Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Have you ever been driving under an overpass and seen a homeless man with a cup out, asking for money? My guess is that you probably have. Now wether or not you have ever offered anything to this man is between you and God, but if you have you might have noticed what usually follows. My experience shows him smiling graciously and offering a "God bless you" in return.
What makes him say that? My guess is that he knows that God exists. He knows that God is real and living and going around blessing people. Now, this makes you think "What makes him know this?". When he is in a situation that all of us strive to never be in, he knows that God lives and loves. I have seen the same thing happen in Mexico with people who have nothing according to the world.
We live in a world where so many go out of the way to deny the existence of God, and those who have "reason" to doubt go out of the way to affirm it. How often do I say God bless you to those I encounter on the street? I am ashamed to say almost never. This man's "God bless you" really blessed me. It opened my eyes to how simple it is to say, and to how powerful it can be to say it. I might think it would make someone uncomfortable, but should that stop me? No. Jesus didn't come to make people comfortable, quite the contrary. He came to set the world on fire, and the last time I checked being in fire isn't all that cozy.
I guess what I want to say is that God lives, God loves, God blesses, and that we should share that with all those that we can. I have yet to say God bless you to my checkout lady or some other stranger, but I will try, I can learn so much from that man that has so little.
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
p.s- God bless you
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Valentine's Day
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Happy Valentine's Day! What a beautiful day, huh? A day to celebrate love! When you think about it you realize it is yet another day to celebrate God, since God is Love! I woke up this morning to a delightful, pink breakfast that my sister lovingly made, a card from my brother and some candy and a watch from Mom and Kevin. It blessed me to be able to participate in this little exchange just to remind each other of the love that we share as a family.
This is a little biography that I found about St. Valentine, the namesake of this holiday: Valentine was a holy priest in Rome, who, with St. Marius and his family, assisted the martyrs in the persecution under Claudius II. He was apprehended, and sent by the emperor to the prefect of Rome, who, on finding all his promises to make him renounce his faith ineffectual, commanded him to be beaten with clubs, and afterward to be beheaded, which was executed on the 14th of February, about the year 270.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
Happy Valentine's Day! What a beautiful day, huh? A day to celebrate love! When you think about it you realize it is yet another day to celebrate God, since God is Love! I woke up this morning to a delightful, pink breakfast that my sister lovingly made, a card from my brother and some candy and a watch from Mom and Kevin. It blessed me to be able to participate in this little exchange just to remind each other of the love that we share as a family.
This is a little biography that I found about St. Valentine, the namesake of this holiday: Valentine was a holy priest in Rome, who, with St. Marius and his family, assisted the martyrs in the persecution under Claudius II. He was apprehended, and sent by the emperor to the prefect of Rome, who, on finding all his promises to make him renounce his faith ineffectual, commanded him to be beaten with clubs, and afterward to be beheaded, which was executed on the 14th of February, about the year 270.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
Friday, February 11, 2011
100th Post
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This is my 100th post! Thank you to all of those who have followed or read my blog. It is such a blessing to live in a world where your thoughts can be shared so easily and readily! God really has taught me a lot by having this blog, it has helped me to search more thoroughly for all of his blessings so as to share it with the world! I have had many page views from a large number of countries, which I think is really great. Thanks again for reading and sharing my blog :) God bless, you all remain in my prayers!
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
This is my 100th post! Thank you to all of those who have followed or read my blog. It is such a blessing to live in a world where your thoughts can be shared so easily and readily! God really has taught me a lot by having this blog, it has helped me to search more thoroughly for all of his blessings so as to share it with the world! I have had many page views from a large number of countries, which I think is really great. Thanks again for reading and sharing my blog :) God bless, you all remain in my prayers!
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Photos Page and Comments
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I created a Photos page :) Check it out! Also, I have made it easier to comment on my posts, if you want to!
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
I created a Photos page :) Check it out! Also, I have made it easier to comment on my posts, if you want to!
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
To Die With Christ
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.- Romans 6: 1-12
Wow, huh? When I think of baptism I think of new life, and here it says that we die with Christ in baptism. If you think about it more you see how true it is, even though we die we find life, new life. We die to this world, to sin, and to ourselves. In turn we live with Christ! Not a bad deal huh?
Think of a dead person, nothing can affect them. No matter what you say or do nothing can change them because they are no longer living. We are called to be dead to sin, not only insensitive, but totally dead to it! It sounds so crazy, so impossible, but yet it is already here! We are baptized so we have died and lived with Christ, we can live a new life! Through our baptism is brought so much freedom, freedom from sin and from death. We are brought into life and life to the fullest, life abundant! Praise Him!!!
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.- Romans 6: 1-12
Wow, huh? When I think of baptism I think of new life, and here it says that we die with Christ in baptism. If you think about it more you see how true it is, even though we die we find life, new life. We die to this world, to sin, and to ourselves. In turn we live with Christ! Not a bad deal huh?
Think of a dead person, nothing can affect them. No matter what you say or do nothing can change them because they are no longer living. We are called to be dead to sin, not only insensitive, but totally dead to it! It sounds so crazy, so impossible, but yet it is already here! We are baptized so we have died and lived with Christ, we can live a new life! Through our baptism is brought so much freedom, freedom from sin and from death. We are brought into life and life to the fullest, life abundant! Praise Him!!!
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Light of the World
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Today in mass the homily was really beautiful and it made me think. He said that when we think of lamps we think of those that you can turn off and on, dim, brighten and unplug. He said that in the time of Jesus lamps were different, they were bowls of oil you couldn't turn off, all you could do was cover them with a bushel basket. That is our kind of lamp. We cannot turn off the light of Christ within us. We can cover it, hide it and ignore it but it will always be there, we are called to let it shine. To not cover it with a basket but to rather put it on a lamp stand and to be lights of Christ.
I guess it is just something to think about that I wanted to share will all of you! God bless.
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
Today in mass the homily was really beautiful and it made me think. He said that when we think of lamps we think of those that you can turn off and on, dim, brighten and unplug. He said that in the time of Jesus lamps were different, they were bowls of oil you couldn't turn off, all you could do was cover them with a bushel basket. That is our kind of lamp. We cannot turn off the light of Christ within us. We can cover it, hide it and ignore it but it will always be there, we are called to let it shine. To not cover it with a basket but to rather put it on a lamp stand and to be lights of Christ.
I guess it is just something to think about that I wanted to share will all of you! God bless.
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
This Crazy Wonderful Life That God Gave Me
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I have been thinking a lot lately. I have been thinking about how crazy wonderful God is and how much he loves and how much he loves me. I also have been thinking about how crazy awesome my life is! So many people go through life disappointed, sad and depressed. What about? We have this fantastic gift, we have a fantastic father who is crazy about us! We have fantastic people, places and things surrounding us! We have a new morning every day and a clean slate after every confession. We are so blessed to be alive! I am so blessed to be where I am, what I am, and around who I am. God has just showered infinite blessings upon me, he has opened his arms and said "I love you."
God is so good! Even when life seems hard and annoying and boring and impossible it isn't. It is so far from those things and God has given it to us, he has given us life! I know that I am blessed, I know how much I am loved! Now I get to go and share it, I get to be Christ's love to all of my brothers and sisters :) Praise God for his crazy, awesome, amazing fantasticness!
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
I have been thinking a lot lately. I have been thinking about how crazy wonderful God is and how much he loves and how much he loves me. I also have been thinking about how crazy awesome my life is! So many people go through life disappointed, sad and depressed. What about? We have this fantastic gift, we have a fantastic father who is crazy about us! We have fantastic people, places and things surrounding us! We have a new morning every day and a clean slate after every confession. We are so blessed to be alive! I am so blessed to be where I am, what I am, and around who I am. God has just showered infinite blessings upon me, he has opened his arms and said "I love you."
God is so good! Even when life seems hard and annoying and boring and impossible it isn't. It is so far from those things and God has given it to us, he has given us life! I know that I am blessed, I know how much I am loved! Now I get to go and share it, I get to be Christ's love to all of my brothers and sisters :) Praise God for his crazy, awesome, amazing fantasticness!
Peace and love in Christ,
Alyse
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