Joy Matters!

Happy Laetare Sunday!

We celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Lent. We are at the middle section of the Lenten Fast and we have already come so far in the Holy Season. Our selection from the Gospel of St. John reminds us why, no matter what we are going through, we can choose joy. We read from the text:

For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.

John 3:16

This message is our base! When life gets ugly, and the storms are raging, John 3:16 reminds us that whatever we are going through, it will pass. Jesus will get us through everything we have to deal with if we give it to Him!

Enjoy this wonderful reminder of why we have Lent. It is all about Jesus. He came into the world so that the power of sin and death cannot, will not, have the final say.

Be joyful. We have Victory in Jesus.

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

https://gofund.me/a1d90db2

Happy Gaudete Sunday!

Choose Joy!

We are in the period of the last days in Advent 2023 and regardless of what we have been going through, we have a choice to find joy! Our model is St. John the Baptist who chose to live the joy of the Lord by preparing His way for us! However, will we follow John in his preparing the way of the Lord to everyone we encounter. The world still needs St. John the Baptist like individuals.

We find in St. John’s Gospel:

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him.
John 1:6-7

Let us keep this testimony simple! St. John the Baptist was very much himself! He was “Wholly Holy”, he belonged to God, and he never wavered from surrender to God’s will for himself.

Can we use these last days before Christmas to give the true testimony that Jesus is the Lord of our lives? We do that by bringing joy to everyone we encounter!

Be Christmas Joy!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

https://gofund.me/e4fbd23a

Be St. John Like

Change the Narrative!

“This is he of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before my face, who shall prepare your way before you.’”
Matthew 11:10

Jesus needed His cousin St. John the Baptist! St. John was to prepare the way for the ministry of Jesus. He was a prophet, the last Prophet of the Old Testament, Jesus begins the Nee Testament with His life and ministry.

St. John’s preparation was very clear for those who could hear him. His message was revealed in all that was about him. Even the clothing he wore and the food he ate revealed a radical turn to the Divine.

To make the way to receive the Lord, we must repent of the things that block the Divine Presence in our lives!

Repentance is important and we must remove the things that keep us from receiving Jesus in our lives!

We must be St. John like in the way we live, in our total being! We may be the only ones who can bring Jesus to people.

May we be the best St. John like people, because the world is in desperate need of the peace, joy, and love that Jesus brings!

Pax.

https://gofund.me/a1d90db2