Lent....what will i do differently

The Church in Her Wisdom gave us two seasons of repentance, change....  Advent and Lent....because left on our own we would never be too serious about introspection...looking within and finding those things that are contrary to a life of Love and trying to change.  i love to think of Lent as possibly my last time celebrating this season ....a final time i will have to really grow and change and leave my mark in this world and prepare myself to meet God and be able to truly say, "i tried my best!".  What peace comes when we know we are trying to get closer to God....closer to becoming more like Jesus.  There is a song called, "I wanna be just like You!"...it refers to parents wanting to be like Jesus because our little children often want to be like us or just inherit our habits both good and bad...but this can surely be applied to us wanting to be like Jesus so others in the world might be able to see Him and want to journey to find Christ for themselves... sometimes for the very first time.  Give a listen....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z8bXcBRIU0

Mohatma Gandhi said ,

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”  i am sure if he met Mother Teresa he would say she was very much like Christ!

We have to seriously look within ....to take time to think every night and every day how am i doing...examine our consciences to see where we need to grow....to ask God to make us more like Jesus and show us what needs change and how to do it.  There are so many resources for this Holy Season of Lent.  Go to a Catholic/Christian Bookstore and find what resonates with your soul...everyone is different so find your personal prescription for Lent.  It is fine to give up things, but better yet to do new things...visit a relative who is alone, find someone who suffers mental illness and love on them...go find the elderly in your family and neighborhood and make soup and visit and eat together....be Christ to others in every possible way ....learn to Love more deeply and you will be transformed to become more beautiful than you have ever been..., not just those you serve.  We have 3 days left....put time aside for the Most Important Work....Soul searching, God chasing and Life Growth and Change.  

Let's ask God that this will be our best Lent so far.  Let's set the alarm earlier to pray....go to our rooms earlier at night to be with God and listen....stop in a church during the day ...find some special Bible Study, Prayer Group, Stations of the Cross, Rosary, Catechesis....maybe daily mass....search and fill your time with more Holy and Beautiful God Focused things and people....them when Easter arrives we will feel like truly rejoicing....and better understand Jesus' Life, Death and Resurrection!

May Our Lent be fruitful with all the changes God wants us to make...don't just clean the house for Spring Cleaning....let's clean our hearts first....let's not just buy new Easter Clothes, but first clean and dress our souls...our hearts, our minds in Jesus Christ.  Remember Prayer, Fasting and Alms giving make a knot that does not break and brings miracles when applied all together.  

May everyone we meet say they like us because we are just like Our Lord and Savior, Jesus!  A Blessed and Fruitful and Life Changing Lent to us all!

til next time.....read this...Is 58:14...the entire chapter

1Cry out full-throated and unsparingly,

lift up your voice like a trumpet blast;

Proclaim to my people their transgression,

to the house of Jacob their sins.

2They seek me day after day,

and desire to know my ways,

Like a nation that has done what is just

and not abandoned the judgment of their God;

They ask of me just judgments,

they desire to draw near to God.

3“Why do we fast, but you do not see it?

afflict ourselves, but you take no note?”

See, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits,

and drive all your laborers.

4See, you fast only to quarrel and fight

and to strike with a wicked fist!

Do not fast as you do today

to make your voice heard on high!

5Is this the manner of fasting I would choose,

a day to afflict oneself?

To bow one’s head like a reed,

and lie upon sackcloth and ashes?

Is this what you call a fast,

a day acceptable to the LORD?

AUTHENTIC FASTING THAT LEADS TO BLESSING

6Is this not, rather, the fast that I choose:

releasing those bound unjustly,

untying the thongs of the yoke;

Setting free the oppressed,

breaking off every yoke?

7Is it not sharing your bread with the hungry,

bringing the afflicted and the homeless into your house;

Clothing the naked when you see them,

and not turning your back on your own flesh?

8Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,

and your wound shall quickly be healed;

Your vindication shall go before you,

and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

9Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer,

you shall cry for help, and he will say: “Here I am!”

If you remove the yoke from among you,

the accusing finger, and malicious speech;

10If you lavish your food on the hungry

and satisfy the afflicted;

Then your light shall rise in the darkness,

and your gloom shall become like midday;

11Then the LORD will guide you always

and satisfy your thirst in parched places,

will give strength to your bones

And you shall be like a watered garden,

like a flowing spring whose waters never fail.

12Your people shall rebuild the ancient ruins;

the foundations from ages past you shall raise up;

“Repairer of the breach,” they shall call you,

“Restorer of ruined dwellings.”

AUTHENTIC SABBATH OBSERVANCE THAT LEADS TO BLESSING

13If you refrain from trampling the sabbath,

from following your own pursuits on my holy day;

If you call the sabbath a delight,

the LORD’s holy day glorious;

If you glorify it by not following your ways,

seeking your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs—

14Then you shall delight in the LORD,

and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth;

I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father,

for the mouth of the LORD has spoken

Men/Women's conferences NJ in March

March 4 and 11 are the Men's and Women's Conferences in the Archdiocese of Newark.  Please pass this info on to those in the Northeast who might be interested in attending.  What a great way to start lent.  Ck it out.

http://www.rcan.org/offices-and-ministries/evangelization/calendar-events

Bienvenue aux Canadiens!

Merci aux Canadiens d'avoir lu mon blog. Je voulais vous envoyer une note de bienvenue pour vous joindre à nous. Que Dieu continue à vous bénir. Loué soit Jésus-Christ! Maintenant et pour toujours!

(a welcome note in French to Canadians who are following my blog)  My family i first met in Italy live in Canada!  i have visited twice and hope to visit again someday!  God bless!  ang

Gott segne unsere deutschen Leser!

Wie gesegnet bin ich, Leute aus Deutschland zu lesen, die diesen Blog lesen. Ich danke Ihnen und wollte Sie in Ihrer eigenen Sprache begrüßen. Ich hoffe und bete, dass Google translate einen guten Job bei der Übersetzung meiner Notiz von Englisch auf Deutsch gemacht hat. Bitte geh weiter mit Christus und bringe das Licht zu deinem Volk. Gelobt sei Jesus Christus! Jetzt und für immer!

(A greeting to my readers from Germany in their own lanuage)   Frank, a friend from high school, his father was from Germany.  His mother became a dear friend of mine after she lost her husband.  They were very holy people.  i had the privilege of ministering musically at both their funerals  The family gave me their blue recliner after they both passed.  Now that is my "prayer chair"  :)

Thank you Sisters in Spirit!

A very special thanks to the Sisters in Spirit Prayer Group in St. Francis Church Ridgefield Park, NJ.  It was a privilege to be with you this week and what a lovely time of deep prayer, teaching and worship we had with Jesus!  Keep shining!  OH HOW HE LOVES YOU!

til next time....watch "How He Loves Us" by David Crowder

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxTOsQ3LDE4

John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Let's go to the Mountain to pray!

How very urgent it is for us to get away from life as we know it here on this earth to pray....to be still...to enter into silence to hear from God.  Retreat....we must find places of retreat, both quick ways to pull away during a day and longer times to be away for a few days at least.  We want to know God, but we often do not invest the time to really find Him and get to know Him for ourselves.  Before the Holy Season of Lent, let's find time to be with God One on one in solitude.  The Fruit is 'Out of this World'!  Jesus Himself set the example.  til next time....meditate on these few verses ...there are many more that refer to when Jesus went off to pray....

Mark 1:35

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

Matthew 14:23

After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.

 Luke 6:12

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.

Mark 6:46 
After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray.

Luke 5:16

But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray

None of us deserve....

As a follow up to the last post, just a reminder....none of us deserve Love...we often have behaved and said things that hurt, but we choose to Love as believers because God requires that of us not because someone deserves it.  And in doing what He asks, the benefits are 'out of this world!'

The Mass Readings today all point in this direction.  Take time on This Sabbath to rest, be restored and pray.  Please limit your work.  A Jewish dear friend of mine told me Sabbath is like experiencing a piece of Heaven while on earth.  We Christians have to get better at this.  It is something i am working on.

til next time, read these Mass readings slowly and with deep intent to understand.  Praised be Jesus Christ!  Now and Forever!

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/021217.cfm

Do for others while they are alive....

Social Media....can be a good tool....but i find it can be used to substitute real people and real encounters.....it can somehow satisfy us that we are really doing well in certain areas of our lives when in fact maybe we are not.

My Father's 4th Anniversary of His Passing to Heaven was this week.  Many many people circulated pictures, comments and videos of Dad which was nice....made lots of comments about him too ....and that was nice too...but the fact is he is on the Other Side....and to put lots of emotions on social media is okay, but Mom and Dad always had a saying...."Do for the people while they are alive!"...."Do for others while they live!"....i know what my Dad would say to all of us....'My wife lives, and is alone alot.  My wife lives and many never call or visit.  Don't wallow in my passing or in emotional ties with me.  Our time has passed....Go visit my widow, call her, sit with her, love and caress her while she lives!  Don't wait until she is gone to weep bitterly over her casket or 4 yrs after on an anniversary'.  In some cases sometimes strangers are more sensitive to these things than one's own close family/friend circle in today's world.  i find that odd.

i saw a women in her late 80's in church sitting with her 20 yr old granddaughter from out of town.  i was sooo happy to see the two of them together and complimented that.  Her granddaughter said "of course!....we all are always with her."  The Elder answered with a smile," they are all at my house every day angie, every single day."  i told her don't ever complain about that, for my Mom would give millions of dollars to have that problem.  How marvelous is that!...How wonderful that a family rallies their elders like that even though they all live at least an hour away.  That's how it was with my grandma....great memories of visiting and calling from childhood thru and including our adulthood. Our parents gave us good example in caring and loving and including the elders.

Well, i write this for a two fold reason...if you have elders in your life, make it priority to call and visit often.  Be creative in your ideas to show your love for them....cards, letters, calls, skype, teach them art, music, language, play games, make a meal that adheres to their diet, flowers, fruit baskets, projects....use the computer to gather a million other ideas....there are no limits to all the possibilities of enriching the lives of others if we get creative.   With cell phones there is no excuse for not taking 1-2 minutes to bring a smile to their face. Rotate a schedule so that each week they look forward to a visit from a different family member and this can ease the pressure of needing to visit too frequently if your schedule does not permit.  Love is important and sitting with someone and just laughing and talking or crying is healthy for them and for us as well.  You know people often feel sorry for a person who is in a nursing home thinking those living in their own home have it better.  In many ways those at home do have it better, but the loneliness is excruciating even with a full time caretaking family member and they are fully aware that they are forgotten already and that at their funeral is when most will come....when it is too late.  Remember they are not ignorant and they know when they don't mean anything to others.  Don't limit your visiting to only three times a yr for holidays.  Anyone can just do that.   Become a regular part of their lives.   A reminder, our children and grandchildren are watching how we care for the elders in our lives....soon enough we will all be elders and hopefully our example will encourage our children and their children to be around and be part of the life of their grandparents and great grandparents and other elders.  i am extremely aware of the gift my family has in having my 93 yr old Mom with us.  Many would have given thousands to have their parents/grandparents live that long.  So let's all take some inventory and see how we can do this better....Even if you don't feel close to an elder or they were not the best person to you, we, who are called to the Gospel, are called to minister to all and try to leave our mark/example and even to teach the elders...yes, they are still here like us to learn...and learning to Love is the main lesson in this world for you, me and everyone.

My  second reason for this blog is to insure social media has its place.  Evaluate the time you are on the phone, computer, social sites etc and see if you can cut back and instead visit and love on the elders, disabled in your circles.  We do have time for others, we just have to make it our priority. Sadly sports and social events  and careers have over riden the nurturing and caring of God, celebrating Sabbath and the family.

til next time....meditate on Sirach 3:1-16

1Children, listen to me, your father;

act accordingly, that you may be safe.

2For the Lord sets a father in honor over his children

and confirms a mother’s authority over her sons.

3Those who honor their father atone for sins;

4they store up riches who respect their mother.

5Those who honor their father will have joy in their own children,

and when they pray they are heard.

6Those who respect their father will live a long life;

those who obey the Lord honor their mother.

7Those who fear the Lord honor their father,

and serve their parents as masters.

8In word and deed honor your father,

that all blessings may come to you.

9A father’s blessing gives a person firm roots,

but a mother’s curse uproots the growing plant.

10Do not glory in your father’s disgrace,

for that is no glory to you!

11A father’s glory is glory also for oneself;

they multiply sin who demean their mother.

12My son, be steadfast in honoring your father;

do not grieve him as long as he lives.

13Even if his mind fails, be considerate of him;

do not revile him because you are in your prime.

14Kindness to a father will not be forgotten;

it will serve as a sin offering—it will take lasting root.

15In time of trouble it will be recalled to your advantage,

like warmth upon frost it will melt away your sins.

16Those who neglect their father are like blasphemers;

those who provoke their mother are accursed by their Creator.

Death no longer has power Rom 6:9

i sent this to someone who lost a lifetime friend in her 40s from cancer and felt it might be helpful for anyone who has lost someone and hurts.  The purpose of this note is not to play down the very painful reality of grief.  There are many who will love and caress your wounds and allow you to grieve.  My note comes from angie, often called the encourager.  i am looking to give a Strength and Power that only comes from God to fortify those in times of utter exhaustion and weakness....There is a place and time for the sorrow and another for strengthening and lifting up when our legs are ready to give in....i hope this might help you in some way....
-------------------------------

Remember, how a person dies and the circumstances surrounding their passing are a distraction to the Reality of the Bliss they are experiencing at this present moment.  The shell is gone but the soul is finally free and sees God Face to face.  Nothing and no one, even if we put all the best life has to offer together it will not come close to this Ecstasy our believing loved one is experiencing right now. Well up in you The Great Faith you have and Divine Courage  to read a Word of Truth and Hope from the Bible.  Your loved one will be with you always.  In God's Time and in His Perfect Way God will gather an care for all those left behind who are suffering.  He makes Beauty from ashes and the one who walked with Jesus here on earth, now walks literally with Him There.  The deceased will be everyones intercessor before the Throne of The Almighty.  Elevate and Fly Higher.  Be daring to believe the Miraculous!!!  Our God will carry you.

Take a moment to watch "i can only imagine by Mercy Me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da4fnYIuV9s

An watch "No More Night" by David Phelps one of my favorite hymns and worshipper and take notice how he sings the chorus after the key change with such conviction!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iPIi7sunEU

until next time....read Cor 2:9

"What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard,

and what has not entered the human heart,

what God has prepared for those who love him"

Hebrew 12:12-13

So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees.
Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed.

A Quote to Live by....

i was blessed this morning listening to Christian Radio as i got ready to serve at Masses.  They quoted John Wesley who was an Anglican cleric and theologian who, with his brother Charles and fellow cleric George Whitefield, founded Methodism. This quote needs no help or embellishment....It stands alone.....hope it inspires you as much as it has me....After i heard it, i had to look it up right away so not to forget....thank God for computers and the ability to access information this quickly.

- Cha

“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.”

Hope you are well...till next time....

rles Wesley

Niech Bedzie Pochwaloni Jesus Christus

This is a greeting in Polish for those from Poland who are reading my blog.....my dear friend Freda is Polish and gave me this greeting in your language to extend to you,....thank you for being part of this blog.  God bless, angie

i will be guest speaker in NJ for Women's Group

Here is the flyer from a parish in NJ where i will be the guest speaker for a Women's Group.  All women are invited.  Feel free to pass this on to all women you know who might be interested and able to attend.  Hope to see you there.  Plz join us in prayer for all who serve and all who attend .  If you are in the Tri State Area and would like me to speak to your church group, send me a comment on this blog with your contact information, and i will reply.  Ty and God bless, ang

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ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI, RIDGEFIELD PARK

SISTERS IN SPIRIT

S.I.S.

Who Are We and What is Our Mission?

We are women who want to grow:

spiritually in our faith; closer to God; in fellowship with one another.

3rd Thursday of every month

7:30pm

St. Francis Lower Church

Bring a Friend! Everyone is welcome (not limited to St. Francis parishioners).

Join us for fun, snacks, laughter and friends!

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2017

GUEST SPEAKER: ANGIE ROTELLA-SUAREZ

Angie’s ability to share, ignite and bring alive faith and healing in others' lives is obvious with just one experience with her. Whether you are a fervent active Catholic, one who has been away from God and His Church for a long time, and/or somewhere in between, come ready and open to allow God to change and redirect your life on a journey aiming toward Heaven!

FOLLOWED BY: ADORATION

For more info, contact Celeste at 201-641-6464, qnceleste65@yahoo.com. Follow us on Facebook @ Sisters in Spirit-St. Francis Ridgefield Park.