These Little Wonders

This is the story of the prodigal son . (Luke 15:11-32) There was a man with two sons. The younger said to his father: "Give me my share of the estate." So the father divided his property between them.  Some days later, the younger son gathered all his belongings and started off a distant land where he squandered his wealth in loose living. Having spent everything, he was hard pressed when a severe broke out in that land. So he hired himself out to a well-to-do citizen of that place and was sent to work on a pig farm. So famished was he that he longed to fill his stomach even with the food given to the pigs, but no one offered him anything.  Finally coming to his senses, he said: "How many of my father's hired workers have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will get up and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against God and before you. I no longer deserve to be called your son. Treat me then as one of your hired ser...

"If we say we are in fellowship with Him, while we walk in darkness, we lie instead of being in truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we are in fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, the Son of God, purifies us from all sin. If we say, "We have no sin," we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all wickedness." (1 John 1:6-9) If we decide for God, we cannot continue to surrender to sin. Obviously, no one is without sin; we all need the salvation of Christ; but forgiveness itself compels us even more to stay away from sin. We are invited to confess our sins in the sacrament of penance, to humbly admit our wrongdoings, to open our hearts to the love and mercy of God. To confess is to say, "I choose to live for You, Lord. I want to be like You. I cannot do it on my own." *STEP is a personal project of someone...

"As most beloved children of God, strive to imitate him. Follow the way of love, the example of Christ who loved you. You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Behave as children of light; the fruits of light are kindness, justice, and truth in every form." (Ephesians 5:1-2,8-9) Love changes everything. It turns sinners to saints, criminals to courageous servants, a world full of hate and animosity to a world of compassion and peace. Experiencing God's love empowers us to repent, encourages us to have faith, enables us to share the love as well. We receive love, we give love, and we are never the same. :) Image Source:  www.everydaygrateful.com *STEP is a personal project of someone who is in the midst of a great spiritual battle. Fight with her. Pray for her. :)

*Cluster 4 Household Topic Reflections from John 15:26-16:4 True friendship is strengthened in adversity. Jesus offers His disciples the best and truest of friends. Who is this promised friend?  Jesus calls the Holy Spirit our Counselor and Advocate (also translated Paraclete or Helper). Counselor is a legal term for the one who will defend someone against an adversary and who guides that person during the ordeal of trial. The Holy Spirit is our Advocate and Helper who brings us safely through the challenges and adversities we must face in this life. As Jesus approaches the hour that He was to be glorified - through His death on the cross and His resurrection - He revealed more fully to His disciples the person and the role of the Holy Spirit. What does Jesus tell us about the Holy Spirit?  First, the Holy Spirit is inseparably one with the Father and the Son. It is the Holy Spirit who gives life - the very life of God - and who kindles faith in hearts r...

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."(1 Corinthians 6:9-11) We are all sinners, unworthy of the kingdom of God, but we were redeemed by the body and blood of no less than the Son of God - Jesus Christ - who came from heaven to earth to show us the way back to the Father. This amazing grace, this eternal, merciful, unconditional LOVE transforms us from unworthy sinners to noble saints. We only need to repent and have faith. :) *STEP is a personal project of someone who is in the midst of a great spiritual battle. Fight with her. Pray for her. :)

"The time has come; the kingdom of God is at hand. Change your ways and believe the Good News." (Mark 1:15) Repentance came from the Greek word "metanoia" which literally means change of mind. To repent is not simply being sorry for one's sins but taking concrete actions to amend one's life. However, repentance alone is not enough; we are also called to believe and have faith in both the Messenger (Jesus Christ) and the Message (Scripture). Repentance and faith always go together - they are the marks of a true Christian, the response to God's eternal, merciful, and unconditional love. :) *STEP is a personal project of someone who is in the midst of a great spiritual battle. Fight with her. Pray for her. :)

"We know that in everything God works for those who love Him." (Romans 8:28) Christianity is living with peace and joy regardless of your circumstances, having the assurance that there will always be a happy ending because God Himself writes the stories of our lives. :) *STEP is a personal project of someone who is in the midst of a great spiritual battle. Fight with her. Pray for her. :)