THE POWER OF ASKING

THE POWER OF ASKING

 

“And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son…” – John 14:13

 

One suppertime, my eldest son, Bene, asked, “After dinner, can I play on the computer?” My wife replied, “Son, read a book.” My son’s facial expression didn’t change. With a big happy smile, he asked, “Mommy, after I read the book, can I play on the computer?” My wife answered, “Son, after you read the book, go straight to bed.”

Still with a grin on his face, he asked, “Mommy, after reading the book, before I go to bed, can I play on the computer for 30 minutes?” “No, I want you to sleep right away.”

“Mommy, how about if I play just for 15 minutes?” The negotiation continued until my wife conceded.

My son expected to get what he wanted. He used his smile, his puppy eyes and his cuteness. He used compromise. But the important thing was he got what he wanted.

As adults, we don’t do that anymore. We go to God and say, “Lord, please give me….” And when we don’t get it, we say, “OK, never mind.” We quit. Easily. But the universe adjusts to your expectations. If you expect nothing, you get nothing.

Ask. Not for a bit. Not for a little. Ask for a double portion! Bo Sanchez (bosanchez@kerygmafamily.com)

 

REFLECTION:

Is there something that I sincerely want to happen or have in my life? Do I persistently pray for it or do I easily give up?

 

Lord, grant me the grace to persevere in prayer, knowing that You are there, listening to me, and that You will grant what I ask for in a way that’s best for me.

WORK ON A HOLIDAY

 

Today’s memorial was established by Pope Pius XII in 1955 not only to honor Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, but also to remind us that honest work can  be a means to holiness. When we do our work honestly, we sanctify ourselves and others. By working honestly, we come to participate in God’s continuing work of creation and Christ’s redemptive work for humankind.

Thus, work is not a curse that befell upon the human race because of sin. Work is a blessing. Work is our dignity. Working honestly is a sublime expression of the image and likeness of God in us. It is also an integral part of our union with Christ.

Most people work but not all people work honestly. Most people work but not all people are happy with their work. And not all people work with the understanding that working honestly is their dignity as human beings.

While we thank God for our work today, let us ask from Him the grace that will always enable us to work honestly. While we thank God for workers, let us pray for those who refuse to work. While we thank God for the dignity of work, let us help others find the kind of work that befits a child of God and a disciple of Jesus.

It is quite ironic that while we celebrate work today, both in the Church and in civil society, there is no work today. It’s a holiday. Let us make each day holy by our work. Work — and be holy! Fr. Bobby Titco

 

Reflection Question:

Am I happy with my work? Do I work honestly? How is my work an expression of the image and likeness of God in me? How is my work an integral part of my union with Christ? Does my work sanctify me and others?

 

Thank You, Lord, for the work I do. Guide me by the values of Your kingdom and help me by the power of Your hands as I work each day. I am Your child; may I give glory to Your name. I am a disciple of Jesus; may I become more and more like Him. Amen.

 

St. Marculf, pray for us.

GOD'S REFLECTION

GOD’S REFLECTION

 

“Whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” – John 13:20

 

In the movie Mulan, part of the theme song goes, “When will my reflection show who Iam inside?”

Normally, I am a jolly person who greets and smiles warmly, who willingly lends a helping hand, who’s appreciative, who keeps things in order, who is obedient and kind and generous and everything nice. Well, that’s what I am — at times.

But assessing deeply, there are also times when I can be sarcastic to a saleslady or judgmental of friends or irritable towards other passengers at the MRT or discouraging to my husband or harsh to our son. Other times I can be idle, complacent or lazy. I can tell lies or mishandle my finances. During these times, my reflection shows someone I don’t know.

We are created in the image and likeness of God. He sends us to be bearers of His light, of His goodness and of His love. If our lives reflect Jesus in us, then people would find it easy to receive Him and offer their lives to Him.Sol Saura (solmsaura@gmail.com)

 

REFLECTION:

In everything we do, do we reflect the love of Christ?

 

Lord, transform us so that people may see You in us.

NO SERVANT IS GREATER THAN HIS MASTER

 

I think it is usually the goal of any apprentice to become as good as his mentor, and in the world this is possible. However, spiritually, this is not possible. The Vatican document, Gaudium et Spes, reminds us that in the person of Jesus, humanity can see all that it is meant to be — Jesus Christ reveals man to himself. This truth is the foundational truth of discipleship — the truth that tells us that we will never surpass our Lord and Master. However, God is so generous that He calls us to be one with Jesus and, in a somewhat oblique sense, this gives us equality with Jesus because true faith in Him makes us sons and daughters of the Father.

Scientists and academics do well to remember that we will not be able to surpass the wisdom and knowledge of God. If we want to study the things that will most benefit life and love, let us look at the program that Jesus sets before us in His life and ministry. Let us seek to place our lives and all the gifts God has given us at the service of humanity and in particular to those least able to speak and care for themselves. Too often the world is concerned with serving the rich and powerful with a quid pro quo attitude behind such service. Jesus specifically tells us that we should serve those who cannot repay us, not those who can. This is what true love and generosity is all about.

As we seek to grow in discipleship, let us open our lives to the grace of the Spirit who will lead us in the footsteps of the Master and thus make our lives ones of sacrifice to the Father in imitation of Jesus. It is only when we give ourselves over to the will of God that the fullness of who we are is free to shine and to be experienced by others and the world. It is only then that we will truly offer all that we can to build the Kingdom of God and be an instrument of that Kingdom to the best of our ability. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

Reflection Question:

What is more important to me: my desires or the will of God? This is a simple question that, if answered honestly, will have great consequences for the work of God’s  Kingdom.

 

Holy Spirit, grant me the grace to recognize that the fullness of life is available to me if and only if I live according to God’s will in my life.

 

St. Peter of Verona, pray for us.

MY LIFE'S WORK

MY LIFE’S WORK

 

The Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” – Acts 13:2

 

Can you do this exercise?

Substitute your name in the passage above.

How does it sound to you?

And the “work” — are you doing that which God has called you to do? Do you even know what it is?

Looking deeply into my own life, I can say that it was only in the last 15 years (I’m now in my early 50s) that I began to seek God’s purpose for my life. And no matter how late, it has been an exciting journey. I now know that the Lord has set me apart to do some work for His kingdom. He has given me talents that, as I use them now, are blessing other people. He has even used my weaknesses, such as my being a quiet person and my preference for small groups rather than big ones, as building blocks for His purpose for my life. Writing, counseling, small group facilitating — these are among the means by which God wants me to help inspire and heal other people.

Knowing this has made a lot of difference in the way I live my life now.Tess V. Atienza (svp_ tvatienza@yahoo.com)

 

REFLECTION:

Do you know God’s purpose for your life? Take the time to discover it.

 

Lead me to my life’s work, Lord, and grant me the courage to walk into it.

THE TRUE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

 

Discovering the light that will guide us is a great challenge because if we happen to choose the wrong light, we will obviously be walking on the wrong path. Jesus makes a claim that no other person has done: that He is the light of the world. He can truly say this as it is through Him that all things have been created. He is the Word of God through which the Father brought order out of chaos (Genesis 1) and through whose word the Church speaks and lives her life. What does this mean for you and me?

There are a number of consequences of all this for us: the first being that we ought to listen to the Word of God for our lives as it is the way to eternal life; and secondly, which is closely related to the first, is that when we make difficult moral decisions, we need to seek the enlightenment of Church’s teachings. Jesus has not given the authority to the bishops to teach and interpret the Scriptures for nothing. The Magisterium of the Church is the authoritative guide on matters of faith and morals. We can act under our own guidance if we so desire but this would be a foolish choice similar to driving at night in the countryside without the benefit of headlights.

We are talking here about matters of life and death that should never be taken lightly. The world is fond of avoiding the defining issues of life by dealing with the peripheralones to avoid controversy. This is a mistake as the world’s financial system discovered in 2008. The regulators took an “it’s too hard attitude” to the irresponsibility of the bankers and their advisers, and the world of finance experienced a great thud when the “house of cards” built on debt and impossible to pay back financial commitments came tumbling down in spectacular fashion. Let us not make a similar mistake with our spiritual lives. Let us build on a firm foundation that is illumined by the Light of the World, Jesus Christ.Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

Reflection Question:

Do I tend to avoid the difficult questions in my life and thus create a disaster just waiting to happen sometime in the future?

 

Holy Spirit, grant me the grace to face the challenges of my life when they arise and grant me the wisdom to know how to confront and overcome them.

 

St. Valerie, pray for us.

 

THE REAL MIRACLE

THE REAL MIRACLE

 

 “The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.” – John 10:25-26

 

When I was a child, the magic of David Copperfield was all the rage. While my siblings and I marveled at the show, my older cousin would be busy making side comments on how the trick was probably being done.

It makes me think of the way the unbelievers must have explained away the miracles in Jesus’ time. Even though no trickery was involved, they refused to trust their senses and even concocted a story about how the apostles must have stolen Jesus’ body during the resurrection.

I guess that’s why, with all the powers at His disposal, Jesus never used miracles as the focus of His ministry. He cured physical ailments but His aim was to heal diseased souls beset by sin.

Author Philip Yancey put it this way: “Jesus never met a disease he could not cure, a birth defect he could not reverse, a demon he could not exorcise. But he did meet sceptics he could not convince and sinners he could not convert.”

The real miracle is God’s forgiveness and our subsequent repentance and conversion. Are you letting Jesus work His miracle in you?Cecilia Lim (cez_lim@yahoo.com)

 

REFLECTION:

“Faith does not spring from the miracle, but the miracle from faith.” (Fyodor Dostoevsky)

 

Lord, I do believe. Help me overcome my unbelief!

LAYING A STRONG FOUNDATION

 

We live in a world where there is an “instant” version of almost anything: instant coffee, instant messaging, etc. In fact, we tend to think that something that cannot be delivered immediately is either not worth the effort or broken in one way or another. How wrong we are if we give in to this sort of thinking, particularly when it comes to relationships. Many youth of today have absorbed this mentality and apply it to their relationships. As Christians, we need to work against this mentality by laying strong and lasting foundations for our faith communities so that we can weather the storms and difficulties that may come our way.

Paul spent a year building the community of faith in Antioch and the same experience happened in many of the communities he founded. Today, there are too many supposedly Christian Churches sprouting up here and there with very little foundation to them other than the founder cannot seem to get along with one of the leaders in his previous Church. I find it very difficult to see how such a reality can be claimed to be a “work of the Holy Spirit” as the Spirit is a spirit of unity, not division. The greater challenge, and the one that will bear infinitely more fruit, is found in working through difficulties to build a stronger and more lasting foundation to the original community. This is what the Catholic Church has done and she still endures 2,000 years later, as strong as ever.

The biggest problem with the proliferation of Christian Churches is the scandal of division that it witnesses to others. It also makes it much easier for the devil to overcome the work of these Churches as they are already divided. The only way for us to combat this problem is to work for the unity of all Christians such that we can all return to the one foundation — Christ and all that He wills for His Church. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

Reflection Question:

How can I help in laying a stronger foundation for my faith community in the Church? How do we, as a community, offer service to the wider Catholic Church?

 

Jesus, You are the rock, the cornerstone upon which the Church is built. Help me to focus and build my life upon You and thus be a part of the Church You desire and started 2,000 years ago.

 

St. Zita, pray for us.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF HEALING

A DIFFERENT KIND OF HEALING

 

He gave her his hand and raised her up. – Acts 9: 41

 

Jean has made it her mission to help cancer patients. Her parents, father-in-law and, more recently, her husband passed away with the same illness. She now uses her own experiences to comfort others who are in a similar situation.

She goes out of her way to counsel those who are terminally ill. She listens. She cries with them. Her presence eases the pain and suffering. Moreover, she helps prepare them for what is to come.

Many are in denial. Some are angry. Others bargain with God. Still others just give in to hopelessness and say, “I don’t care anymore.” Jean helps them through these stages. She should know. She went through the same.

She is an avenue of non-physical miracles: relationships with God are restored; emotional needs are understood; and prayer life is re-discovered. The promise of heaven for those who are about to face death renews their spiritual life.

God made Jean an instrument for a different kind of healing.

What kind of healing can you give to the world?Jun Asis (mabuting.balita@gmail.com)

 

REFLECTION:

Look out for those people you are called to heal.

 

O Divine Physician, use me to become a healer. Make me Your conduit of healing love.

LORD, TO WHOM WILL WE GO?

 

The question with which Peter responds to Jesus’ own question if they, His apostles, would stay or leave, is one that we would do well to ponder every time we think about abandoning our faith for anything else. It is the most sobering of all questions as the answer is frighteningly stark. If Jesus is not the answer, then God help us, if there is a God. To abandon faith in Christ is really to abandon the understanding that there is a God because if Jesus, the one sent by the Father to redeem humanity, is not worthy of being followed and obeyed, it is impossible to conceive of a better option!

Yes, people reject belief in God all the time these days but I tend to think that a lot of them are rejecting a particular concept of God they have constructed that is not worthy of belief in the first place. To have full knowledge of God, of who He is and what He offers us, and then reject Him, is virtually inconceivable to me. There are people who seem to walk this path as well, but they are very few and their salvation is in grave doubt. It is not a path to be recommended to or by anyone.

Peter’s answer tells us that deep down, he and the other disciples have realized that there is something in their faith in Jesus that has become irrefutable to them and they are willing to stake their lives on it. And they will, as the opportunity for martyrdom arises in all of their lives except John. We capture here something of the essence of faith — that it is a relationship with a living person, God. It is neither an abstract concept nor an optional extra for our lives. Faith is essential to our humanity and until we discover it personally there will always be a type of restlessness within. It is quite easy to see this restlessness within the lives of so-called atheists; how I wish it were just as easy to be able to reveal it to them and show them the solution. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

Reflection Question:

What part does faith play in my life? Have I really given over everything I am to my faith response to God or do I still seek to control certain aspects of my life?

 

Father, You have created us to be in relationship with You and we will be restless until we respond in faith to Your love.

 

St. Egbert, pray for us.

PETER AND PAUL

PETER AND PAUL

 

“This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles, kings, and Israelites.” – Acts 9:15

 

St. Paul is considered as one of the Fathers of the Church, next to St. Peter, but they’re very different. While Peter had been with Jesus from the start of His ministry, Paul came after. Peter was devoted to Jesus’ teachings while Paul was dedicated to persecuting Christians. In the end, God worked through Paul and he became a saint.

People can be classified as Peters and Pauls today, too. There are the Peters, who have always been a believer, have always known God, have been trying to be good ever since they were young. These are the people who grew up knowing Jesus early in life, so following Him is the natural thing to do. And then there are the Pauls, who start out knowing Jesus but in a different and a bit negative way. They’re the ones who couldn’t grasp who Jesus was, and in turn either persecute the Peters, or just plain ignore them. But when God reveals Himself to them, they’re just as devoted to Him as the Peters are.

I think that’s why God chose the two saints to be the Fathers of the Church, to show that whatever your background, God works in you and through you.Tina Matanguihan (tina.matanguihan@ gmail.com)

 

REFLECTION:

Regardless of whether you’re a Peter or a Paul, God loves you just the same.

 

Lord, give me the same devotion as that of Sts. Peter and Paul.

THE MIRACLE OF A LIFE THAT IS PAUL

 

If you want to see what the Gospel can do to a person’s life, think of the story of St. Paul. Has there ever been a greater turnaround than his? In the witness of St. Paul’s life, there is enough to inspire all of us to greater acts of faith for the sake of God’s Kingdom. The turnaround that we see in the life of this man is nothing short of a miracle. About the only thing Paul had going for him from a Christian point of view was an incredible desire and zeal to do the will of God. It is just that this zeal was initially very misdirected.

For those of us who do not have the same sort of dramatic conversion, this does not mean our conversion to Jesus is any less authentic or worthy of praise. God works with each of us as individuals in the way that is best for us. What is critical to the ongoing process of conversion is that we never lose the desire to be obedient to God’s call. God will continue to call each of us every day of our lives. He will call us to conversion and service of the Gospel until the day we die. You will never be on holiday from your faith if you remain obedient to God’s call.

Paul’s life is all the more extraordinary when we consider the amount of suffering he endured for the Gospel — beatings, stoning, shipwreck, persecution, wild animals, etc. Nothing could stop the man from being obedient to God’s call. This is what the Church needs today to combat the powerful forces of secularism and materialism. As Christians today, we need to stand up and fight against the philosophies that downplay the dignity of human life in order to exalt individualism and wealth. The prosperity gospel as proclaimed in so many Protestant settings, and even some Catholic ones, is an abomination to the Gospel of Christ. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

Reflection Question:

Have I fallen for the prosperity gospel’s teaching of associating wealth with faithfulness to God?

 

Father, help me to realize that faithfulness and obedience to You are rewarded in the gift of eternal life. Yes, I may have wealth here on earth but help me not to focus on it as it will all pass away and has nothing to do with eternal life with You.

 

St. Felix, pray for us.

HEARING AND LEARNING

HEARING AND LEARNING

“Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from Him comes to me.” – John 6:45b

I was invited to attend a Gender Sensitivity Seminar by a nun. Most of the participants were nuns from different congregations. On the third day, when we prayed the Lord’s Prayer, instead of saying “Our Father,” they changed it to “Our Mother.”

After the prayer service I reacted to it. What they said revealed to me one thing. I was with a feminist group. I told a priest about my “discovery” after the seminar and he confirmed that they were rebel nuns. No one can discount the fact that these “religious” people heard the Lord’s teachings. Apparently, it’s one thing to “hear the Father” and another thing to “learn” from the Father.

Today’s Gospel is very explicit. “Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to Me” (italics mine).

The Lord teaches us many things through His Word, but only if we truly grow and learn from them do we come to Jesus.Cristy Galang (cristy_cc@yahoo.com)

REFLECTION:

Do I open my heart and mind to the Spirit so that I learn and grow from His teachings? Or do I listen to Him with a prejudiced heart?

Lord, please instill in me a pure heart, free from all biases and human needs that can stand in the way of Your expectations from me. As I listen to You, guide me towards Your truth. Guide me towards You. Amen.

THE GOSPEL DEMANDS A RESPONSE

One of the important points we can reflect on in this story is how Philip acts immediately upon the response of the person with whom he is sharing the Gospel. He stops the coach and they find a body of water and he baptizes him. Personally I believe that the Gospel demands a response from those who hear it. At the very least, when we read the Gospel we must give assent to its truth and maybe have to go further than simple intellectual assent. To delay responding to a call from the Gospel because it might be inconvenient or embarrassing is to risk losing a moment of grace in our lives. This would be very unfortunate.

Similarly, when we hear a call to respond to God’s grace in our lives in a particular way, we should not delay in doing so as we might be risking the way that the grace would work. It is important for us to “move with the Spirit of God” when He is working in our lives. If we don’t, the Spirit will lose immediate contact with us as He moves on with the plan of God. It is we who will lose the most from our reluctance to obey when called.

God’s grace does not hover around us waiting for us to respond in our own good time. God moves on with His plan whether we want to be a part of it or not, whether we are willing to move in time with Him or not. Unfortunately we will often discover at a later date what might have been if only we had responded earlier!  “What ifs” are scattered along the way of the lives of those who seek comfort over obedience.

There are times when we have to simply trust in God’s goodness and throw a bit of caution to the wind. There is a time for prudence and preparation; there is also a time for adventure and trust. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

Reflection Question:

When was the last time you took a risk in responding to what you believed God was calling you to do in a particular situation?

Holy Spirit, give me the wisdom to know when to hold back and be cautious, and when to trust in God and live the adventure of faith.

St. Miles, pray for us.

JUST LET GO

JESUS HAS COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN

 

One of the unique claims of Jesus is that He has come down from heaven. No other prophet can make this claim. Implicit in this claim is that He is the only one who has seen and personally knows the Father (who is in heaven). Thus, the revelation of the Father’s nature that Jesus brings is far greater than any other revelation either before Him or after Him. The understanding that Jesus is one with the Father (clear very early on in developing Christian theology) further expresses the depth of knowledge of the Father that Jesus has. We can be sure that the knowledge Jesus gives us of the Father is of prime importance.

Jesus rather cryptically tells us that the Father desires that “He lose nothing of what has been given to Him.” Perhaps Jesus is referring here to His identity with the Father? In becoming human, Jesus loses nothing of His divinity. In fact, it is precisely this mix of divine and human that makes Him capable of bringing salvation to all and thus giving a second meaning to the phrase we are looking at — that is, no one is outside the ambit of the work of salvation. The Father has sent Jesus to bring salvation to all mankind and thus the desire of the Father is that all people be saved, that no one be lost to Him.

The mission of Jesus is multilayered. There are dimensions to it that are almost lost in the mystery of the depth of God’s love for us. John tries to put into words something of this mystery but cannot fully capture its whole meaning. Even the disciples of Jesus fail to fully understand the implications of His preaching. We need to constantly be open to the Spirit of God bringing enough clarity to our understanding so that we will not be working completely in the dark regarding our own faith response. Jesus’ mission and the nature of His relationship with the Father is not an easy thing to fully understand or explain. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

Reflection Question:

What is my understanding of the relationship between Jesus and His Father? It is more than that of father and son because the two are one — equal in all things, though different in their missions.

 

Holy Spirit, help me to understand the love the Father has for me so that I will be better able to respond to it.

 

St. Beuno, pray for us.

ANCHORS OF FAITH

ANCHORS OF FAITH

 

“What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?“ – John 6:30

 

In 1948, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared as the Our Lady, Mary Mediatrix of All Graces, to novice Teresita Castillo at the Carmel Monastery in Lipa City, Batangas. Accompanying the apparitions were showers of rose petals that had images of Jesus. As many as half a million devotees, including then President Elpidio Quirino, flocked to the site.

My grand aunt, Sr. Elizabeth OCD, a nun at the monastery and a witness to the events, shared with me her testimonies during my regular visits. I believe. To this day, I treasure one of the rose petals from the shower that she gave me.

My cousin Raymond recently became a devotee after he was miraculously cured of cystic nephroma, a rare renal tumor. His physical healing ushered in his spiritual rebirth and that of his family.

Teresita saw. Sr. Elizabeth witnessed. Raymond experienced. I learned. Devotees heard. We each have different levels of exposure and experience but we all believe in Our Lady. Our Catholic faith, unlike science, is not about what we see, touch, smell, hear or taste. We simply believe and trust in God. A miracle to affirm it should just be a bonus. Marie Franco (rfranco@its.jnj.com)

 

REFLECTION:

Are we still waiting for something before we reform our lives according to His word?

 

Father God, grant me the grace to remain steadfast in my faith in You.

THE OLD GIVES WAY TO THE NEW

 

Human beings tend to like consistency and resist change. This is especially true when it comes to our faith lives. Jesus speaks of the Bread of Life and the Jews immediately remember their experience in the desert for 40 years. Could there be any greater or better understanding given to the idea of “bread of life”? Jesus tells them that the past was merely a symbol or forerunner for the future, and the future is now with them in His person. He, Jesus, is the Bread of Life come down from heaven to provide not just the means by which all will receive eternal life, but also food for the journey to get there.

This is too much for many Jews to understand and they begin to resist the whole idea. Jesus continues to gently explain it to them and the rest of Chapter 6 of John’s Gospel tells us the story. As Christians, we can gain great insight into a true understanding of the title of Jesus as “Bread of Life” by going back to the Old Testament experience of the Jews. This is true for many of the concepts from the Old Testament that Jesus transforms through His life and preaching. We need to prepare ourselves for change so that Jesus can lead us on our journey.

There will be constant challenges in our faith walk as the Holy Spirit invites us to expand our minds and hearts as we journey with Him. He wants to take us deeper into our faith so that we can experience the fullness of God’s love. We need to be ready to go to places we never dreamed of going but this will

require letting go of our comfort zones and embracing the adventure that always accompanies the work of the Holy Spirit.

A few years ago, I learned a new Christian song that talked about our faith journey as being “the ride of a lifetime.” Forget about Disneyland and all the fun parks and joyrides of your youth. Faith in Jesus is the greatest adventure ride you will ever take. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

Reflection Question:

Am I ready to let go of my comfort zones and allow the Spirit to lead me to new places and experiences?

 

Father, You desire the best for me and the fullness of life comes only to those ready to let go and take Your offer of the “ride of a lifetime!” Grant me a willing spirit.

 

St. Marian, pray for us.