Learning And Understanding Our Faith

Fifth Sunday of Lent

2007-03-24T00:24:00.000-04:00

Have you ever fallen off your bicycle and hurt yourself so badly that you cried? Have you ever slipped and fallen while carrying a tray of food in the school cafeteria, and though you weren't hurt, you were so embarrassed that you cried? Have you ever moved to a new school where you didn't know anyone and you were so lonely that you cried? Has anyone ever said something mean and hurt your feelings so badly that you cried? Have you ever had a friend that was crying, so you just cried along with them? We all could answer, "yes" to at least one of these questions. We all cry, don't we? Young, old, man, woman and child, we all cry.

Did you know that Jesus cried? The shortest verse in the entire Bible says, "Jesus wept." The Bible tells us that Jesus cried when he saw friends who were hurting. It says that when he saw Mary weeping because her brother had died, he cried too. John 11:33-35.

I am glad that we have a Savior who weeps. I am glad that he loves us so much that he hurts when we are hurting. He sees our tears and, who knows, perhaps he keeps our tears in a bottle.

Dear Jesus, it is comforting to know that when we cry, you cry with us. But it is even more comforting to know that one day we will be in heaven with you and then there will be no more tears.

Amen.

Second Sunday of Lent- The Transfiguration

2007-03-02T21:35:00.000-05:00

Have you ever seen a pink flamingo? Aren't they unusual looking birds? You just don't see many bright pink, tall birds with long necks.

Did you know that flamingos aren't pink all their lives? When they are hatched they are an entirely different colour. What colour do you think they are? When flamingos are very little, they are grey. By the time they are three years old, flamingos turn from grey to pink.

Can you guess why? It's because of what they eat! The type of food that flamingos put into their bodies, causes them to change color. Isn't that a strange way to change?

In todays Gospel, we learn about a really important change that takes place in Jesus' life. One day Jesus took a few of his disciples and went up on a mountain. And as Jesus was praying on the mountain, the Spirit of God came down from heaven and touched him. Then a white, glowing light came from him. When the disciples saw Jesus changed in this way, they were scared and excited. Then God spoke from heaven - from inside a dark cloud - and the voice said to the disciples, "This is my Son. Listen to him." When the disciples saw Jesus all shining white, and heard God's voice, they knew that Jesus was the son of God. When they came down from the mountain with Jesus they never quite saw Jesus in the same way again. They knew that he was special and that God was with him - and that somehow God was in Him - making Him different than anybody else.

Dear God by your power you changed Jesus so that he shone like the sun. Change us too we pray, make us more like him. Help us to listen to Him, just as you asked His first disciples. Help us to listen and to do what he tells us.

Amen

First Sunday of Lent- Temptation

2007-02-24T23:27:00.000-05:00

Sam walked in the back door to the scent of freshly baked cookies. There on the counter was a platter filled with chocolate chip cookies. Mom was in the kitchen preparing dinner and noticed how Sam was looking at the cookies. She said “Now don’t you eat any cookies until dinner or you will spoil your appetite.” Those cookies looked so good and the temptation was so great. Mom had left the kitchen to check on the laundry. “Surely just one cookie won’t hurt and mother will never know if I had just one,” Sam thought.

Have any of you ever had an experience like that? Here is another story which might sound familiar.

"Put away your books and take out one sheet of paper and a pencil," the teacher said. "We are going to take our weekly spelling test." Johnny had an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew that they were going to have a spelling test today, but he watched TV last night instead of studying for the spelling test and he wasn't ready for the test. As the test began, Johnny looked around the room and realized that he had a clear view of Sally's paper. "It won't hurt if I look at Sally's paper just this once," Johnny thought to himself. "I promise -- I'll never do it again and nobody will ever know."

All of us have faced temptations such as these, haven't we? Did you know that Jesus was tempted just as we are? Sometimes it is very difficult to do what is right and good. We may think that if we take just one cookie it wont hurt and besides who would know? If we cheat just this once, no one has to know.

How do we deal with temptation? Well we should firstly try and avoid being tempted. In the situation with the cookies, perhaps leaving the room and doing something to take your mind off them. With the test, we should have studied. But more importantly always pray and ask Jesus to help you do what is good and right.

The Christmas Story - The Magi travel to Jerusalem

2006-12-31T08:17:00.000-05:00

There were people who would study the stars n order to find out what was going to happen in the future. One of the names given to these people was Magi.

Three of these Magi were looking at the skies when they saw a new star and realized that it was a sign that a new King had been born to the Jews.

They set out from their country in search of the new King, they traveled with their servants and camels and the gifts that they were bringing to the baby. The trip was dangerous but they knew that the star was a sign of the birth of a very important King.

The Magi arrived in Jerusalem. They looked for information about the King. They asked many people about the King because they wanted to do him homage. No one they asked seemed to know anything about a newborn King.

Soon news of the birth of a new King and the Magi reached Herod. Herod was a very bad man and killed many people because he had thought they anted to be king. He became frightened when he heard about a newborn king.

So King Herod called the chief priests and the scribes and asked them about the promised Messiah. He wanted to know where this Messiah as to be born.

They told him that the prophets had spoken about how the Messiah would be born in the city of Bethlehem, the city of David.

King Herod called for the Magi to talk to them in secret. He asked them when they had first seen the new star and the other signs. When they had answered al his questions he sent them away. He told them to go to Bethlehem so that they could find the child. When they had found the child they were to send word to him so that he could go and do homage to the child.

However King Herod really wanted to kill the child.

The Christmas Story - The Presentation

2006-12-27T07:53:00.000-05:00

When the baby was eight days old, he was circumcised, and he was named Jesus. This name had been given by the angel before the baby began to grow inside Mary.

Then when it came time for Mary to be purified they went up to the Temple in Jerusalem. Joseph and Mary brought the two turtle doves as an offering to the Lord. This was the offering that was to be made by people who were too poor to make a larger offering.

There was an old man named Simeon in the Temple. The Holy Spirit had promised him that he would not die until he had seen the promised Messiah. As soon as Simeon saw Jesus he knew that he was the promised Messiah.

Simeon thanked God for keeping His promise. He told Mary that Jesus would be the reason for joy for many in Israel but many would reject him and that a sword would pierce her heart.

There was also an old woman worshipping in the Temple that day. Anna came forward and gave thanks to God for the child. She told everyone in Jerusalem about Him.

The Christmas Story - The shepherds go to worship the baby

2006-12-24T05:23:00.000-05:00

The shepherds went quickly to Bethlehem to see the things the angel had spoken of. When they arrived they found everything just as the angel had said.

There before them was the baby wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger. Then they told Mary and Joseph what the angels had said about this child.

They were amazed when they heard what the shepherds said to them.

Mary hid these things in her heart; she continued to think about them.

Then the shepherds went back to their flock, praising God and thanking him for everything that they had seen and heard. It was just as the angel had told them. They praised Go for revealing these great things to them.

The Christmas Story - The angels appear to the shepherds

2006-12-24T05:21:00.000-05:00

That night, some shepherds were in the fields nearby watching their sheep. Shepherds in those days were not very nice people. People did not trust them and were afraid of them. This is why the shepherds usually lived outside the cities.

Yet they were the first people to whom the new of Jesus’ birth was announced.

An angel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord was shining around them, and suddenly they became very frightened.

The angel said to them, "Don't be afraid, because I am bringing you some good news. It will be a joy to all the people. Today your Savior was born in David's town. He is Christ, the Lord. This is how you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly there was a great number of angels singing and praising the Lord saying “ Glory to God in the highestand on earth peace and goodwill to all people.”

The angels then vanished.

The Christmas Story - Jesus is Born

2006-12-24T05:20:00.000-05:00

Joseph took Mary to the stable. They took some clean straw and made a bed. They made themselves as comfortable as possible, it was no their home but the great love and goodness that Joseph and Mary had was enough for them.

Mary’s time came and she gave birth to a son whom they would name Jesus, which means that Yahweh saves. This fulfilled all that the angel Gabriel had said to Mary.

Mary wrapped the baby in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, a box where animals are fed. They put fresh hay in the manger and used it as a crib for baby Jesus.

This was not the way the people believed the Messiah would be born. They expected their king to be born in a palace and not in a stable.

Joseph gathered the animals and brought them close around Mary and baby Jesus so that they could provide some warmth during the night. It seemed as if the animals realized what was happening and were praising God.

The Christmas Story - Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem

2006-12-20T02:33:00.000-05:00

At this time, Augustus Caesar sent an order to all people in the countries that were under Roman rule. The order said that they must list their names in a register so that he could know how much each person should pay him in taxes. Every man had to go back to the city of his birth with his whole family and register there.

So Joseph left Nazareth, a town in Gaililee. He went to to the town of Bethlehem in Judea. This town was known as the town of David. Joseph went there because he was from the family of David. Mary was in her ninth month and it was a very difficult trip for her.

No room at the Inn

While Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem, the time came for her to have the baby. There were so many people traveling that there was no room for them in any of the Inn’s. They went from house to house but no one had a place for them to stay.

One family took pity on them. There was no room for Joseph or Mary in their house but they told them that they could stay in their stable. The stable was a cave where their animals would stay when the weather was cold. At least Joseph and Mary would be warm there.

The Christmas Story - Mary visits Elizabeth

2006-12-12T23:43:00.000-05:00

Mary realized that her cousin Elizabeth being very old would have needed her help being pregnant herself. Mary traveled in haste to the hilly country of Judea to be with Elizabeth.

As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s voice she knew that something very special had happened. The baby in her womb jumped for joy and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Elizabeth greeted Mary saying “ Most blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. How is it that the mother of my Lord would come to visit me?” Elizabeth felt unworthy of such a great honor.

Mary was filled with joy over all that had happened and she answered Elizabeth by singing a song of praise to the Lord.

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for He has looked with favor on His lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed. The Almighty has done great things for me and holy is His name. He has mercy on those who fear Him in every generation.

He has shown the strength of His arm, He has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of Israel His servant for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise He made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever."

Mary stayed with her cousin Elizabeth for three months. Elizabeth gave birth to a fine baby boy. The baby boy was taken to be circumcised on the eighth day after birth. When the elders asked Elizabeth and Zachariah what name the child was to be given. Elizabeth said “John.” This confused them as the child would normally be named after the father or grandfather.

They then asked Zachariah who had not been able to speak since the angel had spoken to him and told him about the future birth of his son. Zachariah took a tablet and wrote the name ‘John’ on the tablet. At that moment he was healed and could speak again. He praised God for all the wonders He had done.

The Christmas Story - The Annunciation

2006-12-09T04:15:00.000-05:00

Many years after Isaiah saw the vision concerning the coming king. . . . . . . .

God sent the angel Gabriel to a virgin who lived in Nazareth, a town in Galilee. She was engaged to marry a man named Joseph from the family of David. Her name was Mary. The angel came to her and said, "Greetings! The Lord has blessed you and is with you."

But Mary was confused by what the angel said. Mary wondered, "What does this mean?"

The angel said to her, "Don't be afraid, Mary, because God is pleased with you. Listen! You will become pregnant. You will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and people will call him the Son of the Most High. The Lord God, will give him the throne of King David, his ancestor. He will rule over the people of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end."

Mary said to the angel, "How will this happen? I am a virgin!"

The angel said to Mary, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you. The baby will be holy. He will be called the Son of God. The angel told her that her cousin Elizabeth was pregnant even though she was very old, for nothing is impossible with God.

Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant girl of the Lord. Let this happen to me as you say!" Then the angel went away."

All of this happened to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah many, many years earlier.

By saying yes to the Lord’s call, Mary was putting herself in great danger. She was engaged to Joseph and he could have accused her of being unfaithful. He could have even put had her put to death. Mary put all her trust in God.

Joseph was a very good man and he decided he would not have Mary punished in public. He would send her quietly away.

An angel of God visited Joseph in a dream that night and explained that Mary had not been unfaithful. She was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. So Joseph took Mary to his home and cared for her.

The Christmas Story- The Birth of Jesus is Foretold

2006-12-05T22:13:00.000-05:00

The Birth of Jesus is Foretold

"Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever." Isaiah 9: 6,7

A long, long, time before Jesus was born, the Lord told a man named Isaiah that a future king was coming. The Lord told Isaiah that a virgin would conceive this child and that He would be called, "The Mighty God." God also told Isaiah that this coming king's kingdom would have NO end.

The people eagerly awaited the birth of the promised one, the Messiah. They expected him to be a great king and powerful warrior. God however had a different plan. The Messiah would be born poor and simple and would conquer evil not with armies but with the greatness of His LOVE.

Christmas Symbols

2006-12-04T21:10:00.000-05:00

The Advent Wreath

Customarily the Advent Wreath is made of a circle of evergreen branches into which are inserted four candles. Three of the candles are violet and the fourth is rose.

The rose candle is lit the third Sunday of Advent, for this color anticipates and symbolizes the Christmas joy announced in the first word of the Entrance Antiphon: "Rejoice”.

The Advent Wreath represents the long time when people lived in spiritual darkness, waiting for the coming of the Messiah, the Light of the world. Each year in Advent people wait once again in darkness for the coming of the Lord, His historical coming in the mystery of Bethlehem, His final coming at the end of time, and His special coming in every moment of grace.

During Advent, family and friends can gather around the Advent Wreath lighting the appropriate candle(s), read from the daily Advent meditation and sing songs.

Manger/ Nativity Scene

The tradition of having a nativity scene or "crèche" was made popular by St. Francis of Assisi. It is a reproduction of the cave in Bethlehem with Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus in a manger, shepherds, angels, and animals.

Each night during Advent, children are encouraged to place in the manger one piece of straw for each good deed done that day by a family member. This Advent tradition combines the spirit of conversion and the coming of Jesus.

The Jesse Tree

During Advent, biblical persons representing the ancestors of Jesus, either in faith or bloodline, are gradually added onto a tree or branch, named after the father of David. They include Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Jesse, David, Solomon, Joseph and Mary.

The Season of Advent

2006-12-01T23:43:00.000-05:00

The word Advent means the “coming" and is associated with the four weeks of preparation leading up to Christmas. Advent always has four Sundays. It is a time of preparation for the Second and Final Coming of the Lord, and a joyful theme of getting ready for the Bethlehem event.

Advent is the beginning of the Church year. This does not mean that Advent is the most important time of the year. Easter has always had this honor.

The traditional color of Advent is purple or violet which symbolizes the penitential spirit.

Behold I stand at the door and knock...

2006-09-09T22:45:00.000-04:00

Jesus said...

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in..."
Revelations 3:20

The above picture is very famous. It shows Jesus knocking on the door of a house and saying, "Behold I knock".

When the artist had completed this painting he brought his young son in to see it. He gazed intently for a while at the new picture and then shook his head.

"It's great - but there's one mistake. You've forgotten something".

His father frowned. "What have I forgotten?"

"You've forgotten to put a latch on the door! Nobody could get in!" his son exclaimed.

"Oh no", replied his father quietly, "There's a latch on the door but it's on the inside".

It was the artist's way of showing that only you and I can open the door to HIM.

When Jesus knocks at your door will you let Him in?

Fruits of the Spirit- Self Control

2006-08-23T22:08:00.000-04:00

The Bible tells us:

"He wants all of you to learn to control your own bodies.
You must live in a way that is holy.
You must live with honor."

1 Thessalonians 4: 4

God is a Holy God. Perfect in every way. Jesus is God's perfect Son. God tells us in His Word, He wants us to grow up to be like Jesus. God gives us a choice about what we will do and how we will do it. It is not always easy to choose to do what is right. Sometimes we make choices that are wrong. Wrong choices hurt us and others, and God.

When I learned how to roller skate I had to learn how to balance so I would not fall down. I fell down many many times. Then I had to learn how to actually skate and how to stop. I had to control how fast I would go. When I chose to go to fast I would have some bad falls. It took a lot of practice but I learned how to balance and how to stop and control how fast I would go.

The fruit of self control and is a very important one, it means to be in control of what we say and do. Without self control we can't do the things we should. To be able to live the way God wants we have to be in control of the things we do. Just like when a brother or sister bugs you so much you just want to hit them, we know that we have to control ourselves and not hit them. We know we just can't do whatever we feel like sometimes because it’s not right and we would be punished.

We all choose to do wrong things. The Bible says, "Everyone has sinned. No one measures up to God's glory." Romans 3:23 This is why we need Jesus and He gave us the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

When Jesus lives in our hearts, He causes us to want to do what is best for us and others. Every time we practice doing what is right, we are learning how to use self control. The Holy Spirit will help us to do what is right. When we hear Him and obey what He says, we are using self control. We must remember to pray and ask God and His Holy Spirit to help us use this fruit.

Fruits of the Spirit- Faithfulness

2006-08-17T22:51:00.000-04:00

The Bible tells us:

"So I want you to realize that the LORD your God is God.
He is the faithful God. He keeps His covenant for all time to come. He keeps it with those who love Him and obey His commands. He shows them His love."

Deuteronomy 7: 9

God is Faithful. Faithfulness is a part of God's character. Because He loves us, we know He will always be with us. He gives us strength and helps us when we are in trouble. He is faithful to bring joy and peace to our hearts. He loves you no matter who you are or what you have done.

God is faithful. What He says, He will do!
"The One who has chosen you is faithful.
He will do all these things."

1Thessalonians 5:24

Jesus was faithful to do what His Father asked Him to do. Because He was faithful, we know God. We can pray to God and call Jesus our friend. When we know God this way, there is another gift He gives to us, Faithfulness. We can use the fruit of faithfulness to help our family and friends. We can also use this gift to be faithful to God and tell others about His great love.

A friend who can be trusted is a faithful friend. If a friend always does what he says he will do, he or she is a faithful friend. Being faithful is keeping our promises, being a loyal friend even when times get tough, being trustworthy and doing the things we said we would do. We all count on God to do what He says he will do. We can trust God. We must not forget that God wants to count on us too!

Fruits of the Spirit- Gentleness

2006-08-14T23:04:00.000-04:00

The Bible tells us:

"Become my servants and learn from me.
I am gentle and free of pride.
You will find rest for your souls."

Matthew 11:29

When you need help, where does your help come from? Do your Parents help you? Or perhaps a friend? God can also bring your help from people who do not know you. He can speak to their hearts about your problem. Those who hear Him will act with the Fruit of His Spirit called, gentleness. They help because they love God and want you to know He has sent them to help you.

We all want others to show us gentleness and mercy. God wants to give this same gift to all of us. If we receive it, we can share it with others. If we act as Jesus would act, others will know their help comes from God. They will want to know our wonderful God. When I think of gentleness I think of holding a brand new baby. For some reason we think we might break the baby if we don't hold them very carefully. The kind of gentleness God is talking about is similar to this. No matter what situation comes up we are supposed to be gentle. That doesn't mean we shouldn't stick up for ourselves, if someone is doing something you know is wrong you should still tell an adult or tell them to stop. Just do it in a gentle way like Jesus would do it.

Jesus wanted to help those who were hurting. He was gentle to everyone. He is still giving mercy to all of us. He provides our help from others who know Him. When we use gentleness and mercy, Jesus does not want us to be proud of ourselves or what we have done. He wants us to tell them God sent us. When we do that, they will want to know Him too! God will bring us a restful heart as we help others. We need to serve others because we love Him. Ask God to show you how to use this very special gift.

Fruits of the Spirit- Goodness & Kindness

2006-08-11T08:20:00.000-04:00

The Bible tells us:

"Poor people have come to you for safety.
You have kept needy people safe
when they were in trouble..."

Isaiah 25:4

What is kindness? Is it doing something nice for our parents or friends? Kindness is when someone is nice, kind and respectful and they use polite manners. It is not always easy to be kind to someone who has been mean to us. When God gives us this gift, it’s more than just being kind to others. He might help us be kind to someone who really needs it and we're not even aware of it. For example, maybe you feel like you should write a letter or call a grandparent. God might be urging us to do that because they are having a bad day and that's exactly what they need to cheer them up. Sometimes our kind deeds to someone else are all they need to remember that someone special loves them.

Our homes are our shelters. Your parents feed you each day. There are people in our world who are not safe. God wants us to be good and kind to everyone. He will fill our hearts with joy as we help people.

God teaches us how to grow up with goodness and kindness in your heart. Goodness and kindness are fruits of His Spirit. God shows us the needs of others. He wants us to help His children be safe. We can speak a kind word or do a good deed. We can also pray for the needs of others. Jesus was kind to many people. He fed them and made them well.

Having the gift of goodness means God can depend on us to be honest, repent of our sins, and turn away from bad things. We also need to try to act this way towards others through our actions so they can see the fruit in us. The only true goodness we have is the goodness of God living in us.

Remember to be kind to everyone, even the homeless. Treat them with love and respect and you will be showing all that you have the fruit of kindness from God. We should also share our possessions with those that have less than us without wanting anything in return. Remember to thank God when someone treats you with a good and kind heart.

God cares for us. It is because of His goodness and kindness we are safe and well. When we are in trouble, it is God who sends our help. We can do as Jesus would do, if we use our gift of goodness and kindness to help others. When God gives us a way to help others, that is what we must do. He will bless us and them too!

Fruits of the Spirit- Patience

2006-08-07T08:30:00.000-04:00

The Bible tells us:

"A mans wisdom makes him patient.
He will be honored if he forgives someone
who sins against him."

Proverbs 19:11

Have you ever been told to have patience?

The patience God is talking about is for those little things like waiting to open your Christmas presents or being patient to go to the park. But it also means to be patient for answers to prayer that might take years to be answered.

When you play a game you do not understand or you are not big enough to play, it can make you upset with yourself and others. It is important to know the rules and purpose of the game. You need to watch and make sure it is fair and everyone knows how to play. Are you patient when someone else is unhappy? God wants us to choose not to get angry or upset with ourselves and others when things are not going our way. We should think about the feelings of others in the way we treat them.

We are not all the same. God has given everyone talents. Our talents may be different from that of our very best friends. Jesus knew we would need to have patience with ourselves and each other. We learn to use the Fruit of the Spirit called patience with practice. We can choose not to get upset because God gave us this wonderful gift of Holy Spirit.

We don't always understand why God says no to our prayers. What we are praying for may not be good for us or maybe we just don’t get an answer to our prayers. We also might not want to wait on God to do something. He wants us to trust Him and use patience with Him too! We need to trust that we will grow. He will give us talents and help us to use them. He wants us to use patience as we love Jesus, others and yes, even ourselves, with His special love.

Fruits of the Spirit-Peace

2006-08-01T19:44:00.000-04:00

The Bible tells us:

"May the God who gives hope fill you with great joy.
May you have perfect peace as you trust in him.
May the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope."

Romans 15:13

When we think of peace, we usually think of a place of rest. Having a wonderful place to rest can bring a peaceful feeling to our mind and body. Is your room your place of rest? Or maybe it is the garden outside? God wants your heart and Spirit to have a place to rest. You can have the peace that comes from God. It is a resting place for your Spirit. Your heart can be quiet and still and you can know that God will take care of you.

"Be still and know that I am God...." Psalms 46:10

God knew we could not have perfect peace without Him. He wants us to know the kind of peace only He can give to us. When we know Jesus, by reading the Bible, praying etc, our hope in God is real. It gives us power to trust Him, all the time. God is pleased when we trust Him. Trusting God is called faith. Tell your friends about Jesus and the gift of perfect peace. God will bring rest to their hearts too!

What a wonderful gift it is, to have peace in our hearts. When you are resting and saying your prayers, remember to thank God for His gift of peace!

Fruits of the Spirit- Joy

2006-07-24T10:02:00.000-04:00

The Bible tells us:

"...I am joyful with all of you.
So you too should be glad and joyful with me."

Philippians 2:17-18

Joy is like being very, very happy, it's being happy inside even when things aren't going great. We can try to be joyful but only God can give us the kind of happiness that makes us joyful, we can't just be joyful on our own.

One way God brings us joy is by giving us blessings. It is great fun to share your blessings with others. Listening to them share what God has done for them is another way God will bring you joy. Think of some of your blessings. Praise God for His goodness to you and those around you. Think about ways that we can share our blessings with others.

We don't need to be unhappy or sad. God gave us His Joy in the fruits of the Spirit. When we think about good things and see all the good that God has done, it will bring great joy into our hearts. When you feel sad, remember God's gift of Joy. Think about your blessings and share your blessings with others!

God gives us our blessings. He wants us to share with others how happy we are for our blessings. When we remember the good things that God has done, it will remind us to be thankful. When we share our gift of Joy with others, they will learn to know that God is so good!

Fruits of the Spirit- Love

2006-07-20T22:23:00.000-04:00

The Bible tells us:

"The three most important things to have are
faith, hope and love. But the greatest of them is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13

Why do we love people? Do we love them because they are important people? Or because they are pretty? Maybe you love someone because their skin is the same color as yours? Do you love others because they like you, and do everything the way you want them to? Should you love them because they believe or think just like you?

There are different kinds of love. We love our parents, family, friends and our pets. All are good when you use them the way God tells you to. God's love is very special. It is not conditional. God does not love us "if we" do certain things, He just LOVES us. Imagine He loves us more than our parents love us! He loves us clean, dirty, special, not so special, big, small, good or bad! This does not mean that loves the bad things that we do. That would not be God! He hates sin because He knows it will hurt us!

God wants us to love other people the way He loves them. He wants us to care for people who are hurting, sick, poor and even those who do not know Him the way we do. He wants us to show His love to others, just the way Jesus would. When we pray for others to be blessed by God, we show Him that we love them with His love.

Do you know how important you are? What you look like does not matter to us. We love you, just because YOU are important to God, and He loves YOU! We love you so much that telling you about God and His great love is very important to us. We want you to know God in a real and personal way.

We pray that you are well and safe. We pray that the eyes and ears to your heart can hear God and see His ways. We pray that your hearts will know Him. We ask God to bless you with His saving grace. We want you to live with all the Fruits of His Holy Spirit in your life.

The Fruits of the Spirit

2006-07-16T20:27:00.000-04:00

Do you like fruit? What is your favorite fruit? All fruit is different. They all taste different, look different and feel different in our mouths, sometimes fruit is crunchy, sometimes soft, sometimes juicy, etc.

The Bible talks about fruit but it’s a different kind of fruit, it's called the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is a little like real fruit because they are each special and different too.

It's really neat because when we ask Jesus to live in us His Spirit stays with us and He will give us some of this special fruit. As we grow and learn more about Jesus, the Spirit will give us more and more fruit and we become more Christ-like.

The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. All of these fruits are good to have and the Spirit wants to give them to us.

God wants us to try to be good and have the fruit of the spirit in us. We can try to have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control but the Spirit will give us the kind of gifts He wants us to have. It's hard to do it on our own, we need the Spirit to help us with each of these things.

Just remember that with all these fruits we need help from God to be able to use them properly. We need to remember that God made us and He is perfect. If you want the fruits of the spirit first you need to ask God to live in you, and then the more you get to know Him the more fruit or gifts He will help you have.

The Holy Spirit Helps Us To Love

2006-07-09T05:17:00.000-04:00

We need the help of the Holy Spirit so that we can not only love our family and friends but to love even those who are unkind to us.

It is sometimes very hard to love nasty people this is where the Holy Spirit can help us if we pray for that help. When we pray to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to help us, we must then act as if that prayer had been answered.

The Holy Spirit is also the Spirit of Divine Love, He is One with the Father and the Son and helps us to love God better.

When we pray we must never forget the Holy Spirit for He is very powerful and can speak for us to our Heavenly Father when we don't know what to say to our Heavenly Father.

In order to love we need the help of the Holy Spirit as the Holy Spirit is also gentle and He loves each of us as does God the Father and God the Son.

Always praise the Holy Spirit for this makes Him very happy.