Mt. Elinor as seen from Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, Olympia, WA
“When I see that the burden is beyond my strength, I do not consider or analyze it or probe into it, but I run like a child to the Heart of Jesus and say only one word to Him: “You can do all things.” And then I keep silent, because I know that Jesus Himself will intervene in the matter, and as for me, instead of tormenting myself, I use that time to love Him.” (Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, Par. 1033, page 392)
Interwoven Trees, Burfoot Park, Olympia, WA, USA
“I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one.” (John 17:23)
God is crazy in love with us ~ St. Catherine of Sienna
Trail, Squaxin Park, Olympia, WA, USA
Fire, cross, struggles with wild beasts, wrenching of bones, mangling of limbs - let them come to me, provided only I make my way to Jesus Christ. I would rather die and come to Jesus Christ than be king over the entire earth. Him I seek who died for us; him I love who rose again because of us.” - St Ignatius of Antioch, Christian martyr, 107 AD
Christian life was not easy for the first followers of Christ and yet the first Christian’s remained hopeful, even joyous as they followed Christ. One of the biggest impoverishments we have today is a lack of hope. People are hungry for hope, the hope that only Christ can give.
Let us spread hope, let us show our joy is not dependent on this moment’s pleasure but is rooted in following Christ. Let us demonstrate our love by imitating Christ in virtue and charity.
Sunrise Sedalia, CO USA
As we celebrate the dawn of a new year let us resolve to grow in closeness with our Lord.
Sunrise over Mt. Rainier, WA, USA
The universe has an estimated 1 septillion stars (a one followed by 24 zeros), with the furthest star 28 billion light years away from earth. However; what is more amazing is that God, the creator of this vast universe, became man and was born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem.
Love came from the infinite
to live with the finite,
from heaven
to live on earth,
from wealth
to live in poverty.
Love journeyed to place divinity
into humanity.
Many every knee bow at the name of Love,
Jesus Christ.
True God, true man.
The Word made flesh.
Love made flesh.
Merry Christmas!
Western Chehalis Trail, Olympia, WA
On our journey with God let us always remember, “We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)
Budd Inlet, Olympia, Washington USA
Jesus said, “Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” ~ Matthew 5:16
Sunrise Galveston, TX with background mosaic from Basilica of our Lady of the Rosary, Lourdes, France
As we commence this Advent season, preparing our way for Christmas, I wanted to share this picture from our Christmas 2018 post.
This Advent season let us “prepare the way of the Lord” (Matthew 3:3).
Moonset, Woodward Bay Conservation Area, WA USA
Happy Thanksgiving!
Sunset in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado USA
The light of the Christian comes from the fruits of the Holy Spirit which are “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love that we may renew the face of the earth.
Amen
Autumn leaf, Woodward Bay National Conservation Area, Washington, USA
Point Wilson Lighthouse, Washington, USA
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” ~ Hebrews 11:1
Naches Peak Loop Trail, Washington, USA
Lord, help us see clearly. Jesus may our relationships flow from our love of you. Let us understand that love doesn’t come from a conformity of beliefs but from your grace in helping us to desire the good of the other. Help us to look beyond our differences and see people as the neighbors that God has asked us to love.
Amen
Tilllamook Rock Lighthouse, Cannon Beach, Oregon
“Christian joy is about the experience of a peace that remains in our hearts, even when we are pelted by trials and afflictions, for then we know that we are not alone, but accompanied by a God who is not indifferent to our lot. When seas are rough: the storm is always on the surface, but the depths remain calm and peaceful. That is also true of Christian joy: it is a free gift, the certainty of knowing that we are loved, sustained and embraced by Christ in every situation in life. Because he is the one who frees us from selfishness and sin, from the sadness of solitude, from inner emptiness and fear, and gives us a new look at life and history…” ~ Pope Francis
Monarch butterflies, Wildseed Farms, Fredericksburg, TX USA
“The screen door slammed behind me as I ran out of the house chasing a butterfly.” This is just one of the many pleasant memories I have of my childhood. JRR Tolkien would have called the place where I was raised “The Shire”, the biblical authors may have called it “a land of milk and honey”, I simply called it home. As I have aged, I have discovered that the memories that were formed in my “Shire” were not based on its location or riches, but rather from an atmosphere of humility and love. It was a home where my age of innocence as a child was protected allowing me to grow in virtue before being subject to the challenges to virtue.
Each of us has a responsibility to create dwelling places of love, virtue and hope. If we as a society are to flourish, we must work by cooperating with God’s grace, in humility and sacrifice, to create homes, churches, communities and a nation where children, and all the vulnerable; particularly the unborn, the orphaned and the elderly, are treated as precious children of God. It is our responsibility to transform this world into a foretaste of the eternal home we hope to dwell in, heaven, by creating little places of “milk and honey” here on earth.
Jesus said, “it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost” ~ Matthew 18:14
Sunlight breaking through forest canopy, Olympia, Washington, USA
“Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” ~ Jesus, Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:16
“In God, no act of love, no matter how small, and no “generous effort” will ever be lost. Just as we recognize a tree by its fruits, so a life full of good deeds radiates light and carries the fragrance of Christ to the world.” ~ Pope Francis
Purple (Naked) shore crab (Hemigrapsus nudus) at Crescent Beach, Washington, USA
All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
~ 1st Stanza, A prayer for the Earth, Laudato Si’, Pope Francis
High tide at Crescent Beach as viewed from Tongue Point, Washington, USA
Twelve hours later the tide was out. The scene was no longer picturesque and as I walked across the muddy tidal flat toward what earlier was a coastal island, I noticed tidal pools full of marine life.
Sometimes we cannot visibly see God’s grace in our lives but the Christian must see with the eyes of faith.
“On the path of life and faith, as we seek to achieve the dreams, plans, hopes and expectations deep in our hearts, we also come up against our own frailties and weaknesses; we experience setbacks and disappointments, and often we can remain imprisoned by a paralyzing sense of failure. Yet the Gospel tells us that at those very moments we are not alone, for the Lord comes to meet us and stands at our side. He accompanies us on our way with the discretion of a gentle fellow-traveler who wants to open our eyes and make our hearts once more burn within us. Whenever our failures lead to an encounter with the Lord, life and hope are reborn and we are able to be reconciled: with ourselves, with our brothers and sisters, and with God.” ~ Pope Francis
Sunrise, Broken Bow, Nebraska, USA
It was so quiet that I could nearly hear the light as the sun’s early rays cut across the Nebraska farmland. It was a quiet peace-filled morning, just me and the Lord.
The gospel of Mark, more than perhaps any other gospel, depicts the chaotic life that Jesus must have had during his three years of public ministry. Jesus was like a magnet drawing lost souls to him as he healed and preached the gospel. He hardly had time to rest. It must have been such a sharp contrast to his time as a laborer. Yet even Jesus needed time alone, listening to his father. We see Jesus satisfying this need in the early morning hours in this first chapter of the gospel of Mark. In our overly busy world, we need to imitate Jesus, we need to find our deserted place where we can be alone listening to our heavenly father.
Douglas Fir, Lewis and Clark State Park, WA USA
Father, I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will. Whatever you may do, I thank you: I am ready for all. I accept all. Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures. I wish no more than this, O Lord. Into your hands I commend my soul. I offer it to you with all the love of my heart, for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself, to surrender myself into your hands, without reserve, and with boundless confidence, for you are my Father. ~ Prayer of Abandonment, St. Charles de Foucauld
