All the glory goes to God!

At Mass this morning, the first reading was from the prophet Isaiah. He spoke one of my favorite verses: "O LORD, you mete out peace to us, for it is You who have accomplished all we have done." Amen!

We don't accomplish anything. God accomplishes it through us!


This leads me to ponder...
How do we in our culture respond when we accomplish something good?
Do we pat ourselves on the back, or do we give praise, honor and glory to our loving God?
Next time someone gives you a compliment on something, listen to your response.
Is it a simple "thanks" or a "thanks be to God" ?


Many times when I meet people living on the streets or in the shelters and ask, "how are you doing?" They respond, "very well, thanks be to God."
If someone living without family or possessions can give thanks to God, then why can't we publicly give glory to Him for His gifts within us?

Are we too uncomfortable giving glory to the Him whom without we could not breath a single breath?
Do we pretend it's because we don't want others to feel uncomfortable?
Most likely it's because we want to keep things all nice and agreeable. We would rather deny that our Lord alone is responsible for any accomplishment than risk persecution.


Let us ask Jesus to help us remember His and our Blessed Mother Mary who didn't take any of the credit for her accomplishment when asked by Elizabeth "how it is that the mother of my Lord should come to visit me?" but instead gave glory to God replying, "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior."

Yes, many of our homeless brothers and sisters do share stories of their daily hardships, but they are still able to thank God because they know it is only through Him that they are able to wake up and make it through another day. Their faith continually astounds me.

Still, there are countless others who don't acknowledge God exists or Jesus as their Savior, but God is still with them. He created them in His image! I recently talked with a man like this. He shared that he is not a believer.
Praise be to God that He allowed me to have a conversation with this man. It was a true gift.

I met "Tom" months ago during our Saturday lunch in the park. He and his friend, "Bob" always show up together. They both had "respectable" lives before living on the street. Bob was an accountant. Tom, a businessman. Divorce and other circumstances led them away from the Lord to life without a home.

Now, we have talked many times about one thing or another, but this one Saturday I felt the Holy Spirit leading me to go deeper with them. Trust me, I am not courageous enough without the grace of God to delve into many of the conversations on the streets. I have been tempted now and in the past to sit for hours in contemplation with the Lord, thinking this is the better way to get closer to Him only to be shown that playing board games with with my kids, folding laundry, taking a walk with my husband or preparing dinner for the family is the most beautiful prayer when done in love. That's why I love that quote at the bottom of this blog. Yes, Christ is truly present - Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity - in the Eucharist. He is also present in every one we meet. We have only to ask our Lord for eyes to see and ears to hear Him.


Spending time in the presence of Christ on the streets began with prayer and continues to be rooted in prayer. It is a prayer that begins with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament - in Holy Mass and in Adoration. He helps me to let go, lay down my agenda and give everything over to His Will. It is only through Him, with Him and in Him that I am aware of the privilege of spending time with His poor.
Each person involved with serving lunch on Saturdays is a living prayer. There are many from different churches and walks of life that reflect the light of Christ and see the dignity of each and every person we meet. I believe this is why people come back to the park to eat on Saturdays even though they have other places where they could be getting food.

Back to my story about Bob and Tom...
As we were chatting, I asked if either of them had problems with drugs or alcohol.
Tom opened up and said he struggles with drugs. I had shared with him earlier that I, too, was deep into drugs for years after high school and know it was only through God's grace I am still alive and standing today. That's when Tom said, "to be honest, I am not a believer."

A lengthy conversation ensued. How utterly amazing it was that Tom would be honest with me! During our talk, I prayed to be open and loving as we spoke about life, God, faith, doubts, etc...
God is with Tom whether he acknowledges Him or not.
At one point, I looked him in the eye and said, "do you know how much Jesus loves you? He loves you so much, no matter what you've done." I can't really describe Tom's face or body language when he heard that, but something happened within him. The Holy Name of Jesus has power.

I challenged him to take time to pray to God in the coming week.
There was a little humor involved as I encourage him to pray, "God, you know I don't believe in you, but if you are there, show me."

Only God knows His plan for allowing us to talk that day. I am thankful He is helping me to have more compassion and see His presence in everyone. God knows how uncomfortable it is for me many times to talk with and accept those of other faiths or those who don't have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Praise and honor and glory to our Almighty Father Who is so merciful and patient! He works with my close-mindedness. He softens my stony heart.

So if Tom shows up next Saturday high on crack will I still love and accept him? Will I still trust that God is near Tom even though he is apparently turning his back on him? Of course! Why?? Because this is our faith! Our loving Father tells us to love the sinner and hate the sin. He does that with us EVERY DAY - loves us despite our sinfulness. And He "demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
If that's not good news, I don't know what is!

By God's grace, we can give Jesus glory, honor and praise for ALL that He accomplishes through us. Try it next time someone gives you a compliment for a job well done.




May the Lord be with you today and always.

Understanding the poor

There is much wisdom in those that have gone before us.
Who are the poorest of the poor? Following are words from Mother Theresa - one who became poor, like Christ, and lived most of her life serving Him in the poorest of the poor.

Today, the poor are hungry for bread and rice, and also for love and the living word of God. The poor are thirsty for water but also for peace, truth, and justice. The poor are homeless, in need of a shelter made of bricks, and also for a joyful heart that understands, covers, and loves. The poor are naked, in need of clothes and also for human dignity and compassion for the naked sinner. They are sick in need of medical care and also for that gentle touch and a warm smile.

The "shut-in," the unwanted, the unloved, the alcoholics, the dying destitute, the abandoned and the lonely, the outcast and the untouchables, the leprosy sufferers, all those who are a burden to human society, who have lost all hope and faith in life, who have forgotten how to smile, who have lost the sensibility of the warm hand touch of love and friendship, they look to us for comfort. If we turn our back on them, we turn it on Christ, and at the hour of our death we shall be judged if we have recognized Christ in them, and on what we have done for and to them, there will only be two ways, "come" or "go."

Last winter we met a scruffy-looking man in the park one Saturday. He was standing off to by the sidewalk alone. I noticed him, said hello and asked if he would like a sandwich. He replied, "I've been watching you here for a few weeks now. Why are you taking your time to stand out in the cold to hand out food to people you don't even know?? I looked into his eyes - so full of searching and brokenness - and said, "The truth is that the Holy Spirit led me down here. I'm not one to like freezing cold temperatures, but this doesn't bother me. I'm here to offer my brothers and sisters a hand." This man (I'll call him Frank) was living in his van. He shared how hopeless he felt, how if the next ten years of his life were going to be like the last ten then what's the use in living? We listened, not really knowing what to say, but offering encouragement as best we could. After awhile, he left and we didn't see him again for a few months.


Recently, I began seeing him around more and more. He had been in and out of jail, lost his van, lost his way.
A little over a month ago, he shared with a friend that he "just didn't know if he could go on."
Well, our awesome God is amazing in how He takes care of our needs when we step out in faith, like 'Frank' did by sharing his feelings with my friend. God is always setting up divine appointments through his followers...


One of His followers (Dave) decided he was going to get involved with an early morning Bible study on S. Division. Through this Bible study, our Lord put 'Frank' in touch with a godly man and a wonderful ministry called Next Step. From there 'Frank was able to get out of the homeless shelter. Dave then hired him to work at his construction company. Now he also has a more permanent place to live.
A couple weeks ago when I saw him again at the park, I didn't yet know all this news about the Bible study, job and living arrangements. What I did know was that there was "something different" about 'Frank.' He seemed more upbeat.

Here comes the best part - Last Saturday he came up to my van to help me unload the food and tables. He had a big smile on his face and shared that he was getting baptized the next day!

"Praise God," I shouted. "You're getting baptized on Pentecost. How awesome!"


The "something different" about 'Frank' was his new life in Christ. No human comfort or worldly good can provide this. He was lost but had been found.

'Frank' was one of those who Mother Theresa talked about - one "who was a burden to human society, who had lost all hope and faith in life, who had forgotten how to smile, who had lost the sensibility of the warm hand touch of love and friendship." He looked to us for comfort.

I pray that all of us as God's children can have our eyes and ears open to see and hear Christ in the distressing disguise of the poor. He is reaching out His hand to us each and every day. Will we grab hold and ask for the faith to follow him?

In Jesus and Mary,
Amy