theROCK

God Sightings

Fall in Wisconsin is one of the most beautiful things to encounter, in my opinion. There are so many great outdoor activities to do by yourself or as a family that remind us of how great God truly is. We have the opportunity to pick apples, get lost in a field of corn, witness the sunflowers in their glorious peak, take a hike, find the perfect pumpkin in the patch, and sit around a bonfire and enjoy the warmth of the flame. I am grateful to be able to do these things and so much more with my family and adore and appreciate what He has given to me.

During Vacation Bible School we talk to the kids about God Sightings. We ask the participants (adults and children alike) to keep their eyes open for ways God is present in their lives. We make a conscious effort to acknowledge that God has placed people and things in our lives that bring joy, beauty, and comfort. Sometimes there is pain or anger as well. We look to God in and through all things. Keep your eyes open for your God Sightings. Who or what has God placed in your life this week to help you grow closer to him?

Love Like Jesus

I learned a while back, through experiences with a counselor, that the adage that you hurt the ones you love the most is because you know that they will love you no matter what you do. When you love someone enough that they feel comfortable throwing every mean and nasty thing your direction, it plays out like a backwards compliment. That person feels safe with you. This is what it means to be Jesus. Love hurts. For as much as we love God/Jesus, we also are the source of tremendous hurt. Thank goodness God never stops loving us or caring for us in the way that we may stop loving or caring about those who hurt us. That is the power of God’s unconditional love and mercy. Love like Jesus.

And in your trials, praise the Lord, adore Him, praise Him, and if you are capable of praising Him in your trials, then He will solve your problems. This is the meaning of the Our Father: we are children and the Father does everything if we abandon ourselves to Him as little children. ~Fr. Tomislav Vlasic, spiritual counselor to the visionaries of Medjugorie

Sacredness of Life

Each year, the Church in the United States designates October as “Respect Life” month. 

As Catholics, we believe that all life is sacred and that life begins at the moment of conception…that all human beings have an inherent value and dignity. Sadly, there continues to be constant violations to the Christian principles of human dignity; from simple road rage and injustice to the poor and elderly, to euthanasia, and the death penalty.

Through Jesus, God blessed and sanctified all life, becoming one like us; humbling himself by sharing in our humanity. Every human being has an inherent dignity and sacredness that must be respected and never exploited, violated, or disposed of. Our dignity, our value, is not a matter of the gifts we have, the contributions we make to society, our physical beauty, or intellectual abilities, rather, our dignity comes from the God who created us, loves us, and became one like us. 

It is in that relationship, that gift, that as people of Faith, we strive to see God in one another….especially those we are most likely to overlook or dismiss. 

Caring for another person with dignity and respect as a child of God and our brother in Christ…Isn’t that what our St. Dominic mission statement is all about? “To Seek, Know and Become Christ, each for the sake of all”.