In looking over the readings from today’s lectionary, I just had to share this lovely excerpt from Ephesians 4:
“Brothers and sisters: Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.
Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.”
Take a moment and think of a favorite aroma. It could be summer flowers or grass just mowed. It could a pork roast, slow cooking all day in the oven. It could be the scent of your child fresh and clean from a morning bath. It could be the smoke of incense rising up in church, reaching for heaven.
Think about your favorite scent and then think about Jesus and all he has done for you. How he taught you through his words and deeds. How he has consoled you or healed you in the past. How he has enveloped you with love.
Perhaps now he seems far away even though he is always inside of you. Scents are powerful triggers for memories–think of that favorite aroma and then think of Jesus. Perhaps then he will not seem so far away after all.
How would you like to win $250 to be given to your favorite charity?
It’s as simple as naming a fish!
Good friend, author and Catholicmom.com founder Lisa Hendey wants you to name the goldfish gracing the cover of her soon-to-be-released book, The Grace of Yes: Eight Virtues for Generous Living. Just for entering, you will receive a thank-you gift of a 20% discount on the purchase of her book!
You will have to work fast!
You only have today and tomorrow to submit your name and favorite charity.
Round 1 takes place October 20, 21, and 22 – Submit your name and nominate your favorite charity.
Round 2 will take place October 23, 24, and 25 – Vote on the final 3, as selected at midnight, PST, by Lisa Hendey.
Prizes include:
First Prize: $250 to your favorite charity and a signed copy of The Grace of Yes
Second Prize: $50 to your favorite charity and a signed copy of The Grace of Yes
Third Prize: A signed copy of The Grace of Yes
I will be posting a review of The Grace of Yes on November 3, the date of the book’s release. This book embodies all that Lisa Hendey is and has been to so many Catholics. Her generosity knows no bounds. She is everyone’s cheerleader and prayer warrior; her wisdom is simple and yet profound.
Can’t wait? You can pre-order The Grace of Yes on Amazon. Remember to use your 20% off link from entering the contest.
Jesus gives explicit instructions to the apostles as they go forth as evangelists for the first time:
Carry nothing with you and greet no one along the way (in other words, remain unattached to people and possessions and do not be distracted; remain focused on the task at hand)
Grant peace to the household where you choose to stay; if your greeting is accepted, peace will remain and if not, it will return to you (in other words, show graciousness to your host and bring your best self into their dwelling)
Stay in the same house and eat and drink whatever they give you for the laborer deserves his wages (in other words, accept whatever hospitality the household offers even if the food isn’t necessarily what you want; accept the payment that is given without complaint)
Do not move from house to house (in other words, plant yourself in the community)
To the towns that welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure in the sick and say to them that the Kingdom of God is at hand (in other words, accept their hospitality without question and offer healing in body, heart and mind to everyone you meet)
Sounds like we have our marching orders. Ready to go?
How do you approach sharing the Good News? What special directions is the Lord giving you?
Prayer
Lord, clear my mind and heart of my own ideas and fill them with your own. Help me to be loving and gracious to everyone I meet, letting your love shine through me, accompanied by a few choice words. Amen.
Words have power. Through prayer, guidance and meditation, the Bible can change lives. While God speaks most directly through his Word, he can also speak to you through the books you have in your home or that you find at your local library. It’s all a matter of being aware of how and when he is speaking to you.
I developed a passion for reading four years ago after my mother had died. She had been ill for many years and all I could remember about her was her suffering. Reading acted as a balm upon numbing grief; it was an unexpected gift of grace from God. While cleaning out the family home I came up on my mother’s collection of books by Louisa May Alcott, each volume marked with her personal name plate. As I thumbed through the pages and enjoyed the familiar stories, I imagined my mother as a girl reading them along with me. I found myself wrapped in warm and happy memories of the woman I had called my very best friend.
Books soon became a means of spiritual growth. Reading exercised a lazy mind and challenged my heart to open and grow. A novel of historical fiction was my first “breakthrough” book, one that shone a glaring spotlight on my soul and moved me to repent and change. Titled Mr. Emerson’s Wife by Amy Belding Brown it told the story of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s wife Lidian. a highly intelligent and accomplished woman who, although married to an “enlightened man,” suffered the plight of all married women of her era. Just a scant one hundred and fifty years ago women were the property of their husbands; they had no legal rights. Women could not own land or a house, they could not vote and they had no lawful custody of their children. There were few options for gainful employment if a woman became widowed. Women in the nineteenth century were in essence invisible and powerless, unable to chart the course of their own lives.
While wholeheartedly agreeing that all people are equal despite gender and race, I have never embraced modern feminism. This, however, did not give me the right to judge others who did embrace it. My judgment was harsh, secretly leveled at dear friends whom I otherwise loved and respected. After reading Mr. Emerson’s Wife, my heart began to open for these women with whom I had disagreed as I came to an understanding of their passion and point of view. I prayed to God for forgiveness and asked him to stretch my small heart, replacing judgment with love. He wasted no time in showing me how to love better and to leave all judgment to him.
Other books challenged me spiritually. A series of novels by Chaim Potok explored the lives of people of great faith whose heritage clashed with their enormous gifts of intellect (The Chosen) and artistry (My Name is Asher Lev, The Gift of Asher Lev). Danny Saunders of The Chosen was a brilliant young man who was the rightful heir to his father, an Hasidic rebbe. Reb Isaac Saunders meant for his son to devote his vast intellect to study of the Torah while Danny hungered to be a scholar, feasting on the knowledge of the world outside of his Jewish community. Asher Lev was an artistic genius, compelled to create provocative paintings and drawings even if it put him at odds with his family and his own Hasidic community.
Danny and Asher were young men of great courage who pursued their callings while remaining faithful to their Jewish faith. Their stories challenged me to dig deeper to find my own calling while at the same time, reminding me that such digging must be done in complete partnership with God, allowing him to lead me to self-knowledge.
Think about the book you are reading now: how does it speak to you? Can you read between the lines and sense God touching your heart, moving you to change? Does your mind open up to seeing the world around you in a different way? Do you derive comfort from the book? Or does it challenge you and motivate you to repent of some sin? Does it inspire you to step out into the world and serve God’s people?
Consider these possibilities the next time you visit the library. The next book you read could transform your life.
Take a moment and think of a favorite aroma. It could be summer flowers or grass just mowed. It could a pork roast, slow cooking all day in the oven. It could be the scent of your child fresh and clean from a morning bath. It could be the smoke of incense rising up in church, reaching for heaven.
Join Susan Bailey’s Email List (special surprises just for you!)
Be as One 