He's kidding, right?

Oh my gosh, you have got to be kidding me. I could not believe what Trump had to say over the weekend . . .

"There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days." 

The last few days? Really? It's almost like the war just started, if you listen to Trump.

And there's more . . .

"It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!" 

Really? He's kidding, right? He is just now realizing that maybe, just maybe, Putin doesn't want peace and has been playing him?

He is just now recognizing that Putin has--for a long time--been shooting missiles at civilians and people are dying?

How is it that what the rest of us have known for months, make that years, Trump is just now realizing?

I join you in hoping for a "Francis" miracle from the meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy of Ukraine at the Vatican, I really do. We need peace desperately.

I just can't believe it has taken Trump so long to recognize that Putin has been playing him for a fool. 

Janet Cassidy
Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com

janetcassidy.com
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How would it feel?

 

As we conclude the Octave of Easter on Sunday (although the season of Easter continues until Pentecost, May 11th) I have a meditation that I hope you will spend some time on.

Imagine you have seen Jesus die on the cross on Good Friday, and nothing else happens. There is no resurrection. Jesus is not present to his apostles afterward. Imagine that his death and entombment are the end of the story.

How would it feel to live in that space?

What would be lost if that were the reality? 

You see, if we do not know what would have been lost if Jesus died but did not rise, then we certainly do not know what was gained by his life and resurrection. 

If we do not know what was gained by his life and resurrection, then we simply cannot know what it means to be a Christian.

One of my favorite prayers comes from St. Padre Pio. It's called "Stay with Me Lord." 

In it he prays:

"Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life, and without You, I am without fervor." 

Do you have as much fervor, or zeal for the resurrection of Jesus that you have from, say, a new adventure? From having a baby? From finally getting your dream job or winning the lottery?

What does it say about our belief in Jesus if our excitement over his life, death and resurrection pales in comparison to other things we experience in this life?

If his resurrection, somehow, seems disconnected, from our life experiences?

It's hard, isn't it, to keep Jesus in the forefront of our life, even when we know that all that we are flows from him? 

Pentecost is around the corner, and without great fervor, we will never understand the movement of the Holy Spirit in the Apostles, when they were sent out to spread the Good News. 

How will we willingly take up our role as a disciple if we do not keep such fervor alive in our own hearts?

Perhaps you will find it helpful to pray with St. Padre Pio, once again, when he pleads:

"Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You. You know how easily I abandon You."

Happy Easter!

Janet Cassidy
Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com

janetcassidy.com
https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/
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Fr. James Mallon on Pope Francis

 

Online photo; credit unknown                                        

 

 If you think of evangelization as the Church's way of getting people to become Catholic, you would be wrong.

The goal of evangelization is to invite those who do not know Jesus, to come and meet him. Jesus is the head of the Church, so it makes sense that the invitation to meet him leads to his Church.

I'd like to share with you a short video by Fr. James Mallon (Divine Renovation) which I really like.  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpB-itQl9XY)

Fr. Mallon's work was inspired by Pope Francis' body of writing (which he details in the video), so it is particularly fitting that he reflects on the Pope's work this week.

He caught my attention in this video, when he said:

"Our ministry, is fundamentally, a call, an invitation for people in the church to look outward, it's not about inviting people outside of the church to look inwards."

Fr. Mallon refers to Pope Francis' thought, saying, "Unless the church is an outward facing church, it becomes sick, self-referential, in itself, of itself, for itself. 

Formation and learning is important, but my guess is that many of us are more prepared than we realize to look outward. All of us have the capacity to respond lovingly and joyfully to those we meet, like Pope Francis did.

What are we waiting for?

Janet Cassidy
Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com

janetcassidy.com
https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/
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