As I sit and have my cup of coffee with Jesus, I continued to reflect on the wisdom of Henri Nouwen, found in his book, “Life of the BELOVED.” As much as he talks about brokenness, Nouwen also reflects on BLESSINGS, the blessings that come through that brokenness. Though it is not always easy to see your blessings when you feel attacked, or depressed, or hurt, the blessings are everywhere!
The BLESSINGS begin with waking up in the morning and forgetting your feelings …knowing that this NEW day is a BLESSING! We are able to thank God that we live in a home, have family that cares about us, food to eat, all are basic blessings. But we must go deeper. The SPIRIT moves us to see that even our trials are blessings, because they draw us closer to Jesus. God brings “Simons”, like Simon of Cyrene, to walk and help us carry our crosses. If we open our eyes, we see that everything is changing, and EVERYTHING is a BLESSING!
Have a blessed day, embracing the blessed changes!
7 comments
Buon Giorno Monsignor,
I’m certain I’m not the only one who feels at a loss, of feeling broken, filled with anxiety and self-doubt. It could be we are suffering from: an illness, loss of a relationship, loss of a stable income, loss of a home, loss of …..
When we feel hurt or broken our perception, our lens get tainted, we are only seeing how we feel, we see only our “brokenness.” We must switch our lenses and force ourselves to see the many BLESSINGS HE gives us. I’ll admit it’s not easy to do when you are, as you stated, “though it is not always easy to see your blessings when you feel attacked, or depressed, or hurt, the blessings are everywhere!”
They are there, for myself I’m blessed when I wake up, (I have many rare gifts from God), I’m blessed I have a warm bed to sleep on, I’m blessed I have hot clean water to bathe, I’m blessed I have electricity to keep my food cold, I’m blessed I have a vehicle with gas to get me places, I’m blessed I have family and friends who bring me food and medicine when I’m unable to move. I’m blessed I’m able to stop and take photographs of the stunning landscapes HE leaves us. I’m BLESSED I was forced to slow my life down as I used to have a highly stressful job which caused me to miss so much, as I was always on the go. Titles don’t matter, your career choice don’t matter, the size of your home doesn’t matter, the type of car you drive doesn’t matter, what matters are things you can not buy; health, love, respect, kindness, compassion, empathy, happiness and joy. I have those now, I lost a lot of “stuff,” but I’m truly wholeheartedly happier because I now see the true blessings I have as I walked through my trials, as I carried my crosses.
Blessings Monsignor, as we continue to carry our own unique crosses, knowing there’s new BLESSINGS around the corner!
Good Morning Father Craig, thank you for your message today .Your a Blessing to us . Have a Beautiful and Blessed Day ♥️🙏🙏
Good word, Thank You.
Many Blessings to you Monsignor, as we receive your Blessings of daily Inspirations, Amen
Thank you for helping get my day going Looking forward to seeing you soon
Good Morning
Great lesson for another blessed day 🙏🏼
Thank you
Great message! Just wanted to let you know that at least one Catholic church in Bakersfield holds their classes for first communion, etc. on Wednesday nights, so some people may not be able to attend your talks at Hodels in January, etc. Amen and GOD BLESS EVERYONE!