“If you then, being evil,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your Father from heaven
give the good Spirit to them that ask Him?”
(Luke 11:13)
Dear Friends –
The breath of life spanked into us at birth, gives us physical life, and, through maturation we ascertain another being to our existence that generates our real-life modes, our spiritual being. Nature and nurture are two means of influencing our character; and while we inherit some parental characteristics and their supervision, the cultures in our scope of existence also shapes our being by the pressure to belong. There is yet another influencer to the formation of our being that is the greatest of them all – Almighty God – who can shape our interests and desires and bring them to the best fruition by His vast array of powers. The wisdom of God takes into consideration the genetic makeup of our being as the basis for His plan and purpose for our entire life. He works with the genetic hand-me-downs to steer our future to the best use 
of those inherited characteristics that will work with His goals for our happiness. As unique as our fingerprint, so is God’s strategy to bring us to recognizing the direction we should take on the many junctions that intersect with our life’s path. He arranges and guides us to choices best suited for our abilities while providing the necessary attributes to accomplish those goals. He wants us to succeed, and when we don’t, it’s usually because we have gone against His will.
Baptism makes us children of God… nothing else. 
Once we are His children, that Heavenly Father’s love kicks-in to provide the best life possible, because, whatever our earthly parents may provide, God Almighty is the greatest provider possible. Natural and supernatural gifts are His to bestow, and that is why we pray for everything that is unseen or widely imagined, for only His Magnificence can make the impossible happen. In working with the natural and supernatural of our being, He makes our vocations and avocations clarify slowly but surely, and when we achieve success, it’s always with our Heavenly Father’s help. He will build within us a good and holy Spirit, not one of fear or shame, but one that can face all the good and bad that life casts our way… we are not sheltered from problems, but strengthened and empowered with His graces for survival. Temptation, vices, evil in varying degrees of wrong, are always before us, however, the might to resist such He grants us to keep and maintain the formation of His Holy Spirit within us. We were created in His image… to be perfect, as our Heavenly Father is perfect, said Jesus… even if it takes us a lifetime to achieve!
In this pandemic year of much anxiety, discomfort, and sorrow, Thanksgiving Day will certainly have a great pall surrounding the normal festivities. Bring thanks
to the table for all the wonderful positives of life that are His doing, and declare special gratitude this year for the grace of tenacity to endure the disruptive pandemic horror with His help. Praise God for His continued love and concern for our lives, and all the behind-the-scenes intervention we know Divine Providence is imparting in various ways for the eradication of this virus. The good Spirit that resides in our being is His gift to us… Thank Him always for this gift… it makes you His child and heir to all that is His.
