Daily Prayer & Reflection
Our Franciscan Charism focus for this school year is: EXCELLENCE
HAPPY EASTER TO EVERYONE!
It seems that Lent has flown by and many good intentions and ideas for change have not been accomplished! And it seems that, for most of us, that is very true. We mean to do better and our humanity and imperfection hold us back. God understands that! Jesus, our Lord and brother, was human and had his bad days and concerns, too.
We can use the rest of this Holy Week to think of Jesus as a man, a human being, who was cheered and welcomed on Palm Sunday and yet arrested, tortured, tried, convicted and executed by sundown on Friday. Can we even begin to imagine His suffering and the terrible sense of abandonment he must have suffered through those last few days and hours? Where were his apostles? Where were all of his cheering followers? In His total love for us in sacrificing himself, where were we? Where are we today?
Jesus asked us time and time again to do, to act, as He did....nothing more than that. Be kind, be compassionate, be forgiving, as He was, DO GOOD, that was it. If we can let that message sink in and give it our best effort every day, that is enough, that is everything.
The message of Easter is triumph over death, victory in the midst of defeat. Death and defeat are passing....living as Jesus taught us is possible every moment of every day, if we choose it, our free will alone is needed. As Christians, we need to act as Jesus acted, that can be our triumph over the Lenten challenge, but we need to commit and change ourselves to being active followers of our brother, Jesus. Can we begin today?
Eight Keys of Excellence
Integrity - Do our behaviors and our values match?
Failure - Do I learn from the mistake and move to success?
Speech - Do I speak honestly and kindly?
Presence - Do I make the most of each moment and connect with each person I meet?
Commitment - Do I get out there and make my dreams come true?
Ownership - Do I take responsibility for my choices and actions?
Flexibility - Do I make an effort to see all sides of an issue, to think differently?
Balance - Do I try to be my best self with family, friends, and others at home and work?
Most of all, remember: there is NO PERFECTION/COMPLETION to any of these efforts. We are all on the same journey called life and we all move at our own pace with our own demands and responsibilities - our own strengths and our own weaknesses. The secret to making progress rests in our willingness to admit that we all need help along this journey and God makes the perfect traveling partner. Once we are ready, there is no end to what each of us can accomplish! There is no limit to the joy we can feel in our hearts.
May we each enjoy a beautiful autumn, an easy adjustment to moving into that darker period of the year, a more committed effort to improve myself in some ways, and the willingness to ask for help and be a help to others. Plan to take a hard look at the month of October at its end and honestly evaluate successes and be ready to start again!
Many blessings to all! May this verse from St. Paul's letter to the Romans (the ruling empire of the day) encourage you...
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable, and pure. -Romans 12: 2 ESV
