So much going on... so many different thoughts and reflections... too little time to blog. Even though it's taken me all week to get this post written, I'll try to share with you a few things.
We have been passing a lot of "one year ago" milestones lately: a year since our pilgrimage, a year since we got the news about Tommy's adoption (April 29 was the date we first got the email!) and in just 7 days will be one year since Tommy was born. I can't believe our little guy will soon be one year old! I know saying that "time flies" is so cliche, but I can't help it. I truly don't know where the time goes. I continue to be in awe of the Lord's incredible blessings in our life this past year and I cannot say enough, Thank you Lord!
So many reflections struck me this past Sunday, there was so much going on -Divine Mercy Sunday, the beatification of John Paul the Great, the Gospel readings about St. Thomas, the feast of St. Joseph the worker, the beginning of May - the month of Mary - and then later that night the killing of Osama bin Laden. My head was spinning with a wide range of thoughts, prayers and reflections.
I love this time of year when we listen to Acts and hear about the early Church. I always enjoyed teaching this to my students too, because we can learn so much from these first followers of Christ. It's beautiful to look back 2,000 years and see that our liturgical life and worship is still rooted in the Apostles.
"They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers." (Acts 2:42)Sunday's second reading from 1 Peter 1:3-9 really struck me.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time.
In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."I copied the entire passage because it's just so beautiful, but the part that really hit me is when it says that we may suffer trials for a little while, but we will still rejoice because it proves the genuineness of our faith - and it reminds us that our faith is more precious than anything. Our sufferings have value when we unite them to Chris and we are stronger for it. Amen!
The Gospel reading was all about St. Thomas - often called the doubter, but really I think he should be called St. Thomas the believer. He was called by Christ to be one of His chosen Apostles and he died a martyr for the faith (probably in India.) His encounter with the Risen Lord - after missing the first one - prompts him to say, "My Lord and my God." This beautiful and simple prayer of faith is said by many people during the consecration of the Eucharist at Mass. How often do we encounter the Lord and not respond in faith?
We can learn so much from St. Thomas. For one thing, I can identify with his moments of doubt - his need for proof. Haven't we all been there in one way or another? Seeing the weakness and the "humanness" of the Apostles always brings me comfort. It can be hard to believe without seeing, and yet this is what we are called to do. Thomas teaches us that faith overcomes fear.
I was so glad that me, my hubby and Tommy were all together for Mass - it's not always the case, depending on our schedules. It was special to hear these readings together. We loved the name Thomas for so many reasons and I love that there are so many wonderful St. Thomas's that our little Tommy can look up to.
In other news, I'm getting ready for my first round of HCG injections. They came in the mail last week and I have to admit that the needles look a lot bigger than I was expecting! I still need to read the directions to figure it all out. Hopefully it's no big deal. I am seriously SO excited to see how my body responds!
This Saturday we will have a visit with Tommy's birthmother. I have intentionally not written very much about her for the sake of her privacy, especially since my blog is not private. I am looking forward to seeing her and I know she won't believe how big and handsome Tommy has gotten!
I have been consumed with the show I'm directing and I'm definitely counting down the days until our performance. We will have Tommy's little birthday party the weekend before the play, so I'm also trying to get everything ready for that. It will be simple, but I still love to stick with a theme as much as possible - so everything revolves around Thomas the Train. I think it should be pretty cute!
