Don't Give Up Chocolate for Lent

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Lent is a lot like our New Year’s resolution. We have the best intention of using this time to be a “better person” but we get busy or distracted with our old habits. So, if you are discouraged because you have not kept any of your Lenten promises, let me offer a few practical suggestions:

Number One: Say no to “potty mouth.” No more foul language, no locker room talk, no smutty jokes, no social media. When “twitter” becomes a way to put people down it devalues us. So, the first Lenten practice –for all of us, young and old is to watch our language and say no.

Number Two: Say yes to spiritual reading. Buy a little pocket New Testament and read a passage a day from the gospels. If you go online there are daily Lenten websites like “Dynamic Catholic” and “Living Lent Daily” that can help you in spiritual reading.

Number Three: Coffee-can the table. Put a coffee can or other container on the family table and every day empty your change into it. You might substitute your morning latte and give it to the poor. You might cut out photos of a cause you want to support like Charlotte Comfort Home or your local animal shelter or volunteer fire department.

Number Four: Be a “stitcher” meaning at home, at work, at school give the encouraging word, the encouraging deed, at least once a week. Be a repairer of broken spirits, pick up what others drop on the floor. Speak an encouraging word for every put down remark. Give a pat for every shove. Be a “stitcher.”

Number Five: Prepare to heal, work up to it. Make an attempt at reconnecting a broken relationship that often starts out with a misunderstanding.

Number Six: Reconnect. Put aside a day every week or two with friends, spouses, or families to reconnect. This week my in-laws got together to celebrate birthdays in March.

Number Seven and Final Suggestion: Come to our parish retreat next Sunday March 4^th.  It will begin at 10 am with Mass and a Penance Service. Our coffee social will take place to socialize followed by several brief talks and prayer. The theme is “Friendship with Jesus.” No excuses just come to spend some time with the Lord who loves us all very much.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who want to be Your friend. Give us open hearts to discover Your will in our life and help us to become the "best version of ourselves."

You Brought Me Peace

Today, we had the privilege of bringing the bishop’s sister to North Java. She wanted to see the church he talked about so much. He was proud to help this farming community reopen its doors to pray and serve as a Catholic community.

Despite a bad cold, she got up at 2:30 in the morning, took her medicine and went back to sleep. When she got up at 6am, she felt better, got dressed and was waiting for me at 8am to drive her to Holy Family. She sat in a pew next to Mary who treated her as our special guest and made her feel at home.

At the service, Corey presented her with a gift of maple syrup from our farms, a parish calendar with pictures of our kids and a card from all our families that expressed our sympathy and prayers.

Driving her back home, she shared that she could feel the warmth of the people that impressed her brother. The celebration of the Eucharist was joyful and profoundly helpful since she was troubled by the decision when she agreed to stop dialysis and put her brother into hospice. She had felt guilty with that decision despite reassurance from the doctors that all his treatments were not going to cure his disease. In the moment when she received the sacred oil on her hands she heard the words, “Now be at peace.” At that moment, she experienced a calm in her soul that brought her peace. She cried on the way home as she shared her worries and fears and now let Jesus touch her heart with His words, ”your brother is at peace.”

Here was a woman in despite need of healing and as we heard the story of Jesus healing Peter’s mother-in-law, another miracle was taking place in our church in North Java. A faithful sister who stood by her brother for seven months while he struggled with his illness had an angel watching over him. She was the angel in need of healing.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends and especially this morning, my Holy Family community for your smiles, your hugs, your gentle words of comfort and kind memories of our “Bishop” that let his sister know that you are “hope givers.” May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always.

Up Tight

It is so hard not to be "anxious". There are so many things that prompt us to be so. Take a relationship situation - take a financial difficulty – take a health problem - take a marriage problem - take finding a new job after being downsized again - take ...whatever and you have the makings of an anxious nature.

Yet, when we turn to the Word we read (Phil. 4:6) "In nothing be anxious."

In what? In nothing. That means nothing. Now - that's a heavy trip. No matter how great our trials, no matter how hard pressed our afflictions - God says, "In nothing be anxious". In the context of the above passage the words continue..."in everything". So, if God means what He says, and says what He means - it is in everything.
So that translates to when there is a car accident, when there is serious illness with a spouse, when there is lack of financial means, when there is the smallest negative thing, we are to communicate with our Heavenly Father.

The Lord has promised us peace in the situation. He has devised a means that we not be anxious. That means is to present our request to Him. If you feel your soul in turmoil, if you feel yourself overwhelmed, pray, "Lord, I trust you in this situation and I will ask you to help me not be anxious."

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are in difficult situations at this time in their life. We pray that you help them and give them the strength of their faith and in NOthing be anxious.