RANDOM THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS                                                        September 12, 2022
Deacon Sam

All four Gospels contain accounts of the feeding of the multitudes. The gift of Himself that Jesus gives us is spiritual food. The Risen Christ presides at the Eucharist and provides food for our life’s journey - “This is My Body; This is My Blood.” Jesus comes to give Himself and in the Eucharist we draw closer to Jesus and to one another. The Church without Eucharist is unthinkable.

We spend a lot of time complaining to God about what we don’t have - when we should express gratitude for all that we do have. We honor God by appreciating every area of our life - we can bring value to our life, not take God’s gifts for granted, and honor God Who gives us His great gifts. In our society, many people have a sense of entitlement - we need to approach Jesus with humility. Jesus is the One who can make a difference in our life. Things may not always be easy in our life, but we can still look for the value in it. A country music song’s lyrics contain the words “You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.” Sometimes we don’t appreciate what we have until we lose - or almost lose it. What we take for granted today someone else may be praying for. Happy people appreciate what they have, place a value on it, and thank God for His goodness.

Someone once gave me a poster that read:
                                          “God grant me patience and I want it right now.”
Have you ever waited for something, or someone, and been frustrated by how long you have waited? The waiting process tires us - but God uses this time for us to develop our patience, endurance, and character. Life is a process of waiting. We wait in the strength of God. Patience is a muscle that can only be developed in the wait. How we wait is important. What did you do while you were waiting?

During our life we face many challenges and decisions. We wonder how we can pay our bills, stay healthy, revive our marriage, etc., etc. If we trust in Jesus, we will have the strength and wisdom to make the right decisions. We have a great God Who is always with us and desires to help us. We pray for the wisdom to make the right decisions - God gives us wisdom to see the “big picture”, to help us handle and deal with the things we need to do and act on. Issues are often about more than just what we know - they are about what we do about what we know. God is all wisdom and power. If we ask God for His wisdom and understanding, we will find peace in our lives. The world was founded on the wisdom of God. Seek wisdom in your life like you are seeking a treasure.

We have a longing to achieve - achieving a noble position is good if we do it with a right heart. If we are going to be great in the Kingdom of God we have to be the servant of all. In God’s Kingdom, we do not earn anything by stepping on -or over- other people. Jesus modeled service for us by how He lived His life and He wants us to follow His example and give service to others. Jesus came from the highest place and served us in the lowest place. It is a privilege for us to serve mankind. Who can we serve, who will we serve - even if it isn’t convenient? The things that bring us great joy happen when we use ourselves, our talents and our time to serve others. When we reflect on our life, we want to see that we have made a difference through service in helping others. 

We live in a power-hungry culture. Some people seem hungry for power at all costs. There is a difference between the power of love and the love of power. Jesus preached the Good News of the Kingdom of God and never deviated from this purpose. We each need to seek the mission in life entrusted to us. What is my common purpose? To love and serve God in this world and be happy with Him forever in heaven. Do we bring people to Jesus? Like Christ, we need to proclaim His Good News by how we live our lives. May we embrace our lives with joy, and work with others in service for the common good. 
                   There are seven days in a week and one of them is not “someday”.