Hello my friends! Busy, and also relaxing day for us today - we started writing out our Thank You cards, took a break, never got finished yet, but will after supper. We both took a nap, you know, we're old! Nice and sunny out today, chilly though too. Nice Linus has a couple days off now - he's enjoying it! Got a nice blessing call from Darla - it's always a blessing to hear from her. My blessing today are numerous - Thank you, Lord Jesus, for all You do for me! And I ask you, Jesus, to answer all the prayers that my friends here have - for all their needs.
Prayer for Strength in Weakness
Lord Jesus Christ, King of kings, you have power over life and death. You know even things that are uncertain and obscure, and our very thoughts and feelings are not hidden from you. Cleanse me from my secret faults, and I have done wrong and you saw it. You know how weak I am, both in soul and in body. Give me strength, O Lord, in my frailty and sustain me in my sufferings. Grant me a prudent judgement, dear Lord, and let me always be mindful of your blessings. Let me retain until the end your grace that has protected me till now.
St. Ephrem of Syria, Deacon, Poet and Doctor
No gift is so precious as love. Gratefully trust God and give Him your love.
Lord, I give You my heart.
Scripture for the day:
"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has
to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in
love." 1 John 4:18
Meditation for the day:
Love and fear cannot dwell together. By their very natures, they cannot
exist side by side. Fear is a very strong force. And therefore a weak
and vacillating love can soon be routed by fear. But a strong love, a
love that trusts in God, is sure eventually to conquer fear. The only
sure way to dispel fear is to have the love of God more and more in our
hearts and souls.
Prayer for the day:
I pray that love will drive out the fear in my life. I pray that my
fear will flee before the power of the love of God.
GUIDE TO CONTENTED LIVING
By Fr. John Catoir
The famed German writer Goethe offered a list of nine requisites for
contented living. They are as timely now as they were when he wrote
them 200 years ago.
"Health enough to make work a pleasure. Wealth enough to support your
needs. Strength enough to battle with difficulties and overcome them.
"Grace enough to confess your sins and forsake them. Patience enough
to toil until some good is accomplished. Charity enough to see some
good in your neighbor.
"Love enough to move you to be useful to others. Faith enough to make
the real things of God. Hope enough to remove all anxious fears
concerning the future."
Goethe showed wisdom in these thoughts, perhaps especially in the use
of the word "enough." Often we seek something more, when contentment
could come with gratitude for having enough.
There is great gain in godliness with contentment; for we brought
nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.
(1 Timothy 6:6-7)
"Grace me with contentment , Jesus, for after all I do have everything
in You. "
ANSWERED PRAYER
A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on
it were able to swim to a small, desert like island. The two survivors, not
knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray
to God. However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to
divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.
The first thing they prayed for was food. - The next morning, the first man
saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its
fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren.
After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife.
The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman
who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the island, there was
nothing.
Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. - The next day,
like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still
had nothing.
Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could
leave the island. - In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of
the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to
leave the second man on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to
receive God's blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered.
As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven
booming, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?" "My blessings
are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them," the first man
answered. "His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve
anything."
"You are mistaken!" the voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer, which I
answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings."
"Tell me," the first man asked the voice, "What did he pray for that I
should owe him anything?"
"He prayed that all your prayers be answered."
For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone, but
those of another praying for us.
-- Author Unknown
Today's readings 9/18/14
1Cor.15:1-11; Ps.118:1-2, 16-17, 28; Lk.7:36-50
We may not have directly "persecuted the church of God" the way Saul of
Tarsus did before his conversion but the reality is we were all "born
abnormally" and bear the burden of sin, and like our saint tells us it is
only by the Grace of God that were are who we are today. All of us, like the
sinful woman we read about in today's Gospel, have been "forgiven much", and
if we listen closely to what Jesus tells us it is in coming to grips with
that Truth that we are able to learn how to "love much" in return. Yes, in
order to love the way God wants us to we need to understand that it isn't
something that has to be earned, not by us or by the people we are called to
be more loving toward, it has to be an unwarranted gift in order for it to
bring about a change in our lives and the lives of the people we meet, and
the life of St.Paul is certainly a good example of that. Our lives can be
too, my friends, and it all starts when we begin to forgive not just our
neighbors but ourselves as well.
God bless you,
In Jesus - Pat
God's Messengers By: Helen Steiner Rice
The unexpected kindness from an unexpected place
a hand outstretched in friendship, a smile on someone's face.
A word of understanding spoken in a time of trail
are unexpected miracles that make life more worthwhile.
We know not how it happened that in our hour of need somebody out of nowhere
proved to be a friend indeed.
For God has many messengers we fail to recognize, but He sends them when we
need them, and His ways are wondrous and wise.
So keep looking for your angel and keep listening to hear, for on life's
busy, crowded streets you will find God's presence near.
ABC'S OF AGRICULTURE
Author Unknown
A is for AWARENESS of those around us
B is for BEAUTY for all people
C is for CARING about each other
D is for DIGNITY that we all possess
E is for ETHNICITY on which we would be proud
F is for FEELING, important to us all
G is for GIVING of ourselves
H is for HOPE for a better tomorrow
I is for INTEGRITY, our standards tell so about us
J is for JOINTLY working together
K is for KNOWLEDGE which erases ignorance
L is for LOVE to be shared
M is for MANKIND, the entire human race
N is for NOBODY is unimportant
O is for OPTIMISM which enhances everyone's life
P is for PROGRESS made toward understanding
Q is for being QUIET when asked
R is for RESPECT for oneself and others
S is for SELF-WORTH which we should never be without
T is for TOLERANCE toward others
U is for UNDERSTANDING different cultures
V is for VALUES learned along the way
W is for WEALTH gained by sharing our diversity
X is for X-RAY vision that helps us see the good in others
Y is for YOU. Make your life what you want it to be, forward and
upward
Z is for ZEAL to appreciate a multicultural world
GUIDANCE
Author Unknown
When I meditated on the word guidance, I kept seeing "dance" at the end of
the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow
with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person relaxes and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow
with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or
by pressing lightly in one direction or another. It's as if two become one
body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and
attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other.
My eyes drew back to the word guidance. When I saw "G," I thought of God,
followed by "u" and "i." God, "u" and "I" dance. God, you, and I dance.
This statement is what guidance means to me.
As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance
about my life.
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.
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