Walking with Jesus – Inner Peace – Carrying the Weight – Prayer is a Gift

Vincentian Day of Prayer and Fast – Tuesday September 15, 2015

Dear Faithful Vincentian Servants. We are here to serve Jesus in every capacity. We long to serve Him well. I don’t talk much about fasting, so I will challenge you to fast from electronics for at least one hour and read Scripture, praying for all you serve. Fasting is personal so you can accept the challenge or choose your own. Be there with your heart and your Spirit, it is what Jesus wants. Have a blessed week. Amen! Alleluia!

Walking with Jesus – When we go to serve, the words, “What would Jesus do”? Let it be on our mind and lips. He is the ultimate teacher. In every situation those words ring true and our problem will be solved in the way it should. We have to walk in His steps and know He is with us. I remember I had a badge given to me by the Youth Group with a large question mark and WWJD. I had it on my purse,I glanced at the letters regularly and asked, “How do I know”? And then I prayed, “Father, Son and Holy Spirit guide me. Help me do what is right.” I would then have my answer and it was always the right thing. So walking with Jesus is not a bad thing. You will discover great sights and solutions. Vincentians know who calls them and who leads them. Walk with Jesus to serve in peace, love, justice and joy in true Vincentian spirit.

Inner Peace – The secrets of inner peace are many and change from person to person and day to day. One of our roles besides having inner peace ourselves is to bring this peace to others. If you have nothing and are homeless, or had to flee your home country. If you have an accident, illness, addictions, mental health issues or an unexpected expense, your inner peace is hidden somewhere. We as Vincentians need to help those we serve find their inner peace. Inner peace in us and others is self control. Get things in order. It may be easy for us to say and probably easy for you to do, but not necessarily for others. We need to help them with inner peace by being fully attentive to their story. Pay attention and be interested and help them to live in the moment and not the past. This may be a huge life change for them. Their thoughts and past could be horror and now whatever their situation, they need to remove the sadness. Help them to see what is good and how their life can change. Help them hold their happy thoughts to go through each day. Inner Peace is in you and you are able to project this to all in need. Let your service be filled with inner peace.

Carrying the Weight – “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’ (Mark 8:34). We are not only to carry our crosses, but help others carry theirs. This is following Jesus. The problems of those we are called to serve are more important than the ones we carry. We are challenged and called as servants of God to carry the weight. Give it all for Him. Your load will become lighter. He tells us in Mark 9:35 “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant to all”. He continues to tell us in Mark to welcome the little child. This is truly important in our service. Many of those we serve have little children and we have to treat them well. I remember a prisoner once telling me the story of his young son needing a computer for his school and there was no money. We were able to contact a company who donated what the child needed for school. Carrying this weight helped the child to succeed in his school work and gave the prisoner such inner peace. To this day this man prays daily for Vincentians and their service. Never be afraid to carry the weight and remember no work of charity is foreign to Vincentians.

Prayer is a Gift – God calls us to tend His sheep. Vincentians, like you have been doing this for many years. They have served countless hours to serve men, women, and children in need. They have put others first and answered God’s call to care for His flock. We do not do this alone. Christ is a gift from the Father and His prayer is a gift to us in our service. We call on our Lord and bathe ourselves in His spirit and we serve Him in others. We know we need to pray together in our Vincentian Families. We must pray together. It is the best gift we have. Pray before and after you visit those in need and always pray for your Vincentian Family. This is truly a gift. See how you feel after praying together. Prayer is a Holy gift for all of us and it is free. You can pray anywhere, in groups, alone in silence, before the Blessed Sacrament, at a retreat and always with your Vincentian family. How many gifts, give so much and cost nothing. Prayer is a special gift for all. Open your gift!

Blessings,

Lynn

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