THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT

1/20/16

THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT

“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit.” (1Cor. 12:4)

            St. Paul goes on to explain in this letter that every one has the Spirit within and that Spirit manifests itself in different ways in each person.  He lists some of them such as wisdom or mighty deeds or prophecy. Most people think those gifts are way beyond them, but Wisdom is not necessarily having all the answers.  Mighty deeds are not necessarily public heroics.  Prophecy is not necessarily the ability to predict the future.  The gifts of the Spirit are often quiet and almost unnoticed but fully capable of achieving the purpose, which God intends.

            God has given everyone the potential to do wonderful things but most people either don’t know it or don’t believe it. So many people demure and say they don’t have any gifts and that’s that.  That is a learned reaction and one that needs to be corrected.  Try to see yourself through God’s eyes as a creation with gifts and potential to bring others to Him. If this chapter had a subtitle, it would be “God don’t make junk”.  (Not grammatically correct maybe but true nonetheless. )

            Mighty deeds are done daily by people who face their everyday problems with grace and fortitude and trust in God.  Wisdom is shown everyday by those who budget their money, recycle, help others and make prayer a part of their lives. Prophets are people who speak up against injustice, demand fairness and preach trust in God.

            Among other gifts of the Spirit that people don’t even know they have are honesty, patience, open-mindedness, understanding, joy of living, and gratitude for the gift of life.  This the 21^st century and we should have grown up enough to trust that God has given us all we need to share the faith, to guide others to Him and be open about our faith.  It’s not about religion; it’s about faith in the Creator.  It’s about acknowledging that God is intimately involved in our lives, wants only that we use the gifts bestowed on us to make the place we occupy a place where He may be found.

             

Blessings,

Carol Lemelin OPA

THE FITBIT

1-14-16

THE FITBIT

            For my birthday this year I received a Fitbit.  In case you don’t know, it’s a gremlin type thing that attaches to your clothes and watches every move you make and records it.  You could go online and join other people who are being watched this way and then they will all know your secrets like how many steps you took today or how many times you climbed stairs.  There is also an application that lets you compare notes on weight loss (or gain), which, I would never, ever use.  However, it is a handy little device in some ways and I know it’s meant to motivate me to stay active.   

            Wouldn’t it be nice to have such a device to track my spiritual life?  I could program it so that when I arise in the morning it would read, “Say your prayers!”  It would keep track of how often I thought of God during the day and if the number went too low it would beep at me.  It could count how often I spoke kindly to people, or smiled at them.  It could also beep at me when I showed the other side of my character.

            I admit the Fitbit does help to remind me to keep moving and motivates me to do better so I think a Spiritual Fitbit would be a great thing.  Since I doubt there is going to be such a thing anytime soon, it’s still up to me.  I’m retired now so I don’t have the excuse that I’m too busy to monitor my daily spiritual life but when I was working I did find ways to keep myself spiritually fit so to speak.  I had the 18^th Psalm on a printed card on my dashboard and I sang my favorite motivational hymn:  Lead Me, Guide Me, on the long commute to Novi.  However, the rest of the day is a blur and at night a quick thank you was all I managed. I daresay most of us are like that but lucky for us we have a kind of Spiritual Fitbit on the Internet!  The USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) will send the daily readings directly to your inbox.  Recently I read from Samuel; “Speak Lord, your servant is listening” and on another day,  “Do whatever your hands find to do, for God is with you.”  Words like that will buoy you up during the workday.  In the car, Sirius Radio broadcasts the morning Mass from St. Patrick’s Cathedral and on the website en.radiovaticana.va  you will find the words of Pope Francis from his daily Mass.  Those are just some of the resources out there.  We could even program reminders on our cell phones. With all the technology we have at our disposal creating our own spiritual Fitbit might actually be possible.

            Even so, we know ourselves, we know there will be times when we will fail or get lax, but luckily our God is a perfect lover.  He will wait for us, he will never tire of our failures, he loves us no matter what, he forgives without exception and he is always waiting for us to come home.  

Blessings,

Carol Lemelin, OPA

TRUE FAITH

January 6, 2016

TRUE FAITH

            My grandchildren have all reached maturity (well, more or less depending on the circumstances J).  Anyway, for all intents and purposes they are grown up.  As I look at them and think of their futures, my own past rears its head.  I don’t want them to suffer, to grieve, to be afraid, to be in pain, to be humiliated or rejected, ever!  But I know that is not possible.  I do want them to be loved, to be happy, to grow in learning and in faith.  I want them to know that they can trust God.  I am fully aware that all those experiences are what go into making a total human being.  You can’t be compassionate unless you love.  It is easier to bear the difficulties of life if you have a core of belief that you can depend on.  I heard someone once say they wished they could open the head of their child and pour in all the things they will need to live happily and successfully. But human beings don’t come pre-fabricated.  It takes one experience at a time.

            That is also how true faith happens.  In Mark 6:50-52 the disciples are being tossed around in a boat when Jesus comes to them walking on the water. He says, “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid.”  Now you would think that they would be overcome with the power of Jesus and trust him implicitly from then on but that is not what happened.  They were more afraid than ever according to Mark “They had not understood the (miracle of) the loaves. On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.”  Say what?  The apostle’s hearts were hardened?  Neither Matthew nor John tells the story this way but I tend to think this version is more realistic.  These were early days in their relationship with Jesus and these events frightened them. It took time to know Him in order to trust Him.  They did get to know him, to trust him and eventually they accepted martyrdom for His sake.      

            The kind of faith that I wish for my grandchildren is the kind where they gradually begin to truly see Jesus as both human and divine.  To trust in His every word for all of their lives and no matter what happens to them, the core of that faith will never waver or let them down.   

            I pray fervently for them, that their faith will grow and sustain them all their lives as it has mine.

Blessings,

Carol Lemelin, OPA