Daily Positive Thread for Sunday

gloriajean — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 05:26:32 GMT

No great or good work is ever accomplished without patient preparation.
Lord, when my work is not going as I planned, remind me to be grateful
that I am being trained for greater achievement.

Scripture for the day:

"He has told you, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to
act justly, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with your God." ~Micah 6:8

Meditation for the day:

"Walk humbly with your God." Walking with God means practicing the presence
of God in our daily affairs. It means asking God for the strength to face
each new day. It means turning to God often during the day in prayer for
ourselves and for other people. It means thanking God at night for the
blessings we have received during the day. Nothing can seriously upset us
if we are "walking with God." We can believe that God is beside us in
spirit, to help us and to guide us on our way.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may try to walk humbly with God. I pray that I may turn to
God often, as to a close friend.

Peace of the Lord be with you all!! How was your day? Mine was fine - I got
to call Sister LaDonna - and had a real nice visit with her. Today was not
as good as yesterday for her, but she says that she finds out that kneeling
to say her prayers works better than sitting for her. She is walking a
little. She bought a real nice pillow at Medjudgorje which is lost
somewhere in the Motherhouse. It has Our Lady embroidered on it and so I
ask for prayers that it comes back to her. She said she bought us all
Rosaries there, rosaries made by a man who gets the stones from the
mountains and makes them for his living. They are all very poor there. I
don't know when I'll get it, but maybe next time we go see her. She
completely forgot when we were there and in so much pain. Tonight when I
talked to her I had to tell her that for the first time since this happened
her voice sounded more normal - otherwise it was lower and you could tell in
pain. She talked to me for about a half hour! It was very nice. Remember
Katie? Linus' cousin? She died and her funeral is Monday and Linus and his
brothers plan to go, his sisters cannot, and a couple cousins are going
also - he's arranging rides. They are so glad they made that trip 3 weeks
ago to see her when she was alive and have such a nice time with her. Nice
memories. She was fine then, and shortly after, she got a stroke, then she
got to a Nursing Home, and got an infection, then pneumonia, and a blockage.
It didn't take long and she died. She was not quite 89.

Power of the Holy Name of Jesus

The name of Jesus is the shortest, the easiest, and the most powerful of
prayers. Everyone can say it, even in the midst of daily work. Our Lord
Himself has solemnly promised that whatever we ask the Father in His Name we
shall receive (provided, of course, that it be for His Glory and the good of
our soul).
Each time we pronouce the holy Name of Jesus with reverence and love, and
with proper intention, we give great glory to God and obtain for ourselves
priceless graces.

Each time we say Jesus, we may, in desire:

Make an act of perfect love, offering to God all the infinite love of His
Divine Son as if it were our own.

Offer the Passion and Death of Our Lord to the Eternal Father for His
greater glory and our own intentions.

Offer to God all the infinite merits and perfections of Jesus.

Offer all the Holy Masses said each day throughout the world, for the glory
of God and the good of our own and others' souls.

Each time we say Jesus, we increase in our souls the virtues of faith, hope
and charity. Our faith becomes more lively, our confidence in God greater,
and our love more intense.

The Holy Name of Jesus saves us from innumerable evils and dangers, helps us
to overcome temptations, and delivers us from the power of the devil, who is
constantly seeking to do us harm.

The Holy Name of Jesus fills our souls with peace and joy, and gives us
strength to bear our trials and sufferings with patience and resignation.

Each time we say Jesus, we can gain a partial indulgence which we may apply
to the souls in purgatory, thus relieving and liberating many of them from
their awful pains, and gaining for ourselves friends who will pray for us
with incredible fervor.

We ought, therefore, to try to acquire the habit of saying Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus, very often every day, with fervent love and devotion - when dressing,
when working - no matter what we are doing, in moments of sadness and in
moments of joy, at home, in company, on the street, when walking, riding or
waiting. We can say it countless times every day, and thus gain untold
graces and blessings for ourselves and for the whole world. Nothing is
easier, if only we do it with all our heart.

INVOCATION

O admirable Name of Jesus! Name most holy! to men most amiable! Name above
every name. No other name is given under heaven in which we can be saved.

Jesus, honey in our mouth, melody to our ears, sweet jubilee to our hearts!
O Jesus! You are our life, You are our salvation, You are our glory, to You
be praise forever and ever. Amen

Imprimatur +Carolus Hubertus LeBlond
Episcopus Sancti Josephi
Infant of Prague Press

WORRY.

Is there a magic cut-off period when

offspring become accountable for their own

actions? Is there a wonderful moment when

parents can become detached spectators in

the lives of their children and shrug, 'It's

their life,' and feel nothing?

When I was in my twenties , I stood in a hospital

corridor waiting for doctors to put a few

stitches in my daughter's head. I asked, 'When do

you stop worrying?' The nurse said,

'When they get out of the accident stage.' My

Dad just smiled faintly and said nothing.

When I was in my thirties , I sat on a little

chair in a classroom and heard how one of my

children talked incessantly, disrupted the class,

and was headed for a career making

license plates. As if to read my mind, a teacher

said, 'Don't worry, they all go through

this stage and then you can sit back, relax and

enjoy them.' My dad just smiled

faintly and said nothing.

When I was in my forties , I spent a lifetime

waiting for the phone to ring, the cars to come

home, the front door to open.. A friend said,

'They're trying to find themselves. Don't worry,

in a few years, you can stop worrying. They'll be

adults.' My dad just smiled faintly

and said nothing.

By the time I was 50 , I was sick & tired of being

vulnerable. I was still worrying over my

children, but there was a new wrinkle. There

was nothing I could do about it. My

Dad just smiled faintly and said nothing. I

continued to anguish over their failures, be

tormented by their frustrations and absorbed in

their disappointments.

My friends said that when my kids got married I

could stop worrying and lead my own

life.. I wanted to believe that, but I was

haunted by my dad's warm smile and his

occasional, 'You look pale. Are you all right?

call me the minute you get home . Are

you depressed about something?'

Can it be that parents are sentenced to a

lifetime of worry? Is concern for one another

handed down like a torch to blaze the trail of

human frailties and the fears of the

unknown? Is concern a curse or is it a virtue

that elevates us to the highest form of life?

One of my children became quite irritable

recently, saying to me, 'Where were you? I've been

calling for 3 days, and no one answered I was worried.'

I smiled a warm smile.

The torch has been passed.

PASS IT ON TO WONDERFUL PARENTS

Homily of the Day

November 5, 2011

The Only Way To Get a Life Is To Give It Away!
by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.

Wis 6:12-16 / 1 Thes 4:13-18 / Mt 25:1-13

Most of our children have become as comfortable on their computers as they
are on their bikes. And watching them skimming along in search of
information for a report or simply scanning the horizon for what might
tickle their fancy can be a jarring experience for many of their parents and
grandparents. There is no doubt that many of the brightest people in the
generations just behind our school children are utterly baffled by e-mail,
internet, and this whole new world of communication.

If we take that bafflement as a model, we can capture the state of mind of
the majority of Jesus’ contemporaries and indeed of our own when they
examine Jesus’ life. With no promise of payback, he voluntarily gave his
life on behalf of the people he loved. Insanity is the only label that
these folks can apply to such a choice. But we know better.

As we’ve walked through our own lives with Jesus at our side, we’ve come to
understand that we find life and truly make it our own only as we give it
away. Good mothers, spouses, teachers, pastors, and many more, all know
that and live it. It seems to be an utter lapse in logic: two and two does
not equal four. But on an entirely different level it works. Indeed, it’s
the only thing that works.

If that is true, then each of us is left with some hard questions. Are you
giving your life wholeheartedly where it needs to be given? If not, what
are you holding back, and what’s holding you back? There’s no better time
than now to begin to change that!

"I Don't Fit In"

A friend of mine witnessed what I am about to tell you.

Several years ago, a well dressed older gentleman entered an elevator in a
tall office building, apparently consumed with whatever business he was
taking care of that day.

It was mid-afternoon of the work day, and there were only three people on
that elevator -- the gentleman, a middle-aged woman and my friend -- all
being transported down to the street level.

Out of the blue, the woman starts crying. Taken aback, the gentleman and my
friend didn't know what to say or do.

"I'm sorry. I'm making a spectacle of myself," said the woman, sobbing and
searching her purse for a handkerchief.

The gentleman offered her his. "Thank you," she said, "I just don't know
anymore. I'm usually not like this, but I just don't know anymore."

"I'm sure everything will turn out fine -- don't you worry, Miss," he said.

"No. No. It's not that. I have so much to be grateful for," she said as
she shook her head. "It's not what you think."

Not wanting to pry, her elevator mates stood speechless.

"It's just that I don't fit in. I've never fit in. I do everything I'm
supposed to do, but I don't feel like I belong," she said, wiping the tears
from her eyes.

The elevator continued its downward journey as the distraught woman tried to
compose herself.

"I'm so embarrassed. You'll have to pardon me. Things have just caught up to
me," she said.

"Miss, I have something I want to tell you, if you have just a minute," the
old man said.

The elevator opened as they reached the lobby.

"Oh yes, please, I need to get my mind focused on something," she said.

They left the elevator and walked into the busy lobby. The old man turned to
my friend, and invited him to join them. By this time, my friend's
curiosity had got the best of him.

The old man's face had some well worn lines. His gray hair bespoke of his
experience, and his dark eyes peered over his bifocals, lending confidence
to his words.

"I don't know what your situation is Ma'am," he said politely. "However, I
was in the same boat many years ago. And while I was in my little personal
crisis, I felt the same way. Moreover, I came to find out that everyone,
sooner or later, feels like they don't fit in."

"Sometimes it happens early in life in school. Teenagers are thrown
together with strangers and told to fit in. It's almost an impossible
situation. Then, the same thing happens at work, or with your neighbors at
home. You always feel like you are the odd man out. Everyone else seems to
be happy. They look comfortable. They look like they belong, and you always
feel like you are an intrusion. I know all about that," said the old man.

"I know exactly what you're saying," the woman said as she nodded in
agreement.

"A lot of people avoid those feelings by limiting contact. Watching
television, or reading books, or sitting in front of a computer provides a
comfort zone, and if you can afford to do that, I suppose that's fine if
that's what you want to do. However, for many of us, the real world cannot
be escaped. We have to work. We have to make a living. And we have to
interact with relatives and strangers in settings everyday. And, Ma'am, this
is what I want to tell you..."

"You see, it's all in how you look at it. Some people face those feelings
and settings with a sense of adventure. Others face the same situation with
dread. Yes, we all have different personalities and some of us are more
sensitive and vulnerable than others. However, if you can remember just a
couple of things, it will make your life a whole lot easier," he said.

"Do you work in this building?" he asked.

"Yes," she said.

"Well, this is my first time here and I had no idea where I was going, and
had never met the person I was going to see. Now, who is the one who feels
like they don't fit in?" he asked. "But, somehow, I got through it, and
I'll be walking out that front door in a minute without a scratch."

She and my friend chuckled.

"You can safely assume that the people you are interacting with feel as out
of place as you do. So, you simply practice the Golden Rule and make them
feel as comfortable as you can. They don't teach the Golden Rule in school,
so this is something you have to pick up along the way. Suffice it to say,
if you make others feel comfortable, they will reciprocate."

"Second, remember that in order to sense that feeling of belonging, you have
to feel you belong to yourself. In other words, if you aren't settled and
comfortable with yourself first, you'll be a fish out of water. Be confident
about what you believe. Be true to your feelings. You don't have to pretend
to be someone else. Just be yourself and let the world appreciate what you
have to offer. Everyone is good at something, including you. Offer what you
are good at, and who knows, maybe the world might even pay you for it!", the
old man said as he started to laugh.

"You're not alone," he said as he patted the woman's shoulder.

"Don't go nuts trying to force yourself to fit in. There are too many holes
and too many pegs out there to even try. Just have a little faith in
yourself, associate with people who lift you up, and you'll soon find folks
coming to you for help. And when you get lost in helping them, you won't
even think about fitting in. At that point, you won't be looking at life,
you'll be a part of it."

"Oh, thank you," she said, as the old man walked toward the street.

My friend just stood there, not saying a word. At that split second of
awkwardness, the woman and my friend extended their hands and shook.

"Nice to meet you," they both said at the same time. And then, just as
quickly and simultaneously, they said, "Have a nice day," as they both went
in different directions.

While they never knew each others' names, it was an encounter they would
never forget.

- Author Unknown

You Ask Why I Follow This Jesus?

You ask why I follow this Jesus?
Why I love Him the way I do?
When the world's turned away from His teachings
And the people who serve Him are few.

It's not the rewards I'm after
Or gifts that I hope to receive
It's the Presence that calls for commitment
It's the Spirit I trust and believe.

The Lord doesn't shelter His faithful
Or spare them all suffering and pain,
Like everyone else I have burdens,
And walk through my share of rain.

Yet He gives me a plan and a purpose,
And that joy only Christians have known,
I never know what comes tomorrow,
But I do know I'm never alone.

It's the love always there when you need it;
It's the words that redeem and inspire,
It's the longing to ever be with Him
That burns in my heart like a fire.

So you ask why I love my Lord Jesus?
Well, friend, that's so easy to see,
But the one thing that fills me with wonder is
Why Jesus loves someone like me.

Good night everyone - Sweet dreams and God bless your Sunday! Don't forget
to go to Church!!

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Daily Positive Thread for Sunday