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PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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TABLE OF LIFE:

“Time decides who you meet in life, your heart decides who you want in your life, and your behavior decides who stays in your life”  (Ziad K. Abdelnour).

As I move quickly to the close of another year of life and embrace the new year, I have been  reflecting on this quote I read a few years ago.  It is so true isn’t it? Timing of meeting people, friends, partners or acquaintances is just that….timing.  Although, I personally believe that you don’t meet anyone by accident. I believe people are placed in our lives for a PURPOSE….maybe we will or maybe we won’t ever really know that PURPOSE while here on earth. That part is mostly  irrelevant.

After we meet people, yes, the heart does help you decide who will sit at the table of your life. We ask ourselves: How do I feel about who this person is and how they present themselves? What is our connection? Is this person a POSITIVE in my life? Are we complimentary to each other as friends, partners or acquaintances?

Life goes on with our chosen people in life, but our behavior shapes the relationships. Behavior eventually determines who remains at our table of life. Over and over again, I find this to be true.  If someone’s behavior is less than kind, selfish in nature, with undermining PURPOSE, we would do well to rethink if this person should remain in our lives. Certainly, if someone’s behavior is hurting us emotionally or physically, then we must detach and say good-bye, no matter what the immediate cost may be. The long-term benefit will be greater JOY in our lives and a much more enjoyable meal.

These ideas I share today certainly are not necessarily easy to do, but worth a good long thought. May we carefully invite those to our table of life to serve the common good of all.

LOVE:

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I believe that this is an appropriate post for the upcoming event of Valentine’s Day.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy; It does not boast; It is not proud. It does not dishonor others; It is not self-seeking; It is not easily angered; It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. LOVE NEVER FAILS.”

1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-8

After this quote from the Bible, my favorite quote is from Leo Buscaglia:

“What love we’ve given, we’ll have forever. What love we fail to give, will be lost for all eternity.”

May you each have not only a loved filled day, but a love filled life with PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES.

PJP

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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WORD FOR THE YEAR:

Welcome to the New Year of 2021!!

Three years ago I transitioned from selecting resolutions for a New Year to choosing a word for the year. The first year it was TRUST and last year it was GRACE. As usual, I have sifted through my brain since the last few days of 2020 to pick a word that has meaning to me. Last year it took me until January 9; this year about the same! Slow process. Drum roll………my word for 2021 is ‘NOWNESS’.

I came across NOWNESS in something I was reading and it spoke to me for these reasons. First, my life like many of yours, I am sure has been filled with many transitions during the last year. For me, it has been a couple of years with one transition after another………..some I chose and others were not by choice. Nevertheless, transition came and I find myself in yet another transition period. I have also found myself over the last few months with unwelcome thoughts about so many future things……..will I maintain health, will my family be safe, will my finances hold up, will I work next year, will I be able to finish the major house projects I envision. And on and on and on it went every few days. I would have to add that this type of thinking has not really ever been an issue for me. I am positive; I have great faith. Why then this new train of thought? I have no clue as to ‘why’ , but I do know that I am putting a halt to this mindless chatter in my brain. It starts with my NOWNESS spirit for 2021.

  • I have pledged that I will stay in the moment of today, each day
  • I will not give traction to the ‘will I….’ thought
  • I will think instead of the JOY that this moment in this day brings
  • I will breathe deep and enjoy what is here now

Here is a poem, by Claire Boot, writer, that expresses the word well:

hereness and nowness:

hold the hereness

know the nowness

not the thereness thenness

nor the ifness whenness

let go of whatness whereness whyness

leave off the howness whoness whichness

hereness and nowness

sense the Presence that presents as present in the present

take it

it’s a present

Thank you from,

PJP

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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WAITING vs. PATIENCE:

This is a fact of life is it not? When we were younger we waited to become a teenager, then to get the driver’s license, then to turn a legal 21, then to find the right career, partner, first house, to have a family, to get the big promotion, also  waiting in line at the grocery store or the DVM. Even the grapes in the crate above are waiting to be processed into delicious wine! Waiting escapes no one!

Sometimes, the waiting we experience throughout our lives can turn to frustration or even disappointment, especially if we have been waiting a long time for a certain event and the outcome isn’t what we expected or wanted. So, let’s consider an alternative to the feeling of continually waiting…..patience. As my dear mother use to say to me (and often): patience is a virtue!

Patience doesn’t mean that we become powerless and give up, rather, it can be empowering in that we wait, observe and determine when and how to act. One author, Judith Orloff, M.D.  in her article The Power of Patience (September, 2012)  presents the idea of patience as a “form of compassion, a re-attuning to intuition, a way to emotionally redeem your center in a world filled with frustration”.  She further says that she is defining patience as an “active state, a choice to hold tight until intuition says….make your move. It means waiting your turn, knowing your turn will come.”

Easier said than done sometimes, right? However, in life timing is everything and that means you have to ‘wait’ till the correct opportunity presents itself, trusting that the ‘wait’ will be worth it. The key word….trusting the wait.

I also think that maybe sometimes we ‘wait’ on the wrong things…….maybe there are just some things that we should not be waiting for. Worth a few moments in thought I think. Maybe in the big scope of life, a few things we thought were worth the wait, just really don’t matter.

“Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience”  Ralph Waldo Emerson.

PJP

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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GRACE:

There are several meanings of the word GRACE, one of which is ‘unmerited Divine assistance given to humans’ (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). It is freely given and filled with numerous blessings. It cannot be earned, stolen, nor is it based on our worthiness. GRACE …. just is simply GRACE with no attachments, surrounding us, waiting for us to be aware of GRACE, experience it, and use it.

I recently had lunch with a dear friend and we were talking about prayer and how we have developed our prayer life and changes we have added/deleted over time. She reminded me that we should include asking for GRACE in our daily prayers. As I pondered our conversation on the drive home, I realized that I have sort of been taking for granted that I am praying for GRACE automatically in my prayers, that  it is an all inclusive deal in prayer.  However, as I thought more about this, I realized I am wrong about that. I need to specifically ask for GRACE …….and so I started doing just that. It has been interesting to me to note that a few things have happened in the last couple of weeks that I believe were the direct result of the Lord answering my prayer for GRACE.

Our response to GRACE is to live our days here on earth showing GRACE to others with a sense of gratitude, generosity and kind gentleness with those we come in contact with. Our heart and soul can be filled with as much GRACE as we can be aware of. There is no limit. But we must indeed return it to others in our world and beyond in all ways.

“Life is measured in love and positive contributions and moments of grace” ( Carly Fiorina, American business woman and author).

Write down your moments of GRACE each day for five days and then review at the end of that time. I am sure you will find “Amazing Grace”.

 

PJP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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TABLE OF LIFE:

“Time decides who you meet in life, your heart decides who you want in your life, and your behavior decides who stays in your life”  (Ziad K. Abdelnour).

As I move quickly to the close of another year of life and embrace the new year, I have been  reflecting on this quote I read a few years ago.  It is so true isn’t it? Timing of meeting people, friends, partners or acquaintances is just that….timing.  Although, I personally believe that you don’t meet anyone by accident. I believe people are placed in our lives for a PURPOSE….maybe we will or maybe we won’t ever really know that PURPOSE while here on earth. That part is mostly  irrelevant.

After we meet people, yes, the heart does help you decide who will sit at the table of your life. We ask ourselves: How do I feel about who this person is and how they present themselves? What is our connection? Is this person a POSITIVE in my life? Are we complimentary to each other as friends, partners or acquaintances?

Life goes on with our chosen people in life, but our behavior shapes the relationships. Behavior eventually determines who remains at our table of life. Over and over again, I find this to be true.  If someone’s behavior is less than kind, selfish in nature, with undermining PURPOSE, we would do well to rethink if this person should remain in our lives. Certainly, if someone’s behavior is hurting us emotionally or physically, then we must detach and say good-bye, no matter what the immediate cost may be. The long-term benefit will be greater JOY in our lives and a much more enjoyable meal.

These ideas I share today certainly are not necessarily easy to do, but worth a good long thought. May we carefully invite those to our table of life to serve the common good of all.

PURPOSE, JOY AND POSITIVES

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WE I.D.!!   Do we?

I. D.  …..can refer to an ID card or document that verifies we are who we say we are, user ID’s  for our personal technology devices, the ID number of a vehicle etc. Literally, it means identity.

We all have various types of identities: work, family, emotional, spiritual, community…… just to name a few. Perhaps, the most important identity we have is our authentic identity. That core of self that does not wear a mask; that self that is beneath our darkest fears; that raw emotion that is buried deep in our heart. Thus, the authenticity of our deepest being. Sometimes, it takes a lifetime to find our true identity, the type that is really authentic; and a lifetime plus to allow our true identity to bubble up to the surface of our daily lives. There are hurts, pains, wounds, traumas and life experiences, as well as the people in our lives that shape our identity. Sorting it all out can be a daunting task that will evolve during our journey.

I.D……yes, we must work at finding our true identity; the one that shapes our PURPOSE and brings us the greatest JOY in our lives.

WE need to I.D. …….every day, every week, every month, always. How can you I.D. Today?

Maya Angelou says it well: “We have to confront ourselves. Do we like what we see in the mirror? And, according to our light, according to our understanding, according to our courage, we will have to say yea or nay——and rise!”

 

Third Week of Advent: Gaudete Sunday: JOY

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As we light the third candle, the rose/pink candle, we reflect on the joyful/rejoicing anticipation of the birth of Christ. There is a different feel to this week; the somberness of the first two weeks is changed to a lighter tone of JOY. We are still preparing for His coming in both our hearts and our deeds.

Father John Tapp at Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Florida gave a wonderful homily about the meaning of Gaudete Sunday. I will paraphrase and capture his main points. Title: What things in your life really bring you Joy, that deep sense of amazing joy in your heart? Is it that new car, the latest and greatest new gadget that does everything, the coolest new outfit from your favorite store, something your child or grandchild often does that warms your heart, your financial status, and the list goes on. Certainly, there is nothing wrong with feeling happy and joyful about any of these things. BUT the type of amazing, deep inner JOY and peace comes only from Jesus Christ who lives in our hearts. He is always there, but many times other material things that we think bring us JOY overshadow that feeling in our hearts.

I will share with you one of the closest moments to this JOY we are talking about that I experienced 37 years ago. It was a cold winter night in mid February with a new blanket of sparkling 6 inches of snow. My father had unexpectedly passed away only a few weeks before. After dinner that night, I was feeling sad, so I bundled up and took a long walk all the way to the top of a hill above where we lived. In a few moments, the moon shown so brightly that every flake of snow reflected like a diamond. I stopped, took a deep breath and in that moment through my tears, I felt the amazing JOY of Christ and His peace in my heart. I have never forgotten that type of JOY.

May you leave the material things on the second page and put Christ and the JOY He gives on the first page.

PJP

FIRST AND SECOND WEEK ADVENT

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Our Advent Season is well underway; the time that marks the new liturgical year, with hope and time to prepare for the coming of Christ. The color used for these first two weeks is purple, signifying preparation and penance. In the last few years, I have heard Advent referred to as ‘little Lent’ with a deeper focus on sacrifice, repentance, scripture reading and prayer.

As we light the first purple candle on our advent home wreaths, the readings this week center on the coming of Christ and being prepared ‘for we know not when the hour Jesus will come’. He is the Light of the World and can and will overcome all darkness. We are asked to trust, even when life gets messy, difficult, or just plain out of control.

As we light the second purple candle for the second week of Advent, we focus on Peace. This candle is referred to as the Bethlehem Candle as we reflect on Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and the humble beginning of Jesus life. We take time away from the hustle and bustle of our well planned to do lists. This is the Peace only Christ can give us, but we have to stop awhile, pray, read scripture and listen for His voice of Peace.

Find a quiet moment to set aside each day to reflect on how this coming of Jesus, a small baby born in the cold dark night, laid in a manger, will change the course of the world.

”For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

PJP

Our Task: We are Chosen

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Do you ever wonder exactly what it is that God has in mind for you, not only for today but for the future? Now in the fourth quarter of my life, I do spend a lot of time pondering that question. Not so much as in what does he want from me today, but have I really done what He has asked me to do in my life here on earth. Have I REALLY done that for Him? I pray about it often.

Jesus Himself went apart from the group many times to pray and talk to His Father. He prayed for which 12 men to call His Apostles and through discernment and listening to His Father, Jesus chose wisely. The first apostles were not well educated men; they were not wealthy; they had their human flaws and one would even betray him. Here’s the thing: THEY HEARD JESUS CALL AND CHO0SE THEM, SO, THEY DROPPED EVERYTHING AND FOLLOWED HIM. They gave up their homes, families and livelihoods because they were chosen.

We too are chosen, everyday of our lives; God choses us over and over and asks things of us and from us. No matter what our past has been; God continues to choose us again and again, asking us to follow Him, to discern His Will and to lead others to Him.

Just like the picture in the featured image of this blog, life can get pretty tangled up and so many things compete at the root of our lives. Yet, God is still choosing us and calling us to get to the core of things and figure out the best way to follow Him and do His Will in our lives. I don’t know about you all, but I know I have A LOT of work to do and will be praying about how best to do it.

Blessings,

PJP

Our Talents

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Today’s Gospel is an interesting one from Matthew 25:14-30 in that it talks about how we use our God Given Gifts in this life. Now, the gospel reading itself is about a Master who gives his servants Talents, which was a form of currency in that time. Two of the servants reinvest the talents to make more for the Master. The third servant; however, buries his treasure in the ground to basically become stagnant and produce nothing.

So, let’s look at this from the perspective of what blessings God has given each of us and what we do with them. Each one of us receives unique blessings and insights from God Every. Single. Day. Many. Times. A. Day. But what do we do with them? Do we invest them and give them to others or do we bury them in our thoughts and let the moments or situations pass by? We need to be open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit so we can share or pass on our blessings. This isn’t about money….no it’s about our time, our skills to help others, our thoughtful notes to others, our little phone messages or texts to someone we know who is going through ‘things’, our unexpected gift or bag of goodies to someone, a word of forgiveness for something said in haste without really thinking, an offer to lend a hand to others, and most of all praying throughout the day for others.

All we have to do is really just stop and look around our family, our neighborhood or pay attention to other’s request for some type of support or help. These opportunities are everywhere…..But We Have To Hear and See them; then Act.

What can you do today to share a simple blessing with someone?

PJP

August: Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

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August is the month the church has long dedicated to Mary’s Immaculate Heart. She is our Heavenly Mother who longs to intercede for us to her son Jesus.

This devotion was put forward by St. John Eudes in the 17th century after the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima to the three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal (Lucia, Francisco and Jacinto). She appeared to the three children six times between May 13 and October 13, 1917, revealing her Immaculate Heart and asking for the people to pray the daily rosary for peace and the conversion of sinners. This is looked upon as a long reaching and powerful message of faith, hope and charity that we are called to live.

Often times, I think Mary is misunderstood by many. We do not worship her or adore her as we do Jesus; however, we greatly honor her and pray for her help in leading our lives on this journey. We honor her for her ‘Yes” to God to bear Our Savior Jesus. She plays an amazing part in the history of salvation.

The Hail Mary is one of my favorite prayers: “Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”

PJP

Beautiful Music:

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One of my favorite music listens is Christian Worship Music. This is one of my all time favorites: Enjoy!

Step by Step by Rich Mullins. Search on You Tube to play (couldn’t get it to copy to here).

Bonus great song: https://open.spotify.com/track/2fKnX8RINrl4eOG5klOhcZ?si=4ojkNfAVSEK8wbSVd9bDTg&context=spotify%3Aplaylist%3A37i9dQZF1DWVlWpJblBvap

PJP

Parable of the Sower and the Seed: (Matthew 13:1-9)

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Bishop Barron (Wednesday July 23, 2025 Daily Reflection) paraphrases the parable: “The sower sows far and wide, some of the seed landing on the path, where the birds eat it up; some falling on rocky ground, where it is scorched in the sun; some sown among thorns, where life is choked off; and some sown on rich soil, where it bears thirty, sixty or a hundred fold”.

Being a product of a Midwest farming family and community, this parable always speaks to me, reminding me of my roots of my faith and my family. I can see and smell the dark rich soil my father planted the corn and beans in and the wonderful rich soil where we as a family planted the HUGE garden….. I mean really big and it held a lot of weeds. But it provided all of our vegetables and some of our fruits for a whole year, until the next year’s harvest. Of course, that meant freezing and canning. Summer fun!!

The analogy to this is what we plant in the soil of our soul. If we have planted roots of our faith in the Lord and continue to nourish that faith with prayer and the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, the produce of our lives will be good and sustainable. No, not perfect, but definitely good and sustainable. On the other hand, if we only sometimes pray, pick and choose which commandments to follow, or stray from Mass or church services, we will be overcome by the weeds of life and the trends of today’s culture: the biggest weed being sin itself. Smothered by this weed, our faith cannot grow and flourish. It has no roots of rich soil of consistent prayer, reading of scripture, and reception of the sacraments. Then we have the seed that is planted on rocky ground and cannot grow. These are the times that yes we hear about prayer, sacraments, and the Lord’s teachings, scripture readings; but we CHOSE to do nothing about what we hear and see. We don’t practice; thus, faith cannot grow and it will die eventually.

It’s up to each of us individually to decide, to chose, to act on how rich we can make the soil of our soul. Furthermore, soil that is rich enough and has grown deep faith roots, an explosion of fire within us, so that we can pass that faith on to our family and friends.

Blessings for the richness of faith in our lives.

PJP

ORDINARY TIMES: 14th and 15th Sunday

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The last two Sunday’s gospels have dealt with Jesus sending out his disciples in pairs to preach the gospel of peace and the parable of the Good Samaritan, respectively. They go hand in hand in my mind.

First in week 14, the primary message is one of discipleship: with difficulties, challenges and joys encountered. We are to be the hands, ears, eyes, mouth and feet of Jesus here on earth that others may know of His mercy, peace and all encompassing love for all. It is not always easy to share this message, and at times we may even be fearful of sharing the message. However, that being said, we have all been called to share in the Good News of our Lord. Maybe it is in a simple conversation with a friend; maybe it is in responding to someone asking for prayers; maybe it is in a kind unrequested deed to someone. Always it is as we model Jesus way in keeping of the 10 Commandments. That is a given. I do believe that it is true that others may never remember what you say, but they will remember what you did or did not do.

This past Sunday week 15 in the parable of the Good Samaritan, a man has been attacked and left to die along the road. Three people pass him: one goes across the road; the second does basically the same; but the third, a Samaritan, tends to the man. Not only does he rescue him, but he goes the next step and provides for his care during recovery. He a the good neighbor, compassionate, caring and loving the other.

Which one are we in our life journey? Are we the first, second, or are we the Good Neighbor, even to those we do not know? That choice is ours and it must come from our heart, freely given without cost or repayment of our time, effort or money.

Blessings to you Good Neighbor,

PJP

Feast of Corpus Christi: Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ:

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This most joyful beautiful day is the celebration of the wonderful gift of the Eucharist, which Our Lord gave to us at the Last Supper (Luke 9:11b-17). It places honor in the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Yes, He is truly present, not just a symbol of his presence, but truly the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus……our most precious spiritual life giving nourishment. Just as our bodies must be nourished daily to be in good health to feed our physical hunger, so too, the Eucharist is our soul’s nourishment to satisfy our deep spiritual poverty. Historically, this universal feast in the church was established by Pope Urban IV in 1264.

The above picture was from in front of our altar this past Sunday, depicting bread, wine and the chalice, symbols in Christianity that refer to Christ’s flesh and blood. What a joy it is that we as Catholics can receive Christ’s nourishment for our souls everyday at Mass if we choose.

The second topic for this post is that the month of June is celebrated as the Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Many Christians have a picture of the Jesus and his Most Sacred Heart displayed in their home and there are numerous prayers that can be said to honor His Sacred Heart and to petition Him for our needs. I recently had the pleasure of speaking with a priest about some various things. As I was finishing the conversation, the priest told me to say an Our Father and place this along with someone/or something in Jesus most wounded Sacred Heart……one prayer for each entity I wanted to tuck away in His Heart. I tucked in His Heart each of my children, each grandchild, each sibling, friends I knew that were in need, health issues and a few other things pertinent in my life. Along with several Our Father’s and quite a few minutes later, I had a profound sense of peace. On occasion, I have continued to do this at home.

Happy end of June and my you be blessed by His Most Sacred Heart and His Mercy that flows from His heart.

PJP

Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

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On the first Sunday after Pentecost, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity reminding us of what God tells us about the Trinity….one God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The teaching in most Christian denominations is that these three persons are distinct but share the same divine essence. The teaching further says that they eternally exist together, not separate, or one before or after the other. John 10:30 : “I and the Father are one” .

Last Sunday during the sermon, the priest gave an excellent analogy of the Trinity. Here it is: So, take an earthly father. He has the job as a father to his children; a job as a spouse to his wife; and a job as either an employer or employee for a company. Each job has a different role, but each role exists within this same man and each role has a different purpose he must fulfill.

For me, this was a helpful analogy. God our Father is the creator role, Jesus the Son is the redeemer role, and the Holy Spirit unites the believer with Christ providing those seven gifts we receive at Baptism, Confirmation and come to us again in Pentecost. (Shared last week on the blog).

Yes the Holy Trinity is complex, but isn’t it beautiful and the essence of our faith.

PJP