Changing Focus....

1 Corinthians 13:13...
So faith, hope, love remain, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.

When the pressures of life seem unbearable, it is natural to want to escape. The church has a rich history of religious who chose to leave worldly concerns and turn their attention to God. Their choice was not to escape but to change their focus. The same change can happen to us when we focus on the virtues of faith, hope, and charity. Faith allows us to believe and give ourselves totally to God; hope gives us the assurance that God's way will be done; and love frees us to give ourselves completely to others. Faith, hope, and love are the gifts poured out on us by the Holy Spirit.

How would my life be different if I lived by faith, hope, and charity?

Do I ever let my timetable or expectations cloud my ability to be hopeful? How can I encourage others to be aware of the work of the Holy Spirit that conveys each of these gifts?

Lord, you know the stresses and issues that cloud my mind and heart. Send forth your Spirit that I may with greater clarity embrace and act upon the gifts of faith, hope, and love. Amen.

Passionate Care...

Psalm 8: 4-6:
When I see your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and stars
that you set in place__
what are humans that
you are mindful of them,
mere mortals that you care for them?
Yet you have made them
little less than a god,
crowned them with glory and honor.

Have yu ever found yourself overwhelmed by the beauty of nature? it is humbling to realize that the same God who created all of these things and so much more also created you. But this realization also invites us to reflect on the ways we see God's handiwork in ourselves and in the people aroind us. it's not always as evident as the moon and the stars but it is equally as awe-inspiring! the Cretor of the universe cares passionately about each of us and calls us to the glory and honor for which we were made.

Where have you noticed God's mindfulness in your life today?

How is God's handiwork revealed to you through others?

God of all creation, thank you for your loving and tender care of us. Help me to grow in awareness of the great dignity to which you call us, and to share it with those I meet. Amen.