Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Each time you have a kind thought, say a kind word or do a kind
deed you are living your love. Lord, as I see the world through loving
eyes, I experience heaven on earth.


Scripture for the day:

"'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all
your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first
commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the
prophets." ~Matthew 22:37-40

Meditation for the day:

We can work at overcoming ourselves, our selfish desires and our
self-centeredness. This can never be fully accomplished. We can
never become entirely unselfish. But we can come to realize that we
are not at the center of the universe and that everything does not
revolve around us at the center. I am only one cell in a vast network
of human cells. I can at least make the effort to conquer the
self-life and seek daily to obtain more and more of this
self-conquest. "The one who overcomes himself is greater than the one
who conquers a city."

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may strive to overcome my selfishness. I pray that I
may achieve the right perspective of my position in the world.

Hello my friends! Cool day today - the rain brought forth not only moisture
but rather chilly out. It was a busy morning this morning with appts. but
this afternoon we both got a nap in! Supper was pork chops and mashed
potatoes with a really good salad from our own garden lettuce. He bought
some sprouts we never had before and that was so good in the salad.
Tomorrow Fr. Jerry will be here for supper - I'll make that same salad. The
meat will probably be ham steak on the grill.
So looking forward to seeing him! I've got another rosary for him to bless
now - one that came in the mail - a pretty pink one with hearts for the
beads. It comes from some mission.
I continue to pray for all of you who read this thread - for all of your
intentions and healings. And thank you to all who also pray for us.


MOMENTS OF GRACE... MOMENTS OF LOVE & HEALING
by Evelyn Jo Lockert

We came into this world perfect... we grew up imperfect. How do we try
to repair the damage?

Because we were born into a world of imperfection, to imperfect
parents who nurtured us, guided us, led us into the world in a less
than perfect way, though the only way they knew best, we have become
the broken men and women that we are today. For the years behind us
have taught us that love isn't always the main ingredient (at times it
is completely absent) in people's ways of doing, of thinking, of
talking.

As we grew, we experienced the rejections, the selfishness, the
obsessions to wrong values, the unloving ways of people close to us,
of people around us. And so, grow up we did -- taking in all of life's
imperfections, absorbing them, making them a part of our psyche,
consciously or unconsciously.

As this unlearning process of fear and its gradual replacement by
authentic love takes place, we also steadily, gradually, but
inevitably, grow out of our narcissistic love of self and begin to
reach out in love to others, accepting and affirming them, unselfishly
wishing the highest good for
them. Blessed indeed are those who had parents, a friend, a counselor,
a loved one, who were there to give total support in this unlearning-
replacement process.

But, even in the absence of caring parents, authentically loving
friends, an unconditionally loving spouse, there is One Who is with us
at all times… a Friend, a Comforter, Helper, Counselor. Our awareness
of the Holy Spirit's Divine Presence within us is what enables us to
recognize our moments of grace.

As is the case when we tune in to a radio station, it is when we
become fine-tuned to the Holy Spirit within us that we are able to
receive and understand His messages very clearly. And as we get more
and more finely-tuned in, we begin to realize that each moment of our
life is actually a moment of grace. For, isn't life itself a gift --
and if life is gift, then all is gift. We only need to constantly tune
in to this ever-present, ever-true Helper in us, so that we, too, may
grow in authentic love.

How do we fine-tune in then? If there is somebody we know to whom we
are attracted, perhaps because we like what we see, our normal course
of action would be to try to know that person better, to spend more
time with him/her. As we get to accept and appreciate his/her person,
as this relationship develops and grows, isn't it a fact that
intuitively, at times, we know, even without any spoken word, what the
other person wants, what he/she is feeling, what message he/she wants
to convey to us?

When we, therefore, take conscious efforts to know, to spend time,
with this Helper, this Comforter within us, aren't we fine-tuning to
Him? Eventually then, we would know, intuitively, what He wants us to
do, where He wants to lead us.

It only needs our cooperation, our decision to spend time with Him. If
we want to be led by Him, we have to surrender ourselves completely to
Him. But the realization that there is Someone Who continually,
unceasingly, wants to nurture us, to love us, to heal us of our
brokenness, oftentimes,
paradoxically, brings us face to face with our own laziness, our
resistance to His love.

It is, indeed, a paradox that we want to love and be loved, yet we shy
away from, we avoid, what it takes to love and to be loving... because
of our lack of faith and our propensity toward laziness.

For, to listen to the "God in us" is to put in conscious effort, to
decide between good and evil, and for us who often take the line of
least resistance, this could become soul-wrenching experiences.

To put in time with this "God in us" is a test of our faith. Is He
truly within me? If He is, then why does He seem to be nowhere at
times? Why does He allow this suffering, this deprivation, in my life?
If only we could remind ourselves constantly that He indeed is the God
of love and, as such,
He cannot do otherwise but love us, that no matter what problems and
pains we may have to go through, because from these we shall emerge
better, more authentically- loving people. Indeed, where is our faith
when we cannot seem to accept His word when He tells us that all
things work for our good?

During these times when our faith wavers, perhaps it would be good to
recall some events in our past where there was so much pain, yet, in
following that inner voice of goodness and truth, the deaths we
suffered became our resurrections.

I still remember distinctly how much pain I went through when my
parents made me transfer school from the University of the Philippines
-- one of the best schools in our country -- in Diliman, Quezon City
(the capital city of my country the Philippines) , to La Consolacion
College of Bacolod City (the city where I live -- progressive, yes,
but not in the capital region, and in the province).

My Mom then had just about dissipated all our family assets through
her compulsive gambling, but the reason I was given was that the
family income was not sufficient to provide me a schooling at the
University of the Philippines. I knew -- my brothers and sisters all
knew -- otherwise, of course. The disappointment, the hurt, was so
intense -- I could have become
the rebel with a cause.

I know now it was grace that enabled me to accept the hurt and make
the best of the situation. Later years revealed God's wisdom in
allowing this painful event in my life. For, it was here that I met
the man who would, several years later, become my husband... a
wonderful man, a Negrense like me, a Certified Public Accountant, a
banker, the most beautiful person ever to touch my life!

He is God's special gift to me. For his unconditional love for me, for
our children, for people, has made me understand what God's
unconditional love for me is. I wonder what I would be today if I had
not married this completely supportive and affirming man.

There are several other such events in my life where the pains I went
through later turned out to become joyous Easters for me. And this
realization makes these events double moments of grace for me. For the
awareness of His constant Presence in my life, His unceasing love for
me
that continues to heal my brokenness, enables me to walk in faith, to
extend myself to others as a response to His love for me.

Thus, there is this awareness of His Divine Presence within me,
unceasingly molding me, reminding me that He has a specific role for
me to do, that He wants me to become the fully actualizing human being
that He meant me to be, that I am a participant in His Divine Plan.
This awareness keeps me fully alive, looking forward to each day that
He gives me, to the joys and the pains that each day brings!

That He continues to heal me… that I, too, can be a participant in His
healing of my fellow human beings… these leave me in awe!


Blessed Mother Teresa´s Wisdom

Smiles

"Peace begins with a smile."
----------

"Sometimes it is harder for us to smile at those who live with us, the
immediate members of our families, than it is to smile at those who are not
so close to us. Let us never forget: love begins at home."
----------

"I will never understand all the good that a simple smile can accomplish."
----------

"To smile at someone who is sad; to visit, even for a little while, someone
who is lonely; to give someone shelter from the rain with our umbrella; to
read something for someone who is blind; these and others can be small
things, very small things, but they are appropriate to give our love of God
concrete expression to the poor."


"What can I offer the Lord for all his goodness to me?" Pslam 116:12

Lord Jesus,
You have given me your whole self,
all your love,
and your life itself.

Let me give myself to you: I give you
my body to serve you;
my soul to house you;
my heart to love you;
my mind to remember you;
my will to do your will;
my life to serve you in others.

From now on, my dear Lord Jesus,
may every moment of my time,
and every breath I breathe,
belong only to you
who have first given them to me.

Amen.

FLAME OF LOVE
Author Unkown


"I can master it," said the Ax. His blows fell heavy on the hard,
strong steel. But each blow only made his edge more blunt until he
ceased to strike.

"Leave it to me," said the Saw. With his relentless teeth, he worked
back and forth. But to his dismay, all of his teeth were worn out or
broken off.

"Ha!" said the Hammer. "I knew you could not do this. Let me show you
how." But with the very first blow, his head flew off, and the steel
was unchanged.

"Shall I try?" asked the Flame. And it curled itself gently around the
strong, hard steel, embraced it, and would not let it go. And the
tough steel melted.

There are hearts that are hard enough to resist the forces of wrath
and the fury of pride. But hard is the heart that can resist the warm
flame of Love.

"'For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with
their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see
with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them. But blessed are your eyes because
they see, and your ears because they hear. For I tell you the truth,
many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not
see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.'" Matthew
13:15-17 (NIV)

Sorry if this was too long! Enjoy your Friday and your blessings for the
day - and enjoy your weekend! Keep God in all of your plans.