Listening

I hear the rustling of the wind upon the trees,
I am listening…
I hear a car alarm in the distance,
I am listening…
I hear the waves gently lapping the shore,
I am listening…
I hear a crying baby in a pew,
I am listening…
I hear a gentle voice behind me saying “Hello,”
I am listening…
I hear a cell phone ring in the distance,
I am listening…
I hear soft raindrops splash against my windows,
I am listening…
I hear thunder far away…
I am listening…
I hear laughter in the hallway…
I am listening…

I ask the Lord, “I am listening, but what am I hearing?”
The Lord replies, “You are hearing my heartbeat.
You are hearing the heartbeat of God.”

The heartbeat of God is all around us. He can be heard everywhere, in our everyday lives. Have you ever been in a noisy crowd, closed your eyes and just listened quietly for a bit and felt God’s presence? His heartbeat? God is everywhere, speaking to us. We may hear but don’t always listen or perhaps we do not know what we are hearing. This Lent try to take a moment everyday and listen for the heartbeat of God. Listen for Him in Church, in traffic, in the wind and rain, in a crowd and in your family and friends. Be still, know He is there and Listen…

God Bless, Holly Clark

Where two or three come together…

During times of trouble, illness and distress we often seek out Jesus to help us but how often do we seek Him out in the good times? We ask Jesus to guide us, pray with us when we are in trouble and heal us when we are ill. But how often do we invite Jesus to laugh with us, celebrate our good times and little joys in life?

I was thinking of this the other day when I was conversing with friends. One friend was sharing her Lenten story of trying to walk the beach daily with Jesus but everyday she suffered some mishap along the way. She had us all on the floor with laughter from the way she was relating her tales of woe. As I was laughing, I closed my eyes and thanked God for the gift of simple laughter and the joys of friendship. I then imagined Jesus sitting in the empty chair next to me laughing just as hard! I am sure Jesus would like share our joys as well as hardships. I felt sad as I realized that I do not often thank God enough for the simple joys in life, a cup of coffee with a friend, a family birthday party, simple conversation. God did not make us to be alone but sent His Son to us so that we could have a friend forever- in the bad times and the good.

This Lent invite Jesus to have coffee with you in the morning. When you are gathering with friends and family imagine Jesus there with you laughing at Uncle Bob’s bad jokes or sharing the joy of a newborn. Look now beside you, whether you are in a pew or on your couch, and you will know Jesus is there- not just in the bad times but for all time.
God Bless, Holly Clark

Be Transfigured!

Lent is a time of prayer, fasting, almsgiving and reflection. For prayer we may attend daily Mass more often, add a new prayer discipline, and be more attentive to God’s Word. We fast, usually from some particular food item or perhaps from a bad habit, or from technology (such as texting or FaceBooking). We give special notice to those less fortunate by almsgiving, rice bowl collections etc. Prayer, fasting and almsgiving are the three basics of Lent. But there is also a sense of reflection upon God and self incorporated into Lent.

I want you to go back 2000 years now, into Jesus’ time and world. You are Jesus’ companion in the desert. You see nothing but wilderness and hardship and you know Satan is out there to tempt both you and Jesus. You journey into the desert with Him. As you walk with Him you talk of your lives. Jesus shares with you His strength and love. He reassures you that on the other side of the desert a new life awaits you. But then, suddenly, Satan appears out of nowhere! Satan offers you a worry free life of comfort and ease, you are tempted but Jesus is there and with His help you have the strength to decline… Deeper into your journey you and find yourselves thirsty and hungry. Satan appears again, this time with water and bread. This time, you think a little water and bread won’t hurt and you look for Jesus’ approval. But Jesus tells Satan, “One does not live by bread alone…” (Mt 4:4)… You and Jesus walk on. Satan appears several times in your journey through the desert but together you and Jesus manage to beat back Satan’s temptations. As you come to the end of your journey with Jesus and you begin to see civilization again, you find yourself tired and hungry but yet full of joy. You have been transfigured by the experience! You have found a new love of life and an appreciation for what it means to be hungry and have nothing. You have found strength, love and all you need in Jesus!

As you bring yourself back to the 21st century you may find your journey with Jesus during Lent very similar. You don’t really need to go back 2000 years to journey with Jesus! He is here! He is with you! He is now your companion in your desert wilderness. And He is there to give you strength when Satan tempts you.
This Lent allow yourself to journey into the wilderness. Invite Jesus to come with you. Allow yourselves to experience hardship and temptation. Allow yourselves to be transfigured by the experience. Allow yourselves to be loved and strengthened by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit—they are ready and willing.
God Bless, Holly Clark

Lenten Resolutions

Lent is upon us… and our New Year’s resolutions are fast becoming a distant memory. We all know that Lent is a time for “Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving.” You might say to yourself “I’ll go to church more often during Lent.” (prayer), “I’ll give up sweets.” (fasting), and “I’ll put more in the collection basket” (almsgiving). This Lent let us try to challenge ourselves to do more than the basics. Let us be creative in our prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

Prayer
Resolve this Lent to pray more… Try to take up a form of prayer you may not have tried before, such as centering prayer or Lectio Devina or the Rosary. Also try to squeeze in an extra few minutes of your day to thank God and remember what Jesus has given up for us.

Fasting
Resolve this Lent to Fast. Fasting in the common sense means to give up food, but it can also mean a giving up of time. This Lent in addition to fasting from food try to give some of your time to a church ministry or lend a helping hand to a lonely person… Be Creative! There are so many simple ways we can help on another on our journey towards Christ.

Almsgiving
Resolve this Lent to remember the needy. Fasting can be seen as a giving up whereas almsgiving can be thought of as giving something back. Again, be creative! If you gave up that Starbuck’s coffee as a part of fasting, consider giving the money you saved to the poor and needy!

Making these sort of resolutions is never easy and there will days when our best intentions go awry but it is important that we try. With God’s help and love our Lenten resolutions could become lifelong habits. God Bless- Holly Clark

Setting Our Hearts Aflame

Every weekday morning I get up, get dressed and eat breakfast. I start to mentally rev up for the day, sometimes worrying about getting done all I need to do. I get in my car and begin to pull out of my driveway when I am pulled out of my reverie to find the two young boys across the street, waiting for the school bus. Every school day they stand in their driveway and toss me big waves and smiles as I drive by. I do not know them well and they really do not know me but yet they make sure that I am happy as I go off to work. When I see their joy, my to-do lists fade away and I ask God if these kids are His messengers of joy.

I attend three of our Generations of Faith Festivals where children and their families gather to learn about our faith. I am always energized by the joy and energy the children show to me. At one of these recent festivals a young boy with special needs came bounding up to me with a big hello and a huge smile, I had had a rough day but yet his smile and gentleness brought back to me what is truly important in life—to be like Jesus. I look into children’s faces and I see Jesus at work. I look into the faces of adults and find it sad that we do not smile at each other as often as children do. Where did we lose our boundless joy we had as kids? Have you smiled today? Have you smiled at a stranger and made someone’s day? Just think what a smile means to you… and then make an effort to smile at someone else… you never know when Jesus will make you a messenger of His joy and peace through your smile.
God Bless, Holly Clark

What do you do at the end of the day?

If you are like me you probably go over the events of the day and think about the things that went wrong and how to correct them or maybe you make a mental list of what you need to do tomorrow. Your mind is often racing in a million directions. All you want to do is quiet your mind and get a good night’s sleep. This is a perfect time to pray! You may not think so but it is!
A lot of us “say” prayers before going to bed or maybe read some scripture but have you ever actually shared your day with Jesus? Have you ever thought of conversing with Jesus about your daily worries and problems? Have you thanked God for the graces you have received during the day? Have you ever shared your hopes and dreams with Him?
St. Ignatius suggests that you take a few minutes every evening and look back over your day and examine how and where Christ was with you during the day:

Get comfortable and close your eyes
Let Christ show you this day as you lived it…
The people you met…
The circumstances you encountered…
The activities you engaged in…
In Christ these things are God’s gifts to you, revealing His presence in a new way...
Recall the feelings and moods that were evoked:
Love, hope, contentment, joy, anger, fear, shame…
These feelings can reveal your movement toward God or away from God…
Sit with Christ and tell Him how you feel….
Listen to what Christ is telling you…
Thank God for the blessings of the day.
End with an Our Father…

This form of prayer will be challenging at first. We have a lot of “noise” in our heads and staying focused will require much practice… but always remember… Christ is with us until the end of time… God Bless… --Holly Clark

Got Talent? We Need YOU!

In our Church today, we find in our laity a huge reservoir of talent and expertise just waiting to be called on in the service of the Kingdom.
Theresa EE-Choi, Member of the Pontifical Council for the Laity (Malaysia)

Do you have talents to offer? In this new millennium we are facing a culture of pastoral planning as the number priests and religious decline drastically. We each need to do a serious inventory of our gifts and talents and discover where we can put them to the best use in service to our Lord and our parish. You may say “I have no talent. I have nothing to offer…” Nonsense! Everyone has a talent for something! Even a baby can give away a smile. Everyone, I repeat, everyone is a part of the team!

A few years ago I was unemployed and feeling a bit worthless when I was at Mass one Sunday morning and saw a Stewardship form for volunteering time and talent. I thought as I was not working that I had plenty of time to offer and did an inventory of my talents. I filled out the form offering my graphic design skills. My first project was designing a bulletin board for CCD classes. Later projects included flyers, PowerPoint presentations and building the parish website. Through this stewardship of time and talent I found myself reawakened spiritually. I fell in love with ministry! Stewardship lit the flame of my heart and I decided to dedicate my life to ministry. (You never know what God has in mind for you!)

As we enter a new way of mission- the team-approach: staff, clergy, volunteers- I would ask each of you to reflect upon your talents. Perhaps you can ask your friends and families where they think you are talented. I guarantee you there is spot here for you! Be brave! Walk into, or call, the church offices at Sacred Heart or St. Rose and say “YES! I am here to donate my time and talent!” If the church is to survive and thrive in the third millennium she will need ALL of us working together in communion with Christ.

Let us go forward in hope! A new millennium is opening before the Church like a vast ocean upon which we shall venture, relying on the help of Christ.
Novo Millennio Ineunte, Pope John Paul II, 2000

God Bless, Holly Clark

The Times, They are A-Changing…

I should like you to be free of anxieties.
1Cor 7:32
As you attend Mass, look around you. Are the pews as full as when you were a child? Do you see as many priests, nuns and sisters as you did as in previous years? Do you see very many people volunteering for different ministries? (Do we even have as many ministries as we used to?)
For the past few decades Mass attendance has dropped, the numbers of clergy and nuns has fallen, and with that collections have dropped forcing parishes to go into what is called a “maintenance mode” or perhaps in “crisis mode.” In maintenance mode individual parishes try very hard to keep their doors open by saving every penny, recruiting volunteers to do the work that used to be done by the clergy and religious. The mission of the Church (to serve the Lord, evangelize and help the poor and needy) takes a back seat as we focus on just staying open day-to-day. Each parish, historically, has focused on bringing God’s Word to its own individual faith community, be it a single town or an area within a town—but the times they are a-changing!
The past few weeks I, and the Staff of Sacred Heart and St. Rose, have been attending Pastoral Planning meetings at the Archdiocese, along with all of parishes of the Archdiocese. We are being asked how we can best serve our faith communities in a mission-based mode rather than maintenance or crisis modes. As I sat at the meetings I looked around me and wondered how many of us were in maintenance or crisis modes. I was surrounded by individuals with great hopes of getting back to the mission of our Church and some who were fearful of the future. I listened to the new proposed plan and found myself filled with hope… hope of a new future for all our Church.
The new plan will consist of Pastors heading multiple parishes with a “Pastoral Service Team” (PST) with one Finance Council and one Pastoral Council. Parishes would come together to provide and share services that alone one parish cannot. Instead of competing for resources and parishioners, parishes will unite in the Holy Spirit to return to the mission of Christ.
Change is always difficult and, at times, frightening. In today’s second reading Paul would like us to be free of all anxieties. Paul, in his letters, tells us that we are becoming a new creation… this is true today as well. We ask for your prayers as we prepare to meet the challenges that await us. Keep open minds and always remember, the Holy Spirit will be with us and will guide us.
God Bless, Holly Clark

Come, Follow Me...

Jesus happens upon a couple of fishermen and says "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men," whereupon the two men drop their nets, leave their work and families, to follow Jesus. As they travel along, a few more men also drop their nets and work to follow Jesus. When I read this passage I ask myself would I have been able to up and walk away, with nothing for the journey, and follow a man who just happened to pass by me? Would I be able to give up my family and way of life to follow Jesus? What would my family think? As you travel back to the early days of Christianity, imagine yourself as Simon, Andrew and James, in the presence of Jesus. Think of what presence and charisma Jesus must have had in person!
Jesus called upon certain men to be His disciples. He knew they were strong people who could give up their way of life to follow Him into a new way of living. Today Jesus still calls to us to follow Him. He does not ask that we all leave our families take up Holy Orders or the sisterhood but rather He calls upon each of us to live our lives in His footsteps, each according to His gifts. The challenge to each of us today is to discern our gifts, recognize our gifts and then use them as Jesus would like us to.
So… How do you follow Jesus in your lives? Give some thought today to your gifts… be they small or large… and pray that we can be faithful followers of Christ. We do not need to worry that our gifts may be inadequate—Jesus will appreciate them and will guide us on to better lives. Come follow Him…
God Bless, Holly Clark

What are You Looking For?

"What are you looking for?"

In John's Gospel, Jesus asks a couple of His disciples “What are you looking for?” How often I have asked myself this question and now I find, in prayer, Jesus asking me this very same question. Over the past few months He has asked me this question repeatedly and like the disciples of today’s Gospel I do not have a concrete answer either. How many of you could answer Jesus right away with a well thought out plan to your life? Do you know where you are going and what you are seeking? And… do you ever find what you are seeking?
In my life I’ve often taken time out of my life to “find myself” but I never do! I always, after much prayer and reflection find myself with more questions than answers about life. John Paul II in his encyclical letter, Faith and Reason, calls the journey to know oneself the same journey as one seeks to know God:

“God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth—in a word, to know himself—so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves…”

As I reflect upon this I have come to realize that Jesus does not expect an answer to His query. He asks us what we are looking for in an effort to get us to think about our lives and faith journey. We will never find the answers we want on our own but it is the quest and journey to know ourselves and God that is of importance.
My journey to know myself and to know God begins with a simple question… What am I seeking… and thus the adventure begins! Won’t you join me?
God Bless, Holly Clark