Daily Positive Thread for Sunday

gloriajean — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 01:47:31 GMT

It is very humbling to realize that often what burdens us the most would be
very missed if it were taken away. Lord, I will take the time to appreciate
my life.

Scripture for the day:

"'Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy
burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn
from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest
for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.'"
~Matthew 11:28-30

Meditation for the day:

We can lay upon God our failures and mistakes and shortcomings.
We need not dwell upon our failures, upon the fact that in the past
we have been nearer a beast than an angel. We have a mediator
between us and God. Our growing faith can lift us up from the mire and
point us toward the heavens. We can still be reconciled with
God. We can still regain our harmony with God and God's will for
us.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may not let the beast in me hold me back from my spiritual
destiny. I pray that I may rise and walk upright.

Greetings my friends! How was your day? We thought we'd get rain, but it
was just a nice, sunny day today but raspberries get picked every day but
they are getting fewer all the time now. Yet there's plenty on the branches
yet that are green, so they are sill producing until the big frost. I
discovered that putting the fresh ones on top of my toast and peanut butter,
mashed with a fork is wonderful!! I also love them in my cereals and oatmeal
and salads. They make a plain salad taste great! Ordinary day today - Linus
left this morning for his trip - it was a very relaxing day. Sammy still
likes to go with me to pick raspberries, maybe just to get out in the sun he
likes. I've been brushing him outside the last two days - he sure sheds a
lot! I don't know how to get him brushed enough - there's always more there
when you think it's enough! But - Linus says he's worth every hair!! Lots
of blessings today as usual - good night's sleep, coffee with him before he
left, enjoying Sammy, walking around the yard with him, still nice and warm
out. Yesterday was windy, today not so much, just a mild day.

Twelve reasons from Scripture for wanting to spend one hour each week
with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament

1. He is really there! "I Myself am the Living Bread come down from
Heaven." (Jn 6:35)

2. Day and night Jesus dwells on the Blessed Sacrament because of His
infinite love for you! "Behold I will be with you always even to the end of
the world," because "I have loved you with an everlasting love, and constant
is My affection for you." (Mt 28:20, Jer 31:3)

3. The specific way that Jesus asks you to love Him in return is to spend
one quiet hour with Him each week in the Blessed Sacrament. "Where your
treasure is, there is your heart..." "Could you not watch one hour with
Me?" (Mt 6:21, 26:40)

4. When you look upon the Sacred Host, you look upon Jesus, the Son of God.
"Indeed, this is the will of My Father, that everyone who looks upon the Son
and believes in Him shall have eternal life. Him will I raise up on the
last day'" (Jn 6:40)

5. Each moment that you spend in His Eucharistic Presence will increase His
Divine Life within you and deepen your personal relationship and friendship
with Him. "I have come that they may have life, and have it more
abundantly." I am the Vine and you are the branches. Whoever remains in
union with Me shall bear much fruit for without Me, you can do nothing." (Jn
10:10, 15:5)

6. Each hour you spend with Jesus will deepen His Divine Peace within your
heart. "Come to Me all of you who are weary and find life burdensome and I
will refresh you..." "Cast all of your anxieties upon the Lord, who cares
for you." (Mt 11:28, ! Pt 5:7, Jn 14:17)

7. Jesus will give you all the graces you need to be happy in life. "The
Lamb on the throne will shepherd them. He will lead them to springs of
living water." (Rev 7:17)

8. Jesus is infinitely deserving of our unceasing thanksgiving and
adoration for all He has done for our salvation. "Worthy is the Lamb that
was slain to receive honor, glory and praise." (Rev 5:12)

9. For peace in our country! "When My people humble themselves and seek My
Presence, I will receive their land." (2 Ch 7:14)

10. Each hour you spend with Jesus on earth will leave your soul
everlastingly more beautiful and glorious in Heaven. "They who humble
themselves shall be exalted..." "All of us , gazing on the Lord's glory
with unveiled faces are being transformed from glory to glory into His very
image." (Lk 18:14, Cor 3:18)

11. Jesus will bless you, your family and the whole world for this hour of
faith you spend with Him in the Blessed Sacrament. "Blessed are they who do
not see and yet believe.." "Faith can move mountains..." "What is needed
is trust..." "Behold I come to make all things new" (Jn 20:29, Mk 11:23, Mk
5:36, Rev 21:5)

12. Each moment you spend with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament brings joy,
pleasure and delight to His Sacred Heart! My joy, My pleasure, My delight
is to be with you." (Prov 8:31)

EIGHT GIFTS THAT DO NOT COST A CENT
Author Unknown

1) THE GIFT OF LISTENING...
But you must REALLY listen. No interrupting, no daydreaming, no
planning your response. Just listening.

2) THE GIFT OF AFFECTION...
Be generous with appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back and
handholds. Let these small actions demonstrate the love you have for
family and friends.

3) THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER...
Clip cartoons. Share articles and funny stories. Your gift will say,
"I love to laugh with you."

4) THE GIFT OF A WRITTEN NOTE...
It can be a simple "Thanks for the help" note or a full sonnet. A
brief, handwritten note may be remembered for a lifetime, and may even
change a life.

5) THE GIFT OF A COMPLIMENT...
A simple and sincere, "You look great in red," "You did a super job"
or "That was a wonderful meal" can make someone's day.

6) THE GIFT OF A FAVOR...
Every day, go out of your way to do something kind.

7) THE GIFT OF SOLITUDE...
There are times when we want nothing better than to be left alone. Be
sensitive to those times and give the gift of solitude to others.

8) THE GIFT OF A CHEERFUL DISPOSITION...
The easiest way to feel good is to extend a kind word to someone,
really it's not that hard to say, Hello or Thank You.

Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and
encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of
praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.

~ THE POWER OF HABIT ~

I am your constant companion.
I am your greatest helper or your heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.
I am completely at your command.
Half the things you do you might as well turn over to
me,
And I will be able to do them quickly and correctly.
I am easily managed; you must merely be firm with me.
Show me exactly how you want something done,
And after a few lessons I will do it automatically.
I am the servant of all great individuals
And, alas, of all failures as well.
Those who are great I have made great
Those who are failures I have made failures.
I am not a machine,
Though I work with all the precision of a machine
Plus the intelligence of a human being.
You may run me for profit or run me for ruin;
It makes no difference to me.
Take me, train me, be firm with me,
And I will put the world at your feet
Be easy with me, and I will destroy you.
Who am I?
I am habit!

Author Unknown

Homily of the Day

October 8, 2011

It´s Ours for the Taking
by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.

Is 25:6-10a / Phil 4:12-14, 19-20 / Mt 22:1-14

There’s an old Peanuts cartoon that shows Charlie Brown and Lucy pondering
the meaning of life. “Charlie Brown,” says Lucy, “Why do you think we’re put
here on earth?”

“To make others happy,” Charlie answers.

Lucy doesn’t like his answer. “I don’t think I’m making anyone very happy…
Of course, nobody’s making ME very happy EITHER…”

She pauses a bit, then becomes quite indignant and roars, “Somebody’s not
doing his job!!!”

+ + +

I wonder who that could be! Not Lucy!

Are you really happy, deep down inside, every day? Are you? Am I? I suspect
that most of our answers probably fall in the range of “sometimes” and “more
or less.” And that tells us we haven’t really accepted God’s invitation to
his feast.

Not a day goes by that God doesn’t send messengers saying, “Come to my
feast, and be happy.” Sometimes the invitation comes in the form of a sudden
glimpse of something very beautiful or someone very good. And our heart
says, “That’s what I’ve been looking for!”

Sometimes God’s invitation comes in the form of restlessness and uneasiness
that leaves us sad and lonely, vaguely longing for something more. In one
form or another, the invitations keep coming — no matter how often we look
the other way. But even with sadness pushing us from behind and goodness
pulling us forward, we resist and dither and stall.

So it has to be said plainly: If we ever hope to be happy, we have to commit
all we’ve got and jump. It’s not possible to leap just halfway across a
chasm! It’s all or nothing. And so it is with our quest for happiness. That’s
the point of the man without the wedding garment: He did come to the
banquet, but in a T-shirt, even though he knew that proper garments were
always provided at the door! He was there, but not entirely — just like us
so often.

So what is it that we have to bring to the feast of life? What is the price
of happiness? The price is a pure heart, a heart that trusts God so
thoroughly that it puts aside everything else and looks at the world through
his eyes, and then acts wholeheartedly on what he SEES.

The reward for doing that is instantaneous: Freedom and happiness! Freedom
from everything that traps or blinds us. Freedom from everything that kills
love and smothers joy. And most of all, freedom from fear.

It’s all we really want: To be at peace and to be able to love without
holding anything back. It’s all we really want, and now we know how to get
it: By trusting God enough to let go of all that is narrow and small in us,
and to start seeing with his eyes and letting his great heart reshape our
heart in his likeness.

It’s all we really want, and like that stack of wedding garments at the
door, it’s ours for the taking.

ALL WE REALLY NEED TO KNOW WE LEARNED FROM NOAH'S ARK
Author Unknown
October 8, 2011

1. Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.

2. Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone might ask you to do
something REALLY big.

3. Don't listen to critics -- do what has to be done.

4. Build on high ground.

5. For safety's sake, travel in pairs.

6. Two heads are better than one.

7. Speed isn't always an advantage. The cheetahs were on board, but so
were the snails.

8. If you can't fight or flee -- float!

9. Take care of your animals as if they were the last ones on earth.

10. Don't forget that we're all in the same boat.

11. When the doo-doo gets really deep, don't sit there and complain --
shovel!!!

12. Stay below deck during the storm.

13. Remember that the ark was built by amateurs and the Titanic was
built by professionals.

14. If you have to start over, have a friend by your side.

15. Remember that the woodpeckers INSIDE are often a bigger threat
than the storm outside.

16. Don't miss the boat.

17. No matter how bleak it looks, there's always a rainbow on the
other side.

18. "Stop what you are doing, and do what God says!"

Believe in yourself...
in the power you have
to control your own life
day by day.
Believe in the strength
that you have deep inside
and your faith will help
show you the way.
Believe in tomorrow
and what it will bring,
let a hopeful heart
carry you through
for things will work out
if you trust and believe
there's no limit
to what you can do!

LIFE

Three things of life once gone never comes back -
Time, words & opportunity.

Three things of life that must not be lost -
Peace, hope & honesty.

Three things of life that are most valuable -
Love, self-confidence & friends.

Three things of life that are never sure -
Dreams, success & fortune.

Three things of life that destroy a man/woman -
Lust, Pride & Anger.

FAILURE

Failure doesn't mean - You are a failure,
It means - You have not succeeded.

Failure doesn't mean - You accomplished nothing,
It means - You have learned something.

Failure doesn't mean - That you have been a fool,
It means - You had a lot of faith.

Failure doesn't mean - You've been disgraced,
It means - You were willing to try.

Failure doesn't mean - You don't have it,
It means - You have to do something in a different way.

Failure doesn't mean - You are inferior,
It means -You are not perfect.

Failure doesn't mean - You've wasted your life,
It means - You have a reason to start afresh.

Failure doesn't mean - You should give up,
It means - You must try harder.

Failure doesn't mean -You'll never make it,
It means - It will take a little longer.

Failure doesn't mean - God has abandoned you,
It means - God has a better way for you.

SUN RISE

Every morning in Africa, when the Sun rises, a deer awakens,
Knowing it has to outrun the fastest Lion, OR, be hunted to death....

Every morning in Africa, when the Sun rises, a Lion awakens,
Knowing it has to outrun the slowest deer, OR, be starved to death....

It does not matter whether you are a deer or Lion,
When the Sun rises, Better be running at your best..

Give Me Strength

If Satan's way I seek to go,
Lord, give me courage to tell him, "No."
Don't let my soul be led astray.
Please, give me strength for one more day.

And if I fall along the way,
Then lift me up, Oh Lord, I pray.
For, Satan's strong and I am weak.
Your tender mercies I will seek.

Your love is strong, your grace I need
When Satan makes my spirit bleed.
Give me strength, Oh Lord, I pray -
To fight this demon, day by day.

Satan's working overtime,
Trying his best to change my mind.
But if you'll help me, Lord, I know
His evil seeds will never grow.

For, you are mightier than the sword.
I've chosen you to be my Lord.
So give me strength, Oh God, I pray;
By standing in the devils way.

Vickie Lambdin

A WALK IN THE RAIN
Author Unknown
October 13, 2009

She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful brown haired, freckled-
faced Image of innocence. Her Mom looked like someone from the
Walton's or a moment captured by Norman Rockwell. Not that she was old-
fashioned. Her brown hair was ear length with enough curl to appear
natural. She had on a pair of tan shorts and light blue knit shirt.
Her sneakers were white with a blue trim. She looked like a Mom. It
was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the tops of
rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the Earth it has no time to
flow down the spout. Drains in the nearby parking lot were filled to
capacity and some were blocked so that huge puddles made lakes around
parked cars. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the
door of the WalMart. We waited, some patiently, others irritated
because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by
rain fall. I get lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing
away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so
carefree as a child
come pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day. Her
voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught
in. "Mom, let's run through the rain," she said.

"What?" Mom asked.

"Let's run through the rain!" she repeated.

"No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied.

This young child waited about another minute and repeated her
statement. "Mom. Let's run through the rain."

"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.

"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young
girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.

"This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not
get wet?"

"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer,
you said, "If God can get us through this, He can get us through
anything!"

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear
anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in
the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what
she would say.

Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might
even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a
young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that
it will bloom into faith.

"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If God
lets us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said. Then
off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they
darted past the cars and yes through the puddles. They held their
shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they
were followed by a few believers who
screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. Perhaps
inspired by their faith and trust. I want to believe that somewhere
down the road in life, Mom will find herself reflecting back on
moments they spent together, captured like pictures in the scrapbook
of her cherished memories.

Maybe when she watches proudly as her daughter graduates. Or as her
Daddy walks her down the aisle on her wedding day. She will laugh
again. Her heart will beat a little faster. Her smile will tell the
world they love each other.

But only two people will share that precious moment when they ran
through the rain believing that God would get them through. And Yes, I
did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the
heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1

PERSONAL PRAYER

Lord, our God, you are continually calling us to decide, to choose life at
every opportunity.

You did not shrink from decision when you sent your only Son to suffer and
to die for us.

Make us people of decisive faith who will translate into action what we
accept in our hearts so that your kingdom will be continually brought about
by the men and women and children of our own age. Amen.

Good night everyone! May you all have a good night's rest and have sweet
dreams! Have a very postive Sunday!!
God bless you all!!

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Daily Positive Thread for Sunday