“When we come to Ash Wednesday, we have ashes on our foreheads; then we come to the annual problem: what to do for the rest of the day. Jesus told us to beware of practicing our piety before others.”
“Faith is doing what may not be the most natural thing but is the right thing. It is the letting go of my personal will and putting it in God’s hands while still using the intellect and reasoning ability that God gave me at my birth to do what is right and what I should be doing.”
“One of the disciplines or practices on which we’ve been working hard for the last few years is the use of the “I” statements. “I” statements are used to indicate our personal beliefs, thoughts, opinions, and positions, as opposed to “we” statements which lump us in with others who may or may not share our thoughts and beliefs.”
“For the survivors, confronting memories that have haunted them for years, gave them a chance to show their children and grandchildren part of their history in a way that would help them to understand where their family members had been and what they had experienced.”
“A small family of mother, father, and infant, walked into the temple and Simeon immediately understood that this was the moment for which he had been waiting.”
“In times of personal fog, I keep waiting for Jesus to appear and wipe away the blur. Sometimes it doesn’t take long; sometimes it might take months, depending on the depth of the trauma and the remembering to breathe before taking one small step at a time. Also, I still have to trust that I will make it through the fog. Jesus is good for that. He only asks that I trust him, even if it’s not 100% trust. Even a baby step will bring him closer and able to wipe the fog away.”
“Lights in the window indicate a welcome home and a light to shine in the darkness to guide people. We need to be windows with candles inside. As Christians we need to obey Jesus, to spread the good news, and that means to be joyful, to be eager, and to be welcoming.”
I’ve been dreading this new year. So far I haven’t been disappointed. It seems to be picking up right where the old year left off, and that’s not what I was hoping would happen. But as the old saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
“I can’t plan an epiphany, but I learned that they could happen at any time, anywhere, and about almost anything. It’s a joyful moment, and it’s a discovery that changes my perceptions.”
“The Twelfth Night should remind us that there’s joy in giving, just as surely as we are reminded of the gifts of the wise men tomorrow as we celebrate.”