Daily Positive Thread for Sunday

gloriajean — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 00:48:48 GMT

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.

Hello my friends! How was your day? Hope it went well and continues day by
day to go well. Well tonight we get to see Darla at Lori's and her ring, of
course. Oh the excitement!
When I called her around 2 today she was entering Minnesota! Then she had a
meeting with her advisor at the U of M. They are writing a paper together to
get published. Today I spend a lot of time on the phone because it's free
on Saturdays. Oh and one of the calls was to the Poor Clares here in town.
They are praying for the sale of our house too, and suggested we bury the
St. Joseph Statue in our Grotto of the Holy Family. And while praying the
Rosary together this morning, I got the thought that we as a family should
all bury it together on Father's Day. How appropriate! I had a nice, long
visit the the Poor Clare Sister. Then my sister, Deil, called - she wants
to have the family reunion this year, her son will have it at his place.
Had a nice long visit with her too. She wondered if we sold our house yet.
Well we soon will be off to Lori's.

Homily of the Day

June 18, 2011

Be Transformed!
by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.

Ex 34:4b-6 / 2 Cor 13:11-13 / Jn 3:16-18

The greatest library in the ancient world was in Alexandria, Egypt, and in
the year 391 AD it burned to the ground. Tradition says that only one book
survived. It was a very ordinary book, dull and uninteresting, so it was
sold for a few pennies to a poor man who barely knew how to read. Now that
book, dull and uninteresting as it seemed, was probably the most valuable
book in the world, for inside the back cover were scrawled a few sentences
that contained the Secret of the Touchstone — a tiny pebble that could turn
anything it touched to pure gold. The inscription declared that this
precious pebble was lying somewhere on the shore of the Black Sea, among
millions of other pebbles that were exactly like it except in one particular
way: Whereas all the other pebbles were cold to the touch, this one was
warm — as if it were alive.

When the poor man who bought the book read the inscription, he rejoiced at
his good luck. He sold everything he had, borrowed what he could, and set
out for the Black Sea, where he pitched his tent and began his search for
the Touchstone that would make him rich. This is how he went about his
quest. He’d pick up a pebble, and feel it. If it was cold, he wouldn’t
drop it back on the beach, lest he risk picking up the same stone dozens of
times again. Instead, after he felt the stone to be cold, he’d throw it
into the sea.

Hour after hour, day after day, he continued his orderly routine: Lift a
pebble, feel it to be cold, throw it into the sea; then lift the next
pebble, and so on… endlessly. The days grew into months and then into a
year, two years, three years. Still he persisted. Still no Touchstone.
Then one evening, he picked up a pebble and it was warm to the touch! But
through sheer force of habit, he raised it above his head, and threw it into
the sea, where it was lost forever!

+ + +

Imagine how he must have felt when he “woke up”! To have had the Touchstone
in his hand, and then to have tossed it away without thinking! Mindless!
Foolish! Yes! And maybe some of us are doing the same thing.

There is in each of us a deep and hungry longing for the One who alone can
fill our inner emptiness. Restlessly, day after day, we continue our search
for that one we call God, who alone can fill us full. Where is He to be
found? Like the Touchstone, in the ordinary places of our lives. And how
are we to recognize Him? Like the Touchstone — He is warm to the touch, and
has the power to transform whatever He touches into pure gold.

It should be easy, but because our search continues day after day, and
because the One who alone can fill our hearts is disguised in the ordinary
things, we often come face to face with Him and do not see Him, often touch
His warmth but are not warmed by it. Not because we don’t wish to see and
be touched, but because — in our weariness and distraction — we aren’t
paying attention to the ordinary things, and don’t recognize Him, and simply
go wandering on down the beach.

That’s why we need to celebrate this feast of the Holy Trinity: Because
there’s something important we need to remember:

• that God is a lot bigger than we usually let Him be in our imaginations,

• that He is, in fact, so big that He isn’t interested in punishing, but
only in giving life,

and, best of all,

• that He is near — always near — available to the touch, hidden just under
the surface of ordinary things.

So the “bottom line” on this Trinity Sunday is quite simple: Look for Him,
and you’ll find Him — not out there, but inside. Listen for Him, and you’ll
hear Him speaking ever so quietly. Open your inner gates, and you’ll be
filled full by Him, and warmed by Him, and transformed by Him into purest
gold.

Mother Teresa said...
Be happy in the moment, that's enough. Each moment is all we need, not more.
Be happy now and if you show through your actions that you love others,
including those who are poorer than you, you'll give them happiness, too. It
doesn't take much - it can be just giving a smile. The world would be a much
better place if everyone smiled more. So smile, be cheerful, be joyous that
God loves you.

God used an important divine inspiration to prove to us that our Holy
Scriptures contains truth... God used prophecy; this is the ability predict
the future. Nobody else can do this, because only God is the creator of
time and only God is above time to know what will happen in the future.

The Old Testament was written hundreds, even thousands, of years before the
time of Jesus.

Arguably, the most important prophecy given to us was the prediction that
Jesus will come to earth to save us. There are hundreds of biblical
predictions concerning the birth, life, and death of Jesus in the Old
Testament and which have been realised and confirmed in the New Testament.
Below are just a few of them which you may find familiar...

In the Old Testament, we read about
a virgin who will become pregnant and it will be a sign that God is with us.
(Isaiah 7:14)
In the New Testament, we are told that
the Virgin Mary, will give birth to Jesus, the Son of the Most High God.
(Luke 1:31-32)

In the Old Testament, we read about
a star that will annouce the birth of a king. (Numbers 24:17)
In the New Testament, we are told that
wise men followed the star that led them to baby Jesus. (Matthew 2:2)

In the Old Testament, we read about
a ruler that will be born in Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2)
In the New Testament, we are told that
Jesus was born in Bethlehem. (Luke 2:4-6)

In the Old Testament, we read about
a King who will be known as the Son of God. (Psalms 2:7)
In the New Testament, we are told that
heaven announces Jesus as the Son of God. (Matthew 3:17)

In the Old Testament, we read about
one being betrayed by a close friend for 30 silver coins. (Psalms 41:9 and
Zechariah 11:9,12)
In the New Testament, we are told that
Jesus was betrayed by one of His apostles, Judas, for 30 silver coins.
(Matthew 26:14-15 and Matthew 27:4)

In the Old Testament, we read about
a servant who is treated harshly and yet remaining silent. (Isaiah 53:7)
In the New Testament, we are told that
Jesus kept quiet during harsh accusations. (Matthew 26:63)

In the Old Testament, we read about
one being rejected by one's own people. (Isaiah 53:3)
In the New Testament, we are told that
the crowds chanted for the death of Jesus. (Luke 23:18)

In the Old Testament, we read about
the cry and anguish of a man and the pains of his hands and feet. (Psalms
22:16)
In the New Testament, we are told that
Jesus had his hands pierced by nails. (John 20:25)

In the Old Testament, we read about
a man calling out for God and being humiliated by other people who shook
their heads at him. (Psalms 22:7)
In the New Testament, we are told that
people hurled insults, shook their heads at Jesus, and humiliated him.
(Matthew 27:39 and Luke 23:35)

In the Old Testament, we read about
God's servant who is numbered amongst the criminals. (Isaiah 53:12)
In the New Testament, we are told that
Jesus was crucified with bandits. (Mark 15:27)

In the Old Testament, we read about
God's servant who is being harshly treated and yet still praying that they
might be forgiven. (Isaiah 53:12)
In the New Testament, we are told that
Jesus prays for forgiveness to those who are killing Him. (Luke 23:34)

In the Old Testament, we read about
a victim whose clothes were gambled for and divided up amongst evil men.
(Psalms 22:18)
In the New Testament, we are told that
the soldiers who killed Jesus threw dice and gambled for Jesus' clothes.
(Luke 23:34)

In the Old Testament, we read about
a suffering man who is felt forsaken by his father. (Psalms 22:1)
In the New Testament, we are told that
Jesus felt abandoned by God. (Matthew 27:46)

In the Old Testament, we read about
the good man whom the Lord preserves completely and none of his bones will
be broken. (Psalms 34:20)
In the New Testament, we are told that
the soldiers did not break the legs of Jesus, as they did to the others who
were crucified. (John 19:33)

In the Old Testament, we read about
the one who was stabbed to death and they mourn for him like those who mourn
for an only child. (Zechariah 12:10)
In the New Testament, we are told that
Jesus, the only Son of God, had his side pierced by a soldier's spear. (1
John 4:9 and John 19:34)

In the Old Testament, we read about
a devoted servant who would bear the punishment of many. (Isaiah 53:11)
In the New Testament, we are told that
Jesus died for our sins. (1 Corinthians 15:3)

In the Old Testament, we read about
an innocent man who was buried with the rich. (Isaiah 53:9)
In the New Testament, we are told that
Jesus was taken by a rich man to be buried in the rich man's tomb. (Matthew
27:59-60)

In the Old Testament, we read about
a wise man who is saved from the power of death. (Psalms 49:15)
In the New Testament, we are told that
Jesus rises from the dead. (Luke 24:34)

Prophecy is God's signature on the scriptures. So christians can rejoice,
because God came to earth to save us. And we knew He would... We knew a
thousand years before it happened.

No other book in the history of the world can approach the impact of the
Bible. It has transformed countless lives. It has inspired great works of
art, music and literature. The very wealthy have drawn success secrets from
its pages; the most poor have found comfort and challenge in its words. And
it is the basis for much of "civil" society in many parts of the globe.

IF YOU ARE GOING TO FLY
By Larry Davies

There is a parable about a wild goose shot down by a local hunter.
Only wounded in one wing, he landed safely in a barnyard. Naturally
the local turkeys and chickens were quite startled by this sudden
visitor from the sky. As they became more comfortable with this
stranger, however, it was only natural to ask about what they had seen
but never experienced: "Tell us what it's like to fly?"

"It's wonderful!" said the Goose who told story after story of his
flights. "It's beautiful to soar out in the wild blue yonder! Why this
barn looks only an inch high and all of you look like tiny specks from
such a distance. First you fly high and then you can glide and enjoy
the astonishing scenery."

All the birds were quite impressed by the goose's stories. Later they
asked him to tell more stories about flying. Soon, it became a weekly
event for the goose to entertain all the barnyard birds with his
stories. They even provided a little box for him to stand so everyone
could see him better.

But the strangest thing happened or maybe I should say… never
happened. While the domestic birds very much enjoyed hearing about the
glories of flight, they never tried to fly themselves. And the wild
goose, even though his wing healed, continued to talk about flying but
never actually flew again.

As pastor of a church, I find this parable frightening. Why? Because
it hits too close to home. How easy it is to talk about being a
Christian without acting like one. How easy it is to stand in church
and say, "Jesus is Lord," without actually turning our lives over to
His direction. How easy it is to sit in our comfortable seats and
ignore a world in desperate need of our witness. How easy it is as a
minister to talk about ministry without actually doing it. It's easy
to talk but you must really flap those wings to fly.

Jesus spoke to his disciples about what it takes to actually fly and
follow Him: "`If any of you wants to be my follower,' he told them,
`you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and
follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose
it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the
Good News, you will find true life.'" (Mark 8:34-35)

"Shoulder your cross and follow me." Other versions of the Bible
quote: "Take up your cross and follow me." I used to think the cross
stood for the pain of being a Christian. In other words: "If you
really want to follow me, you must be willing to endure pain and
suffering." This is not an exciting thought and also not completely
true. Although pain strikes all of us, it's not what Jesus had in
mind. If this were about pain we would be keeping `pain' diaries to
see which one suffered most: `pain' winners go to heaven.

So, what does it truly mean to `shoulder your cross and follow
Christ?'

Well, you're not going to believe this but I think Jesus is talking
about flying.

"What? Larry, have you lost your mind? Where is flying mentioned in
the Bible?"

Jesus is talking about being committed to your mission. Jesus accepted
the suffering because that was his mission. The cross was Jesus
Christ's ultimate mission and he was committed to seeing it through to
the end. A bird's mission is to fly but you must first be committed to
the work and effort of flapping your wings over and over
until you learn to fly. Our decision to take up the cross and follow
God regardless of the cost is our cross and our commitment to flap our
wings until we finally fly.

But flying is the best part. It may be safer to stay in the barnyard
but look at what you will miss. What would it be like to truly soar
and ride the air currents? If we live always so carefully protecting
and watching our own self-interests, making no effort for anyone but
ourselves we'll miss the best part of life: Knowing our mission and
having the inner satisfaction of carrying it out to the best of our
ability.

A song in the musical "Godspell" said it best: "Day by day, day by
day: Oh, dear Lord, three things I pray: to see thee more clearly,
love thee more dearly, follow thee more nearly, day by day. If we
learn from God to see more clearly, love more dearly and follow more
nearly we will take our cross and fly.

What is more powerful than God,
More evil than the Devil,
The poor have it,
The rich lack it, and
If you eat it you will die?

Think about it, and then scroll down for the answer.
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Answer: Nothing

Nothing is more powerful than God.
Nothing is more evil than the Devil.
The poor have nothing.
The rich lack nothing.
If you eat nothing, you will die.

WINDOW THROUGH WHICH WE LOOK
Author Unknown
June 18, 2011

A young couple moved into a new neighborhood. The next morning while
they were eating breakfast, the young woman watched her neighbor
hanging wash outside. "That laundry is not very clean," she said.
"She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better
laundry soap."

Her husband looked on, but remained silent.

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman
would make the same comments.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean
wash on the line and said to her husband,

"Look, she has learned how to wash correctly.I wonder who taught her
this."

The husband said, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our
windows."

And so it is with life. What we see when watching others may depend on
the purity of the window through which we look.

A Letter of Jesus to You,

to pray with Him

I am Jesus of Nazareth, and I am always with you, like the sun is always
with you, even on a winter night when you don't see it… if the sun were not
with you, you would be frozen, even more that in the North Pole.

I am your friend and I want to help: Take a minute and tell me about your
problem… yes, I know it well!… but if you talk to me about it, it means that
you have faith in me, and to have faith in me is the way I can help you,
and, besides, you show you want to be my friend… I am listening!.

Tell me about your dreams, your successes and failures, your problems at
home, in the neighborhood, at work… take a little time… friends spend time
with each other, and talk about it all…. and I can help, I really want to
help… but I will never force you into anything, I am with you like a dove,
like the Holy Spirit, but with the hurricane power of Pentecost, able to
fill you up with my own love and joy and peace…

I know you don't see me… but also you don't see the waves of radio and
television, and they are there with you!… you only need a good radio or TV
set… a good set to see me is prayer, specially to see the results of what I
can do for you…

Watch out after prayer!… for sure I am going to answer you!, probably not
with words, but with deeds!… that's the way God usually talks: Giving you
your hands and feet and heart, and the air and sun… and giving you your
relatives and friends, and the sky and animals and roses… all the scientists
have been unable to make a petal of of rose, not even a leaf of a tree or
one of your hairs!.

I always answer your prayers with a big YES!… if there is a storm in your
life, and you pray, I will always answer you in either one of these two
ways: I will calm the storm, or I will calm you, and you will pass through
the storm with the joy and peace I can give.

So, tell me about your storm: Your sickness, your problem with your husband
or wife or children or parents or friends or enemies… your problem at work,
with money… that big problem of your soul… I really enjoy listening to you,
I have all the time of the world for you… thank you for your company, for
your friendship…

When you pray with a friend or for a friend, I am with you in a very special
way, like the sun is with you on a beautiful springtime day… because then,
you not only believe in me, but you also believe in my Church… and that's a
great joy for me, as I said in Matt.18:19-20.

So, take a little time and tell me about the problems or dreams of your
relatives, or friends, or enemies… I can help them, and I want to help them,
I really want!… but I need the spark of your prayer, of your friendship, of
your faith… I need you!… your friends need you!…

Thank you for this time with me… and watch out!… don't forget to give thanks
to God when you get the good results you asked for, in your own life, or in
the life of your friends.

One suggestion more: Whenever you can, go and visit me in the Eucharist, in
the Tabernacle, at the Temple: I am also there present, but as the sun in
summer on a hot noon, with my Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity… all of me!… I
am in love with you… let me love you, just show me your faith and friendship
by just visiting me, and receiving the whole of me in your heart. I am
waiting for you. I want to be your daily bread of life (Jn.6:48-58,
Matt.6:11).

Thank you for this time. Your friend,

Jesus of Nazareth.

Good night everyone - Sweet Dreams and God bless you all!

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Daily Positive Thread for Sunday