The Road To Easter
Ash Wednesday and Lent.
Happens year after year around this time.
How many of us forgot?
How many of us didn’t forget, but were simply “going through the motions”?
Easter is the most important day in the life of a Christian.
Christmas is critical, but loses all meaning without Easter.
You have thought of that, right?
Food for Families.Nov18
Where do you volunteer? Presumptuous of me to think you volunteer, right? Maybe. Maybe not.
You do volunteer, don’t you? Not judging anyone, simply assuming everyone does something, no matter how big or how small.
When I look at volunteer opportunities, there are a few criteria:
This morning is a perfect example. I’ll be reading as a Lector, and Cheryl will act as a Minister of Holy Communion.
Our son (9) has seen us do this once or twice a month for his entire life.
We also have him place our offertory envelope in the collection plate every week. He knows how much money we give.
When he gets older, we are confident that our actions will instill in him a duty to serve others with his time, talent and treasure.
Do you ever think about the messages you send to your children, or the young people in your lives if you have no children?
“Setting an example is not the main means of influencing another, it is the only means.” –Einstein
Einstein Was Correct
“There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.” — Albert Einstein
Attending Kevin’s funeral on Christmas Eve, this quote from Albert Einstein was printed on the cover of the funeral bulletin.
Have you ever been struck with a profound thought or observation, when you least expect it? When it’s presented in such a deceptively simple format – in this case, printed text?
One more thing struck me from attending Kevin’s funeral, but not until this very moment. Kevin’s son, maybe three years old, was there, of course. Estimating there were 300 people attending.
But the only other child I saw was the one in my arms most of the Mass.
jeff noel Lector.
Doing the first reading this morning at Mass. May God’s Holy Spirit fill me with the wisdom to read in such a way, that the parishioners will feel like God is speaking to them and not me.
Blessed beyond measure we are. Aren’t we?
Children’s Liturgy of the Word. God’s Word.
And the fact that I would be delivering homilies (sermons) to dozens of elementary school children boggles the mind.
Yet, it will happen again today, like it does the fourth Sunday of every month. My wife and I volunteer to do this.
Four years ago, a woman from our Church made an appeal to the congregation that she needed more volunteers or Children’s Liturgy would go away. After Mass, we volunteered, thinking we would simply be helpers “on the sidelines”.
Funny how things turn out exactly opposite from the way we expect.
Got Christmas? It’s not for another 2 1/2 months. Who’s got time to focus on Christmas, right?
What if we did have time to focus on Christmas? I mean, not just in December, but more often. Way more often.
“We come to know the true meaning of Christmas when we learn to celebrate it every day”. — unknown
PS. Merry Christmas. 
Sundays during the school year, our Church offers Children’s Liturgy of the Word for Kindergarten through fifth grade. Two or three adult leaders form a team and lead a particular week each month.
The volunteer leaders perform various functions to help bring Mass down to an Elementary level and to engage the children differently (better) than the adult Mass.
My wife, a good friend, and I, lead 50-100 children through Children’s Liturgy every the fourth Sunday.
This past Sunday, for a variety of reasons, my wife Cheryl led it solo. Sixty-five children in all. She said they were incredibly well behaved. If you’ve never done this, you’d be amazed at how challenging it is.
We began volunteering in this ministry several years ago after a parishioner made a plea for more volunteers or the program would end.
Funny how life puts things in your path. This experience has me delivering homilies (sermons). Who would have ever thought? Me? You’ve got to be kidding.
Yesterday a fellow public speaker asked an excellent question. By the way, great professional speakers ask great questions.
“What about volunteering with your family”? It was not clear in yesterday’s post, so here it is now.
All our volunteer efforts start with, “Can we do this as a Family”?
Not only is being visible important to setting a good example, but so is involvement.
My wife serves as a Minister of Holy Communion on the days I Lector. Afterwards, our son helps me carry the Gospel (a very large, heavy book) back to the Sacristy. Been doing this since he could walk.
It was cute the first few years because it was only symbolic. He was not strong enough to actually help. But children don’t care. He actually believed he was lifting it.
You know, in a weird sort of way, he actually was. Carpe diem, jeff noel
Didn’t consciously think about this until our son was born in 2000.
In studying human nature, I concluded there were several choices:
This morning, I’m a Lector at our Church. Once or twice a month I have the privilege to read from the Old Testament or the New Testament.
The (two) Lectors act as God’s voice, and read critical pieces of scripture to the congregation.
Our son sees this every time I volunteer. Visible is good. Carpe diem, jeff noel
Blessed Beyond Measure?
What does that mean, blessed beyond measure?
Ever thought about that?
We have so many blessings that it’s almost too good to be true.
But in order to “cash in” on them, I believe we have to be aware.
Not much awareness goes on in an overly busy schedule. I know. I’m ridiculously busy.
This is why I work so hard each day to be aware.
What if you worked hard at this? What do you think you could gain? Go! Carpe diem! jeff