RANDOM THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS, by Deacon Sam

 We are not here on this earth by accident or just to take up space. God has great purpose for each of our lives. We are here for God's glory; we can have an influence on this earth and move the Kingdom of God forward. God gives each of us many gifts and talents and He wants us to use them. Very often we can see gifts and talents and others – but not in ourselves. Not everyone has the same gifts – we should appreciate what we have and not compare our gifts with others. It is up to us to mix our abilities with faith. God sees potential in each of us. We need to believe in our abilities to have a positive impact on the people and the world we live in. This is doing the work of God on earth

Sometimes we do not feel content – we are not satisfied with our life. We feel we need something else. Sometimes we fill our spaces with the wrong plans. The only thing that can fill our space – our emptiness – is God. God is the source of our strength - not ourselves, not food, not alcohol, not social media. If we choose to aggressively pursue success, we will never find it because it is always moving. It is not what we do for Jesus as much as it is what Jesus does for us. The secret of being content in all situations is having Christ in our lives. We can be a mess apart from God but we can be content and at peace with Christ and bear all things with God in our lives. Contentment doesn't have to come from our circumstances. Contentment is not complacency. We need to have purpose in our life. God wants to reveal His purpose in us. Contentment is a state of mind, an attitude, a state of peaceful happiness. May we always be thankful that God is for us with His love and His strength.

Be good to others – people matter to God. It is so easy to disgrace and find fault with others. But God wants us to respect others – we honor God and promote the Gospel by doing this. What we do in and through faith makes a difference. Faith expressing itself through love is pleasing to God and valuable in His eyes. Through our Baptism we are anointed to do good and bring God by our actions to the world. Love and respect can help break down barriers between people. Look for opportunities to be good to others. Don't withhold good when it is in your power to act.

Dear God, may your love in me grow every day as I show mercy and love for others. May we all love well. May we all make a commitment to love - to adapt our love to the changes that occur in our lives. Life changes; we change; our love has to evolve so we can have insight and wisdom, so we can see beyond the superficial. Love is a feeling and an action - it makes things happen; it builds relationships. We love if we allow the love of God into our hearts first. Jesus is the source of love that never goes dry. May the love of God transform us, "God we thank You that You are love and You show us how to love."

The Kingdom of God is within us - no one is better than another. We don't have to earn God’s unconditional love. We are each tabernacles for carrying Jesus to the world – we are temples of the Body of Christ within us.

Live each day as if it were your first day, your last day, your only day as you encounter Christ in your life.

Praise God that He doesn't disqualify us if we make a mistake. We are all construction projects on our life's journey. Have you ever felt insignificant and not enough? Have you been overwhelmed by the challenges of life? Have you ever felt anonymous in the crowd of life? Have you ever thought "I may not be all that I want to be, but thank God, I am not what I used to be?” God brings to us love and acceptance. He wants to complete us and bring us to His eternal Kingdom. God fulfills His promise to us. He pushes us, strengthens us and supports us on our road to completion. May we always be open to the presence of Jesus in our lives and place our trust in Him.

"Our true worth does not consist in what human beings think of us. What we really are consists  in what God knows us to be." St John Berchmans

"To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek Him the greatest adventure, to find Him the greatest human achievement." St Augustine

"Think well. Speak well. Do well. These three things through the mercy of God will make each of us go to heaven." St Camillus