Posts

What can I, a week fragile sinner, do?

What can I, a weak fragile sinner, do? God says to you: do not be afraid of holiness, do not be afraid to aim high, to let yourself be loved and purified by God, do not be afraid to let yourself be guided by the Holy Spirit. Let us be infected by the holiness of God. Every Christian is called to sanctity; and sanctity does not consist especially in doing extraordinary things, but in allowing God to act. It is the meeting of our weakness with the strength of his grace, it is having faith in his action that allows us to live in charity, to do everything with joy and humility, for the glory of God and as a service to our neighbor. There is a celebrated saying by the French writer Léon Bloy, who in the last moments of his life, said: “The only real sadness in life is not becoming a saint”. Let us not lose the hope of holiness, let us follow this path. Do we want to be saints? The Lord awaits us, with open arms; he waits to accompany us on the path to sanctity. Let us live in the joy of our faith, let us allow ourselves to be loved by the Lord... let us ask for this gift from God in prayer, for ourselves and for others.  Pope Francis, General Audience, October 2, 2013

White Ibis, Mustang Island State Park, Texas, U.S.A.

 

Follow me

Jesus says “Follow me”.  Don’t be afraid.  Leave what seems comfortable behind.  Join the excitement of a relationship with our Lord ……. and fly…….

Great Egret, High Island, Texas, U.S.A.

 

Waiting for our return

“God always waits for us, even when we have left him behind! He is never far from us, and if we return to Him, He is ready to embrace us.”  Pope Francis, Homily, April 7, 2013

Willet, Mustang Island State Park, Texas, U.S.A.

 

The Greatness of the Lord

Let us, and all of creation, join Mary in her words….

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”  (Lk 1:46)

Male Summer Tanager, High Island, Texas

 

 

 

Giving

“The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry. The cloak in your wardrobe belongs to the naked. The shoes you allow to rot belong to the barefoot. The money in your vaults belongs to the destitute. You do injustice to every man whom you could help but do not.”  St. Basil the Great (330 – 379 AD)

In this advent season let us remember those that are in need of our excess and give from our time, talent and treasure.

Female Summer Tanager, Big Bend, Texas

The Light of Life

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Let us walk in His light as we prepare for the celebration of His birth. 

Sunset, Spring Branch, Texas

Sing Songs of Joy

great egret standing.jpg

Sing joyfully, O Israel!  The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; he will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, he will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals.  Zephaniah 3: 14, 17

Let us sing songs of joy as we prepare for the celebration of His birth. 

Great Egret, Galveston Island, TX

Wildflower, Texas Hill Country, U.S.A., background mosaic from Basilica of our Lady of the Rosary, Lourdes, France

“(she) laid him in a manger, because there was no room for him in the inn.” (Lk 2:6)

“From the moment of his birth, he belongs outside the realm of what is important and powerful in worldly terms.  Yet it is this unimportant and powerless child that proves to be the truly powerful one, the one whom ultimately everything depends.  So one aspect of becoming a Christian is having to leave behind what everyone else thinks and wants, the prevailing standards, in order to enter the light of the truth of our being, and aided by that light to find the right path.” The Infancy Narratives, Jesus of Nazareth, pg 67, Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI

As we enter into this Advent season may we encounter Jesus and renew our relationship with the Lord.

 

Turkeys, Waterton Canyon, Colorado, U.S.A.

And now, bless the God of all,
who has done wondrous things on earth;
Who fosters people’s growth from their mother’s womb,
and fashions them according to his will!
May he grant you joy of heart
and may peace abide among you

Sirach 50: 22-23

Sunset over Collegiate Peaks, Rocky Mountains, Colorado, U.S.A.

Wisdom 13: 1, 9All men were by nature foolish who were in ignorance of God, and who from the good things seen did not succeed in knowing him who is, and from studying the works did not discern the artisan.  For if they so far succeeded in knowledge that they could speculate about the world, how did they not more quickly find its Lord? 

Rio Grande River, Big Bend National Park, U.S.A.

Ezekiel 47: 1, 8- 9 “I saw water flowing out from under the threshold of the temple.  This water runs down into the Arabah (desert) and empties into the polluted waters of the sea to freshen them.  Wherever it flows, the river teems with every kind of living creature; fish will abound.  Where these waters flow they refresh; everything lives where the river goes.”

May the waters of the Spirit flow from us and replenish the desert giving life to the world.

Blue Bonnets, Texas Hill Country, U.S.A.

20150417_173 flowers.JPG

When you are walking alone, listen to the sermon preached to you by the flowers.  Notice how they preach to you a sermon full of love, of praise of God, and how they invite you to proclaim the greatness of the one who has given them being."
— St. Paul of the Cross

Cedar Waxwings, Big Bend National Park, U.S.A., background mosaic from Basilica of our Lady of the Rosary, Lourdes, France

Today is All Saints Day.  Let us we reflect upon the depth of the Church which not only includes us on earth and our Lord in Heaven but all the Angels and Saints that participate in our Church each moment of each and every day.   Let us thanks them for their example of lives well lived and thank them for their continued prayers.

Revelation 7:9  After this I had a vision of a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.