Tulips, Skagit Valley, WA USA
Let us join voices with the angels and saints in heaven and sing, “Alleluia, He has Risen!”
“The Gospel of Easter is very clear: we need to go back there, to see Jesus risen and to become witnesses of his Resurrection. This is not to go back in time; it is not a kind of nostalgia. It is a returning to our first love, in order to receive the fire which Jesus has kindled in the world and to bring that fire to all people, to the very ends of the earth.”
- Pope Francis
Trail, Squaxin Park, Olympia, WA USA
We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.
My Lord, Jesus Christ,
You have made this journey to die for me with unspeakable love;
and I have so many times ungratefully abandoned You. But now I love You with all my heart;
and, because I love You, I am sincerely sorry for ever having offended You.
Pardon me, my God, and permit me to accompany You on this journey.
You go to die for love of me;
I want, my beloved Redeemer, to die for love of You.
My Jesus, I will live and die always united to You.
- Saint Alphonsus Liguori
Western Hemlock trees silhouetted against backdrop of Mt. St. Helens, WA USA
The top of the mountain is so far away, yet he is near.
It is his path that we follow.
His way that we walk.
Though the days may be cold, he warms us.
Though the mountain may be steep, he comforts us.
Though we may fall, he helps us up.
So we walk on, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith.
Knowing one day he will pick us up,
and on that day he will carry us home,
to the mountain top,
and we will dwell in the house of our Lord forever.
Amen
Poem, “Our Mountain Journey”, see John 14: 20-21, Hebrews 12:2 and Psalm 23
Trillium Flower, Squaxin Park, Olympia, WA USA
I live at the foot of cedar, fir, hemlock and maple…. yet God sees me.
Each spring, as cherry trees and magnolias are covered with flowers, I sprout from the earth. Looking up to heaven, with my one tiny flower, I shout “I love you God.”
Then as the maple wake up covering the canopy with giant leaves, I fall to the ground, in peace, knowing I did God’s will.
I did my part of God’s plan to the full, that is enough for me. That is enough for God.
Poem of the Trillium, a little flower
Nature Trail, Millersylvania State Park, WA USA
The Way is not simply a walk in woods but a journey with the One that helps us carry our cross.
The Truth is that we are beautiful, but broken, and there is no one that can completely heal us except the divine physician, Jesus.
Life, despite its brokenness, is beautiful and sacred because of Jesus, the one that turns sorrow into joy, confusion into understanding, and death into eternal life.
In the Pacific Northwest we are surrounded by beautiful trees. The following short video expresses a Psalm from a tree’s perspective. Hope you enjoy it and hope it helps you on your spiritual journey.
Psalm of a Tree
I look up to heaven with faith,
Trusting that the sun will again warm the earth,
The days will continue to grow in length,
That spring will come again.
I will then praise the Lord with leaves, with flowers, with seed.
I will praise the Lord by befriending birds, squirrels and all sorts of creepy, crawling things.
And when my days are over,
I will trust in the Lord as I fall down to the earth,
I will praise the Lord, I will forever praise the Lord.
Carolina Wood Duck, McLane Nature Trail, WA USA
Late last summer this Wood Duck was drab, having lost all his primary feathers after the mating season leaving him flightless, but as spring approaches he now looks like a new creation.
Like the Wood Duck, Christians are a new creation but they are also a work in progress. Christian hope is that one day by journeying with Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit, we might be able to join St. Paul in saying “it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me”(Gal 2:20), thus reflecting the fire of God’s love into a world in need.
Rough-skinned Newt, Mima Falls Trail, WA USA
Barbara heard the knock on the door. It couldn’t be Fred and Anton, they were out walking along the tracks searching for pieces of coal that might have fallen off the train. They would need the coal to stay warm this winter.
She opened the door. An older man greeted her with a wide smile that almost covered his unshaven face. A young man stood several feet behind him, his head hanging low.
“Good afternoon, Ma’am,” the older man said. “We was wondering if you might be able give us a bite to eat.”
“Sit down on the steps, it will be a few minutes.”
This is a true story, during the Great Depression, Barbara and others like her, gave from the little they had to serve the poor.
“If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:15-17).
Who has God placed on your “front door step” needing to be served?
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, McLane Creek Nature Trail, WA USA
All of our acts of kindness should be done with humility knowing that “all good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights”(James 1:17).
“If you imitate Him(Jesus), you are not walking in darkness, but you will have the light of life.” St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153 AD)
Let us reflect our perfect model, Jesus, in every humble act of kindness we do.
Carolina Wood Ducks, Eagle Lake, Western Chehalis Trail, WA USA
God desires that we share the intimacy found in his love with each other.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” - John 3:16
“To love is really to want what is good for someone else and then to act on that desire.
Real love is a leaping outside of the narrow confines of my needs and desires, and an embrace of the other’s good for the other’s sake.” - Bishop Robert Barron
Greater Yellowlegs, Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, WA USA
“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” - John 14:23
Jesus is within us. Waiting to talk to us. Let us take time each day and find a quiet place, as Jesus did, to talk to our God, our savior, our friend.
he (Jesus) would withdraw to deserted places to pray- Luke 5:16
Sunrise, Galveston, TX USA
“I am blessed,” Father Jim replied from his wheelchair, with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye, as I walked into church. This was Fr. Jim’s customary reply to my inquiry as to how he was doing.
Fr. Jim was a vibrant man in love with Jesus. Fr. Jim knew that although he had ALS, the disease did not define him; rather it was Fr. Jim’s love for Jesus, which radiated into every aspect of his being, that defined Fr. Jim Lee. Rejoicing in the Lord was Fr. Jim’s strength.
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4) These words were written by St. Paul while he was in prison but they could have been the words of Fr. Jim, for the Christian is not defined by his or her circumstances but by the love of God that dwells within them.
God loves us, so let us rejoice in the Lord always!
Hood Canal as viewed from Potlatch State Park, WA USA
“Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen” - Hebrews 11:1
Our Christian faith opens up new horizons even in the most troubling of times. For the last couple of years I have battled both heart issues and cancer but, through the gift of faith, I knew God was with me. Knowing God was with me then gave rise to hope, hope in Christ’s promise of our eternal home. Christian hope removes fear and gives us peace. Living in peace then enabled me to love, taking my focus off myself and onto the caring of others. And amazingly, caring for others brought me additional peace.
My heart condition has resolved and my chemotherapy is completed with my cancer in remission. I give praise to our Lord Jesus Christ for healing but especially for the virtues of faith, hope and love that can lift every dark cloud.
May the peace of Jesus Christ be with you.
Western Red Cedar tree, dead and stripped of bark it remains reaching toward heaven, Woodward Bay Nature Preserve, Olympia, WA USA
Paul wrote these words while in prison. In prison, yet full of hope. Christian hope is not whimsical optimism; rather, it is a vision based on the understanding that the merciful and loving God of the universe will provide. Our hope “forgets what lies behind but strains forward to what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:13). Christian hope has many facets.
In life, our hope is an understanding that by cooperating with God’s plan each of us can become the person, the saint, that God desires us to be.
In death, our hope is an understanding that if our faith, as demonstrated by our faith-filled actions, perseveres to the end we will rest in God’s peace forever.
For our planet and our communities, our hope is an understanding that in the end God will set all things right. Love, mercy and justice will prevail.
May each of us pursue our upward calling in Christ Jesus. Blessings for a hope-filled 2025.
Olympia Washington sunset with modified image from the Basilica of our Lady of the Rosary, Lourdes France
The only proper response to love (agape - unconditional, self-giving love) is agape love. The life of Jesus; his teachings, his parables, his passion, show us how to live in agape love. Let us love God and each other as Jesus taught us.
Merry Christmas
Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, WA USA
These words spoken by God through the prophet Jeremiah were to the people of Israel that had been displaced from their homeland and were in a foreign land (Babylon). They ring of hope but they also ring of responsibility. Hope that they will see God, responsibility that they must seek God.
As we prepare for Christmas, let us have an a heart that is calling, praying, listening and seeking God.
Mule Deer Buck in snow, Pueblo West, CO USA
With faithful and hopeful anticipation, we wait…
We wait with longing in our hearts for that which pleasures, presents and power cannot fulfill.
We wait for what our hearts desire, our King, our Lord and our God.
We wait for Christmas, the marking of time, when God became man so that man might be fulfilled and live eternally with him.
We wait……
Black-tailed Deer eating apple, Olympia, WA
The sun was setting as the the deer anxiously ran through the knee high grass up to an apple tree and began eating the apples. We should have such exuberance as we approach the Lord.
Psalms 34:1-8 - I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. O taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Fallen Maple Leaves, Olympia, WA USA
Seeing these leaves I could not help but think of our Lord’s passion and the wonderful love he has for us.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. - John 3:16
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Romans 5: 7-8
Great Blue Heron, Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, WA
let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. - Hebrews 12:1,2
