Topics of inspiration, celebration of God’s love in ourself and others.
When we seek to know God’s will, we are always given what we need. Perhaps this doesn’t correspond to what we want but we thank you.
Lord of all,
you are a God of plenty, a Lord who provides
for us in our need.
As I begin these early days of Advent
help me to believe that you know what I need.
Give me the courage to listen to your voice
and the freedom to open my heart to the graces you are offering me to place my trust in you.
Amen
We can be blind to what truly matters as we walk this journey of life. Our focus can be on the urgent things driven by the demands of our culture and we become blind to the things that enrich our life and provide meaning.
Blindness in the Bible is very often a symbol of spiritual blindness: the incapacity to see what truly matters. Focused on the worldly goods of wealth, pleasure, power, and honor, most people don’t see how blind they are to the truly important things: giving oneself to the grace of God and living a life of love. If you have not surrendered to the grace of God, you are blind.
Thank you Lord that we can cry out to God in our need for physical healing and much more. We can ask you for that one thing that finally matters: spiritual vision—to know what my life is about, to know the big picture, to know where I’m going. I can have wealth, pleasure, honor, and power. I can have all the worldly goods I desire. But if I don’t see spiritually, it will do me no good and it will probably destroy me. Through your love, I am healed and I thank you. Waiting for your renewed arrival this Advent season. Amen
As we prepare our hearts for Christmas, let’s invite God into our plans and preparations with a posture of humility and gratitude.
Lord Jesus,
Master of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.
We who have so much to do and seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day,
We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us.
We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom.
We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence.
We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.
To you we say, “Come Lord Jesus!’
Amen.
– Henri J.M. Nouwen
The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God. Pray in gratitude every day.
Psalm 100 instructs the soul to, “enter his gates with thanksgiving.” Gratitude is the key to God’s Heart, the place to begin in prayer. When you thank God, you’re acknowledging reality: God is real and He is the Source of all gifts and graces you receive in life —He is the Source of your very life!
Thank Him for Who He is: Savior, Healer, Redeemer, Lover, Friend. Thank Him for what He’s done. For giving you life, for His forgiveness and mercy, for the myriad of ways He’s provided for you both daily and in times of crisis, for speaking to you through His Word and the Church and in the silence of your heart. For blessings and for the beautiful mystery of suffering.
And it will open up your own heart, too. Thanksgiving will lift the veil of comparison and consumerism to see all that God has already done, all that He gives, all that He is. It will lift your heart and inflame your love. Thanksgiving will make you more content with what you have and more hopeful for what’s to come. Practice thanksgiving every single day and soon it will become a habit and your habits will become your life.
Start here: Thank you, Jesus, for…
There are two loves, the love of God and the love of the world. If the love of the world takes possession of you, there is no way for the love of God to enter into you. Let the love of the world take the second place, and let the love of God dwell in you. Let the better love take over. —St. Augustine
Thank you Holy Spirit for giving me the courage and strength to fight for love. You are welcome to overwhelm my heart and enlighten any neglected, hardened darkened places with Your loving light. Help me be a star of light filled with optimism, truth, faith and service. Amen
To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything. – Thomas Merton
As co-creators with God, look into the mirror of your day and contemplate the following questions. Where do you see God’s loving presence and where did you turn away from God?
• Where did my eyes linger today?
• Where was I blind?
• What did I learn today?
• What did I read?
• What new thoughts visited me?
• What differences did I notice in those closest to me?
• Whom did I neglect?
• Where did I neglect myself?
• What did I begin today that might endure?
• How were my conversations?
• What did I do today for the poor and excluded?
• Did I remember the dead today?
• Where could I have exposed myself to risk something different?
• Where did I allow myself to receive love?
• With whom today did I feel most myself?
• What reached me today? How did it imprint?
• What did I avoid today?
• From the evidence – why was I given this day?
From A Book of blessings by John O’ Donoghue
In all things, joys and sorrows, we have reason to praise the Lord.
I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall be always in my mouth. My soul will glory in the Lord; let the poor hear and be glad. Magnify the Lord with me; and let us exalt his name together. (Ps 34:2-4)
Amen
As we begin the advent season, how can we not contemplate Mary’s journey in the final days of her pregnancy. Her journey mirrors ours as we prepare our hearts for Christmas. Take some time today to reflect on what sacred longings are in your heart. What are the joys you long for?
What are the joys you are currently experiencing? How do I maintain the balance and lean towards gratitude during uncertain times not falling into the spiral of fear?
Lord, every day can be our yes, our Fiat, like Mary allowing your love to be born in our heart. Help me say yes today out of love for you. Amen
Remember the past with gratitude. Live the present with enthusiasm. Look forward to the future with confidence. –St. John Paul II.
A Prayer Inspired by St. John Paul II
Heavenly Father,
I come before You with a heart full of gratitude,
Thankful for the blessings of my past,
For the lessons learned, the love shared,
And the experiences that have shaped me into who I am today.
Help me to remember the moments of joy and grace,
And to carry those memories as a source of strength.
May I reflect on my journey with a grateful heart,
Recognizing Your hand at work in every season of my life.
As I embrace the present, fill me with enthusiasm,
To live each day to the fullest,
To appreciate the beauty of each moment,
And to serve others with love and kindness.
Help me to be fully present,
Finding joy in the ordinary and extraordinary alike.
Looking to the future, grant me confidence and hope,
Trusting in Your divine plan for my life.
May I face the unknown with courage,
Knowing that You are always with me,
Guiding my steps and lighting my path.
Lord, help me to live a life marked by gratitude,
Enthusiasm, and unwavering faith in You.
In all things, may I seek to glorify Your name,
And to be a beacon of Your love to the world.
In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Brothers and sisters:
Hearing of your faith in the Lord jesus and of your love for all the holy ones, I do not cease giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him. May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might, which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens.
Ephesians 115-20
God of all thankfulness,
you invite us to rejoice in the blessings
we receive your presence in our lives.
May we return thanks for all that you have given us and witness your love in the world.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen
