Catholic Words

Jn 3:4-9

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Nicodemus said to him, “How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?”
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Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.
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What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit.
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Do not be amazed that I told you, ‘You must be born from above.’
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The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Personal Reflection: This is meaningful verse to me, because it makes me think of the Holy Sacrament of Baptism, being born of water and Spirit. However, it also compares the Spirit to the wind, which is interesting. From the daily reflection on www.usccb.org, I heard something to meditate on. That is, to pray for the Holy Spirit to give me specific Graces or Gifts needed to help others in my life with their specific challenges in their life now. And although we cannot “see” the Holy Spirit as we cannot see the wind, we know the Holy Spirit exists, because of the effects it causes in our lives, just as we know the wind exists because we see the effect it causes in our physical world.

–Peace Be With You

Luke 24:15-16, 29-31

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And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
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but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
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But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
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And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them.
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With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight.

Personal Reflection: While at church today, praying after receiving the Holy Eucharist, I was meditating on Christ’s passion. He was so brave during the passion and endured unimaginable suffering, but He knew his Father’s Will, and I believe that helped Him have the strength and courage to endure. So, I prayed for Him to show me to better understand His Will so I too can follow with such strong faith and endure. Then, the verses above jumped in my head. I remembered it, because I read it recently (and I did, because it was the daily reading 3 days ago). The verses reminds me that He is with us all the time, but we may not recognize Him unless He allows us to see Him, as He did with His disciples. So, I pray to remember He is with me always but also that He opens my mind to recognize Him.

–Peace Be With You