Remaining in his love (Jung Eun Sophia Park)

    Remaining in his love means going to an unknown land and people, or going to an unfamiliar people or cultures, with discerning and open spirits. When all kinds of cultural boundaries cross, the activity of the Holy Spirit will be manifest. And when we embrace all kinds of unexpected reality, we can then sing a new song to the Lord. 

    Like a tree which gives up all things, only to then experience new leaves budding, we are standing in our faith, desiring a new song to emerge from our everyday life. We are bound by our limits and daily tasks, but we still hope to sing a new song to the Lord by remaining in his love. In the spirit of discernment and listening, when we dare to cross boundaries and to embrace the strange or the unfamiliar, we can remain in the love of Jesus. And we can make a new song to the Lord. 

--Jung Eun Sophia Park, SNJM 

Image source: https://www.newwaysministry.org/2020/11/29/lessons-from-the-fig-tree/fig-tree-new-leaves-f-2/
Quotation source

The seed took root in her (Fr. Ron Rolheiser)

   We are told that Mary pondered the Word of God until she became pregnant with it. What an extraordinary notion! This doesn’t just mean that Christ had no human father and that, physically, Mary got pregnant from the Holy Spirit, it also means that Mary so immersed herself in the Holy Spirit (in charity, joy, peace, patience, goodness, long-suffering faith, mildness, fidelity, and chastity) that she became pregnant with them; their seed took root in her.

--Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI

Facebook, December 2, 2019

In May we honor the Virgin Mary…

Image source: https://mycarmel.blog/2018/12/19/advent/

Remain in me (St. Elizabeth of the Trinity)

     Remain in Me, not for a few moments, a few hours which must pass away, but remain permanently, habitually. Remain in Me, pray in Me, adore in Me, love in Me, suffer in Me, work and act in Me. 

--St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, Heaven in Faith 

Image source: https://www.osvnews.com/amp/2020/01/09/the-power-of-eucharistic-adoration/

Sunday Gospel Reflection, May 2, 2021: I am the vine, and you are the branches...

I am the vine, you are the branches…

How might you bear more fruit for God?

    In the midst of the Last Supper Discourse in John’s Gospel, Jesus proclaims himself to be the true vine, while his disciples are the branches, pruned by the Father, that they might bear much fruit. This responsibility is projected down the ages to us. God has made us that we might bear fruit as well, but in order to do so, we must stay connected to the Lord. If we remain in him, Jesus says, if we believe in him and allow his words to remain in us, then the fruit we bear will be that of love and connection and, ultimately, the good news of salvation for all. This was the case of the early church, as the Acts of the Apostles demonstrates: The church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace. The disciples are now comfortable spreading the good news, conscious that the Holy Spirit is at work in them. When Saul arrives in Jerusalem, the disciples require evidence that he, too, is bearing fruit, walking the walk, acting out of love for Christ and for the church and for the people to whom he is proclaiming the good news.

    If we believe in the Lord, if we belong to the truth, as the First Letter of John tells us, then we are confident in our faith, and able to rely upon God and God’s judgment. Indeed, we can have confidence in God and receive from him whatever we ask, because we love one another just as he commanded us. It’s not the talk we talk, but the walk we walk, the love we give in deed and truth, that identifies us as true disciples, able to bear much fruit and thereby to glorify the Father by spreading his good news. Let the coming generation be told of the Lord, Psalm 22 states, that they may proclaim to a people yet to be born the justice the Lord has shown. The fruit we bear when our hearts remain in Christ and open to him is proof indeed that in him our soul does live, and live fully, in our love for each other and for the Lord. 

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com

In him all things hold together

He is before all things,
and in him all things hold together.

--Colossians 1:17

In times of darkness,
you remind us to look toward the true Light.

In times of separation,
you work to hold us together in community 

as one in the Body of Christ.

In times of joy, 

you sing your gladness 

and speak to our hearts.

We are so fortunate to have you 

as our pastor, Fr. Pat!

A blessed birthday to you,

and many thanks for the blessings 

you bring to us daily!

Image source: https://www.facebook.com/mountcarmelmv/photos/a.4006426609418731/4026923860702339

Healing power (Jonathan David and Melissa Helser)

Let heaven fall like a wrecking ball

And crush every fear in my veins

Let the love of God like a tidal wave

Wash away all my shame

You can’t stay away

When love starts singing

You can’t stay away

 When love starts ringing

Let healing power come like fire

And burn in the marrow of my bones

Let the Holy Ghost come so close

Our hearts explode with Your love

You can’t stay away

When love starts singing

You can’t stay away

 When love starts ringing

Let heaven fall, like a wrecking ball

And crush every fear in my veins

To hear Jonathan David & Melissa Helser perform Wrecking Ball, click on the video below:

Image source:  https://www.sciencefocus.com/planet-earth/would-it-be-possible-to-surf-a-tidal-wave/ 

Video source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCRhMxU6aFs

To surrender to something bigger (Fr .Eric Immel)

   Autumn trees will eventually go bare. After a moment of brilliance, the leaves will let go. Their departure makes way for the starkness of winter. But as Karl Rahner observes, in winter we’re able to see deeper into the forest. We gaze deeper into that unknown which has the power to terrify us, but also the power to draw us back to warmth and to each other. 

   Now might be a time of letting go. Maybe that’s just what we need. We can only control so much. It is, after all, an act of faith to surrender ourselves to something bigger, something yet to be seen, something perhaps a little scary, but something that is, with hope, not so far off.

--Fr. Eric Immel, SJ,

Sometimes I Have to Let Go and

It Is the Only Thing I Can Do

Image source:  https://a-z-animals.com/habitat/temperate-forest/

Quotation source (and full article)