theROCK

Never Alone

My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself….But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
Therefore, I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost…I will not fear, for you are ever
with me,
And you will never leave me to face my perils alone. Amen.
~ Thomas Merton

In this time of feeling so alone and disconnected, we have to remember that we are never alone. Never, ever. God is always with us. Jesus and His Blessed Mother know our sorrows and our pain. They also know our joys and happiness. Truly, humanly, know it. They join us in it. Don’t forget to include them in the course of your day in big and little ways. Start and end your day in prayer. Share what you need help with. Lifting your voice to them in frustration is a prayer. Lifting your voice to them in sadness is a prayer. Lifting your voice to them in joy is a prayer. Help me, God. God, give me strength. Thank you, God. You are awesome, God. While short, these are all ways to include God in your day to lighten the load.

God is With Us

Every now and then we have to go through some of the bad stuff in order to get to the good stuff. The bad stuff, like Jesus’s suffering and death, only helps us to better appreciate the good stuff, like his resurrection. If Jesus didn’t lay down his life for us, we would never have the opportunity to join Him in Heaven. Did you know that the heart of Easter resides in the covenant that God made with Abraham? Indeed, the history of our salvation is the story of God’s covenant with his people as told in the Bible. It is a story that took thousands of years to make. It is a story that continues to be written. It is a story marked by “Yea! God” moments and “Where did God go?” moments. It was in one of the longer stretches of “Where did God go?” moments that led to God sending His only Son to
remind people, teach people, and reaffirm people that God is always there. Faith and trust in God helps you to live joyfully in spite of the difficulties. God is with us – Emmanuel. I am hoping that now is not one of those “Where did God go?” moments for you. It isn’t for me. I can see Him plain as day. I can see what God is doing in us, with us, and through us. He is very much present. He is alive and well this Easter.

May the risen Christ be your joy and peace. May the joy of the risen Christ be your strength in your work, your way to the Father, your light to guide you, your Bread of Life. Remember that the passion of Christ always ends in the joy of the resurrection. When you feel in your own heart the suffering Christ, remember that the resurrection has to come. The joy of Easter will dawn. (St. Terese of Calcutta, Thirsting for God by Angelo D. Scolozzi)

The Need to See Some Skin

There is this delightful story about a four year old child who awoke one night frightened by a dream. She could not fall back asleep, and her mind convinced her that there in the darkness of her room, lay in waiting, an assortment of monsters and ghosts.

Alone, she ran to her parent’s bedroom. Her mother calmed her down and taking her by the hand, led her back to her own room. Her mother put on the light to dispel the demons and reassured her child with these words, “You needn’t be afraid, you are not alone here. God is in the room with you.”

The girl replied “I know that God is here, but I need someone in this room who has some skin!”

This is what the apostle Thomas is, in essence, asking of the resurrected Jesus. He’s saying,” I need to see some skin.” This is the best explanation for our whole experience with Jesus, since his announcement to Mary by the angel Gabriel - until this moment.

This Easter is unlike any I have ever had. How about you? I long to celebrate with someone who has some skin. Maybe this Easter we can celebrate knowing Jesus came in the flesh, died, and then rose again. He sits at the right hand of the Father and is with us here on earth. We have been accustomed to our relationship with Jesus without some skin, and today, I ask you to unite with our entire St. Dominic Catholic Parish family…unite in love. Unite in the power of God’s love.

I ask you to close your eyes and think about being with people you enjoy, family, friends…Now open your eyes. How do you feel when you think about spending time with them? Now close your eyes again and think about stuff you have. Now think about spending time with the stuff…How does that make you feel? Which of the two feelings would you like to experience more often? That’s the power of God’s love.

This Lenten season, you were to tame your desires for stuff, to strengthen your will against things you thought you needed. This at-home experience is showing us what we really need, and to see the power of God’s love, the same love which raised Jesus from the dead…for us. To see again with new eyes. To see with the eyes of Jesus. His eyes see the value in relationships.

Have a blessed Easter. Until we can see each other in the flesh.