Mary's Pharmacy Blog: May 25, 2012 – John 21:17-19 – Jesus and Peter

Mary's Pharmacy Blog: May 25, 2012 – John 21:17-19 – Jesus and Peter: May 25, 2012 – John 21:17-19 – Jesus and Peter In his homily, Fr. Joe Gorman spoke about the incident of Peter’s denial of Jesus. Peter...

May 25, 2012 – John 21:17-19 – Jesus and Peter

May 25, 2012 – John 21:17-19 – Jesus and Peter

In his homily, Fr. Joe Gorman spoke about the incident of Peter’s denial of Jesus. Peter   found himself unworthy to be his apostle when he denied Jesus three times. Scripture tells us that God’s thoughts are not our own thoughts, which mean that we cannot decipher what are in God’s mind. Despite Peter’s frailty, God appointed Peter to be the builder of the Church and gave Him the keys to the kingdom of God.  

On Pentecost Sunday, we will be reminded about the importance and role of the Holy Spirit in our world. The Holy Spirit penetrates and gives us the gift of faith. We can use the Holy Spirit to work in us by serving others. But we should recognize first our weaknesses in the sight of the Lord and pray to the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts and bring us the fire of God’s love in our world. 

May 22, 2012 – John 17:1-5, 11 – Jesus Prays for His Disciples

Fr. Glenn McDonald expressed his opinion on the gospel about the “sense of separation” between us and those gone into the kingdom of God pertaining to those who departed in this world. When we experience losing our loved ones as they go to the next level of life, we should continue to take our walks in life even if we are alone because there is God who will help us.

He also mentioned about the “sense of self”,i.e.,  a person being conscious of one’s life, house, friends, and things. This becomes the barrier in our relationship with other people because we isolate ourselves from God and focus our attention on material things. However, we pay the price of being selfish because it creates loneliness and despair. Our spiritual life will teach us to let go of ourselves and remove the artificial barriers of selfishness. We need to meditate on our gifts and blessings like our family, healthy body or career. Our gift of faith will tell us that all gifts we received are from God. 

MOTHERS' DAY

       In gratitude and in memory to all of my loving mothers, I composed and  dedicated  a prayer for them. I am lucky to have mothers with different roles to play: a biological mother at birth; a physiological mother who reared me since childhood; a mother-in-law and a supportive second mommy who strengthens my faith to succeed in life. Mothers are martyrs in their own right for their work and sufferings they underwent.

           Prayer to my Loving Mothers

Give thanks to the God of praises, the mighty name of Jesus, for His mercy endures forever;

Give thanks to God for giving me a magnificent mother who brought me to life from her womb; for her tolerance endures forever;

Give thanks to her, who nurtures me with food and words of wisdom like the one a garland in my head, for her knowledge endures forever;

Give thanks to my wonderful mother who embraced and hug me, for her happiness endures forever;

Give thanks to my gifted mother  for teaching me the value of religion and never fails to say her daily prayers, petitions and masses, for her perseverance endures forever;

Give thanks to her who gives me hope to succeed in studies and career; for her faith sustains forever;

Give thanks to my amazing mother who heals and comforts me when I am ill, depressed, and sad in times of sickness, trouble, and trials, for her strength endures forever;

Give thanks to her who supports my children and husband, for her understanding endures forever;

Give thanks to her, who cares and maintains her beauty, for her joy lasts forever;

For my children, my husband and the people close to all of my mothers, I will also share the same kind of love and affection I felt from  my mothers.

 

Praise be to God!

May 8, 2012 – Acts 14:23 – The Return to Antioch in Syria

Father Glenn McDonald talked about the journey of Paul and Barnabas in Antioch in planting seeds, i.e., spreading the good news. The reading highlights that it is through prayer and fasting that we can cultivate detachment from material wealth and entrust the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. When we die, we cannot take our wealth in another world but leave it on earth. We need to be generous and give others a share of our material possessions and use our gifts of talents to make our lives more meaningful and productive.  

May 7, 2012 – John 14:23-26 - The Promise of the Holy Spirit

In his homily, Fr. Michael Busch narrates his conversation with children about their opinion as to which part of the body is the most important. The children pointed out the lungs which helps in breathing, the heart which pumps blood to our body, and the brain which commands all the parts of the body on what to do. However, one child, who had an incident with a sick relative, explained that the most important part of the body is the tube that runs from our soul to an almighty power, which makes us courageous because of its connection to God. People have different fears like fear of losing job and family while others are fearless. Children have three categories of fear – fear of falling, fear of loud noise and fear of abandonment. Adults can deal with fear of falling and loud noise but not the fear of abandonment. People do not want to be overlooked, unappreciated, taken for granted, used or abused. Some people who have everything in life such as cars, houses, and good jobs are disconnected or blocked with their soul because they feel emptiness and think there is no reason for living. God will never forget us because we are His children. He sends us the Holy Spirit to counsel us in life, give us peace, and new direction for living. During fearful times, the Holy Spirit strengthens our faith to Jesus. The power of successful living is with God and the Holy Spirit, like the central nervous system, act as the connector and integrator of our soul. God gives us confidence to make good decision and help us lose the fear of abandonment. We need to find the tube, the Holy Spirit, which gives us the flow to God, who is the key to unlock our anxieties and fear.  

May 4, 2012 – John 14:1-6 – Jesus the Way to the Father

The readings this week points us to the early history in the bible when Paul and Barnabas went to Antioch to proclaim the goods new to the Gentiles. It was at Antioch (now Turkey) that the disciples were first called “Christians.” They received the words of God through the Holy Spirit with the knowledge and wisdom that Jesus is the Lord. However, Paul had disagreements with Mark so they went separate ways. The Holy Spirit continued to work with them and made them realized their differences in opinions. 

The focus of the liturgy is the words of Jesus as the way, the truth, the life and how the Holy Spirit works within us. The Holy Spirit helps us to grow our faith to stay with Jesus and experience the life that he can give through the sacraments. The gospel challenges us to grow in His way, to find the truth about God, and live the life He wants for us by showing love and respect for one another. As true disciples of Jesus, we should put love into practice and embrace others as brothers and sisters although we are people with different viewpoints. Father John Carten stressed that it does not matter whether we are liberal or conservative in opinions; what is important is the wide vision of how Jesus Christ is working in our lives.