Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Live today so that you will make life better for those around you. You will
end up making your life better too. Lord, You teach that it is in giving
that
I receive. May I always have a generous spirit.

Scripture for the day:

"Now, discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but
later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been
trained by it.
Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make
straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of
joint, but rather be healed." ~Hebrews 12:11-13

Meditation for the day:

I can learn to accept self-discipline. I can try not to yield one point
that I have already won. I need not let myself go in resentments, hates,
fears, pride, lust or gossip. Even if my self-discipline keeps me separated
from some people who are without discipline, nevertheless I can carry on. I
may have different ways and a different standard of living than some others.
I may be actuated by different motives than some people. But I can try to
live the way I believe God wants me to live, no matter what others say.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may be an example to others of a better way of living. I pray
that I may carry on in spite of hindrances and setbacks.

Peace of the Lord be with you all! Hello - it was a nice day here again! We
had a nice Mass at 10:30 and a very restful day for him - I was busy
cleaning out my inbox, sometimes it gets a lot in there, and today was the
day I decided to get it cleaned out while he rested. Then Lori invited us
over for supper and and we played some Dominoes - Mexican Train. Darla
called while we were there and got to talk to her - another blessing!!
Sammy got to go along, too and he was so excited when we told him we're
going to Lori's and he can come along! Wow! He went to the car to wait -
excited little noises coming out of his mouth!! He's sure a lot of fun!
Cute little bugger! It was a nice ending of the day and so glad she doesn't
live more than five miles away from us! Praise God! At Mass this morning
we celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany, Father mentioned about the stars -
how the magi were led by a star - and how we are led by stars also - and who
are the stars who led us and we have been stars for others. It made me
think of all those who led me that were my stars. Interesting. It's an
honor to be star for someone else!

I ASKED, HE GAVE
Author Unknown
January 8, 2012


I asked for Strength.....And God gave me Difficulties to make me
strong.

I asked for Wisdom.......And God gave me Problems to solve.

I asked for Prosperity...And God gave me a Brain and Brawn to work.

I asked for Courage......And God gave me Danger to overcome.

I asked for Love.........And God gave me Troubled people to help.

I asked for Favors.......And God gave me Opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted. I received everything I needed.

As the dawn breaks on a new year, let us give thanks for all we hold dear:
our health, our family and our friends.
Let us release our grudges, our anger and our pains, for these are nothing
but binding chains. Let us live each day in the most loving ways, the
God-conscious way. Let us serve all who are in need, regardless of race,
color or creed.

Let us keep God of our own understanding in our hearts and to chant God’s
name each day. Let us lead the world from darkness to light, from falsehood
to truth and from wrong to right.

Let us remember that we are all one, embracing all, discriminating against
none.

May your year be filled with peace, prosperity and love. May God's blessings
shower upon you and bestow upon each of you a bright, healthy and peaceful
new year.

Hope For Tomorrow
- Mary Eileen Butera

Enjoy the sun while you have it,
Tomorrow you may face the rain.
Take joy in the present-day pleasures
So that you can handle the pain
That comes to us in are life time
As surely as day becomes night.
Understand we often have good times
That help keep our spirits bright.
So when we have serious problems
And the world seems so very gray,
Remember that things will get better
And there will be a better day.
There is always hope for tomorrow
No matter how deep the pain,
From storms that swirl all around us
Life will surely be brighter again.

"A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance."
Ecclesiastes 3:4

As believers in Jesus Christ, we know that our lives have seasons consisting
of ups and downs. Whether our season is joy, or sadness, each season should
motivate us to seek the Lord and trust Him.

Trust God! He is always leading us. He knows what we need, before we even
get there.
Dear Lord Jesus, help us to turn to You not only in sadness but also in joy.
We know You give us both good times and bad to draw us to You and help us
grow. May we learn to trust You in all seasons of life. In your precious
name, Amen.

The Bishop´s Gift

Once a church had fallen upon hard times. Only five members were left: the
pastor and four others, all over 60 years old.
In the mountains near the church there lived a retired Bishop. It occurred
to the pastor to ask the Bishop if he could offer any advice that might save
the church. The pastor and the Bishop spoke at length, but when asked for
advice, the Bishop simply responded by saying, "I have no advice to give.
The only thing I can tell you is that the Messiah is one of you."

The pastor, returning to the church, told the church members what the Bishop
had said. In the months that followed, the old church members pondered the
words of the Bishop. "The Messiah is one of us?" they each asked themselves.
As they thought about this possibility, they all began to treat each other
with extraordinary respect on the off chance that that one among them might
be the Messiah. And on the off, off chance that each member himself might be
the Messiah, they also began to treat themselves with extraordinary care.

As time went by, people visiting the church noticed the aura of respect and
gentle kindness that surrounded the five old members of the small church.
Hardly knowing why, more people began to come back to the church. They began
to bring their friends, and their friends brought more friends. Within a few
years, the small church had once again become a thriving church, thanks to
the Bishop's gift.

Treat others and yourself with love, and you will find yourself and the
people around you better for it.

THE CROSS IN MY POCKET
Author Unknown




I carry a cross in my pocket,
A simple reminder to me
That I am a Christian,
No matter where I may be.

This little cross isn't magic,
Nor is it a good luck charm.
It isn't meant to protect me
From every physical harm.

It's not for identification
For all the world to see.
It's simply an understanding
Between my Savior and me.

It reminds me too, to be thankful
For my blessings every day,
And to strive to serve Him better
In all that I do or say.

When I put my hand in my pocket
To bring out a coin or a key,
The cross is there to remind me
Of the price He paid for me.

It's also a daily reminder
Of the peace and comfort I share
With all who know my Master
And give themselves to His care.

So, I carry a cross in my pocket
Reminding none but me
That Jesus Christ is Lord of my life,
If only I'll let Him be.

Jesus came from Nazareth and was baptised in the Jordan by John.

Reception of New Life

Baptism is more than a washing of the surface of life because sin is more
than a superficial thing. It becomes part of our life as a wrong stitch
becomes part of the garment. St. Paul says that baptism involves a death to
sin as well as the reception of a new life - the risen life of Christ. By
baptism people pass from being mere admirers of Jesus to sharing his very
life. They become a branch of the vine. In the baptism of Jesus there was no
dying because there was no sin but there was a manifestation of life: a hint
of the inner life of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

PERSONAL PRAYER

Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, help us to live the commitment we made in
baptism. Let your life remain and grow within us so that we may always think
as you would have us think and always love as you would have us love.
Inspire all who have abandoned the faith to return to you, who never break
the crushed reed. Give confidence to all candidates for baptism and keep the
wavering flame of faith alight. Amen.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Another Way

The death penalty is a prime example of a vengeful act
by society against one who has committed a heinous crime.
Yet in killing the guilty individual,
society itself takes on the role of killer.
Alternatives must be applied.

from John Dear on Peace: An Introduction to His Life and Work

May your Monday be filled with many blessings all throughout the day!! They
are there, ordinary ones and maybe some not so ordinary! Peace be to you,
and Good night now!