Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Forgiveness frees the heart and moves us from the victim to the one who
is in control of our lives. Lord, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
those who trespass against us.


Scripture for the day:

"O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are
all the work of your hand." ~Isaiah 64:8

Meditation for the day:

I believe that the future is in God's hands. God knows better than I what
the future holds for me. I am not at the mercy of fate or buffeted about by
life. I am being led in a very definite way, as I try to rebuild my life. I
am the builder, but God is the architect. It is mine to follow God's
guidance and to build as best I can.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may depend on God, since God has a plan for my life. I pray
that I may live my life as I believe God wants me to live it.

Hello my friends! Well the weekend is over - hope it was a great one for
you all! Today was great weather-wise, a very quiet day after Mass - Phone
never rang all day - I called Lori tonight - she was gone most of the day.
We ate our lunch - a pork roast - out in the patio - it was warm enough to
eat there. Hubby filled the bird feeders - hoping to outsmart the
squirrels. Also hoping for our cardinals to come back again! I miss them.
Mr and Mrs. Cardinal - Mickey and Myrtle! Maybe they'll come soon. Thanks
for praying for Linus that God willing, he can be selling appliances again
soon and have time to sit and rest his body, also for Lori. She will have
a birthday next Friday!

Mother Teresa's Rules & Beliefs to incorporate

The dying, the cripple, the mental, the unwanted, the unloved they are Jesus
in disguise.

Little things are indeed little, but to be faithful in little things is a
great thing.

It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not
how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.

Nakedness is not only for a piece of clothing; nakedness is lack of human
dignity, and also that beautiful virtue of purity, and lack of that respect
for each other.

There is a terrible hunger for love. We all experience that in our lives -
the pain, the loneliness. We must have the courage to recognize it. The poor
you may have right in your own family. Find them. Love them.

Before you speak, it is necessary for you to listen, for God speaks in the
silence of the heart.

Speak tenderly to them. Let there be kindness in your face, in your eyes, in
your smile, in the warmth of your greeting. Always have a cheerful smile.
Don't only give your care, but give your heart as well.

The more you have, the more you are occupied, the less you give. But the
less you have the more free you are. Poverty for us is a freedom. It is not
a mortification, a penance. It is joyful freedom. There is no television
here, no this, no that. But we are perfectly happy.

If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace,
because you know what you are.

Do not allow yourselves to be disheartened by any failure as long as you
have done your best.

There is only one God and He is God to all; therefore it is important that
everyone is seen as equal before God. I've always said we should help a
Hindu become a better Hindu, a Muslim become a better Muslim, a Catholic
become a better Catholic.

If we really want to love we must learn how to forgive.

It is a poverty to decide that an unborn child must die so that you may live
as you like.

If we pray, we will believe; If we believe, we will love; If we love, we
will serve.

We can do no great things; only small things with great love.

You and I, we are the Church, no? We have to share with our people.
Suffering today is because people are hoarding, not giving, not sharing.
Jesus made it very clear. Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you
do it to me. Give a glass of water, you give it to me. Receive a little
child, you receive me. Clear.

Only in heaven will we see how much we owe to the poor for helping us to
love God better because of them.

Make us worthy, Lord, to serve those people throughout the world who live
and die in poverty and hunger. Give them through our hands, this day, their
daily bread, and by our understanding love, give them peace and joy.

Give me courage.

I must do something.

Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us
begin.

Let's do something beautiful for God.

Christian One Liners

Don't let your worries get the

best of you; remember, Moses started

out as a basket case.

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Some people are kind, polite, and

sweet-spirited until you try to sit in their pews.

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Many folks want to serve God,

but only as advisors.

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It is easier to preach ten sermons

than it is to live one.

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The good Lord didn't create anything

without a purpose, but mosquitoes come close.

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When you get to your wit's end,

you'll find God lives there.

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People are funny; they want the front

of the bus, the middle of the road, and

the back of the church..

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Opportunity may knock once, but temptation

bangs on your front door forever.

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Quit griping about your church;

if it was perfect, you couldn't belong.

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If the church wants a better preacher,

it only needs to pray for the one it has.

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God Himself does not propose to judge

a man until he is dead. So why should you?

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Some minds are like concrete

thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.

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Peace starts with a smile.

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I don't know why some people

change churches; what difference does

it make which one you stay home from?

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A lot of church members who are singing

'Standing on the Promises'

are just sitting on the premises.

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We were called to be witnesses,

not lawyers or judges..

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Be ye fishers of men. You catch

them - He'll clean them.

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Coincidence is when God

chooses to remain anonymous.

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Don't put a question mark

where God put a period.

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Don't wait for 6 strong men

to take you to church.

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Forbidden fruits create many jams.

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God doesn't call the qualified,

He qualifies the called.

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God grades on the cross, not the curve.

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God loves everyone, but probably prefers

'fruit of the spirit' over a 'religious nut!'

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God promises a safe landing,

not a calm passage.

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He who angers you, controls you!

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If God is your Co-pilot - swap seats!

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Prayer:

Don't give God instructions -- just report for duty!

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The task ahead of us is never as

great as the Power behind us.

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The Will of God never takes you to

where the Grace of God will not protect you..

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We don't change the message,

the message changes us

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You can tell how big a person is

by what it takes to discourage him.

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The best mathematical equation

I have ever seen:

1 cross + 3 nails = 4 given.

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HOW LIFE IS MEASURED
Author Unknown


I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago whose
husband unexpectedly and suddenly died of a heart attack.

About a week after his death, she shared some of her insight with a
classroom of students.

As the late afternoon sunlight came streaming in through the classroom
windows and the class was nearly over, she moved a few things aside on
the edge of her desk and sat down there. With a gentle look of
reflection on her face, she paused and said, "Before class is over, I
would like to share with all of you a thought that is unrelated to
class, but which I feel is very important."

"Each of us is put here on earth to learn, share, love, appreciate and
give of ourselves. None of us knows when this fantastic experience
will end. It can be taken away at any moment. Perhaps this is a way of
telling us that we must make the most out of every single day."......

Her eyes beginning to water, she went on, "So I would like you all to
make me a promise. From now on, on your way to school, or on your way
home, find something beautiful to notice. It doesn't have to be
something you see, it could be a scent -- perhaps of freshly baked
bread wafting out of someone's house, or it could be the sound of the
breeze slightly rustling the leaves in the trees, or the way the
morning light catches the autumn leaf as it falls gently to the
ground.

Please look for these things, and cherish them. For, although it may
sound trite to some, these things are the "stuff" of life. The little
things we are put here on earth to enjoy. The things we often take for
granted. We must make it important to notice them, for at any
time...it can all be taken
away." The class was completely quiet. We all picked up our books and
filed out of the room silently.

That afternoon, I noticed more things on my way home from school than
had that whole semester. Every once in a while, I think of that
teacher and remember what an impression she made on all of us, and I
try to appreciate all of those things that sometimes we all overlook.

Take notice of something special you see on your lunch hour today.
When you go home, Go barefoot. Or walk on the beach at sunset. Stop
off on the way home tonight to get a double-dip ice cream cone.

"For as we get older, it is not the things we did that we often
regret, but the things we didn't do."

“Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened."

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the
moments that take our breath away."

It's Me Again God

Remember me God?
I come everyday
Just to talk to you, Lord
And to learn how to pray

You make me feel welcome
You reach out your hand
I need never explain
For you understand

I come to you frightened
And burdened with care
So lonely and lost
And so filled with despair

And suddenly Lord
I am no longer afraid
My burden is lighter
And the dark shadows fade

Oh God what a comfort
To know that you care
And to know when I seek you
You will always be there

Guide Me, Lord

Guide me with
your wisdom, O Lord,
so that my soul
may always be serving you
in the way you will
and not as I choose.
Let me die to myself
so that I may serve you;
let me live to you who
are Life itself. Amen.

Today
by Emily McAdams
Since yesterday is in the past, And tomorrow you might not see. You need to
live to the fullest, This day God has granted to thee.

Be loving and kind to all you meet. Spread cheer and joy on your way. Say,
"I love you" to your loved ones, And for peace on earth you should pray.

Share your faith with lost ones as God bids all His children to do. He wants
not one soul left behind. One might be saved because of you.

A lonely person you could visit, To help brighten up their day. You could
feed one who's hungry, Offer a place for someone to stay.

There is so much that you can do, Before this day is through. Only but for
the grace of God, One of these just might be you.

Be thankful for all of your blessings. Never take them for granted at all.
God gives you all you need to have, And He will 'till His final call.

Be ready and always listen. For you never know when He'll say, The past and
future you don't need, But my child, I need you today.

Daily Prayer


Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.

The Maronites and Ash Monday


As Maronite Catholics, the Season of Lent starts tomorrow being Ash Monday
(in the Roman/Latin Rite it is Ash Wednesday). Ashes are a symbol of
penance made sacramental by the blessing of the Church to help us develop a
spirit of humility and sacrifice. "Remember, Man is dust, and unto dust you
shall return". The custom is from an old ceremony. Christians who had
committed grave faults were obliged to do public penance. On Ash Wednesday
the Bishop blessed the hair shirts, which they were to wear during the forty
days, and sprinkled over them ashes, made from the palms from the previous
year. Then, while the faithful recited the Seven Penitential Psalms, the
penitents were turned out of the holy place because of their sins, as Adam,
the first man was turned out of paradise on account of his disobedience.
They did not enter the Church again until Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday)
after having won reconciliation by the toil of forty days' penance and
sacramental absolution. Later on, all Christians, either public or secret
penitents, came out of devotion to receive ashes.

The prayers of this time of year stress penance (being death to self with
Christ) and joy (resurrection to a new person with Christ). They enable us
to take a greater part in the Mystery of God's redeeming plan for the whole
universe. Penance is the inner aversion to the evil existing in and around
us, and a generous conversion in love to God. Traditionally, the Lenten
practices of prayer and fasting were the means for achieving this
aversion-conversion. They are still valid but there are many other forms of
penance that we may use - for e.g., working for social or individual
justice; performing works of mercy.

"Jesus was led into the desert by the Spirit to be tempted by the
devil...spending forty days and forty nights [there]." - Mt 4:1-2
"The Season of Lent keeps inviting us, in a pressing way, to meditate on
this great truth: love is of God. This is a living, present reality that we
should never forget." - Pope John Paul II

Dear Lord Jesus,
As you spent forty days in the desert to prepare for Your mission, grant
that my Lenten journey may prepare me to celebrate the Holy Mysteries of
Your Death and Resurrection. Help me Lord that all my thoughts, words and
actions may be according to Your will for You are gracious and merciful,
patient and rich in mercy to those who call on You with repentant hearts and
lives. Amen

May your new week be always blessed when you least expect it to be and your
ordinary days be wonderful!