August 18, 2020

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera
My reflection today is from Fresh Bread:
“ A good question to ask is ‘ Why do I worry?’ and ‘What do I worry about?’ The many reasons why we give in to this chronic disorder of the spirit include:
-A lack of belief in how much God deeply and personally cares for us.
-A persistent attitude that says we can do it all by ourselves, without God’s power at work in us. This is a response to life which emphasizes. ‘I’ll manage it by myself’ instead of a gospel response of ‘Let what you have said be done to me’ (Luke 1:38)
-A difficulty in accepting the reality that not all of life will be positive, that life bears the marks and smudges of our own and others’ human weaknesses, a Pollyanna approach which insists that life must always be fair, comfortable and serene.
-A poor memory which often or quickly forgets that growth can happen through both success and failure.” – Joyce Rupp
I find Joyce’s words challenging yet so needed especially during this pandemic.
I don’t know about you, but I find it is so much easier to find God in our lives when everything is going well.
It is harder to find God when we are anxious or worried about things.
Let us ask God to give us the grace to put our cares and concerns in the palm of God‘s hand.

August 17, 2020

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera
My reflection today continues from Fresh Bread:
“In a beautiful little book, Making All Things New, Henry Nouwen points to worrying as a major hindrance of spiritual growth: ‘ One of the most notable characteristics of worrying is that it fragments our lives. The many things to do, to think about, to plan for, the many people to remember, to visit, or to talk with, the many causes to attack or defend, all these pull us apart and make us lose our center. Worrying causes us to be all over the place, but seldom at home. One way to express the spiritual crisis of our time is to say that most of us have an address but cannot be found there. We know where we belong, but we keep being pulled away in many directions, as if we were still homeless. All these other things keep demanding our attention. They lead us so far from home that we eventually forget our true address, that is, the place where we can be addressed.:” – Joyce Rupp
These next few days Joyce Rupp will be addressing worrying. All of us at times worry about one thing or another but this reflection and the following days will be putting worrying in perspective

August 16, 2020

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera
My reflection today is from Fresh Bread:
“ Have you ever thought about all the time we spend worrying? Mark Twain said that most of the things we worry about never happen. But we go on worrying anyhow…..

Yet worrying keeps us from being free, from noticing and enjoying life’s goodness. It focuses on what is unknown, or on what we think will soon be there to torment, shame, or haunt us. Worrying saps away our inner energy because we spend so much time tossing and turning over the ‘what ifs’ and the ‘maybes.’ Worrying distracts us from our vision, our goals and dreams. It shakes fingers at us and causes us to distrust ourselves. Worrying eats the heart out of peace and tends to keep us occupied with ourselves instead of with God and the people of God.” Joyce Rupp

I remember Sister Francine Marie saying to me. “ Worrying is like a rocking chair, you just keep going back and forth but get nowhere.”
Let us stop worrying about what we have no control over and give everything over to God.

August 15, 2020

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera

My reflection today: I was thinking about sharing this prayer a few days ago on my anniversary. It popped up today on my Facebook page so I guess God wants this shared today.

A friend of mine wrote the music to this prayer that was written by the founder of the Sisters of Mercy.

August 14, 2020

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera
My reflection today:
“Always see the goodness in this world, do your part in helping those less fortunate, walk hand-in-hand with those of less talent, follow those of more knowledge, and be an equal with those who are different.
Find your special purpose in this world so full of choices, and helped lead those who stray.
Become your own individual – set yourself apart from those who are the same.
Have the self-confidence to say no when it is necessary and the strength to stand alone.
Give yourself the approval to love and respect everything that you are and will become.
Reap the fruits of your talents, walk with pride down the road of life, be humble in your successes, and share in the praises and joys of others.
Most of all, be happy.
For when you are happy, you have the key that will open all of the worlds doors to you.” -Jackie Olson
This is quite a tall order considering what we are going through right now. It certainly is not as difficult as what St. Maximilian Kolbe went through. He was a Polish Catholic priest who offered to die by starvation for another prisoner in Auschwitz. This was the punishment because someone escaped from the prison. when things seem overwhelming or difficult stop and pray to Saint Maximilian.

August 13, 2020 #2

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera
My reflection today:
“Carry These Gifts With You Always…
 “Joy in your heart, your mind, your soul.
Peace with yourself and with the universe.
Harmony.
Courage to feel, to need, to reach out.
Freedom to let yourself be bound by love.
Friendship.
Wisdom to learn, to change, to let go.
Acceptance of the truth and beauty within yourself.
Growth.
Pleasure in all that you see in touch and do.
Happiness with yourself and with the world.
Love.” – Maureen Doan

These are gifts given to us by our loving God. As someone once said, it’s the simple things in life. These are the gifts that will bring us true happiness and joy.?

August 12, 2020

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera

My reflection today:

Be thankful and look to every new day with positive hope.

Take time to pull yourself away from all the noise and just look around you. Take inventory. Appreciate those who have enhanced the quality of your life, and remember that they have been a gift to you also remember that you’re a gift to them, too

Be grateful for the choices you’ve made, both good and bad. Accept your mistakes; you can’t change them anyway. Apply what you’ve learned and go on. Use these lessons to help you with your decisions in life. Appreciate yourself and your own uniqueness.

Go outside and look at the sky. Soak in the atmosphere. Enjoy the colors of the landscape. Feel the textures of every place you are that you’re thankful for. Smile at the world. Don’t allow any negative feelings to creep into your consciousness. Feel the power of your own acceptance. Put a positive spin on every thought you have.

Make every day special. Own it. Enjoy it. Bask in the glory of life. Appreciate the gift of your own life.” – Donna Fargo

I think these words are what God’s Spirit wants us to hear today. Before I share these reflections, I always ask the Holy Spirit to guide me and pray that She does. Let’s let these words sink into our hearts and touch our lives

August 11, 2020

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera

My reflection today comes from Living Faith:

“There are some phrases in Scripture that I carry around like a mental hard candy that I can pull out and suck on in a moment of anxiety or fear to savor the sweetness of God’s promises.

A phrase in today’s gospel is one of these for many:’ Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’ (Matthew 18:4). It’s reassuring to think that toiling away at our own little spiritual chores and works of mercy, without fanfare, will be noticed by God. Looking at national and world events, we can feel so terribly insignificant and powerless to make the world better. It can be easy to despair. But, if we all do our own little part, the whole world can be transformed. This, I think, is what it means to be like a child.

Today, let us all be as aware as children of what’s going on right in front of us. Let us do whatever we can to make God’s promises more true for others.” Aileen O’Donoghue

 This is so true. If everyone in our world followed these thoughts what a better world it would be.  each one of us can begin in our own little world. God gives us the grace to make ordinary things extraordinary.

August 7, 2020

Posted on by Evelyn Rivera

My reflection today:

“ Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.

Circumstances and situations to color life, but you have been given the mind to choose what the color will be.“ – John Homer Miller

There has been a lot that has happened these days. This tropical storm has added many stresses to our lives. Some people are being stretched to the limit with no power, no internet.
And yet, everything was put into perspective for me today. Last night a family called to say their mother was in hospice would I be able to visit.  This woman volunteered her time to do the newsletter for St. Joseph School many years ago. They also wanted Father to perform the sacrament of the sick. Thank God for Father Tom! About an hour after I left she died. It certainly puts everything into perspective for me. Please keep this family in your prayers..?