A book of prayers to the Holy Face of Jesus

 Seek The Best Version Of Yourself!Are you trying to find Happiness or are you trying to Be the best version of Yourself?  I have heard countless times, “I just want to be happy!”  If My spouse or significant other, could just do this or that, I could be happy! I have two concerns here, one is the use of “I” and the lack of “We” in that dialog!  And the other is the external projection toward others to fulfill your happiness! We also tend to confuse gratification with true happiness!  Be careful here, because instant gratification in a fast paced world is fleeting, and rarely brings true happiness! We need to look internally first to be the best version of our own self to “create” a circle of happiness to those around us, and it will most certainly be reflected back to you. To be the best version of ourselves, we need to consciously work to help and serve others, looking out for their interests, especially those we care about most! You need to have a “We” mindset.  And while you will not always agree, you need to be at least looking in the same direction.  This requires compromise that always works on a foundation of core values.  Those core values need three components:1.  God;2.  Family; and3.  Relationships. If we just stay rooted in Faith, Family, and the preservation of those relationships, no problem is to big to resolve, and you will always seek and find “true happiness.”  When faith and family are your core values, you will always be the best version of yourself, and it will always radiate to those around you!So the next time you and a significant other start to take sides on an issue, just remember… there are no sides when God is in the Middle!​

Reach Out And Connect!Direct Encounter. We live a life filled with e-mail, Facebook, texting, phone calls and Twitter but the human interaction is conspicuously absent! While information and contact can be “spread” to a larger audience and done faster, some things are irreplaceable and available only through human interaction! Real “Joy” and expressions of love do not have the same impact unless it is experienced in person!An introduction is best experienced with a handshake and a smile! “Listening” has a much deeper impact when you listen as intently with the sincerity in your eyes as much as with your ears. An invitation spoken with warmth and sincerity in your facial expression as well as the tone in your voice has deeper impact! Kindness, generosity, and compassion are always best demonstrated in person! NOTHING can replace a warm embrace! Forgiveness works best when we show in person our sincerity and our vulnerability! Love is best expressed with all the senses that only the direct encounter of human interaction can bring!Make time to make a direct connection with those we care about most, and with those that need deeper human interaction! After All, Life is a contact sport! And don’t forget about your spiritual connection with God that only prayer and meditation brings! Peace, solitude, Joy, and Grace can’t be as deeply expressed and experienced any other way!  Talk about A Direct Encounter!!

 Be Lost.  Seek.  Be Found.  Lead Others.Hide and seek. I was playing hide and seek with my 2-1/2 year-old granddaughter the other day and I marveled at the joy and excitement when she would finally find me and for my own anticipation of her relentless search to find me!  She would call out and I would respond with little vocal hints to give her clues and signs of where I was.I often think about how often we search for Christ’s presence in our lives and how often we look for “signs” and when none is present, we lose interest!  While we can’t visually experience God, we need to know that He is near and to ‘call out” so that He can respond, to our prayers!  We can also get a “reading” on His presence through scripture! The reality is, we should never lose faith in the fact that God is always near and we should be ever joyful in anticipation of finding Him! “Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” Isaiah 30: 20-21. And once you find Him, share the good news with those who have not found Him! “Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.  As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.'” Matthew 10:6-7. An interesting thing about my 2-1/2 year old!  Every time she found me, she would choose that very spot for her hiding place when it was her turn!  The point is, if we find Christ, odds are very good that those close to us will also! And what a blessing that would be for both of us!  

 Today is the feast day of the Immaculate Conception of Mary! I realized that the same Holy Spirit that came upon Mary comes to us!  The word made flesh through Mary’s humble act is with us in human form and in God’s Image!  We are in God’s image and we are in God’s grace and we have the ability to act as a reflection of his Son through the same Holy Spirit! We can act like a magnifying glass, an instrument of God’s will, to expand the vision of others, to expand the light of love, to bring warmth and comfort, and yes, to light a fire!  “May it be done according to your word.” Luke 1:36-38.  These are Mary’s words of total acceptance to God’s will!  We too must take the life journey God sets for us!   “I am the way, the truth, and the life!” John 14:6. And now that we have accepted the journey God sets for us, and we now know the way, the rest of our journey is more peaceful, easier, we can take in the scenery and grasp each moment, and we look forward to reaching our destination!  It is then that we realize that rather than walking this journey, we should dance!  And dances are best done in pairs or groups!  So Dance with Me! Dance with me to Mary’s song of praise!“My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God, my Saviour.” Canticle of Mary. The greatest Love that ever was, is with us now! Magnify it, share it, and dance with me!!!! “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God, my Saviour…Because He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed…Because He that is mighty hath done great things to me: and holy is His name…And His mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear Him…He hath showed might in His arm: He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.”   Canticle of Mary.

 Spark Your Inner Light And Let It Shine Like Mary Did When She Lit The Original Candle For The World!Christmas Candle.  Candle watts is one method used to measure light!  An average candle burns about as much as an 80 watt lightbulb! The reason it isn’t as bright as an 80W light bulb is because it’s really inefficient.  Most of that 80W is actually given out as heat.  So it’s not like the energy-efficient lightbulbs.  Most of the stuff coming off candles is heat with only 0.05% of it, not very much at all, coming out as light. Christ came to us as a beacon of light from the Star above Bethlehem and the candle by the crib, to the dazzling white of the Transconfiguration high on a Mountain top!  He brought warmth and comfort to those in need and “enlightened” us to God’s master plan! We all have a candle burning in our souls, capable of being lit and giving warmth to all those we encounter!“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.”   Matthew 5:14-15. We need to gather collectively in community, prayer, and service to be the light of love that pierces the darkness and offers light, warmth and comfort to all those in need! Christmas is a time for warmth and new life!  A Christmas Candle is a sign of the new light and the flame of Love that only Christ can bring! “But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays.” Malachi 4:2.The Blessed Mother spread the effect of the Flame of Love over all of Humanity on Christmas Day! Now that is some serious Heat!