November 30, 2020

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera
My reflection today:
“Advent is a time of preparation. Long ago, the world lived in darkness and sin. God carefully prepared the world to receive his light, Jesus. The prophets urged the world to get ready, to prepare: Jesus is coming, God’s light in our lives.
We need to prepare – but not for an event that happened 20 centuries ago. Instead, we prepare to deepen the significance of that first Christmas in our lives, to open our hearts to the growing light of Christ’s presence in our own darkness and emptiness.” – Terrance Schneider
Can we take five minutes in all of today’s busyness to open our heart to the glowing light and warm love of Jesus?
Let this Advent be a time of real preparation for Jesus the light of the world.?

November 29, 2020

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera
“BE ALERT, BE ALERT, so that you will be able to recognize your Lord in your husband, your wife, your parents, your children, your friends, your teachers, but also in all that you read in the daily newspapers. The Lord is coming, always coming. Be alert to his coming. When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize him at any moment of your life. Life is Advent; life is recognizing the coming of the Lord…” Still, I keep making my mistakes. Tonight I went to see The Stuntman, a movie about the making of a film. The movie was so filled with images of greed and lust, manipulation and exploitation, fearful and painful sensations that it filled all the empty spaces that could have been blessed by the spirit of Advent…Why do we keep missing the most obvious signs of God’s coming and allow our hearts to be filled with all those things that keep suggesting, not that the Lord is coming, but that nothing will happen unless we make it happen?
I hope and pray that Advent will not be filled with stuntman, but with the spirit of Him who invites us to listen carefully to the sounds of the New Earth that are manifesting themselves in the midst of the old.” -Henri Nouwen

During this Advent let us be alert, watching at all the different times our God reveals Himself. 
Maybe because of this pandemic, we won’t be rushing around as much as we have done in the past. We will notice God in each of our encounters.?

November 28, 2020

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera
My reflection for today:
“ The Advent season is about as old as the feast of Christmas itself. In fact, the idea of a ‘getting-ready period’ is much older than that. There has existed a necessary ‘getting ready period’ since the time the Israelites spent 40 years in the desert before they were considered worthy to enter the Promised Land. The prophets, even John the Baptist and our Lord himself took time to prepare for their ministry or for a new revelation from God. It was natural, then, that the Church would set aside certain periods to purge away distractions and prepare for special ‘spiritual visitations.” – Isaias Powers
Advent is expectant waiting, hopeful anticipation, and joyful preparation for God coming into our lives and hearts in all moments, all places, all times: past, present and future commemorating the birth of Jesus welcoming God into our lives every day and preparing for Christ’s second coming. Advent prepares us for these events reminds us there’s joy in waiting and even begins a new year for the Church. Advent is different from Lent because it’s a season of hope, not repentance. Lent is a spring cleaning of our livesAdvent is a cozier time, like getting your home ready to welcome a special guest – Jesus the one we’ve been waiting for.. We can use an Advent wreath, an Advent calendar or a Jesse tree. We can spend some extra time in prayer, be patient with our family members, speak kindly to others, if we can afford it: donate to the food pantry or get a present for the parish Giving Tree. Let us make this Advent season a special time to welcome Jesus in our lives at a deeper level.

November 27, 2020

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera
My reflection today:
“ Oh gracious God, who so generously lavishes our lives with goodness, create in our hearts a deep center of gratitude, a center that grows so strong in its thanksgiving that sharing freely of our treasures becomes the norm and the pattern of our existence. Remind us often of how much you cherish us, of how abundantly you have offered gifts to us, especially in the hours of our greatest need. May we always be grateful for your reaching into our lives with surprises of joy, growth, and unearned love. Amen.” – Joyce Rupp
The Thanksgiving holiday is over but taking time to give thanks is not over. During this upcoming Advent season, let us think of something to thank God for every day! When I hear the story of Jesus healing the ten people who had leprosy and only one returned to thank Jesus; it makes me very sad. Let each one of us be the person that returns to Jesus and thank him for some gift each day.?

Thanksgiving

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera
My reflection today is from the opening prayer at Mass:
“Father all powerful, your gifts of love are countless and your goodness infinite; as we come before you on Thanksgiving day with gratitude for your kindness, open our hearts to have concern for every man, woman, and child, so that we may share your gifts in loving service. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit one God, forever and ever. Amen”
I hope that you and your family have a blessed Thanksgiving! I know some people will be alone and that will be difficult but let us stop and think of the people that went through the pandemic 100 years ago. They had no phones, no Internet, no TV, no social media, all they could do is to write a letter to communicate with their loved ones.
Let us stop and be grateful for all that we have. Let us also pray for all those working in hospitals; doctors, nurses, cleaning personnel, kitchen workers, firefighters, police, EMTs and all those that have to work today.
Thank you God for all the gifts that you give to each one of us.?

November25, 2020

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera
My reflection today:
“Gratitude is a way for people to appreciate what they have instead of always reaching for something new in the hopes it will make them happier, or thinking they can’t feel satisfied until every physical and material need is met. Gratitude helps people refocus on what they have instead of what they lack. And, although it may feel contrived at first, this mental state grows stronger with use and practice.
Here are some ways to cultivate gratitude on a regular basis:
  • Write a thank you note. You can make yourself happier and nurture your relationship with another person by writing a thank you letter expressing your enjoyment and appreciation of that person‘s impact on your life. Send it, or better yet, deliver and read it in person if possible. Make a habit of sending at least one gratitude letter a month. Once in a while, write one to yourself.
  • Thank someone mentally. No time to write? It may help just to think about someone who has done something nice for you, and mentally thank the individual.
  • Keep a gratitude journal. Make it a habit to write down or share with a loved one thoughts about the gifts you’ve received each day.
  • Count your blessings. Pick a time every week to sit down and write about your blessings – reflecting on what went right or what you are grateful for. Sometimes it helps to pick a number – such as three to five things – that you will identify each week. As you write, be specific and think about the sensations you felt when something good happened to you.
  • Pray. People who are religious can use prayer to cultivate gratitude.
  • Meditate. Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on the present moment without judgment. Although people often focus on a word or phrase (such as ‘peace’), It is also possible to focus on what you’re grateful for (The warmth of the sun, a pleasant sound, etc.).” -The Harvard medical journal.
Need I say more. Have a great Thanksgiving eve!

November 24,2020

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera
My reflection today:
“Two psychologists have done much of the research on gratitude. In one study, they asked all participants to write a few sentences each week, focusing on particular topics.
One group wrote about things they were grateful for that had occurred during the week. A second group wrote about daily irritations or things that had displeased them, and the third wrote about events that had affected them (with no emphasis on them being positive or negative). After 10 weeks, those who wrote about gratitude were more optimistic and felt better about their lives. Surprisingly, they also exercise more and had fewer visits to physicians then those who focused on sources of aggravation.
Other studies have looked at how gratitude can improve relationships. For example, a study of couples found that individuals who took time to express gratitude for their partner not only felt more positive toward the other person but also felt more comfortable expressing concerns about their relationship.” – The Harvard medical journal
As I have said most of this month, it is important to be grateful.
It’s nice to see it affirmed in a medical journal. Jesus led us by his example… before he would do anything major
He would stop and thank God. Let us take the time each day to thank God and one another.

November 22, 2020

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera
My reflection today comes from The Flowing Grace of Now:
“ It is understandable that we would want the things that seemingly give us the good life, yet when we choose to dwell on that narrow aspect of wealth, we miss a larger and truer picture of life. In your estimation, what is the good life?

Each day this week, spend a little time contemplating the riches of your life, excluding material or financial riches. What wealth do you possess that you can’t keep in the bank? What are the riches that you cannot buy? What graced gifts can you find only when you are willing to search for treasures within? What natural beauty have you failed to see around you because your mind was focused on what you are missing?” – Macrina Wiederkehr
I have been using this book for my prayer and I thought how appropriate this reflection is for the week of Thanksgiving.
Let us pause to reflect on what are the most important things in our lives that are not material.
Thank you God for all your good gifts!?

November 20, 2020

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera
My reflection today:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7
Saint Paul reminds us not to be anxious about anything.
That is a tall order!
What he is telling us is that God‘s peace is present in our life. Paul reminds us how important it is to be thankful even when we are praying for certain things.?