The Volunteer
http://www.myspiritfm.com/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&view=post&articleid=The-Volunteer-&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
By Elle
We had our fundraiser this past week, and we did not know what to expect.
Comfort, give comfort to my people,
says your God.
Isaiah 40:1
We had our fundraiser this past week, and we did not know what to expect. Is this is a time of year where we are all suddenly more conscious of the needs of those around us, or do we get mired in the details of planning the perfect party or decoratng the best tree ever? For me, a little of both. We had our Thrill of Hope fundraiser this past week and a longtime listener helped out all day Friday. As I listened to him answer the phones and speak with the people who were so generous to support us here at SpiritFM, it occurred to me how easy it was for him to engage with the person on the phone in an entertaining and joyful way. He didn't just take their information, he took the time to reach out and speak with them, not just "to them".
I hope this week we can find an opportunity to do something just like that. Have you ever tried to ask the Salvation Army person who rings the bell outside the markets why they are there? Or if you see someone who looks hungry, before you give them a handout, is there a question you can ask that will engage them? If you are like me and drawing a blank, I think we can spend some time today and imagine starting a conversation like that with someone we wouldn't ordinarily speak with. Sometimes all it takes is a smile, but then other times there will be an opportunity for dialogue with someone, that could possibly bring them joy, like Jim the volunteer did for our listeners on Friday. The thrill of hope, and oh the weary world rejoices.
http://www.myspiritfm.com/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=A-Well-That-Never-Runs-Dry&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
Let's look at the lives of the saints...
http://www.myspiritfm.com/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=Dont-Judge-Yourself-&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
As we enter November, we will see the daily readings taking on a sense of urgency..
http://www.myspiritfm.com/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=The-Lord-Is-Our-Refuge&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
In the first reading from Joel: The heavens and the earth quake,...
The Volunteer
http://www.myspiritfm.com/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&view=post&articleid=The-Volunteer-&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
We had our fundraiser this past week, and we did not know what to expect.
Comfort, give comfort to my people,
says your God.
Isaiah 40:1
We had our fundraiser this past week, and we did not know what to expect. Is this is a time of year where we are all suddenly more conscious of the needs of those around us, or do we get mired in the details of planning the perfect party or decoratng the best tree ever? For me, a little of both. We had our Thrill of Hope fundraiser this past week and a longtime listener helped out all day Friday. As I listened to him answer the phones and speak with the people who were so generous to support us here at SpiritFM, it occurred to me how easy it was for him to engage with the person on the phone in an entertaining and joyful way. He didn't just take their information, he took the time to reach out and speak with them, not just "to them".
I hope this week we can find an opportunity to do something just like that. Have you ever tried to ask the Salvation Army person who rings the bell outside the markets why they are there? Or if you see someone who looks hungry, before you give them a handout, is there a question you can ask that will engage them? If you are like me and drawing a blank, I think we can spend some time today and imagine starting a conversation like that with someone we wouldn't ordinarily speak with. Sometimes all it takes is a smile, but then other times there will be an opportunity for dialogue with someone, that could possibly bring them joy, like Jim the volunteer did for our listeners on Friday. The thrill of hope, and oh the weary world rejoices.
http://www.myspiritfm.com/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=275467&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
Pope Francis waves while traveling by boat in Venice, Italy, for a meeting with young people at the Basilica della Madonna della Salute on April 28, 2024. Earlier in the day he met with inmates at a women's prison. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNARome Newsroom, Apr 28, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).Pope Francis opened his one-day visit to Venice on Sunday morning with a meeting with female inmates where he reaffirmed the importance of fraternity and human dignity, noting that prison can be a place of new beginnings. "A stay in prison can mark the beginning of something new, through the rediscovery of the unsuspected beauty in us and in others, as symbolized by the artistic event you are hosting and the project to which you actively contribute," the pope said to the female inmates gathered in the intimate courtyard of the Women's Prison on the Island of Giudecca. Pope Francis left the Vatican by helicopter at approximately 6:30 in the mo...
http://www.myspiritfm.com/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=275466&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
Pope Francis prays in front of the tomb of St. Mark the Evangelist inside St. Mark's Basilica in Venice on April 28, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNARome Newsroom, Apr 28, 2024 / 09:35 am (CNA).Pope Francis had a full slate of events Sunday during his day trip to Venice, a trip that tied together a message of unity and fraternity with the artistic patrimony of a city that has been a privileged place of encounter across the centuries. "Faith in Jesus, the bond with him, does not imprison our freedom. On the contrary, it opens us to receive the sap of God's love, which multiplies our joy, takes care of us like a skilled vintner, and brings forth shoots even when the soil of our life becomes arid," the pope said to over 10,000 pilgrims gathered in St. Mark's Square. Framing his homily during the Mass on the theme of unity, one of the central points articulated throughout several audiences spread across the morning, Pope Francis reminded Christians: "Remaining ...
http://www.myspiritfm.com/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=275461&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
Prayer house at San Simeone, Italy, September 2012. / Credit: Courtesy of Ricostruttori nella preghieraRome, Italy, Apr 28, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).Across Italy there are houses of prayer run by the Ricostruttori (Reconstructors) community, a Catholic movement dedicated to people who are far from the Church but attracted to spirituality, particularly Eastern meditation and Buddhist practices. The Reconstructors was founded in 1978 by Jesuit Father Gian Vittorio Cappelletto. "During the postconciliar period, the Church was faced with the need for new forms of evangelization and apostolate, to reach out to people who were drifting away," Don Roberto Rondanina, priest and superior of the Ricostruttori, explained to CNA. "It was a time when Eastern meditation, Hinduism, Buddhism, the New Age ... were beginning to spread in Europe." "Father Cappelletto, who lived in Turin, sought to understand the meaning of this 'flight to the East' and felt the need to find new forms of sp...
