Hello my friends! Today was a great blessing at Mass - it was the last day of our friend, Jeremy, here, but his Mom was here and we sat in the same pew - she and her husband have been friends of ours for maybe 30 years! Time flies, and we haven't seen each other for awhile so it was so nice to be able to hug and talk after Mass about things, and her daughter was at Mass too, to see Jeremy. He's going to Rome next week and next June he'll be ordained a priest. He's a Deacon now, and he gave a great homily (sermon) He'll be a wonderful priest. I watch him grow up so it's special to me to see him and his Mom today. Who knows? maybe after he gets ordained, he'll come back here to be our assistant pastor, wouldn't that be great? Our assistant, Father Joe, got moved to do two parishes so our Father Mark is alone now with two parishes. The rest of the day was very restful. Beautiful weather - gift from God! Enjoy your Monday and come and post your blessings. I challenge you again - can you name three blessings? Maybe I talk too much here.
It is easier to see another's faults than it is to see your own. Lord, help me
sit in judgment of only myself and guide me in my attempts at overcoming
my weaknesses.
Scripture for the day:
Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give
thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence
and awe; for indeed our God is a consuming fire. ~Hebrews 12:28-29
Meditation for the day:
Whenever we seek to worship God, we think of the great universe that
God rules over, of creation, of mighty law and order throughout the
universe. Then we feel the awe that precedes worship. I too can feel
awe, feel the desire to worship God in wondering amazement. My mind is
in a box of space and time and it is so made that I cannot conceive of
what is beyond space or time, the limitless and the eternal. But I
know that there must be something beyond space and time, and that something
must be the limitless and eternal Power behind the universe. I also
know that I can experience that Power in my life.
Prayer for the day:
I pray that I may accept the limitless and eternal Spirit. I pray that
it may express itself in my life.
MY DAILY OFFERING
(As each day begins,
please try to lift your mind and heart
to your heavenly Father,
and offer to Him the new day He has given you.)
Most loving Father,
I thank You for the gift of this new day.
Please help me to use it for your honor and glory.
By Your grace,
may all my thoughts, words, and actions
be pleasing today in Your sight.
In Your great kindness,
Lord Almighty,
preserve me this day without sin,
and protect all people from every evil.
May the ever-blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of our Savior,
keep us under her protection and by her prayers,
and the aid of all your Saints,
keep us ever intent on doing good today for your sake.
We ask these blessings through Your Son,
Jesus Christ,
our Redeemer.
Amen.
(At times throughout the day,
it is well to pause briefly in the midst of your work
to renew your daily offering.
This can be done without words,
but simply by lifting the mind and heart
to your Father in heaven.
A simple external gesture of touching the heart
will confirm and strengthen your interior intentions.
As opportunity permits,
you may wish to pray verbally in this way.)
Again I thank You,
Father in heaven,
for the blessings and graces you have given me this day.
Once more I entreat Your continuing protection.
Conscious of my own weaknesses and frailty,
of my many faults,
I entrust myself and all dear to me to Your care.
(This prayer has been taken from a pamphlet written by the Good
Franciscan Mission Associates, PO Box 598, Mount Vernon, NY 10551-0598)
Everybody Knows...
You can't be all things to all people.
You can't do all things at once.
You can't do all things equally well.
You can't do all things better than everyone else.
Your humanity is showing just like everyone else's.
So...
You have to find out who you are, and be that.
You have to decide what comes first , and do that.
You have to discover your strengths, and use them.
You have to learn not to compete with others,
Because no one else is in the contest of "being you".
Then...
You will have learned to accept your own uniqueness.
You will have learned to set priorities and make decisions.
You will have learned to live with your limitations.
You will have learned to give yourself the respect that is due,
And you'll be a being that's vitally alive.
Dare To Believe...
That you are a wonderful, unique person.
That you are a once-in-all-history event.
That it's more than a right, it's your duty, to be who you are.
That life is not a problem to solve, but a gift to cherish.
And you'll be able to stay one up on what used to get you down.
- Author Unknown
How True
A funny story tells about a old lady who was living in the village. She
had never owned nor even been in a car before. One day, she was
returning home from the market carrying a big heavy basket on her head,
when a rich man riding his car passed by. Kindly, he offered to drive the
lady to her home. She thanked him and got into the car with her basket.
On the way, the man glanced at the lady in the mirror, still holding her
basket over her head. Astonished, he asked her to lay the basket down in the car and rest. The old lady naively replied, "Oh my son, your car is carrying me; this is enough, I should not burden it carrying my basket too!"
What an innocently funny response!
We sometimes do the same with God. Everyday, God carries us during the
day. Still, we insist on carrying our heavy baskets of worries and fear
of the future, for family, kids, spouse, money, job, etc...
We are carried by Almighty Hands, watched over by Sleepless Eyes and
God plans our future. Let us then relax and lay down everything in God's
Hands. The old lady, if she agreed to lay down the basket, would have
to carry it again when back home. But the beautiful thing about God is
that once we cast our heavy basket in His Hands, we do not need to think
about it anymore.
"Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of
your heart."(Psalm 37:4) Have a wonderful blessed day - free of "baskets."
Twenty Wonderful Thoughts
1. If you feel far away from God, guess
who moved?
2. Fear knocked. Faith answered. No one
was there.
3. What you are is God's gift to you. What
you become is your gift to God.
4. I am God's melody of life and He sings
His song through me.
5. We can never really go where God is
not, and where He is, all is well.
6. No matter what is happening in your
life, know that God is waiting for you with
open arms.
7. God promises a safe landing, not a calm
passage.
8. Do your best and then sleep in peace
God is awake.
9. God has a purpose and plan for me that
no one else can fulfill.
10. The will of God will never take you to
where the grace of God will not protect
you.
11. We are responsible for the effort , not
the outcome.
12. We set the sail; God makes the wind.
13. Begin to weave and God will give you
the thread.
14. Sometimes when God says "no", it's
because He has something better in store
for you.
15. The task ahead of us is never as great
as the power behind us.
16. Prayer: don't bother to give God
instructions, just report for duty.
17. It's my business to do God's business
and it's His business to take care of my
business.
18. Serenity is not freedom from the
storm, but peace amid the storm.
19. How come you're always running
around looking for God? He's not lost.
20. God put me on earth to accomplish a
number of things; right now I'm so far
behind I will live forever.
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