Pleasant Changes

Cannot believe the sunny part-of-a-day we have had today....and the good temp...23 or so.  Feels like a heat-wave!  We have had such cccoooollllldddd temps for the last couple of weeks.

Hope your 2015 has begun well and moving just as well.  How are you at New Year's resolutions?  Lots of them?  Hope not.  Cause then we forget...at least I did...what all we planned.  It is best to  reflect on how/where do I want to make a change...and concentrate on that.  One good, serious intent!

Remember:  each day is a new beginning!

BLESSINGS on your 2015....and your plan to change...and become a "better version of yourself" as Matthew Kelly suggests.

Home again...home again....

Yes, I am back in Milwaukee....safely....thank the Lord.  No weather related issues, but certainly scheduling issues. My flight to Denver was no problems at all...return was a totally different story with a two hour delay in departure.  With our time change of an hour ahead, that was LATER.  Then my shared shuttle took the other passengers all over Milwaukee first....or so it seemed, getting me home at 3:30 a.m......yes, morning!  The one plus was that I got to see the city's Christmas decorations, really beautiful....trees all lit up.  It IS helpful to find the positive!

Now we are truly freezing....30 below is nothing to sneeze at...although if we are not careful we will be sneezing!  And more snow is predicted for tomorrow.  At work all meetings scheduled for this evening were cancelled and tomorrow the schools are closed.  Can you imagine the kids?

Hope your holy/holidays were restful, renewing, and joy-filled.

I just have to share the homily I heard on Epiphany.  The presider compared the Magi's gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the gifts we share with our parishes:  time, talent and treasure.  I thought that was a good connection.

So, I pray your 2015 brings you the blessings you need in this new year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR..... 

MERRY CHRISTMAS....

Indeed MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I hope you have a WONDER-FILLED and a WONDERFUL  CHRISTMAS....

It is now 2:59 a.m. and am on my way to the airport.  Have an emergency at home in CO so have an unexpected Christmas home-visit.  Have not been home for Christmas in a long time...but the others were exciting and joy-filled ones.

Life is like that...it varies....and what do I read so often?  Live life with open hands...

The one wonderful thing is that we have no snowy or icy roads and it is not freezing cold.

I pray that your Christmas is filled with all the special blessings of this holy season....and that they overflow into 2015!

Gaudate Sunday....

Gaudete Sunday meaning REJOICE Sunday....we light the third candle....the pink one!  Just two more Advent weeks.  Then we celebrate Jesus' birthday.  Celebrate the reason he came.

REJOICE....that was the theme of this past Sunday's readings...a reminder how we are to be a joyful people.  And truly we have lots for which to be joyful....take a few minutes and reflect on your joys. True, especially our world, our country has so many issues...and often our families, but in the midst of it all...we can find some "joy" pearls...important to keep ourselves positive.

In Sunday's noon message, Pope Francis emphasized JOY....he said "Man's (and woman's) heart desires joy,  Every family, every people aspires to happiness."  He said we are to be "missionaries of joy" and how joy should be part of our lifestyle.

Let's take up Pope Francis suggestion to be missionaries of joy in our families, our neighborhoods, our workplace.

REJOICE!

A Special Day....

Yes.  Today is a special day....December 12th....feast of OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE.  We celebrate Mary appearing to the Indian Juan Diego in 1531 on the hill of Tepeyac in Mexico.  She asked Juan to go to the Bishop and tell him that she wanted a church built where she appeared to him.  Of course the bishop thought:  certainly the Mother of God would NOT come to some insignificant ignorant fellow...so he asked for sign.

And a sign the Mother of God gave him.  When she chatted with Juan Diego again he told her of his conversation with the bishop.  She told him to pick some flowers....winter, no flowers, but there they were, and some not peculiar to Mexico.  Juan put them in his tilma (cape) to take to the bishop.  When Juan opened his tilma to give the flowers to the bishop....on his tilma, imprinted was the image of the Lady with whom he spoke.  Of course the bishop believed.  How much like this doubting bishop we are sometimes!

The events of Guadalupe remind us that regardless of who/what we are, we are called to be bearers of Christ...to bring Christ into our families, neighborhoods, workplace, parish....wherever we are.

Where are YOU called to bring Christ TODAY?

Gracious God,  empower me to be the image of your Son today.  To image Jesus to all I meet and    also to recognize Jesus in everyone who is a part of  my life.

wonders continue............

Yes....myriad wonders, but I do not always take note as I am "stuck" with being grateful for the "wonders" of our temps....it is absolutely unbelievable that our December is bringing us such beautiful temps. The weekend, they say, will be in the 40's.  Thank you, God!
Appreciate this...for it shall not last.

And, of course, it is my favorite liturgical season as well: advent....season of watching and waiting and slowing down and quiet...as we prepare to celebrate a special birthday...our Saviour's.

In our preparation, we listen to John the Baptist "proclaiming a baptism of repentance."  To share Janet Schaeffler's thoughts: "Perhaps before looking into the manger (or to the commercials, decorations, gift-buying, etc.) we need to listen to John... (who) emphatically tells us to repent...a simple "about face".  We turn away and turn toward something new.

John's message, the message of Advent, invites us to ask ourselves: Have I gone deep enough?  Am I just living on the surface?  Does the busyness of Christmas preparations disrupt time for prayer, for deepening my relationship with Jesus?  Is my pre-Christmas calendar so full that there is no time for the people in my life, no time for caring for those who are hurting?"

Lots to look at, reflect, take in...and act.

ADVENT BLESSINGS...

Wonders

Yes, I am still singing the wonders of our temps...thank you, God, again for keeping the cccooolllddd far from here for a long while yet....I hope and pray, but knowing Wisconsin....it will be here sooner than I want....although as I look out my window I see the trees swinging which means there is a breeze....and I'm sure it's not a mellow one.

Anyway to my favorite topic at this time:  ADVENT.  Second Sunday today.  We had a wonderful homily on PATIENCE...something I need greatly.  Have never been a patient person.  I want everything to go JUST right...as I...I...I want it and right now.

Fr. noted three helps:  slow down, watch your expectations, and let go.  Told myself to try them.

Then, for our reading, we had John the Baptist.  My reflection book has a really good idea: 
"Perhaps before looking into the manger (or to the commercials, decoration, gift-buying, etc.) we need to listen to John....who emphatically tells us to repent, which is one of those religious words we might miss.  Yet it is simple (and challenging): an "about face."  We turn away and turn toward something new...

The message of Advent invites us to ask ourselves: Have I gone deep enough?  Am I just living on the surface?  Does the busyness of Christmas preparations disrupt time for prayer, for deepening my relationship with Jesus?  Is my pre-Christmas calendar so full that there is no time for the people in my life, no time for caring for those who are hurting?"

The author then suggests that we place a picture of a traffic turn-around sign on our fridge or com-
puter screen...suggesting we look at where we might do an "about-face" turnaround, these Advent days.

Quite the challenges these days.  Let's wish each other luck and ADVENT BLESSINGS..........