February 22, 2021

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera
My reflection today:
“I believe God will always answer your questions and He will also answer your prayers, but many people think that the answers are always ‘yes’. And that’s not the case. Sometimes the answer has to be ‘no’. It may not be what we want to hear, but if that’s the answer God gives, we have to accept His wisdom. I don’t believe for a moment that sometimes God doesn’t hear me or that He says, ‘I’m not going to answer Mary Lou on this one.’ When I was a child, I sometimes wondered, as we all do, why God ‘didn’t answer.’ Wasn’t I praying the right way? Hadn’t I been as good a girl as I could possibly be? Had He stopped loving me? As I matured in my faith, I came to see that all the times I thought God wasn’t listening, He was actually saying, ‘No’ or ‘Not now, you’ll have to wait.” – Mary Lou Retton
This has come up so often. I’ve heard people say God never listens to my prayers. I believe that God always listens but sometimes it’s not the answer that we want. I’m sure all the families who have had a loved one who is been very sick or died from Covid is feeling that their prayers were not answered. May God give them the strength that they need to get through these difficult times.

February 21,2021

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera
My reflection today:
“Don’t ever forget that you are unique. Be your best self and not an imitation of someone else. Find your strengths, and use them in a positive way. Don’t listen to those who question the choices you make. Travel the road that you have chosen, and don’t look back with regret. Remember that there is plenty of time to travel another road – and still another- in your journey through life. Take the time to find the route that is right for you.” –  Jacqueline Schiff
During this Lenten season God gives us the time to reflect on what road we want to travel.
Let’s take the time to reflect and see where God is calling us.?

February 20, 2021

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera
My reflection today:
“We can’t always be peaceful and loving, even when we have the best intentions. Unexpected events can stimulate fear. Buttons can be pushed. A burst of anger can lead us to words we will later regret. No emotion is right or wrong. All emotions are natural.
It is so important that we be gentle with ourselves and accept our emotions without judgment, no matter what is going on. Acceptance releases negative energy.
Just knowing that there are times when we are powerless over our feelings can be the beginning of peace. Turning our emotions over to a power greater than ourselves, and trusting that God can and will do for us what we cannot do for ourselves, can bring us peace.” – Ruth Fishel
Each day we need to be gentle with ourselves and with others. It is difficult during this pandemic but it is needed no more than ever. When we find things overwhelming, we need to pause, take a deep breath, and get in touch with God’s presence within us

February 19, 2021

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera
My reflection today:
“Perhaps the most important time to pray is when we are swayed by the insistence of other people to use force (or manipulation) instead of staying with patient love.
Power is a great temptation. The world is run by it. Nations use guns, threats, terrorism. We, in our private world, use nagging, silent treatment, signs of contempt, and other forms of bully tactics. Jesus denied himself all these weapons of control. We must do the same.” Rev. Isaias Powers C.P.
Unfortunately, with social media people sometimes destroy others without even thinking about it. If they were speaking to that particular person they probably wouldn’t say what was said on social media. The cancel culture is very scary.
Dear God, help us to be wary of the easy way. We could get what we want more effectively if we forced people to do our will. Make sure we pray about it when we’re tempted to take shortcuts into someone else’s soul. You don’t force anyone. You always give us a choice. Let us do the same. Make sure we stay true to ourselves. Amen

February 18, 2021

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera
My reflection today:
In your prayers, do not babble as the pagans do; for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask. Matthew 6:7-8
“ During these four days, we are getting ready to let Jesus train us in those dispositions of heart and mind that are summed up by the six phrases of the Our Father. Each of the phrases is preparation for prayer itself.
Communication with God allows the same principles as communication with our friends. As friendships grow, words become less important, less necessary. The more our understanding deepens, the less need we have for talking. We can complete each others sentences, knowing the mood by instincts born of love.
So it is with prayer. Once we have learned the basics we increase our stillness and draw ourselves into a quiet place, learning to listen to God‘s communication to us. This communication is more like the instincts of deep friendship than the well-thought-out presentation of an appeal. God knows what we need before we ask him. Let us not ‘babble.’” – Rev. Isaias Powers C.P.
Think about three endeavors you are relatively good at, in your work, hobbies, sports. Remember how hard it was in the beginning, how many hours you spent learning what is now almost at for less. Thanks to this mastery in fundamentals, you have much more energy for the more important things. In addition, reflect, gratefully, and the way your friendships have grown through the years. Lent gives us the opportunity to increase our time in prayer.?

February 17, 2021

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera
My reflection today:
“Jesus said, ‘Be on guard against performing religious acts for people to see. Otherwise expect no recompense from your heavenly Father…. Whenever you pray, go to your room, close your door, and pray to your father in private.” Matthew 6:1-18
“Jesus, my Lord, it’s easy, on the surface, to understand your words. Prayer is a quiet work; it is how I give God the hospitality of my attention so that I may thank him, listen to his advice, hear the ways he wants to work with me. Prayer is not a ‘show off’ thing – to make me think I am better than others because I pray longer or use more words. That much is easy to understand.
But I need the grace of today’s Gospel to help me with the deeper sense of ‘praying to God in private.’ I need your help to still all my worries and remembered hurts when I try to be quiet. Help me to clear my mind from all the debris of distraction when I do give time this Lent to settle down to prayer.” – Rev. Isaias Powers, C.P.
Lent is a time the church gives us to come closer to God. One way to do that is through prayer.
When you set aside 15 minutes or half hour for prayer, ask Jesus to help you really become still. If distractions come, just remind yourself – gently – this is God’s time… and return to your mood of attentive quietness.?
May be an image of text that says 'ASH WEDNESDAY'

February 16, 2021

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera
My reflection today:
“The last day before Lent is a weird mix of happiness and sadness. We say goodbye to the joys of winter. We look forward to the coming of Easter. Perhaps the people who keep this day the most wildly are the ones who intend to keep Lent the most seriously.
For over a thousand years, most Christians kept Lent by not eating animal products. It’s unusual that a custom would be kept by Christians in both the East and West, but that’s how important this tradition was. It probably begin out of necessity. The coming warm weather would spoil foods in storage. Also, late winter and early spring are the animals’ birthing season. By not eating animal products at this time of year, people helped a new generation get off to a healthy start.
At Carnival all meat, butter, cheese and eggs got used up in a final feast before the lenten fast. Making pancakes and donuts uses up a lot of these ingredients. Russians called the days before Lent ‘butter week’. In some countries, the last day before Lent is called donut day or pancake day. The Irish call it ‘Ash Eve.’ The French call it Mardi Gras which means fat Tuesday.
In Venice, at midnight on Ash Wednesday Eve, a straw figure named Carnevale, whose body has been stuffed with fireworks, is burned in a fire in Saint Marks Plaza. In some places last year‘s Palm Sunday branches are burned with an effigy of an old man winter, and so Lent’s ashes get made at the same time that winter burns up.”
Happy Mardi Gras!

February 15, 2021

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera
My reflection today comes from Fresh Bread:
“The winter of our lives gives us the opportunity to grow in courage. The winter of our lives takes patience, self-sacrifice, self discipline, and faithful love. Courage helps us to accept what cannot be changed and to struggle through what needs to be changed. Courage helps us to gently say what we believe, to hold onto what we know is a value despite the risk of rejection, doubt or failure. Courage enables us to offer forgiveness knowing there may be no response, to give generously of our time and have a little left to warm our own weary hearts. Courage empowers us to try again when there seems to be only repeated failure, to love wholeheartedly even though all the odds seem against that love being received or returned.” – Joyce Rupp
People who have the gift of courage are those who can feel angry, hurt, or depressed, yet can bounce back into life and out of fear of laughter and enthusiasm to other lives as well as their own

February 14, 2021

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera
My reflection today:

“There probably were two Valentines, both murdered around the year 269. One of them may have been the Bishop of Terni, Italy. In those days of persecution, Christians met secretly and hid their faith to protect their lives. Bishops were unable to hide and we’re often the first Christians in their communities to be tortured and killed. Often a bishop died in the hope that other Christians would not be hunted out.
The other Valentine was a priest and physician in Rome. A legend says that he sent letters of love and encouragement to the people of his community who lived in fear of persecution. From that legend the practice of sending valentines on his feast day may have begun.
But there is another explanation for the custom of sending valentines. In the Middle Ages people believe that on February 14, the day Saint Valentine died, birds begin choosing their mates for the springtime. So this day came to be thought of as the perfect day to choose a sweetheart.”
Thank God that we are not under persecution.
We have religious freedom. Father Tom shared at Mass today if you don’t have a valentine, let Jesus be your valentine. Even if you do have a valentine, let Jesus be your Valentine.

February 13, 2021

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera
My reflection today comes from Fresh Bread:
“Courage does not mean just gritting our teeth for an endurance test. Courage does mean drawing from an inner source, relying on the Lord‘s strength to give us the confidence we need. Courage means never giving up. It means believing that we can make it, not on our own power (although we do have a great inner resource of resiliency), but on the divine power that is always available if we ask for it. Courage is never learned overnight. It results from long years of practice and patience, being brave enough to face what life sends us. Courage is growing through the hardships of life without bitterness, discontent or disillusionment. With courage, the struggle can develop in us a mellowness and a deeper sensitivity to just have tender and special the human spirit really is.” – Joyce Rupp
During this pandemic, we need courage now more than ever. God‘s strength in us will get us through our difficulties.
It’s not always easy, some people are dealing with much more than others. We need to tap into God‘s presence within us.?