Workout Wednesday with Fr. Marino

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY A Midweek Spiritual Workout with Fr. Marino H. Msigala, O.F.M. Capuchin WHAT ARE THE ROPES THAT BIND YOU?   As I was passing the elephants, I suddenly stopped, confused that these giant creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was apparent that the elephants could  at any time break away from the ropes to which they were tied, but for some reason,  they did not.  i saw a trainer nearby and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” he said, “when they are very young and much smaller , we use the same size of rope to tie them, and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.” I was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds , but because they believed they cou...

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY A Midweek Spiritual Workout with   Fr. Marino H. Msigala, O.F.M. Capuchin   BEGIN THE REAL WORK OF CHRISTMAS   When the song of the angels is stilled When the kings return to their kingdoms When the shepherds return to their flocks Then… The work of Christmas begins: To find the lost To mend the broken To heal the sick To feed the hungry To console the sorrowful To release the prisoner To include the marginalized To love the unloved To rebuild the nations To nurture interior peace To share peace with others ~ edited from a poem by Howard  Washington Thurman, A merican author, philosopher, minister, theologian, Christian mystic, educator, and civil rights leader   (1899-1981) On this  SPIRITUAL WORKOUT WEDNESDAY , begin the real work of Christmas today and continue throughout the new year.

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY A Midweek Spiritual Workout with  Fr. Marino H. Msigala, O.F.M. Capuchin PRACTICE THIS Believe like Mary. Trust like Joseph. Hope like the Shepherds. Seek like the Wise Men. Worship like the Angels. Love like Jesus. Act like His follower. On this  SPIRITUAL WORKOUT WEDNESDAY , listen to the words of the Evangelist, “ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ” (John 1:14) and celebrate the miracle of Christmas.  

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY  A Midweek Spiritual Workout with  Fr. Marino H. Msigala,  O.F.M. Capuchin WHAT’S THE USE OF PRAYING?   A man was asked about his habit of praying. “What’s the point of praying? Why do you spend so much time praying? What do you gain by praying so much?”   The man replied, “Nothing… I gained nothing, but let me tell you what I lost: anger, impatience, pride, greed, depression, insecurity, and the fear of death.   Sometimes the answer to our prayers lies in not gaining, but in losing, and, in the end, that is the ultimate gain. On this  SPIRITUAL WORKOUT WEDNESDAY, take a few minutes to think about your prayer life. What have you lost through prayer? More importantly, what have you gained by that loss? Unexpected blessings await! Pray unceasingly!    

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY A Midweek Spiritual Workout with  Fr. Marino H. Msigala, O.F.M. Capuchin THE ADVENT WREATH,  A CIRCLE OF LOVE The Advent wreath is a continuous CIRCLE of branches from an evergreen tree that signifies God’s unending love for us. The FIRST purple candle, the PROPHECY candle, represents HOPE and harkens back to Isaiah’s foretelling of the birth of Christ and all the promises of the Old Testament that would be fulfilled by the birth of Jesus. The SECOND purple candle, the BETHLEHEM candle, symbolizes PEACE and reminds us of Mary and Joseph’s journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem before she gave birth to Jesus. T he THIRD candle is pink and is called the SHEPHERD’S candle. It represents the JOY of Gaudete/Rejoice Sunday. It reminds us of the joyful anticipation of the shepherds who returned to Bethlehem to see Jesus, even before the arrival of the Magi. Advent is almost over, and we rejoice that Christmas is near. The FOURTH candle is purple and is ...

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY A Midweek Spiritual Workout with  Fr. Marino H. Msigala, O.F.M. Capuchin   TOGETHER, WE WAIT Advent is a time of waiting. But not all kinds of waiting are alike.  In Advent, we wait in a unique way. WE ANTICIPATE. We wait expectantly for the Christ Child to come again, but we do not know the form that the appearance will take. We wait with anticipation that it will be something wonderful and maybe surprising. Will it be a gift in prayer? An encounter with family or friends where we know Christ is present among us? Will it be a sense of peace and calm? Only God knows what gifts He has in store for us. WE LET GO. We have to make room for God’s action to be something that we can welcome, something that we can pay attention to when it happens.   There was no room at the inn for Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, because it was too full. The stable was poor and simple, but it had space for them to take shelter. Are our hearts open to God? What a...

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY A Midweek Spiritual Workout with Fr. Marino H. Msigala, O.F.M. Capuchin   THANK GOD AHEAD OF TIME   "Thank God ahead of time" was the motto of Blessed Solanus Casey, O.F.M. Capuchin  (1870-1957) of Detroit, MI. It reflected his deep trust in God’s providence and his belief that gratitude was the sure sign of surrender to God’s will and confidence that God works all things for the good of those who love Him.   Blessed Solanus adopted this motto after facing personal and spiritual difficulties that tested his faith. Instead of becoming bitter, he embraced an attitude of gratitude. On this  SPIRITUAL WORKOUT WEDNESDAY , surrender yourself to God’s will and know that He works all things for the good of those who love Him. What are you asking of God? What is it that you seek? Thank God ahead of time and await what God has planned for you.

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY A Midweek Spiritual Workout with Fr. Marino H. Msigala, O.F.M. Capuchin CHANGE 3 WORDS AND CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE I nstead of saying, “I have to… ” Start your day by saying, “I get to…” I get to go to work and earn money. I get to exercise and be healthy. I get to see my friends. I get to visit my family. I get to talk with people I love. I get to eat a good meal. I get to experience something new. I get to help another person. I get to go to church. I get to live another day. On this  SPIRITUAL WORKOUT WEDNESDAY, remember that tomorrow is not guaranteed. “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” (Proverbs 27:1). Make the most of each day. Start each day with “I get to…” I can…” “I have another chance…” Then, make the most of it.  Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY A Midweek Spiritual Workout with Fr. Marino H. Msigala, O.F.M. Capuchin BROKEN OR GIFTED?   An elderly woman had two large water pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across the back of her neck. One of the pots had a crack, while the other was perfect and always delivered a full gallon of water. At the end of the long walks from the stream to her house, the pot with the crack arrived only half full. For a full two years, the woman brought home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot took pride in its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.” The old woman smiled, “Did you notice that there...

WEDNESDAY WORKOUT A Midweek Spiritual Workout with Fr. Marino H. Msigala, O.F.M. Capuchin   ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE   “Remember the past with gratitude.   Live in the present with enthusiasm.   Look forward to the future with confidence.”     ~ St. John Paul II   On this  SPIRITUAL WORKOUT WEDNESDAY , adopt an attitude of gratitude. Think about the blessings you have received from God and consider how you might share them with others. What you selfishly keep, you lose; what you generously share is yours forever.