Time to get SON-BURNED!

If you could be any season of the year, what would it be?
     Spring?
     Easter?
     Pope John Paul II?


As for me, I would have to say:  SUMMERTIME!

          Why is that, you ask?
           Two reasons:
                 1. It's the time for some sort of relaxation
                     or ease in the hustle and bustle of life.
                 2. It's what season it is now, and we are
                     meant to live in the present!


I think this is an important theme:  LIVE IN THE PRESENT.

        Now, why am I bringing this up?
        Good question.
The theme of this summer is--Fear Not the Fall.
        This means many things as well:
                  1. Don't be afraid of the upcoming Fall or all of those things
                      that come with it--school, hecticity, etc. Live in the moment!
                      Enjoy it!
                  2. Don't be afraid to live out your Christian identity when you're
                      on vacation. We never go on vacation from our faith.

     And guard your heart, for "your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the same sufferings.  The God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory through Christ Jesus will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little" (1 Peter 5:8-10).

     And, God forbid, you should fall...be gentle on yourself.
Our God is a God of mercy and compassion.  I encourage you to go running back to His arms, to the Sacrament of Confession, where all things can be made right again.  And to the Eucharist, where you can be made whole again.

Never forget who you are and Who you were made for, who you were made to be.

You're going to do great things! Hold fast!

We are a people of the light!

"If a man wishes to be sure of the road he treads on,

he must close his eyes and walk in the dark.”

St. John of the Cross 

Not every season is promised to be easy. But they can be filled with joy...if only we let them. At times it may seem that the Lord's will is so far away from where we are or that things happening to us are not of the Lord. But in any moment, moments like these in particular, His will can be renewed by our simple trust, by our simple yes to accept the difficulty. How much trust He has put in us to allow us to join in His suffering! What a joy it could and should be to trust in Him as well.

In this season of Advent, let us not be afraid to walk in the dark. For He is there in the quiet. He is there in the dark. Let the Spirit light the candle of your heart that you might find God in every season...and praise Him unceasingly.

May God Bless you this day and in whatever season you may be in. We all share in this season of Advent. You are not alone.