They said yes

The works of mercy are our lifeline to heaven. There hasn’t been a saint who didn’t live and breathe mercy, who didn’t love their neighbor, who didn’t have compassion for the unfortunate and the suffering. God said to them, “Whom shall I send?” and they, with love responded, “Send me Lord”.

The shuffle

When I was a child in the Mayfair section of Philadelphia, Mrs. Brown would shuffle down the street towards St. Bernard’s church, wearing an old bandanna, moccasins and a shabby grey shawl. She never missed church regardless of the weather. 

On really cold days she may wear two shawls for warmth., but she was a widow and so poor – really had nothing. We all referred to her as the crazy lady not out of any disrespect, but because she’d be mumbling words and bobbing her head every once in a while, going down the street. Little did we know at the time she was saying the rosary and bowing her head at the name of Jesus.

On one extremely cold snowy day in February, the crazy lady was headed to daily mass coughing violently and wearing only one shawl. She was cold and she was shivering. 

A older man at the corner candy store came out and wrapped an old jacket around her. He said “Keep it and stay warm. She smiled, thanked him and headed across the street to church. What a beautiful thing that man did and how happy it made her. What so ever you do to the least of my brethren, that you do unto Me.

She wore that jacket for most of that winter and seemed pretty proud of it.
On another cold day in March, the crazy lady was again headed to church clutching her jacket, when out of the same corner candy store came running a little girl chasing her puppy that just broke loose.
Mrs. Brown tried to comfort the little girl by putting her hand on the girl’s head, who was now crying and cold and was determined to find her dog. So, yes, the crazy lady took her jacket off and put in on the little girl and said stay warm and God bless you. With only her shawl and bandana, went across the street to church.

I was naked and you clothed me.

It is beyond our imagination

I think this is one of the most amazing verses in Scripture, one that is not easy to digest, “He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave” (Phi 2:7). God's love is everlasting and incomprehensible. What a God! 

If we are sinking, does that mean we are sunk

Another storm, another valley, another wrong turn. Be like the apostles, when the storms of life weigh heavy on our heart, we call to Jesus. A moment alone with God, away from the world, brings inner peace, quiets our mind, and surrounds us with great calm. A moment cherished once is a moment we will seek again. The storms will come, but when we allow those storms to be calmed by the one who walks on water, then there is peace.

It is called a battle

Temptation leads to sin and sin to death to the soul. But when we turn our weakness to Jesus we are strengthened by courage to win the battle.   “We triumph over all these things through him who loved us” (Rm 8:37). Go to Jesus.

What a gift

Jesus said, “I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly” Jn 10:10 – Thank you Jesus for such a gift

The Doctor of our Soul

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, or so they say. But, sometimes, even though we eat that red delicious apple every day, we’re forced to see a doctor for something the apple couldn’t cure.  

Just prior to Christmas, I became extremely sick and was forced to visit my doctor. I had pneumonia.  And, wanting so badly to feel better and to be myself again, I listened to and followed every word that doctor said. I wanted to be cured.

A doctor is a healer and when we don’t listen to the advice of our doctor we can very easily suffer the consequences. But, the reward for listening can be a longer life.

But, you know there is one doctor, who knows even more than all the other doctors combined, and that is Jesus. So, when Jesus speaks and gives advice, we should not only listen but follow precisely His words in Scripture, his prescription to eternal life.

And, just like the large number of people who came from cities and towns from every direction, and followed Jesus in our Gospel, we too must follow the doctor of our soul.

You will not find Christ in your heart unless you seek him, and those who find him don’t ever want to lose him. Those who truly find him have discovered inner peace, tranquility and a desire to love him with their whole heart and soul.

That is a doctor, that is a caring doctor. One who makes house calls. One who not only heals but created us because he wanted us.  St. Peter says it best. "Cast all your cares on Him, because He cares for you."

He is the doctor of choice, because with him there is no other model, "I am the way, the truth and the life". That very truth should bring us comfort and joy.

But, joy in this life is not measured by how long we live, but how we live that life. The joy is in the path where our life ultimately leads us. 

God gives us all an allotted time on this earth, a definite time in which we are to achieve His divine plan for our souls. We have only this time for there will be no more. 

Sometimes in life we don’t know where to turn. Or who to talk to. There are moments we just need a shoulder to lean on. Then God’s grace comes upon us.

We turn to the one who cured so many, the lame, the diseased, the sinner and the possessed. We turn to the one who is full of compassion, one you can trust. We turn to the Son of God.

To really get to know Jesus, we must search for Jesus, then, we must be with Jesus. To be with Jesus is a healthy place to be.