Category: God’s Love for us

Posted on

2 Years Since You Were Called Home

2 years ago, you were called home. Not your home on earth, but the home we all strive for and hope to obtain. In the days that followed, I came across this song below which helped me somewhat understand your being called from us. It was a revelation to me that we are not here for what is here on earth, but for what we look forward to being a part of in the next life with Christ. I realized then that you knew this already, and you had prepared yourself for what was to come.

Building 429 – “Where I Belong”

Not long after Christmas, I purchased “Day by Day with St. Francis”, short, daily meditations with a quote about St. Francis by St. Bonaventure, a reflection on that quote, and a prayer from scripture pertaining to it. Evan loved St. Francis so I decided to get it. As God would have it, March 31st meditation brought me back to reflecting on Evan’s life. His devotion to Christ and the Eucharist that he practiced as an Altar Server for many years, his devotion to the Blessed Mother through praying the Rosary, his devotion through the Chaplet of St. Michael the Archangel, as well as his devotions to St. Stephen (his confirmation Saint) and St. Francis.

From “Day by Day with St. Francis” March 31st

The above meditation, coupled with the meditation for today, April 2nd, tied up everything in a perfect package for me. I know he was prepared for his untimely death. I did not see that until after he was gone, but I knew he had been taking the steps needed to become closer to Christ. It became even more evident when I read some of his journal entries, as well as some of his essays for school. He was more prepared at 17 than I have ever been in my 50 years. I am not saying that he was a martyr, but I know he would have been without any hesitation. That was how strong his faith in and love of Christ was. I pray that I still have enough time left to reach the levels that he did in my own faith, before my time comes.


From “Day by Day with St. Francis” April 2nd

We do not know the day or the hour, but we must always be ready. Preparation is the key to being ready when we are called home. Thank you Evan, for showing that to me. I was truly blessed to be chosen as your father on earth. It is an honor to call you son.

Let us pray. Father, grant us the strength each day, to live our lives in Your honor, to follow Your path to the best of our ability, and to be prepared when our time may come. Help us to stand firm in our faith for You and not be swayed, so that we may be greeted with arms wide open into Your House for all eternity. In Your Name we pray. AMEN.

You Are in My Prayers,

Scott

Posted on

Filling an Empty Vessel

“God gives His gifts where He finds the vessel empty enough to receive them.”—C. S. Lewis

My soul was becoming empty. I was going through the motions of life, thinking that everything was fine, when in actuality, I was distancing myself from Christ. I was living a lie, lying to myself and to my God. I strayed from the path I was originally set upon and deviated my course to one that was centered around me. By doing so, I continued to empty my vessel, and as a result there was much room for God to give gifts to me. My vessel had become empty enough to receive them. I am grateful and thankful that I have been given the opportunity to see that now. It took being at my lowest to be able to accept and realize how much I needed God in my life. Don’t wait for that day to come, for it may be to late. Let God fill your vessel. Accept Him into your heart and into your life.

“In times of desolation, God conceals Himself from us so that we can discover for ourselves what we are without Him.”—St. Margaret of Cortona

Don’t wait for those times of desperation to manifest themselves into your life. The Lord is there, always, waiting patiently for us to accept Him into our lives.

Let us pray. God, our Father, help us to accept the gifts that you offer to us openly and willingly. Let us see that we are nothing without you as a part of our lives. Fill our vessels to the point of overflow with Your love and grace. We are thankful for this, and for all the gifts that You graciously share with us, especially the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ, Whose Precious Blood has redeemed the world. In Your Name Always. AMEN.

God Bless You All.

You are in my prayers.

Scott

Posted on

The Greatest Gift Ever

“The Son of God became man to enable men to become sons of God.” — C. S. Lewis

A SAVIOR UNTO US WAS BORN

On that first Christmas morn,
His coming, by a star, foretold
A Savior unto us was born!

His birthplace, a stable forlorn,
A cave cut from rocks of old
On that first Christmas morn...

Swaddling clothes, tattered and torn,
Wrapped His body from the cold
A Savior unto us was born!

His crib, from wood pieces shorn,
The King of Kings it did hold
On that first Christmas morn...

No crown of gold on His head worn,
No stately palace or riches bold,
A Savior unto us was born!

He came to remove sin’s thorn...
His life for ours, to be sold...
On that first Christmas morn...
A Savior unto us was born!


SMS 2007

I have had a few favorite gifts over the years for Christmas.  There have been too many toys to list, so Star Wars Action Figures will have to take the top spot in the toy category.  There was the ” Mumford Phys. Ed. Dept.” T-Shirt (like Eddie Murphy wore in Beverly Hills Cop).  There was a green Russell Athletic sweatshirt that I wore until it no longer fit.  There was the Chicago Bulls Starter Jacket and Red, White, and Black golf bag to match.  There is my white Nike cap autographed by the greatest ever to play the game, Michael Jordan.  The best of all was the gift of being able to see my children’s faces light up on Christmas morning as they walked into the living room, seeing what Santa brought for them, reliving that feeling of awe and amazement that comes with the faith and belief in Santa from childhood mornings long gone.  All of those gifts pale in comparison to the gift given to us so many years ago by our Father through the Holy Family.

As Advent comes to and end with the Birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we should take a moment to reflect upon how truly blessed we are that He accepted to become man for us: The Greatest Gift of All.  He did not have to do it.  He could have refused, but He did not.  He became man to regain what was lost to us in the Garden of Eden.  He had to become man, to suffer death on the cross and rise again on the third day.  He overcame death so that one day, we too may be with Him in all His Glory.

So as we celebrate Christmas, remember the true reason we celebrate; the gift that  our Father gave to us by becoming a man in order to die for our sins.  The gift of Himself to us, His Body and Blood, to save our souls from the damnation of Hell, thus enabling us to share in a life eternal with Him.  Our gift in return should be the giving of ourselves to Him.  We can look to His life of service to others and attempt to do the same by giving of our time and assistance to help out those in need.  What better way is there to pay homage to the Lord for sending His Son?  Live by His examples and try to live a life just as He did.

Let us pray.  Lord, we thank You for the gift that You gave to us. The Greatest Gift of All. The gift of Your most precious Son, who by His Life, Death, and Resurrection redeemed the world.  Help us to live as Your Son, freely giving of ourselves to others, living as Thy will us to.  Help us to spread the love to others, that You chose to share with us, so that one day, we may all sit at Your table and give You thanks eternally.  Grant us Your Salvation so we too may become sons of God. In Your Name we pray.  AMEN.

May God Bless You and Your Loved Ones,

Have a Blessed and Merry Christmas, 

You Are In My Prayers,

Scott

Posted on

The Power of Prayer

“I pray because I can’t help myself.  I pray because I am helpless.  It doesn’t change God–it changes me.”—-C. S. Lewis

 

Nothing is more self-evident than this quote by C. S. Lewis.  Prayer does not change God.  He is, was, and always will be the same…the Alpha and the Omega, the same loving Father, unchanged.  His love for us remains the same always, sinner or saint.  He loves us as we are.  The thing that changes, or makes a difference is our love for Him.  Our love for Him changes through our prayer habits.  Our devotion to God the Father, His Son, the Holy Spirit, and our Blessed Mother brings about the changes inside of us.  In prayer, we get to talk with the Lord one on one.  We have the chance to open our hearts and soul to Him.  We can develop a greater relationship with our Father, who only asks 2 things of us–Love Him above all others, and love our neighbors.

Since the passing of Evan, I definitely learned that I could not survive on my own.  I could not help myself.  I was truly helpless.  It was only through Him that I saw the way out of the darkness.  There was no other solution.  The grief and depression would have swallowed me whole, consumed me from the inside until all that was left would have been an empty shell.  Prayer is what changed me.  Prayer is what brought me back from being dead to Christ.  My faith in our Father was the only thing holding me here.  It was prayer that ensured I would be saved.  Not only my own prayers, but the prayers of all my family and friends, our community, and their friends.  You must remember, even if you are not praying yourself, someone, somewhere, here or gone, is praying for you.  It is unfathomable to realize the number of those who are praying for you that you are totally unaware of.  Always be mindful and thankful of that fact.

Developing a better prayer life is much easier than you might imagine.  After my first retreat at Manresa, I realized how easy it was to make time for prayer, or should I say find time to pray.  I found that time driving home from the retreat that weekend.  No radio.  Just prayers the whole way home.  I incorporated that into my drive to and from work every day, and have been doing so since August of 2017.  Basically a 40 minute round trip.  At first I would just pray and meditate on common prayers, (Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be), but it evolved into adding more prayers into the mix, which led to the creation of a whole new devotional which I will explain in a future post.  I also learned that a complete Rosary can be said in that 20 minute time frame and that has made a huge difference in my mood getting to and arriving home each day.

All I am trying to say is that it’s not hard to slip prayers in throughout the day.  Like myself, I found numerous chances with idle time on my hands and mind to slip in a prayer here or there.  Any quiet time you find will do.  An Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, St. Michael’s Prayer, whatever your favorite prayer may be.  Even something as simple as “Jesus, I Trust in You” works well, especially if you meditate on those words and truly put your trust in the hands of Jesus.  There truly is no right or wrong way to pray.  Give the Lord some of the precious time He has graciously given to you.  Thank Him for allowing you to partake in the glory that awaits you, the room in His house, and the feast at his table.

Since this rejuvenation of my prayer life, I am more at peace with myself and others, my road rage has become a thing of the past…(for the most part), because I am in prayer mode and don’t let petty inconveniences on the road get to me like they used to.  So, all I ask of you is this-give it a try.  Make time for prayer throughout the day.  Talk with the Lord for help to get through the day.  Thank Him for all He has blessed you with.  You won’t be disappointed.  And when you start to see that change, you will realize, as Mr. Lewis said, God is not changed by prayer, but we as believers are.

God Bless You Brothers and Sisters,

You are in my prayers,

Scott