“How could you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman for a drink?” (John 4:9, NASB) The Golden Rule reminds us to “treat others as we would like to be treated.” How often do these words come out of our mouths as mothers? “Treat your brother/sister as you would like to be treated”… “How would you like it if someone treated you that way?” I know that I say these things all the time, but do I actually think about the depth of their meaning for both my children and for me? How would I truly like to be treated? Jesus gives us the ultimate example of the Golden Rule in this last Sunday’s Gospel reading of “The Samaritan Woman at the Well.” At that time, the Jews and the Samaritans hated each other. They would not even be in the same place together, let alone talk to each other or share a drink together. Also, the fact the Samaritan was a woman, an adulterer, and a sinner, gave Jesus every reason not to treat her with respect. But Jesus, as He always did, proved that love is the most important of all virtues, especially when it comes to the way we treat others. He did not judge. He did not punish. He did consider himself superior. He simply loved and treated her with ultimate respect, offering her the “living water” of eternal life and salvation. When I really think about how I would like to be treated, love is the only answer… real, true, Jesus kind of love! At many a wedding, we have all heard the passage from 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8, 13 regarding love. This is such a powerful passage in many ways, but today I ask you to meditate on it in regards to the way that we treat others, from our kids to our husbands to our families and even those who have hurt us… “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails… And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Treating others with this kind of love will break down walls, stop cycles of hatred, bring families together, and even end wars. Love is the answer! Most of us moms have probably seen the movie Frozen by now. We actually just saw it for the first time this last weekend and all loved it. The one line that really hit home most for me was “Only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart.” In the movie, the act of true love that is shown will surprise you, but it is truly the kind of love that Jesus gives and wants for all of us… unconditional, unselfish, and undying! So for today, treat others with true love and thaw frozen hearts all around you. For meditation: Who is the “Samaritan Woman” in my life right now? Who do I need to work on treating with the love and respect that Jesus calls us to? Re-read the passage of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13 (above), but this time replace the words “love” and “it” with your name throughout the entire passage. Listen to the message of Jesus’ love for you! Written by Amy Connelly for the OLQA Mom's Group
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“While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” Matthew 17:5 “Mommy, mommy!” my then 4 year old son called out to me. “Uh, huh” I responded while multitasking five other mom-duties at once. “Mommy, mommy” he called out again. “Yes….” I said underneath my breath, not truly paying attention to his response. Finally, in a loud voice, he shouted “MOMMY!” With tone of irritation for having to stop my seemingly important chores, I responded “what is it you need?” As I looked down at his sweet face, I noticed that his arms were open wide as he said, “I just wanted to tell you that I think you are the best mommy in the whole wide world and that I love you thiiiiis much.” Taking him into my arms with the most humbling and heartwarming of embraces, tears streaming down my face, I felt in my heart as if God was calling out “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” I had not been listening. I had barely even been hearing him. But when I finally chose to listen, truly listen, it was as if angles were speaking through my child, opening my heart to abundant blessings. Far too often in our busy lives as mothers, we forget about the importance of listening. We may hear our children, but are we really, truly listening to them? And same thing may happen with our husbands, our friends, and even with God. How often do we stop to listen to birds chirping, church bells ringing, or simply the sound of silence? How often do we choose to take a quiet moment to pray and listen to God instead of busily multitasking our way through the mayhem of the day? In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, God sends down a bright cloud and calls out in a loud voice saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” He doesn’t say, “This is my beloved Son… tell Him all your problems”. No, he says “This is my beloved Son… listen to him.” Our Mom’s Group speaker this week, Lisa Hendey, creator of CatholicMom.com and bestselling author of “The Handbook for Catholic Moms”, discussed the importance, as mothers, of listening to God on a daily basis. She said that more often than not our prayers consist of needs and wants, which are of course important, but not nearly as important as listening to what God has to say to us. She explained that God longs to speak to us in the quiet moments as well as in the storms. He is calling out to us in so many different ways throughout our day… through our kids, though our husbands, through the Bible, and even through the fleeting moments of silence… but do we take the time to acknowledge His amazing grace? Do we take the time to truly listen? During Lent two years ago, in my final trimester of pregnancy with our third son, I made my Lenten promise to listen to the Lord every day and write down exactly what He said to me each day. This was a truly powerful and life changing experience for me. I continue to write as often as I can and reflect back on the messages He has placed perfectly in my life. With a bit of vulnerability, I wanted to share with you what God spoke to me on this very day, two years ago… My Precious Child, Remove the distractions from your life that are keeping you from a fully devoted and rewarding relationship with Me. Clear the worldly clutter. Throw away the earthly junk. Wipe your slate clean. Once you rid your life of the excess baggage which binds and blinds you, freedom will be yours. Clean your heart of negative thoughts, guilt, and worldly pressures, handing them over to Me to be thrown into my Heavenly and eternal incinerator. When you cleanse your soul of these burdens, you will breathe more easily, love more freely, and accept the rewards of my everlasting grace with an open heart. I long to give you freedom, My beloved child! Today is your day to let go and be free in Me! Love, Your Protector, Your Freedom, Your Eternal Father For Meditation: Take time today to truly listen to the Lord. Seek moments of silence, if possible, or simply listen to Him through the storm. Get a pen and paper out, and write down exactly what you hear the Lord speaking to you. Try to do this every day throughout Lent. Then on Easter, look back at the miraculous messages your Heavenly Father longs for you to hear. Written by Amy Connelly for the OLQA Mom's Group. “Jesus said to him, ‘Get away, Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and Him alone shall you serve’. Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.” Matthew 4: 10-11 (NASB) How many times have we been tempted to do something we know in our hearts is not right? Tempted to eat that big Mrs. Field’s cookie when we are on a diet? Tempted to gossip about someone behind their back? Tempted to judge ourselves unfairly for what we are or are not doing as mothers? Greed, gluttony, lust, envy, anger, pride, and sloth are temptations that bombard us every day. These “Seven Deadly Sins” are the roots of all sin and evil in our world. In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, “Temptation in the Desert”, the devil attempts to lure Jesus into committing nearly every one of these deadly sins. But Jesus’ response each time Satan tries to tempt Him is simple. He tells Satan “Get away!” Then he calls upon His Almighty Father saying “The Lord, your God, shall you worship and Him alone shall you serve.” Immediately, upon denying Satan and trusting fully in the Lord, the devil left Jesus and angels appeared to minister and protect Him. How powerful is that! Our God is so much greater and so much stronger than anything the enemy brings. Through His faith filled actions, Jesus teaches us that when the enemy attacks, we simply need to tell him to “Get away Satan!” and trust that our Almighty God, Abba Father, All Powerful King will protect and save us. At this week’s Mom’s Group meeting, we had a powerful discussion on Jesus’ temptation in the desert and how it relates to our battles as mothers, warding off Satan in our lives and the lives of our families. Sin, temptation, and evil are constantly and cunningly lurking around us, and we must be prepared, protected, and ready to defeat them. 2 Peter 5:9 tells us “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.” God is calling us to “stay alert!” He tells us to pick up our shields and put on our full armor of protection which is the word of God. He calls us to be united with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ, calling out in one accord “Get away Satan!” As a group this week, we agreed that we would call these words out loud whenever the enemy tries to create fear, ignite anger, steal joy, stir up jealousy, bombard us with lies, or simply “prowl” around us. Think how powerful it would be if every mother, every father, every child, every person called out in unity “Get away Satan!” Ephesians 6: 13-20 (NIV) reminds us, “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Lord God, equip us with Your armor and give us the courage to fight the good fight in your Holy Name. Amen. For meditation: Take a quiet moment in prayer, reflecting on the areas of your life where you feel tempted to act or think in a way that is sinful. Lay these temptations at the foot of Jesus’ cross and call out faithfully and loudly “Get away Satan!” Then, repeat this prayer over and over until you have it memorized “The Lord, your God, shall you worship, and Him alone shall you serve!” For the children: Print out the coloring page titled “The Armor of God”(click HERE). As a family activity, color and decorate the “Armor of God” and discuss with your children how God is always there to protect them. Place your family’s “Armor of God” somewhere in your home where you will all see it often. Then, listen as a family and sing out together the powerful words of the song “Armor of God” (Click HERE) Written by Amy Connelly for the Mom's Group at Our Lady Queen of Angels Church “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?... But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.” Matthew 6: 26, 33-34a Worry and anxiety seemed to amplify in my life as soon as I took on the role of motherhood. “Will our baby be born healthy?”… “What if he runs in the street?”… “How can we protect our children from the dangers of this world?”… “Am I being a good mother?”… In this week’s Mom’s Group meeting, we discussed the Gospel passage of Matthew 6:24-34 titled “The Cure for Anxiety”. We all seemed to agree that a cure for anxiety was something we genuinely longed for. But what is the cure? In the Gospel reading this week, Jesus tells us that whenever we feel anxious, we must, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.” (Matthew 6: 33-34a). Christ calls us to seek Him, be with Him, know Him, hear Him, love Him!... And through these acts of sincere trust in Him, our anxiety will be cured! One area of my life growing up that caused great anxiety for me was test taking. I really struggled with tests and therefore testing days brought about nail biting, nervous heart racing, and sinking worried stomachs. In order to overcome these horrible feelings and become a good test taker, I discovered that I had to prepare diligently and put extra, constant effort into studying for tests. When I was prepared, I was calm, and my anxiety went away. When I was prepared, I was confident, and I was successful. In this same way, God calls us to prepare for our great tests in life by “seeking His kingdom and His righteousness.” The more prepared we are… the more we know Him… the more we seek Him… the more successful we will be as mothers, wives, and women of God! In an effort to personally prepare and seek the Lord, I decided to study and wholeheartedly delve into scripture related to overcoming anxiety, eliminating fear, and trusting in the Lord. It was truly amazing to me how much this topic is discussed in the Bible. It is obviously something that been a struggle for us throughout time. Below is a list of scripture passages that have helped me to prepare my heart, and I hope that they help you to prepare yours as well…. "God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.' So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.'" (Hebrews 13:5b-6a NIV) “Yes, my soul, finds rest in God; my hope comes from Him. Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.” (Psalm 62:5-6 NIV) “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41, 42 NIV) "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT) “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6: 12-20, NIV) “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 NASB) "If I should say, 'My foot has slipped,' Your loving-kindness, O Lord, will hold me up. When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.” (Psalms 94:18, 19 NASB) “The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1 NIV) "I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears." (Psalms 34:4 NASB) “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7, 8 NIV) “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10 NASB) “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27 NIV) For meditation: Choose one of the passages listed above that speaks to your heart the most. Write it down on a piece of paper and post it in a spot where you will see it daily. Then, find a quiet moment in meditation and say the passage prayerfully ten times in a row. Seek to truly understand it. Seek for its personal message for your life. Seek to remember it and stamp it on your heart as protection against future trials. Then listen to the song “God of Angel Armies” (click HERE), and let the passage cover your entire being with God’s grace, protection, and peace. Feel free to share with the group any other passages that you love by clicking the “Comments” link at the top of the post. Written by Amy Connelly for the Our Lady Queen of Angels Church Mom’s Group |
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January 2015
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