Sounds of Silence – Signs Everywhere – Consumed by Love – Saints Struggle

Vincentian Day of Prayer and Fast – Tuesday October 28, 2014

Dear Vincentian Family: Father you revealed yourself to us through the preaching of your apostles Simon and Jude. By their prayers give your church continued growth and increase the number of those who believe in you. This is the opening prayer on the Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude, October 28. We do well to follow the saints and learn from them. We have so many Vincentian saints who could teach us the value of service, sacrifice and love. Search words of the saints and holy people to guide us in our journey. Pray for peace within ourselves and in anyone who has a hardened heart. Amen.

Sounds of Silence – Sometimes when we are alone, perhaps on a country walk or in our room, we listen to the sounds of silence. They can be so precious. We hear the sound of our breathing, or a cricket or bird chirping. We hear the rustle of leaves or the wind swooshing around us. When we retreat to silent prayer, we hear the voice of God; we hear our heart beating as His words give us strength and hope. In this silence we are so close, we can feel the breath of God on us and rest in His embrace. Being alone is not loneliness because we can always be with God. The silence and loneliness is a time to call on God and listen to Him. We can empty ourselves from every distraction and give ourselves completely to our Lord and gain so much from this quiet emersion of our body and soul to God. Embrace the sounds of silence as you are moved to empty yourself before God. It is a beautiful journey.

Signs Everywhere – Everywhere we see signs. The only signs we should look for are the signs of Jesus. We make ourselves miserable by trusting in what we see instead of keeping our eyes on Jesus. What sign do we need to know God is with us and He hears our prayers? Look for and display a genuine relationship with God. Show these signs to others. God’s presence and love in you will be seen by others. Just going to Church does not give everything. Following the signs from your attendance at Mass will bring you to greatness in the Lord. This is not the greatness to bring you fame. It is true love of our Lord and those He places on our path to serve. If we belong to God, our heart is engraved with love and the best of love, Jesus. When we give ourselves to God we belong to God and to God alone and then all of our signs will be positive, resourceful and loving. These are the only signs we need.

Consumed by Love – I am consumed by love for God and love for my neighbor. God is constantly fixed in my mind and imprinted on my heart. I try to never lose sight of Him. We have nothing to fear, because God cares about us. He is always working to shower us with many blessings. Even though we face difficulties, God puts moments of joy in our lives each day. We just have to pull down the blinds and look for them. The only thing that matters is what God thinks of us. He loves us more than any human can. God is love and every law of His is based on love for us. When we show others God’s love through our service, we share His love. This love for others expresses our faith and leads others to God. Bring this love to all in need.

Saints Struggle – Of course we struggle, too. The end gain is to persevere and call on God to guide us. Sometimes our Vincentian work seems a difficult task. We flounder and ask, “What would Jesus do?” It is not wrong to struggle, it actually helps us to discern. What would be wrong is to try to solve things without God. Being human we have the free will gifted to us which can be very complex and get in the way of doing what is right. Sometimes we get many voices giving us advice, both from the inside and outside. What really counts is God’s voice. We have to be where God calls us and recognize that may not be where we are now, but with God’s help we can be where He wants us. One thing is a given; we are happiest when we make others happy and making God happy is the greatest of all happiness. Turn to Him in your struggles with doing right and making the right decisions.

Pray for each other in this wonderful Vincentian Family. We have so much to be thankful for and so many people to serve. You are all in my prayers. Have a great week.

Blessings,

Lynn