Day #647

October 9, 2015

Two for the day:

1. Dan Valasakos writes the following in God Pause for October 9 that struck close to home:

In my younger days I was far from being faithful to living as the child whom God had claimed and sealed in baptism. Later, I felt I owed God so much. How could I ever repay? What must I do? But as I continue to live by faith in Christ I continue to grow into a new mindset. I am coming to realize that faith isn't so much about what I must do, but what I do to benefit others because of the influence of God's grace at work in me. Life flows not from doing, but from being a child of God. 

I am human with normal human dreams and desires. Their power waxes and wanes in their influence in what I do in my life. But I give praise for the love and word of Christ that comes to me new each and every day. For it seems that every day I can see the Lord's loving glance at me as he says, "Hurry up and be done with those things. Then come, and follow me." 

Lord Jesus, may I continually feel your loving gaze and hear your words of love. Amen.

2. An article from Seattle University School of Theology and Ministry’s “Special Partner Update” about the Pope’s recent United States visit. HuffPost Religion studied the text of all of his speeches and homilies to see which words were used most frequently. They captured this image about the essence of his message.

For more, here is a link to the article about his words on the gift of life, the value of love, family relationships and God: What Words Did Pope Francis Use The Most During His Visit To The U.S.?

Blessings.