The Contemporary Christian group Skillet has a song called Awake. The song describes what many of us face each and every day. Namely, the inability to detach ourselves from the worldliness that is offered by our society. They explain that they are at war with the world and they feel themselves slowly slipping out of God's hands. You know the feeling perhaps even better if you have ever encountered a really terrific retreat or workshop. In the moment, you are on fire. The blaze intensifies over the period that you are at the retreat. When you suddenly realize that you are about to have to return to the "real" world, your enthusiasm starts to wain and you are troubled. It happens to the best of us. I am sure it is the feeling the apostles had when they realized that Jesus had died. In fact, we know that they locked themselves away from the rest of the world. What is it that we are so worried about? The fear of going it alone is probably the culprit. But we need to remember that God is walking along with us at all times. He is carrying us most of the time and we don't even realize it. Jesus has told us that He will always be with us if we follow Him. The Holy Spirit is ready to breathe new life into you just when you think the world will consume you. Skillet's song is a terrific reminder of the promises that God has made to us. he will not falter on those agreements. We must have faith. That faith will provide us with the weapons to function in this world. As Skillet says in the song, we must be alive and awake. The awakened state of being is something that we must model everyday but it can become a habit if we only focus on the end result. When you are feeling like the world is closing in on you, I urge you to turn to God in prayer. Ask Him to infuse you with His love, support, and presence. Wake up!
Born during the turbulent era of the French Revolution, Saint Jeanne Jugan rose above hardship and a lack of formal schooling to become a profound vessel of Christ’s mercy. After losing her father at a young age and working through her youth as a kitchen maid and nurse, her life radically changed one freezing night when she encountered a blind, paralyzed elderly woman with nowhere to go. Jeanne carried the woman back to her own home, placed her in her own bed, and began a lifelong mission of radical hospitality. This act of profound love blossomed into the Little Sisters of the Poor , a thriving community dedicated to sheltering and honoring the destitute elderly. Despite later facing heavy trials—including being unjustly sidelined and stripped of her leadership by a controlling chaplain—Jeanne accepted her obscurity and exile with a joyful spirit, resting her complete trust in God's hidden providence until her death in 1879. In our daily lives, Saint Jeanne Jugan invites us to lo...
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