Hello my friends!!! Very busy day today!! First as soon as Darla arrived here from Mpls. this morning, she went along with us to Father Jerry's Jubilee Mass and reception at the Hall. Very nice meeting old relatives and friends. Father Jerry was very pleased that Darla came! And after we got home, Lori invited us for supper at her house, made two different kinds of soups and a great salad - with home grown lettuce! We were there a long time so Darla could visit Deil more. It was a very busy but blessed day. How about you? Praying for all your intentions daily.
Your thoughts can be your worst enemy if you let them run away with you.
Lord, free me to enjoy each moment of my day no matter what circumstances
surround me.
Scripture for the day:
"Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually."
~Psalm 105:4
Meditation for the day:
Not only can we live a new life, but we can also grow in grace and
power and beauty. We can reach ever forward and upward after the
things of the spirit. In the animal world, the very form of an animal
changes to enable it to reach that upon which it delights to feed.
our whole character changes as we reach upward for the things of the
spirit--for beauty, for love, for honesty, for purity, and for
unselfishness. Reaching after these things of the spirit, our whole
nature can become changed so that we can best receive and delight in
the wonders of the abundant life.
Prayer for the day:
I pray that I may reach forward and upward. I pray that my character
may be changed by this reaching upward for the things of the spirit.
OUR OWN WAY
By Daphne Harrington
Jun 6, 2009
Currently, we have our seven-year-old grandson visiting us. Julian is
delightful and thoroughly enjoyable to be around, when he is getting
his way. One day this past summer, as we were on our way to the
swimming pool, I stopped to indulge his request for an ice cream cone.
He decided
he wanted a "Big Blast." He was all smiles as he devoured the horrid-
looking blue drink with whipped cream topping.
Our next stop was the video store. When we finally found one he had
not seen, I checked it out and was on my way out the door, when I
noticed that Julian was not behind me. He had discovered a Nintendo
game. By the time we finally left the store, he'd talked me into
letting him play for about 30 minutes. Then I had to make a quick stop
at a nearby department store for the pair of jeans I'd promised him.
By the time we came out of the department store--without the jeans (he
had now decided he wanted a type of jeans the store did not carry)--
it was 4:40 pm. "Julian," I said, "we are going to have to wait until
tomorrow to go swimming. It is too late to swim today." He folded his
arms abruptly across his chest, stuck out his bottom lip and began to
pout and cry. "I want to swim today!" he said, pouting all the way
home.
I thought how we adults are like that. Even though many of us are more
indulged than most people on this planet and get most of our heart's
desires, we do the same thing in more subtle ways when things don't go
our way.
Isaiah 53:6 says, "All of us, like sheep, have gone astray. Each of us
has turned to his own way." When you think about it, our "own way" is
one of the things we cherish most in life and the thing that keeps us
as our own "lord," or boss of our own lives. Our own way is usually in
direct opposition to God's will and sometimes in opposition to the
will of those closest to us. Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that
seems right to a man, but the end thereof is the way of death."
If we left Julian to his own way, he would be so spoiled that he could
not get along in life and could never have working relationships. He
must learn that sometimes, when he gets his way, he will not get what
he really wants in the long run, which, in this case, was to go
swimming on
that particular day. Instead, he had frittered his time away doing
things that-- while not really wrong-- were not what he most wanted to
achieve that day. He needed the guidance of a wiser, caring mind. He
needed discipline with love that would teach him and direct him to the
wiser path. Had he listened to this guidance, he could have had what
he most desired.
If we ask Him, God will show us the path He has for us, but He does
not force us. "`For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are
your ways My ways,' declares the Lord. `For as the heavens are higher
than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts
than your thoughts.'" Isaiah 55:8-9. Jesus said, "I AM the WAY, the
truth and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by Me." In
Christ's life, in His death, burial and resurrection on our behalf,
the way of salvation and the way of life has been made available to us
through faith in Him and what He has done for us. To take our own path
is to perish. To take His is life eternal.
MOVE CLOSER
Author Unknown
Not long ago I heard a story about a young man and an old preacher.
The young man had lost his job and didn't know which way to turn. So
he went to see the old preacher.
Pacing about the preacher's study, the young man ranted about his
problem. Finally he clenched his fist and shouted, "I've begged God to
say something to help me, preacher, why doesn't God answer?"
The old preacher, who sat across the room, spoke something in reply,
something so hushed it was undistinguishable. The young man stepped
across the room. "What did you say?" he asked. The preacher repeated
himself, but again in a tone as soft as a whisper. So the young man
moved closer until he was leaning on the preacher's chair.
"Sorry," he said. "I still didn't hear you." With their heads bent
together, the old preacher spoke once more. "God sometimes whispers,"
he said, "So we will move closer to hear him." This time the young man
heard and he
understood.
We all want God's voice to thunder through the air with the answer to
our problem. But God's is the still, small voice... the gentle
whisper. Perhaps there's a reason.
Nothing draws human focus quite like a whisper. God's whisper means I
must stop my ranting and move close to Him, until my head is bent
together with His. And then, as I listen, I will find my answer.
Better still, I find myself closer to God.
Beauty Tips
FOR WRINKLED BROWS: Try the Well-known cream, SWEETNESS OF TEMPER. It tones
up the facial muscles, reduces wrinkles and is very uplifting.
FOR THE LIPS: Use the marvelous lip stick SILENCE. It is particularly good
for lips that have been distorted by uncharitable gossip.
FOR LOVELY HANDS: There's only one preparation to use. It is called
GENEROSITY. Get a large jar.
FOR FACIAL TONE: Expose the face to the morning air, especially between 6
and 8 o'clock. The air on the way to Mass is especially refreshing and
uplifting.
FOR CLEAR EYES: Faithful care with that tried and true protective
preparation, MODESTY. For the best results, we recommend that you carry it
with you wherever you go.
A WONDERFUL CLEANING AGENT - Confession.
AN IDEAL CONDITIONER AND BEAUTIFIER - Holy Communion.
"I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you
now."
Trinity of Persons, One Eternal God
We generally begin and end our prayers by recalling the Blessed Trinity,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, One God in Three divine Persons. Let us be on
our guard against regarding the Blessed Trinity as something remote,
something of an abstraction. This great feast, at the end of the Easter
season, is intended to remind us how close to us God in all his glory and in
all his infinity has come.
PERSONAL PRAYER
Glory to you, Father, creator of heaven and earth. Glory to you, Son,
redeemer of the world. Glory to you, Spirit, inspiration of Christians.
Father, I love you, my God, but my love is imperfect. You are a loving
Father, who wishes me to be saved. Forgive me when I come to judgement and
see all my sins as little ones, so that I will be able to see you and live
with you in heaven.
Jesus, you are the all-powerful Son of the Father. You came at the Father´s
request to save me from sin. Thank you, Lord, for that and for dying for
me. When you come in glory to judge the living and the dead, remember my
good deeds and forgive my faults.
Spirit of the living God, I need you with me to guide me. Stay with me,
inspire me. Fill me with love of God and neighbor so that as I grow old I
may not fear death but be waiting to be called into your Kingdom. Amen.
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