Gospel Thoughts Today: Trust the Process

I don't know about you, but I am SO tired of the whole Russia, Russia, Russia stuff! As most of you know, I am a huge President Trump supporter. Have been since he won the Republican ticket. My sanity remained intact over the last 3 years because of Your Voice America host Bill Mitchell. One thing he has continually repeated over the last 3 years (and has pretty much nailed everything happening now) is #TrustTrump! I do and I have. I guarantee you Donald J. Trump will go down as the best president in American history. As much as I trust our President is fighting for America, I trust Jesus completely in His fight for my soul! My message? #TrustJesus!

In today's Gospel (Luke 24:46-53), Jesus guides His disciples to trust the process:

Jesus said to his disciples: "Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.  And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."

Then he led them out as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God.

In Anne a lay apostle's book Staying in Place, she nails how to trust in God:

"A symptom of possessing the correct disposition is detachment. That word is not disinterest. Disinterest is more like depression. Detachment includes supercharged energy and could be summed up in the saying ‘Pray to God and row for shore.’ It means that we should trust God completely and cooperate with Him fully. ‘Trust God completely and cooperate with Him fully.’ If we are doing a thing that God would not do, then we know we are not cooperating with God, regardless of what we try to say to ourselves and others. We are not in a state of Christian homeostasis if we are committing regular sin, regardless of the fact that we are fooling those around us. We try hard and we relinquish the outcome for His contribution. We are not gods. There is no such thing. There is only God."

Lay apostles, do you trust the words of Jesus in the Gospels? Take them to heart. Know that all He wants is our souls in eternity with Him forever. His Words are not full of hot air to make you feel inferior. They are full of life and joy and acceptance leading straight into His Arms.

Thank you, Lord, for allowing me the grace to trust the process of my faith in You. I am so grateful You brought Anne into my life. This mission has formed who I am today.

God bless,
Bonnie

Gospel Thoughts Today: Disco Evangelization

Do you remember the movie Saturday Night Fever? Well, if you were around during the disco era, no doubt you know every song from this movie, word for word. One of my favorites is If I Can't Have You by Yvonne Elliman. Here are a few of the lyrics:

Don't know why I'm surviving every lonely day

When there's got to be no chance for me

My life would end and it doesn't matter how I cry

My tears of love are a waste of time

If I turn away am I strong enough to see it through

Go crazy is what I will do

If I can't have you, I don't want nobody baby

If I can't have you ah ah, I can't have you

I don't want nobody baby, if I can't have you ah ah

What human being hasn't loved someone, hoping for the same love in return? Who hasn't felt the grief or pain of loneliness when something seemingly secure goes away? Fear of the unknown washes over us. How will we cope? Alas, with time most wounds heal. Fear of the unknown becomes acceptance. So we shouldn't be surprised in today's Gospel (John 16:5-11) when the disciples hear of Jesus' impending departure. I think they were beginning to feel a little separation anxiety:

Jesus said to his disciples: “Now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in me; righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.”

In Volume Four, God the Father asks us to trust Him. And, when we trust fully, He can move mountains:

"You see, My children in the world, I use each one of you to bring Me and present Me to others. If you are respectful of Me, if you acknowledge My dominion over you and your world, I am with you. In this way, I can be brought everywhere. I can be present to any soul who is with you. I can manifest Myself in many ways. I manifest Myself in your patience. I manifest Myself in your love for another when you ordinarily would find it difficult to love that person. I am present in your smile, in your speech, and I am present in your decisions, which is very important. So you do not see Me, it is true, but you will feel the difference if you go either from serving Me to not serving Me, or from not serving Me to serving Me. Serve Me now and let us no longer have any lapses in service. Remain with Me, your heavenly Father, who seeks to direct all that has an impact on you. I will bring every event in your life and turn it into something that benefits your soul and gives you eternal satisfaction and joy. But not all in my life is good, you are thinking. I know that, My child. That is why you need Me. I can turn the pain, the anguish, the mistakes and grief, into strength, wisdom, patience, and joy."

Lay apostles, we are in a time of great graces flowing from heaven. God is giving us specific ways to ignite the fire of the Holy Spirit within our hearts in the Volume Four quote above. He's asking for our service. He's asking us to love others in words and actions, emanating His Love for all His children. Let's work toward the goal of being able to see Him Face to face one day. And grateful we did the best we could for Him. Because, if I can't have Him, I don't want nobody, baby!

Thank you, Lord, for reassurance I can have You 24/7, knowing any outcome is Your Will.

God bless,
Bonnie

Gospel Thoughts Today: Love One Another

A little over 7 years ago I wrote a blog post called Grace Under Fire. That day was a rough one for me. On the other hand, it was the day I knew, without a doubt, I was a true Lay Apostle of Jesus Christ the Returning King. It was a day where I responded to a verbal attack with humility and most importantly, I didn't respond emotionally. The old Bonnie would have come out swinging. Since that day, I haven't stopped praying for this person. I knew he was under a lot of stress and pressure, and taking it out on me would be safe considering I have a pretty high tolerance for bad behavior. I am happy to say Jay and I are friends with him today. When we respond with love of neighbor instead of reacting to an outburst hurled our way, it is amazing what God can do with that love!

Today's Gospel (John 15:12-17) provides the key ingredient of a true Christian:

Jesus said to his disciples: “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.”

Today's quote from Anne a lay apostle's book Climbing the Mountain is a little on the long side, but so critical in understanding those who lash out at us and how important our prayers are for their souls:

"Clearly, the love of Christ is meant to be shared. After the experience of heaven, I can see that the Kingdom of God is made up of souls who love each other. If Christ is in each one of us, and this is of course what we believe as Christians, then we must venerate Christ in every soul. How do we do that?

We do that with respect and gentleness. Some might say, “Yes, this may be true but I see souls in error, in mortal sin, living far outside of the heavenly Kingdom.” Well, dear fellow apostles, this is when the call to treat them as Christ is at its most profound. If Christ has indeed been driven out of a soul, through serious sin and a spirit of rebellion in that sin, then the call to illustrate our unity with Christ is compelling. How does Christ treat that soul? How does Christ view that soul? I will tell you.

Christ does not glance at a soul and see the sin, although He is acutely aware of the sin. Christ glances at a soul and sees the wound that both caused the sin and was worsened by the sin. So in order for the Kingdom to come, and it must and it will, we must treat each other as Christ would.

Sometimes a soul living outside of the Kingdom is bitter. This bitterness is like a sore. When a soul in bitterness views Christ in us, it can be like salt in the wound or sore because our unity with Christ highlights his isolation from Him. This is good. The soul then comes closer to an understanding of what it lacks. Our experience of this may not be pleasant. It may be necessarily painful because in its pain his soul may strike out at us. This can be understood as an almost instinctual lashing out or crying out in the distress of his disconnectedness from Christ. We must accept these strikes as beneficial penance and part of standing with Christ as a companion on the Way of the Cross.

To clarify, I am driving in traffic and I make a mistake, perhaps, or commit a deed that inconveniences someone else. I give the other driver an apologetic wave. He responds by swearing at me, shouting and threatening. This is shocking for a holy soul.

We must offer this to Jesus. We must bring that soul to Jesus in prayer and petition. Our prayer will obtain critical graces for that soul. We must look at this person and see the wound, the sore.

To be more specific to the call to bring Jesus Christ to souls directly, consider a soul who is estranged from the Kingdom. Perhaps it is a family member or neighbor. It is possible that he may be unkind to us because our holiness is an irritant to him and to his wound. Is it then acceptable to be unkind in return? No, this is not acceptable for an apostle of Jesus Christ who seeks to bring His love to them. Remember that it was AFTER the Crucifixion that the Centurion said, “Truly, this was the Son of God.” That soul only saw Christ through the manner in which Jesus accepted suffering from the offender’s hands. Note this parallel.

A soul may be tormenting us, but for this soul to experience Christ, we must accept it as Christ would. This should be in flashing red lights.

We may be praying for this soul and beseeching heaven for the conversion of this soul. So we must not complain at a little suffering for this soul, particularly if it comes from the hand of that same soul.

It helps to examine our motives. Do we want this soul to be saved for the sake of the soul and for the consolation and glory of Jesus Christ? Or do we want this soul to be saved so that the soul will treat us better and make our life easier? I think perhaps it can be a bit of both and this is acceptable. But as we begin to lean more to the benefit of both the soul and the Kingdom, we will become more willing to accept the occasional bad treatment for the purpose of the greater good, which is the salvation of the soul and the consolation of Christ, as well as for the benefit of the Kingdom."

Lay apostles, choose to love those who seem unlovable. Choose to be the light instead of the darkness. Choose humility over pride. With Jesus, anything is possible!

Thank you, Lord, for the ability to love when faced with adversity. Help me to always keep my focus on You!

God bless,
Bonnie

Gospel Thoughts Today: To Love and Protect

Our youngest daughter Taylor moved to California over 5 years ago. On our visits to see her, I want so much to tell her (and sometimes I slip it in!) not to walk her dog alone on less-traveled paths;  or, go into the city by herself; and, keep her doors locked at all times. Grant it, this young woman has been living in LOS ANGELES for 5 years!  Despite her being an adult now, I know she appreciates my loving guidance and protection. I guess I will never stop being a mom, caring and praying for the safety of my children and grandchildren. The same goes for our Heavenly Father! He wants us to feel the safety and comfort of His Love every second of every day.  If that's what we want for our own children, why wouldn't God want the same for us?

In today's Gospel (John 14:27-31A), Jesus wants us to understand there is nothing to fear in the world as long as we believe:

Jesus said to his disciples: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe. I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over me, but the world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me.”

In Volume Two, Jesus encourages us to always remember He will always be there to protect us:

"I tell you that you are destined for great holiness and you will achieve this holiness if you remain united to Me. And you will do so because I will protect you. Children, do not seek to further or advance the opinion others have of you. It is irrelevant. Please spend no time at all wondering or worrying about this. Worldly opinions change with the wind and a person could think well of you one day and slander you the next. You must not rely on these opinions for your peace because, as you have learned, you will be disappointed. Instead, rely on Me, who does not change. My opinion of you remains steady. I will always love you."

Lay apostles, what do you choose today . . . hanging on to the criticism of others and internalizing it or remaining peaceful in the comfort of Our Lord's embrace, allowing Him to handle all the chaos? I choose Him today. I choose Him every day!

Thank you, Lord, for the criticisms, challenges, and lessons You send my way every day. Continue to hold me close to Your Sacred Heart so I can let go of anything bothering me quickly, placing it into Your care!

God bless,

Bonnie

Gospel Thoughts Today: Christian Armor

During the week, on our drive to work, I am in charge of the daily readings (Jay needs to keep his eyes on the road, right?). Honestly, there are times I am not in the mood. Either I'm tired or something is irritating me and I just want quiet. But routine is routine. And every time, I am reminded of the love, patience, and mercy of the Lord. It never fails . . . I read something from this mission, and Jesus speaks right to my heart. Sulking never solves anything. So I strap on my Christian armor and continue trying to do His Will to the best of my ability!

Today's Gospel (John 14:21-26) reminds me of how important spiritual reading is:

Jesus said to his disciples: “Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.” Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him, “Master, then what happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me.

“I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name—he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.”

In Anne a lay apostle's book Serving in Clarity, she beautifully (and visually!) teaches us about how faith works:

"A fellow apostle pointed out that much of our reality is invisible. As an example, he said, “Have you ever seen Australia? “No,” I replied. “I have never seen Australia.” “Do you believe it exists?” “Yes,” I said. “I believe Australia exists.” “Are you reasonably certain Australia exists?” “Yes.” “You believe Australia exists, in part, because you are relying on the testimony of those who have been there. Others have told you Australia exists. You have read about Australia, seen pictures of it perhaps, and your belief in its existence is reasonable given the evidence.” This spoke powerfully to me. I realized that if asked, I could give a certain amount of testimony about Australia despite never having been there. I believe there are kangaroos there, different seasons, crocodiles, vast expanses of unsettled land, and a good number of people with Irish ancestry. Additionally, I am aware of the Aborigine people native to that land. I understand, based on what I have seen of the Australians I have met personally, that there is a great sturdiness and resilience in the Australian people. Clearly, I am not an expert on Australia. As I said, I have never been there. That fact will be evident to any Australian reading this. My limited knowledge of Australia comes in part from the testimony and information given to me by other people. So it is with heaven. So it is with Jesus and with God’s truth. A good part of the truth, the Invisible Reality that we rely on and believe in, has come to us from others in the Body of Christ, the community of believers. We accept the testimony of others because, in our souls, we recognize the truth. This is discernment. In the same way, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are led to recognize what is false."

Lay apostles, are you beginning your day with Jesus? Even if it's a quick Morning Offering and Allegiance Prayer (see below), start with Him. It really does make the world look a lot less chaotic when we let Him have all the control.

Thank you, Lord, for all the challenges and lessons you throw my way. But most of all, thank you for loving us so much you chose Anne to deliver Your words of love through this apostolate.

God bless,
Bonnie


Morning Offering:

Oh Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen 

Allegiance Prayer:

Dear God in Heaven, I pledge my allegiance to You. I give You my life, my work and my heart. In turn, give me the grace of obeying Your every direction to the fullest possible extent. Amen.

Gospel Thoughts Today: In Need of Air

Bicycle pumps. Yes, bicycle pumps. This is what today's Gospel triggered in my brain. Have you ever tried to ride a bike with a tire losing air? I have. At first, I thought to myself, "man am I struggling today!" Then, upon further inspection, the tire was losing air quickly. A bicycle wheel is comprised of a tire, rim, spokes, hub, and axle (yes, I had to google for correct terminology . . . thingy in the center sounded very elementary!). All must work together to create forward momentum. The hub at the center of the wheel (God) creates stability when everything is connected to it. The spokes (Sacred Scripture) connect the rim (Christians) to the hub to prevent damage from occurring. Now, sometimes that tire goes flat. This is where the bicycle pump (Scriptures, the Volumes, etc.) comes in . . . breathing new life into the tire empowering our journey to the final destination (heaven) smoothly. Before I became involved with this mission, I was a mediocre Catholic. Since then my tires remain full 99% of the time. Every once in a while I need a little extra air, a little extra peace. All I have to do is log on to this blog and begin writing. I am at 100% every time I log off.

Jesus gives us the air we need to make it home in today's Gospel (John 14:1-6):

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way.” Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

In Volume Nine, our Blessed Mother urges us to be peaceful, even when things aren't going our way:

"Children, your Jesus has asked that you walk in peace. He needs this from you, as His plan cannot be realized unless you cooperate with that request. Only through each one of you will peace flow into your troubled world. So, because this is so important, I am going to make a suggestion. Whenever you are troubled and feel your peace has fled, you must speak to your angel guardian. Ask your little heavenly soldier to hasten to your assistance and obtain the graces you need to recover your peace. This is the perfect request from you because there is nothing heaven likes better than to help a soul in the world be at peace. You see, we know how important it is and you might say that these graces are easily obtained when the request comes from you. So say this when you are losing your spiritual balance and your peace, “Dearest angel guardian, I desire to serve Jesus by remaining at peace. Please obtain for me the graces necessary to maintain His divine peace in my heart.” You will not be disappointed, little ones. The graces will come to you."

Lay apostles, how are you filling your tires? With spiritual reading or activities bringing you closer to Christ? Or, with worldly things like food, alcohol or (you fill in the blank) driving you farther away? Choose Jesus and things leading you to Him. I guarantee your tires will be perfectly inflated for quite a while!

Thank you, Lord, for filling me with Your Words and Love on a daily basis. I am so blessed I have You to turn to when I am in need of heavenly air!

God bless,
Bonnie

Gospel Thoughts Today: Mastering Knowledge

As I was driving my grandchildren home yesterday, my grandson wanted to make sure I didn't miss seeing the spot where he overturned his gocart trying to do "donuts" in the grass! "Keep looking to the right, Mimi!" he excitedly requested. I told him he would have to let me know when we made it to the spot and I would slow down to see since I was driving. From the back seat I hear, "not that street, not that street (he knows the names of each street on the long stretch to his home), ok Mimi, this one right there!" As I slowed to look, my first thought was . . . there is not a lot of space to do donuts!!

Speed is in his blood. My grandson didn't master it the minute he hit the gas pedal at age 4 (the speed can go from 5mph to 25mph depending on where an adult sets it). Actually, the first time he started the engine (after being taught how things work), he took off full speed ahead! Within an instant, his dad, running after him, caught up to him shouting to use the brake!  Adjustments were made, beginning with a speed of 5mph. Colt quickly progressed to his current speed max of 15mph . . . each increase creating new skill levels. Fun for him, Daddy and Papa . . . scary for Mommy and Mimi! If you think about it, the same applies to our faith life, right? The more we follow Christ and live what He preaches in the Gospel, the better we become at mastering our actions, emotions, and thoughts. The more we practice, the closer we are to His Sacred Heart . . . which ultimately is our fastest way to heaven!

In the Gospel today (John 13:16-20), Jesus tries to prepare His disciples ahead of time in order to master what was ahead:

When Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet, he said to them: “Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it. I am not speaking of all of you. I know those whom I have chosen. But so that the Scripture might be fulfilled,

The one who ate my food has raised his heel against me.

From now on I am telling you before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe that I AM. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”

In Volume Two, our loving Jesus assures us by choosing Him, we are choosing the Best:

"I have come to cleanse souls. Much as a mother cleans her house, My child, I am cleaning and organizing your soul. If you have been away from Me, We must be busy. Events in your life, from your past, must be looked at now in a different way. This is an important task, and that is why I am spending time on it with you. Events can leave marks on your heart when you are not praying. Hence, My goal. To clean these marks and leave a heart that gives and receives love freely. When you pray, My child, I help you to sift through the experiences occurring in your life. Perhaps you have a disappointment today. Taken alone, without My assistance, you might feel down, sad and discouraged. If pride is a problem for you, and many suffer from pride, you might not share your sadness and disappointment with even another soul. It remains on your poor heart and, after a time, this turns to bitterness. Now, earthly life being what it is, and human beings being flawed, as they are in their search for perfection, you encounter yet another disappointment or betrayal. Pride asserts itself and again you do not adequately share your grief. Another patch of disappointment turns to bitterness and covers another area of your poor little heart. My child, when this process continues, you have a heart enclosed in bitterness. A heart needs love, in the same way your lungs need oxygen. Your heart was designed this way, dearest, and if your heart is enclosed, the love is blocked off. How handicapped you are in the spiritual sense. How it grieves Me to see you so disturbed and unhappy. My little one, I am coming to clean every mark from your heart so that you will love freely, as I love. Do not think this is an impossible task. I am Jesus. I am God. I can cleanse your heart in no time at all if you are willing to let Me. I will restore order to your soul, I will adjust your thinking, and I will place the kind of love in your heart that is so genuine and abundant that this love reaches your eyes. All who see you will experience this love and know it is from Me."

Lay apostles, what choices are you making? Do they center around the Word of God? It's easy to make choices based on our woundedness and what makes us feel better in a worldly view. Consider what the Gospels and messages in the Volumes are trying to teach us . . . choosing the best is choosing Christ. Contemplate Him always and soon you will find the beauty in mastering our faith!

Thank you, Lord, for leading me to choose YOU 98% of the time . . . please help me over the fence to make that 100%!

God bless,
Bonnie

Gospel Thoughts Today: Judgement Day

Years ago, I was visiting my daughter and her husband in Virginia. A good friend lived close to them and asked if she could take me somewhere. To my surprise, we pulled into the parking lot of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. It was spectacular! I felt as though I was walking through a cathedral in Italy. The only difference being the Basilica doesn't have the musty smell or distinctive character of a church standing for centuries. Mass was in progress when we entered. Quietly making our way to the back of the church, the striking figure behind the altar grabbed my attention. I honestly couldn't tell if it was God the Father or Jesus from far away. After Mass ended, we made our way back to the altar. Up close the figure is definitely Jesus. I have never seen Him portrayed as in this stunning mosaic. After doing some research, I discovered it is called Christ in Majesty. It depicts Jesus at Judgement Day. A great blog by Msgr. Charles Pope from the Archdiocese of Washington discusses the image in detail: http://blog.adw.org/2010/03/awesome-or-awful-studying-the-christ-in-majesty-mosaic-at-the-national-basilica/.

The blonde hair, stern blue eyes, muscular build, and flames were intimidating at first. Maybe even a bit scary. But the more I scoured over every detail, the more I felt safe and protected by this depiction of our Savior. Judgement Day is not going to be happy and glorious for unbelievers. Jesus wants to save all His children. My interpretation of the stern look in this mosaic is the difficulty Jesus will face on the last day. Some will fall prostrate before Him, and some will continue to turn away. This is a choice we must make every day. Do we choose to follow Christ by how we live our lives, or do we choose to make ourselves happy according to the world? For me, I choose to follow Him.

In today's Gospel (John 12:44-50), Jesus speaks of the last day:

Jesus cried out and said, "Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me. I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness. And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world. Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has something to judge him: the word that I spoke, it will condemn him on the last day, because I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. So what I say, I say as the Father told me."

In Anne a lay apostle's book Serving in Clarity, she drives home the point of following our Shepherd:

"The Church is warning us, cautioning us, advising us and attempting to lead us. The Church is the vehicle through which God seeks to counsel His flock. Consider that if lambs rejected the shepherd, they would be lost and vulnerable. Should the lambs turn their back on their shepherd or react in rage when the shepherd draws them down a given path? Wouldn’t it be ridiculous of the lambs to accuse the shepherd of stifling them? Controlling them? Wouldn’t it be a foolish lamb that bites the shepherd when the shepherd tries to bring him to a safe place? I am comparing us to lambs, as Jesus does because we are vulnerable, as well as lovable. If we reject the way, the direction that Jesus is giving us, we are at the mercy of the world and He cannot protect us. A smart lamb, a thinking lamb would say to himself, 'Hmm. The shepherd knows what he is doing. He has been put in charge of this flock and no doubt knows the way home. It is in my best interest to follow Him and encourage others to follow Him so that we can all arrive home safely.' In each of our souls let us cultivate a spirit of obedience even as we accept and understand that our life today may not match the perfect obedience lived by Jesus. In other words, we all accept that we can probably do a little bit better.”

I know I can do a little bit better than I did yesterday. Lay apostles, what can you do today that you didn't do yesterday? Pray a Rosary? Love yourself? Accept your circumstances no matter what they are knowing Christ is in charge? Whatever it is, do it. Make today different than yesterday. After all, don't you want to be prostrate before Him on the last day?

Thank you, Lord, for calming my fears of the last day. I know as long as I live my life for You, I am heading in the right direction.

God bless,
Bonnie

Gospel Thoughts Today: A Key Ingredient

A little over 7 years ago I wrote a blog post called Grace Under Fire. That day was a rough one for me. On the other hand, it was the day I knew, without a doubt, I was a true Lay Apostle of Jesus Christ the Returning King. It was a day I responded to a verbal attack with humility and most importantly, I didn't respond emotionally. The old Bonnie would have come out swinging. Since that day, I haven't stopped praying for this person. I knew he was under a lot of stress and pressure, and taking it out on me would be safe considering I have a pretty high tolerance for bad behavior. I am happy to say Jay and I are good friends with him today. When we respond with love of neighbor instead of reacting to an outburst hurled our way, it is amazing what God can do with that love!

Todays Gospel (John 15:9-17) provides the key ingredient of a true Christian:

Jesus said to his disciples: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love.

"I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you:  love one another."

Today's quote from Anne a lay apostle's book Climbing the Mountain is a little on the long side, but so critical in understanding those who lash out at us and how important our prayers are for their souls:

"Clearly, the love of Christ is meant to be shared. After the experience of heaven, I can see that the Kingdom of God is made up of souls who love each other. If Christ is in each one of us, and this is of course what we believe as Christians, then we must venerate Christ in every soul. How do we do that?

We do that with respect and gentleness. Some might say, “Yes, this may be true but I see souls in error, in mortal sin, living far outside of the heavenly Kingdom.” Well, dear fellow apostles, this is when the call to treat them as Christ is at its most profound. If Christ has indeed been driven out of a soul, through serious sin and a spirit of rebellion in that sin, then the call to illustrate our unity with Christ is compelling. How does Christ treat that soul? How does Christ view that soul? I will tell you.

Christ does not glance at a soul and see the sin, although He is acutely aware of the sin. Christ glances at a soul and sees the wound that both caused the sin and was worsened by the sin. So in order for the Kingdom to come, and it must and it will, we must treat each other as Christ would.

Sometimes a soul living outside of the Kingdom is bitter. This bitterness is like a sore. When a soul in bitterness views Christ in us, it can be like salt in the wound or sore because our unity with Christ highlights his isolation from Him. This is good. The soul then comes closer to an understanding of what it lacks. Our experience of this may not be pleasant. It may be necessarily painful because in its pain his soul may strike out at us. This can be understood as an almost instinctual lashing out or crying out in the distress of his disconnectedness from Christ. We must accept these strikes as beneficial penance and part of standing with Christ as a companion on the Way of the Cross.

To clarify, I am driving in traffic and I make a mistake, perhaps, or commit a deed that inconveniences someone else. I give the other driver an apologetic wave. He responds by swearing at me, shouting and threatening. This is shocking for a holy soul.

We must offer this to Jesus. We must bring that soul to Jesus in prayer and petition. Our prayer will obtain critical graces for that soul. We must look at this person and see the wound, the sore.

To be more specific to the call to bring Jesus Christ to souls directly, consider a soul who is estranged from the Kingdom. Perhaps it is a family member or neighbor. It is possible that he may be unkind to us because our holiness is an irritant to him and to his wound. Is it then acceptable to be unkind in return? No, this is not acceptable for an apostle of Jesus Christ who seeks to bring His love to them. Remember that it was AFTER the Crucifixion that the Centurion said, “Truly, this was the Son of God.” That soul only saw Christ through the manner in which Jesus accepted suffering from the offender’s hands. Note this parallel.

A soul may be tormenting us, but for this soul to experience Christ, we must accept it as Christ would. This should be in flashing red lights.

We may be praying for this soul and beseeching heaven for the conversion of this soul. So we must not complain at a little suffering for this soul, particularly if it comes from the hand of that same soul.

It helps to examine our motives. Do we want this soul to be saved for the sake of the soul and for the consolation and glory of Jesus Christ? Or do we want this soul to be saved so that the soul will treat us better and make our life easier? I think perhaps it can be a bit of both and this is acceptable. But as we begin to lean more to the benefit of both the soul and the Kingdom, we will become more willing to accept the occasional bad treatment for the purpose of the greater good, which is the salvation of the soul and the consolation of Christ, as well as for the benefit of the Kingdom."

Lay apostles, choose to love those who seem unlovable. Choose to be the light instead of the darkness. Choose humility over pride. With Jesus, anything is possible!

Thank you, Lord, for the ability to love when faced with adversity. Help me to always keep my focus on You!

God bless,
Bonnie

Gospel Thoughts Today: Thieves and Robbers

Happy Monday! I pray all mothers had a wonderful, blessed day. So grateful for all the blessings, challenges, heartache and joy motherhood brings. For each child born has a purpose . . . one only God knows in entirety.

While reading the Gospel today, my first thought after the first paragraph was, "I'm a little confused as to what Jesus is talking about just like those He is speaking to!" Then you get to the second paragraph . . . lo and behold, Jesus clarifies. Does the second paragraph remind you of anything? Well, it does me! All the stealing, slaughtering and destroying the Left has and is doing only drive a majority of people back into the arms of Christ, and, support of this great President. When you take a walk on the dark side, darkness invades your every thought to the point truth is disregarded. I truly believe we all must be praying for those determined to take an innocent man and those who support him down. As hard as that is, it is crucial to ask Jesus for the ability to do so. Solace comes in the fact God is and always will be on the Throne! Sometimes we must suffer in order to find complete joy.

Today's Gospel (John 10:1-10), Jesus explains how to live an abundant life:

Jesus said: "Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger;
they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers." Although Jesus used this figure of speech, they did not realize what he was trying to tell them.

So Jesus said again, "Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly."

In Anne a lay apostle's book Staying in Place, after reading the section below, read and reread the last line:

Protecting Against Distortions

December 7, 2014

"Today I became aware of myself ‘strolling’ through the Church yard. I was aware of the school behind me but I was casually moving amongst others, groups and individuals serving in the Church. I came upon someone using a whip to assault another. Whip and assault are two terms that are symbolic in this instance. I stopped, intensely interested, because I understood that I had a role to play. I focused all of my attention, with rather fearsome intensity which was not from me but from God, on the weapon, the ‘whip’. As I did, it disintegrated in the offender’s hand and fell to the ground. Next I extended my hand to the victim and pulled him to his feet. Without the distortion of whatever the whip was made of, the offender could hurt no further. I then resumed my walk, keeping the victim closely at my side and speaking calmly about all that was happening in the Church that was noble and admirable, all that legitimately represented the Trinity and the presence of the Trinity in the world so that the victim could also resume his ‘stroll’ through life as a Catholic with a Catholic understanding of the Church’s role amongst all of God’s children. The understanding he gained healed and directed him into his rightful service and then he began to concentrate with the same scrutiny as I had on similar scenes when I happened upon the initial scene.


Notable here were a number of things. One, I ignored the individual person of the offender but not the offense or the victim. I focused all of my attention on first the weapon that was being used, in order to understand it and expose it, thus disarming the offender. I believe the offenders are the thieves and brigands and we all need to work to possess self- awareness so that we are not that person on a given day."

Lay apostles, how are you conducting yourselves on a daily basis? The last line in the quote from Anne above is a good "self-awareness check" at the end of the day. Strive to be the light, not the darkness.

Thank you, Lord, for the challenges . . . they drive me closer and closer to You!

God bless,
Bonnie

Gospel Thoughts Today: Everyone Has a Story

Today I give thanks to my mother, Winnie, who passed away over 12 years ago. Because of her, I am able to look beyond exterior behaviors into the heart of those appearing out of control within their environment. Mom had a good heart . . . but her mental illness always seemed to get in the way. Fear generated outbursts which she struggled to control. Fear of failure. Fear of harm. Fear of trusting anyone or anything. You can imagine the chaos. Despite the ups and downs, I never stopped loving her and knew how much she loved me. Because of her, I love Jesus and appreciate the beauty of my Catholic faith. Because of her, I have gotten to know externally brash people whom I have come to love and appreciate. Every one of us has a story. It's when we veer away from God's teachings we lose sight of what is important . . . love our neighbors as ourselves. It's not always easy, but with Jesus by our side, anything is possible!

In the Gospel today (John 6:44-51), Jesus spells it out for the crowd:

Jesus said to the crowds: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets:

They shall all be taught by God.

Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you,whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world.”

In Volume Four, God the Father teaches us to remain aligned to His Will:

"The biological event that was your birth caused all of heaven to let out their breath in expectation of your time in the world. I created you to bring My Kingdom on Earth that much closer to the return of My Son. You are to participate in this joyous process. You must ask Me, your God, what plan I have for your participation. Some will reject Me, of course. I am well used to that during this Age of Disobedience. So perhaps I might ask you to serve Me in all love and allegiance to compensate for those who reject Me. Will you do that for Me, My little souls? Please have no fears. Understand that the Father wills these changes on earth so that the Son will be welcomed in the hearts of those remaining. We do not manifest as a poor boy in the stable. We manifest as the King of Creation. My Son is your God. I am your God. Our spirit flows through your world in such a way today that none can deny the heavenly times. The enemy will deny Our spirit. But you expect that, dear ones. That denial detracts in no way from truth. Truth flows right over the enemy despite the feeble objections of evil. I, the God of All Creation, can slap down and destroy evil with a glance. I allow a certain amount of evil to co-exist because My children can then discern between light and darkness, in the same way a child is taught to discriminate between cold and hot. Children, if you desire to blame Me for the state of the world, your ancestors in heaven will bow their heads in disappointment."

Lay apostles, life is a roller coaster ride, isn't it? As long as we stay secured in God's love and teachings, nothing can derail us. There will be a few bumps (whoopie rides as my dad would call them!) along the way, no doubt. So be fearless in the face of adversity, clinging to His Hand at all times.

Thank you, Lord, for the lessons You needed me to learn in caring for my mother. I am forever grateful.

God bless,
Bonnie

Gospel Thoughts Today: From Loss to Life

We never know what lessons and/or challenges God has in store for us. If we are not prepared for the unexpected, it leaves a gaping hole for evil to flood in and steer us away from Christ. But if we are prepared for anything, confident God is always with us (or loved ones, friends, etc), surprises are not as suffocating. We can go from loss to life if we stay focused on Jesus. Listen to what He says in the Gospels and the Volumes. He is bestowing the knowledge we need to survive anything!

In today's Gospel (John 6:35-40), Jesus teaches the crowd there is no other way than the way of His Father:

Jesus said to the crowds, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger,and whoever believes in me will never thirst. But I told you that although you have seen me,you do not believe. Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.”

In Anne a lay apostle's book Climbing the Mountain, St. Faustina gives such comfort in describing suffering in service to Christ:

"When you are serving Christ, you will know peace, even in suffering. Do not be surprised when you carry a cross for Jesus. This is a sign that He looks upon you as a friend. Dear friends of heaven, this is a time for the greatest trust. So trust Jesus in your doubts and fears and sufferings and you will be making the right choice.”

Lay apostles, when a heavy cross is handed to you, turn to Him and say, "Jesus, I trust in You!" As St. Faustina says above, it means we are doing it for whatever Jesus needs of us to change an outcome; to bring support when others run away; to love when there is hatred.

Trust He has a plan . . .

Thank you, Lord, for the crosses You give me and the strength to carry them. I believe, with every cell in my body, You are giving it to me to further Your Heavenly Plan.

God bless,
Bonnie

Gospel Thoughts Today: Pieces of Me

Today I came across another blog post I wrote 7 years ago after the birth of my first grandchild. It brought back such wonderful memories, I wanted to share it again today:

Changing diapers on baby boys requires skill and agility of which my daughter and son-in-law acquired before they even left the hospital. Having all girls myself, the process seemed quite complicated at first. After a few diaper changes, I got it down. My grandson has taken it very easy on me . . . until last night. As I was changing him, his "bottom end" began sputtering. He was crying and kicking and having, as my daughter calls it, a poop explosion. I'm grabbing diapers and wipes trying to keep up with it all. It is going everywhere. Just when I thought he was done and had a clean diaper under him, guess what I forgot about? The line of fire! It started spraying everywhere. On his face, on my shirt (which later I discovered was decorated with a few brown spots!), and on the changing table. That's when I called in the experts. My daughter (laughing of course) swooped in and came to my aid!

After he was all cleaned up and in a fresh sleeper, I brought him out and held him as he slept peacefully on my lap. I am trying to take in as much of him as I can before I head back home. Looking at his beautiful little face, I see so much of my daughter when she was an infant. A family trait from my mother's side is a crooked pinky finger. We noticed it right after he was born. I have it. My daughters have it. And now my grandson. A little piece of me.

Just as my grandson has pieces of me, we are blessed with pieces of our Father and His Son in our hearts and souls. In today's Gospel (John 6:30-35), Jesus is speaking to a crowd asking for a sign so they can believe in Him. With patience, He replies:

"Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

So they said to Jesus, "Sir, give us this bread always." Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst."

In Anne a lay apostle’s book Climbing the Mountain, she encourages us to recognize and accept Christ’s presence:

“If we begin our climb up the mountain of holiness each day, we will be accepting that Christ is within us. At the top of this mountain is unity with Jesus, yes, and that unity is a guaranteed thing if we desire it. The higher we climb, the more we labor for holiness and for the Kingdom on the path that He has marked out for us, and the more we honor Jesus within our souls. Truly, the lay apostle has been given assurance that if that apostle works for Jesus, Jesus will care for all of his needs, including the conversion of the apostle’s family. We need no further encouragement or promise. The only peace is found with Jesus. Paradise is a place. Heaven is vibrant with activity and joy and we will all get there. Work for Jesus, my friends, and we will bring as many souls home to our Father as we possibly can.”

Lay apostles, no matter where you are today, ask Jesus for the graces you need to believe in Him fully. He is the Bread which will always satisfy your hunger.

Thank you, Lord, for the patience You demonstrated so long ago and which You continue to show me on a daily basis. I am blessed to be a piece of You!


God bless,
Bonnie

Gospel Thoughts Today: Persevere in Times of Sacrifice

Seven years ago I wrote this blog post about my first grandson Connor. It still holds true, no matter what age our children become! And as I felt holding all my grandbabies when they were born, there is nothing sweeter than feeling and seeing new life . . . a soul who just arrived from heaven!

From 2012:

The newborn experience from the grandparent point of view is extraordinary.  From the new parent point of view . . . joyful, exhausting, amazing, confusing. My grandson has managed to get his days and nights mixed up, which is pretty typical for the first few weeks to month.  Last night I offered to stay up with him so my daughter and husband could get a little sleep. As I began singing favorite lull-a-byes, my mind drifted to Jesus.  Being a follower of Christ is exactly like becoming a new parent . . . at times it is joyful, exhausting, amazing and confusing.  But we continue to persevere out of love.  Love for the infant He has blessed us with and love for Him.  Would you deny an infant love and comfort because you were sleep deprived?  Because he changed the life you knew before his arrival? Of course not. Children require our love, attention and sacrifice 24/7. Our Father in heaven is the expert in sacrificial love. He gave His only Son for our salvation.  Yes, that means you, me, my grandson, my children . . . every human on this earth.  Lay apostles, remember God the Father's sacrifice every time you look at your own children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or anyone you come in contact with.  Remember, actions speak louder than words.

In today’s Gospel (John 6:22-29), Jesus speaks to those who followed Him for the wrong reasons:

“Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal." 

So they said to him, "What can we do to accomplish the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent."

In the October 2009 Monthly Message, Jesus teaches us about sacrifice:

“ . . . Please, do not count the sacrifices when you consider your service. Do not count the loss of worldly respect. Count only the souls who are comforted and consoled. Count the repentance and healing of so many who have been restored to unity with heaven. Count the humility that I have bestowed on you, dear apostle, since you began to learn about true holiness. I am your King. I can give you anything. I choose to give you peace and holiness. I choose to make of you a resolute servant. Accept My will in your life and you will then be able to accept all of the graces heaven has stored up for you."

Comforting and consoling.  Sacrificial love.  Read from the Bible daily and you will understand what the one true Role Model desires of us. We need not look elsewhere.

Thank you, Lord, for showing me how to persevere when sacrifice is difficult.

God bless,
Bonnie

Gospel Thoughts Today: Am I Glorifying God?

The word "glorified" jumped out at me today in the Gospel. First thing, I wanted to see how the word is defined. Dictionary.com gives these definitions:

1. to cause to be or treat as being more splendid, excellent, etc., than would normally be considered.
2. to honor with praise, admiration, or worship; extol.

This is my question (to myself and my readers): Do we glorify ourselves more than God? Are we purporting how great we are or all the good things we do to others without giving glory to God for our achievements? That's a tough one. We all like to feel we contribute to making this a better world. But what about if those good works aren't recognized by anyone? The answer is simple. God is within us. Continue glorifying Him, even if that means He is the only one seeing your good deeds.Ultimately, He is the only One I strive to please. I am grateful for the words of Christ today . . . a reminder to stay focused on my path to eternity.

Jesus is pretty clear in today's Gospel (John 14:6-14):

Jesus said to Thomas, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him." Philip said to him,  "Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.  Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it."

In the Monthly Message of May 2009, Jesus encourages us to be humble in order to glorify God:

"How often have I called you ‘My little apostles’? Have I ever called you ‘My big apostles’? Why do you think it is that I call you ‘little’? I will tell you. It is because each apostle, by his desire to serve, becomes little. He becomes little so that God can be glorified. If a person is serving Me, that person desires only My glory. If a person is serving Me, he desires to be seen as a servant of men, not as a master of men. In the case of leaders, this desire for humility must be even more pronounced lest the leader begin to believe that he himself is leading, as opposed to My great hope which is that I, Jesus, am leading through the man. I intend to send leaders during this time. You will know them by their spirit of service. You will know them by their humility. You will know them because they will help you to think of Me and what I need from you. No man is entitled to the glory reserved for God. No man is worthy of this glory. I only speak in this way today so that each man will consider his call to service as a call to holiness. I want each man to give credit to Me for the good that I allow to come through him into the world. Do you understand, little apostles? I am reminding you that all good comes from Me so that you will not be tempted to pride by the great fruits I send through your service and your commitment to Me. It is important that every apostle examine himself for signs and symptoms of pride. I ask this of you in a serious way today. We, together, are ushering in a time of grace, and graces will be apparent, not through your power but through Mine. Little apostles, do not believe that Jesus is scolding you. I am not. I am helping you to examine yourself to prevent difficulties, both for your holiness and for My plan. I will help you in this each day if you ask Me. Ask Me to send an outpouring of the Spirit to you whenever you are afraid that pride is troubling you. I will do this for you because I love you and because pride makes you so terribly sad. Pride is the great devourer of joy. You, My beautiful apostles, are entitled to joy and I send My joy to you today. All is well. We work together to perfect your soul."

Lay apostles, sometimes when we don't feel good about ourselves, our lives, or our choices, we tend to want to shout our "good deeds" to those who will listen. Next time we feel this need, how about glorifying God instead? In glorifying Him, we heal ourselves.

Thank you, Lord, for lessons as in today's Gospel and the Monthly Message which refocus my thoughts and words.

God bless,
Bonnie

Gospel Thoughts Today: Trusting God

Every morning Jay and I begin our day with three readings. First, from Jesus Calling. Second, from Daily Guideposts. And third, we end with an entry from one of the Volumes/books by Anne. There seem to be three main messages in every book . . . rely on Him, thank Him and trust Him. Evil can materialize in an instant, destroying peace and calm with no warning. This is where spiritual reading comes in handy. Something I may have read will remind me to refocus on trusting Him, that everything has a purpose. It may not make sense to me at the time, but eventually, clarity is obtained. Trusting God is not easy all the time, but so necessary to continue climbing the mountain of holiness!

Today's Gospel (John 3:31-36) encourages me, even more, to trust in Him:

The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things. But the one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy. For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God. He does not ration his gift of the Spirit. The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.

In Anne a lay apostle's book Transforming Grace, she describes why our words and actions must be in alignment:

"With regard to discernment, please know that a real connection with God will prompt a peaceful increase in the Characteristics of the Divine Will. A real connection with God will prompt humility, for example, as opposed to arrogance and anger. A real connection with God will prompt gentleness and eagerness to serve. If one is claiming a healthy prayer life but one is unwilling to see to one’s duties of the day, can we really find that credible? I do not think so and many non-followers have been badly stung by those claiming a prayer life which does not play out in action.

Truly, the cruelty of falseness rocks even the staunchest of us who believe. Good discernment will prompt prudent decisions as opposed to reckless and dramatic actions. Prudence stands the test of time and while others do not always find it exciting, the prudent decision will insulate and protect, not just for today but for the future."

Lay apostles, do you find God trustworthy? If you really think about it, He never lets us down. Humans do. So why do we tend to base our trust in Christ by our reaction to those around us? Well, we shouldn't. Trust Him always, as we are told in Luke 12:7: every hair on your head has been counted. He knows us intimately . . . nothing can be hidden from Him.

Thank you, Lord, for leading me to this apostolate, which leads me to dig deeper into my Catholic faith. Jesus, I trust in You!

God bless,
Bonnie

Gospel Thoughts Today: Will It Be Dark or Light?

My mornings don't get jumpstarted without a cup (or two or three!) of coffee. I love the smell as it is brewing. It all began when Delta Airlines stopped serving hot chocolate. The Medical Liaison position I held for over 5 years required a lot of traveling, which meant a lot of early morning flights. As I boarded those early mornings, I looked forward to my cup of hot chocolate and then falling asleep until the jolt of landing woke me up. Alas, when they did away with the hot chocolate, the only choices were tea or coffee. I knew tea was not going to win. Black coffee by itself was not going to cut it, either. Something was missing. Adding creamer made it more palatable, but still not something I could drink to warm me up on a cold plane. Next came the Splenda. Now, it was something I could enjoy. My coffee preferences have changed over the years (since doing Whole30, I make my own creamer with coconut milk, dates, and pure vanilla bean powder . . . amazing!). It's kind of like faith. Take the base which is faith in God (the coffee). Then add (the coconut milk) Scripture, the Volumes and other spiritual readings.  To top it off, add (the dates and vanilla) in good works, love, kindness, forgiveness and everything else Jesus has taught us. Just like the perfect cup of coffee radiates contentment in a sometimes chilled early morning plane, choosing to live and participate in our Catholic faith fully radiates the Light of our Savior through us in a world where others may feel drowned in darkness.

The Gospel today (John 3:16-21) reminds us to never stop seeking the Light:

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

In Volume Five, Jesus tells us even in the worst of times we are still able to shine His Light:

"These dark times, such as the one you are living in, create the most beautiful opportunities for holiness and sainthood. You look around and all seems hopeless. How challenging it is then to continue to hope and to allow My joy an avenue through which to flow into the darkness of your world. That, all by itself, is an opportunity for the holiest of acts, the most heroic deed of selflessness."

Lay apostles, are you choosing to live in the Light of His Love or the darkness of the enemy? The darkness provides empty promises. You will always feel something missing after the excitement or thrill is gone. It's the "God hole." Can't fill it with anything else but Him!

Thank you, Lord, for showing me choosing Your Light means graces galore, in good times and in bad.

God bless,
Bonnie