Be Yourself! – JOY! – Leaders in Christ! – You Make a Difference! – the subjects Lynn L’Heureux reflects on in  Vincentian Day of Prayer and Fast – Tuesday February 18, 2014 

Dear Vincentian Family:  Seeing Christ in those who suffer seems a little easier to us than seeing Him in those closest to us.  Even harder with those we quarrel with or work with every day.  We seem to forget we must be Christ’s – hands, feet, and loving arms to hug and have a forgiving heart.  We need to pray each day for help.  Call on the Trinity so you will be present as Jesus was to others.  See Jesus clearly through loving eyes.  The Holy Spirit will nudge you and help you to see the goodness of others.  Help us always Lord to bring ourselves, joy and as leaders truly make a difference in the lives of others.  Amen.

Be Yourself! – You really have to be yourself . . . . Everyone else is taken!  Immerse yourself in God; it is the true secret of success in being the best you can be.  Use His plan for ultimate success.  Being yourself in God, calls you to pray.  Prayer really helps us find ourselves and be at peace with ourselves.  Prayer helps us understand who created us.  We are perfect in the image of God.  Visit often – Father, Son and Holy Spirit are there for us.  A few months or so ago, I asked each of you to look at yourself in the mirror each morning and see Christ; this is a reminder to do so again.  Each day, look at yourself and find Christ in you.  Then you will be ready to be yourself living in God’s Kingdom on earth.

J O Y – J is for Jesus who was given to us by the Father to show us the way.  We need to know our brother Jesus in an intimate way.  He is our first step to joy.  We cannot begin without Him.  O is for others.  So you have Jesus in you and now he can be seen by others.  You will treat others in the way Jesus taught you and you gather others into your heart.  We are almost there.  Y is for you, get the message.  In order to have JOY, Jesus is first and then others and lastly your needs.  This will give you instant joy and it will spread to others.  .  It is a gift to Jesus, others and you. The fastest way to being happy is to make other people happy.  Keep and spread JOY always.

Leaders in Christ! –  As leaders working for God, we are called.  He calls us to obedience and leading souls to the kingdom.  As Vincentians, we lovingly lead them, while serving their needs.  As leaders we share the responsibilities and know we cannot do everything or be everything.  We are challenged to lift those who are placed before us to a better place.  Some people always look for a handout.  They are truly interested in the other garden and wonder why they cannot make their garden fruitful.  We used to say we were called to teach those in need how to fish and sometimes this takes a long time.  Our job as leader is to teach them not only how to fish, but how to make their garden flourish.  This is lifting them up as leaders in Christ.

You make a difference! –  Through the eyes of Jesus you make a difference.  Maintain the discipline of the sacraments and pray for holiness.  Frequent confessions and constant prayer lead us away from many faults on our road to holiness.  We have to be honest with ourselves, living consciously for a Faith abounding in love, living proof and alive with wonder.  There are no shortcuts to our salvation and the salvation of others.  Scripture gives us so many examples of people making a difference.  People may mock you, and gossip, you have to keep going doing what is right, even when you are mocked and ridiculed.  You will make a difference because you have the Trinity on your team. Don’t look for credit, just live your faith, love others and make even a small difference in the live of one person.  Never be discouraged, you are encouraged, challenged and loved by God.  He stands by you in love.  Bring them the best of you and you will make a difference.

On www.famvin.org/en you will get to know the Vincentian Saints.  I was remiss in included a quote from Blessed Rosalie Rendu on her feast day last week.  I know I’ve said this many times, if all we can bring to those who serve is our smile, then we are bringing Christ.  A smile is a silent prayer and it is universal.  Smile, even when you are answering the phone as people will feel your silent JOY.  Have a great week.

Blessings,

Lynn

Lynn  L’Heureux is Special needs co-coordinator & Advisor of the Society of St Vincent de Paul Calgary Alberta Canada.

Her newsletter is translated into 3 languages, hopefully soon to be 4.  They have a group which brings the prayer into China and it is translated into Mandarin and other Chinese dialects.

Subscribe to her weekly newsletter  Vincentian Day of Prayer and Fast (English and Spanish) by sending an email to calgaryssvpadm@gmail.com