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Thank You Mary For Saying Yes!

Every March 25th, the Annunciation of Mary is celebrated all over the world. The Annunciation simply refers to the time that Gabriel, an Angel, appeared to Mary, Our Blessed Mother, to tell her of the coming of Christ’s birth. It was Gabriel who told Mary to name the baby Jesus; it was Mary who said YES 🙂

Christ’s Birth Announced to Mary

“²⁶Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

²⁹But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. ³⁰Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. ³²He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. ³³And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

³⁴Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

³⁵And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. ³⁷For with God nothing will be impossible.”

³⁸Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.”-Luke 1:26-38

When I read Luke’s verses in the Bible, I am always in awe of Mary’s faith. I only hope and pray that one day, my faith will be as strong. It’s hard to even imagine just how much She must have loved God and just how strong Her faith was-

Because She did not hesitate to do God’s Will and nor should we 🙂

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

In All Things God Works For The Good Of Those Who Love Him :)

“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him; who have been called according to His purpose.”=Romans 8:28

When we first read this verse, it is clear that there are two qualifiers: Loving God and Being Called according to His purpose. But the good news is that: Those who love God ARE called according to His purpose.

So lets look at one example. A wife takes care of her sick husband for years. The tasks are difficult and exhausting, but she is happy to do them because she loves him. She is his wife and his 24/7 caretaker. But despite her loving care, he dies anyway. She is overcome with grief. What good can come out of that?

She takes some time to grieve and then goes on to help many other widows not only grieve, but come out of their grief. She goes on to help many turn to Jesus. She helps many other caretakers learn not only how to navigate the difficult challenges they face, but also how to rest in the Lord. She volunteers at church. And she finds a new kind of joy and peace in her heart, the kind of joy and peace that only God can give :).

Bad things happen to good people. This is earth-not Heaven.

But we know that we can trust God, even when bad things happen, because “in all things God works for the good for those who love Him”

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

Choose Wisely!

A good friend and Pastor from Kenya reminded me of two wonderful verses:

“This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you,
who directs you in the way you should go”.

“If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea.”-Isaiah 48:17-18

God does know what is best for us and what will make us happy. We can either follow His commands and find the Peace that only God can give or we can reject His commands and know misery. It’s our choice, given to us by God Himself.

We need to choose wisely 🙂

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

“They Have Made Void Your Law”

“It is time for you, LORD, to work: for they have made void your law.”-Psalm 118:126

“Therefore I love your commandments above gold, yes above fine gold. Therefore I esteem all your precepts concerning all things to be right, and I hate every false way. Your testimonies are wonderful: therefore does my soul keep them.”-Psalm 118:127-129

Need more be said?

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

The American Soldier

While I was praying the Rosary, I saw American soldiers.

The White Horse

While Praying the Rosary, I saw Jesus and the White Horse

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

Trinity

Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Trinity.

For many, the concept of the Trinity means many different things. However, one way to think about the Trinity is to think about God our Father, Jesus Christ His Son and the Holy Spirit as all having One Will. In other words, they all always want the same thing 🙂

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

Pray Psalm 119:126 :)

“It is time for you, LORD, to work: for they have made void your law”-Psalm 119-126

It’s really difficult to live in a world where God’s Laws are so clearly ignored. And that is exactly why this particular verse if so good for us to pray!

Sadly, it’s not the first time that many have ignored and refused to obey God’s Commandments! And it won’t be the last.

But we can pray this verse and ask God to rectify the situation. And God Will 🙂

Prepare, Pray & Believe!

Do Not Fear!

“I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me”-Psalm 118:5-6

This is so True! However, we tend to pray this verse when we have “large” troubles. But the Truth is, we can also pray this verse when we have “small” troubles. Perhaps we are exhausted, at the end of our rope, worried about our children or the future…

Whatever is “distressing” us, God will lift us up 🙂 For the “large place” is with God. And we need “not fear” for God will understand and have compassion no matter what our trouble is

We just need to call on Him. For it is God who can give us the Peace that only He can give 🙂

When there is trouble of any size, run to our Lord 🙂

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

God’s Judgement!

“Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel, for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land;”

“there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.”

“Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it languish,
and also the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, and even the fish of the sea are taken away.” – Hosea 4:1-3

We like to think about God’s Love and Mercy for us. It comforts us and gives us Hope. And well it should.

But God is also Just.

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!