Saving Hand of God – Close the Door of Darkness – Ascension of Our Lord – Seek the Holy Spirit

Vincentian Day of Prayer and Fast – Tuesday May 19, 2015

Dear Vincentian Family: Pray always for your Vincentian Family, for peace and for those suffering in Nepal and other areas. Pray every day. Praying in silence for world peace throughout the day, will give you peace. Have a great week.

Saving Hand of God –   God is always mindful of the bigger picture and the bigger purposes that can be accomplished in all situations. Psalm 138:7 tells us “Your right hand saves me, O Lord.” In biblical symbolism, the “right hand” of God means the power of God reaching out to help us. Most of us are right-handed and we rely on the right hand. I see this Psalm as convincing us God is always with us. We have to believe God is with us, especially when disaster strikes. When we visit those in need, we have to show them with our smiles and actions how much God loves us. Be God’s right hand. I believe God never leaves us. I always feel He has my back, but perhaps He is holding my right hand and guiding me. Whatever the term, I believe He is with me through illness and pain. I received a text from a lady we were helping in Alberta and she is all the way across Canada. We helped her get there. The Vincentian Family across Canada came together and was the hand of God. She texted me to wish me a happy mother’s day; even in her illness and pain she thought of me. This is God’s hand. We are now praying for each other and it truly feels good. Thanks for the saving hand of God in the Vincentian family.

Close the Door of Darkness – Always let the light of Christ shine in each of us, and take it a step farther. Be the light of Christ to the Vincentian Family, to the Parish you belong and to your spouse and kids, your mother and everyone, especially those who Jesus places before us to serve. Be the Servant Light and see the difference. Our Mayor spoke to us at our Annual Meeting. Our mayor is Muslim and he quoted from Scripture and read our Mission Statement. He told us the best part of our mission was to serve in joy. He told us it is why we are making a difference. He challenged us to do three things every day to make a difference. Even the smallest kindness does make a difference. I always say, “Smile at people who look grumpy and notice the change.” I believe smiles are one of our greatest gifts from God. It costs nothing and is worth a million. We can make a difference – BELIEVE!!!!   Open the door to joy and the Light of Christ. Send the darkness somewhere else.

Ascension of Our Lord – It is observed on the 40th day after Easter and we are still in the Easter Season. Catechism of the Catholic Church: 659 “So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.” 534 Jesus’ final apparition ends with the irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory, symbolized by the cloud and by heaven, where he is seated from that time forward at God’s right hand.535 Only in a wholly exceptional and unique way would Jesus show himself to Paul “as to one untimely born”, in a last apparition that established him as an apostle. I am watching the series, “A.D. the Bible Continues”. We should all be reading and reflecting on the Acts of the Apostles. It is so fascinating and truly is our calling as Vincentians. Be Christ, see Christ in others. It is who we are and this tells us how we got here.

Seek the Holy Spirit – When I feel warmth go through an area of my body where pain existed, I know the Spirit is there. When I receive the Eucharist I feel the Spirit. The Holy Spirit will put the wind back into your sails if you ask him to do so. Paul says, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). We take up the Cross of Christ and we take Him into the new Temple which is us and He brings the Father and the Spirit. In this life you now perceive great value and beauty in things that formerly you turned away from: poverty, suffering, even illness. You now understand that in the poor and lonely you behold the face of Christ. And in difficulties such as illness you see the means for you to do as Christ bade you: to take up your cross and follow him all the way to heaven. This is our journey Vincentians. The Holy Spirit helps us always. It is for the good of Christ’s poor. We called to serve each have a personal responsibility to stay closely connected to Christ and grow the best fruit that we possibly can. You, you’re the one! You’re the one who does something nice for one person, and they turn around and do something nice for someone else. You’re the one who changes the world!

Blessings,

Lynn