W.I.S.E. Bible Study

  Jeremiah 33:6:   Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. There is reassurance in today’s scripture verse that if you are tired , weary or in need of a hug God is with us. Each day is a new beginning and I think it should be started with hope , healing and joy. Love. Today start with knowing there is healing , there is hope and one can find joy among the trails and tribulations on the path…

  Hometowns. I decided to start my research on Mary of Mandala with her hometown. I think you can know a lot about a person from knowing their hometown. For me, I grew up in the country. Now I consider it the suburbs. However, growing up, we had our own sand lot. There were plenty of open spaces, a pond that flooded and our own kraut festival. Mary gre up in a fishing village. Fish markets and docks brought in the businesses of a robust fishing village. John 20:11 states “but Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept , she bent over into the tomb.” Deep love that perhaps started with a fishing village that everyone knew everyone and welcomed visitors. What, from your hometown has shaped you? Today remember your roots, looking for the good that can help you to look inside the tomb of Jesus and know he has risen on the path….

 My Church History students watched the movie "Pope Francis: A Man of His Word." After the discussion, I had them make posters on what they would like to see in a new pope. Our youth would like to see a post continue to stay active, humble, honest, trusting, reliable, live out his teachings, a leader, kind, lives simply, is frugal, open minded, not afraid to speak out when needed, serious about the teachings of the church but able to show his human side that he can make mistakes, wise, inclusive, pure, and BRAVE. Those are just some of the qualities they listed. I hope you noticed that they didn't list issues. Instead, they listed characteristics that would help a Pope navigate any issue or event that would arise. Today, think about what you would like to see in a new Pope and pray for the next leader, even if you aren't Catholic. This spiritual leader helps shape the world and individuals, so prayers for the next one are important. I know I will be praying on the pat...

  "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind." Romans 12:2 The Mind. I think that one great thing about this world today is our consciousness about our mental health. Our interior wellbeing. For centuries we have saints that have guided people to look inward in order to be all God has created them to be- outward. Scripture tells us not to be conformed to this world. Why? I think there are goals, “buy-ins” that we are always being tempted with. However, our mind is a beautiful thing, and we must guard it. What do we listen to? What do we watch? What do we hold as a standard? All these things get reflected in our mind/heart. Even though the Octave of Easter is upon us, we can continue looking inside our minds and find what is influencing us. What do we perhaps need to get rid of because of it is of this world? Today on the path, charish moments, cherish those you meet and only put in your mind those things of Christ on the path….

  Joshua 1:9 - "Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."   Daily. Every day is an adventure. We do not know what the light will bring. Today’s scripture verse reminds us that God does walk with us—the Trinitarian God. The Holy Spirit will guide us, Jesus will remind us, and God, God’s loving arms will wrap around us, hugging us and supporting us. Take the “we” along today. We can do this. We will see amazing things. We will face everything together on the path….

  Ezekiel 1:12 - "And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went."   Moving forward. Sometimes, I overthink things. Yep, I have to turn something over and over before moving forward. Sometimes, this can paralyze a person. Today’s scripture quote reminds one that we must follow the spirit and move forward, but when we do, we are not to turn around. As you know, I am a nature person. Have my Earth Day t-shirt on today. Happy Earth Day! As I drove to work, a coyote ran across the road. “A coyote represents a balance between wisdom and foolishness, teaching us to embrace change and unpredictability in life.” They are tricksters and remind us also to laugh at ourselves and not be so serious. Hopefully, today, as the Holy Spirit guides, the path will be straightforward. There will be no turning back on the path….

Mercy “  The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”  Psalm 145:9 (NIV)   Pope Francis was a man of mercy. His life, his Pontificate, were all ways he lived out mercy. He chose to live with the poor, not in a Vatican apartment. He called a synod that included the voice of women. He hired women for roles at the Vatican. He was going to do a pilgrimage with the LGBTQ community. He lived out mercy because he knew that all that God made was good and deserved compassion. John Paul II said to go be scripture scholars, so I did. Pope Francis has led by mercy, and it is up to us to continue the path he his light. A path of mercy and compassion. Today, walk humbly, walk with mercy, be filled with compassion, be a good Samaritan on the path…   Jesus, you said to feed my lambs if I love you I love you, and know all children are your lambs to feed with food, with kindness, with you Jesus, you said if I love you, to take care of my shee...

  John 20:18 – “Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.”   Mary Magdalene.   I mark Easter as my new year. Yes, I know the church marks Advent. However, after fasting and feasting during Lent, I feel I am born anew on Easter, along with Jesus’ resurrection. This year, my focus will be on Mary Magdalene, as I plan on researching her. There are a lot of misconceptions about her. I know Jesus picked her to appear first to for a reason. Today, the Lord also speaks to you. He wants to be a part of your life, speaking to you. Why? Jesus knows human life can be difficult. He knows, sharing joys and blessings is even more rewarding when sharing them with others. So, he walks with us, as does the Holy Spirit. Today, embrace your companions, rejoicing on the path…  

  Stations of the Cross. Yesterday, the students at STM led us around the school as we prayed and reflected on the Stations of the Cross. I was thankful that I had their young spirits walk with me as we met Jesus along the way. Sometimes we forget to allow students to lead. A student the other day said to me, “I got you.” I have to remember they do. They did yesterday as we walked the last journey of Christ together. Some may have been nervous, soft spoken, but they did step up to the plate. I was surprised at how many students walked the journey and overjoyed that they had connected to our Campus Minister. Today, my thought on the Stations of the Cross is this: it is good to walk it with others. We are strong together, and I believe Christ wants us to walk together, share his journey together on the path….

  “ I n my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.” John 14:2-3 Heaven. Yes I believe in an afterlife. Scripture tells me of it. My creed “I believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.” I will join my loved ones. Hell is the absence of God, is a persons choice to go it alone. It is because of this I take to heart this Holy Week. For through his life, death and resurrection I will follow and as Jesus says to the criminal “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” As we walk this Holy Week, each step take time to surrender your burdens, sins, your life and be one with Christ on the path…

 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”  One of the hardest things to do is to start something new. Turn the page. Sometimes we look back and long for those days of old. Sometimes we begin to doubt we made the right decision. However we must remember new beginnings is like forging a path in the wilderness. It isn’t easy. But the journey is something that helps us to become a better person. We begin to see God walking with us as we blaze new trails. This Holy Week what is something you need to let go on in order to walk the wilderness and wasteland to where God needs you to be? Fear not, turn the page and rejoice in new beginnings on the path…

  Take a Pause. Today’s reading shows Mary using costly perfumed oil to anoint Jesus' feet. Jesus washes the feet of his disciples. Mary anoints with oil, the Lord's feet. Jesus uses a towel to wipe his disciple's feet, and Mary uses her hair. I find the parallel worth mentioning. Mary shows through her action that she not only will serve the Lord but also provide what is needed to heal and anoint. She also uses her glory to serve the Lord. All that she has, she gives to Jesus. Mary shows us today that we need to take a pause and ask ourselves if we are “all in” when it comes to serving Jesus. Like Mary, what is it that you need to surrender to Jesus today on the path….

 Today, Jesus enters into his road of death and resurrection. Sit along the path today, raise your voice, "Hosanna in the highest!" He may have come as a low-class citizen. He may have come walking the path in sandals and eating what he could. He may have come healing, preaching, and angering the government....but he came, and he did and he will continue to be heard in our raised voices: "Hosanna in the highest!" "The poor shall be taken care of; the marginalized will be heard!" "Hosanna in the highest" on the path....

  Stones. Today, I went walking at a state park. I decided to wear my hiking sandals since the temperature was hitting almost 60 degrees. Of course, within minutes, I pick up a stone in my sandal. It made me think about the stones we pick up on the path that are so uncomfortable. At first, I was going to try to keep walking as the stone was small. I quickly realized that I could not have an enjoyable walk with a stone in my shoe. How many of us have picked up stones during our walk of life? Sometimes, we take the time to remove the stones, and sometimes we keep the stones, trying to ignore how uncomfortable they make us feel. Stones remind us that we need to do something. We need to remove them. Luke 19:40 states: “He answered, 'I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.” Stones shout out for us to do something. What are the stones in your shoes today? Is there something you need to remove as you continue with Christ on the path…

“ Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials,   for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” James 1:2-3 Trails. What is a trail? Something we go through that we are comfortable with? Perhaps, something we dislike doing? Maybe being sick, injured, or at a place that makes you want to cry to be there? Those all can be trials. The thing about a trial is that we don’t want to be in one, go through one, or encounter one. Have you ever heard that if Jesus went through His suffering and died on the cross for you, you can endure a little discomfort? “Muscle through.” Yet, what does perseverance mean? I think for me, it means that as I go through a trial, I learn and use lessons from the encounter of difficulties to become stronger. Rachel Patten’s Fight Song plays in my head: “This is my fight song; take back my life song; prove I’m right song…I still got a lot of fight left in me…” Perseverance. Strength is drawn from the God that is wal...

James 1:22 (NIV) “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Batter Up! Faith is a verb. It is not a spectator sport. We listen to the word or others, but it doesn’t become part of us and reflected in our lives. Faith is participatory. We must have time to listen and time for action. Today, I am thinking about ways that I must act. I ask myself if I have only heard God’s words but haven’t taken that step to make them a part of my life. What is God calling me to act on? You are “batter up” today. Will you mount the plate, stand in the batter box, and play the game? God isn’t saying you have to hit it out of the park. God doesn’t care if you strike out; he’ll help you with that. God is saying, “You’re up!” Are you ready to play on the path….  

  Revelation 3:15-16 “I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”   Hot or Cold. It is hard to believe we are well underway in our Lenten journey and April. As Holy Week approaches, I think of the passage found in Revelation. I ask myself if I am hot/cold or lukewarm. Something I feel I need to be firm on as I go into Holy Week. Hopefully, my fasting/feasting will have helped me to be hot/cold. The following is a quote explaining the passage. It helps one understand the true meaning of hot/cold/lukewarm. Bill Pratt states:  “So, for Jesus, hot and cold were  both  genuinely  good  conditions, and only lukewarm was a  bad  condition. In other words, in these verses hot and cold are used as synonyms to refer to strong, passionate, remarkable faith. Lukewarm refers to  unremarkable faith .”( ...

  Psalm 102:2-3 LORD, hear my prayer; let my cry come to you. Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly.”   Look up. Today, as I listened to the daily mass, the homilist's key phrase was to “look up.” Sometimes, when we are in distress, we cry out to God to help us, but then we try to fix it. We think we know what is best. However, the homilist says to look up at the cross and have faith.   I have focused on the Psalm of the day because I think many of us have prayed this as a prayer of our own, asking for God’s help. As I listened to the homilist, I realized how many times I pray for God’s help but then try to fix things myself. I ask, but do not really believe, or I am impatient and try to do things my way. The first reading today has Moses in the desert. The people are tired of manna and demand something different. God sends snakes to bite them, and some die. Moses pleads, so God has Moses fix a po...

  John 8:12 “Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Light As I mentioned before, now driving into work, the sky is becoming brighter with the morning sun. As I come out of the winter months of driving into work in darkness, the light is a welcome sight. What does walk in the light mean? How is Jesus the light of the world? Jesus is the light of the world because of all that he did. Jesus lit the path with forgiveness, kindness, and compassion. In his period in history, the Romans were an army to reckon with. For many, it felt like dark times. Taxes and oppression were the norm. Jesus showed them that even though they may have been treated poorly, God still loved them and was walking with them, amongst them, and would come to their aid. Jesus’ message was also for the marginalized. He was for all people who would step into his light. For me, walking in light means walking with...

  Joel 2:21 says, “Do not fear, O land! delight and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things!”   Grateful. Sunday is a great time to sit back with a cup of coffee or tea and create a thankful list. Life has a way of throwing curveballs. You're ready to do something, and you strike out. Perhaps you have been waiting in the dugout, wondering when your time at bat will be. Yes, I’m using baseball analogies. Baseball marks the hope of summer. Summer is something to be thankful for. In trying times, I find it is important to create a focus on gratitude. Today’s reading reminds me not to fear and to remember all the great things God has done for me. As I watch the finches become a brighter yellow, drive to work in light, not darkness, I begin my thankful list. Yesterday, as my husband and I took a drive, I don’t know how many deer we saw. It was a wonder and joy. Winter wheat is up and green. The rain has given plants a boost. Spring is all around, and thoughts of long sum...

  “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.”  – Isaiah 41:10 Some days, don't we all need a little strength? When faced with those things we do not like, a difficult decision, or walking a new way, remember that God can be your strength. Today, I have some organization to do as we prepare for some much-needed updates on the house. I am also discerning my next direction in life. As I face moving forward, I am trying this Lent to listen for God's voice in small ways. Yesterday, I took my Seniors who are in my Spirituality class to the chapel to pray the Rosary. By the third time I said the rosary, I allowed myself to talk with God as I prayed. I hope my Seniors will put the experience in their toolbox. When they need prayer, they go to a chapel or church, start with a rosary, and eventually God and they will have a conversation. Or, at the very least and equally a...

Your Purpose. Sometimes, I think I stress too much over what my purpose is. This morning as I was driving to work, praying the rosary, I felt as they talked about whipping Jesus and how our tongues are the whips these days. I was thinking about how hard it is to be a Christian. It isn’t an hour or just a one-moment thing, but a cell thing. All my cells should be working together to help me to be Christ-like in this world. That way, being Christian is an every-moment thing. Isn’t that my purpose? 1 Peter 2:21 “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,” Following Jesus’ footsteps reminds me of when my husband and I are hiking. Sometimes, the terrain is difficult, and he will say, “Just follow my footprints, put your foot where I have stepped.” His feet are bigger than mine. He is willing to risk falling just to show me the way. I believe Christ is like that, and I need to trust and f...

  Never forget you. It is comforting to know that God will never forget you. Isaiah 49:15 “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.” As you get older, you realize how important “never forgetting” is. I pray my loved ones know that I will never forget them; even if I don’t remember them, in my heart, I can never forget. I think God shows us that love imprints us so deep that it is impossible to forget the love. Hurt, pain, etc., seems to wane with time and gets absorbed, yet love, love grows and overshadows all that is negative. It is true joy and peace. Never forget, because of love, my heart always gravitates towards you on the path…  

    Anxiety. A single person is their own weakest link. Yet, when I have others, we bond and form a community where our weakest moments become part of our strengths.   "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy." (Psalm 94:19). Joy through a healthy, uplifting, empowering community is essential. I think we all face a little anxiety at times. I am blessed as I have family, colleagues, and friends that help me through. Remember that others are ready to console you also. If you feel isolated, let me know. I want to be there to help uplift you so that you can discover joy again. Know that you are loved, you are worthy, you are essential, and others need you. You are created in God's likeness and image, and there is only one you. A you that also reflects the creator. Amazing, are you among all of us. Today, look around you and make sure you have Christ amongst those who can console you and bring you joy on the path…

  Fifth Sunday of Lent    Year C Lectionary: 36 Reading I Isaiah 43:16-21 Thus says the LORD, who opens a way in the sea   and a path in the mighty waters, who leads out chariots and horsemen, a powerful army, till they lie prostrate together, never to rise, snuffed out and quenched like a wick. Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? In the desert I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers. Wild beasts honor me, jackals and ostriches, for I put water in the desert and rivers in the wasteland for my chosen people to drink, the people whom I formed for myself, that they might announce my praise. The verse states: Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not. What are things you are still hanging on to, that you need to let go of? _______________________________________________________________________________________________...

Rise. The Gospel of John has much symbolism. When I read this Gospel, I know I must really dig deep to find out what Jesus is telling me. In today’s reading, Jesus heals someone who hasn’t walked.   John 5:8 “Jesus said to him, 'Rise, take up your mat, and walk.” I ask myself in what ways do I need to “rise.” Have I been sitting around, stagnating, and not doing what I am supposed to? What does Jesus mean by taking up my ‘mat’? A mat is something personal that only one person can use at a time. Does he mean to pick up my uniqueness, myself? I remember as a Girl Scout making sit-upons that were made unique to the maker. As a disciple, I am called to reach out to others. So when Jesus says to walk, I am reminded that ministry isn’t about people coming to me, but me going to them. Today, when you hear the words, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk,” ask yourself what it means to you. I know it can mean many things when we are sick or tired and don’t want to push through. Whatever the me...