Friendships

Humans are built on friendship, and relationships, which is why in Genesis God said it isn't good for man to be alone. Now we don't have to have tons and tons of friends because when you have a one good friend who you know cares about you, well you are on top of the world. When we hear someone loves us we feel better about ourselves we hang out with that person, and overall we love them and talk to others about how good of a friend they are. Am I right? So, think about this the God of all the universe loves you, and wants a relationship with you. Some people they are shocked, others they say  yes yes I know that already. So if we know this if we know how good God is and how much he loves each one of us why are we not shouting this from the mountain top, and telling everyone we meet how good God is? The answer to that may vary for each one of us, but it is the fact that we are constantly in a hurry, our thoughts are clouded with things we need to get done, and some of us don't want to stand out. Is that how a child of God should live? No, it isn't but all of this is part of our human nature. God doesn't want perfect children; although what he does want is us trying our best every single day to tell everyone about him because when they see or hear about the love God has for us they want what we have. Which brings me to Matthew 25:1-13 the parable of the ten virgins:

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’  Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

The oil in the parable represents our friendship with Jesus, which is something we cannot give away to others. So Jesus is the bridegroom here, and we do not know when he will come again in his glory. Through this parable Jesus is telling us to stay awake in a spiritual sense to nurture a relationship with him, to pray daily to him, and to spread his word to those of the world.  So today show others the love of God whether its actions or words. Show that Christ is in you.

Here is Christ in me by Jeremy Camp:

Thank You Lord for the grace to get through our worse days. Give us the courage the martyrs had so that we can serve you the best we can every day. Give us the grace to show that we have you in us.

God Bless,

Sarah

Sacrifice

What is a sacrifice? It is an action we take to further someone's needs by saying no to our own desires. A perfect sacrifice would be the Crucifixion, and the Passion of course. Jesus decided to go against his human temptation, to complete the father's will for his life. This is what we focus on in Lent, and especially Holy Week right? We all make sacrifices. They don't have to be as big as Jesus' but they are part of our everyday life. For example, maybe going to church in the morning, when you know you are tired, and don't really want to go. I have definitely felt this way, but in the end it felt so good to go. Or maybe helping another person, when you had other plans. So you see sacrifices are part of our everyday life. I want to talk for a second about helping others, and sacrificing our time for others. It is good, and all, but when you take time to help others, what is your attitude? Attitude is what really matters! What I am trying to say here is this. When you help others with a bad attitude, wishing you were somewhere else, or trying to figure out how fast you can finish; it doesn't help, and it doesn't really matter either. I mean sure you helped physically, but what good does it do spiritually, and without a positive attitude?  Sacrificing is all about the attitude behind what you are doing. Jesus sacrificed himself Willingly, and he should be our example. So next time you are doing something for someone else, sacrificing time, or maybe suffering through a hard time, or an injury; check your attitude, because it really does matter. I'll finish with a story, and then a song. Back in October I had a fall...let's just say that I fell off my skateboard, and had a trilateral fracture. I was in the hospital for about four days, and my surgery took four hours. I was in a lot of pain...what did I do? I offered it to Jesus, for everyone I know, and the souls in purgatory. For me this was a pretty big sacrifice. It was hard at first because all I want to do was complain, and be mad at God (even though it wasn't his fault). When I looked past the pain God gave me the grace to know it happened for a reason. I can tell you from experience it is hard to sacrifice without complaining, but it is worth it. It was worth it for Jesus because he loves us, and it should be worth it for us because we want to please him, and help others.
Here is a song from Jeremy Camp, "He Knows." This is an awesome song that reminds you Jesus went through the same temptations, but he trusted in God's will. This is what we need to do Trust in God, and his Divine Will.

Thank You Lord, for always reminding us that you understand what we go through in life. Give us the grace to have the same courage you did when you carried the cross. Help us to serve others, and to serve you with a good heart and a positive, loving attitude.

God Bless,

Sarah