Gospel Thoughts Today: God's Love Flows Through Us

Happy New Year 2018! Hard to believe so much time has elapsed since my last post. Life has been busy as always, but amid the busyness, it has been wonderful, challenging, difficult and miraculous. This morning on a Lay Apostle Council conference call, Father Darragh read the message referenced below from Volume Two to our group. When we allow Christ to comfort us in times of need, our ability to cope strengthens . . . we begin to rely on prayer obtaining the confidence to act and react appropriately.

The power of prayer is real my friends . . . look at the election of the greatest President the US has ever seen. Despite constant attacks on him and his family, President Trump has persevered and accomplished, literally, more than any other US president EVER in his first year! This is a documented fact. He has brought God back to our nation. God IS mightier than those who oppose Him . . . we must never forget that. God's Love flows through us if we allow it to. And, we must give it freely . . . even to those who allow evil to reign in their lives. If we stop the flow of God's love and replace it with revenge, hatred, or bitterness, how will the recipient ever see the beauty of faith in our Mighty God? Let it begin with me!

Today's Gospel (Mark 1:7-11) makes one thing clear . . . God is in control:

This is what John the Baptist proclaimed: "One mightier than I is coming after me.  I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.  I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John.  On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him.  And a voice came from the heavens, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."

In Volume Two, Jesus beautifully illustrates the power within each of us when God is a constant in our day:

September 2, 2003: I want My children to be at peace. You know this, children, as I often say this to you. Today, I am going to teach you how to keep peace in your hearts at all times. My children, when a parent rocks a child and sings a soft lullaby, the child knows peace, so much so, that the child often closes his little eyes and falls effortlessly into a peaceful sleep. My children, I am holding you in My arms. I am rocking you gently. Many times throughout your day, I want you to stop what you are doing for a brief moment and close your eyes. I will momentarily soothe your soul with that very same gentleness and, if only for a moment, you will know the sleep of peace. You will be fully aware in your senses, of course, but your soul will rest in complete union with Me and your entire being will be restored and balanced. My children, this is how I intend to keep you at peace. You must fear nothing, not even death. Why would death frighten a soul who is destined for eternity with Me? You are merely coming home, My child, and the brief moments of death are an almost instantaneous transit time. No, do not fear death. That will distract you from life and We want no distractions from the completion of your earthly duties. My children, are you attempting to remain with Me throughout your day? Remember that you are practicing and trying to consider My presence and how I would speak. You are asking Me often what I would like you to do. This is the way, children. Do you see the changes I am making in your soul? Do you see the difference in how you view your brothers and sisters? You understand now that I am making these changes and that you can trust Me to keep My word. We are making progress, My child, and that pleases Me. This world will shift the smallest bit each time a soul moves closer to Me in trust. I want you to feel joy, My child. Your world is not at peace, but you must be. I am placing peace in your souls and the world is going to draw it from you, much the way an infant draws nourishment from her mother. That is why I am asking you to come to Me often in your day. As the world draws peace from you to quiet the terrible unrest, I will replace it in you. So do not worry or fret because the world takes your peace. It is for the world I give it, and I have an endless store with which to replenish you. Do you begin to see the depth of My plan? I need many souls to help Me and right now I do not have enough. So We must take My plea to the world so that all souls of good will may answer and assist Me. It is fair and just, My child, that each be given the opportunity to answer for themselves. I am asking and each soul must answer. In their soul, they know they are being asked to choose and they make the choice. I am God. I know all. I need souls. There is no hiding from Me. If a soul rejects Me now, it is finished. You cannot reject your God and claim heaven as your inheritance. Be at peace, My little one. Your God moves to right all wrongs."

Lay apostles, what are you going to do differently in 2018? For me, I will, to the best of my ability, write more; love unconditionally (yes, even those who allow evil and greed to reign in their lives); be a better wife, mother, Mimi, sister, aunt, and friend. I am so imperfect. But if I allow God to flow through me to others, His Divine Plan can continue to move forward in my life and the lives of those I love and come in contact with.

Thank you, Lord, for reminding me of the power of prayer. Help me to come to You first . . . always!

God bless,
Bonnie

God's Love Flows Through Us

Happy New Year 2017! Hard to believe so much time has elapsed since my last post. Life has been busy, wonderful, challenging, miraculous and a list of many other adjectives I could formulate in my head! If you follow me on Twitter (@bonnieyoung22), you know my joy and excitement for the results of the presidential election (#MAGA!!!). For me, it was all about pro-life agendas, retaining our religious liberties, the appointment of conservative Supreme Court Justices to uphold the law, and a president who is pro-America. I truly believe there were so many people praying for President-elect Donald J. Trump to win, the Good Lord decided to give us a miracle! The power of prayer hopefully has been restored in many who have put it on the back burner. God IS mightier than those who oppose Him . . . we must never forget that. God's Love flows through us if we allow it to. And, we must give it freely . . . even to those who allow evil to reign in their lives. If we stop the flow of God's love and replace it with revenge, hatred, or bitterness, how will the recipient ever see the beauty of faith in our Mighty God? Let it begin with me!

Today's Gospel (Mark 1:7-11) makes one thing clear . . . God is in control:

This is what John the Baptist proclaimed: "One mightier than I is coming after me.  I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.  I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John.  On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him.  And a voice came from the heavens, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."

In Anne a lay apostle's book Whispers From the Cross, she beautifully illustrates God's power within each of us:

"There are days when the work we do for God is so steady that we do not look around. We serve without interruption, giving little thought to the bigger canvas on which God uses us to paint His story of renewal.

Sometimes we work very hard for long periods and during these periods God gives us all that we need to persist in His service. We have, during these periods of intensive service, little time to examine why we are serving God or what else we could be doing. We simply work. All is well. During these periods, God often withholds temptations of the more sublime variety, the “Do I really want to remain on this current course?” temptations. We barrel through the work, and God flows through us mightily even though we can be largely unaware of this. After a time, we get tired. Then comes a natural break. This can come in the form of an in-between period, or it is a time-off period. Perhaps we suffer with illness or a transition of service occurs. At those times, the floodgates can open.

God then allows us to struggle with the temptations necessary to secure our future service. The story with holiness, while written in the present, is concluded in the future. In other words, the end of the story is directly correlated to the action of the present. What will the end look like? That depends on what we choose today. The struggle we all experience of revulsion for the work that God wills for us is part of the work."

Lay apostles, what are you going to do differently in 2017? For me, I will, to the best of my ability, write more; love unconditionally (yes, I really try to pray for HRC!); be a better wife, mother, Mimi, sister, aunt and friend. I am so imperfect. But if I allow God to flow through me to others, His Divine Plan can continue to move forward in my life and the lives of those I love and come in contact with.

Thank you, Lord, for the reminder of the power of prayer. Help me to come to You first always!

God bless,
Bonnie

Peace Particularly During This Election Cycle!

This election year already has me exasperated! But I support our Republican candidate, Donald Trump. He may have a big ego; he may be politically incorrect. But he is the only candidate who offers some respite from the presidency of the last 8 years. I find my blood pressure rising when praise for the Democratic candidate is splashed all over the media. I don't have a problem with a female president. Not at all! I just don't want a woman who is pro-abortion (including late term abortion), an elitist, disrespects the truth, and is an unindicted criminal to bat. What is our society not seeing when her face appears on all liberal news stations? She's a woman so her criminal activity doesn't matter? Despite the political warfare occurring, I know God is in control. My only comfort is He has a plan . . . and it includes everything we experience every day we are on this earth. So I have a choice . . . pray for Mr. Trump and his family or fret about our country spiraling out of control if the Democratic candidate is chosen. I am choosing prayer! It's all any of us can do. So, Mr. Trump, I pray for you, your family, Mr. Pence, his family . . . and I pray for the Clintons. We need God back in this country, and Mr. Trump may be the only one to shift this country back to the faith it was founded on . . . Christianity.

In today's Gospel (Matthew 16:24-28), Jesus asks us to focus on our beautiful eternity, not on the chaos of the world:

Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay each according to his conduct. Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”

In Volume Two, Jesus shows us by focusing on Him instead of ourselves, we can bring His love and kindness to others:

"If you are hurried, you will miss My cue and the soul will remain without necessary consolation and guidance. Children, this is the state of affairs all over your world at this time. Do you notice that loneliness and despair are everywhere? Children, you will not find loneliness and despair where I am. Indeed, even in the most wretched of circumstances, if I am present, you will see eyes that smile and offer kindness, and you will see great hope, even in the face of suffering and death. So what is missing in your world? I am missing. Few souls allow Me to work through them. When I am allowed, you will see hope begin to flourish again. Faces will be more at peace and joy will flow naturally from one soul to another. I will put such joy in your faces that you will be unable to conceal your unity with Me. Crosses will feel lighter and hold great meaning. Children, I have so much to offer you, both in these words and in My constant presence in your lives. So do not turn away, even for a day. Draw closer to Me, that We may proceed. What feels difficult to you, anticipating changes in your life, will come easily. That is another promise I make to you."

Lay apostles, these are challenging times. As Jesus says above, He is missing in this world. Our part of this political warfare over the next 3 months is to allow God to work through us to change minds and hearts. Alas, there is no need for anger or frustration. Stay focused on Him and your eternity; make choices with Him in mind; and pray my friends! 

Thank you, Lord, for Your continued patience when I let propaganda interfere with my peace. Help me to stay focused on You and prayer, always!

God bless,

Bonnie