April 21, 2020

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera

Today is the end of the chapter from Fresh Bread by Joyce Rupp:

“ I would encourage you to savor the days of Easter season, not let them be drudgery for you. When you rise in the morning, pray an act of faith asking the risen Jesus to bless your rising and you’re going forth into the Galilee of your day. Beg for an awareness of the little things of that day.

Before you close your eyes for night’s sleep, recall the days little Easters: What have been your joyful moments? Have you prayed for the grace of God’s re- entry into your life? Have you noticed how Jesus uses other people in your life for his Easter appearances.

May you hear the Savior call your name often in your own garden of life. May those moments inspire you to deeper faith, the kind that can carry you through feasts and seasons when your spirit may not know feelings of alleluia.”

May God continue to open our eyes to the little Easter’s in our life Jesus was in the tomb for three days who knows how many days we will be in the “tomb”.

I believe that we will have a resurrection from this pandemic and pray that we’ve learned many things from it!

April 20, 2020

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera

I am continuing my reflection from Fresh Bread by Joyce Rupp.

“ God is always calling to me, like Jesus called the name of his friend, Mary, in the garden.
I, too, can hear the risen one call my name in the garden of my life if only I will listen, if only I will allow my heart to be surprised and amazed by the things of life that bring me joy: love, care, concern, growth, beauty, friendship, faith, courage, mystery, the life events containing any of these our opportunities to re-enter Easter.
They are invitations to celebrate the risen Lord every day of our lives.
They are calls to look through the disguises of life for God‘s presence and for God’s blessing.”

We are still in the Easter season until Pentecost. Even though we might be having difficult times we are called to look for our little Easters each day!

April 19, 2020

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera

Today I’m going to continue with
sharing from Fresh Bread by Joyce Rupp.

“ I may not always have a high in the sky feeling when I celebrate Easter but I do know that they provide quiet reassurances that God keeps raising dead parts of my spirit to life. I have the hope that comes from knowing that risen Jesus is not just a Bible story. He is here, in my very midst. I have known him in to many little Easters to ever doubt that presence. I have been surprised so often, surprised at how simply the risen Lord is near, at how intensely God visits me, surprised at how much hope simple events have given my heart, surprised at how this hopeful God always re-enters my existence through the people around me.”

Today is divine mercy Sunday, let us reflect on how our risen Lord is present in the midst of all the difficult times in our life.

April 18, 2020

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera

Today’s reflection is taken from Fresh Bread by Joyce Rupp.

“I have discovered yet another way of rejoicing with my feelings do not match Easter’s message.

It is the gift of recognizing and remembering all the “little Easters” of my life throughout the year.

This discovery of the little Easters came upon me one day in April as a woman told me how extremely discouraged she was because her days were just made up of “little things “ that seemed so terribly insignificant and unimportant. During the next several weeks I begin to notice all the “insignificant or little things” in my days. As I did so, a quiet surprise happened inside of me. I was amazed by all the little moments or little Easters, those feelings of joy, surprise, amazement, hope, newness, they get clouded by the tough stuff and the daily dyings. (Why is it that it seems to be so much easier to get caught up in the hard things and the struggles than it is to remember the happy moments?) I began to see how I allowed my spirit to get bogged down in anxieties and problems because I did not notice and celebrate the simple, little surprises. I can know little Easters all year long and, if I develop a recognition of an a taste for them, they will deepen my faith in the resurrection even when I do not feel the joy at the time of its celebration.”

 

April 17, 2020

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera

Today’s reflection is from a poem by Pamela Owens Renfro.

Reach for the Good
There is good in life every day.
Take a few minutes to distract yourself from your concerns-long enough to draw strength from a tree or to find pleasure in a bird’s song. Return a smile; realize that life is a series of levels, cycles of ups and downs-some easy, some challenging.
Through it all, you will learn; you will grow strong in faith; you will mature in understanding.
The difficult times are often the best teachers, and there is good to be found in all situations.
Reach for the good. Be positive, and don’t give up.
This is easier said than done but if we work on it each day we can grow to be more positive and closer to our loving God.

 

April 16, 2020

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera

 

The greeting in our Mercy prayer book for Easter states:

“Oh radiant dawn, shine forth in glory! Christ has burst forth from the tomb.
Give praise, O peoples of the earth. Death is overcome, God triumphs. Alleluia!”
Lord, when I’m afraid or confused, help me lean into your love and joy

April 15, 2020

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera

Today’s reflection is from a poem:

Be positive…Be happy by Ben Daniels

Refuse to be unhappy;
be cheerful instead.
Refuse to let your troubles multiply; just take them one by one.
Refuse to complain about things; learn to improve your surroundings and create your world the way you believe it should be.
Refuse to dwell on the mistakes or disappointments that are sometimes a part of life; instead learn how you can make things better.
Be optimistic.
Be energetic and positive about the things you do, and always hope for the best.
Believe in yourself at all times and in all aspects of your life.
Before you know it, those wonderful dreams you have believed in all your life will come true, and your life will be the happy and successful life that it was meant to be.