Hello my friends! It was a very relaxing Sunday today - we just went to our 10:30 Mass. Our priest, Father Mark is still in Guatemala for 10 days so we had a different priest. After Mass we visited with friends there - they had coffee and donuts, we didn't have any but visited. I love our nice, friendly parish!!
Stay close to God because He is the solution to all problems. Lord, I will
live in Your presence, protected by You and Your peace will be mine.
S C R I P T U R E F O R T H E D A Y
"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and
I will give you rest." ~Matthew 11:28
M E D I T A T I O N F O R T H E D A Y
"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and
I will give you rest." For rest from the cares of life, we can turn to
God each day in prayer and communion. Real relaxation and serenity come
from a deep sense of the fundamental goodness of the universe. God's
everlasting arms are underneath all and can support us. We can commune
with God, not so much for petitions to be granted as for the rest that
comes from our relying on God's will and God's purposes for our lives.
We can be sure of God's strength available to us, and conscious of God's
support. We can wait quietly until that true rest from God fills our
being.
P R A Y E R F O R T H E D A Y
I pray that I may be conscious of God's support today. I pray that I
may rest safe and sure therein.
A N E W Y E A R P R A Y E R
A whole new year is mine today...
May I be wiser, Lord, I pray!
I'd strengthen friendships, old and true,
And learn to cherish new ones, too;
To keep on learning and to grow
A little better as I go.
To cast aside each grudge and grief.
And hold fast to a firm belief
That life is joyous, gracious, good
When lived in terms of brotherhood!
To welcome fun, and play a while,
To lighten work with a happy smile!
To thank the Lord and every day
Remember Him, and kneel to pray
In gratitude for strength and health
And blessings which are all my wealth!
This year's a gift from God to me
To spend, or use, or set me free..
A whole new year is mine today...
May I be wiser, Lord, I pray!
Just for today, Lord
I will live through the next 12 hours and not try to tackle all of life's
problems at once.
I will improve my mind. I will learn something useful. I will learn
something that requires effort, thought, and concentration.
I will be agreeable. I will look my best, speak in well-modulated voice, be
courteous and considerate.
I will not find fault with friend, relative or colleague. I will not try to
change or improve anyone other than myself.
I will have a program. I might not follow it exactly, but I will have it. I
will save myself from two enemies, hurry and indecision.
I will do a good turn and keep it secret. If anyone finds out, it won't
count.
I will do two things I don't want to do. Just for exercise.
I will believe in myself. I will give my best to the world and feel
confident that the world will give it's best to me.
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FLOWER
The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read
Beneath the long, straggly branches of an old willow tree
Disillusioned by life with good reason to frown
For the world was intent on dragging me down
And if that weren't enough to ruin my day
A young boy out of breath approached me, all tired from play
He stood right before me with his head tilted down
And said with great excitement, "Look what I found"
In his hand was a flower, and what a pitiful sight
With its petals all worn - not enough rain, or too little light
Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play
I faked a small smile and then shifted away
But instead of retreating he sat next to my side
And placed the flower to his nose
And declared with overacted surprise
"It sure smells pretty and it's beautiful, too"
"That's why I picked it; here, it's for you"
The weed before me was dying or dead
Not vibrant of colors: orange, yellow or red
But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave
So I reached for the flower, and replied, "Just what I need"
But instead of him placing the flower in my hand
He held it mid-air without reason or plan
It was then that I noticed for the very first time
That weed-toting boy could not see: he was blind
I heard my voice quiver; tears shone in the sun
As I thanked him for picking the very best one
"You're welcome," he smiled, and then ran off to play
Unaware of the impact he'd had on my day.
I sat there and wondered how he managed to see
A self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree
How did he know of my self-indulged plight
Perhaps from his heart, he'd been blessed with true sight
Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see
The problem was not with the world; the problem was me
And for all of those times I myself had been blind
I vowed to see the beauty in life
And appreciate every second that's mine
And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose
And breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose
And smiled as I watched that young boy
Another weed in his hand
About to change the life of an unsuspecting old man
-- Author Unknown
IT IS ALL IN THE RESUMES
TO: Jesus, Son of Joseph
The Woodcrafter's Carpenter Shop
Nazareth 25922
FROM: Jordan Management Consultants
Jerusalem 26544
RE: Personnel Evaluations
Thank you for submitting the resumes of the twelve men you have picked for
managerial positions in your new organization. All of them have now taken
our battery of tests, and we have not only run the results through our
computers, but also arranged personal interviews for each of them with our
psychologist and vocation aptitude consultant.
It is the opinion of the staff that most of your nominees are lacking in
background, education and vocational aptitude for the type of enterprise you
are undertaking. They do not have the team concept. We would recommend that
you continue your search for persons of experience in managerial ability and
proven capacity. We have summarized the findings of our study below:
Simon Peter is emotional, unstable and given to fits of temper.
Andrew has absolutely no quality of leadership.
The two brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, place personal
interests above Company loyalty.
Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that would tend to undermine
morale.
We believe it is our duty to tell you that Matthew has been blacklisted by
the Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau.
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus, definitely have radical leanings.
Additionally, they both registered high scores on the manic depressive
scale.
However, one of the candidates shows great potential. He's a man of ability
and resourcefulness; he is a great networker; has a keen business mind; and
has strong contacts in influential circles. He's highly motivated, very
ambitious and adept with financial matters. We recommend Judas Iscariot as
your Controller and Chief Operating Officer.
All the other profiles are self-explanatory. We wish you the utmost success
in your new venture.
What if Jesus had chosen the twelve based on the modern methods of
leadership selection? Most of them would have never had a chance to
participate. Jesus chooses people not for who they are, but for what they
can become in Him. Aren't you glad that when Jesus looked at you, He didn't
take you for what you were (a sinner); but He took you for what you could
be? Jesus sees the potential in all of us, and has called us to be
disciples. Jesus is still saying, "Follow Me!"
-- Author Unknown
Meditations by Padre Pio
I feel a great desire to abandon myself with greater trust, to the divine
mercy, and to place my hope in God alone.
Mother Teresa Said...
Jesus' good news was God's peace to all men of good will. That peace is
something which is fundamental to the satisfaction of our most basic
desires.
It is a peace of the heart.
We have been created to live in peace.
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