Then the LORD said (to Elijah), “Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD; the LORD will be passing by.” 
A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the LORD – but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake – but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was fire – but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave. A voice said to him, “Elijah, why are you here?” 1 Kings 19:11-13
Why are YOU here?
Was it to discover magnificent colors? Was it to find colorful music or awesome videos? Was it just curiosity? Was it accidental? Were you really looking for God, for Hope, for true LOVE somewhere in this menagerie we call the web?
Or were you just hiding in a cave, waiting on the Lord to whisper in your ear – a Word – LIFE! Life, it’s in You! And YOU are beautiful in the Eyes of God, no matter what the world may say or think.
You are Loved, beloved!!
Every day the Lord whispers in our ears – Words of HOPE, Words of LOVE, and maybe not even words – just His JOY in our hearts.
Let’s follow the Scriptures of our daily Mass and see if we can catch those Words – simple but beautiful – Whispers to the Wind . . .
To find Quote sources, click on Link above,
select Today’s Readings or pick date from calendar.
A link for information on the day’s saints
is at the bottom of this page.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Quotes for Reflection:
04-30-13
Jesus said, “If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;
for the Father is greater than I.” Jn 14:27-31a
Jesus constantly emphasized the Glory of the Father.
He noted that He was simply the Messenger of the Father.
Everything He said and did was according to the ‘will’ of the Father.
And this was told to us to give us hope.
If Jesus, the Son of God, the Word made flesh can teach us the
message of our Creator, the message of hope and life,
then we have to be pretty silly not to follow it.
For who could possibly know any better?
And who could possibly love us any more
then God our Creator?
Love Jesus. Love God. Love one another!
And everything else will work the way it was created to work.
And there will be no fear in death.
For death is only a doorway to LIFE!
04-29-13
(St. Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church)
Jesus said, “Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our
dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me.” Jn 14:21-26
The choice is ours, the credit is to God and the
Union is LOVE.
04-28-13
(Fifth Sunday of Easter, C)
Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment: love one another.
As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.
This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have
love for one another.” Jn 13:31-33a, 34-35
“They will know we are Christians by our love…”
St. John heard a voice cry out from heaven,
“Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race.
He will dwell with them and they will be his people
and God himself will always be with them as their God.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be
no more death or mourning, wailing or pain,
for the old order has passed away.” Rev 21:1-5a
And they’ll know we are Christians by our hope!
04-27-13
Jesus said, “whatever you ask in my name, I will do,
so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” Jn 14:7-14
Our reminder, ask in His Name.
If it’s not important enough, if it’s inappropriate,
if it could be any other way that does not glorify the Father,
then maybe it shouldn’t be asked anyway.
Otherwise, ASK in Jesus’ Name and He will hear and answer…
to the praise and glory of God!
04-26-13
Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare
a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again
and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.” Jn 14:1-6
No lines, no reservations, no too late, no higher prices.
There is a place especially prepared for you, beloved.
And where you are, there also will be Jesus.
I can’t wait to visit you there!
04-25-13
(St. Mark, Evangelist)
Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them:
“Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.. Mk 16:15-20
The Great Commission – GO,
and Save the world
by proclaiming the Good News.
God Loves us!
04-24-13
Jesus said, “I came into the world as light, so that everyone
who believes in me might not remain in darkness.” Jn 12:44-50
People of the Light.
People of Jesus.You and I, beloved.
Praise God!!!
04-23-13
“it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.”
Acts 11:19-2
If you were from America, you would be an American and there would
be certain characteristics about you that would prove it so.
If you were from Italy, you would be an Italian and there would be certain
characteristics about you that would prove it so.
If you were from Christ you would be a Christian and there would
certainly be characteristics about you that would prove it so.
Do you know what they are?
Sometimes we need to look in the mirror at ourselves,
from the other’s point of view and ask,
“Would we call ourselves Christians?”
And then, why?
As the old song goes,
“They’ll know we are Christians by our Love, by our Love!”
“Yes they’ll know we are Christians by our LOVE!”
It’s in our hearts, it’s in our eyes!
Our Love.
04-22-13
Jesus said, “whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate
but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters
through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.” Jn 10:1-10
And then he clarified, “I am the gate.
Whoever enters through me will be saved,“
Only through Jesus!
And Jesus will not prohibit anyone who believes in Him.
Come!
04-21-13
(Fourth Sunday of Easter, C)
Paul said, “so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have made you
a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation
to the ends of the earth.’” Acts 13:14, 43-52
. . . And not just Paul, beloved, all of us are those instruments.
St. John was told in a vision of heavenly splendor,
“For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them
and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away
every tear from their eyes.” Rev 7:9, 14b-17
. . . Jesus, the Lamb, our source of life and light and hope.
Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.” Jn 10:27-30
. . . ETERNAL freedom, eternal LIFE, eternal SAFETY,
in His Hands!
04-20-13
Jesus said, “It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail.
The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.” Jn 6:60-69
There once was a man who, all his life did everything with his right hand,
while his left hand sat limp at his side. His right arm became strong while
his left arm was barely able to move. He loved his right arm and
protected, washed, oiled and groomed it to look strong and attractive.
Then one day there was a terrible accident and the man had badly hurt that arm.
It was in such horrible shape that it actually had to be amputated.
The man was sad and depressed. And yet from the ashes of weakness,
he came to realize that he DID HAVE another arm that could take the place
of that lost one. And in the end he became even stronger than
he ever was with one strong arm and one useless one.
WE, brothers and sisters in Christ also have two natures to this thing we call LIFE.
We are, not only physical beings, but also Spiritual. And yet, we often
seem to leave that spiritual side of ourselves to lie limp, while we
primp and pamper these physical sides. You know what?
Someday those physical beings will die and be amputated too.
Then what will be left?
Jesus tells us not to forget the Spiritual side!
For it is the Spirit that ACTUALLY gives life.
It’s that left arm, not the right!
In the Book of Acts, St. Luke described a real life example
of this reality of Life in the Spirit:
“there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated is Dorcas).
She was completely occupied with good deeds and almsgiving.
Now during those days she fell sick and died,” Acts 9:31-42
. . . and her friends and neighbors mourned, because Tabitha was so loved.
You see, Tabitha HAD a strong Spiritual Life. A life in Jesus, that
was strong enough to even overcome physical death – through prayer.
So . . . “Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed.
Then he turned to her body and said, “Tabitha, rise up.”
She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up.“
Again, beloved, Jesus says BELIEVE!
And we’ll be amazed at what we can accomplish.
Oh how extremely much YOU are loved!
04-19-13
He heard in astonishment,
“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
He said, “Who are you, sir?” The reply came,
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” Acts 9:1-20
Who IS that stranger? And what can I possibly be doing to him/her?
Think about it beloved. Somewhere within every stranger
lies Jesus. Maybe they know it, maybe not. But regardless,
are we treating them as we would Him?
Could that persecution even be upon ourselves.
Why are we persecuting?
With patience and compassion,
LOVE instead!
04-18-13
Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give
is my Flesh for the life of the world.” Jn 6:44-51
Eucharist
04-17-13
Jesus said, “I will not reject anyone who comes to me,”
and
“everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.” Jn 6:35-40
Come, SEE, believe and live forever!
What HOPE!
04-16-13
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever
believes in me will never thirst.” Jn 6:30-35
Do you believe this? !!!
04-15-13
People “debated with Stephen, but they could not withstand
the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.”
So they made up lies to try to get the Jewish leaders to destroy him,
just as they did with Jesus himself. And yet,
“All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him
and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.” Acts 6:8-15
What do ‘they’ do beloved, when their hearts
see the “face of an angel” and their selfish minds see
a threat to their greedy self image.
We see it in the business world, we see it in the political world,
we see it in the media and sometimes even in people
we thought may have been our friends . . .
Why, they close their eyes, they turn their heads,
they assign the nasty deed of destruction to the mindless,
the thoughtless, the heartless ones who are so starving that they
would do anything to keep that job, to get that promotion.
Been there, beloved?
Been on the other side of the hands grasping the stones
that are aimed at us?
I see in you, beloved, the face of an angel,
the heart of the Lord,
and the courage of the Holy Spirit.
And I pray for you, as I hope you do for me.
For only in the Lord will we find the true peace,
the true Love
of God!
04-14-13
(Third Sunday of Easter, C)
Jesus said to Peter, “Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger,
you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old,
you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you
and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jn 21:1-19
“Do not be afraid!”
“Follow me.”
There is a place deep inside each one of us that NO ONE can touch.
And regardless of what they do to our bodies.
Jesus is there!
04-13-13
Walking on the water toward the sea tossed boat carrying the disciples,
Jesus said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.” Jn 6:16-21
Seems our bodies are tuned to recognize hazardous situations,
a smell, an unexpected person or event, a sound.
They set off warning bells in our heads and fear sets in
to cause our response of protection, defense or flight.
Throughout the Bible we often hear of angels or people declaring,
“Do not be afraid!”
Those words were said as their attempt to defuse a response caused
by their creating those unexpected events,
an angel out of nowhere, a person walking on water, a dead person alive.
What is it we fear, beloved, an earthquake, a tornado, a flood,
a mugging, rape, burglary or even murder.
You know what, death will come one way or another.
It may be quick and easy, or it may be slow and torturous.
“Do not be afraid.”
For on the other side of that door, Jesus says, “It is I.”
And in the meantime – love every moment
we have on this side.
Love one another!
04-12-13
Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people,
stood up, ordered the Apostles to be put outside for a short time,
and said to the Sanhedrin, “Fellow children of Israel, be careful what you are
about to do to these men. For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin,
it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them;
you may even find yourselves fighting against God.” Acts 5:34-42
“Fighting against God”
Now that sounds like a losing proposition.
Gamaliel’s words were very wise. He was the mentor of Saul,
who later became St. Paul. And Saul actually did find himself
fighting against God. You see, Saul needed what we talked about on the 10th,
a Kickstart. But before he could get his kickstart, Saul first needed to be
knocked down a notch. He was in the middle of a proverbial, cardiac arrhythmia.
He was a loose canon, who at that point, didn’t even follow his own mentor’s advice.
So a bit of a fall and a temporary loss of sight were enough to get Saul’s heart
back in sync with the truth, back on the “narrow path” that led to
a new name and a new mission and a new Lord – Jesus.
In the end, Paul turned out to be one of the greatest evangelists!
Gamaliel’s quote is actually quite profound and applicable to our own lives.
“If it is of human origin, it will destroy itself,
but if it is of God, NOTHING can destroy it!
That’s pretty hopeful!
We, beloved, then must always assure/confirm that our works
are of God and not of ourselves or of the world’s own folly.
And that just takes a little PRAYER and a little LISTENING.
God WILL let us know!
04-11-13
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,
but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life,
but the wrath of God remains upon him.” Jn 3:31-36
Pretty clear. Don’t think any elaboration is necessary here!
Believe = Life
04-10-13
(Another 2 awesome quotes today)
“God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone
who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” . . .
“. . whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works
may be clearly seen as done in God.” Jn 3:16-21
Jesus gave his disciples and everyone who witnessed His works
and heard His words full reason to BELIEVE. He IS the Son of God,
and through Him comes Truth, Light and Life.
But mankind is sometimes just a little slow.
Some believed, some needed just a little “Kickstart”,
and some just flat out refused to believe…
“the Sadducees, filled with jealousy, laid hands upon the Apostles
and put them in the public jail. But during the night, the angel of the Lord
opened the doors of the prison, led them out, and said, ‘Go and take your place
in the temple area, and tell the people everything about this life.’” Acts 5:17-26
The KICKSTART
Yes the disciples saw, heard and believed.
And yet, in order to “Go out…” they needed just a little kickstart.
You see, the old planes and motorcycles and even cars had
everything they needed to fly, cruise or drive.
But they wouldn’t start on their own.
They needed a little twist of the prop, a kick or a crank of that motor
in order to get it turning. And it was the same with the disciples.
God gave them all they needed to “Go out and tell.”
But they were still unsure. They still needed a little kickstart.
And the Sadducees would do everything in their power
to keep that engine from starting, from cajoling,
to reprimanding, to finally imprisoning the disciples;
a power that was powerless to a Believer, and to the Will of God.
And God would allow none of that to hinder His ‘take-off’,
to thwart His ‘Mission’. So, He sent his angels,
He allowed more miracles at the hands of the disciples,
and He kindled a Fire in their hearts and minds and wills,
that could not be quenched – even 2000 years later.
Some days, beloved, our fires may just seem to be flickering and smoldering.
It’s then that we too may need another little kickstart.
It’s then that we pray and patiently and joyfully await the answer,
and when we truly BELIEVE,
it WILL be done –
to the Glory of God, in the Name of His Son,
Jesus Christ!
04-09-13
There were two great quotes today:
.
“The community of believers was of one heart and mind,
and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own,
but they had everything in common.” Acts 4:32-37
. . . just brought back an old song – Imagine . . .
.
Jesus said, “just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him
may have eternal life.”
Jn 3:7b-15
IMAGINE . . . BELIEVE !
04-08-13
(The Annunciation of the Lord)
The Angel Gabriel said to the Blessed Virgin Mary,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.” Lk 1:26-38
Here I am Lord, I come to do your Will.
THY will be done!
04-07-13
(Second Sunday of Easter C – Divine Mercy Sunday)
Jesus said to his disciples, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Jn 20:19-31
In the midst of a world that seems to have gone mad,
~ PEACE ~
But how can we possibly find any kind of peace?
Jesus, “breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”
S I G N S
But why would I ever want to retain anyone’s sins?
That surely doesn’t sound like peace. . .
“FORGIVE just as I have forgiven.” (Jesus)
But is that really possible?
Anything is possible with FAITH, beloved.
BELIEVE,
and you will be Blessed, forever!
.
(Link to today’s homily, “Blessed are the Believers“)
04-06-13
(Saturday of the Octave of Easter)
After His disciples refused to believe any of those who had seen
the Resurrected Jesus, Jesus appeared to the them and said,
“Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel
to every creature.” Mk 16:9-15
And a transformation obviously occurred, because after the stern warning
not to speak in the Name of Jesus by the Jewish religious leaders,
Peter and John replied, “Whether it is right in the sight of God
for us to obey you rather than God, you be the judges. It is impossible for us
not to speak about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:13-21
Pretty bold words coming from a couple fishermen!
How bold, how convicted are we, beloved,
to risk it all for our Faith?
04-05-13
(Friday of the Octave of Easter)
They thought it was all over…
Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”
So it was back to the old grind…
but that night they caught nothing.
And it truly was ‘back to the old grind,’ with another dry night.
When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore;
but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them,
“Children, have you caught anything to eat?”
They answered him, “No.”
Wise guy, huh!
So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat
and you will find something.”
You mean, we’ve been fishing on the “wrong” side of the boat all night!
So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in
because of the number of fish. Jn 21:1-14
You see, it really wasn’t ‘all over.’
It would NEVER be over!
That Jesus would hunt them and haunt them forever.
And yet it wasn’t a nightmare haunt.
It was a paradise that would never end.
That Jesus, who loved them, and healed them and taught them.
That Jesus who spoke in words, just a tad over their heads.
It was finally, all beginning to make some sense.
It was all beginning to grab them by the heart.
And it was impossible to let Him go.
Even if it would cost them their lives (and it did!),
they would tell the world,
just as He asked them to!
It doesn’t have to be the same old grind beloved.
He’s waiting there on the shore
for us . . .
with 100 yellow ribbons
and more !
04-04-13
(Thursday of the Octave of Easter)
Upon His resurrection appearance to the apostles,
Jesus, “opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
And he said to them, ‘Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance,
for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.’” Lk 24:35-48
You see, there was something hidden, or not really hidden,
but obvious in the words of the Old Testament Scriptures.
And it all came to light – in Jesus.
04-03-13
(Wednesday of the Octave of Easter)
On their walk back home to Emmaus from Jerusalem,
one of Jesus’ disciples said to the risen Jesus,
“Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?” Lk 24:13-35
So besides not even recognizing to whom they were talking,
this “disciple” then went on to divulge his total ignorance
of the whole purpose of Jesus being here (to Jesus himself).
Imagine running into Rachel Ray and telling her how
the cheesecake they made from her book really tasted terrible,
when it was actually an asiago bread recipe.
Imagine telling Kareem Abdul-Jabbar that he’d never make it in
basketball because he’s such a bad football player.
And then, not only do they prove you wrong in explanation,
but beyond that, they run rings around you on the court or blow you
away with the most awesome cheesecake that was ever created!
You know, sometimes it’s better to just keep our ignorance
to our (dumb) selves and LISTEN instead.
Funny though, in the end, the disciples, like the bread,
were BROKEN, BLESSED and GIVEN
to the world – to proclaim the
awesome Good News
they finally
learned.
Jesus IS ALIVE !
And so are we, beloved!
SO ARE WE.
04-02-13
(Tuesday of the Octave of Easter)
In John’s account of the Resurrection, Mary Magdalene,
still in mourning over the loss of Jesus and the disappearance of His body,
(after seeing the empty tomb) encounters Jesus quite by surprise.
Jesus responds by saying to her, “Stop holding on to me, for
I have not yet ascended to the Father.” Jn 20:11-18
Sometimes we might cling on to someone or something so tightly
that we can actually impede their growth, or ours in the process.
Sometimes we just have to let go to move ahead.
And letting go could be pretty tough.
It doesn’t mean giving up on them or forgetting them.
They have a place in our hearts that is specifically theirs,
specifically theirs and OURS.
Jesus wants us to have a close personal relationship with Him.
And yet, He wants us to be fully aware that He is present
in others as well. And their relationship with Jesus
may be a little different than ours, just as
there are many different personalities in many different people.
Instead of shutting ourselves off from others because of
those differences, we need to open our eyes and our hearts
to the wonder and the beauty of those differences.
And maybe in the process we and they
may grow closer to one another
and to Jesus as well!
04-01-13
(Monday of the Octave of Easter)
“And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.
Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go
to Galilee, and there they will see me.’” Mt 28:8-15
If they’re really gone, we never truly expect to see them again,
or hear their voice. But it does happen.
Have you, beloved, ever had the occasion
to “see them again?”
It’s enough to quite literally blow you away.
Like having one too many glasses of that wine,
or being startled out of a deep, deep sleep,
not quite real – but it sounds just like him,
or it looks just like her!
And instead of hearing the response, “Who?”,
they say “YES, it IS me! Let’s get together again.”
What do you do – in the “Twilight Zone?”
Jesus was actually back again! “And behold.”
It’s interesting how, whenever something really significant
happens in Matthew’s Gospel, it begins with “And behold . . .”
And it’s usually angels who greet and say – “Do not be afraid.“
You know, maybe we’ve been in the Twilight Zone all along,
and now we’re approaching and we’re seeing – Reality.
They’re not really gone! They never were!
WE are the ones who were gone.
Jesus is calling us back to Galilee.
Where is our Galilee, beloved?
Come on back. Let’s open our eyes.
Jesus will be waiting there!
. . . . . . .
Happy April beloved!
Please stop by and visit March’s Daily Mass Quotes too…
Link below.
___________________
EARLIER MONTH’S QUOTES can be found
in monthly subcategories of – “Whispers”
entitled “Daily Mass Quotes” (DMQs)
___________________________________
Link to Previous Month’s DMQs
Link to Following Month’s DMQs
Link back to Whispers to the Wind
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(also in Time page, under Liturgical Seasons section)
Whispers to the Wind 