W.I.S.E. Bible Study

 Each day starts with this: “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Colossians 3:13. Forgiveness goes a long way; it is one of the essentials to relationships. My school year is coming to a close as next week is half days of finals and graduation. New beginnings for a lot of students and some staff. No matter what a person does or where a person goes, learning to bear with each other and forgive is the soil of growth. Being honest enough to communicate a grievance is fertilizer to a relationship and helps it to maintain its pH balance. I don’t think a person can truly heal without forgiveness. Sometimes the biggest culprit is ourselves. Learning to forgive ourselves, love ourselves, and be kind to ourselves is a habit that helps us to be compassionate to others. Today, bear with each other and if forgiveness is needed, mend the fences on the path…

Driving in to work, I was graced with seeing turkeys and having an eagle fly with me. I was thinking about how to act and live as a daughter of God. The school year is almost over. Friday is last day of classes, and next week four half days for testing. For me, it is important to not have the “checked out” attitude. Each day I must remember Ephesians 4:2-3 “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Peace is an intentional action each day. It requires commitment and knowing that being humble and gentle, patient and bearing each others day requires some self sacrifice. Peace is not easy, but can be obtained, yet each of us needs to do our part. Today, recommit yourself to peace, live for peace through humbleness, being gentle and patient. Know that there is no I in peace, no, it requires that we walk in each other’s shoes bearing bearing each others worries, anxieties, strug...

This weekend was busy. The family celebrated my dad’s 85 th birthday. Of course, Sunday was Mother’s Day. This morning I was thinking about how the busyness of life can engulf a person and they forget about time with God. The apostles knew that at some point Jesus would be going to the Father. They knew they would be left on their own. Yet Jesus states he only goes so the advocate can do His work. Jesus knows how life unfolds and how easy it is to be sucked into worldly things. Jesus talks to his apostles reassuring them of the advocate. He ends with “I have told you this so that you may not fall away.” (John 16:1) Today’s readings are a reminder to include the Holy Spirit in your life, so that the world does not become our focus, our worries, our goal. Hear is a Holy Spirit prayer from St. Augustine: Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, That my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, That my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, That I love but what is holy. Stre...

  The Priest at mass today mentioned how the 4 th commandment is the key pin between the first three commandments that talk about God and the rest that talk about loving actions towards each other. Honor thy father and mother is key because to love, we must know love. We are not talking about hallmark love, that butterfly feeling, but the deep commitment of love, no matter what. There is love of parents who love unconditionally, no matter how difficult raising their child is. I have been blessed with a family easy to love. But that doesn’t mean there aren't difficult times. I will always love my family; I might not like their actions at times, but true love is seeing the best in them, believing in them, and fighting for them. I stand by them through prayers and listening. Today, update your definition of love to include Colossians 3:14: “and over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Note, it didn’t say harmony, but unity. Stand by your lo...

 As we awake, get ready to face our day, pause. For it is through the Lord that you lie down and sleep and through the Lord that you awake. Psalm 23:2 states: He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters. The Lord provides opportunities for physical and spiritual rest. I am a restless sleeper, yet I know that I must sleep. In the morning, I pause and thank the Lord, no matter how bad the sleep I received for being given another day. I usually have lots of agenda items, most likely the reason for my lack of solid sleep, but I know I must pause. My routine is disrupted on vacations and summer, for every morning I listen to mass on the way to work and pray a rosary. Yet I know even if I am not driving, I can still place these prayerful moments (moments of rest beside quiet waters) in my routine. Hence, the pause on a Saturday morning, my rest isn’t complete without prayer time and a conversation with God. Carve out your pause time and sit beside quiet waters...

I’ve been thinking a lot about how life changes. When I grew up, we had big gardens, my mom sewed, knit our sweaters, and canned food. These are things I have done. Yet I have realized that the reason she did those things does not bind me to them. I have horrible allergies. I tried the shots, yet at 1 part per billion they were still poking me with an epi. I think about expanding my gardening efforts and then I realize that it probably would not be in my best interest to be amongst the weeds and pollen. Letting go of activities is hard, but I also have different interests and things I want to do. I want to learn to play the cello, for one. Maybe I’ll get my pilot’s license, who knows. No matter what I do, I carry Isaiah 41:10 with me. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Yes God is with us. Sift through your activities and days, and make sure they align with God’s ...