leave me with a lasting happiness so that I may feel joy and peace forever.

One of the gifts given by the Holy Spirit at Confirmation is the gift of Right Judgment (1Cor: 12). The gift to know what is right by God and what is not right by God: the gift to be able to make choices based on knowing the difference between right and wrong in God’s eyes. It is a gift given so that with every step I make I can see the “writing in the sand” and hear and feel the mercy of God so that I can “go and from now on sin no more.”

Not only is this a gift I am given to know my own right and wrong, but it is a gift that I am asked to both be a witness to and to share with others so that each of us may become more holy. As a Christian I cannot judge how God will see someone, but it is my duty, regardless of how I will be treated, to share His commandments and to learn and discern the difference between Gods right and wrong.

I cannot say “it doesn’t affect me, or that some choice wouldn’t be my choice.” Would it be God’s choice? If we know what God’s choice would be, if we know what God’s writing in the sand would be, then His message must be shared with compassion and mercy.

In the words of St. Paul: “This third time I am coming to you. “On the testimony of two or three witnesses a fact shall be established.”I warned those who sinned earlier …. that if I come again I will not be lenient, since you are looking for proof of Christ speaking in me. He is not weak toward you but powerful in you. For indeed he was crucified out of weakness, but he lives by the power of God. 2 Cor 13: 1-11 (Continued as a prayer)

Heavenly Father:  So also we are weak in him, but toward you we shall live with him by the power of God. Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless, of course, you fail the test. I hope you will discover that we have not failed. But we pray to God that you may not do evil, not that we may appear to have passed the test but that you may do what is right, even though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. For we rejoice when we are weak but you are strong. What we pray for is your improvement.  I am writing this while I am away, so that when I come I may not have to be severe in virtue of the authority that the Lord has given me to build up and not to tear down. V. Conclusion^*

Finally, brothers, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Cor 13: 1-11 Amen.

Sometimes the message God shared falls on fertile soil – soil that is being nurtured, that wants to grow and learn more. Sometimes that message falls on sand and withers as it dries up waiting for a rain (tears) to bring it back up because it is not yet ready to bear fruit or grow. And sometimes it falls on rock – a hard heart, a stubborn “I know better” or “I like what I know and I don’t want to know more” attitude.

These attitudes, while they may look hypocritical on the outside are human nature.

But as long as my choice is to grow closer to God then God’s writing in the sand will not condemn me, but rather it will nourish me and help me to “go, and sin no more.”

Don’t ignore the writing in the sand.

Grow closer to the writing in the sand. Be patient with the writing in the sand. And share compassionately the writing in the sand.

Blessings,

Charlotte

Extra Time

Friends of Faith:

Everyone I know wishes for more time. More time with our spouses, more time with our families and friends, more time to get one more thing finished on our list. Even more time for God.
This is February 29^th, a Leap Year. Today IS an “extra day.” What will I do with my “extra time?”

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, and all of them were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. All ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was the Christ. Yet God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the desert.
These things happened as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil things, as they did. Do not grumble as some of them did, and suffered death by the destroyer. These things happened to them as an example, and they have been written down as a warning to us, upon whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall. 1 Cor 10: 1-6, 10-12

As St. Paul recalls, God gave everyone the same baptism, a Baptism that gave us each grace. Grace to do God’s will.

God also gives everyone a second chance, just as he did the Israelites coming out of Egypt in the Exodus.

And God gives us all time. Extra time, because no time is really ours, time does not belong to the creature, but to the creator. All time is really Gods. And St. Paul reminds us in this passage that we are not secure if we don’t take good care of our time by being truly IN God’s time.

As baptized Christians our most “inner being” isn’t what tempts us to desire “evil” things. Yet, in fact, we know that there is much evil in this world.

Nor is it grace that allows us to choose to not use our time wisely or as God wills.

In fact, as baptized Christians our most “inner being” has and knows a desire to be fulfilled by God, to know God, to love God (and his creation), and to bring others to know him. St. Augustine wrote: “Thou hast made us for thyself O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds rest in thee.” So whether those desires are staring us in our face, or have been pushed as far back as we can, the desire, the grace to become holy is deep inside.

And this same grace is a grace that allows me to know that I want to spend my time doing whatever God wants me to do for myself and for others. But making those decisions and managing my time is difficult – because I am human – because God gave me the free will to make my own choices and because God allows there to be both His choice and the opportunity to choose something other than His choice.

God gives us all time—because God made all time. Every millisecond is a time to make God a habit. And each second, each hour, each day – TODAY – we are important to him.

Everyone fills their time with something. Everyone is busy, or gives the impression that they are busy doing something. So this is about what I am doing with MY time, how I am justifying MY time.

Am I really too busy today, or am I just putting it off until tomorrow; am I hiding behind other “jobs and duties,” too busy to see or to want to know, how God is calling me; or am I too busy doing what I think of as God’s work and missing what God is actually wanting me to do? Or am I so busy doing good things, but like those wandering in the desert so long ago, grumbling about the things that go wrong, the people that don’t appear to be doing “anything” to help or wishing that had more time to do what I selfishly want to do for myself?

God’s desire for my time is quite simple. It is for me to spend that time to know him (study, seek the truth); to love him (spend time with him); and to serve him (by being a servant to others, no matter how difficult that job may be.)

Yet, how will I spend my “extra time?”

In many ways my answer to God’s call, what I do at times other than the hour I spend at Sunday mass, reflects what are my truest priorities—whether it is what my heart desires or not. Those “free” minutes, the unscheduled hours that I spend  grumbling or gossiping, being tuned into TV, Facebook, or email, or really anytime that I am doing what I want rather than doing what God is asking of me tells God who I am, what I value and how important He truly is to me.

There is no time like the present time! There is no time like this extra day in a normal year. There is no time better than now to read and study God’s scripture,  Church teachings, and early church fathers like St. Augustine, to become a servant (yes this may mean doing something difficult, or not in my comfort zone), or to sit quietly and answer the yearning in my heart to be in God’s presence.

Heavenly Father, You call me to know you, to love you, and to serve you TODAY. Help me to seek Your grace, to serve Your people, and to know the truth. Thank you for this extra day to remind me that every day I have to be with you is “extra.” Amen.

Make today “extra” special for God – and for someone else in your life as well,
Blessings,
Charlotte

Be Holy

Friends of Faith:

Often times my goals are short sighted, or short lived, but the Lenten readings help me recall that my mission here on earth isn’t fame, wealth, power, prosperity or even happiness. As a Christian my true mission here on earth is to become holy.

The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the whole assembly of the children of Israel and tell them: “Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.” Lv 19: 1-2 (This verse is followed by the list of the Ten Commandments.)

In the New Testament Jesus gives us a greater commandment: “To Love one another, AS I have Loved you.” And his instructions and witness were on HOW I am to accomplish this task:

Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him.  And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food,  ….’ Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Mt 25: 31-42

As a Christian, a friend, a parent and a spouse it is good to be reminded that my goal shouldn’t be for WHAT I can achieve on earth, but for HOW God calls me to be for others. Becoming holy doesn’t happen because I am “good,” becoming holy happens because my actions help others see Christ in their lives. My true goal should be to achieve heaven, to think about HOW GOD will judge me when I die and to remember that I don’t know when my last day will be so I need to take every opportunity to love today. Being Holy is about living EVERYDAY as if it is my last day.

The Bible (Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth) is in fact full of ways to make me holy – none of them exclusive of any other. If we believe in one page, even one verse, then we must believe in the entire book.

God is a package deal. Not only did He leave himself in the physical words of the Bible, BUT his “word became flesh” in His son, Jesus, who instituted a physical Church to instruct and unify His people AND who died to redeem our sins. AND, finally he completed the “package” by sending the Holy Spirit to place himself into our hearts.

Becoming holy isn’t to pick and choose from a buffet line of offerings to say I am good at one thing or another or that I believe one thing, but not the other. Becoming holy is to be ready to do whatever God’s call is for me today even if it is something I don’t feel particularly good at, or want to do, or that take me by surprise, or happen unexpectedly (good or bad).

Not only am I called to be holy in and for myself, but my call is to be a witness, to lead and to bring others to holiness.

St Paul in his famous passage on marriage (Eph 5: 21-33) says that husbands and wives are to love each other as Christ loved us (he died for us) so that in doing so the other will be made spotless and unblemished – holy in his sight.

Wherever and whenever I turn in my reading and reflection, God’s Holy Word inspires me to do for others, be for Him, ask of Him and to be ready to receive Him as a WHOLE, so that I can become more like Him: Holy in his sight.

O LORD, my rock and my redeemer: Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart find favor before you. (Ps 19:15) Make my Lenten journey be one of holiness, wisdom and good judgment. Help me to recognize and not turn my back on the sick, homeless, naked or imprisoned, especially those who are struggling nearest to me. Thank you for giving me instructions and a Savior, Jesus, so that when I fail I can be redeemed. Open my eyes to understand, my thoughts to find wisdom and my heart to have the courage to choose Your goal for me, holiness, instead of living to achieve my short term desires. Amen.

Just as Moses spent 40 years leading the people to the promised land and Jesus spent 40 days in the desert before his death, these 40 days of Lent are my time to “wander” closer to holiness: to welcome, visit, feed, cloth AND love whomever, whichever, least of my brothers is set near, on, or even “coincidentally” in my path.

God, Jesus, Spirit. The Word, The Flesh, The Soul. The Bible, The Church, The Heart. Teach me to Love, Guide me to Love, Form me to Love. Holy, Holy, Holy.

Be Holy and inspire others to be Holy.
Blessings,
Charlotte

 

Evangelization

Friends of Faith:

Thankfully since last Monday night our phone has gotten much quieter and I can actually sit and eat, watch TV or take a 5 minute nap without being interrupted by a political phone call or message. One thing the political candidates know how to do very well is to try to convince us that they are the right person.

If we think about it, this same thing has been going on for hundreds of thousands of years. Someone is constantly trying to evangelize us and convince us that we should follow them because their point of view is right. Someone tried to convince someone else that they should cheer for or follow the Broncos or the Panthers, the Republicans or the Democrats, the Union or the Confederacy, the Christians or the Jews, Isaac or Ishmael, or God or the Devil.

Not only are we asked to choose a side, but we feel compelled to convince others that A choice, our choice, is the Right choice.

I think we can all agree that of these choices there is only one that has always been THE RIGHT choice – God. We will always be right if we honor God and follow His command. Yet how often do we evangelize for what He designed, for what God has proclaimed to be right?

God IS Love. God designed life to BE love. God designed marriage to continue to give life AND love. This was his first command to Adam and Eve – to be fruitful and to multiply; so that God’s love, life itself, would continue to BE shown to others through our own lives.

God sent us Jesus to teach and give us forgiveness: Jesus showed us mercy and love. God sent us the Holy Spirit to guide us: so that we would know how to serve each other in love. God appointed and made covenants with Abraham, Moses, David, Peter and His successor Bishops (the design of the Church) to lead His people. God promised them that He would give us our daily bread – that we would need nothing but Him.

“Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.” Lk 5:11

God gave us everything we have and everything we need. And then He asked us to become fishers of men, to speak up for Him, to be His voice to others – so that by our actions, in our prayer, in our deeds and in our words, every person would come to know Him. He directed the apostles, the first priestly followers of Christ (Christians), to leave everything else behind and to follow him.

We were not put here to choose between insignificant sports teams, to be divided into political parties, or to glorify and honor some voice, bachelor or Star Trek star. Our choice shouldn’t first be about the economy or the environment, about what food we eat or in what nation we sleep, but rather about how to protect, populate and promulgate life itself.

Our “job” is to love, to be givers of life and fishers of men; to protect the life we have been given and to spread God’s word so that more may be blessed with knowing His infinite love and living in his heavenly kingdom.

The devil has been working overtime to trick us into thinking that other choices are more important than the first choice: God’s gift of life. If we only look at the political forum, it is shouting volumes to confuse and spread messages contrary to, and seemingly more important, than God’s carefully planned design to continue His kingdom, here on earth and in heaven.

The devil has convinced some that a child may be an economic burden instead of God’s continued creation to spread and show us how to love. What if the life we choose to deny is God’s design to be His next Abraham or Peter?

The devil has convinced some that marriage isn’t about a unity to procreate God’s children, but rather a means to give human pleasure. Choosing to honor God by honoring His commandments may mean that we must take up His cross and deny ourselves.

The devil is convincing some that we shouldn’t open our doors to share our daily bread by serving to love those who are in need. What if we (not a government) have been put here to be God’s hands to give someone their daily bread?

Satan temps us to turn away from God and to “fish” for ourselves, our pleasures, our happiness, rather than to be “fishers” of men, to show others God’s love and call others to God’s kingdom. His mission is to divide us and separate us from God’s design.

Heavenly Father, You have given us the first and greatest gift, life itself, so that Your heavenly kingdom will be shared by all. Help me to spread Your message to others so that more may come to know you. Help me to be a more loving, more compassionate, more convicted fisher of men and women. Grant me mercy when I fall to the devil’s deception and serve myself. Help me to keep You first in my life. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be one with you each week in the celebration of the Eucharist. Amen.

We are all searching. No human is perfect. But God has told us that the Holy Spirit will guide us; that the Church will lead us and that hope will energize us so that we can confidently spread His design to others.

If you are looking for a retreat, renewal and/or a time for evangelization with Jesus and other “fishers of men/women” please consider the women’s CEW next weekend, Feb 19-21 or the men’s CEW Feb 26-28. For more information or a brochure on CEW go to http://sthenrychurch.com/CEW.htm.

There has never been a better time to unite and to Go Forth to Spread His Good Word,

Blessings,
Charlotte

I Know You, do you Know Me?

Friends of Faith:

God knows what is best for us. Do we allow God to show us His way or do we choose our own path?

While the bible, God’s word, should be taken as a whole, and not just a partial phrase here or there, I have a favorite instruction from Paul’s instructions to the early Church that I believe if we even thought about once every day would bring every household closer to the heavenly household.

“Brothers and sisters: Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts. But I shall show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in human and angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 
“Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, it is not pompous, It is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”1 Cor 12: 31 – 13: 1-8

Love isn’t a warm and fuzzy feeling. Love is a verb. Love is an action word. It is not what I feel when I receive and it is not what I feel when I am served. Rather it is what I give WHEN I serve and it is what I give when I forgive. Love is not to WANT some THING, but to WANT TO GIVE something, to put Christ IN things (our choices).

Paul’s definition of God’s love is a reading that I like to go back to as a guide in making my own decisions and in guiding others towards theirs.

How many times am I an angel, who gives away everything, and has faith to move mountains and yet, when I speak I complain about someone else’s faults –and I am a clashing cymbal; who finds it easy to give a dollar in the collection plate but am stingy with saying yes when it comes to helping at a funeral dinner or taking the time to check on a neighbor? And has my silence in the political arena become approval for those who say “it’s my choice?”

Patience, kindness, humility, putting others first, choosing life, forgiving, choosing God is, are, and can all be tough choices.

It will hurt when I have to watch my child sit on the bench because I made the choice that Sunday mass came before practice or an early morning game.

I may have to “make up” time because I “gave up” time to check in on a neighbor or to listen to a friend’s woes.

I may feel like a failure or be shunned by a longtime friend because I courageously spoke the truth about God’s gift of life: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you.” Jer 1: 4-5 (Will your candidate in tonight’s caucus protect human life from the very moment of conception?)

This is the Year of Mercy. Will I forgive those who think differently than I do, or the person who disrespected my space or belongings? Forgiveness is one of the toughest challenges of love.

Love is the greatest and often toughest choice. Choosing God’s love is much different than choosing who, what and when I want to love. Choosing God’s love is serving others needs before my own. Choosing God’s love means to forgive and to have tolerance of the faults of others. Choosing love means owning up to my mistakes and to find God in the acceptance of whatever challenges I face. (Think about this in terms of your spouse, a wayward child, or the brother, sister or parent who has done something hurtful or unjust towards some member of the family.)

God knows me. Do I know Him? Am I expecting someone else to take care of the problems, or am I being called to be the solution?

Heavenly Father, You are patient, kind, all knowing and all loving. I know that I fail you in many ways by choosing what I think is right for me, better for another, or best for the world. Help me to know you, to seek you and to serve you in Your way, not mine. Teach me how it is that you want me to love. Help me to forgive and to find the good in others. Thank you for allowing me to see Your love especially when I am not loved for trying to follow You.  Amen.

To know Him is to love Him. He knows (loves) us regardless of what we do or have done. Do we know (love) Him and do we allow Him to forgive, know and love us? And do we love and forgive others AS He does for us?

Strive for patience, kindness, understanding and humility. Love may not always FEEL good, but LOVE never fails.

Blessings,

Charlotte

Year of Mercy

Friends of Faith:

Pope Francis has declared the year of 2016 to be a “Year of Mercy” for a very good reason – EVERYONE needs it, “for we have sinned.”

Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned. Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. For I acknowledge my offense, and my sin is before me always: “Against you only have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight.”A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me. Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise. Ps 51: 3-17

But mercy is much more than just forgiveness for our sins, mercy is a time to forgive others; to grow in our faith; to rejoice and be glad that God has given us a Savior to wash away our guilt; and to commit to showing mercy to ALL of God’s people.

It is a time of refreshing ourselves with renewed courage and strength so that when we are called we can follow the Spirit who asks us to be “Christ like.” The Year of Mercy is a time to extend the mercy of Christ to others.  

Yet, too many times I find myself looking at the world, a single person or a group of people, and saying, “if only they would do this or that the world would be a better place.” I find myself blaming or pointing a finger at others instead of looking at my own failings and faults.

So mercy presents for me an opportunity to search my own heart for what it is I could be doing to make this world, and this time, better. What changes can I make in myself so that others will see Christ through me and in their own lives? How am I failing in my personal choices to say “yes” to God? Who am I ignoring that needs to see Christ in me? What “strange god” is overshadowing my life, my decisions, or my time?

Culturally our gods have become sports, possessions, sex and fulfilling our own desires. Many of us fail in the most basic choices of putting God first even on Sunday or to serve our spouses to whom we have taken a vow and covenant to love. And what is my response when I am asked to give my time or possessions to a stranger who is in need? Is God being given my “leftovers” fruits instead of my first time or talent?

Heavenly Father, help me to be able to honestly say that I put you FIRST; that I am a follower of Christ, a Christian. Grant me mercy for not showing others that you are what I value most in life. “Cast me not out from your presence.” And give me the grace to see the Holy Spirit who is always present and waiting to lead me. Renew in me a clean heart and cleanse me from my sin. Amen.

The Year of Mercy isn’t just about our own forgiveness. Rather the Year of Mercy should also be about our own renewal to be merciful to each other by putting God first, by serving others needs and by showing to others how Christ’s mercy and love gives us peace and joy.

“Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.”
Blessings as you seek and spread God’s mercy to others,
Charlotte

Dreaming of an Ordinary "Holy" day

Friends of Faith:

Yesterday was the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord and what the Church calls the end of the Christmas season. Today starts the “ordinary time” within the Church calendar – those 32 or 33 weeks depending on the year, in which we are not celebrating Advent, Christmas, Lent or Easter.

“Beloved: The grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age, as we await the blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of our great God and savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people as his own, eager to do what is good.” Ti 2: 11-14

For many reasons I am looking forward to “ordinary time”  to being “delivered” back to a slower pace and a normalcy. I’m dreaming of a time when I don’t have to think about honoring traditions seemingly created by the commercialism and materialism of a holiday, but rather a dream of a calmer holy day.

What I am dreaming of and looking forward to is a true ordinary day. A day when I can say the only important task I have do is to sit in silence, to pray, and to listen to God’s answer. A day in which there is  no advertising or media interference trying to commercialize an “event” but a day in which instead of being Martha, I could be Mary.

I know – this isn’t a completely practical dream, but that IS what a dream is. In the practical sense as soon as I send this I have to go to work and it’s tax season. But with true Christian hope I really look forward to a perfect “holy day,” one in which I have more time to pray and less things to do; more time to give away and less commitments that have to be done; more of myself to give to others and less on the shopping list for myself.

A dream is a dream for a reason. A dream is a reminder of what is truly important, of what we would put aside, of what we would chose over everything else. A dream is what is in our heart.

And for me, this dream is a reminder that Christ remains more important to me (and others who share my dream) than worldly wants and desires. That His will for me is more important than the “hoopla” imposed by the desires brought on by media, commercialism, materialism, individualism and several other “isms” that seem to have overtaken our world.

The dream itself gives me hope and an awareness of a blessing that I have been given: a vision to “see” that my hope truly is in Christ. A blessing to know and desire that even though the devil tries to impose and interfere by making feast days into worldly holidays, Jesus’ life, God’s presence, and the power of the Holy Spirit will remain: more important, more glorious, and more of a desire, more of a sought after dream, than all that is worldly.

So as much as my dream is to be “ordinary” I go back to the start and end of this holy season, Christ’s birth and baptism which is passed on to us by our personal desire, our own call to join Christ by being baptized and our sanctification by Christ’s blood.

My dream is to BE what my baptism calls me to be:  a light, a living and present Christian to others. A dream to make Christ be as everyday and “ordinary” as possible for me; a desire to make Christ be present for as many others as I/we can; and a hope to help others see Christ as their own hope, to make Christ’s “ordinary” time be their own dream.

Heavenly Father, Your time is Glorious. Your ordinary is the most extraordinary. Your presence is my hope. Fulfill my dream with your reality. Give those you love the holiness to make this their dream too. Help me to make my ordinary be all about You. Amen.

Dream of an ordinary day and then make this ordinary day be a very Happy Holy-day.
Blessings,
Charlotte