“Throughout life people will make you mad, disrespect you and treat you bad. Let God deal with the things they do, cause hate in your heart will consume you too.” ― Will Smith
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A chilly morning greeting before Mass, but I had my warm red coat on. It’s always warm and welcoming inside.
Today’s Gospel was Luke 23:35-43. It was the story of the crucifixion, when people chided Jesus, saying if he really was the chosen one, he should save himself. Then, one criminal hanging next to Jesus defended him by saying, Jesus did nothing wrong, but he and the others were justly being punished. He asked, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”He replied to him,“Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
My take on it…genuine repentance will invoke genuine forgiveness. At least from Jesus.
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With the cooler weather, it’s finally starting to feel more like Thanksgiving, with the holidays soon behind. As I went for my walk through the neighborhood, dozens of garage doors were open, and people were out on ladders putting up Christmas lights. Kids were in the park throwing the football around, and families were walking dogs or pushing strollers. It was like the cool temperature was a magical elixir. The sunset was a painting waiting to be captured.
I was so inspired that I decided to clean out the freezer, rearrange and reorganize the overflowing mess, and throw out those ancient freeze dried crusty antiques hidden under the ice cream.
The amazing thing is, there is actually a teeny tiny empty space left on one of the shelves. Now, I don’t have to wear a helmet or steel toed shoes when I open the freezer door. So many times, when I’d open the door, frozen packages would land on my toes or whack me in the head when I leaned in to reach for my chocolate ice cream.
It was a good day. Happy Sunday!
Toni Andrukaitis 
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