Harvesting The Fruits of Contemplation

For more then 10 years, I was privileged to participate in a Prison Ministry program. We would conduct three day retreats in medium security prisons, encouraging each of the men who attended to turn to and accept the embrace of a loving, forgiving and merciful God.  We discovered over the years that one of the tools God used to penetrate the hearts of these men were the anonymous simple, innocent notes written by elementary school age children. I was recently reviewing some of the files from years ago and knew immediately that I had to share this with you. [In case you can not read the text, here it is typed : "Hi! Are you doing something nice for Lent? Well, if you are then choose something that you can give up until Easter. For instance, you can give up cookies and eat fruit. I'm going to give up vegtables. Have a nice Easter. - Jennifer ] May we never forget that each of us - everyone of us - are sinners who have been made in the image and likeness of God...

(Image from Biblebios.com) If God used Balaam’s donkey to get that prophet’s attention, I guess he can use me to get yours. May these periodic postings on the second and fourth Mondays of each month (God willing) generate fruitful discussion and faithful change. I was prompted a few weeks back to go through and empty out my desk drawer. It had been far too long since I had de-cluttered it. I had forgotten the hidden treasures it contained. Then I saw them – about 15 of them. Suddenly, I realized how long it had been since I last went to prison.    Odd, isn’t it. The one place I visited where I was always immensely blessed is filled with men and women whom the majority of us would never voluntarily choose to have anything to do with - no matter that our Faith teaches that all of us, including the greatest sinners among us, were created in the image and likeness of God and that each of us, without exception, by and through the unearned and undeser...

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons ) Our Churches will be packed this Easter Sunday, filled by an influx of infrequent visitors and with the pungent fragrances flowing from the multi-colored spring flowers that will surround our altars and fill our sanctuaries. How pleased Our Lord will be to see so many there. How hopeful He is that all will return. The songs we sing, the Scripture readings we proclaim and the homily we hear will remind us that Jesus died and rose from the dead, so that we too would have an opportunity for eternal life – a priceless gift which we have done nothing to deserve but which we can too easily forfeit. Our Risen Lord is alive! And He desires much more than your weekly attendance at Mass. He hungers to have a personal, life-changing relationship with you. How will you respond to His invitation? Hopefully, the same way “Charlie” did. “Charlie” was one of the many men I was privileged to meet during the more than ten   years I spent occasiona...