Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Our time here is short and there is still so much to be done. Lord, please
let me do a little more for You today so that the world may be a little
better because of me.

Scripture for the day:

"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Let your good spirit
lead me on a level path. For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my
life. In your righteousness bring me out of trouble. In your
steadfast love cut off my enemies, and destroy all my adversaries,
for I am your servant." ~Psalm 143:10-12

Meditation for the day:

When we are honestly trying to live the way we believe Gods wants
us to live, we can get guidance from God in times of quiet
communion. We can direct our thoughts toward God's will and all
good thing. The attitude of "Your will be done" leads to clear
guidance. We can act on this guidance and we can be led to better
things. Our impulses can seem to become less our own and more the
leading of God's spirit acting through our thoughts. Obeyed, they
can bring us the answers to our prayers.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may try to think God's thoughts after God. I pray
that my thoughts maybe guided by God's thoughts.

Peace of the Lord be with you all!! Hope you all had a blessed Sunday today!
Linus had to work until 4 so we went to the 6 PM Mass at the Cathedral, very
nice Mass always! Then we went out for some sugar free wild berry pie at
Perkins, it's got no added sugar in it, nor artificial sweetners, just from
the berries, and it's very good. The less sugar in us the better! Things
seem to be looking up for our house situation, tomorrow he's calling some
banks and compare before meeting with the broker that Jim has on Tuesday,
and we just might go with the O bama plan where we can re-fi with low
interest rates, and no closing costs. Please pray. Then we'll do this for
a 5 year - he talked this over with Darla tonight and he's feeling better
about it now. Then the house goes off the market and we can deal with it in
five years if we are still around. We are relying upon God to lead us all
the way into His plan and trying to be patient.
Anyway, this sounds positive.


Enduring Lessons

One of the most important lessons of life is about death.
Like the wooden hoop around an embroidery project,
our allotted number of years provides the frame of life.
Death puts our pilgrimage on this earth into perspective,
makes it measurable, comprehensible, even endurable.

from Heaven in Our Hands: Receiving the Blessings You Long For

His House




It was a cold Sunday morning when members started arriving at church, snow
flakes had just fallen, people were rushing in to get inside. To the warmth,
to the dry sanctuary.


As the members were walking in they were astonished to see a homeless person
laying on the sidewalk by the front door. He was bent over all covered up
with an old black trench coat, that had many holes in it. His shoes had
holes in it and you could see his socks filthy from months of grime on them.
The man had a black hat on that covered his face. His hands filthy with dirt
from probably digging in a garbage can some thought.


As the members made their way into the sanctuary, they were all discussing
how this horrible filthy man, had the nerve to sleep at THEIR church doors!
Finally the pianist started playing and the members all sat down in their
seats. They were all looking around, wondering where the Pastor could be.
You could hear people whispering, saying, "Pastor Joe is probably telling
that homeless man he needs to leave the property." "What would visitors
think if they seen him."


All of a sudden, you could hear a gasp! The homeless man was walking down
the middle of the church aisle, he made his way to the front, and then to
the platform!!! When the homeless man got to the microphone. He said "Good
morning, how are you all?" The homeless man was their Pastor Joe! Not a word
was said, no one moved all around. Even the pianist stopped playing.


Then Pastor Joe said, "Did any of you see Jesus outside this morning?" "He
was cold, He was dirty, His clothes were filthy!" However no one asked Him
into HIS house."


To Give the Special Blessing

The Special Blessing may be passed on by anyone
to others in person or at a distance in prayer.
If in person, place your hands on the person's head
with your right thumb on his/her forehead. If at a
distance, hold your hands over, or in the direction of,
the person or group and pray:

May the Reign of Jesus King of All Nations be
recognized in your heart;
May the Reign of Jesus King of All Nations be lived
in your heart;
May the Reign of Jesus King of All Nations be
given through your heart to other hearts;
So that the Reign of Jesus King of All Nations
may be lived in every heart all over the world.
I ask this Special Blessing through Our Lady,
Mediatrix of All Graces, who as Queen and Mother
of All Nations, has obtained it for you as a
tremendous grace from the Sacred Heart of her
Divine Son, in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Make the sign of the cross on the person's forehead
with your thumb, or make the sign of the cross with
your hand in his/her direction.

The gifts of the Special Blessing are the gift of
receiving, understanding, and living Jesus' Word
in Scripture; the gifts of intimacy with Jesus, Mary,
and souls as partners in the Body of Christ; and
the gift of knowing the secrets of God's love. The
blessing also grants healing and brings unity to
the Body of Christ.

Jesus wants everyone to receive the graces of this
kingly Special Blessing. Pray for it for your family,
your friends, your priests, the lost, the sick,
the dying ---- everyone who is in need of God's mercy.



Two Angels

Two traveling Angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy
family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the
mansion's guest room.

Instead the Angels were given a space in the cold basement. As they made
their bed on the hard floor, the older Angel saw a hole in the wall and
repaired it.

When the younger Angel asked why, the older Angel replied..."Things aren't
always what they seem."

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very
hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had, the
couple let the Angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good
night's rest.

When the sun came up the next morning, the Angels found the farmer and his
wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay
dead in the field.

The younger Angel was infuriated and asked the older Angel, "How could you
have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him" she
accused. "The second family had little but was willing to share everything,
and you let their cow die."

"Things aren't always what they seem," the older Angel replied. "When we
stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in
that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and
unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find
it.

"Then last night, as we slept in the farmers bed, the Angel of Death came
for his wife. I gave her the cow instead. Things aren't always what they
seem."

Sometimes this is exactly what happens when things don't turn out the way
they should. If you have faith, you just need to trust that every outcome is
always to your advantage. You might not know it until some time later.

Think about this:

Should you find it hard to get to sleep tonight: just remember the homeless
family who has no bed to lie in.

Should you find yourself stuck in traffic: don't despair. There are people
in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.

Should you have a bad day at work: think of the man who has been out of work
for the last three months.

Should you despair over a relationship gone bad: think of the person who has
never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.

Should you grieve the passing of another weekend: think of the woman in dire
straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week, for $15.00 to feed
her family.

Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance think of
the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.

Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror: think of the cancer patient
in chemotherapy who wishes she had hair to examine.

Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about,
asking "what is my purpose": be thankful. There are those who didn't live
long enough to get the opportunity.

Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance,
smallness or insecurities: remember things could be worse. You could be
them!!!

Should you decide to send this to a friend, you might brighten someone's
day!

Healing Prayer
Dear God:
Be my redeemer, my internal teacher, my divine physician.
Thank You for your presence in my life.
I surrender to You all I am, all I think, all I feel, and all I have.
I recognize in this moment that Yours is the power to heal and make whole.
You who have the power to work miracles,
You who rule time and space, please take me in Your arms and hold me.
Dear Lord, please lift me up and heal me.
Cast out of my mind all thoughts that are not of You.
Cast out of me all harsh and critical nature.
Cast out of me all violence and all anger.
Cast out of me all demons from my past.
For I would be made new.
I wish to walk so close to You that we might be as one.
I ask for new life, new mind, new body, new spirit.
Dear God, please come into me and release me from this pain.
Amen.


by Marianne Williamson

Good night now and God bless you all! See you tomorrow - have a very good
Monday filled with many blessings all day!