GLIMPSES OF GOD 2026

 

 

 

 

 

Glimpse of God for the week of September 20, 2026

Thank you, God for the refreshment of Summer, and let us celebrate with you, the newness in your tapestry of Autumn.

This coming Tuesday,  we will enter the season of autumn. As we begin the wonderful and colorful season of autumn, let us look at season of summer and reflect on what it has offered: the many more hours of sun light, the beautiful and colorful flowers, full trees, green grass, the rain, the storms, the winds, and the variety of miscalculated weather conditions, let us seek to see all of this in the light of God’s love. The many hours of God’s Son, Jesus, light in our life and how strived to walk in that light, the warmth of His love, the fullness of His love when we fall short and seem only to be able to offer a quick prayer for help or a moment of thanksgiving, the abundant showers of His blessings and graces, and the gentle whispers as heard in the wind.

As for the miscalculated weather conditions, let us humbly seek His forgiveness as we have sought to know His will without asking Him, and then doing our own thing, as we thought best, without seeking His direction. Doing our own thing failed because we did not know the whole story, nor could we see the whole picture. They were the times perhaps when we experienced the storms of life, the uncertainty, the fears, the personal frustrations that became overwhelming to our spirits and overflowed in prayer life, our words, through our actions. BUT in all this His love was overwhelming and present through us because there is nothing that we can say or do that will make Him love us less. HE CAN’T. HIS, LOVE IS PERFECT EVEN WHEN OUR LOVE IS NOT.

Although summer is not officially over, school has begun, the many pools have been covered and the cookouts, well might have lessened, the time at the shore has not come to an end but people still want to go to the shores to rest, relax and enjoy the peace and quiet now that the crowds are gone. It is still the time of light, wearing white, light, or bright colors, and a light-heartedness that can still abound from you. So don’t let the cookouts end especially if the weather allows one to cook-out side, as long as there are family and friends to gather with, and still wear light, white or bright colors to symbolize the refreshing spirit that should still abound from within you.

As this was the fifth summer since the pandemic hit that we could actually go out and gather with friends and family at the beaches, for BBQs, for swim dates. Many or most have ditched wearing masks, although sicknesses are still being spread. Covid has another booster, and some just are not completely comfortable being in big crowds. Take the time to look back the many valued memories that you have collected this summer and share them, don’t just put them away for next year or never. This was a year where you had the opportunity to choose to enjoy the season of summer, and I hope that you were able to enjoy the gifts and the graces that summer afforded you because God’s beauty cannot be stifled or diminished by any circumstance,  Fear of many things especially getting sick again or getting covid, can cover up or destroy the beauty of God’s creation as He revealed it this summer and continues to reveal it through the beauty of and the changes that autumn brings.

Autumn is a season of color and change. As we witness the changes in creation, can you recognize the autumn of your life? What part or aspect of your life: be it spiritual, physical, or emotional, do you recognize that requires change and are you ready to change so that you can become your best self, the person that God created you to be and have the potential to become? 

Spiritual transformation and conversion occur when we can recognize, with the grace of God, where we are falling short of being our best self, and where we seek God’s continued grace to take the steps necessary to change so that we can better serve Him as our genuine and authentic self. The season of autumn in our advent to a renewed sense of self, a renewed sense of the God incarnate within us and a renewed sense of joy.

The autumn of our life can be seen as time to experience a spiritual advent one that can better prepare us for any of the cold or desolate life experiences that we will face with the sure uncertainty that even when things seem barren God is with us and has not abandoned us.

As you begin your journey through the season of autumn, strive to let go of any negative thoughts, attitudes, or emotions, let them fall away from your desire to be your true self. Let the radiance and brilliance of mercy, empathy, compassion, love, understanding, and selflessness be what people see in you as you try to be the tree that not only bears good fruit and whose leaves never fade, but genuinely looks good as well.

Let the glory and awe of the tapestry of color that is before you remind us of the awe and love that God has for you. The love and awe that He has because you are His beloved child, touched and filled with His grace as you desire to change, and be transformed so that you can become your best self, the person that He created you to be and have the potential to become. Allow the CHANGES in your life to become a source of continued spiritual transformation, encouragement, hope, and conversion as you build His Kingdom here on earth, one step, one

SUNDAY - “C”- CaringFor today, let us strive to be more thoughtful and caring with and towards others.  prayer, one word of encouragement at a time. Being a caring person requires being other centered and knowledgeable and not judgmental or ego centered. When we take the time to get to know others and let them know that we care about them and for them, we get to know the true person and not the image or the façade that they try to present. Being caring requires a selfless humble attitude and disposition so that we can see past the points or aspects of someone that we may not agree with or like but seeing the good and the face of Christ in them. When we are not truly genuine or thoughtful, we can be like the leaf that is falling off the branch, it has no root or growth, but it has become colorless and lifeless.

How thoughtful are you? How thoughtful are people towards you? Can you remember how you touched someone’s heart by your acts of care and concern? or words of thoughtfulness, sincerity, and genuineness? Can you recognize the many colors of your caring, thoughtfulness, genuineness, sincerity, and joy for life in your new leaf of life in Christ? Keep looking, God knows that you are thoughtful, genuine, caring, and sincere, and that others have experienced your new life and leaf in Christ and God wants you to know it to. You have taken the time to see the face of Christ in those you encounter and have encountered, as you look in the mirror do you see His face? If not, why? What hold you back from seeing Him in you? As you see the face of Christ in yourself, do you thank him? 

MONDAY – “H” Hopeful

When we can trust another and when someone trusts us, it is a gift. When someone betrays our trust, it hurts beyond any physical pain that we may endure. When we find someone that is trustworthy, we know that we can open our hearts to them and be received with tender love and care, as well as with tough love, honesty, and truth. This trust offers us hope and diminishes our discouragement and sinking into to hopelessness or despair

As you think of being trustworthy, can you think of a time where you were betrayed and how it felt? Can you remember when you betrayed another, unintentionally or not, but in any case, someone was hurt very deeply. Can you also think of how it feels to be trusted by another, and how it feels to finally trust others? Can you remember where hope came in and how? Was it in and through a loved one, a friend, through your prayer, through the silence, in the noise of children playing, the presence of a beloved family member? Hope came and the sense of betrayal’s control and manipulation deceased. Hope does not deny the experience, but it brings us out of it to a brighter and less disappointing experience. As God’s Son, Jesus had hope, lived hope, was hope and is hope, yet He was betrayed. As His followers we can expect to experience the same thing. Are you ready to forgive or seek forgiveness? Do you have an attitude of gratitude to God for those who He has placed on your path so that through your hopefulness and ability to be trusted, they have come to see a glimpse of God in and through you? The past hurts and betrayals are the old leaves that are falling to the ground and your ability to forgive are the new and colorful leaves of mercy, compassion, hope and trust, and fullness of love in and through your expanded heart of love that God has given you and you have accepted. 

TUESDAY - “A” = Living God’s Great ADVENTURE

For today, let us try to be more open to God’s wonders. Being young at heart is a gift. It means that we try not to get stuck in an attitude or disposition that is “old”, one that has no room for growth, openness, self-awareness, or transformation. No matter what our number age is we can be old at heart at 21 or young at heart at 105. Being young at heart can make living life like a great adventure whereas being old at heart can make living life like a tedious challenge. 

Are you ready for a great adventure? Can you prepare for the adventure, the journey, that Jesus has ready for you? The journey that promises that no matter what may come, you will not be overcome or defeated but that you will overcome, that your heart will not shrink but will be expanded? 

WEDNESDAY - “N” Newness - We can all learn something New

For today, let us take an extra step in love to learn more about someone else. It takes a lot to want to become learned and to gain knowledge of a broad variety of topics and issues. When someone is learned they have taken the time to gain knowledge of a variety of topics, experiences, but most importantly the lessons taught by Jesus in the Gospels.  People become learned so that they can share their knowledge with others and relate to more people. Becoming learned as a Christian is about knowing the will of God and how we can live that out in our life. Becoming learned in life is not only about book knowledge, but the knowledge and language of the heart and how we can reach out to others and build them up and not tear them down. We become learned in the will of God, an experience that is ongoing because it is an ongoing movement of spiritual growth and is not stagnant.

How learned are you? Do you recognize how God has given you the desire to learn about His will for you, how you are living it out and how you are being His light to others? Do you need to have a Bachelors, Masters, or a Doctorate degree from a University to become a learned individual about the will of God? They are given as tools to help but should not be seen as the final tool to seek and know the will of God.

No, what you need and already have is a blank page so that God can write His plan and His will for you, where the only book you need is the Bible, the only writing tool you need is your free will, and the only test is the one where you challenge yourself to be more Christ centered today than you were yesterday.  

 

THURSDAY - “G” Giving

For today, when tempted to be selfish, choose to be a more giving and selfless person, not with a grudge but with a smile. Being selfless or selfish, what do you want to be?  Being selfless is about giving of oneself for the good of others. To be selfless and giving is a challenge because it goes against the devil’s desire for us to be selfish and self-centered. The devil does not want us to be giving or to extend our self to another. He would rather that we take from another; take away their humility and make them proud in themself, diminish their self-respect, and lie about their true identity as God’s beloved child. The devil would prefer that we be a more selfish person so that others cannot and would not come to know God or His Son and the great love they have for us. When we seek to know about others for their good, to be sincere, to become learned about others and their experiences, it is an act of selflessness. When we focus on our self and the desire to use the knowledge about others as a tool of power and control, that is selfishness. Being selfless is not easy, being selfish is. As we look at the fullness of autumn, imagine that your acts of selflessness are the new colors that ware emerging before you in the trees and the leaves, the fullness that they show and the brightness that they exude.

Do you see that you are selfless and not selfish?  What would others say? In your prayer, do you hear and listen as God gently speaks to you in gratitude for your acts of selflessness and thanks you for not choosing to be selfish instead? And…. even if you realize that you were selfish, can you listen as Christ speaks lovingly to you as He did from the cross, Father forgive them for they know not what they do? 

FRIDAY “E” Encouragement

For today, let us listen with our hearts and minds to God as He encourages us to be His servant, His witnesses in the world. Spiritual inspiration and encouragement are what spark us to act and speak. Spiritual encouragement, that is true encouragement without a false motive, is when we are given the gift of God’s Holy Spirit that allows us to speak his gentle whisper to others or a challenging word, to write His words for others to read or for us to reflect on, to help others to carry their cross or to ask others to help us carry ours.  Our response involves a personal surrender of our own words in speech or writing or actions so that God’s words, desire, or invitation may be revealed through us.

When we feel motivated or encouraged, we feel blessed that God has given us the words to speak at a difficult time or a time when we had no idea what we were going to say but trusted that God would provide the words that needed to be said. When we are motivated and encouraged by God’s Holy Spirit, it is then that we choose to use His words and not ours, when we choose to trust in Him and not in what we think we need to say or write.

God’s encouragement is what allows us to help others, especially when we had no idea that they were struggling, or when we humbly sought the aid of others when our cross seemed too heavy to bear alone. Your words of encouragement to others was your autumn of color in their life when perhaps their leaves, their color seemed all too black and white and they were seeking to see God’s tapestry of color that they knew was there. As we enter into the season of autumn and we look at the tapestry of color that is before us in the tress, leaves and all of God’s creation, seek to recognize that the fullness that brings the tapestry to life is your openness and encouragement to God’s will and empowering others to recognize His will in their life.  Be open to the reality that you are the fullness and the new life that others are seeking because of the encouragement and hope that had they chance to experience through you. 

SATURDAY - “S” = Sincerity

For today, let us be sincere in what we say to others. It is nice to compliment others, but if we are not sincere, we are lying and misleading them. Sincerity comes from a heart that loves and is caring, selfless and not selfish or self-centered. Can you see that God has given you a sincere heart, one that loves and has been filled with His grace that invites you to not count the cost or hold onto grudges?

As you behold the beauty of the autumn leaves and the splendid color that they behold, can you see how splendid you are and how much color you bring by your sincerity, care and love for others, and by your selflessness and compassion? Do you see that in your sincere words and actions, you have helped another recognize that they are God’s beloved son or daughter, loved unconditionally and without limits?

 

 

Glimpse of God for the week of September 13, 2026

In remembrance of those who lost their lives on and since the September 11^th attacks

This past Thursday, the Philadelphia FBI had their annual “Run to Remember” over the Ben Franklin Bridge. This run /walk was organized because the Philadelphia FBI family wanted to memorialize and honor not only the FBI employees, but all those who died during the attacks; Civilians, first responders, Fire, Police, and Military, as well as those who have died since then. To honor them, several years ago I was invited, as the first lay, female, Catholic Chaplain for the FBI, to lead with prayer/remarks. I was honored to be invited to do so. This also afforded me the opportunity to see and meet more of the FBI family members that I am invited to serve. Now that I have had the opportunity to work with the FBI family as a chaplain, I do so with a spirit of pride, humility, openness and love. The FBI run to remember reminds me of the fact and reality that we are all called to serve our fellow human beings with a greater sense of compassion, love and respect as we look into the face of Christ as He chooses to reveal Himself. 25 years ago, all of God’s children, His beloved sons and daughters, were faced with the task of seeing the face  of God in the seriously injured, deceased, broken, frightened, lost, and lonely.

Attending the run afforded me the opportunity to pray for and  speak of God’s faithfulness. It was an opportunity for me to express how we as a people, one nation under God, will never forget those who lost their lives during the September 11th attacks and since then. The attacks of September 11th, as well as every day when lives are taken coldly, viciously and without reason, should cause us all to question, resolve and pray. We are all God’s children, yet people are being treated like invisible objects void of feelings, that are deemed as unnecessary so their lives can be extracted from the earth, and no one would care or notice and eventually they would be forgotten. The devil thought that he could use the devastation of September 11th to prove this point. He was wrong….

As a nation, we are resilient, As a people, we are resilient, As God’s beloved child, we are resilient. As God’s children, we resolve never to forget those whose lives were taken that horrific day and every day since. As God’s children, we will always remember and honor those near and far who are still suffering and bearing the cross of grief, loss, anger, uncertainty, fear and disbelief since September 11, 2001. As God’s children, we will always remember those who sought to serve and assist during the aftermath of the attacks, but whose lives were changed and ended due to their being exposed to the toxic chemicals in the air and on the grounds of the attacks. As God’s children, we all have crosses to carry, yet if we deny or ignore our fellow brother or sister’s crosses because of fear or ego, then we are choosing to make it heavier and unbearable. By our prayers, our resolve to be stronger and never again be a victim but rather a victor, our acts of remembrance, and our conversations of those who have passed away in our family, our circle of friends, our community and our world, we are choosing to assist those who mourn by paying respect to, honoring and remembering those they mourn for.

The “Run to Remember” serves as a reminder to me that as we all have crosses to carry that sometimes they may seem too heavy and other times more like a splinter than a cross, we are not only invited to bear them in faith with our God, but we are also called to assist others as they carry theirs. How do we assist? With compassion, understanding, empathy, honor, respect and dignity.

September 11th happened 25 years ago, and I think we can all remember what we were doing and where we were that fateful day. We can recall how church services were filled, and faith was shared and not hidden. But as the saying goes, out of sight out of mind, we cannot let that saying become our reality when it comes to remembering those, we loved whose life was taken from us, from other moms, dads, sisters, brothers, uncles, aunts, cousins, and grandparents.

As we approach the 25^th anniversary of 9.11, may we use this time to pray for the healing of our country, and all those who continue to carry the cross of grief, anger, fear, and uncertainty and seek God’s grace to continue to heal them and make them whole.

Instead of a daily reflection, I invite you, with the grace of God’s Holy Spirit, to pray over some of the lines or thoughts of this prayer.

A question that you may ask as part of your prayer could be How have I been transformed by the cross of death, or the 9.11 attacks, of that I carry or that I have assisted others to carry?

 

My Prayer for Transfiguration, in memory of those who lost their lives in the 9.11 attacks

Lord, you invite all who are heavily burdened to come to you and you will refresh them. America comes to you Lord,

for continued healing, courage, restoration, renewal, and transfiguration.

We come to you as the FBI family to run and walk, as we remember

the terror attacks that occurred in our country 25 years ago.

The World Trade Centers in New York, the Pentagon in Washington DC

and Shanksville, Pa.

We come to you as we remember and pray for the many victims, survivors, and bystanders

of that painfilled day and the many days, weeks, months and years that have followed, filled with great anger,

unimaginable grief and unanswered questions.

We grieve with those who have suffered the greatest loss,

the loss of a loved one that has been taken from them:

their fathers, sons, uncles, grandfathers, mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, a toddler,

other young children, and even strangers.

We come to you in the midst of death, anger, pain and weakness,

and ask that you transfigure all of us.

Transfigure our anger and hatred into your mercy and forgiveness.

Transfigure our grief and mourning into a deeper faith,

a greater hope, and a lasting peace.

Transfigure our fear into stronger courage,

greater determination and an undaunting strength.

Transfigure our desire for revenge into a greater trust in your justice.

May your gentle hand wipe away our tears, raise our heads high

and lead us to a place of healing.

Make new those who are now standing at the gates of paradise

and renew those who struggle to go on.

May your breath of life bring us out of ourselves and into a deeper love,

service, and compassion for our neighbor, near and far.

Finally, Loving God, transfigure our confusion, dismay, and discouragement

into a wonder and awe as we stand before you: united, resilient, victorious, strong and in one accord,

because you are the God who has overcome evil, because you are the God who has overcome evil,

conquered death and has blessed America through the power of the cross.

We ask this in unity with the Holy Spirit and in the name of Christ our Lord. AMEN

THE CROSS OF DEATH IS THE CROSS OF HOPE

T The TRUE Cross is                        H a sign of HOPE        E to be EMBRACED

 

C Christ selflessly gave up of His life so that all may live and inherit eternal life

R Remember that you were included in that great promise

O Open your mind, heart and spirit so that this final act is your hope

S So that you can share His message of love, healing, and hope with others

S Selflessly, sympathetically and without reserve.

 

As you remember the reason for the cross, and how it remains a sign of love and source of hope,

through your presence, listening and compassion,

with those whose burdens and crosses are heavy,

you are selflessly helping others carry theirs so that no one feels alone, abandoned and without hope.

May we never forget to embrace and not exclude, reconcile and not retaliate,

receive and not reject, So that we can become God’s instruments of peace

as we build his Kingdom here on earth.

 

 

Glimpse of God for the weeks of

August 23 and 30, 2026

(I think that there is a lot to digest here so I suggest that one uses these reflections over the next two weeks.)

As I write this, I realize that many people do not have the opportunity to go shopping at a Supermarket, so my suggestion is that if you do not have the opportunity to go shopping, you still know what you like, so try one try to either remember when you did shop or imagine what you would buy today if you were to shopping at a Supermarket. 

The Supermarket can be a Glimpse of God, and an instrument to growing a healthier spiritual life. As you look back over the years, perhaps when you went off to college, first got married, became a single independent adult, you can probably recall when a trip to the grocery store was meant to purchase those items that you needed to make dinner that night, or lunches for the week, and probably to pick up other items that would be consumed within the next few days. Many of these stores were corner stores run by families that lived in your neighborhood, whose children you knew and who also knew your parents. They were small grocery stores, yet they carried exactly what you needed and were looking for, and they had the best candy aisles for kids and adult kids to choose from.  You could trust them, the quality of their merchandise and their sales, and they could trust you to return with payment especially if your finances were tight, you could take the goods home and come back with payment when you had the money, Everyone was like family and they were not too big for themselves. Often times, a book was kept, and payment was made when it was possible, Imagine that today!!! For me that was a good memory, one that I carry to this day. Also, one key joy of grocery shopping for me now is that I am at the age to qualify for a senior discount. Now for some, it is a humbling experience to admit that one is a senior, and it even might be difficult, but not for me, hey it is a humbling experience and aren’t we called to be humble?  Tuesday is senior day and that is an additional percentage off of the total bill. Considering inflation and the cost of everything going up, having a special day to celebrate being old enough for a discount, affirms my belief that even God gets it. We might complain about getting older and the aches and pains that accompany this part of our journey here on earth, but all we hope to do is be, and become, our best self and sometimes a discount celebrating our present self is good incentive.  

Today we have Supermarkets that have not only food, clothing, but also a pharmacy, a bank, tobacco products and in some cases wine and spirits.  You can truly do one stop shopping at your typical supermarket. This is a good thing if we look at it as a gift, one that keeps us from going to various places to get what we need, a gift where we can save gas, our energy, money and time.

So how can a Supermarket be a Glimpse of God? Is it? Or is this a far-fetched idea? You decide!? My Glimpse is my way of looking at some of the aisles that we face when we enter the Supermarket and travel down to purchase the items that we want, need and desire. The Supermarket trip, whether we do curb side pick-up, go in it our self, or have the items delivered. It is the one place where so many needs, desires, or preferences are acquired. It is there that we reflect on what our bodies need to maintain good physical health.

Yet is the same place where we can choose the not so healthy or proper foods to quench our not healthy cravings and desires. It is a trip or deed that we either like or dislike to do, yet in any case we still go to it out of necessity.

As I compose this Glimpse I prayed to become aware of the 7 aisles that we might walk down more often than not, and how they can reflect our spiritual life with some of its cravings and how they can best be met. The 7 aisles or areas that I am choosing to focus on are: The fruits and vegetables area, The refrigerated aisle, The freezer aisle, The delicatessen area, The bakery area, The beverage aisle, and the final checkout.

I hope that this makes sense to you and is a good source that will aid you in your prayer life these next two weeks.

SUNDAY - The fruits and vegetables area

The fruit and vegetable area in my local supermarket is the very first area that one sees as one enters the market. I think that the managers know that the consumer really wants to shop and choose healthily, so they provide that choice from the start, and then if we need to, we can justify our not so healthy choices as we shop.

The fruits and vegetables are healthy choices, ones that have good nutritional value and are good for whatever diet that we are being called to adhere to. My question is when you enter the fruit and vegetable aisle, do you quickly pass through it or do you take your time and look for the items that you want and need to purchase?  Some vegetables and fruits are good for those who are on the run because they don’t all need to be cooked before they are consumed, they can be eaten cold and they can be a good alternative to other not so healthy choices.

In our spiritual life, what are the fruits and vegetables that we possess, or desire, to help us grow closer to God and others, and that nurture our prayer life so that we can be our best self, the person that God created us to be, and have the potential to become?

The fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit are from God that we already possess and can easily and readily turn to as we desire to grow closer to God and others and mature in our spiritual life. They are from the Holy Spirit of God, given to us at our baptism and strengthened at our Confirmation, so that we can remain close to God. They are the tools or instruments that empower us to be the best that we can be both physically and spiritually.

For this Glimpse, I will list the fruits first, not to diminish the gifts, but to make more sense of them hopefully. When we think of fruits and vegetables, we usually think that the vegetables accompany the main meal, and fruits are usually eaten at a separate time. When I think of our spiritual life and the trip the grocery store, I think that that fruits are seen as more appealing and the vegetables, maybe not as appealing. The fruits of the Holy Spirit are those that we consume in our heart as we receive Holy Eucharist so that we can exude them in our daily life. They are Love, Patience, Joy, Peace, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness and Self- Control. It is these fruits that we desire and possess. They may be hard to swallow at times especially if we have been hurt, but they are always there when we need to consume them to become a better and more of a Resurrection people.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit or the vegetables are the market, are not seen as extras to be placed on the side of our main meal, but rather as essential part of the main meal, essential to our health and well-being so that we can better appreciate the main meal that of the Holy Eucharist trusting that we have used the gifts and fruits to better grow and mature as followers of Christ. The gifts are: Wisdom, Understanding, Right Judgment, Courage, Knowledge, Reverence, Wonder and Awe 

MONDAY – The refrigerated aisle

The refrigerator aisle where we can get a variety of dairy items, and such that they can be consumed immediately if need be, and yet need to be refrigerated immediately so that they do not go bad and one does not get sick. Some items in the refrigerated section can satisfy our hunger immediately without a need to be defrosted or cooked first. 

So what can the refrigerated aisle say about our spiritual life? Can we allow God to take the  coldness of our hearts and warm them with His love so that we can better serve others? Are our hearts cold due to past hurts or offenses? Do we let the warmth of God’s love permeate the very core of our being so that the coldness can dissipate and the choices that we make will be healthier both spiritually and physically? Do we, can we recognize the warmth of God’s love as that which we want to satisfy our hunger and thirst for Him alone? Although we can look in the refrigerator aisle or our own refrigerator for a quick meal or drink, is that meal or drink nutritionally best for our body and what will lead us to a healthier spiritual life? What is your refrigerator filled with? What do you want to keep in it and what do you think you should replace?

TUESDAY– The freezer aisle

It is the freezer aisle that we can choose the main meal or the ingredients that will make up the main meal that we will serve that evening or one evening that week. You can choose that which you know how to prepare and that you and others will like.

As we gather for our main meal  at Sunday Eucharist, our most sustaining meal, what we choose in the freezer section can strengthen us as we choose to be the Body of Christ in all that we say and do, in our actions and through our prayers. As we are nurtured in the reception of the Body of Christ, and the main course is love, the side dishes can be a greater sense of compassion and mercy, along with peace and joy.as one sets the table and it looks nice, we remember too that as our plate may be full, others have no plate, no food, no chance to receive Jesus in the  Eucharist, and no one to gather with to give thanks.  The frozen food section can remind us that if we are able to, we can set aside a meal or the ingredients where we can make a meal, for the less fortunate so that they too can partake of a healthy meal and not go hungry with an empty plate facing them. 

WEDNESDAY – The Delicatessen area

The deli area is a great window into the shopper’s world of choices. There are so many choices of meats, cheeses, side dishes, that can make up a great sandwich or a quick meal. The choices are of good quality, prepared at the time you choose them, and can go with each other as much or as little as you want them to.

So, what is a deli spirituality? In our spiritual life, we can see our deli spirituality as an opportunity to take a little bit of everything to make one good thing, be it sandwich or a quick meal. In our spiritual life that can be reflected as we choose to participate in various prayer groups, Scripture studies, virtual meetings, so that we can learn and grow and hear from a variety of speakers and their perspectives. What needs to occur in the deli spirituality is a balance, one that does not take us from the source of our spiritual foundation; that being God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God invites us to experience that variety of spiritual tools so that we can draw nearer to Him but are not meant to replace Him. We must incorporate our deli experience, our quick meal maker, with our main meal celebration of Holy Mass where we receive the bread of Life, the Body and Blood of Jesus in Sunday Worship, our personal prayer life and our experience in community and not isolation. Sometime our deli experience prepares us as we enter the frozen food aisle.

It is in the frozen food aisle where we either find our main meal, or the ingredients that will make up the sustaining and substantial meal, that we will partake of that evening. 

THURSDAY – The bakery area

Perhaps for some the best area to shop, why because the aromas draw us there and the newly baked items are just waiting for us to buy them. The freshly baked breads, cakes, cookies and pies all smell so good and their aroma permeate the entire store. All taste good but may not be good for those who are diabetic or on special diets.  Yet God does not want us to be deprived of our sweets, just be in control of them and to keep a balance with the many other foods that we must consume. In our life, I believe that we all experience those bittersweet moments that can transform us and can make us better and not bitter people. The sweet moments can be moments that diminish the pain of the bitter moments.

Mercy can diminish the moments of sin or weakness, Compassion can diminish moments where we almost choose to pass judgement, consolation can diminish moments of sorrow, love can diminish moments where we are victims of hatred, pardon can diminish moments where we feel injury, faith can diminish moments of doubt, hope can diminish moments where we feel despair, light can diminish moments of the darkness of the soul and spirit, and joy can diminish moments of sadness.

As we travel through the bakery aisle, remember what Jesus preached about the leaven of the church leaders of His time, and remove the leaven of your hearts, remove hypocrisy and arrogance, remove that inflated self-ego, the selfishness, the need to be in control that keeps you blinded to the true love, mercy and compassion of God. 

FRIDAY – The beverage aisle

When we shop, we look at the beverages and those that will help quench our various thirsts. We see the many and various flavored waters, the soda, the various juices, the exercise drinks, and children’s juice boxes. Most beverages we can take wherever we go. Cold or hot, they can satisfy our thirst. There are various juices that are high in vitamins, and exercise drinks that replenish our bodies after a high energy workout, flavored waters that just taste better than plain water and are low to no calories and there is soda that probably has no nutritional value but tastes good.

What is our spiritual thirst or what are we thirsting for in our spiritual life that only God can quench? We hunger and thirst for God and the waters of New life that He offers us not only penetrate our body, but they also refresh us spiritually and hydrate us so that we can go ahead stronger, filed with His energy and renewed in His love. So, what do beverages say about our spiritual life and how can they be a Glimpse of God or a way that God reveals Himself?

Only God knows our body and our heart better than we do our self. He knows what we truly need to be sustained spiritually and physically. He knows that which will expand our heart, strengthen our resolve to follow Him and heal our body.

Water – is what our body needs to avoid dehydration. At our baptism, we were cleansed in the waters of New life, and although we did not literally drink the water, our heart and soul did. We consumed it as we were immersed and have been renewed and replenished through that immersion since that day through the sacraments of the Church especially Holy Eucharist, Reconciliation, and the Anointing of the sick. Each day, the waters of our Baptism, the waters of New Life, can wash away and desire to be bitter, angry, revengeful, self-loathing, or judgmental. Vitamin juices especially those filled with Vitamin C (Vitamin Christ) that which keeps us from getting a cold, can be a tool or an instrument that can keep us from developing a cold heart. Vitamin B12 (those first 12 believing brothers) can keep us from becoming lethargic. It can renew us and restore our energy so that we can remain faithful followers of Jesus.

Iced tea can help us remember those warm, lazy, easy type days of summer!!!.

And the decaffeinated drinks that will enable us to get a goodnights rest in the Lord. 

SATURDAY – The final checkout

At the end of our shopping trip, we get into the checkout line, or the self-checkout line to calculate the cost of our purchases. Is that cost a heathy charge of more proper nutritional choices where we will grow in better physical and spiritual health because we choose to take care of our body, the Temple of the Holy Spirit? or a debt that will be paid off with negative diet results, more unhealthy eating habits, and a physical and spiritual sluggishness that can result from poor nutrition? You now must pay, what will you pay with?

A better, healthier body that can better serve God and others, or a nutritionally lacking body that you see as unlovable? Just remember, that no matter how you pay, you are, and always will be, God’s beloved child, loved unconditionally and His greatest creation. You can never make a choice that will make God love you less, He cannot. His love is perfect, and His only desire is that you be your best self, the person that He created you to be, and have the potential to become. When you get home or when you unpack the grocery bags, try to look at your choices as your progress in the spiritual life: we will make choices, some healthy and some not so healthy, but in the end, God knows that we are progressing in our spiritual life and that any choices that we make can be teachable moments. Allow God to teach and take the time to listen to Him and then listen to His blessed Mother, our Mother too, who said to the servants at the Wedding at Cana: Do whatever He tells you.

 

GLIMPSE OF GOD FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 16, 2026

 

 

 

n this beautiful day, the first weekend in August, the beginning of the end of

summer vacation for college students, everything is already back to school and
Christmas in July, well wait a few months and the heat wave, humidity will
probably be a welcome interruption to the winter weather surprises that await
us. As You begin a new week, and a new month, try to begin it by looking all
around you to see the newness that surrounds you, be it in nature with the
flowers that are blooming, the leaves on the trees that continue to look full
and vibrant, and the grass that is very green and growing (thanks to the many
occasions of God’s watering bucket pouring over us) or in relationships with 
new life being born, reconciliation occurring, milestones being accomplished,
and or a healing received. As we physically can see the newness of each day
with the sunrise, more daylight than darkness, and God’s creatures
participating in the circle of life, we can also see the newness in our heart with
the added light of God’s love, compassio

n, understanding and mercy that we
receive and that which we share. The darkness of sin, revenge, anger, and
bitterness have been removed, we have been transformed and we now can
hear clearly Jesus saying to us; Peace be with you. As Jesus offers us His peace
He setting a path before us that is paved with the opportunity for continuing
conversion, transformation and reformation into a greater reflection of God's
presence
Each day we can look to see a sense of newness in people's outlooks and
attitudes, disposition and perspectives. This newness can be a result of
gratitude for the gift of a new day, quality time off spent with family and
friends, a good health report, a greater appreciation for loved ones, or the loss
of a loved one knowing and trusting that they are in the loving embrace of
God.  In all of these invitations to undergo transformation, seek to recognize
God's call, God's beckoning to you to a newness of life, to a spiritual and
personal transformation so that you can become your best self, the person
that He created you to be and have the potential to become. We are a
resurrected, sacramental people. Our old selves have been redeemed and we
are to put on the new self of compassion, mercy, love, peace, joy, and
happiness. The newness comes when we can let go of the old self and its
negative ways and put on newness of a different way. So, as you begin a new
day look for the newness of relationships, those with your family, friends,
community members, coworkers, the stranger and even your enemy. What
can this newness look like? It can take the form of reconciliation with another,
mercy and compassion for another, a sense of joyful celebration with another,

a spiritual, emotional, or physical healing for a loved one or yourself, greater
respect, understanding and empathy towards another and a greater sense of
being loved by God within yourself.
And as I continue to reflect on the newness of life and being a resurrected
people, I cannot help but about the many invitations to new life I have
received this past week. Through the sacraments of anointing and
reconciliation, I was able to let go, a little bit more, of a deep hurt that has
been bringing me down and had me questioning my self worth. It seemed
that death, through others words and actions, were the devils tools to keep me
in the darkness of anger, hurt, frustration and an unsettled spirit and wanted
to rob me of the light that can emerge from the darkness of the tomb.
I believe that our dying to self, our tomb experiences, is not the beginning of
darkness and the end of light, but rather it is the beginning of light and the
end of darkness. If we recognize that the many painful life challenges that we
experience are not meant to put us or keep us in the dark, but rather are
opportunities to see them in the light of God’s love, then we are a renewed
people. When we can emerge from the tomb filled with greater hope, trust
and faith, then we are a renewed people and the light of God’s love, shines
even brighter.
Will putting on newness be easy? Will being able to recognize a newness in
life be easy? No!!! It is different and change can be difficult, but not
impossible. Next time, when you feel discouraged, try to smile, not a fake
smile, but rather one that reflects you feeling God's loving embrace at that
moment.
Remember YOU ARE GOD’S BELOVED CHILD, LOVED
UNCONDITIONALLY, BEYOND MEASURE AND NOTHING YOU
DO, OR SAY, ANY SIN THAT  YOU COMMIT, OR HOW YOU FEEL,
OR WHAT YOU THINK, WILL MAKE GOD LOVE YOU LESS. HE
CAN'T.
Allowing oneself to feel the newness of life, is allowing oneself to feel the
newness of God's love in a special way. Be re-newed, after all your newness of
life began when God formed you in the womb and called you by a new name.
Celebrate the peace, the joy and de-lightfulness that comes from this new life
experience and share it with another, one smile, one laugh, one prayer of
gratitude at a time.
As you journey through the newness of each day, try to recognize how or what
has been renewed from within and around you.

SUNDAY - In nature I can see new life in and through…..
MONDAY - In my family, I can see new life in and through…….
TUESDAY - In my relationships, I can see new life in and through……
WEDNESDAY - In my weakness and sin I want to see new life in and
through…
THURSDAY - In my spiritual life, I can see new life in and through….
FRIDAY - In the mirror, I can see, hear, speak, taste, and smell new life by…
SATURDAY - In my desire to become my best self, I choose to see new life in
and through all that I do, think, say and pray…

 

HERE IS THIS WEEK'S ANDNEXT WEEK'S GLIMPSE OF GOD CONTINUING WITH CHRISTMAS IN JULY SO LOOK FOR BOTH WEEKS ONTHIS WEB PAGE.

Glimpse of God for the week of July 19, 2026

Now to follow the theme of Christmas in July, last week I focused on some of the Christmas songs that we are familiar with and the possible spiritual significance they can have in our lives. I have to admit; it took me time and serious reflection as to what to write about for this week’s glimpse. So what I decided to write as we have 2 more weeks in July, this week’s glimpse on the 12 days of Christmas along with a combination of my and another’s Catholic Christian interpretation which I will call the 12 gifts of Christmas. That made it easier because as I tried to come up with a spiritual parallel for the 12 days,      I did fall short of a few so I borrowed from another. As I reflect on the 12 days of Christmas and how they are normally celebrated beginning with the day after Christmas to the feast of the Epiphany, my suggestion is as we reflect on a different interpretation of the 12 days/ gifts, may we make them a mindset as the Spirit of Christmas should be, beginning with each new day. I have to admit, the 12 days of Christmas is one of my least favorite Christmas songs, that is why it wasn’t included in last week’s glimpse. I actually never listen to it in its entirety because I feel it is too long, and goofy, like what was the partridge doing all by himself when all the other creatures had company and they didn’t all travel in pairs, the French hens and the swans were all odd. The lords were leaping, why? For joy?, were their pants on fire?, were they playing leap frog? But that is just my opinion, and I don’t mean to insult anyone else’s. So, you can see that I have listed the song with the secular and the Catholic Christian interpretation.

Now since I normally write a reflection for each day, I had to write this glimpse up a little differently, so bear with me through it all. I am listing the 12-days of Christmas with the secular interpretation. I offer a challenge to you that as read the secular interpretation , try to think of it in terms of our Catholic faith and an interpretation of  what the 12 gifts of are to you and your faith, can you come up with the same 12 gifts(see next weeks glimpse that is attached) and reflect on what they mean to you. In next week ‘s glimpse I offer a brief but deep  interpretation of the 12 gifts for a further point of refection and prayer.

I could not write this in the actual order of the 12 gifts of Christmas so as you will see I did include them just a little out of order.

SECULAR LYRICS – 12 DAYS    OF CHRISTMAS

The 1st day - A Partridge in a pear tree                   

The 2nd day - 2 Turtledoves

The 3rd day - 3 French hens,                                              

The 4th day - 4 Calling birds,                                        

The 5th day - 5 Golden rings,            

The 6th day - 6 Geese a laying,        

The 7th day - 7 Swans a swimming

The 8th day - 8 maids a milking,             

The 9th day - 9 Ladies dancing,             

The 10th day - 10 Lords a leaping,      

The 11th day - 11 Pipers piping,           

The 12th day - 12 Drummers drumming.     

 

CATHOLIC INTERPRETATION OF THE 12 GIFTS OF OUR FAITH

1ST DAY - THE ONE TRUE GOD

2ND DAY - THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT

3RD DAY - THE 3 PERSONS OF THE TRINITY; Father, Son and Holy Spirit

4TH DAY -THE 4 GOSPEL WRITERS; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

5TH DAY -THE FIRST 5 BOOKS OF THE PENTATEUCH/BIBLE; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers   and Deuteronomy

6th DAY – THE 6 DAYS OF CREATION

7TH DAY – THE 7 SACRAMENTS; Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Anointing, Holy Orders and Marriage

8TH DAY – THE 8 BEATITUDES

9TH DAY – A 9 DAY NOVENA

10TH DAY – THE 10 COMMANDMENTS

11TH DAY – THE 11 FAITHFUL APOSTLES

12 DAY – THE 12 POINTS OF DOCTRINE IN THE APOSTLES CREED

 

GLIMPSE OF GOD FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 26, 2026

SUNDAY - As we begin a new week, let us begin by acknowledging that our God is the One True God and in and through Him we have been given the gift of life and received the promise of eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ. As we seek to know God in a deeper way, think about reading His inspired word as found in Sacred Scripture.

You can begin by the Old Testament, beginning with the Pentateuch, the first 5 books of the Bible which describe the history of man’s fall from grace, or the New Testament which include the 4 Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, that narrate the life and ministry of Jesus. They include the narrative of His birth as found in Luke, as well as His healings, His teachings, The calling of His Apostles, His many other miracles, as well as His Passion, Death, and Resurrection.

MONDAY - Today as we seek to draw nearer to God through the graces that we received as we attended our Sunday Worship, the time spent in reading Sacred Scripture, developing our personal prayer so that our relationship with God can deepen as we seek to become our best self, the person that he created us to be, and have the potential to become. Let this be a day where we continue to seek the graces, inspiration, and the wisdom from the Holy Trinity: God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Let our prayer be to God that we seek to know His will and surrender our will to Him so that what He calls us to do we will do. Let us take each day that the Lord has made to glorify Him and serve Him faithfully.

TUESDAY - He created the heavens and the earth in 6 days and rested on the 7th. Let us take our cue from Him and seek to serve Him during the week, but make the time to reverence, rest and reflect on our worship and on our service so that our service does not become something out of habit, but rather out of love. Let us take each day to follow Him so that when we rest on the sabbath, we can see where our footsteps were going forward, where we faltered and where we learned to get back up and put one foot in front of the other. Let us seek to serve and honor Christ in and through the 7 Sacraments of the Church.

With the 3 sacraments of Initiation which are Baptism, Holy Eucharist, and Confirmation. In the sacraments of initiation which are baptism where we received the light of Christ and were cleansed and freed from original sin, the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist where we receive the real presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist and Confirmation where we are sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit. The 2 Sacraments of healing which are Reconciliation where we are reconciled to Him and given the grace and strength to reconcile to another, forgive another as we have been forgiven, ask for mercy and strive not to sin again. The Sacrament of anointing of the sick where we are anointed in the case if terminal illness, in preparation for surgery, chronic illness and death. The 2 Sacraments of vocation which are Marriage, where we honor our call to serve God and His church as a domestic church where a married couple nurtures their children and family in the knowledge of the faith, God’s will and His plan for them as they grow with morals and values consistent with the teachings of the Church, and the Sacrament of Holy Orders is the sacrament by which men are ordained as priests or deacons. It is a sacrament carried out by a bishop, who must lay his hands on the candidate. Taking holy orders is a commitment for life both to God and to the Catholic Church. Through the sacrament of holy orders, or ordination, a man vows to lead other Catholics by bringing them the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. He promises to do this by proclaiming the Gospel and by providing to Catholics other means to achieve holiness. Being ordained a deacon - a deacon may baptize, preach, and distribute Holy Communion (but not to transubstantiate it). Being ordained a priest - a priest is believed to have the power to change bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ (transubstantiation) and to forgive sins.

WEDNESDAY – The 8 Beatitudes, which mark the opening of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. {Matthew 5:1-12} They can be viewed as attitudes to live by, learn from, and grow in. The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls them the heart of Jesus’ preaching.  So, the 8 beatitudes are the center of all Jesus’ teaching, and they give life to Jesus’ teaching.  – just as the heart gives life to the body. They can be seen as 8 signposts that lead us to happiness because they are what Jesus gave us to show us how to be more like himself here on earth as His follower, and to lead us to our eternal reward which is heaven when our earthly journey is over.

The 8 Beatitudes are: Blessed are;

the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven, the meek for they shall inherit the earth, those that mourn for they shall be comforted, those that  hunger and thirst for justice for they shall have their fill, for the merciful for they shall obtain mercy, the pure of heart for they shall see God, the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God, those that suffer persecution for justice sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 

THURSDAY – A nine-day Novena. A novena is a period of nine consecutive days of intensified prayer.  A novena may be offered in preparation for a major feast day such as Pentecost, to deepen one’s relationship with Jesus Christ, to grow in greater devotion to the Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph, to honor a particular saint, or to make a request for a special favor. A novena can be offered by the entire Church, within a community or by an individual.

FRIDAY – The 10 commandments that were given to Moses from God to teach us how to live rightly by following the commands of God that He knew would lead us closer to Himself. They are not rules that God gave us to punish us or to make life difficult, but rather to lead and guide us to a better life, a life centered on Him, serving Him, honoring Him, and reverencing Him. They help us to know how to serve God and how we should live with each other.  We can not honor God or reverence Him if we purposely seek ways to hurt others. The 10 commandments show us how to keep on the right path and divert when we see the devil try to take us down the wrong path.

The 11 faithful apostles were on the road to following the 10 commandments just as Jesus did and as He combined them with the beatitudes, he gave the apostles first and foremost the richer more real-life education so that they can teach it to those to which they were sent. After Jesus suffered, died, and rose, he offered them peace and commissioned the 11 faithful yet very much afraid and confused apostles, to go and to teach in His name so that others would come to know Him and grow in His love as they exuded it and shared it. Although Judas was one of the Apostles chosen by Jesus, he chose to go off the path of righteousness and gave into the devil’s temptation to betray Jesus. When Jesus offered peace to the apostles after His resurrection, he offered it to them knowing their heart and even in their weakness as Peter denied Him, and the others ran from Him and hid out of fear, he forgave them and believed in them that they would do His will and proclaim His message of unconditional love and mercy to all the ends of the world.

SATURDAY – The 12 doctrine points of the Apostles Creed. We say the Nicene Creed each week at Mass, but we do not say the Apostles Creed except during baptisms. We often say prayers or other parts of the mass out of memory, but do we know what we are saying and do we realize how what we are saying is significant in our life? The Apostles creed came first and was adopted by the early church before in the beginning of the 2nd century and is shorter than the Nicene creed. The Nicene creed was created by the council of Nicaea in 325.   The Apostle’s creed summarizes our faith and leads us to confirm what we believe so that we can live what we believe. The creed begins with “I believe” so that we can take responsibility for what we believe and recite.  Take some time today to pray the Apostle’s creed. Listen to your prayer as you profess your faith and see where you live it out in and through these words.

 

I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth,
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary,
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;

He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints,

The forgiveness of sins

The resurrection of the body

And life everlasting.     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glimpse of God for the week of March 8, 2026

A continuation of the Lenten  Reflections:

LOVE ourselves and others, ………taken from  LENT IS A TIME TO…

What does it mean to love yourself unconditionally? Does it mean not seeing your faults because your ego is so inflated that there is nothing that you cannot love about yourself less than totally or absolutely? or could it mean that despite your faults, or in light of your faults and sins, you accept them because you are able to recognize that that God forgives you, knows your love for Him is deeper and that you want to choose to grow it that love despite any bad choices? If we choose not to love our self, we cannot love others or love God. Love comes from within, and it is within our heart that God dwells with His compassion, mercy, joy, happiness, and peace. How we choose to share those gifts is how we choose to love.  

Do you love yourself unconditionally or do you find fault with who you are, do you look at your imperfections, sins, weaknesses, faults, with your eyes wide open, and judge yourself unworthy of being loved by God or others? or can you see yourself as God sees you? HE sees you and loves you totally, without reserve and completely, and that means He sees all and sees past the negative. He sees your heart and what fills it, and all He sees is love:  your love for Him, others, and self, imperfect though it is, it is the love that emerges from your desire to be in a deeper relationship with Him so that you and grow in love with Him, self, and others. What would it look like or mean to love yourself unconditionally, after all God loves you unconditionally and He knows all about you, He knows your heart better than you know it yourself, and cannot love you less than unconditional, eternal, complete, and without exception?

Parents choose to love their children unconditionally. They choose to unconditionally love those that they have been given the grace to conceive, raise, and love into the world, with complete and unconditional love. The seed of love that only God can and does sow in their minds, hearts, and spirits, and as they share that love, the seed continues to cause growth and the beauty of love flourishes.  

Can you love those who have hurt you, that you do not like or who do not like you? Love conquers all, do you recognize that in the people, events, and situations that have challenged your ability to love and not hate, to forgive and not hold a grudge, to be reconciled and not remain estranged, they have made you the courageous and better person that you are, and that evil has not conquered your love, but has built it up and made it stronger?

What does it mean to you to be selfless and not selfish? To be other centered and not self-centered? Do you feel that you get lost as you focus on others, or do you find a renewed sense of self in love and God, as you walk with others in their moments of pain, experiences of suffering, and joyful celebrations?

This week as we enter another week of lent, a time of prayer, personal conversion, and transformation, as we turn away from sin and choose to be faithful to the Gospel and the God who loves us unconditionally, let us recognize that God calls us in love, and out of love, to seek His will and become our best self, the person that He created us to be and have the potential to become. 

SUNDAY – “T” Trusting

What does it mean to trust as you choose to love? Not looking back on old messages, but on the truth that God loves you unconditionally. Who do you trust to show you the truth of God’s message of unconditional, complete, and absolute love for you? parents, family, church community, leaders of the Church, friends, and co-workers? And who looks up to you to point them in direction of the truth of God’s unconditional love? Choose to seek the truth with the eyes of love and keep them open, so that the eyes of distrust can remain closed.

MONDAY – “O” Other centered

As you choose to love, turn away from sin, and towards God, how other centered are you? As we choose to look to the needs and concerns of others, as we become more selfless and less selfish, the love of God is taking root and we are becoming a new creation, growing in the unconditional love of self and acceptance of others. Do you recognize that God is constantly making you a new creation with every beat of your heart that chooses to love and not hate, every word that springs forth as the breath of God that chooses to forgive and not tear down, and every time you choose to walk with another in their shoes, not judging but walking with compassion, love, and acceptance?

TUESDAY – “W” Without reserve

Without reserve or restriction? What does that look like and how can that become a greater aspect of your loving yourself, others, and God? To place no restrictions on your love? How hard is that especially when it is difficult to love someone that does not like you, or that you do not like? Only with God’s grace can we overcome placing restrictions or conditions on our imperfect love. Only with God’s grace can we choose to love despite our desire to hate, hold a grudge or not forgive. Choose to live in the truth and grace of God’s love so that you do not fall into the grave of the devil’s lies.

WEDNESDAY – “A” Accepting

Have you, can you, accept your weaknesses and love yourself unconditionally? Can you accept that God loves you so much because you are His beloved child, loved unconditionally, His greatest creation and that there is absolutely nothing that you can say or do that can make Him love you less? This is the truth of God, believe it, live in it, and it will set you free. 

THURSDAY – “R” Reverent

In light of your baptism, you have been blessed by God, called by name, and as you were immersed into the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus, you burst forth, you emerged as a new creation, one set apart by God to give him glory and honor. You are blessed and therefore you should reverence the very person that you are as God does. What does it mean to reverence yourself? Could it mean that you forgive yourself, not see just bad choices that you made, but seek to recognize the greater good that possesses you and that you possess, can it mean reverencing others, that you forgive others as fellow sinners striving to become saints, and we need each other to build up the Kingdom of God, can you reverence them as God’s beloved child as God does? Go forth in reverence and not backwards in rejection.

FRIDAY – “D” Determined

As we continue our Lenten journey, is lent bringing you a sense of a greater self-determination or less? Are personal fears causing you to fall back on, or driving you to, a greater self determination to change, seek His will and guidance? Are you resolving each and every day to turn away from sin and towards God? If so, that is all He asks of you, so you are on the right track. Do not give up or give in but seek to recognize the graces that have transformed you into the strong person that you are and have become through your self-determination, self-conviction and steadfastness. Demand to be determined and not be determined to be in command.

SATURDAY – “S” Selfless

Choose to be selfless and not selfish and the fruits of your choice will be those of compassion, peace, joy, happiness, forgiveness, love, acceptance, truth, and not the pits of discord, injury, hurt, hatred, darkness, and pain. Be fruitful and multiply, and not fruitless and in a pit.

 

 

 

GLIMPSE OF GOD FOR THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 22, 2026

Happy New Year of Lenten resolutions.  I hope and pray that this season of lent brings you a greater sense of joy, peace and true happiness that only our Lord can provide.  As each day approaches may you see Him more clearly in yourself and others, love Him more dearly through your prayers, acts of love and acts of mercy, and follow Him more nearly, as you take each step of your earthly journey one step at a time, not looking back with regret, but looking forward with and in hope.

As this new year enters its 6th week, can you remember those new year’s resolutions that you made oh so many weeks ago? Have you stuck with them or have they fallen by the curb? When we make resolutions, we do so with the best of intentions, yet   somewhere between the first day and the current one, we fail to remember the resolution, its why, its how and we return to our normal routine. Is anything different for you? Have you made your New Year’s, resolution and can you see how it has made a difference or have you forgotten what your resolutions were? People  with all their sincerity, personal conviction and self-determination make resolutions.

The ones that I have heard range from going on a diet, exercising more, praying more, eating better, refraining from foul language especially around their children, calling family members that live far, reconciling with an estranged family member or friend, and getting more rest. All are great resolves to make, and in the end can make one a better person; a healthier person, a more spiritually connected person to God, and a person that knows what true peace is. With all the good intentions, I imagine that by this 22nd day of February, the first week of lent, many people have already forgotten their resolution or haven’t had the time to put it into practice.

This year when people say I resolve to…. It sounds good and the resolution is made with great conviction, hope and a sincere desire to accomplish what they desire to change or improve in their life. The question that I present is WHY? Why do people wait to until the new year to make a resolution? I believe that if one is seeking to change, improve something about themselves; their physical well-being, their behavior, or their spiritual relationship, why wait? If the resolution is that important, why would you want to wait, why not begin today? God wants you to best your best self, the person the person that He created you to be and have the potential to become, so why wait? God is knocking at the door of your heart, He knows your desires and wants to fulfil them today, now, not later, not tomorrow, not next year….

Today is the only day that we have, yesterday is in our history book, and tomorrow is not here, nor are we promised it. Today is the day that the Lord has made. Made for what? We are God’s greatest creation, His beloved children and loved unconditionally, and what we can give Him is our gift of love each day by seeking to know and love and serve God to the best of our ability. How can we know, love, and serve God if we do not know or love our self?

Each and every time we pray the act of Contrition, we make a resolution “ I firmly resolve with your help and your grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin” or some forms say “I firmly resolve with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life, Amen” with means I believe. What do you believe when you pray that prayer? That God will forgive you and that you will do your best to keep your resolution that says you will sin no more, avoid the near occasion of sin, to confess your sins and to amend your life. How important is that to you? If it is that important, why would you want to wait to make it, wouldn’t you rather start right now to sin no more, avoid those things, people, or situations that cause you to want to sin, go to confession so that you experience the healing presence of God as your sins are forgiven, and amend your life? These are such crucial acts and ones that can bring about personal, and spiritual transformation.  

If you say that prayer on a regular basis your resolution will bring you great strength and you will see a difference in your spiritual life that will overflow into your personal life and in your actions, the words that you speak and in your deeds.

I don’t make a New Year’s resolution. Why because I would probably forget it by the first week, but more importantly and seriously, I think that whatever I would resolve would be important to me and I wouldn’t want to wait until another day or year begins. My prayer and resolve on January 1st, is the same every day after that. My prayer and resolution each day is to be the best person that I can be, that God has created me to be and that I have the potential to become.

And unfortunately, when I find myself not being my best self before God, others, and in the mirror, and I see my worst self emerge, I find myself praying the Act of Contrition, a prayer for mercy, so that I can start again with God’s grace and do better. 

The gift of each day is the most important gift that we receive from God, and since we are not promised tomorrow and yesterday is on our history book, why wouldn’t we want to make this day our best day and our gift to God? If our resolve is to eat healthy and get healthier, to refrain from foul language, to refrain from any negative behavior, contact loved ones more frequently, forgive or seek forgiveness from one that you have injured, but also miss in your life, why wait until tomorrow or next week or next year, today is the day!!! Today is the day to begin to make the changes that will make you a better, healthier person physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually, a person that will be able to look in the mirror and recognize that you did your best to know, love and serve God and see Him in others and in yourself.

If you want to be your best and true self, if you want to be a better person, then today is the day. I believe that we all want to see God more clearly in our desires and in our life, and we want to make a resolution to recognize Him and make the changes that are blocking our view. When we seek to follow God’s will in our life, we become a person who is at peace and others can see that peace in us. When we seek to undergo personal or spiritual transformation, our loving God who knows our heart and our deepest desires better than we do, will answer our prayers in His way and in His time. If our resolutions have transformative powers, why wait to experience them?

A new year has begun. We can look back at the year that has passed and offer prayers of gratitude and contrition, and we can look ahead with hope and great expectation for God’s continuing surprises. What are we hoping for and waiting for with great expectation? Only you can answer that question.

My hope, and I believe that is yours too, is that the spirit of Christmas become a daily frame of mind or mind set, and that we recognize with greater clarity, in this year of 2026 that Jesus, the Son of God, came into the world completely out of unconditional and selfless love, for you and me.  

This week to help us to make Christmas a constant mindset, I suggest we revisit what the corporal works of mercy are and how we can fulfill them every day and not just at Christmas. Every day we are afforded the opportunity to give of yourself, your presence, your love, and time. It is also an opportunity to give of your talents and treasure so that others may see the gifts that God has showed upon you, and this might help another uncover and recognize their special gifts and talents as well. All are God given gifts, and we are called to share them with others. If we are trying to become a better person, to know, love and serve God, to see Him more clearly in our life and in the life of others, then the corporal works of mercy will invite, enable, and empower us to accomplish our resolution, one day at a time. Look at what you can do and are comfortable doing. Remember helping those in need should not be done out of guilt, ego, control, or obligation, or holiday, but rather. out of selfless love, compassion, concern, and care for those that are our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in need. 

SUNDAY – FEED THE HUNGRY

For today, There are many who are hungry right in our back yards. In your local community, there are food banks that give to the hungry men, women, and families. Think about donating food items to them so that they have more to share with those who are in need. Let us pray for the hundreds of men, women and children that will go to bed hungry and do not know where their next meal is going to come from. God will give you the words of your prayer. 

MONDAY – GIVE DRINK TO THE THIRSTY

For today, If you are traveling and you see folks working outside, or elderly people walking outside, perhaps you can offer them something hot to drink water to keep them hydrated. If you have children or know someone that is active in sports, think about donating bottled water to their team. If someone is thirsting or pining to be wanted, and not feel as if they are an outcast or on the fringes of family, community, or society.

Give them a drink of the life-giving waters of faith, love. and compassion by being present to them and letting them know of the great love that God has for them, that they are His greatest creation and that they are His beloved child. 

TUESDAY – CLOTHE THE NAKED

For today, if you know or see an elderly person or a family that does not have the proper clothing for the weather, ask them if there is anything that you can do for them. If you are uncomfortable doing that and you would prefer to give them an anonymous gift of a hat, gloves, coat, or shoes that are in good condition, then do it. Ask God to show you how you can best help them. Let us pray for those who feel naked before God because they don’t think they have anything to offer, because they feel vulnerable and have been stripped of their dignity and self-respect. Ask God to clothe them with His love, compassion, adoration, peace, healing, dignity, forgiveness, and compassion, so that they can find comfort and be clothed in the warmth of His love.  

WEDNESDAY – SHELTER THE HOMELESS

For today, seek to find a way to help the homeless in your community. You may not be able to shelter the homeless by bringing them into your home, but you can shelter them with love, surround them with compassion, build the walls with strength, dignity, courage, and self-respect, pray for them in love not out of judgment or ego. There are many shelters that need casseroles, food that can be carried, clothing, and blankets. Find out if you can deliver items or if someone will pick them up. Our homeless men, women and children can use whatever items you can give out of love, to help them keep warm especially during these cold days and nights. Let us pray for those who have a home but are spiritually, emotionally, and psychologically homeless because it lacks love, presence, support, encouragement, understanding, and forgiveness. Pray f or those whose house is filled with physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, neglect, bitterness, control, manipulation, and silence. Pray for those who are trying to adopt or become foster parents, and for the children who are abandoned, left alone, or taken away from their parents and families.

THURSDAY – VISIT THE SICK

For today, if you can visit someone you know who is sick and feeling isolated. If a physical visit is not possible, contact them and speak with them so that they can hear in your voice, your concern, love, and care for them.  

Spiritually, let us pray for those who are sick that God provide healing, strength, and courage as they carry their heavy cross. Physically: suffering from a chronic illness, terminal illness, or sudden illness, psychologically; suffering from mental illness, depression, anxiety, or spiritually; suffering from a lack of faith, deep seeded anger, resentment, and bitterness, or sin that is eating away a person’s soul and spirit and causes them to reject God.

FRIDAY – VISIT THE IMPRISONED

For today, pray for the imprisoned, both physically and those whose heart, spirit and mind are imprisoned because of fear, anxiety, anger, and feel as if they are unloved, despised, and unforgivable. Pray that they open their hearts to God so that they can recognize the unconditional love that God has for them, that He abides within them and that He wants to heal them and make them whole through His mercy, unconditional love, and compassion.  Let us pray for the grace so that we do not judge them but accept them as a fellow sinner striving to be a saint that needs our prayers and support. 

SATURDAY – BURY THE DEAD

For today, pray for the many babies that will be aborted and for those who perform the abortion. Pray for those who will die in war, homicide, gun violence, terrorist attacks and natural disasters, and whose bodies will not be discovered or given proper burials. Pray for those on death row who will be executed. Pray that those who take the lives of others have a conversion of heart and realize that life is sacred and should be treated with dignity, respect and love and that GOD is the author of life and death. As we bury the dead, let us also take a moment to bury the past hurts, bitterness, injuries, and seek God’s grace to forgive, let go and be free.

 

 

he depths of the darkness of sin, in the grips of worry, with the weight of our heavy crosses bringing us down and our suffering, we have Jesus Christ who has already walked in our shoes, taken on our burdens and then nailed them to the cross. But before He died, He gave us three gifts”: The gift of Mercy "Father forgive them for they not what they do”, The gift of Hope: This day you will be with me in paradise, and The gift of Motherly love: Mother behold your Son, Son behold your Mother. 

These gifts given to us from Jesus out of love, in love and for love. He wants us to love, forgive and be at peace with others so that we can be at peace with Him and ourselves.

He wants us to know that there is always hope and that we should never despair.

He has also given us Mary, His Mother and ours, to help us on our way to become closer to Him. She is a great intercessor as many mothers here on earth are. She presents our needs to Her Son, and He takes them, looks at us and answers them with a true and unconditional love, as He knows they would serve us best. Lent is a time to reflect on the gift of life and love. Life, the gift of His life that we are given in the Holy Eucharist and the gifts and graces that are found in the Sacraments of the Church. Life, our very life, and breath is God's gift to us. Every breath is His gift to us, and we should strive to be His breath of life to all those that we encounter. The Gift of Love. He gave of Himself; He suffered and died in and out of complete love for us. Would we do the same for Him or another?

Lent can be a great season to grow in our faith life and in our love for God, others, and self. We must be open to His graces and the invitation

to stretch our spiritual comfort zone. We should trust that whatever He calls us to do, be, leave behind or embrace, will make us a greater reflection, beacon, and instrument of His presence in our world. Are we ready? are we open?  …….Just a reflection for this week, take each topic and each day and seek to grow to a better understanding of how you may be called to grow in holiness……. 

BE STILL so that you can feel the gentle breeze of God’s Spirit as He touches your heart and opens it to His healing love and deep abiding peace. AND KNOW THAT HE IS GOD. 

SURRENDER those things that keep us from being our best self, the person that God has created us to be and keep us from becoming the person that He knows we can be and have the potential to become. We are called to surrender those things that are standing in the way of our seeing Christ more clearly in ourselves and in others, in life’s challenges and in our crosses.

LENT IS NOT A TIME TO GIVE UP and think that we can’t do what God knows we can and invites us to believe that we can and that we, with His help, will. 

STRETCH OURSELVES: our imaginations, our minds, our spiritual comfort zone, and our hearts. We need to stretch so that we can see ourselves accomplishing and overcoming the hardest challenges that face us, but we think will defeat us. We need to allow God to stretch that which is set and confined so that HE can reset, reform, and renew us so that we are a clearer and more visible sign of His presence here on earth.  

LOVE ourselves and others, especially those who don’t like us, and to HATE those things that take us away from God and make us want to be more self-centered and selfish instead of being more Christ centered and self-less. We are called to love, not merely put up with, but love one another as they are called to love us. Love is greater than like. Love is nothing less than giving your heart to God and allowing Him to expand it to include and embrace those who we don’t like, those we do not have a good relationship with or are estranged from.  When we can give our hearts to God trusting that however He chooses to expand it, then we are also trusting Him to grace us so that we can love our self more deeply and authentically. 

FORGIVE and not to be bitter. We are called to forgive ourselves and others and not hold on to the past of bad choices, deep hurts, and poor decisions. Only in true forgiveness can we experience genuine and lasting freedom so that we can be the beacon of Christ’s mercy, love, and compassion for our self and to others. "Forgive them for they know not what they do” 

NOT BE BUSY just for the sake of being busy or to run from anything. Lent is a time to listen as God tells you that there is only one thing that matters to Him.

That you know and believe with all your heart that you are His greatest creation, His beloved son or daughter, that He loves you just as you are, and that His love for you is free, unconditional, and everlasting. 

LOOK OUT THE WINDOW and see and appreciate His presence in all of His creation; the sun, the moon, the stars, the grass, the creatures that crawl about and those that hover over, the people that we know and the stranger that we pass by, the beauty of the day, the beauty in the hearts of those that care about us and the beauty of a God who cares even more for you. 

TIME TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR BUT NOT IF you are looking to point out your sins, your flaws, your weaknesses, or your shortcomings, but only if you are looking to remind yourself that you are loved by God just as you are because His love is much greater than all of these. His death is a reminder that He sees all that you see, but He looks into the depth of your heart to see that which you have not begun to. 

IF, ON YOUR LENTEN JOURNEY, you find yourself asking, “How am I growing or how have I grown, in my relationship to Christ, or how have I been a reflection of His presence in my life to others”? Look back, look within, and look ahead and ask for the grace to recognize not only how your desire to help others has been fulfilled, but also how you found yourself serving others and giving of your time, talent, and compassion, knowing that your desire is in response to God’s grace. So, for today, trust in God and believe that you are closer to Him than you think. We measure our progress and that of others with human expectations and limitations, but God looks into the very heart that He created and sees its width, its depth, its woundedness, its potential and fills it with His compassion, His mercy, His peace and His grace so that we can be the best loving person that we can be. You are what He wants you to be, for you can be nothing less.

 

 

 

 

CURRENT GLIMPSE 2026

 

 

 

GLIMPSE OF GOD FEBRUARY 1, 2026

WHAT IS THE COLOR OF YOUR HEART? now? earlier?

Now, at this very moment? Can you remember what it was when you woke up this morning? What do you want it to be when you lay down to rest? Is your heart a rainbow? Is it a watercolor? Is it a sketch? Do you see the many colors that it can be, has probably been, and could change to in the breath of a prayer?

All of these colors are good because as a reflection of God’s presence through your compassion, mercy, love, and joy, in the midst of injury, daily concerns and stresses, and heavy crosses, your heart has been expanded when sin tried to diminish it, it has been healed when others have injured it, and it has been made whole when others have broken it. Because you have the heart of God as His beloved child, your heart although may experience many emotions, will always be the place where you have opened the doors and God chose to enter and to make His dwelling among you. How can that be you might ask? Because you were created in God’s image, you are His beloved child, You are His greatest creation, you are loved unconditionally and you are the Body of Christ, His Son, to all those you encounter. So as long as you seek to serve Him with an undivided heart, your heart will always reflect love: Love for God, others, and self.

 

SUNDAY - RED - Is your heart filled with passion? do you give of yourself and all of your energy to the people and situations that you encounter on a daily basis? or is your passion tamed by laziness, contentment, weariness, pain or just disinterest? If you were to look in a mirror into your heart, what color is it now? if it is red, can you identify your passion and feed it to help those around you to grow and become the best people that they can be: spouses, children, friends, neighbors, co-workers? Is your passion, the love that you hold for your spouse, a positive strength that empowers you to live a healthy marriage, one that builds each other up so that you can both become the best people that God has created you to be?

Is your passion an affection that is shared with a sense of care and respect? What does passion mean to you and how do you live it in your life? Is it a destructive force or a constructive energy?

 MONDAY - WHITE - Is the color of your heart white? Is it pure, not sinless, but a heart that strives to be a saint in the midst of one's own sin and weakness? one that seeks and receives the graces of God to live in love and peace? one that seeks to extend that love and peace to others? If your heart is white, do you give God permission to write on it whatever He wants you to know and take with you today? or is it filled with clutter, white out, erasure marks, with no space for God's writing, instruction, mercy or counsel? If you look and see that your heart is white, does it remind you of your baptism and how God chose you, called you by name and made you His very own out of pure unconditional love?

 TUESDAY - YELLOW - Is the color of your heart yellow? Are you a source of light to others? can others see the presence and light of Christ in and through your prayers, attitude, actions, and deeds? If the color of your heart is yellow, are you able to recognize that you are the light of Christ that burns brightly in your family, neighborhood, community, church and world? can you recognize that you are the light of Christ, no matter how dim you think your light is, in the midst of the darkness of the world and all of its forces that want to put the light out?

 WEDNESDAY - PURPLE - Is the color of your heart purple? are you feeling a sense of remorse, or guilt, or is there a desire to make amends for the sins of the world against the God of love and compassion? We connect purple to the liturgical seasons of advent and lent. The color reminds us of our need to repent of our sins and seek the mercy of God and others that we have offended. Is that where your heart is today? How can you make amends today so that you do not carry the burden until advent or lent? Or is your heart purple because you recognize the sins of our world, and how they have killed, maimed, destroyed, the gift of humanity, the very humanity that Jesus Christ died for? Christ died for us sinners, yet we don't all recognize that we were included in His passion, death, and resurrection. In our sins and weaknesses, we fail to see how God eagerly waits for us to come to Him and seek His mercy, compassion, and healing. We see ourselves as the worst and we fulfill that image in and through our actions towards our self, others, and God.

Do you see that self-destruction in someone you know and love by their addictions and bad behavior? Is your heart purple because you regret their actions and feel remorse for the self that is lost in the midst of a false self? Is your heart purple because you see where you may have unintentionally participated in the formation of negativity, false ideals, hopes, or expectations? Can you speak with God about your contrition and seek His guidance to find true healing, and peace so that you can pray for it for those who need it most?

 THURSDAY - BLUE - Is your heart blue? do you feel the refreshing life cleansing waters upon your heart that you were washed in at your baptism? Have you been forgiven by God? someone that you offended but reached out to seeking forgiveness? have you forgiven yourself and laid down your burden of guilt and self-condemnation? Where is your peace from? To whom can you extend your peace? Who can you pray for to receive the peace that God had given you and you would like them to experience? Who in your circle of friends, family or community would you like to see experience this great peace that only God can give and is always ready to shower on those who ask? Can you say a prayer for peace for them so that their heart can become blue and be the blue that represents the peace and calm of the waters of baptism?

 

 FRIDAY - GREEN - Is the color of your heart green? For what do you hope? What does hope mean to you and how do you exude hope to others? There is so much green that surrounds us: trees, leaves, grass, yet in the natural course of nature, there is a time when we don't see the green as much.

It is the same with the human heart. there are times when we are blind to seeing the green of hope because of injury, hurt, and pain, and instead we see despair, discouragement, and we become disenchanted and disillusioned. This occurs through human sins and how they affect us personally. Sin can eliminate hope or make it stronger; it can bring us down or help raise us up to seek the love and mercy of God, sin can cause us to stay face down with fear, but hope makes us want to get up and face our fear. 

Is the color of your heart green today? What hope have you been given? extended? Has the God of all consolation and love filled you with hope? is it overflowing, and you need to share it? or is it just enough for you to embrace, feel comforted by and rest in?

 SATURDAY - ORANGE – Is the color of your heart orange? Do you feel the warmth and joy of God’s love, His embrace, and His desire for you? Is your heart orange because the warmth of His love has melted the coldness of life experiences? Where the words and expression of encouragement and support have conquered the voices of discouragement and isolation? The color orange symbolizes joy. The angels proclaimed Joy to the World at the Saviors birth. They proclaimed joy knowing that the passion was to occur. God is filled with great joy when we choose to return to him after a short or long detour, when we are His witnesses in the world, when we seek to serve Him by being selfless and not selfish, and when we allow ourselves to experience joy even as we carry our cross.

J – Jesus, O – others Y – yourself. You have great reason to be filled with joy and orange you glad you are? (sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun

 

 

Glimpse of God for the week of February 15, 2026

LENT IS A TIME TO…….

My glimpse of God for this week comes as I reflect on the season of lent and how I am called to live in the light of God’s great unconditional love and mercy. In the barrenness of lent, in the depths of the darkness of sin, in the grips of worry, with the weight of our heavy crosses bringing us down and our suffering, we have Jesus Christ who has already walked in our shoes, taken on our burdens and then nailed them to the cross. But before He died, He gave us three gifts”: The gift of Mercy "Father forgive them for they not what they do”, The gift of Hope: This day you will be with me in paradise, and The gift of Motherly love: Mother behold your Son, Son behold your Mother. 

These gifts given to us from Jesus out of love, in love and for love. He wants us to love, forgive and be at peace with others so that we can be at peace with Him and ourselves.

He wants us to know that there is always hope and that we should never despair.

He has also given us Mary, His Mother and ours, to help us on our way to become closer to Him. She is a great intercessor as many mothers here on earth are. She presents our needs to Her Son, and He takes them, looks at us and answers them with a true and unconditional love, as He knows they would serve us best. Lent is a time to reflect on the gift of life and love. Life, the gift of His life that we are given in the Holy Eucharist and the gifts and graces that are found in the Sacraments of the Church. Life, our very life, and breath is God's gift to us. Every breath is His gift to us, and we should strive to be His breath of life to all those that we encounter. The Gift of Love. He gave of Himself; He suffered and died in and out of complete love for us. Would we do the same for Him or another?

Lent can be a great season to grow in our faith life and in our love for God, others, and self. We must be open to His graces and the invitation

to stretch our spiritual comfort zone. We should trust that whatever He calls us to do, be, leave behind or embrace, will make us a greater reflection, beacon, and instrument of His presence in our world. Are we ready? are we open?  …….Just a reflection for this week, take each topic and each day and seek to grow to a better understanding of how you may be called to grow in holiness……. 

BE STILL so that you can feel the gentle breeze of God’s Spirit as He touches your heart and opens it to His healing love and deep abiding peace. AND KNOW THAT HE IS GOD. 

SURRENDER those things that keep us from being our best self, the person that God has created us to be and keep us from becoming the person that He knows we can be and have the potential to become. We are called to surrender those things that are standing in the way of our seeing Christ more clearly in ourselves and in others, in life’s challenges and in our crosses.

LENT IS NOT A TIME TO GIVE UP and think that we can’t do what God knows we can and invites us to believe that we can and that we, with His help, will. 

STRETCH OURSELVES: our imaginations, our minds, our spiritual comfort zone, and our hearts. We need to stretch so that we can see ourselves accomplishing and overcoming the hardest challenges that face us, but we think will defeat us. We need to allow God to stretch that which is set and confined so that HE can reset, reform, and renew us so that we are a clearer and more visible sign of His presence here on earth.  

LOVE ourselves and others, especially those who don’t like us, and to HATE those things that take us away from God and make us want to be more self-centered and selfish instead of being more Christ centered and self-less. We are called to love, not merely put up with, but love one another as they are called to love us. Love is greater than like. Love is nothing less than giving your heart to God and allowing Him to expand it to include and embrace those who we don’t like, those we do not have a good relationship with or are estranged from.  When we can give our hearts to God trusting that however He chooses to expand it, then we are also trusting Him to grace us so that we can love our self more deeply and authentically. 

FORGIVE and not to be bitter. We are called to forgive ourselves and others and not hold on to the past of bad choices, deep hurts, and poor decisions. Only in true forgiveness can we experience genuine and lasting freedom so that we can be the beacon of Christ’s mercy, love, and compassion for our self and to others. "Forgive them for they know not what they do” 

NOT BE BUSY just for the sake of being busy or to run from anything. Lent is a time to listen as God tells you that there is only one thing that matters to Him.

That you know and believe with all your heart that you are His greatest creation, His beloved son or daughter, that He loves you just as you are, and that His love for you is free, unconditional, and everlasting. 

LOOK OUT THE WINDOW and see and appreciate His presence in all of His creation; the sun, the moon, the stars, the grass, the creatures that crawl about and those that hover over, the people that we know and the stranger that we pass by, the beauty of the day, the beauty in the hearts of those that care about us and the beauty of a God who cares even more for you. 

TIME TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR BUT NOT IF you are looking to point out your sins, your flaws, your weaknesses, or your shortcomings, but only if you are looking to remind yourself that you are loved by God just as you are because His love is much greater than all of these. His death is a reminder that He sees all that you see, but He looks into the depth of your heart to see that which you have not begun to. 

IF, ON YOUR LENTEN JOURNEY, you find yourself asking, “How am I growing or how have I grown, in my relationship to Christ, or how have I been a reflection of His presence in my life to others”? Look back, look within, and look ahead and ask for the grace to recognize not only how your desire to help others has been fulfilled, but also how you found yourself serving others and giving of your time, talent, and compassion, knowing that your desire is in response to God’s grace. So, for today, trust in God and believe that you are closer to Him than you think. We measure our progress and that of others with human expectations and limitations, but God looks into the very heart that He created and sees its width, its depth, its woundedness, its potential and fills it with His compassion, His mercy, His peace and His grace so that we can be the best loving person that we can be. You are what He wants you to be, for you can be nothing less.

 

 

GLIMPSE OF GOD FOR THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 2.8.26

 

WHAT IS THE COLOR OF YOUR HEART? now? earlier?

Now, at this very moment? Can you remember what it was when you woke up this morning? What do you want it to be when you lay down to rest? Is your heart a rainbow? Is it a watercolor? Is it a sketch? Do you see the many colors that it can be, has probably been, and could change to in the breath of a prayer?

All of these colors are good because as a reflection of God’s presence through your compassion, mercy, love, and joy, in the midst of injury, daily concerns and stresses, and heavy crosses, your heart has been expanded when sin tried to diminish it, it has been healed when others have injured it, and it has been made whole when others have broken it. Because you have the heart of God as His beloved child, your heart although may experience many emotions, will always be the place where you have opened the doors and God chose to enter and to make His dwelling among you. How can that be you might ask? Because you were created in God’s image, you are His beloved child, You are His greatest creation, you are loved unconditionally and you are the Body of Christ, His Son, to all those you encounter. So as long as you seek to serve Him with an undivided heart, your heart will always reflect love: Love for God, others, and self.

 

SUNDAY - RED - Is your heart filled with passion? do you give of yourself and all of your energy to the people and situations that you encounter on a daily basis? or is your passion tamed by laziness, contentment, weariness, pain or just disinterest? If you were to look in a mirror into your heart, what color is it now? if it is red, can you identify your passion and feed it to help those around you to grow and become the best people that they can be: spouses, children, friends, neighbors, co-workers? Is your passion, the love that you hold for your spouse, a positive strength that empowers you to live a healthy marriage, one that builds each other up so that you can both become the best people that God has created you to be?

Is your passion an affection that is shared with a sense of care and respect? What does passion mean to you and how do you live it in your life? Is it a destructive force or a constructive energy?

 

MONDAY - WHITE - Is the color of your heart white? Is it pure, not sinless, but a heart that strives to be a saint in the midst of one's own sin and weakness? one that seeks and receives the graces of God to live in love and peace? one that seeks to extend that love and peace to others? If your heart is white, do you give God permission to write on it whatever He wants you to know and take with you today? or is it filled with clutter, white out, erasure marks, with no space for God's writing, instruction, mercy or counsel? If you look and see that your heart is white, does it remind you of your baptism and how God chose you, called you by name and made you His very own out of pure unconditional love?

 

TUESDAY - YELLOW - Is the color of your heart yellow? Are you a source of light to others? can others see the presence and light of Christ in and through your prayers, attitude, actions, and deeds? If the color of your heart is yellow, are you able to recognize that you are the light of Christ that burns brightly in your family, neighborhood, community, church and world? can you recognize that you are the light of Christ, no matter how dim you think your light is, in the midst of the darkness of the world and all of its forces that want to put the light out?

 

WEDNESDAY - PURPLE - Is the color of your heart purple? are you feeling a sense of remorse, or guilt, or is there a desire to make amends for the sins of the world against the God of love and compassion? We connect purple to the liturgical seasons of advent and lent. The color reminds us of our need to repent of our sins and seek the mercy of God and others that we have offended. Is that where your heart is today? How can you make amends today so that you do not carry the burden until advent or lent? Or is your heart purple because you recognize the sins of our world, and how they have killed, maimed, destroyed, the gift of humanity, the very humanity that Jesus Christ died for? Christ died for us sinners, yet we don't all recognize that we were included in His passion, death, and resurrection. In our sins and weaknesses, we fail to see how God eagerly waits for us to come to Him and seek His mercy, compassion, and healing. We see ourselves as the worst and we fulfill that image in and through our actions towards our self, others, and God.

Do you see that self-destruction in someone you know and love by their addictions and bad behavior? Is your heart purple because you regret their actions and feel remorse for the self that is lost in the midst of a false self? Is your heart purple because you see where you may have unintentionally participated in the formation of negativity, false ideals, hopes, or expectations? Can you speak with God about your contrition and seek His guidance to find true healing, and peace so that you can pray for it for those who need it most?

 

THURSDAY - BLUE - Is your heart blue? do you feel the refreshing life cleansing waters upon your heart that you were washed in at your baptism? Have you been forgiven by God? someone that you offended but reached out to seeking forgiveness? have you forgiven yourself and laid down your burden of guilt and self-condemnation? Where is your peace from? To whom can you extend your peace? Who can you pray for to receive the peace that God had given you and you would like them to experience? Who in your circle of friends, family or community would you like to see experience this great peace that only God can give and is always ready to shower on those who ask? Can you say a prayer for peace for them so that their heart can become blue and be the blue that represents the peace and calm of the waters of baptism?

 

FRIDAY - GREEN - Is the color of your heart green? For what do you hope? What does hope mean to you and how do you exude hope to others? There is so much green that surrounds us: trees, leaves, grass, yet in the natural course of nature, there is a time when we don't see the green as much.

It is the same with the human heart. there are times when we are blind to seeing the green of hope because of injury, hurt, and pain, and instead we see despair, discouragement, and we become disenchanted and disillusioned. This occurs through human sins and how they affect us personally. Sin can eliminate hope or make it stronger; it can bring us down or help raise us up to seek the love and mercy of God, sin can cause us to stay face down with fear, but hope makes us want to get up and face our fear. 

Is the color of your heart green today? What hope have you been given? extended? Has the God of all consolation and love filled you with hope? is it overflowing, and you need to share it? or is it just enough for you to embrace, feel comforted by and rest in?

 

SATURDAY - ORANGE – Is the color of your heart orange? Do you feel the warmth and joy of God’s love, His embrace, and His desire for you? Is your heart orange because the warmth of His love has melted the coldness of life experiences? Where the words and expression of encouragement and support have conquered the voices of discouragement and isolation? The color orange symbolizes joy. The angels proclaimed Joy to the World at the Saviors birth. They proclaimed joy knowing that the passion was to occur. God is filled with great joy when we choose to return to him after a short or long detour, when we are His witnesses in the world, when we seek to serve Him by being selfless and not selfish, and when we allow ourselves to experience joy even as we carry our cross.

J – Jesus, O – others Y – yourself. You have great reason to be filled with joy and orange you glad you are? (sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun

GLIMPSE OF GOD FOR THE WEEK OF JANUARY 25, 2026

This glimpse is that of the spirituality that snow can represent. It’s snowing and has been for several hours. As I look out our sunroom windows, I am being given the gift to behold the beautiful blanket of snow that is covering our yard, along with the trees, bushes, pool, and outdoor winter decorations.  I like the beauty of the snow. I think snow is a gift that God gives us during the winter months to refresh our spirit and open our mind. We can complain about it, tolerate it, ignore it, use it to pray with, or allow it to bring out the joy from within us as we remember our childhood and playing in the snow. How do we , how can we pray with snow?

What is the spirituality of snow or how can snow be a Glimpse of God? Let me throw out a few of my insights: Although we can use snow to bring joy and fun to others, as in building a snowperson together or having a friendly snowball fight, we can also use it to control

another, as in shoveling our snow into someone else’s way to hinder them from getting around or not shoveling for someone who is unable to do it for them self and thus isolating them even further. So, for some snow can be a gift that is received with gratitude, or it can be seen as a burden and heavy cross to be carried. The gift can be the beauty of snow or more importantly the unconditional love that God has for each of us and how He wants us to recognize that love despite any cross or sin that we are experiencing.

I believe that as each snowflake is unique and all are different from each other, so are we as God’s greatest creation. There is only one you. Your fingerprint, your footprint, your heart, and soul are God’s unique gift created to shine and reflect His great love. I believe that just as a snowflake is whole and pure as it falls from the sky, God also created us and sent us into this world as a pure creation. But because original sin entered our life and sin still is a part of life, we become pure and whole again through our baptism and the regular reception of the sacrament of reconciliation. God knows our heart and our weaknesses and has given us the gift of reconciliation so when we choose to sin and want to be reconciled and made whole, we can be.

Just as snow is often shoveled so that we are able to walk or drive more safely, we have the ability to shovel or move that which tempts us into sin and places us on the path that is not safe for us as we walk on our spiritual journey. When we surrender our will to God or when we pray to avoid sin, we are given the grace to symbolically shovel, or use a snow blower, the temptation out of our way and make a path that clear and safe. The path will not always be smooth, there may be some rocky or pebbly parts to it, but just as snow can continue to fall, so too does temptation and even when it falls on our path, it is with faith, hope and trust in Christ, that He will make the path safe and clear. We measure snow in inches and feet. When we hear about how much will fall, we then begin to become rattled and panic.  We hear about the numbers and how we can go from a large snowfall to a blizzard. When we hear these things and become rattled, do we ever think about our spiritual life? Have we at some point gone from a spiritual snowfall to a blizzard? What did that look like? Did it occur after we were given some challenging health news, where we thought that we had everything; our emotions, our outlook, our plan, under control to becoming out of control because of fear, anxiety or depression and we felt overwhelmed? We talk about the impact that the snow has or will have on our commute to work on school closings, businesses being open, or appointments being kept. Do we panic when we think of how much sin affects us and our relationship with God and others? Do we ever talk about the impact that sin has on us, or how the graces of God affect our relationship with God, others, and our self? How the impact of sin or grace helps us to become our best self, the person that God created us to be and have the potential to become? I believe that snow, even when it is a burden to bear or a grace to behold, can be a glimpse of God and an instrument to recognize how even when it becomes slushy and messy, it still, like us due to sin, is a gift from God and no sin or slush is ever going to make God regret or love us less.

As we begin new week covered with snow, let us look at snow with the eyes of our heart, mind, soul, and spirit, and seek to recognize that even in the midst of its accumulation, impact, beauty or burden, it is, as we are, a gift from God given so that we can recognize His presence in new and surprising ways.

SUNDAY – Every snowflake is unique and different.

You are unique, different, chosen by God, created in His image, His greatest creation, His beloved child, and unconditionally loved. There will never be or has there ever been another you. Do you, are you able to recognize how special and beloved you are to God and others? by your unique perspective, the way you see to the heart of another, by your ability to see the face of Christ in another and not judge them, by your presence in silence, compassion, and mercy? God has given you these gifts so that as others recognize them in you and through your example, they see that it is God dwelling within you, and His Holy Spirit shing through you.  You invoke a desire from within them to be more God like, more Christ like and thus becoming their best self, the person that God created them to be and have the potential to become.

MONDAY – A snowflake falls as a whole and pure creation.

God doesn’t create anything unclean or impure. It is humanity that makes things impure or tainted. It was at our baptism when we were immersed into the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ, that we were healed and made whole again. Original sin was removed and replenished with the unconditional, eternal, and selfless love of Christ. It is through that love that we are given the ability to be reconciled and made pure again on this earthly journey. Christ did not place a task on us that we cannot fulfill. Reconciliation, mercy, healing, and wholeness is available to us if we choose to take advantage of it, through the loving gift of the sacrament of reconciliation. Although sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, mercy fills the world through Christ and the sacraments of the Church. As the snow gently covers creation in white, and hides that which may be unsightly, it can remind us of how God covers our sins as with a blanket, with the warmth of His love, mercy, peace and joy.

TUESDAY – Snow is shoveled to make a path that is safe and clear to walk on.

We can try to shovel the snow, but the reality is that when it is too heavy or wet, we need more than a shovel, we need a snow blower. As with snow, we can shovel it to move it so that we can walk a straight, clean, and safe path, with sin it is not that easy. If we think that we can fix our problems, justify our sins, blame others for our choices, then we have past the spiritual shovel stage and gone to a snow blower. When we can recognize our sinfulness and seek forgiveness, when we ask God to help make our path straight, clean, and safe again, He does. It is when we seek to do things on our own, our sins only grow, as does our ego, pride, self-centeredness, and blindness.  As these increase, and our humility decreases and we find that we are unable to ask for God’s help to make our path straight, clean and safe, we need God’s mercy more than ever. God can never love us less because of our sinfulness. He gave us His Son Jesus and Jesus proved this by dying on the cross. He died for you and me, we are not exempt from His redeeming act of selfless love. So even when you think it is time to bring out the spiritual snowblower because the snow, or your sin is too heavy, remember that Jesus took away the need for the snowblower. He gave us the cross instead and it is through the cross that we can see the direction or path that He wants us to walk.

WEDNESDAY - Snow is measured as it accumulates beginning in inches and then feet.

We measure snow in inches and feet. When we hear about how much will fall, we then begin to become rattled and panic. Do we become rattled when we cannot experience peace, harmony, or joy or when we become more afraid, self-centered, ashamed or guilt ridden? Do we think that we can measure the graces from God in inches of feet or are we able to recognize how God does not measure our worth according to our weaknesses or sin but in and out of love?

THURSDAY – The impact that the snow has on our life

We talk about the impact that the snow has or will have on our commute to work on school closings, businesses being open, or appointments being kept. Do we panic when we think of how much sin affects us and our relationship with God and others? Do we ever talk about the impact that sin has on us, or how the graces of God affect our relationship with God, others, and our self? How the impact of sin or grace helps us to become our best self, the person that God created us to be and have the potential to become?

FRIDAY – Having fun in the snow.

If you can’t build a snowman, snowwoman, snowchild or snow pet, try to remember what it was like when you were a child and how you built a snowman as soon as you could no matter how cold it was outside. How much fun you had, what your snowperson ended up looking like, who helped you, what you used for his eyes, nose, ears, hands, and outfit. Snow is a gift that is a beauty to behold, and you don’t have to be outside to enjoy it or be annoyed by it. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, and if we are willing to and open to recognizing the beauty of snow, we are then willing and open to recognizing God’s presence in the snow.

SATURDAY- The 6 points of a snowflake remind us of the story of creation.

The story of creation tells us that God rested on the 7th day after He creation had been completed and it was good. As with the story of Creation, God created Adam and then Eve so that one would not be alone, and then God rested. The snowflake has 6 points. I would like to see each point as a day of creation. With each point one can use each day in the story of creation as a reflection on, how through creation, God did not make any mistakes, or do things haphazardly, but rather all was planned and when completed He saw that all was good. We are a part of “all was planned, all was good.” No matter what we have done or do or will do, God does not regret creating us nor does He want us to regret being created. We are where He wants us to be, doing what He wants us to do. Although the path or the view may not be clear, in and through His grace, we will see more clearly His will for us, one step, one prayer, one act of love, mercy, and kindness at a time. There is a Zen proverb that states” a snowflake never falls in the wrong place” What does that mean to you

 

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