Workout Wednesday with Fr. Marino

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY A Midweek Spiritual Workout with  Fr. Marino H. Msigala, OFM Capuchin THE MESSAGE OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES   Today’s memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes is also World Day of the Sick. The Blessed Mother’s message at  Lourdes , delivered to St. Bernadette in 1858, is  a call to personal conversion, praying the Rosary, and offering sacrifices and penance for the salvation of sinners . It emphasizes God's love for the poor and humble, highlights Mary as the Immaculate Conception, and offers hope, healing, and compassion to the sick and suffering. Our Lady does not promise true happiness in this life but assures us that eternal happiness awaits those who love God and serve His people. She emphasizes that true fulfillment is found in God’s Kingdom and not in this earthly life. On this  SPIRITUAL WORKOUT WEDNESDAY , consider the message of Our Lady of Lourdes, pray the Rosary for the sick and suffering, and offer a personal sacrifice for sinners who h...

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY A Midweek Spiritual Workout with Fr. Marino H. Msigala, OFM Capuchin DEATH TOOK 100, WORRY TOOK THE OTHERS Death was walking toward a city one morning, and a man asked, "What are you going to do?" "I'm going to take 100 people," Death replied. "That's horrible!" the man said. "That's the way it is," Death said. "That's what I do." The man hurried to warn everyone he could about Death's plan. As evening fell, he met Death again. "You told me you were going to take 100 people," the man said. "Why did 1,000 die?" "I kept my word," Death responded. "I only took 100 people. Worry took the others." Worry is, and always will be, a fatal disease of the heart, the mind, and the soul. It signals the end of faith. Worry indicates a lack of trust. Worry results from thinking it’s all up to us. Worry destroys peace. On this  SPIRITUAL WORKOUT WEDNESDA...

  WEDNESDAY WORKOUT A Midweek Spiritual Workout with  Fr. Marino H. Msigala, OFM Capuchin WHAT ARE YOU? St. Thomas Aquinas said... "The things that we love Tell us What we are.” On this  SPIRITUAL WORKOUT WEDNESDAY , think about what you love. What does that tell you about what you are? Is that what you want to be?  

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY A Midweek Spiritual Workout with  Fr. Marino H. Msigala, O.F.M. Capuchin   WEB OF PROTECTION During World War II, a US Marine was separated from his unit on a Pacific Island. The fighting had been intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire, he had lost touch with his comrades. Alone in the jungle, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock. Quickly, he crawled inside one of the caves. Although safe for the moment, he realized that once the enemy soldiers looking for him swept up the ridge, they would quickly search all the caves and he would be killed. As he waited, he prayed, "Lord, if it be Your will, please protect me. Whatever your will though, I love You and trust You. Amen." After praying, he lay quietly, listening as the enemy began to draw close. He thought, "Well, I guess the Lord isn't going to help me out of this one." T...

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY  A Midweek Spiritual Workout with  Fr. Marino H. Msigala,  O.F.M. Capuchin ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE When it comes to life, The critical thing Is whether you Take things for granted Or if you take them with gratitude.”                                         ~G.K. Chesterton, 1874-1936, English Catholic apologist and writer   On this  SPIRITUAL WORKOUT WEDNESDAY , choose gratitude. If the only prayer you ever say is “thank you,” that would be enough. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude.  

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 ...