Gospel Thoughts Today: Clear Chaos Quickly

I don't do chaos anymore. To the best of my ability, I don't let it enter my life. When it appears unexpectedly in the form of an attack, it's like shooting a BB gun at the hull of a cruise ship . . . doesn't even make a dent (thank you, Jay, for the great analogy!). But every once in while, multiple shots are fired instantaneously causing a sore spot. The initial impact stings, but the damage is minimal. As the pain diminishes, a bruise appears as a reminder of the incident. Eventually, it fades and is forgotten. How do we conduct ourselves when under spiritual attack? Well, I see two options. One, we can overreact, running around screaming our heads off, telling anyone who is willing to listen to the injustice of it all. Or, we can surround ourselves with heavenly armor. We can summon all of heaven . . . God, Jesus, Our Lady, saints, and angels to protect our souls from damage. We can pray the Rosary. We can ask loved ones to pray for us. And, most importantly, remain focused and prayerful. Evil will take advantage of every opportunity to draw you away from Christ. As lay apostles, we must demonstrate what Jesus and all of heaven have prepared us for in the Bible and Volumes . . . His true followers are peaceful, calm, kind, loving and patient under any circumstances. Don't get caught up in the winds of chaos. Step into your spiritual armor and stay protected. Allow Christ to deal with those taking the shots. For sometimes what you thought would bruise is nothing more than a little red spot, disappearing within minutes.

In today's Gospel (Mark 5:1-20), Jesus clears the chaos quickly:

Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea, to the territory of the Gerasenes. When he got out of the boat, at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him. The man had been dwelling among the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain. In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains, but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones. Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, crying out in a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me!” (He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”) He asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “Legion is my name. There are many of us.” And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that territory.

Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside. And they pleaded with him, “Send us into the swine. Let us enter them.” And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine. The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea, where they were drowned. The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town and throughout the countryside. And people came out to see what had happened. As they approached Jesus, they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind. And they were seized with fear. Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened to the possessed man and to the swine. Then they began to beg him to leave their district. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him. But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead, “Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.” Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.

In Anne a lay apostle's book Lessons in Love, she encourages us to leave the chaotic battles to Christ:

"It is my opinion that the enemy wants to draw us into conflict with each other and even though a person might be actively serving the enemy, it is not our business to do battle with him. Rather it is our business to do battle with ourselves, leaving Jesus Christ to do battle with the enemy, thus claiming or seeking to claim the soul. In terms of our brothers and sisters, meaning everyone in the world with us, no sins or behaviors, regardless of how bad, change this fact. If they are on earth, we must seek to bring them to the light through prayer and example and evangelization when possible and appropriate. I am in no way denying the call to protect and defend God’s truth in whatever way God asks us to do so. I am attempting to help us identify the real enemy."

Lay apostles, are you allowing others to create chaos in your life? Are you the chaos creator? There is nothing wrong with loving people from a distance. Set clear boundaries, and when attempts are made to step over those boundaries, bow out and let Jesus take over. We can't change anyone other than ourselves. Live a chaos-free life. Learn to assess where disruptions in joy and peace occur. Then make some changes. Christ is the only one we need to please.

Thank you, Lord, for teaching me to eliminate chaos from my life. And, for showing me how quickly prayer can change my attitude.

God bless,
Bonnie

Gospel Thoughts Today: Staying Clear of Chaos

I don't do chaos anymore. To the best of my ability, I don't let it enter my life. When it appears unexpectedly in the form of an attack, it's like shooting a BB gun at the hull of a cruise ship . . . doesn't even make a dent (thank you, Jay, for the great analogy!). But every once in while, multiple shots are fired instantaneously causing a sore spot. The initial impact stings, but the damage is minimal. As the pain diminishes, a bruise appears as a reminder of the incident. Eventually, it fades and is forgotten. How do we conduct ourselves when under spiritual attack? Well, I see two options. One, we can overreact, running around screaming our heads off, telling anyone who is willing to listen to the injustice of it all. Or, we can surround ourselves with heavenly armor. We can summon all of heaven . . . God, Jesus, Our Lady, saints, and angels to protect our souls from damage. We can pray the Rosary. We can ask loved ones to pray for us. And, most importantly, remain focused and prayerful. Evil will take advantage of every opportunity to draw you away from Christ. As lay apostles, we must demonstrate what Jesus and all of heaven have prepared us for in the Bible and Volumes . . . that His true followers are peaceful, calm, kind, loving and patient under any circumstances. Don't get caught up in the winds of chaos. Step into your spiritual armor and stay protected. Allow Christ to deal with those taking the shots. For sometimes what you thought would bruise is nothing more than a little red spot, disappearing within minutes.

In today's Gospel (Mark 5:1-20), Jesus clears the chaos quickly:

Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea, to the territory of the Gerasenes. When he got out of the boat, at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him. The man had been dwelling among the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain. In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains, but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones. Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, crying out in a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me!” (He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”) He asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “Legion is my name. There are many of us.” And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that territory.

Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside. And they pleaded with him, “Send us into the swine. Let us enter them.” And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine. The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea, where they were drowned. The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town and throughout the countryside. And people came out to see what had happened. As they approached Jesus, they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind. And they were seized with fear. Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened to the possessed man and to the swine. Then they began to beg him to leave their district. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him. But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead, “Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.” Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.

In Anne a lay apostle's book Lessons in Love, she encourages us to leave the chaotic battles to Christ:

"It is my opinion that the enemy wants to draw us into conflict with each other and even though a person might be actively serving the enemy, it is not our business to do battle with him. Rather it is our business to do battle with ourselves, leaving Jesus Christ to do battle with the enemy, thus claiming or seeking to claim the soul. In terms of our brothers and sisters, meaning everyone in the world with us, no sins or behaviors, regardless of how bad, change this fact. If they are on earth, we must seek to bring them to the light through prayer and example and evangelization when possible and appropriate. I am in no way denying the call to protect and defend God’s truth in whatever way God asks us to do so. I am attempting to help us identify the real enemy."

Lay apostles, are you allowing others to create chaos in your life? Are you the chaos creator? There is nothing wrong with loving people from a distance. Set clear boundaries, and when attempts are made to step over those boundaries, bow out and let Jesus take over. We can't change anyone other than ourselves. Live a chaos-free life. Learn to assess where disruptions in joy and peace occur. Then make some changes. Christ is the only one we need to please.

Thank you, Lord, for teaching me to eliminate chaos from my life. And, for showing me how quickly prayer can change my attitude.

God bless,
Bonnie

Staying Clear of Chaos

I don't do chaos anymore. I don't let it enter my life. When it appears unexpectedly in the form of an attack, it's like shooting a BB gun at the hull of a cruise ship . . . doesn't even make a dent (thank you Jay for the great analogy!). But every once in while, multiple shots are fired instantaneously causing a sore spot. The initial impact stings, but damage is minimal. As the pain diminishes, a bruise appears as a reminder of the incident. Eventually it fades and is forgotten. How do we conduct ourselves when under spiritual attack? Well, I see two options. One, we can overreact, running around screaming our heads off, telling anyone who is willing listen about the injustice of it all. Or, we can surround ourselves with heavenly armor. We can summon all of heaven . . . God, Jesus, Our Lady, saints and angels to protect our souls from damage. We can pray the Rosary. We can ask loved ones to pray for us. And, most importantly, remain focused and prayerful. Evil will take advantage of every opportunity to draw you away from Christ. As lay apostles, we must demonstrate what Jesus and all of heaven have prepared us for in the Volumes . . . that His true followers are peaceful, calm, kind, loving and patient under any circumstances. Don't get caught up in the winds of chaos. Step into your spiritual armor and stay protected. Allow Christ to deal with those taking the shots. For sometimes what you thought would bruise is nothing more than a little red spot, disappearing within minutes.

In todays Gospel (Mark 5:1-20), Jesus clears the chaos quickly:

Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea, to the territory of the Gerasenes. When he got out of the boat, at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him. The man had been dwelling among the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain. In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains, but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones. Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, crying out in a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me!” (He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”) He asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “Legion is my name. There are many of us.” And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that territory.

Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside. And they pleaded with him, “Send us into the swine. Let us enter them.” And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine. The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea, where they were drowned. The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town and throughout the countryside. And people came out to see what had happened. As they approached Jesus, they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind. And they were seized with fear. Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened to the possessed man and to the swine. Then they began to beg him to leave their district. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him. But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead, “Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.” Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.

In Anne a lay apostle's book Lessons in Love, she encourages us to leave the chaotic battles to Christ:

"It is my opinion that the enemy wants to draw us into conflict with each other and even though a person might be actively serving the enemy, it is not our business to do battle with him. Rather it is our business to do battle with ourselves, leaving Jesus Christ to do battle with the enemy, thus claiming or seeking to claim the soul. In terms of our brothers and sisters, meaning everyone in the world with us, no sins or behaviors, regardless of how bad, change this fact. If they are on earth, we must seek to bring them to the light through prayer and example and evangelization when possible and appropriate. I am in no way denying the call to protect and defend God’s truth in whatever way God asks us to do so. I am attempting to help us identify the real enemy."

Lay apostles, are you allowing others to create chaos in your life? Are you the chaos creator? There is nothing wrong with loving people from a distance. Set clear boundaries, and when attempts are made to step over those boundaries, bow out and let Jesus take over. We can't change anyone other than ourselves. Live a chaos-free life. Learn to assess where disruptions in joy and peace occur. Then make some changes. He is the only one we need to please.

Thank you, Lord, for teaching me to eliminate chaos from my life. And, for showing me how quickly prayer can change my attitude.

God bless,
Bonnie

Give Thanks To God

Look for the good, and you shall find it . . . even on a cruise ship! Jay and I just returned from a wonderful 4 day cruise on the Caribbean Princess gifted to us from one of our clients for a job well done. Such a generous gesture . . . we were/are very thankful for the time away with no cell phones, computers, etc. Just the two of us. We received the schedule of events Saturday evening for all activities occurring on Sunday. We called the information desk to see if there was a Catholic priest on board for Mass, which there wasn't. But there was an "Non-denominational" service at 10am being held in Club Fusion (one of the nightclubs on the boat). To our surprise, it was just a beautiful experience to be amongst fellow Christians. We sang Amazing Grace as well as 3 other hymns; we prayed the Our Father and two other prayers of thanksgiving. Then the young woman from the cruise line leading the service read the following, a favorite of hers:

A church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday.

“I’ve gone for 30 years now,” he wrote, “and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 Sermons. But for the life of me, I can’t remember a single one of them. So, I think I’m wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all.”

This started a real controversy in the “Letters to the Editor” column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher: “I’ve been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this: They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today.  Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!”

Just beautiful, isn't it? It's time to be grateful, lay apostles, receiving the nourishment we need to be spiritually alive.

Todays Gospel ((Luke 17:11-19) teaches us to be thankful for all God has given us: 

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going they were cleansed.  And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.  He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?  Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”  Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”

In Volume Seven, St. Philomena encourages us to be thankful, no matter our situation:

"Dear brothers and sisters, you must be joyful during this time. Whenever you are tempted toward despair, you must think of heaven and how Jesus is making the earth like heaven by allowing this cleansing. Jesus is reclaiming the earth. That is a wonderful thing and will ensure that your children’s children will not have to contend with the darkness of sin that surrounds your children. It would please Jesus if you would be thankful to Him, despite any circumstances. A saint conducts herself this way and finds that she is joyful regardless of any and all hardships. Dear friends of heaven, the enemy will not prevail. You know this because you have been told this. At the end of this time, Jesus will return and the earth will be beautiful again. Before that, there will be a time when it will appear that the enemy has taken control of the world. The darkness of sin will reign and our beloved Church will suffer even more. Followers will face grave and constant attacks for their faith in many areas of the world. They will persevere and set the most beautiful example for others. This will draw others back to the faith in great numbers, so you see, the enemy’s strategy will backfire. The more God’s enemies persecute His children, the more children will choose God and remain true. It has always been this way, sadly. God’s children should serve Him faithfully in good times also, but many do not. Many become worldly when the times are easy. Be brave. Your courage will come from heaven and inspire many." 

Today, lay apostles, what are you thankful for? How have you shown Christ your thankfulness? Let's all strive to imitate the one leper out of the ten healed in todays Gospel. Praise Jesus . . . for everything.

Thank you, Lord, for all the blessings and gifts You have given me throughout my journey so far. I'm sorry I haven't been as thankful in the past. Please give me the graces needed to remember!

God bless,
Bonnie

I Don't Do Chaos

I don't do chaos anymore. I don't let it enter my life. When it appears unexpectedly in the form of an attack, it's like shooting a BB gun at the hull of a cruise ship . . . doesn't even make a dent (thank you Jay for the great analogy!). But every once in while, multiple shots are fired instantaneously causing a sore spot. The initial impact stings, but damage is minimal. As the pain diminishes, a bruise appears as a reminder of the incident. Eventually it fades and is forgotten.  How do we conduct ourselves when under spiritual attack? Well, I see two options. One, we can overreact, running around screaming our heads off, telling anyone who is willing listen about the injustice of it all. Or,  we can surround ourselves with heavenly armor. We can summon all of heaven . . . God, Jesus, Our Lady, saints and angels to protect our souls from damage. We can pray the Rosary. We can ask loved ones to pray for us. And, most importantly, remain focused and prayerful. Evil will take advantage of every opportunity to draw you away from Christ. As lay apostles, we must demonstrate what Jesus and all of heaven have prepared us for in the Volumes . . . that His true followers are peaceful, calm, kind, loving and patient under any circumstances. Don't get caught up in the winds of chaos. Step into your spiritual armor and stay protected. Allow Christ to deal with those taking the shots. For sometimes what you thought would bruise is nothing more than a little red spot, disappearing within minutes.

In todays Gospel (Mark 5:1-20), Jesus clears the chaos quickly: 

Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea, to the territory of the Gerasenes. When he got out of the boat, at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him. The man had been dwelling among the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain. In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains, but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones. Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, crying out in a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me!” (He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”) He asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “Legion is my name. There are many of us.” And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that territory.

Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside. And they pleaded with him, “Send us into the swine. Let us enter them.” And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine. The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea, where they were drowned. The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town and throughout the countryside. And people came out to see what had happened. As they approached Jesus, they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind. And they were seized with fear. Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened to the possessed man and to the swine. Then they began to beg him to leave their district. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him. But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead, “Go home to your family and announce to them  all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.” Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.

In Anne a lay apostle's book Lessons in Love, she encourages us to leave the chaotic battles to Christ:

"It is my opinion that the enemy wants to draw us into conflict with each other and even though a person might be actively serving the enemy, it is not our business to do battle with him. Rather it is our business to do battle with ourselves, leaving Jesus Christ to do battle with the enemy, thus claiming or seeking to claim the soul. In terms of our brothers and sisters, meaning everyone in the world with us, no sins or behaviors, regardless of how bad, change this fact. If they are on earth, we must seek to bring them to the light through prayer and example and evangelization when possible and appropriate. I am in no way denying the call to protect and defend God’s truth in whatever way God asks us to do so. I am attempting to help us identify the real enemy."

Lay apostles, are you allowing others to create chaos in your life? Are you the chaos creator? There is nothing wrong with loving people from a distance. Set clear boundaries, and when attempts are made to step over those boundaries, bow out and let Jesus take over. We can't change anyone other than ourselves. Live a chaos-free life. Learn to assess where  disruptions in joy and peace occur. Then make some changes. He is the only one we need to please.

Thank you, Lord, for teaching me to eliminate chaos from my life. And, for showing me how quickly prayer can change my attitude.

God bless,

Bonnie