Nottawasaga River in Wasaga Beach, Ontario, Canada. Picture by Mary Muir
The Holy Spirit inspired our blog.
Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Extraordinary Time
Remain faithful until death,
And I will give you the crown of life.
Alleluia Refrain Rev 2:10c
In my, yes, my younger life, I believed that if I did a good deed or said a series of prayers, I was done, and I could move on with my life.
This is a problem many have today.
The first question we must grapple with is why I must be Faithful ALL of the time.
When do I get MY time?
Well, my time didn’t produce Joy, which I didn’t know about, and since I didn’t know about Joy, I confused happenness for Joy.
I bought a new car; this gave me happiness, and I know this because, at the end of two or three years, I was ready to buy another new car.
Joy doesn’t fade.
You will lose Joy when you pursue your own objective or needs,
But,
Asking God to forgive you and continuing to try and do the will of our Father brings back Joy, and it increases as you align yourself with the Triune God.
A man asked me a few weeks ago, IF we are justified by our Baptism, why not go out and do anything you want, drink the booze, hit the drugs, and the list goes on?
What that question misses is there are consequences for any activity that is not God-related.
I am reading a book about St. Paul, and the author wanted to make sure we appreciated that before Jesus converted St. Paul, Paul was at the bottom of the barrel, my words.
St. Paul accepted Jesus and became one of the strongest voices for life in the “Spirit World,” our term, although St. Paul doesn’t use this term.
As Paul related his life in the letters he wrote, it changed because of the acceptance of the Holy Spirit in Paul’s life. I have experienced a different life since I have tried to more fully turn over my life to God by imitating Jesus and trying to do the will of my our Father by listening to the whisper of The Holy Spirit.
When we started our journey, I felt that aligning myself with my Father’s will was difficult and impossible.
That’s a satan thought!
Throw satan out, you know the prayer, and live again in the “Spirit World.”
Once we understand that we are to Remain faithful until death, And I will give you the crown of life, and that crown is living now, imitating Jesus on His Cross, and we are filled with Love, Joy, and Peace, then life becomes Fantastic, and when we die the Love, Joy, and Peace will be further amplified.
We suggest three relationship-building prayers this quarter if you want to join and grow in Team Jesus.
- Weeeeeeeee, say this prayer every time you and God interact. For example, Weeeeeee made a great meal, Weeeee played a good game of …, Weeeeeee didn’t handle this very well, etc.
- Thank you, Father; say this all day, every day, for all the Father is doing in your life. If something really good happens, say this multiple times with enthusiasm. When I was told my Basal Cell had disappeared, I said the Thank You prayer at least fifty times as I walked out of the doctor’s office.
- I’m Fantastic; anytime anyone asks how you are, tell them you are Fantastic. I believe you are who you say you are. You have every reason to be Fantastic and no reason not to be. If you can’t think of a reason to be Fantastic, thank God for the difficulty, and God will provide you with the reasons.
Sidebar:
We reported three weeks ago that eighteen people were shot in Lewiston, Maine.
I, yes I, am not an advocate for gun control, and as one of the parents of one of the people who was shot said, “Guns don’t kill people; people do.”
I remember the huge fight to put in place a law that would detect and take away firearms from people who were considered dangerous.
The law passed, and a few years later, eighteen people were killed after the parents told authorities he could be a problem.
Why are we writing about this?
Many in Maine have thrown God under the bus, and many in Maine feel proud we are one of the most irreligious states in the country.
The only law that will stop the violence is “Love of God and love of neighbor as oneself.”
It’s that easy, and it’s that difficult.
So many children have been thrown under the bus for a life of drugs, alcohol, and gambling, to mention three, and we are paying the consequences.
Never believe your sins don’t have consequences.
They do!
Until we, as a country, state, town, and individual, realize this and start to change the agenda that we can legislate our way into Love, Joy, and Peace, then Love, Joy, and Peace will not happen to ourselves, town, state, or country.
It’s sad how we love to listen to satan and then blame God for the bad things that happen.
Picture:
This is a picture of the Nottawasaga River in Wasaga Beach, Ontario, Canada. This was my oasis for a week in July 2020 during covid. I stayed on the river in my brother’s cottage. I am a nurse, and it was exactly what I needed at the time. Very peaceful and rejuvenating for my spirit. Thanks for all you do with the men in the prison you visit. Picture by Mary Muir
Please keep Snapping!
Several people from foreign countries have asked for my email address, but I am still waiting to hear back. We decided to include my email for your convenience.
If you want a copy of the prayers we discussed, email me.
fprince101@gmail.com
Remember, if you want to submit a picture, no people, please, because we have to get permission from that person to use their photograph.
By sending your picture, you consent to allow us to reprint that picture in our next book, God Thoughts 2023, with your name and any comments in the Blog.
