RANDOM THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS, by Deacon Sam                            

Who am I? Am I really more important than what I do? God claims each of us as His beloved. We do not have to do anything to be loved and wanted by Him. On the Cross, Jesus made it clear to us that we are each worth loving. Our challenge as pilgrims on planet Earth is to love as Jesus loves. People should see Jesus when they see us. The more we live a life of goodness through our words, actions, values, etc., the more we show Christ in our lives to others. "Love" "Love" "Love” clanks in me like an iron bell. Be authentic – say the word "Love" to the people you love.

The heart of our faith is our relationship with Christ. We will never find anything close in this world to Jesus Christ. Grace is pure gift which transforms us from within so we could see beyond ourselves and our experiences. The Gospels tell us what Jesus is like – passionate, loving, forgiving. They offer insight into the mystery of God and what He wants for the world. What is the life in Christ and living as a Catholic worth to you? Every single day of our lives we get to make the decision and choice for Jesus: "Yes Jesus, my life belongs to you and this is how I choose to live."

God has been so good to me all of my life with the blessings of family, friends and health - all of these blessings give me the strength and courage to carry on regardless of the pain I may experience in my life. God is all powerful and all wise – He wants to take care of all of us and protect us so we need never to be afraid. For our part we must love and forgive others, carry whatever crosses we have daily, follow Jesus and be filled with joy. Our task as disciples of Jesus who want to live like Jesus is to inspire others to also carry their crosses in the joy of Christ. God is present to us in more ways than we can imagine. May we all place our trust and faith in our glorious God and pray "I love you God, my Strength.”

Jesus’s love for us makes our love for God and others possible; the Bible is God's will in human language. It offers profound truths in stories and parables. In the Gospels, God becomes visible to us. God is revealed as a God of mercy, compassion and love. Our Eucharistic celebration is in the form of a prayer of praise and thanksgiving. We are asked to respond to God’s gifts, accept them, make them fruitful in our lives and then give things for all God has done for us through Christ. We are encouraged to go out into the world glorifying God by the way we live. And to all this we say "Amen" – so be it.

"We are not always masters of the unfolding of our lives, but we can always be masters of the meaning we give them. Our freedom can transform any event in our lives into an expression of love, abandonment, trust, hope and offering." Fr. Jacques Philippe

"Great love can change small things into great ones, and it is only love which lends value to our actions."                                                                          Saint Faustina Kowalska

"Let all creation help you to praise God. Give yourself the rest you need. When you are walking alone, listen to the sermon preached to you by the flowers, the trees, the shrubs, the sky, the sun and the whole world. Notice how they preach to you a sermon full of love, of praise of God, and how they invite you to proclaim the greatness of the One who has given them being."
     Saint Paul of the Cross