Forgiveness

One can never be reminded too often of the importance of forgiveness, and even though it is late in the day, I'm going to reflect on today's Gospel which was Mt 18:21–19:1.

St. Peter asks Jesus, “Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive him?
As many as seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times."

Jesus then goes on to tell of a King who is generous in forgiving debts, but then the person whose debt is forgiven goes out and holds someone else accountable for their debt to him. The forgiveness is not extended.

This is another way of reminding us of those words in the "Our Father": "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

God is generous with his forgiveness toward us. Do we offer the same forgiveness to others or do we hold things against them, even years after the fact? Forgiveness is hard, no doubt about it. It sometimes seems so much easier to hold on to the pain and anger, to hold on to the sense that we were right and we were wronged and the other person should pay for that, forever if need be. Yet, it is only through true forgiveness that we will ever be free.

In my house, I have a framed print of some of the verses of 1 Corinthians 13. One of the lines is "Love keeps no record of wrongs."

Who do you need to forgive? Forgiveness is a process, but maybe today you can take the first steps in letting go of some hurt that someone inflicted on you. Maybe today you can pray for God's help to forgive. I will, too.

Book Review: The Notre Dame Book of Prayer

The Notre Dame Book of Prayer
Edited by Heidi Schlumpf
Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press, 2010

For over one hundred years, the Campus Ministry Office at Notre Dame has offered prayer books to incoming first-year students. "The Notre Dame Book of Prayer" is an attempt to share that gift with the larger Notre Dame community and the world in general. The ties to Notre Dame are quickly relevant with references to places on campus abounding. However, if one can get beyond that, there is truly a treasuretrove of prayers in this book.

The prayers are divided into sections. Among these are: "In the Beginning," "Bless Us, O Lord," "Work of Human Hands," "To Everything There is a Season," and "It is Finished." While there are many prayers one might expect, there are many unexpected prayers such as a "Runner's Prayer before Beginning a Race," "Prayer for Parenting a Special-Needs Child," "Prayer for Conflict with a Coworker or Friend," "Blessing for Women in Transition," "Menopause Prayer," and a "Prayer after Suicide."

One prayer that spoke to me was "Give Me Someone;"

Lord,
when I am famished,
give me someone who needs food;
when I am thirsty,
give me someone who needs water;
when I am cold,
give me someone to warm;
when I am hurting,
give me someone to console;
when my cross becomes heavy,
give me another's cross to share;
when I am poor,
lead someone needy to me;
when I have no time,
give me someone to help for a moment;
when I am humiliated,
give me someone to praise;
when I am discouraged,
send someone to encourage;
when I need another's understanding,
give me someone who needs mine;
when I need somebody to take care of me,
send me someone to care for;
when I think of myself,
turn my thoughts toward another.

"The Notre Dame Book of Prayer" would make a great addition to any Catholic's prayer collection.

Tree from Arlington

I finished this painting on Saturday night. It will probably be my last painting for a while. I have enjoyed getting back into painting, however, and am leaving the door open for future efforts. I'm always happy to paint if I have a reason to. This one is a tree that I found interesting in Arlington Cemetery when I was on vacation earlier this summer.

If you are interested in purchasing it, please visit the ebay listing here:
Tree in Arlington

All Things to All People

A friend of mine just posted this on her blog about how Traditionalist Catholics and New Order Catholics need to get along and focus on what is important. Couldn't agree more! And just as an added aside, the shortbread cookies she was "stuffing" her face with were mine! LOL

All Things to All People

I'm happy to be writing for this project

"CNA launches 'Catholic Womanhood' site for reflections on faith and living.

Catholic News Agency is officially launching a new resource, focusing on the experiences and spiritual lives of Catholic women. “Catholic Womanhood” is a place for women of faith to consider and discuss issues of today's culture and society, everyday life and work, and the pursuit of holiness within the universal Church.

Nearly 30 columnists, commentators and bloggers are slated to contribute their thoughts and reflections to the site. Topics to be covered, from a faithful Catholic perspective, include motherhood and child care, mature womanhood, adolescence, personal and spiritual growth, family and friendships, methods of renewing Catholic culture in the modern world, advice on finding time to pray and living the Church's liturgical year, as well as tips on traveling, fashion and maintaining good health.

Catholic Womanhood is the successor to the website operated by Phases of Womanhood, a nonprofit organization of Catholic laywomen. Many of the columns and commentaries which readers enjoyed at the Phases of Womanhood site can still be found through the new site at www.catholicnewsagency.com/cw.

CNA will be posting new contributions to Catholic Womanhood on a daily basis, alongside its daily coverage of all news pertaining to the Church around the world. Catholic Womanhood will also feature writings by, and about, some of the Church's greatest and wisest women saints and spiritual writers, such as St. Theresa of Avila, St. Therese of Lisieux, and Julian of Norwich."

Prayer to St. Gianna

Saint Gianna, heroically Christlike wife, mother and physician, I ask the help of your prayers, as I strive to follow your holy example in my physical and spiritual trials.

Help me, by your prayers, to recognize the suffering of the Cross as the way to pure and selfless love of God and my neighbor. May your practice of medicine with priestly care of both body and soul inspire physicians to see the Face of the suffering Christ in their patients.

May your loving acceptance of illness and death help patients to know and do God's will in all things, uniting their sufferings to the Passion and Death of Christ for the salvation of the world.

Saint Gianna, pray for us always that we may have a heart, meek and courageous, like the Heart of Jesus in Whom we find our healing and strength.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

by Archbishop Raymond Leo Burke

To purchase prayer cards with this prayer, please visit: St. Gianna Prayer Cards

God cares about your love life!

One last quote from The Bible's Best Love Stories

God knows what he is doing. He may not always fill us in on the details, but God knows. We may intellectually assent to the idea that God first set things into motion and that ultimately there is a master plan to this life of ours. Often however, a little interior voice beckons us and whispers, "God has larger issues at hand than your happiness, let alone your love life!" Perhaps the years of waiting and hoping for the one to come along and sweep us off our feet frustrates us and we end up settling for less than what God had in store for us. The waiting can be the most difficult part.

The beautiful story of Tobiah and Sarah gives us an angel's eye view of faithfulness and love from God's perspective. In fact, this story reveals that our love life and happiness are in fact very important to God because he ordains them. The book of Tobit reveals a God who loves us and who has a vision much larger than our own.