The greatest blessing is to have my family together at Church on Sundays. Husband came with us to Mass. Son was so happy. I will continue to pray that he will join us every Sunday at Mass. And also it will be wonderful if we all partake of the holy eucharist together as a family.
Sunday's homily was very good to. Father Gregory spoke about how we tend to be blind to see things going on around us. The gospel was from Mark:46-52. The story of Jesus healing a blind man.
I like the part where the disciples tell the blind man Bartimaeus, "Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you." Bartimaeus went up to Jesus. "What do you want me to do to you?", asked Jesus. The blind man said, "Master, I want to see." Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you." Immidiately Bartimaeus received his sight and followed Jesus on the way.
How many times we feel discouraged or weak because of certain illness or problems in our lives. Jesus is calling us to come to him in prayer. We also need to take courage and tell Jesus what are needs are. What do we desire Him to do for us?
Bartimaeus after receiving his sight did not go off to tell his family or others about it, instead he followed Jesus on the way. He continue to be attentive to Jesus teachings. I want to have that faith like Bartimaeus. I want to take courage and follow Jesus. God is calling me to work for him. He has plans for me. "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
I have seen the need of a youth group in our Parish. Also a group for Parents. "the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10 NIV. There are many things out in the world, that distract our children and the youth ,from following the ways of God. Drugs, alcohol, gangs, and peer pressure. Television plays a major role also. What they see on tv, on movies and the popular people is what our children tend to immitate. Our youth needs to know we love them and care for their well being. We do not mean to make their life boring.
Parents also need a support group. Sometimes we are not sure how to deal with the issues we face with our youth. We feel guilty that we have not done things right and our children are getting lost in the world.
Every Sunday, after Mass, I attend the parents group while my child is taking classes to prepare for his first communion. The leader of the parents group, has asked us to share something good and something bad that happen to us during the week or if we saw God being present in our life the previous week. As each parent has been sharing their own stories, I have seen how similar our lives are. We are all parents, we all have difficult moments in our lives, and we all have faith in God. Yes, our faith in Jesus, has helped us to face those difficult moments and continue. The sharing time in the class has help me to know that I am not alone. God is always there with me.
But then I think of how many parents out there, need to share with someone. It is good to share and hear words of encouragement. This is why I like to visit the blog (in) courage. I read testimonies of other women who have faced their own trials and how Hope and Faith in God has brought them through and helped them in their weak moments.
I too want to be an encourager to other parents. I want to be an encourager to our youth. I pray that God will use me to give a word of encouragement to those other parents. I get encouraged by His word and by the friends who live their lives grounded in the word of God. Thank your for your encouraging words.
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