God’s Family – Faith to Spread the Light of Christ – Worth Every Penny – Open My Eyes

Vincentian Day of Prayer and Fast – Tuesday February 9, 2016

Vincentian Family:  Please pray for one another and those we serve. Your work is important and cannot be done well without prayer. We are getting close to Lent, a time to offer all our families up to our Lord. During this year of Mercy we are blessed to show Mercy to all we serve who are in poverty. Ash Wednesday begins this Wednesday. Have a great week.  Blessings, Lynn

God’s Family – Offering it up means doing something for those we love. It is the basis for Jesus’ own suffering on the cross. Sometimes we mistakenly think that Jesus died for the sins of humankind. Jesus died for us all—His brothers and sisters. Only Jesus could perform such an act of love.  We imitate Jesus.  That is where faith comes in. We don’t look at ourselves as martyrs in these situations, but as helpers in the lives of others.  We are called to serve Jesus in the faces of others.  Family is the greatest gift we have.  Next Monday, Feb 15 is family day in my province.  We hold the honour of having initiated the first holiday to celebrate family.  Your family is the greatest gift and we are all part of God’s family.  Remember this always when serving those in poverty.  Bring them the love you have and share goodness with them. Family is pretty much where we begin to learn the meaning of life.  We learn who we are and who we came from.  We definitely learn rules of life and sharing responsibilities.  We also learn how to negotiate.  I place this in because I just thought of my youngest grandchildren; a girl Jada age 7 and a boy Aden age 9.  Mom puts up a list of daily chores and they do these chores to receive a star and a treat at the end of week.  Aden loves to negotiate as does Jada and they often share the chores.  It is so neat to see.  Of course they get away with more when Tony and I are babysitting. Family is an answered prayer and becoming a part of God’s family is the ultimate prayer.

Faith to spread the Light of Christ – The Book of Revelation (see chapter 21:23) explains this light. In heaven, we do not need the sun and the moon for light; the glory of God provides the light, and the Lamb (Jesus) is the lamp. People become attracted to the presence of Jesus in us the way moths are attracted to the light on your front porch. We show the light of Christ by our actions and in this year of mercy our light should shine even brighter.  People we serve become attracted to the light of Christ in us when we follow His way and serve them with love and respect. Be an example to our young people who sometimes are living in darkness.  Pray the Light of Christ will come to them. Take actions to bring them to the Light of Christ and remember to celebrate their goodness.  Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in the actions you can take to bring them into the light; your light which shines through you from Jesus. Be joyful always.  Joy is a wonderful gift and easy to share.  When we are joyful, our Light shines brighter and chases evil away.  Give your worries to God and pray for joy.  Be joyful!  It is contagious and others will reach for joyfulness in their lives. The light of Christ and their faith will abound with the joy they are given and their light will shine brightly.

Worth Every Penny – St. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:19 that “we are bought with a price.” The price was paid by Jesus on the cross, and by the suffering He endured it’s obvious He thinks you’re worth every penny. We so often think we are unworthy.  Why?  Do we think God made a mistake?  We are worth it.  Convince yourself by reading Scripture and reflecting on the Word.  God speaks to us through His Word. Sacred Scripture is where we find our worship message.  It shows us and leads us in our good works.  It is all for God.  He also gave us the sacraments.  The best is the Blessed Sacrament.  The purpose of the sacraments is to sanctify all of us in the Vincentian Family, to build up the body of Christ and to worship God.  Why?  The answer is because they are signs and our wonderful teachers.  They instruct us on life.  What is the price?  What is it worth?  There is no dollar value.  God made us perfect.  He did this without cost.  He cannot love us more than He already does.  We are His and we follow His will.  Pope Francis tells us, “The name of God is Mercy.”  It is given freely to us to share with others.  Pope John Paul 2‘s last statement was “Jesus I trust in you.  Have mercy on us and the whole world.”  So our gift is worth every penny and we are never alone.  We are called to serve and He is always with us, helping us share the love.

Open My Eyes – We are the beloved.  God is always with us.  If He seems distant, guess who moved.  We truly have to believe.  Our Lord wants intimacy with us.  He wants to be close.  Our God is life giving, we must open our eyes and arms to His love and convey this love to others.  Forgiveness and love is our goal. God’s best gifts to us are our lives and His love. Don’t be afraid to see Him in others and in ourselves.  If we are to serve others as a servant, we must see Jesus in each person.  I know I say this a good deal, we must hear it often and share it with others.  We open our eyes and through our prayers we see the bridegroom, who loves everyone.  We must continue to have our eyes opened and accept the discipleship God has called us to be.  He will never abandon us.  He is here beside us and in us.  Your eyes will open wide and you will feel an amazing gift; the gift of ultimate love from the bridegroom to His bride.  Embrace this love and see everything through the eyes of our Lord who loves us unconditionally.  God does not exclude anyone.  He accepts and loves all.  Are we doing the same?  Open wide your eyes to service and loving others exactly where they are. “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” (Psalm 119:18)

Blessings, Lynn