Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Move with a gentle spirit, a compassionate heart and a patient disposition
and you will accomplish much more today. Lord, grant me a quiet mind
and the wisdom to move my mountains.

Scripture for the day:

"The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" The Lord replied, "If
you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry
tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. ~Luke
17:5-6

Meditation for the day:

I can gain faith by my own experience of God's power in my life. The
constant, persistent recognition of God's spirit in all my personal
relationships, the ever-accumulating weight of evidence in support of God's
guidance, the numberless instances in which seeming chance or wonderful
coincidence can be traced to God's purpose in my life. All these things can
gradually engender a feeling of wonder, humility, and gratitude to God.
These in turn can be followed by a more sure and abiding faith in God and
God's purposes.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that my faith may be strengthened every day. I pray that I may find
confirmation of my life in the good things that have come into my life.

Peace of Jesus to you all! Starting this early now as we are very shortly
leaving for our trip for the funeral and will be staying overnight. You can
all start posting on this one now, and I'll look forward to reading all your
posts when I get back tomorrow sometime. One blessing today so far - nice
phone call from a friend. I'm sure more blessings will be in seeing my
sisters this afternoon and evening. Wonderful weather is another great
blessing!! Thank you, Jesus!

Mother Teresa Said...

Prayer unites us with Christ.
Simply open your hearts to Him.
Also, simply accept what He sends you.
With a big smile, generously give Him what He asks of you.
God will do the rest, never fear.

LED BY A STAR
By Fr. Jerry M. Orbos, SVD

Excerpted from his column "Moments,"
The Philippine Daily Inquirer


The story of the Epiphany (Mt. 2, 1-12) is the beautiful story of the magi
who were led by a star to Bethlehem where they encountered the Baby Jesus. A
star preceded them. While they were being led by the star, they were just
diligent searchers, taking orders from Herod. After they encountered the
Baby Jesus, they became grateful disciples with a strong sense of mission
and vision for Christ the Lord.

Many of us spend years and even a whole lifetime pursuing worldly treasures
and stars, serving earthly bosses and leaders and end up empty, alone and
lonely because we have missed the Superstar who alone can fill the void
within us. Have you found the Superstar? Are you still in pursuit of worldly
stars and still serving lesser stars? Do you still prostrate yourself before
worldly cares and dream of money, power and position? When will you really
pay homage to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords in your life, and
offer Him not your gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, but your very
heart?

World leaders come and go. Hopefully these leaders lead us to greater
visions and missions...A leader is precisely someone who can lead us to
something or someone greater than himself/herself... who know how to
sacrifice and fade away and who point not at themselves but to something
greater than themselves.

Learn from the usher in a dark movie house who lights the way so that we can
enjoy the movie. The usher, as it were, does not light his own face. That
would get us to nowhere, and that would lead us to nothing.

There comes a time in everyone's life when the journey comes to an end and
the searching ends. It is still a point where everything leads to and from
which everything proceeds.

That moment came when the magi encountered the Savior. It was a "peak
moment," a "conversion moment" when everything became clear and everything
fell into place. Dag Hammerskjold put it so beautifully: "At one moment of
my life, I said 'yes' to something or someone, and that has made all the
difference in my life."

Go back down memory lane. There must have been a time when you said,
"Eureka" or "Yes!" Remember that while we live, the journey does not end. Be
open to more peak and conversion moments. It's a new year. New hopes, new
beginnings. Yes, we must be open. We must be hopeful. Our God is a God of
surprises and many chances.

We must continue to be led by a star...Let us not forget that all of us are
stars. Little stars maybe, but we must continue to twinkle, twinkle, so that
through us, others may see and encounter the Superstar.

A MOMENT WITH THE LORD: Lord, remind me that it profits me nothing if I have
all the worldly stars but don't have you, my Superstar. Amen.

"And Going into the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and
falling to their knees they did him homage."
(Mt. 2:11)

Manifestation of Jesus to the World!

Epiphany means manifestation. The feast reminds us that Jesus was not merely
a prophet or teacher sent to talk about God, but is himself the most perfect
manifestation of God: God presented to us in human form. The wise men who
came from afar represent all those who have toiled to discover the meaning
of life and the nature of God. What kind of picture did they build in their
minds as they travelled? They did not find God. No. God showed himself to
them and to all in the Infant.

PRAYER

Jesus, our gifts cannot help you or make your life secure, but help us to
love our brothers
and sisters and let that be our gift to you.

Teach us to be truly wise, to be patient in the face of trials and to be
courageous
on the long journey into your mystery.

Help us to appreciate the Eucharist, your great gift and fullest
manifestation of your life.
May we always receive it worthily. Amen.

Alphabet of Happiness...



A--Accept
Accept others for who they are and for the choices they've made even if you
have difficulty understanding their beliefs, motives, or actions.


B--Break Away
Break away from everything that stands in the way of what you hope to
accomplish with your life.


C--Create
Create a family of friends whom you can share your hopes, dreams, sorrows,
and happiness with.


D--Decide
Decide that you'll be successful and happy come what may, and good things
will find you. The roadblocks are only minor obstacles along the way.


E--Explore
Explore and experiment. The world has much to offer, and you have much to
give. And every time you try something new, you'll learn more about
yourself.


F--Forgive
Forgive and forget. Grudges only weigh you down and inspire unhappiness and
grief. Soar above it, and remember that everyone makes mistakes.


G--Grow
Leave the childhood monsters behind. They can no longer hurt you or stand in
your way.


H--Hope
Hope for the best and never forget that anything is possible as long as you
remain dedicated to the task.


I--Ignore
Ignore the negative voice inside your head. Focus instead on your goals and
remember your accomplishments. Your past success is only a small inkling of
what the future holds.


J--Journey
Journey to new worlds, new possibilities, by remaining open-minded. Try to
learn something new every day, and you'll grow.


K--Know
Know that no matter how bad things seem, they'll always get better. The
warmth of spring always follows the harshest winter.


L--Love
Let love fill your heart instead of hate. When hate is in your heart,
there's room for nothing else, but when love is in your heart, there's room
for endless happiness.


M--Manage
Manage your time and your expenses wisely, and you'll suffer less stress and
worry. Then you'll be able to focus on the important things in life.


N--Notice
Never ignore the poor, infirm, helpless, weak, or suffering. Offer your
assistance when possible, and always your kindness and understanding.


O--Open
Open your eyes and take in all the beauty around you. Even during the worst
of times, there's still much to be thankful for.


P--Play
Never forget to have fun along the way. Success means nothing without
happiness.


Q--Question
Ask many questions, because you're here to learn.


R--Relax
Refuse to let worry and stress rule your life, and remember that things
always have a way of working out in the end.


S--Share
Share your talent, skills, knowledge, and time with others. Everything that
you invest in others will return to you many times over.


T--Try
Even when your dreams seem impossible to reach, try anyway. You'll be amazed
by what you can accomplish.


U--Use
Use your gifts to your best ability. Talent that's wasted has no value.
Talent that's used will bring unexpected rewards.


V--Value
Value the friends and family members who've supported and encouraged you,
and be there for them as well.


W--Work
Work hard every day to be the best person you can be, but never feel guilty
if you fall short of your goals. Every sunrise offers a second chance.


X--X-Ray
Look deep inside the hearts of those around you and you'll see the goodness
and beauty within.


Y--Yield
Yield to commitment. If you stay on track and remain dedicated, you'll find
success at the end of the road.


Z--Zoom
Zoom to a happy place when bad memories or sorrow rears its ugly head. Let
nothing interfere with your goals. Instead, focus on your abilities, your
dreams, and a brighter tomorrow.



"Alphabet of Happiness," written and designed by Bobette Bryan, 2000

Go For It!

In dreams and in love
there are no impossibilities.
~ Janos Arnay ~

The question isn't who is going to let me;
it's who is going to stop me.
~ Ayn Rand ~

If you aren't going all the way,
why go at all?
~ Joe Namath ~

If you cannot do great things yourself,
remember that you may do small things in a great way.
~ Swamy Chinmayananda ~

When you can't seem to be a shining example,
at least twinkle a little!

A Prayer to Jesus

Jesus, I believe in you,
Jesus, I hope in you,
Jesus, I love you.

I believe in you for those who do not believe.
I hope in you for those who have never hoped
and for those who have lost hope.
I love you for those who have never known you
and have never loved you.

Sweet Heart of Jesus, I trust in you.
I trust in you for all, with all, in spite of all,
and forever.

O Mary, Mother of my Jesus,
keep me close to Jesus,
keep Jesus close to me.

My prayer to Our Father


Thank you Dear Father, for giving us this glorious day! Thank you, Dear
Father, for the many blessings you bring us each day, for food on our table,
and shelter over our heads. Thank you for the sunshine, the trees and the
beautiful blue sky. Thank you for our friends, family as well, and
especially your son Jesus who died for us on the cross.

Father, I come to you today to ask for your blessings, and to pray for my
friends both near and far, for Our Country, and Our people, for those who
are sick, or ailing, for those who are down for whatever reason, for those
who are happy, and for those who are sad after losing loved ones or just
leading unsaved lives. I ask you to take their hands and lead them towards
you instead of away from you.
Watch over them, protect them, and guide them. I ask these things in the
name of Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

See you all tomorrow!! God be with you in all that you do!! Peace of the
Lord be always with you.