The only attitude a Christian should have is..... AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE! A lot of us have heard Barb say this more than once and it couldn't be more true. But how do we remain grateful in a time where our lives have been flip upside down and spun around about 1,000 times? How do we push out a negative mind set for a positive one? This is not an easy task but the more time we can spend in a space of gratitude the happier and more positive we will be. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Paul tells us to "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." That means even when times are hard, even when we are ready to scream at the top of our lungs, or when our siblings have gotten on our last nerve. No matter the situation, we need to trust that God will give us the opportunity to make somethings good out of the Bad.
Here are some ways you can practice gratitude:
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I am is spoken 7 times in the gospel of John.
I am are powerful statements made in the bible and when Jesus says to us I am.... (fill in the blank) he wants us to know something about him. He wants us to have an understanding of who he is on our lives.
Did you know that Hope is a theological Virtue of the Catholic Church? What does that mean? Theological virtues, Faith, Hope, and Charity, are things that give us a personal relationship with God. Faith, is us trusting in God that the truths he has given us are real. Charity is putting God before everything else and loving our selves and all of our neighbors. And then there is Hope, we trust that God is going to be faithful to his promises. I want to focus on Hope. Our world is scary and frustrating right now. We keep getting stricter guidelines, we haven't been able to really leave the house in a few weeks. It been a long time since we have seen friends and family members and if it feels as if this will never end. But we must have Hope that God is going to get us to the other side of this. In this upcoming Sundays Gospel Readings Thomas, one of the disciples says he will not trust that the Lord has come back until I put my fingers in the nail holes of his hands and touch his side. The Lord comes to Thomas and tells him to touch his hands and feel his side because Thomas had lost hope that our Lord would fulfill his promises. Jesus tells him, "Blessed are those that believe and have not seen" We might be asking our selves, where is God in all of this. Why isn't he stopping this? Why did he allow this to happen? In those times of doubt we need to remember what having Hope feels like. We must have hope that God will get us through. That he will make our path straight. We have to hold to the hope that we will get to hug our loved ones and our friends again. We must have hope that we will get to leave our homes. We must have hope that the guidelines given to us are there to help us and save us. We must have hope that God will part the red sea and allow us to get to the other side. "Blessed are those who do not see, and still believe."
I'm praying for you guys as always. “Hope is one of the Theological virtues. This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next.” – C.S. Lewis What brings you hope? Read Matthew 26:14-27:66
Did you take the time to actually read it? Imagine that you are in a middle of a crisis and you ask your friends to stay with you while you prepare to face the situation. They promise to be there for you and support you but one friend after another lets you down. They fail to come through for you. You are left to deal with your crisis alone. Have you ever felt that? When you really just needed someone, if felt like there was no one there to help you get through a tough time? The friends of Jesus were no different. They were not perfect, in fact his friends were sinners too. They failed him. They let their tiredness get the best of them. Judas turned Jesus over to be crucified and Peter denied him 3 times. Despite their down falls, Jesus still loved them. He still fulfilled the prophecy and died on the cross for them and us. Now the hard part, recognizing that we are just as involved in putting Jesus on the cross as any one else in the gospel reading. We might not have been alive but we nail Chris to the cross every time we sin, ever time we deny him, and push him to the side. We turn Jesus over to be crucified. But this does not mean that we are loved any less, actually this shows us how much God loves us. He loves us so much that he sent his only son to die on the cross so that we may live with him in the kingdom of Heaven. In the video, do you identify with with one of the brothers? Which one? Why? In what ways have we suffered in the last month? Do you find it challenging to focus in church? Which parts of the mass are the hardest for you? How can we better try to pay attention during mass? How can we better honor Jesus' death? Spiritual challenge: Set aside 5 mins of prayer time that has no distractions. Just you and Jesus. Read Sundays gospel reading. "Jesus wept" is the shortest phrase in the bible. Lazarus was Jesus's friend and so were Mary and Martha. Take a second and picture what it must have been like when Mary met Jesus after the death of Lazarus. Jesus wept for his friend. I want you to picture Jesus embracing Mary in tearful hug. Showing her compassion and love and saying you are not alone. This beautiful moment between them shows the amount of support Jesus gives to his friends. It shows that he did not want them to be alone. Jesus went back to Judea, where the Jews were trying to stone him, just to comfort his friends. Jesus will go to the ends of the earth for you. No matter what you have done or the sin you have committed, Jesus loves you and wants to be there through all of your ups and downs. Jesus tells us that he is the resurrection and the life. Meaning, without him we are dead but with him we will have eternal life. What is something that you have done for a friend recently?
How often do you turn to God first when your in times of trouble? what about times of happiness? Do you find comfort from God? Do you allow Jesus in when things are hard? What can you take away from Sundays reading? My challenge for you this week is to reach out to 5 people that you have not talked to in a long time and just let check in with them, see how they are doing, or just let them know you are praying for them and then actually pray for them. Start the video at 1:25. What is something in your life that you worked really hard for, and when you got it, you still were not happy? We fill our lives with distractions. We think that if we get another award, if we are top of our class, if we just graduate with honors, or get another scholarship then we have reached success. We push ourselves to limits and challenge ourselves to be better and there is nothing wrong with having ambition, but what did it cost you? Maybe you missed out on hanging out with friends and family. Maybe you spent endless nights crying and stressing over a homework assignment because anything less than an A is not acceptable. Maybe you questioned your worth because you didn't perform well enough in your game, concert, or recital. These things that we stress about are TEMPORARY, they are not forever. Our relationships with others can forever have impact. In the video, he says relationships are the most important thing because that is how we influence, impact, and change people's lives. Without relationships we Cannot point people to Jesus. If we do not tend our relationship with Jesus then we cannot further his kingdom. We all have talents that make us worthy and qualified to spread Jesus name but we need to know him to do that. "And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40 Reflect on these questions: Is there something you have regretted in the 16th second? What do you do at the expense of others? What are your talents or gifts? How do you use these to advance the kingdom of heaven? Have you been neglecting your relationship with Jesus? How can you better tend to your relationship with Jesus? Things are intense right now. Churches are closed, schools are on a hiatus, restaurants and businesses are shut down, and grocery stores are emptying faster than employees can restock. Life seems really uncertain right now. Maybe your uncertain about what the next few weeks hold for school. Maybe you aren't sure if your senior year will get to end with prom or your fun senior activities. Maybe you are worried about your love ones and the older people in your life. The reality is, things are never a given. The only thing in life that is certain is Christ. Our plans are forever changing and are influenced by the smallest of disruption but God is always there. We have a God that is there even in our anxiety, our uncertainty, and our worry. John 14: 27 tells us "Peace I leave you; the peace I give to you.I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid." Our God is much bigger than the stress that is happening in our world. He is bigger than the plans we have made and the future that we envisioned for ourselves.. Trust our Lord with all of your heart and pray without ceasing and he will show up. How are you feeling about everything that is happening in our world? In what ways can we benefit from being forced to slow down? How is God working in your life right now? How can you be a positive voice through the uncertainty? |
CarlyHey guys! Here is a space where we can still connect and grow in your faith. Feel free to comment and I will get back to you! |