Thoughts, Reflections, Poetry and small group resources helping you discover the heart of God.
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Just one line….
Please feel free to download The 2023 Planner ready for printing which will be here shortly..
On each day you will find a saint to ask for intercession and just one line taken from the days readings to pray with.
This page is for a ‘mostly’ daily reflection or thoughts on that line, would love to hear how the Lord has spoken to you through it too.
These things can come from one of three places… 1. God (Hooray) 2. Self ( hmmm) 3. The other one (avoid) How do we work out which is which ? Here is a very, very brief way to start discerning 1. Are you in a state of Grace? ie no mortal sin, regularly fessed up, attended Mass ? Any no’s here sort that before you make a decision even what shoes to wear today. 2, Have you prayed ? just generally.. if you dont pray your on the back foot to hear Gods word 3. Have you prayed specifically for guidance on this issue? 4. Follow the decision through for a few steps… does it lead you closer to God? as in still time to pray, out of serious temptations, in line with Church teaching ? 5. Search your heart for your motivations – self serving perhaps? then take more time . more prayer, well more God. 6. Be attentive to Gods word, the Holy Spirit will often speak over and over until you feel certain. 7. Seek good counsel, you know the person that knows you AND knows God…ask their opinion. If you’re still not sure wait, God forsaw you making this decision, He knows what is needed for you to take the right choice, as long as you are listening to His promptings. Have a little delve into the Spiritual exercises of St Ignatius if you’d like to go a bit deeper with this. Have a blessed dayOk so these are the words of Herod to the Wise men. Who in their wisdom decided not to return with the news of all they had learnt. This wisdom didn’t stop the slaughter of the innocents though, It didn’t stop Herod creating in His mind a God to be feared, a messiah who had come to control, a king who had come to take. Had they returned to tell the story of a God, laid in a feeding trough, a messiah as a small vulnerable baby maybe it would have spoken into his fears, maybe he would have been intrigued rather than threatened. We wont ever know. I do however wonder how many people we meet think of God in a similar way. That God is to be feared and overcome, That He is a smiting war hungry tyrant relishing in the suffering that comes as a punishment for Sin. I wonder if we avoid or miss those opportunities to share the truth of what we’ve found in Him with those we think will not receive it. I’m praying for us all to have some of those divine appointments today, and for the grace to see them and seize themGah I know I can talk a good talk whilst having a great big internal battle to follow through on the good stuff I intend to do. I guess this comes under the heading integrity. We know how it wrangles when we discover the people we looked up to aren’t living the way they preach so well about. Its a double betrayal. Where is your weakness on this ? Search your heart… if all of us who profess to be Christian loved as fully as we should, imagine how beautiful and appealing the Church would be to those looking in. Imagine your whole parish reaching out to the poor, the struggling and yep even loving each other…wow. So today that starts with you and I, lets pray for an infectious integrity. Have a blessed dayHeres an invite to each one of us. An invite to a journey to discover all the places in which He dwells. In His Church In our neighbours In our Families In our own hearts In the Eucharist and even in those people we think are beyond his reach. This requires an openness, and yes some courage to take His hand and be led. Maybe you’ve explored many of these places already, but there is always more, always a deeper encounter waiting for those who respond to each new invitation…go on, give Him a big fat YES today, see where He leads you to find Him dwelling.How do you personally know that Jesus is the son of God? What convicted you? What convinced you that He was who He said He was? This is so fundamental to our Christian faith that it has to be a conscious decision, this has to be more than a cultural habit. I wonder how you would explain or defend this truth ? Would it be more than just a mumbled ‘seems legit’ ? Think on this today, write it down, articulate why you believe. Even if you never get to voice this out loud, that truth and conviction will bear witness. #justoneline #jesus #faithlife #yearforGod #voiceoftheflock
I wonder how many of our ideals have slid in the reality of living a normal earthly life? In the beginning of a faith journey we establish a list of standards to live by, you know those things we wont compromise on. A house built on rock kind of living. Over time we can add some impossible and unrealistic goals that can be more about feeling in control rather than submitting to the Lord. These structures can look all good and Holy but are often doomed to failure if they aren’t first from God and the desire He had for us at our creation, and, well, so often the new ideals can come from our pride (Ouch) This is a great time of year to re commit to those fundamental ‘non-negotiables’ and re commit to them. Perhaps the only resolution we should make this year is to live a God centred and submitted life starting today. Would really love to know what the Lord is saying to you through each of these one lines each day… #justoneline #jesus #faithlife #yearforGod #voiceoftheflock
