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I was ill

Male and female Northern Cardinals, Spring Branch, TX

Her feathers had fallen off her head, her beak was twisted; this female cardinal was ill. Then I spotted a male cardinal peering around the leaves looking at the sick cardinal. The scene made me think of Jesus’s challenge to each of us.

Jesus said, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” ~ Matthew 25:35-36

Lord, give us the grace to not just look at those in need, but to come to their rescue with love in action (charity). Amen

#anaturewalk #WalkwithGod #IwasIll

Light of the World

Come Holy Spirit, Come! Illuminate our hearts with the light of love which is Jesus Christ himself.

Amen

#anaturewalk #WalkwithGod #LightoftheWorld

Eyes Opened

He has risen! He is alive! Do we recognize him? In our hearts? In our lives?

#anaturewalk #WalkwithGod #EyesOpened

For God so Loved

wildflowers on Willow City Loop, Texas with statue of Pieta from chapel in Carcassone, France

#anaturewalk #WalkwithGod #ForGodsoLoved

Hallelujah Is Our Song

Faith, Hope and Love - A Flower’s Story

Blue Bonnets on island in Guadalupe River, Spring Branch, TX USA

It was by God’s grace that I was created, during this time, on this tiny island, surrounded by raging water.

It was by Faith that my roots went deep into the soil to prevent the current from washing me away.

It was through hope, a hope that one day I would become all God wanted me to be, that my leaves shot up to kiss the sun.

It is with love that my flowers bloom radiating God’s love to all that see me.

In these times when many of us feel we are surrounded by raging water let us remember St. Paul’s famous words to the Church in Corinth that was also surrounded by raging waters, “So faith, hope and love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” - 1 Corinthians 13:13

Come and drink

Northern Mockingbird drinking water, Pedernales Falls State Park, TX USA

Jesus stood up and exclaimed, “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink.” ~ John 7:37

What do you thirst for? Jesus is thirsting for your love. Are you thirsting for his love?

“I do not know whose thirst is greater, his or mine for him.” ~ St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, letter 1980

If you wish to follow meditations by St. Mother Teresa on her thirst for God and Jesus’s infinite thirst for us, I suggest the book “I Thirst – 40 days with Mother Teresa” by Joseph Langford, M.C.

#anaturewalk #WalkwithGod #ComeandDrink

Shadow of Your Wings

Yellow Tiger-Swallowtail Butterfly, Los Maples State Park, TX USA

You indeed are my savior,

and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.

~ Psalm 63: 8

Nothing is Small

Remember that nothing is small in the eyes of God. Do all that you do with love. ~ St. Therese of Lisieux, the little flower

#anaturewalk #WalkwithGod #NothingisSmall #TheLittleFlower

Fountain of Mercy

Old Faithful Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, USA

“I am turning to you, the fountain of mercy; I am hurrying to you to be healed; I am taking refuge under your protection. I am longing to meet you, not as my Judge but as my Savior. Lord, I am not ashamed to show you my wounds. Only you know how many and how serious my sins are, and though they could make me fear for my salvation, I am putting my hope in your mercies, which are beyond count. Look on me with mercy, then, Lord Jesus Christ, eternal King, God and man, crucified for our sake. I am putting my trust in you, the fountain that will never stop flowing with merciful love: hear me and forgive my sins and weaknesses.” ~ St. Ambrose of Millan, 340 AD - 397 AD

#anaturewalk #WalkwithGod #FountainofMercy

Beauty Ever Ancient

“O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things, which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you, they would not have been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You
breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace.” ~ The Confessions of St. Augustine, St. Augustine of Hippo, 354 – 430 AD

#anaturewalk #WalkwithGod #BeautyEverAncient

Fear Not

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

your rod and your staff comfort me.

~ Psalm 23:4

#anaturewalk #WalkwithGod #FearNot

Fire Quenching Love

Firehole River, Yellowstone National Park

Love quenches the fires of bitterness, envy and hate. Let us follow Christ’s example and love and pray for those that oppose us and might even hate us (see Matthew 5:44 and Luke 23:34).

#anaturewalk #WalkwithGod #FireQuenchingLove

Leap for Joy

Black-bellied whistling duck and ducklings, Galveston, TX

Aren’t babies just wonderful! This duckling’s leap for joy reminds me of the passage in the bible where John the Baptist leaped for joy at the sound of the pregnant Virgin Mary’s voice.

Luke 1:44: Elizabeth, John the Baptist’s mother, said, “For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.”

May God bless mothers, fathers and babies.

#anaturewalk #WalkwithGod #LeapforJoy

Follow His Light

Boardwalk Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” ~ John 8:12 As we enter into the year 2020, many of us will have challenging paths to follow and decisions to make, let us follow our Lord Jesus Christ in all we do so that our path will be illuminated by his light.

#anaturewalk #AimHighWalkwithGod #FollowHisLight

Close to the Heart

Red Rocks of Roxborough State Park, Colorado with insert of Statue of St. Mary and the child Jesus from All Souls Catholic Church, Englewood, CO

Have you ever been this close to God? This is how close God desires to be with you.

Mary, mother of Jesus, mother of God, show us how to hold Jesus close to our hearts. Amen

#anaturewalk #AimHighWalkwithGod #ClosetotheHeart

The Eyes of Christmas

Live Oak forest, Avery Island, Louisiana with insert from mosaic from Basilica of our Lady of the Rosary, Lourdes, France

Look into the eyes of Mary and Joseph,

the shepherds and saints,

the angels and wise men.

Their eyes reflect humility and love,

awe and wonder,

thanks and praise.

Lord, as we prepare our hearts for your coming this Christmas, help us find the humility and love, awe and wonder, thanks and praise of those that celebrated the first Christmas.

Mary, mother of God, pray with us that we may seek and find your son, Jesus, in a new and profound
way this Christmas.

Amen

#anaturewalk #AimHighWalkwithGod #EyesofChristmas

Give Thanks

Columbia Spotted Frog, North Fork Coeur d'Alene River, Idaho

Lord thank you for…

frogs, clear water and shiny rocks;

mothers and daughters;

fathers and sons;

family and friends;

but most of all,

thank you for being our Lord and God;

our savior and friend.

Amen

#anaturewalk #AimHighWalkwithGod #GiveThanks

High Upon a Rock

Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep Ewe, Castle Rock near Buena Vista, CO

One thing I ask of the LORD;

this I seek:

To dwell in the LORD’s house

all the days of my life,

To gaze on the LORD’s beauty,

to visit his temple.

For God will hide me in his shelter

in time of trouble,

He will conceal me in the cover of his tent;

and set me high upon a rock. ~ Psalm 27: 4-5

Lord Jesus Christ, you are the rock upon which we rest. You have made our hearts, your temple. May we make this dwelling place worthy of your presence through all of our thoughts, actions, and deeds. By your grace. Amen

Come Holy Spirit, Come.

#anaturewalk #AimHighWalkwithGod #HighUponaRock

Listen to His Call

Bull Elk Bugling, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

It was a cold, rainy autumn evening when I heard the call of this magnificent bull elk. I have heard the scream of bull elk hundreds of times; and yet, each time I hear the eerie sound of a big bull bugling something deep inside of me begins to stir.

This stirring of something deep inside reminds me of the Holy Spirit. It was Elijah that heard the call of the Holy Spirit while waiting out a storm inside a cave on the mountain of Horeb.

“There was a strong and violent wind rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the LORD—but the LORD was not in the wind; after the wind, an earthquake—but the LORD was not in the earthquake; after the earthquake, fire—but the LORD was not in the fire; after the fire, a light silent sound. When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.” 1 Kings 19:11-13

Elijah heard the sound of the Lord in silence. For many Christians the voice of the Holy Spirit cannot be easily discerned. The Holy Spirit does not often manifest himself like the scream of a bull elk bugling. The Spirit’s soft, silent voice often seems to get lost in the hustle, bustle and events of our daily lives.

An active participation in the life of the Church including prayer, fellowship, sacraments, bible reading, and fellowship enhances our ability to hear the Holy Spirit’s direction in our lives. However; the lives of Jesus, the Apostles and the Saints point to two items that are fundamental to hearing the call of God in our lives. These items are forgiveness and humility. The bellowing loud voices in our souls of contempt and pride can drown out the soft, yet persistent voice of our Lord.

Contempt for others and pride, I have found for myself, have often hidden themselves from my casual notice. I have asked the Lord for the grace to know myself, so that I can identify my sources of hate and pride and begin to change. Hopefully in doing so I will be able to better hear the beautiful call of our Lord.

In what areas of your life might contempt for others and pride be hiding? Ask the Lord for his grace to know yourself and to change.

I pray that the call of our Lord will stir all of us and renew our souls.

#anaturewalk #AimHighWalkwithGod #ListentoHisCall