BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.

PSALM 46:10

Wellspring is a Catholic spirituality center that offers spiritual growth opportunities such as classes and retreats and promotes contemplative spirituality. The center is owned and operated by The Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales and operates on a basic vision that all of God’s people are called to holiness and that it is possible for all to live a contemplative life style while being active in ministry.

RETREATS

RETREATS AT

WELLSPRING

NEW YEAR RETREAT

Saturday, January 9, 2021

9:30 am - 12:30 pm

What better way to start the new year than with a retreat at Wellspring. Our New Year Retreat will focus on being and becoming grateful and on nurturing grateful hearts. Gratefulness, our

reflection theme for 2021, helps us become joyful, optimistic, generous, and free to give without expecting anything in return. This retreat will introduce participants to a deeper reflection on

the virtue of gratefulness.

Fr. Gus Tharappel will guide the retreat. There is limited seating due to COVID. Please email us at retreatsatwellspring@gmail.com to reserve a spot. All participants are asked to wear a mask and social distance at the retreat.

OUR MASSES

MASSES AT

WELLSPRING

Due to COVID-19,

there is limited seating

at our Sunday Masses.

Please call 903-839-1280 or

email us at

for information about our Masses.

Daily Masses

Monday - Friday

6:45 am

The Mother of Compassion Shrine
remains open daily for

prayer and reflection.

news

CLASSES AT

WELLSPRING

All classes at Wellspring
are postponed

at this time

due to COVID-19.

2021 REFLECTION THEME AND WELLSPRING PRAYER

We reflected on “stillness” as our theme in 2020. Our theme for reflection in 2021 is the virtue of “gratefulness.” This year, we want to strive to learn to “be grateful.” We want to let “gratefulness” become our way of being, living and acting.

While there may be many things wrong in our world, many people unfaithful to their commitments, many projects incomplete and imperfect, there definitely are many things right with our world, many people doing the best they can, many projects contributing to the growth and stability of our communities. We often take for granted things that work properly most of the time and people who live decent and virtuous lives. It is easy to take things for granted, especially some things like our jobs, families or friends. It’s easy to forget how blessed we are for just about everything in our lives. That is why it is good and important to count our blessings, be thankful and show gratitude.

baptism of the lord

REFLECTIONS FOR PRAYER AND WORSHIP

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord Jesus. Jesus was baptized in the Jordan river. When Jesus stepped forward to be baptized, he thereby affirmed his solidarity with us sinners in a public way. He became for us “God-with-us-sinners” in the flesh. His conception, his birth, his life and work with Mary and Joseph, his struggle with human weakness, his friendship with people including his enemies, all of which proclaimed his solidarity with us sinful men and women. Jesus wished to be completely in solidarity with us and so stepped into the Jordan river with self-admitted sinners to be baptized by John, to be immersed into all that is human and all that is divine, all that is of God and from God.

Our baptism brings us into solidarity with Christ and with him into solidarity with all people of God as brothers and sisters. As Jesus was being baptized, he was identified and affirmed as the beloved son of God and empowered with the Holy Spirit. This is what happens at our own baptism. We are identified and affirmed as “sons of God” and empowered with the Holy Spirit to live as sons of God and to fulfill the mission entrusted to us.

To be identified as “Sons of God” means to be immersed into the very likeness of God, to be immersed into the mystery of God’s life and love, to be immersed into the character of God, to be identified with the image of God and to be called and named to image God. In Baptism we are immersed into the mystery God’s love. We are washed clean, given a clean garment, a lighted candle and anointed priest, prophet, and king – all symbolizing our character, an amazing and indelible character!!!

The 13th century king of France, St. Louis IX (1226-70), insisted that the grand celebration of his birthday should be held on the day of his Baptism, and not on his actual birthday. He believed that Baptism was the beginning of a life that would continue for eternity in the everlasting glory of Heaven. Let us remember that our own baptism was the beginning of our life as beloved children of God. Let us remember the graces we have received in Baptism and renew our Baptismal promises, consecrating ourselves to the Holy Trinity and rejecting sin and evil forces. Let us pray for the Grace of God to help us to be faithful to our Baptismal promises. And let us thank God for the honor and the privilege of being His beloved children.

I encourage you to take a few moments each day of this week to reflect on being baptized into Christ, on how you have been living your baptismal commitments and on how you have been witnessing Christ as you went about doing your daily chores.

God bless you and your family.

Fr. Gus Tharappel, msfs

SUNDAY REFLECTIONS

Weekday Reflections