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Set Free

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Lent is well underway, with today being the second Wednesday of this holy season. Typically, it’s the time that I usually catch myself slipping on my intentions for the season as well. This year I’m working on fasting from cynicism, snarkiness and complaining (csc).

Yes, you read that correctly. I’m trying to treat csc as the hunter’s snare or a path that causes another person pain, injury or unjust persecution. I’m trying to catch myself before I act on those thoughts, either in my mind or out loud, spoken or typed, in public or private.

It is a struggle, to be sure, but not an unusual one. In the reading from Jeremiah, the people of Judah and Jerusalem look to ‘destroy him by his own tongue…carefully note his every word.’ The Psalm takes this issue up by referring to ‘the snare they set for me.’

‘God himself will set me free from the hunter’s snare,’ is prayed every morning and evening in the Liturgy of the Hours during Lent. It reminds me that I must turn to God to help me avoid the traps and situations which can lead me into a bad or sinful choice.

I must remember that Jesus, the Son of Man, my God and my all, came to earth and gave his life as a ransom, a sacrifice for me and for the whole world. He was ransomed so I, so you, can be set free.

Today is the feast of St. Katharine Drexel She is a great example of setting aside the trappings of this world (including wealth and comfort in high society) to work for racial and social justice, especially for Native Americans and African Americans.

Pray with me these words of St. Katharine ‘Mother’ Drexel as the path of this Lenten journey continues.

“Teach me to know your Son intimately, to love Him ardently, and to follow Him closely.

It is a lesson we all need – to let alone the things that do not concern us. He has other ways for others to follow Him; all do not go by the same path. It is for each of us to learn the path by which He requires us to follow Him and to follow Him in that path.

The patient and humble endurance of the cross – whatever nature it may be – is the highest work we have to do.” Amen.

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Beth Price is part of the customer care team at Diocesan. She brings a unique depth of experience to the group due to her time spent in education, parish ministries, sales and the service industry over the last 25 yrs. She is a practicing spiritual director as well as a Secular Franciscan (OFS). Beth is quick to offer a laugh, a prayer or smile to all she comes in contact with. Reach her here bprice@diocesan.com.

Feature Image Credit: Daniel Joshua, https://unsplash.com/photos/nOPoCBNWTb0

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Healing

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Healing is again the focus in the Gospel today. Jesus heals all with no exceptions to the understood or unwritten norms and social concepts of the time.

In his Monday address to the ambassadors to the Holy See, Pope Francis said ‘the world is facing crises in five areas: in health, in the environment, on economic and social issues, in politics, and in human relationships.’ Our world needs healing, our human interactions need healing in so many ways and in so many circumstances. I do too.

My pastor has emphasized the need for deep healing, the kind that comes from the hand of Jesus and His Divine Spirit. The sins, omissions and tacit consents that are embedded deep in the heart which blind me to the indifference and abuse of the integrity of all that God has created in this world, I need to bring into my awareness and confessions.

It is the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes  and the 29th World Day to Pray for the Sick. There are several resources below including a virtual tour of Lourdes and a 30 minute prayer service celebrating this day of prayer for the sick.

I ask that you pray with me the words St. John Paul II wrote in 2004 for the intercession of our Blessed Virgin Mother, the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Lourdes. Let us pray,

To Mary, Mother of tender love,

we wish to entrust all those

who are ill in body and soul,

that she may sustain them in hope.

We ask her also to help us to be welcoming

to our sick brothers and sisters.

Hail Mary, poor and humble Woman,

Blessed by the Most High!

Virgin of hope, dawn of a new era,

We join in your song of praise,

to celebrate the Lord’s mercy,

to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom

and the full liberation of humanity.

Hail Mary, lowly handmaid of the Lord,

Glorious Mother of Christ!

Faithful Virgin, holy dwelling-place of the Word,

Teach us to persevere in listening to the Word,

and to be docile to the voice of the Spirit,

attentive to His promptings in the depths of our conscience

and to His manifestations in the events of history.

Hail Mary, Woman of sorrows,

Mother of the living!

Virgin spouse beneath the Cross, the new Eve,

Be our guide along the paths of the world.

Teach us to experience and to spread the love of Christ,

to stand with you before the innumerable crosses

on which your Son is still crucified.

Hail Mary, woman of faith,

First of the disciples!

Virgin Mother of the Church, help us always

to account for the hope that is in us,

with trust in human goodness and the Father’s love.

Teach us to build up the world beginning from within:

in the depths of silence and prayer,

in the joy of fraternal love,

in the unique fruitfulness of the Cross.

Holy Mary, Mother of believers,

Our Lady of Lourdes,

pray for us. Amen

Pope Francis’ message for the 29th world day of Prayer for the Sick

World Day of the Sick Prayer Service 2021

29th World Day of Prayer for the Sick

Prayer Cards for the Sick, for Caregivers

Virtual Tour of Lourdes, France

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Beth Price is part of the customer care team at Diocesan. She brings a unique depth of experience to the group due to her time spent in education, parish ministries, sales and the service industry over the last 25 yrs. She is a practicing spiritual director as well as a Secular Franciscan (OFS). Beth is quick to offer a laugh, a prayer or smile to all she comes in contact with. Reach her here bprice@diocesan.com.

Feature Image Credit: Aarón Blanco Tejedor, https://unsplash.com/photos/QUGWB1kqjQI

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Take Comfort

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It’s St. Brigid’s feast day in Ireland and the first day of spring, too. I’m a third generation immigrant. This means I have two U.S.-born parents but at least one foreign-born grandparent, I think. My Dad was adopted when he was 5 days old. The woman I knew as grandma was born in Ireland. I’ve many fond memories and a shared love of tea from Grandma B which gives me great comfort.

Praying with and reflecting on the readings today have taken me on a challenging path. I get so caught up in the noise and distraction of this world and the many situations which seem to continue to develop and fester without clear direction or resolution. This seems to mirror what is written about in the First Reading. The last two lines stand out, “Yet all these, though approved because of their faith, did not receive what had been promised. God had foreseen something better for us, so that without us they should not be made perfect.”

Ok, God’s got something better in mind. That’s comforting, yet, frustrating in the moment, especially since the time that it takes for a resolution to present itself is in God’s time not mine. The Responsorial Psalm reminds me to take comfort, all who hope in the Lord. I have to remember to offer the situations to God, and to focus on how I can bring his healing presence into the world through my actions and prayers.

The chains and shackles do not restrain or help the man in which ‘Legion’ lives in the Gospel scene. Could the man represent our world and the social situations which continue to challenge and injure humanity? I believe so. I believe that Jesus can heal our world and social situations as He healed the man in this scripture passage.

Below I’ve compiled some resources that gave me some comfort in realizing I’m not alone in feeling out of sorts about the world right now. Say this prayer to St Brigid, to bring comfort today.

Brigid, you were a woman of peace. You brought harmony where there was conflict. You brought light to the darkness. You brought hope to the downcast. May the mantle of your peace cover those who are troubled and anxious, and may peace be firmly rooted in my heart and in the world. Inspire me to act justly and to reverence all God has made. You were a voice for the wounded and the weary. Strengthen what is weak within me. Calm me into a quietness that heals and listens. May I grow each day into greater wholeness in mind, body and spirit.  Amen.

How a Year Without Hugs Affects Our Mental Health
Prayers during the Pandemic
Moral Injury, Volunteers of America
Truth be Told

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Beth Price is part of the customer care team at Diocesan. She brings a unique depth of experience to the group due to her time spent in education, parish ministries, sales and the service industry over the last 25 yrs. She is a practicing spiritual director as well as a Secular Franciscan (OFS). Beth is quick to offer a laugh, a prayer or smile to all she comes in contact with. Reach her here bprice@diocesan.com.

Feature Image Credit: Kovah, https://unsplash.com/photos/yUv9_l1s3aM

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Hope

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There is a light snow falling as I write. It covers the dulled yellow and green grasses that are still visible here in West Michigan, making things look fresh. Snow on roadways can be quite treacherous. There are many who forget that traction, and a wet or snowy surface, can result in sliding, slipping, spinning, and much greater stopping distances.

If you’ve ever been in mud, on a dirt road, caught a patch of ice or snow, in a way you didn’t intend, with a vehicle or on foot, you know what I mean. Suddenly you can lose all sense of direction or feel caught in slow motion while being out of control of the situation. I kinda feel like that when looking at what has been going on in our country, on so many levels and in so many situations. It can be overwhelming to know where to focus. The readings today can help.

“We earnestly desire each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of hope until the end…hold fast to the hope that lies before us”, is a directive from the First Reading. The Gospel acclamation calls out, “May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our hearts, that we may know what is the hope that belongs to our call.” 

My focus is on hope. It’s the hope and promise of God. The Lord of the sabbath is my hope. I am to be His hands, his body, hope and love in this world. It is my charge, given through the waters of baptism.

“Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are anger and courage. Anger that things are the way they are. Courage to make them the way they ought to be.” St. Augustine of Hippo

Please spend some time with the links you find here. My prayer is that you too may find hope to do what is yours to do to keep hope alive in this world as Joyce Rupp so beautifully said,

Faithful Companion,

in this new year I pray:

to live deeply, with purpose,

to live freely, with detachment,

to live wisely, with humility,

to live justly, with compassion

to live lovingly, with fidelity,

to live mindfully, with awareness,

to live gracefully, with generosity,

to live fully, with enthusiasm.

Help me to hold this vision and to daily renew it in my heart,

becoming ever more one with You, and my truest self.  Amen

You Keep Hope Alive

Hope Has a Name

Future + Hope

All My Hope

Hope for the Future

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Beth Price is part of the customer care team at Diocesan. She brings a unique depth of experience to the group due to her time spent in education, parish ministries, sales and the service industry over the last 25 yrs. She is a practicing spiritual director as well as a Secular Franciscan (OFS). Beth is quick to offer a laugh, a prayer or smile to all she comes in contact with. Reach her here bprice@diocesan.com.

Feature Image Credit: Jessica Ruscello, https://unsplash.com/photos/lUtPqjz5D5k

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Love is the Victor

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The First Reading today begins, ‘the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God, is indeed, victor over the world, through the Spirit, water and Blood of Christ.’

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states,  “The Word became flesh to be our model of holiness: ‘Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me.’ ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.’74 On the mountain of the Transfiguration, the Father commands: ‘Listen to him!’75 Jesus is the model for the Beatitudes and the norm of the new law: ‘Love one another as I have loved you.’76 This love implies an effective offering of oneself, after his example.”77(ccc 459)

It is through and because of God’s love, Jesus’ love, that the man with leprosy was healed in the Gospel. Love is the victor over the disease! This conviction is echoed in the reading from Isaiah in the morning office , “Turn to me and be safe, all you ends of the earth, for I am God; there is no other!” Love is the Victor of the world!

The Catechism goes on to say in ccc 872: “In virtue of their rebirth in Christ there exists among all the Christian faithful a true equality with regard to dignity and the activity whereby all cooperate in the building up of the Body of Christ in accord with each one’s own condition and function.”  It is through the Holy Spirit, the water and Blood of Christ that healing has been shared with all humanity.

The Victor of the world is love, God’s love. Fr. Casey Cole, ofm offers this perspective:

“In the way we love one another, work for justice, and offer sacrifice—doing as Jesus did—we can actually make a difference in our world because it is in these moments that Christ dwells in us and the Holy Spirit is sent forth from us. What is it that we always pray? “Send down your Spirit and renew the face of the earth!” If we want to follow after Jesus, we must let go of our cynicism and bleak outlook on the world, and instead believe with all our hearts that Christ is in control of this mission. We must look beyond what is not yet redeemed and open our eyes to the overflowing torrent that is God’s love in our world, transforming and renewing the face of the earth. We must realize it is through us, those whom Jesus has called as his disciples, that this work is being accomplished.”

Listen to the song from Friz Love, Heal the World Jesus . My hope is that God’s love transforms our world this year through faith, prayer and that which is each of ours to do in His kingdom on earth. Shalom

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Beth Price is part of the customer care team at Diocesan. She brings a unique depth of experience to the group due to her time spent in education, parish ministries, sales and the service industry over the last 25 yrs. She is a practicing spiritual director as well as a Secular Franciscan (OFS). Beth is quick to offer a laugh, a prayer or smile to all she comes in contact with. Reach her here bprice@diocesan.com.

Feature Image Credit: Tim Marshall, https://unsplash.com/photos/cAtzHUz7Z8g

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Blessed are You

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The Gospel scene today is very familiar. As Mary greets her cousin Elizabeth, the baby she carries jumps in her womb. Elizabeth shares that joyful experience with Mary, crying out blessings on the infant and his Mother.

St. Ephraim the Syrian reflected on Mary’s perspective of the child in her womb, writing, “The Babe that I carry carries me.” Her ‘yes’ to Gabriel allowed the much anticipated eternal light to enter the world in human form.

The O Antiphon for today echoes this theme. ‘O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death.’

Today and throughout all of history there exist times of darkness, death, new life and light. These recurring themes are ripe for several moments of quiet meditation. When you have the time, reread the above three paragraphs and sit with the images, feelings, memories or words that are brought to your mind. You can also click on one of the links below to help focus your thoughts.

Be gentle with yourself, especially if this is a new type of experience for you. There is no right or wrong way to reflect because what comes to mind is part of your unique spiritual journey. Take a few notes, journal, draw or just acknowledge what comes to you.

Carry the images or words in your mind for the day. Know that God is there with you through all of your experiences. Know that you have been created in His image and are loved. Believe that you are blessed.

Breath of Heaven, Mary’s Song
O Antiphons
Latin Chant of O Antiphons

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Beth Price is part of the customer care team at Diocesan. She brings a unique depth of experience to the group due to her time spent in education, parish ministries, sales and the service industry over the last 25 yrs. She is a practicing spiritual director as well as a Secular Franciscan (OFS). Beth is quick to offer a laugh, a prayer or smile to all she comes in contact with. Reach her here bprice@diocesan.com.

Feature Image Credit: Sharath Kumar Hari, https://unsplash.com/photos/Mb2LErousEY

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Light of Life

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It is dark as I leave home for 7:15am Mass. The sun will be setting as I leave work to go back home this evening.  Without the aid of my headlights it is hard for me to really see what is right in front of me let alone farther down the road. The darkness envelops everything. I need light to navigate my way on the physical road as well as in my emotional and spiritual life journey.

The readings today highlight this need of illumination. The First Reading tells us that God teaches us what is for (our) good. The Psalm tells us, “Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.” Jesus tells us in the Gospel that, we called to you but you didn’t come. “We played the flute for you, but you didn’t dance… [we] came eating and drinking” and you called us names and scoffed at us.

“Every time we sin, we become less human,” said Fr. Dan Crosby, OFM Cap in a recent homily. When we elevate ourselves, make fun or take advantage of others, we are placing a veil or, when there are many veils, a curtain between us and God. That sin blocks and takes us away from the Light of Life.

#1691 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “Never forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light of the Kingdom of God.” When you stay in the light you will be able to see the kingdom and find peace or Shalom.

I pray you will experience a deep peace of the Kingdom of God during this Advent season while you wait and prepare for our Lord’s coming.

A Celtic Blessing:

Deep peace of the running wave to you

Deep peace of the flowing air to you

Deep peace of the quiet earth to you

Deep peace of the shining stars to you

Deep peace of the gentle night to you

Moon and stars pour their healing light on you

Deep peace of Christ the light of the world to you

Deep peace of Christ to you.

Amen.

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Beth Price is part of the customer care team at Diocesan. She brings a unique depth of experience to the group due to her time spent in education, parish ministries, sales and the service industry over the last 25 yrs. She is a practicing spiritual director as well as a Secular Franciscan (OFS). Beth is quick to offer a laugh, a prayer or smile to all she comes in contact with. Reach her here bprice@diocesan.com.

Feature Image Credit: Dave Hoefler, https://unsplash.com/photos/jH42L-P2CqA

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The Kingdom of God is at Hand

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For me the day after Thanksgiving has no special meaning or space like an annual routine. As the years have passed, so has what the day holds. There have been times when I’ve been bundled (along with my sisters) into the car to visit family, as well as times when I’ve done the bundling with my own children.

Some mornings I’ve quickly put together a crock pot of chicken chili to share with my co-workers during a harried retail lunch on the fly. There have been many day after Fridays that held brief quiet moments of breakfast prep before the ‘gang’ invaded the kitchen. These last few years have been times to sip my cup of tea while the busyness continues on around me.

The readings are very fitting for today. I say that because the kingdom of God is here among us. Here God lives among his people (Ps 84:3 and Rev 21:3b), in every situation, every day. It is up to me if I choose to be a positive influence in His kingdom.

The psalm today speaks of the soul yearning and pining for the courts of the Lord as the heart and flesh cry out for the living God. He is here, present among us in the Eucharist. He is present in the Gospel. He is present in each and every person.  His kingdom is all arounds us.

There is no question that the situations in our world are challenging. The alleluia exclamation today tells us to, ‘stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand’. It is a conscious act to choose to be free from the darkness of thoughts and actions. The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is a great practice that helps me through the struggle of my day and thoughts falling apart. I also find great comfort in the Stations of the Cross.

Know that the situations will change and time will go forward. Listen to the song Together. Know how you look upon the world really does make a difference. Know that His kingdom is at hand.

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Beth Price is part of the customer care team at Diocesan. She brings a unique depth of experience to the group due to her time spent in education, parish ministries, sales and the service industry over the last 25 yrs. She is a practicing spiritual director as well as a Secular Franciscan (OFS). Beth is quick to offer a laugh, a prayer or smile to all she comes in contact with. Reach her here bprice@diocesan.com.

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Choose Love

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Today the Church celebrates St. Frances Xavier Cabrini. Mother Cabrini was the first citizen of the United States to become a saint. She worked with immigrants, established schools and hospitals, and served the poor and neglected. The readings are a fitting tribute to her and her way of life. Mother Cabrini was dedicated to service through love. She and the Missionary Sisters worked tirelessly at the turn of the 20th century, which was a time of many challenges.

The readings today are challenging. The longer I have prayed with them, the more unsettled I’ve become. Why? It’s because of the times in my life that I know I haven’t had my focus on the law of Love from our Lord and Savior.

All the times I’ve been judgmental towards some folks or dismissed issues which may not have directly affected me but have had negative consequences on others or my surroundings, is part of my conscious awareness of what I have done and failed to do in the eyes of the Lord.

I must be very intentional in what I say and do. The readings today drive home the point that intentions should be of the Love the Lord commanded and Christ sacrificed loving all humanity. I have to choose Love in every situation. I don’t want to be like one of the people lost in the flood during the time of Noah, or like Sodom, or Lot’s wife as is written in the Gospel

The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us in #1604…“God who created man out of love also calls him to love – the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being.”

To choose Love, is not the easy way. It is intentional, this call to Love. It is the way of truth. It is the way to the Father, through Jesus Christ, to redemption.

Read the following lines. Take them into your prayer while looking at them through the eyes of a different examination of conscience.

I choose to LOVE. I choose to have Empathy. I choose Inclusion. Compassion. Equality. Dignity. Diversity. I choose Community. Kindness. Integrity. Honesty. Respect. I choose Justice. I choose Facts. Peace. I choose the Planet. I choose Humanity.  I choose LOVE.

What do you choose?

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Beth Price is part of the customer care team at Diocesan. She brings a unique depth of experience to the group due to her time spent in education, parish ministries, sales and the service industry over the last 25 yrs. She is a practicing spiritual director as well as a Secular Franciscan (OFS). Beth is quick to offer a laugh, a prayer or smile to all she comes in contact with. Reach her here bprice@diocesan.com.

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The Community of My Heart

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“…I hold you in my heart, you who are all partners with me in grace…how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God”. Phil 1:7, 8-11

This excerpt from the First Reading has been on my mind (and in my heart) for a very long time. I have shared with many that I hold them in the community of my heart. It’s a phrase a spiritual director shared with me during one of our first meetings. It has become part of my prayer life, to intentionally pray for those in the community of my heart. This community includes and is not limited to: family, friends, mentors, teachers, all those who have had direct contact with me throughout my life, including those who have been part of daily life encounters, work projects, prayer lists, the situations and underlying issues for which I have said I would think and pray.

I do not take things off my prayer list. My list becomes part of the community of my heart which encompasses all of His creation. This is echoed in the Psalm Response, “How great are the works of the Lord.” It’s a natural segue into the Gospel Reading from Luke in which Jesus, again, asks the Pharisees and those dining with him, “….Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath… who among you, if your son or ox falls in a cistern would not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?”

Who among you would not reach out to a brother, sister, or any member of the human family, to give food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, whatever assistance that is needed?  We are all related. We are called to increase in love and in knowledge of every kind of perception to discern what is of value in our life, our world, for all our sisters and brothers.

Pray with me as St. John Paul II did with these words:

Oh God, You are our Creator. You are good and Your mercy knows no bounds. To You arises the praise of every creature.

Oh God, You have given us an inner law by which we must live. To do Your will is our task. To follow Your ways is to know peace of heart. To You we offer our homage.

Guide us on all the paths we travel upon this earth. Free us from all the evil tendencies which lead our hearts away from Your will. Never allow us to stray from You.

Oh God, judge of all humanity, help us to be included among Your chosen ones on the last day.

Oh God, Author of peace and justice, give us true joy and authentic love, and a lasting solidarity among peoples.

Give us Your everlasting gifts. Amen.

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Beth Price is part of the customer care team at Diocesan. She brings a unique depth of experience to the group due to her time spent in education, parish ministries, sales and the service industry over the last 25 yrs. She is a practicing spiritual director as well as a Secular Franciscan (OFS). Beth is quick to offer a laugh, a prayer or smile to all she comes in contact with. Reach her here bprice@diocesan.com.

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Human Fraternity

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The themes in today’s readings, beginning with the prophet Abraham saying, ‘through you shall all the nations be blessed’ and the Alleluia, ‘I will draw all to myself, says the Lord’,  have been pulling me to Pope Francis’ new encyclical, Fratelli Tutti.    

Why? The subtitle of the document, Fraternity and Social Friendship, ring true in my heart, just as it did during my first reading of the Gospel. ‘Whoever is not with me is against me, whoever does not gather with me scatters.” Lk 11:23

The Grand Imam, Ahmed el-Tayeb and Pope Francis signed a document in February of 2019 on human fraternity and world peace. The Grand Imam described this joint document as: “… a document that invites all persons who have faith in God and faith in human fraternity to unite and work together so that it may serve as a guide for future generations to advance a culture of mutual respect in the awareness of the great divine grace that makes all human beings brothers and sisters.”

Fratelli Tutti is a document that needs to be read slowly to allow yourself to go deeper into the familiar story of the Good Samaritan, which is the framework of Pope Francis’ writing. John Carr, Director of Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at GU wrote a summary of the Twelve Themes on Sunday and Georgetown University held a forum on the encyclical on Monday.

The Alleluia acclamation today states: ‘I will draw all to myself, says the Lord.’ I believe this is what Pope Francis calls us to throughout Fratelli Tutti. The relationships we have with all of humanity and creation are sacred and entrusted to us through the Divine.

This recurring theme delights my Franciscan heart and soul. Click on the links above, read the documents, and find what is yours to do. Pray with me the words of Pope Francis as we begin this journey and necessary work.

Lord, make us instruments of your peace.

Help us to recognize the evil latent in a communication that does not build communion.

Help us to remove the venom from our judgements.

Help us to speak about others as our brothers and sisters.

You are faithful and trustworthy; may our words be seeds of goodness for the world:

where there is shouting, let us practice listening;

where there is confusion, let us inspire harmony;

where there is ambiguity, let us bring clarity;

where there is exclusion, let us offer solidarity;

where there is sensationalism, let us use sobriety;

where there is superficiality, let us raise real questions;

where there is prejudice, let us awaken trust;

where there is hostility, let us bring respect;

where there is falsehood, let us bring truth.  Amen.

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Beth Price is part of the customer care team at Diocesan. She brings a unique depth of experience to the group due to her time spent in education, parish ministries, sales and the service industry over the last 25 yrs. She is a practicing spiritual director as well as a Secular Franciscan (OFS). Beth is quick to offer a laugh, a prayer or smile to all she comes in contact with. Reach her here bprice@diocesan.com.

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An Appointed Time For Everything

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Time. An interval that constantly ticks forward, one second, one blink, one breath, to the next. There is no judgement or bias, right or wrong. It just continues on.

The lines from Ecclesiastes in today’s reading are lyrical. There is an appointed time for everything. Why then, am I so resistant to something I cannot control? Time moves forward yet I sometimes believe I can hold on to it as a child holds a beloved stuffed animal. There is a time for hugging and also a time for letting go.

As a child who stomps her foot while saying, ‘stop, stop, stop,’ I cannot stop the death of a grandparent or a beloved friend. There is a time to die and there is a time to be born. I cannot stop the rotation of the sun across the sky or how the wind blows over the earth.

The passage goes on to say that God has appointed tasks for mankind to carry out at the appropriate time, into our hearts without our knowing it. We all are called to use the gifts and talents that we’ve been given to do those tasks.

It is a new day. Let us thank God ahead of time, for the gift of this day. Let us do what needs to be done today. Amen.

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Beth Price is part of the customer care team at Diocesan. She brings a unique depth of experience to the group due to her time spent in education, parish ministries, sales and the service industry over the last 25 yrs. She is a practicing spiritual director as well as a Secular Franciscan (OFS). Beth is quick to offer a laugh, a prayer or smile to all she comes in contact with. Reach her here bprice@diocesan.com.