Among Friends

[gloriajean]

Hello my friends!  It's late, we just got home from Darla's - she hosted a little birthday celebration for Jeremy - it was a fun night - and playing darts too.  Wishing you all a wonderful Friday!

Do the ordinary things in your life well because they are your preparation

for what is yet to come. Lord, You slowly teach all that I need to know.

May I never be a complaining student. 

S C R I P T U R E   F O R   T H E   D A Y 

"We do not boast beyond limits, that is, in the labors of others; but
our hope is that, as your faith increases, our sphere of action among
you may be greatly enlarged, so that we may proclaim the good news in
lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in someone
else's sphere of action.  'Let the one who boasts, boast in the
Lord.'"  ~2 Corinthians 
10:15-17

M E D I T A T I O N   F O R   T H E   D A Y 

I can pray daily for faith, for it is God's gift.  On faith alone
depends the answer to my prayers.  God gives it to me in response to
my prayers, because it is a necessary weapon for me to possess for the
overcoming of all adverse conditions and the accomplishment of all
good in my life.  Therefore, I will work at strengthening my faith.

P R A Y E R   F O R   T H E   D A Y 

I pray that I may so think and live as to feed my faith in God.  I
pray that my faith may grow because with faith, I can better use God's
power.

Overwhelmed

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.  Deuteronomy 31:8

This year the Christmas and holiday decorations have been getting  packed up a little later than usual. I heard somewhere that if you feel like there’s a lot going on, it’s probably because there’s a lot going on. And that’s how it felt this year after Christmas. Good stuff, just busy.

Found myself dragging my feet, and prayed and literally asked the Lord for an energy boost to get up and get going! The ‘overwhelmed’ feeling was weighing me- down, spirit, soul, mind and body.

While flipping thoughts around in my head about this, it occurred to me that I might be ‘stepping into the future.’ Not in a weird way, just in anticipation and looking ahead on my calendar.

For sure, too much thinking and planning can absolutely get me feeling overwhelmed. One day at a time is the ticket. The bible says to not worry about the future, because each day has enough “troubles” of its own. (Matthew 6:34) So true.

  Prayer for today: Lord, when I feel overwhelmed please help me to remember that You came to save us, restore us, AND carry our cares and concerns of all kinds. Thank you that You are always with me, go ahead of me, and will never leave me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

THE WAY TO GOD

If my days were untroubled
and my heart always light
Would I seek the fair land
where there is no night;
If I never grew weary
with the weight of my load
Would I search for God's Peace
at the end of the road;
If I never knew sickness
and never felt pain
Would I reach for a hand
to help and sustain;
If I walked not with sorrow
and lived without loss
Would my soul seek solace
at the foot of the cross;
If all I desired was mine
day by day
Would I kneel before God
and earnestly pray;
If God sent no "Winter"
to freeze me with fear
Would I yearn for the warmth
of "Spring" every year; 
I ask myself this
and the answer is plain-- 
If my life were all pleasure
and I never knew pain
I'd seek God less often
and need Him much less,
For God's sought more often
in times of distress,
And no one knows God
or sees Him as plain
As those who have met Him
on the "Pathway of Pain."

By Helen Steiner Rice

Hope

Hope opens doors where despair closes them.

Hope discovers what can be done instead of grumbling about what cannot.

Hope draws its power from a deep trust in God.

Hope "lights a candle" instead of "cursing the darkness."

Hope regards problems, small or large, as opportunities.

Hope cherishes no illusions, nor does it yield to cynicism.

Hope sets high goals and is not frustrated by repeated difficulties or setbacks.

Hope pushes ahead when it would be easy to quit.

Hope puts up with modest gains, realizing that "the longest journey starts with one step."

Hope looks for the good in people instead of harping on the worst.

- Author Unknown

ABC of Faith

A - Accept anything with joy and peace will then dwell in your hearts.

B - Be willing to change in those areas that are preventing growth

C - Cleanse your soul and live, live the beatitudes

+++

D - Depend on the Divine and He will give you the strength needed.

E - Each must use their time wisely on this earth.

F - Fervently trust, trust, the Divine's mercy and love.

+++

G – Give thanks for all the blessings.

H - Have hope, and be patient, kind and loving.

I - It is so important to remain hopeful and live each day with joy

+++

J – Joy is given to those who do the will of the almighty.

K – Keep your hearts open to the Graces.

L – Let go of hate; and love, love one another.

+++

M – Many Graces are given to those who gather and pray

N – Nothing is impossible with God, so please trust and know that He is
with you.

O – Open your hearts fully to God’s love and mercy.

+++

P – Peace cannot exist if there is unforgiveness and division in your
homes, and community.

Q – Quiet time will truly help to nourish your prayer and spiritual life

R – Receive the grace needed to live a pure and holy life.

+++

S – Share those gifts God has blessed you with.

T – Take a moment today and reflect on all that God is teaching you.

U – Unite in prayer and encourage each other to live a pure and holy life.

+++

V – Victory over evil can be achieve if you keep your focus on the good and
worthy virtues

W – Walk in love and walk as children of light in order to bear fruit.

X – Xeric habits that prevent growth of the soul and spirit must be avoided

+++

Y – You must learn to be more patient with those around you.

Z – Zeal and faithfulness is needed to live a good and blessed life.

Angel Blessings to you!

Mother Teresa Said...

Faith is a gift from God.

When God comes to you or you go to God,

then you will have the chance to accept Him or reject Him.

Accepting Him is the gift of faith.

May 19

I want you to know how safe and secure you are in My Presence. That is a fact, totally independent of your feelings. You are on your way to heaven; nothing can prevent you from reaching that destination. There you will see Me face to Face, and your Joy will be off the charts by any earthly standards. Even now, you are never separated from Me, though you must see Me through eyes of faith. I will walk with you till the end of time, and onward into eternity.

Although My Presence is a guaranteed promise, that does not necessarily change your feelings. When you forget I am with you, you may experience loneliness or fear. It is through awareness of My Presence that Peace displaces negative feelings. Practice the discipline of walking consciously with Me through each day.

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
—1 Corinthians 13:12

The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.
—Psalm 29:11

[Bobbi sue]

Hello friends...Blessings to all.  Have a nice day.

[lovestopaint]

Happy birthday to Jeremy!

Blessings to all.

Harlene(lovestopaint)

[Bobbi sue]

One more thing,  I am having some difficulty breathing today.  Could you please say a prayer for me, if you would please?  Thank you.        

[gloriajean]

Harlene - thanks for Jeremy's birthday wishes - he did have a good day!  

Wishing you well, hope your sciatic is better.

Bobbiesue - I just prayed the Memorare for you: Mother Teresa prayed this prayer nine times in a row for things she needed badly.

 MEMORARE

Do you ever feel like you could use some help approaching God in your prayers? The Memorare is a prayer that reminds us that we have a wonderful advocate and protector in the mother of our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary, pictured at right. 

In our prayers to her we honor and worship her Son, who is more than happy to listen to His mother’s pleas on our behalf.

The Memorare, printed below, invites us to ask the Blessed Mother for her assistance and her grace, especially when we feel most troubled in our daily lives.

REMEMBER, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly to thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother; to thee do I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

The actual author of the Memorare is unknown. It has been traditionally attributed to the abbot St. Bernard of Clairvaux from the 12th century. This is possibly because it was championed by another Bernard, the French priest Claude Bernard, who used it extensively in his ministry to the poor and to prisoners (including some quite hardened criminals!) in the 17th century.

Claude Bernard credited reciting the Memorare with curing him of a serious illness. He had some 200,000 copies of the prayer printed up and distributed in leaflets in various languages during his lifetime. (This was no small feat in the days before desktop publishing, Kinko’s and the Internet!)

Church teaching holds that Mary is the Mother of the Church and ourmother as well “in the order of grace” (that is to say, spiritually) as we read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 969).

Upon her death and assumption into heaven, “God chose her to be the treasurer, the administrator and the dispenser of all his graces, so that all his graces and gifts pass through her hands,” according to St. Louis De Montfort, the celebrated 18th century French priest best known as a champion of devotion to Mary.

Mary’s wonderful role in assisting in our salvation has been praised by many Saints and Church fathers alike over the centuries. St. Lawrence Justinian summed up the feelings of many of them when he once referred to the Blessed Mother as “the ladder of paradise, the gate of heaven, the most true mediatrix between God and man.”

Do you have a particular problem you feel you can’t share with our Creator? Or perhaps you think he’s too busy? He’s never too busy to hear a sincere request for His aid and guidance. (Indeed, he’s never too busy for any of us, period!) Still, we are always welcome to ask His mother to help us. In fact this delights our Lord!

As De Montfort once put it, by asking Mary to approach Him for us “we are practicing humility, something which always gladdens the heart of God!” (St. Francis de Sales once wrote in this regard that “God so loves humility that He instantly hastens to the soul in which he sees it.”)

Keep in mind again that when we pray to Mary we also pray through her to her Divine Son, Jesus! And she is happy to pray for us and to intercede with Him on our behalf. You’ve probably asked a friend or colleague to pray for you sometimes. Why not ask the Blessed Mother as well? After all, in the Hail Mary we ask for her to “pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.”

As long as we approach her with a sincere desire to do God’s will and to make amends for our sins, we can ask for her help with confidence. (And, after all, does it ever hurt to get on the good side of a loved one’s mother?)

When our Lord said to St. John when He was on the cross “Behold Thy Mother” (John 19:27) His mother became ours as well, as mentioned earlier! Don’t be afraid to ask our Blessed Mother for her assistance (or to show her your love!) by praying the Memorare, the Rosary, or many other fine prayers and devotions to her.