More Random Thoughts and Prayers, by Deacon Sam

Do you ever feel that God doesn’t notice us? Do you ask, “God, where are you?” “God, do you even care?” Our faith reassures us that God has known each of us from before the foundation of the world. Even if we feel alone in a crowded room, we know that God is there with us, seeing us, hearing us and being present to us. God notices us - do we notice Him? We should try not to allow the conditions in our life to prevent us from experiencing God in our life - God who pours an abundance of His love on each of us every moment of our lives.

There are always people in our lives who can use our help and assistance - prayers, a phone call, an email, some money, a word of encouragement, etc. As Catholics we look to the Cross and see Jesus awaiting the Resurrection. When we are in stress, we know we will be comforted one day by Jesus who loves us. We know that peace and comfort will be ours in the Kingdom of God. May we be merciful to those who need our kindness and help. In the Cross we see the vertical dimension reaching up to God and the horizontal dimension of Christ’s hands reaching out to others. May our hands, as Christ’s hands, reach out to our brothers and sisters in need.

In the Gospels we see God giving us a renewed vision of life. God wants to restore our broken world and shine His unconditional love on everyone. We are each challenged to be witnesses to the Gospel of Jesus and the truth of His love. Jesus desires that what lives in Him should live in each of us also. Jesus desires faithful love and true devotion from us as we respond to the call of God in our lives. It is God’s nature to love. God wants us to develop a relationship with Him. “Dear God, may your love be my constant guide in all my relationships. Help me choose what is good and reject what isn’t. May my relationship with others be centered in You.”

Wisdom is a virtue that involves the heart and mind and is grounded in experience. It allows us to use what is developed to serve the common good. We should cherish the elderly and learn from them the wisdom they have acquired in their lives. Jesus is Wisdom Incarnate. May we open ourselves to God’s wisdom in our lives. Being focused and attentive to prayer allows us to experience God’s wisdom more fully.

A great prayer to be said frequently each day: “Jesus I love You.”

The following are some lyrics from the song “What a Wonderful World” which was so lovingly recorded by the great Louis Armstrong:

            I see trees of green red roses too…
            And I think to myself ‘what a wonderful world’...

            I see skies of blue…the bright blessed day…
            And I think to myself ‘what a wonderful world’...

            I see friends shaking hands, saying ‘How do you do?’
            They’re really saying ‘I love you’...
            Yes, I think to myself ‘What a wonderful world’.

When we look at the whole system of nature around us, we are aware of the majesty of God. We are in balance in our lives when God is the center of our creation. When we put ourselves in the center of creation, we open the door to arrogance, chaos, pain, inhumanity to others. When we abuse creation we fail to understand the gift of creation that God has given us. What a wonderful world we live in - may we live in gratitude and love for the earth and the giver of the earth - God.

            In Happy Moments, praise God.
            In Difficult Moments, seek God.
            In Quiet Moments, worship God.
            In Painful Moments, trust God.
            In Every Moment, thank God.

Many of us tend to remember bad stuff that makes us feel anxious and fearful more than we remember the good in our lives. But good things help us transform our lives. It is important to take time out periodically to remember and celebrate the good - the wonder of God’s graces and gifts to us. When we are so busy doing life we can forget the miracles God does in our lives. God wants us to move forward and remember what He does for us. We each have victories and successes in our life - our faith, bills paid, our family and friends, our health, etc. God’s gifts keep us hopeful.

Thanksgiving Day in November is a special day to consider God’s bountiful gifts and awesome graciousness to us. We can at times take God’s gifts for granted. A sense of entitlement leads us to believe that life’s gifts are owed to us. This is not thanksgiving or gratitude. Nature gives us signs of the Heart and Love of God - for all of God’s gifts one cannot help but be grateful. God wants us to be molded by His gifts to us - to be compassionate, kind and forgiving in our relationships with others, to be patient with others and affirm them as an expression of our love for our fellow human beings. God gifted us with the person and life of His Son Jesus Christ who died so we may live. We each have an obligation to give our thanks to God - we can do this informally every day in our prayers and every Sunday at Mass. Every day is a day of thanksgiving. The Mass is a prayer of love, praise and thanksgiving for the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus gives Himself to us as the Bread of Life and draws us closer to Himself. His love binds everything together in perfect harmony. Thank you, God.