Kindred Spirits

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I love those in my life that I consider kindred spirits.  They are very, very special people to me.  They are those friends or family members that I am instantly comfortable with.  We have similar likes and dislikes; when we are separated for any length of time or distance and finally meet-up again, it is as though no time has passed between us.  There is some sort of invisible bond that is between us.  When I am with someone that I recognize as a kindred spirit, I  realize that I am experiencing something very special.

And for me, some of those that I consider the most special kindred spirits in my life are certain saints.  Our Blessed Mother is most certainly at the top of my list and then some others are:  St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Padre Pio, Bl. Mother Theresa, St.Faustina, St. Andre Bessette, St. Joseph, St. James, Blessed Pope John Paul II, St. Theresa of Avila, and St. Bernadette.  These saints are those that are "most present" to me and bring me closer to Jesus.  I love them and are drawn to them just as I am drawn to certain people.  They make a difference in my life - either through their writings or stories about them or their lives-but most of all through their prayers for me.

While we will be on our trip we will be celebrating some precious and special Feast days:

St. Matthew the Evangelist on Friday, Sept. 21st,

St. Padre Pio which is on Sunday September 23rd,

Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, on September 29th

St. Therese of Lisieux (St. Therese of the Child Jesus) on October 1st.


My favorite book is Story of a Soul which is the autobiography of St. Therese.  And, it wasn't until after I read it that I remembered that she was my Confirmation Saint.  Her autobiography was a pivotal book for me in my spiritual life and I was very happy when I remembered that Therese was not only a friend but a Patron Saint for me as well. 

Lisa recently reminded me that St. Therese of Lisieux is considered a Co-Patron Saint of Missionaries. I find it comforting that we will be celebrating her Feast-Day on the day of our departure from Kenya.  For the past few years I have prayed a novena to St. Therese beginning 9 nine days before her Feast Day. And, I will, of course, pray a novena to her this year as well.  It will be very special keeping her close to us in prayer through the novena as we are traveling through Kenya while on pilgrimage.

St. Therese of Lisieux

I have recently had the graced opportunity to meet, speak, work and spend some time with some of the Sisters (Women Religious) here in Knoxville.  More specifically:  Dominican Sisters, Sisters of Mercy, and the Evangelizing Sisters of Mary.  

These groups of Religious radiate peace and love.  They are warm, friendly and engaging.  They are quiet and somewhat private but extremely approachable.  They are, in some respects, kindred spirits to all that they meet.  Don't get me wrong - they all have very distinct personalities, different charisms, different apostolates.  It is just that they radiate Jesus' love in such a way that it makes anyone who is with them feel loved --comfortable--and themselves.

I hope and pray that we will try to radiate Christ to all that we meet.  That we will be kindred spirits for those that desire or need that from us.  That we will be all that God desires us to be. 

Radiating Christ

Dear Jesus, help us to spread your fragrance everywhere we go.

Flood our souls with your spirit and life.

Penetrate and possess our whole being so utterly, that our lives may only be a radiance of yours.

Shine through us and be so in us, that every soul we come in contact with may feel Your presence in our soul.

Let them look up and see no longer us but only Jesus!

Stay with us and then we shall begin to shine as you shine; so to shine as to be a light to others; the light O Jesus, will be all from You, none of it will be ours; it will be You shining on those around us.

Let us preach You by our words and by our example, by the catching force, the  sympathetic influence of what we do, the evident fullness of the love our hearts bear to You.  Amen.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, full of infinite love, pray for us...

Rosa Mystica, pray for us...

Enthronements of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

"WIP" ~ Works In Progress

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One of my favorite hobbies (other than reading) is handwork:  quilting and primitive cross-stitch, knitting and crocheting.  I know!!  Boring, dull, yawn, yawn, yawn!  This is how it is for many people ...but to me, they are all joys in my life as they are all expressions of what is within me and are extremely gratifying and fulfilling.  

The difficult thing I find about these hobbies is that they are not easy.  They are time consuming and even when I get a little done I find that my work is not as I would desire it.  When piecing a quilt I find that more often than not my seams do not meet exactly as they should.  Or, I will cross stitch a whole row and I will be off by one stitch and then the whole piece is off-and I have to rip it all out and start again or I amend it by making it one less stitch than it should be.  This can drive me crazy though, because even if it really doesn't look as though as it is wrong or "off" when completed, I always remember that there is one less stitch then there should be.  And, because I don't have a lot of time to sit down and do them, many are incomplete, just waiting in my various baskets.  These are known as my  WIP's or WORKS IN PROGRESS.

Lisa, Judy, Theresa and I met yesterday again in anticipation of the work that we will be doing once we get to Nairobi.  As we were all reviewing and going through the outline of the mission, figuring out how to get to certain sites on Lisa's computer as well as setting up the projector, screen and speakers, I immediately thought:  OK,   W-I-P  - - this is another Work-In-Progress.  However, we will all do our best at being prepared in all that we can before we get there.    Like the hobbies, I know that we will probably make mistakes and we will not be perfect.  But, as long as we are able to Let the Work Be His and not let ourselves get in the way, then it will all come together in the way that will bear fruit as God desires it to be.

It is our job to take these WIP's or Works-In-Progress and from them hopefully, to learn, to grow, and to change and finally make them FW or Finished Works-all according to God's Will.

Statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary that is carried during the Enthronement

Lisa and Theresa working away!

Judi at Work!

  

We are all Pilgrims...

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We are all pilgrims.  All of us, every one of us.  None of us are walking around with these large top-hat looking things on the top of our heads or wear black suits with large belts around our waists or have buckles on our shoes.  But we are all pilgrims on a journey looking forward to the time when we reach our home.  This morning, coincidently, was how the opening song for mass began:  "We are all pilgrims..."


Lisa, Theresa, Judi and I are going to meet again on this Wednesday, July 25th.  When I noticed the date I immediately thought of us meeting on this very special Feast day that celebrates the life and work of the Apostle St. James.  And, I associate pilgrims with St. James because of the Camino de Santiago.  If you are not familiar with the Camino, and enjoy watching movies, I would highly recommend "The Way".  


This movie is a fictional piece about a man whose son dies while on on pilgrimage in Spain and the man decides to finish the pilgrimage on behalf of his son.  I have no idea why in the world I loved this movie so much, but I did.  I initially went with my sister, Jeanne, to see it.  Then Ray (husband, not son) and I and Kristin watched it in a hotel while visiting Kristin at the College of Charleston.  And then, again, with my mom in New York, after she was recovering from a broken shoulder.  I do not think that the movie is particularly Catholic or even talks about spirituality or Jesus out-loud.  But when you watch the movie and think about the evolution of this man on his pilgrimage, and his fellow travelers, you cannot help but notice how transforming it is for each of them.  Each of them come to do the pilgrimage for different reasons, they each carry different crosses from the life that they took a break from, and the pilgrimage is not easy for them - but it is so beautiful.   And, interestingly enough, the viewer interprets the change by "looking between the lines".  You get a small glimpse of just how profound the experience is for each of them towards the end of the film.  It is very personal and they do not share it with each other and it is different for each of them.  The one important element that binds them as one is that Jesus is with them each and every step of the way and He is the cause and the reason that they change inwardly as a result of the experience.    Please note that this is only MY interpretation of what I got from the movie.  


Our pastor, Father David Boettner is on pilgrimage walking the Camino.  I am so envious of him.  And he knows it because I keep telling him that.  But I am also very happy for him and pray that it is a wonderful, spiritually rich time for him.  In thinking about our trip, I realized that we, too, are on pilgrimage when we go to Africa.  We are, each of us, setting-out together, trying to grow closer to God, to give Him whatever work He asks us to do, to stretch ourselves by sacrificing in as many ways as He asks us to, and to bring the Enthronement of His Heart and His Love to others and most of all to do His Will.  


God is so very good!  Is He not?!


A few years ago, we had this wonderful parish mission that Shelly Letendre (amazingly talented and gifted friend that is the leader of our Contemporary Choir at the Cathedral) brought to Sacred Heart.  The leader of the mission did something so, so interesting.  He took all of the rope belts from the altar-servers albs and tied them together until they made one long rope.    He then told us that us that we should imagine the rope stretching out to infinity - a line of rope with no end.  On one end of the rope he had wound one piece of black electric tape. Then he held up the end with the tape and held it high.  It represented such a small part of the whole rope.  He said that the tape represented our EARTHLY LIFE and the rest of the rope represented our ETERNAL LIFE - the continuation of our lives.  It was impressive to see it laid-out in that way.


Getting back to the song from mass.  We are all pilgrims.  We are. Each one of us in our daily lives has the opportunity to pour ourselves out for Him and in Him in the way that He asks us.  To give until it hurts.  We are all traveling together, but separate.  I for one am overwhelmed with gratitude for the tremendous gift and opportunity of walking beside Jesus in this pilgrimage of my life - both here and in Africa.

Thank you, always  - all of you -  for your support of our trip, our pilgrimage.  Please consider binding yourselves to us spiritually so that we may take all of you with us in our hearts in our travels.  You may do this by praying the Consecration prayer below: 

CONSECRATION OF THE KENYA MISSION

It is appropriate in our times, to profoundly understand and have a greater conscience of the intimate relationship that exists between the Two Hearts, and of the immense value that an authentic devotion and consecration to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary have in our lives.”
(Pope John Paul II, November 23, 1987)

To your Sacred Heart, O Lord, we wish to consecrate ourselves and this Mission to Kenya today, June 15, 2012, the Feast of the Sacred Heart. Through this act of consecration, we desire to enter into your Heart, our refuge and protection. Keep us free from all error and confusion, from all frailty, selfishness, and indifference. Please give us wisdom and clarity in all that we do for this Mission and in our daily lives.  May we acquire from your Heart the virtues that we most need, the light that will guide our path, and the strength necessary to be faithful to your will in this Mission and in all we do. May your Heart be our treasure and our reward. May the graces of mercy, conversion, and peace that flow from your Heart transform us, giving us new hearts like your heart. Moved by the contemplation of your love, may we become true channels of your grace in a world so in need of your love and of truth. Through the consecration of ourselves and this Mission to your Sacred Heart, may we help to establish in the world the civilization of love.

O Immaculate Heart of Mary, you are the most perfect model of total consecration and dedication to the Heart of Jesus. O Mother, it is our desire to live in your Heart so as to learn to love unconditionally the Heart of Jesus, your Son. Through your Heart, may we truly obey Him and serve Him with all generosity, responding diligently to the desires of His Heart.

We wish to consecrate ourselves and this Mission to Kenya to your Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart, the perfect and sure path to reach the Heart of Jesus. Your Heart, abundantly filled with grace and holiness, is the refuge where we are healed and liberated from all our miseries and frailties. O Most Holy Virgin, we want to belong to your Heart, bearing within us a complete and loving readiness to do the will of God manifested through your maternal mediation. In virtue of this consecration, we implore you, O Immaculate Heart, to guard and protect us from all physical and spiritual evil. May our hearts be inflamed by the fire and love of the Holy Spirit as is your Heart. In union with you, most pure channel through which Christ came into the world, and anointed by the power of the Holy Spirit, may we be instruments in this world, bringing to all the love, joy, mercy, and peace of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

O Hearts of Jesus and Mary, only hope of humanity! You are our hope since in your perfect union of love for God and for humanity, you have given yourselves for the salvation of the world. Through this consecration of ourselves and this Mission to Kenya, we humbly seek to spread the fire of your love and mercy to all we meet and that those who will participate there and here (by their spiritual presence with us), be the light of Truth to all they encounter, so that the world will become a true Civilization of Love.  We desire to offer our lives in love and in reparation to your Hearts. With all our lives, we desire to promote and to establish in the hearts of all men the Reign of Love found in the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Amen.

And, if you would like to follow Father David's blog about his experiences while walking the Camino, you may do so here:  


http://www.fdpilgrimage.com/

To Learn, To Grow and To Change

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The one thing in my life that I cannot bear is to remain static.  

Each morning, one of the many things that I ask our dear Lord  to do is to help me to learn, to grow, and to change in whatever way that I may need.


Yesterday Theresa, Judi, Shelly and I met with Lisa at her home.  We reviewed the details of the upcoming mission and watched a slideshow of  Lisa's two previous trips to Africa with Father William.  It was exciting to see some of the places that we will visit as well as some of the people that we will meet.


We also spoke about all of the Enthronement materials that we will bring: Images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, accompanying Enthronement documents, Sacred Heart of Jesus bookmarks and Divine Mercy pencils.  We have ordered and will also bring gifts of medals with an engraved image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side and the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the other side for many that will attend the mission.


It was an informative and inspiring meeting and we made plans to meet next week as well as several times over the next few weeks to make sure we are familiar with nuts and bolts of the details of the mission as well as Lisa's computer which has the powerpoint presentation that we will be using in some of the workshops for the mission.


After we finished meeting and Lisa was walking us to the door, we decided to take a picture of the four of us under Lisa's mantel.  Her mantel is a treasure trove of beautiful images, holy cards, medals and icons of our Lord, our Blessed Mother and many saints.  


This is one of the holy cards that is placed on the mantel and Judi asked Lisa about it:

Lisa told Judy that this was a holy card of one of the times that Our Lord Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary showing her His Sacred Heart.  Lisa suggested that we could all go the the Apostolate of the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus website as it contains a plethera of information regarding anything you would want to know about the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus:  What the Enthronement is, how the Enthronement is done, the origination of it, why do we do it, etc.  

I went to the website and LOVED it!  I plan on systematically exploring all the different parts of it as I want to know everything I can about it before we leave.

Here is an excerpt taken from the cover page of the website:



According to Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, “Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a most effective means of living always in the company of our Lord Jesus whom we receive in Holy Communion. In other words, our devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is an extended act of love for Him who shows us the greatest possible love by offering His Body and Blood for us in the Eucharistic Sacrifice. In His fourth apparition to St. Margaret Mary, our Lord revealed His Sacred Heart, declaring:
"Behold this Heart which has so loved men that it spared nothing, even going so far as to exhaust and consume Itself, to prove to them Its love.”
The center of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the Enthronement of the image of the Sacred Heart in the home. By the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart, we link the tabernacle of our parish church to our home, inviting our Lord to be our constant and most intimate companion.  The Enthronement is a way of life. It means that Christ is King of our hearts, and we desire Him to be present with us always.

In other words, by the Enthronement we signify our desire to make our hearts and our homes holy, to sanctify our lives in every aspect. Father Mateo Crawley-Boevey, SS.CC (1875-1961), great apostle of the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, insisted on its official and social characteristics. The Enthronement is the outward expression of an interior commitment to submit one's whole life in obedience to Christ. It is social because it involves every member of the household in which we live and all our relationships with others, in and outside the home. Those who carry out the Enthronement always comment on the difference it makes in the relationships of family members with each other and in work, business, recreation and other relationships. 
Today, the Sacred Heart Apostolate is launching a global mission of bringing the “fire of God’s love” to the world.

It can be found by clicking on this address: 


 http://www.sacredheartapostolate.com/


It is exciting to think that in only 8 and a half weeks we will be leaving for Africa.  Our trip is one that will provide a variety of new experiences: meeting new people, new cultures, new food, new everything!  All of these new experiences  will provide ample opportunities for each of us to Learn, to Grow and To Change!

Thank you so much for your prayers, encouragement and support for each of us and for the fruitfulness of this pilgrimage to Kenya. 


May God bless you in all that you are and all that you do.  May you continually live in the Love and the Heart of  our Jesus.

All the Details are Of God

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I was recently listening to a few Jan Karon Mitford serries book cd's while running my errands around town and something in her first or second book really stuck in my mind.  Father Tim Kavanagh, the main character in the novel, was preparing a homily or remembering a homily that he had heard from another priest or preacher.  He said that a person with a glass container and had 5 large stones and a handful of pebbles along with little stones.  The person wanted to fill the glass with all of the stones.  When he put the small stones and pebbles in first, he found that he could not fit all of the big stones in with them.  However, when he put the big stones in first, all of the smaller stones and pebbles filled-in all around the spaces made by the big stones.  In the end, the glass was completely full and it contained all of big stones as well as the little stones and pebbles.

I sometimes notice that that is exactly how my relationship with Jesus is.  My "Large Stones" are:

Daily Mass and Communion

Daily prayer 

An awareness and contrition for my sins and going to confession often

Fasting - small sacrifices from certain foods two days a week

Reading scripture and meditation

Spiritual reading 

 When all of all of these "Large Stones" are in place in my life, then all of the details, the pebbles and little stones of my life, become those of God.  God fills Himself into all the little crevices of my life and being.  I am a better person for it; I begin to do more for others and try to think more of them than I do of myself.  

This is exemplified in John 15:4  "Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  I am the vine, you are the branches." It is only when I am abiding in Jesus, by living according to His Will, and fulfilling all of the "Large Stones" outlined above, then I am able to produce fruit for building His Kingdom.


Before we had our first meeting about the mission, I was apprehensive because I wondered what and how much would be expected from all of us.  We would be trying to put together a mission that will serve a great number of people and we would be planning it somewhat blind.  Other than Father William and Lisa, none of us are familiar with the surroundings, the people, and the available facilities.  


At that meeting, Lisa gave each of us a proposed schedule that we would follow for  the mission itself.  Thursday, late afternoon, we will have registration followed by the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, a short introduction as to what the mission will be about, the first novena prayer and end with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the Rosary, and Benediction.   Friday and Saturday will begin at 7:30 am and end at 8 or 9 pm.  The days are interwoven with much prayer, music,  and several talks and workshops.  We will pray the Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, the Angelus and Stations of the Cross.  Mass is celebrated each day and the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available on Saturday evening.  We will also have Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament  and Benediction each day.  On Sunday, we will end the Mission with Mass and then the Bishop will lead us in the Enthronement Ceremony where we will publicly proclaim Jesus as King of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  As Lisa states so beautifully: "The public proclamation brings untold blessings.  I have been told that when you take what is already in your heart, which is the love for Jesus and then take it one step further in the faith journey and publicly say:  'Jesus, I make you King and Friend of my family, school, parish, etc., the graces that flow are boundless!  God will not be outdone in generosity!'" 

After I saw and thought about the proposed schedule and the Enthronement Ceremonly of the Shrine at the conclusion of the Mission, my heart was filled with joy because I knew that all of the Prayer, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the talks and the Sacrament of Reconciliation will provide the skeleton of the mission;  the "Large Stones".  What will happen in-between these "Large stones" will be all of God's Work. 


The one thing that I do know for certain is that it will be an amazingly grace-filled experience for all present...there and here as we travel together in His Heart spiritually so that we may draw ever closer to Him and each other and bear fruit by spreading the "Good News"!


And so, it is our continued prayer to Let the Work Be All His- both in the "Large Stones" and in the "Small Stones and Pebbles" of this Enthronement Mission.


These are pictures taken of the Enthronement from a previous pilgrimage to Father Williams parish in Nyang'oma-truly a gift from above:

Sacred Heart of Jesus, filled with Infinite Love....Pray for Us

Immaculate Heart of Mary....Pray for Us

God is always in the Details...

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We don't always see it, but God is always in the details.  

This is just one small example of God being so very present in all of the details.

This is a picture of Father William Oruko in front of the Shrine of the Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which is the shrine where we will be presenting the Mission on the Enthronement to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Lisa took this picture of Father William on one of their two previous trips to Kenya.  When Lisa sent me the picture I was happy and surprised to see that the stone placed in the plaque for the Shrine was blessed by Blessed Pope John Paul II.  But the dates of the blessing was truly what surprised me:  September 18th - 20th.  We are leaving Knoxville late on the afternoon on September 17th and arriving in Nairrobi on September 18th. The mission at the shrine begins on September 20th.  What a precious coincidence!  Or, maybe not a coincidence?!  In any event, the fact that we are arriving in Nairobi and then beginning the mission on the anniversary of the blessing is lovely conicidence and we will certainly ask for Blessed Pope John Paul's intercession  during this time of preparation and planning!

Blessed Pope John Paul II...pray for us!

Sacred Heart of Jesus...pray for us!

Rosa Mystica...pray for us!

"My Food is to Do the Will of Him who sent me, and to accomplish His work."

I love to eat.  Or, more specifically, I love to eat good, delicious food.  I grew-up and lived on Long Island in New York until I was almost 26 years old.  I consider New York to be one of the finest places to grow-up if you love to eat.  The pizza, bagels, deli, Chinese food and diner breakfast food are just a few examples of the many excellent eats that you can find in New York.  I also have a great love and attatchment to hot, delicious cups of tea throughout the day and I am addicted to pretzels.

Lisa, whom I think of as our Team Leader, has been to Kenya with Father William on two previous occasions.  I have picked her brain with regard to all of the little travel things that we will encounter, but I have especially asked her about the FOOD.  If I am hungry and without necessary nourishment or in need of a hot cup of tea,  I can get pretty cranky and I am just not a lot of fun to be around - just ask my husband, Ray.  He can tell you all about it!  I really do not want to be a bother to anyone on this trip.  I do not like being around people that tend to complain or whine about every little thing.  So, I am a trifle preoccupied with wondering how I am going to keep myself from grumbling when I am feeling that I am in great need of some nourishment.

I was reading the story of the Samaritan Woman in the Gospel of John the other day. Chapter 4 opens up with Jesus traveling through Samaria. It is about noon and Jesus, tired and hungry from his work and travels, sits down next to a well. His disciples leave Jesus there to go and find food from the town. While Jesus is sitting there, a Samritan woman comes up to the well with her jug to draw water.

When Jesus asks her for water, she is astonished because he is a Jew and she is a Samaritan.  Jesus explains:   "...If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, 'give me a drink', you would have asked him and he would have given you living water". The woman, not understanding what Jesus is telling her, responds: "Sir, you don't even have a bucket and the cistern is deep: where then can you get this living water?"

 Jesus responds:  "Every one who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."  The Samaritan woman is enthusiastically desirous of what Jesus offers: "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst nor come here to draw."

Jesus then asks the woman to call her husband. She states openly that she does not have a husband.  Jesus, who knows her heart, agrees with her that indeed, the man that she is presently with is not her husband and that she has had 5 husbands before this man.  The woman, again astonished, says that she perceives that he is a prophet.  The discourse between them continues as Jesus speaks of salvation for all men:  "...You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know for salvation is from the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who whorship him must worship in spirit and truth."  The woman tells Jesus and that she knows that "...the Messiah is coming; when He comes, He will show us all things."  Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he."

The disciples return from town just at this point in the Gospel with food for Jesus to eat.  They see that Jesus is speaking with this woman and they are surprised at this but say nothing.   Then, the woman leaves her water jug at the well and goes to the town to tell every one about Jesus.

 The disciples urge Jesus to eat but He says in reply: "I have food to eat which you do not know...My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to accomplish His work."

This is one of my favorite gospel passages.  Jesus' humanity is so clearly seen in his hunger and weariness; His divine nature is shown when he tells the woman straight-out about her having 5 husbands.  Jesus knew her explicitly - her heart, her works, and her sins and yet, He was the one to reach out and offer to her His Living Water.

When the disciples finally come with the food, Jesus does not want it until He is finished his conversation and work with the woman.

His work nourishes Him in a way that the food does not...and so it is and will be with us!

In the end, the woman leaves her water jug at the well so that she can run into the town to tell her friends about Jesus.  She is converted; she has received the living water and had no further need of her jug for nourishment.

The passage concludes:  "Many Samaritans from that city believed in Him because of that woman's testimony..."and so it is and will be with us!

The fulfillment of doing for othes nourishes us spiritually in a way that surpasses any physical needs that we may have.   I am very blessed to be a communion minister.  I am grateful to be able to distribute Jesus' Precious Body or  Jesus' Precious Blood during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. I am also thankful  to be able to bring communion to those that are unable to come to mass due to age or illness...it is truly a gift for me which words can not express.    God is amazing and I am grateful to see His words reflected in my heart when I am able to do His work:  "...I have food to eat which you do not know."

I know that when we arrive in Kenya I will not have my creature comforts around me - especially the food that I will want!  I will try to remember this passage, this post, and this reflection so that instead of becoming cranky or irritable, I will make a very small sacrifice on behalf of Jesus and what He has asked us to do...Let the Work Be His!   I hope and pray that I may be so spiritually nourished that I will not miss the food or the tea...for it is my greatest desire to "Do the Will of Him who sent me, and to accomplish His work."

As an aside, one of our favorite family movies at Christmas is Scrooged.  In the last scene, Bill Murray gives a speech in which he passionately expresses, in true Bill Murray fashion, how spiritually nourished he is when he gives more to others then he gives to himself.  If you click on the link below, you can hear and see his speech:

http://youtu.be/3kX6rf9uw7w


Thank you for your continued prayers and support as we work together to bring His Hands and His Feet and His Heart to all we meet.