Hello my friends! It's been a cold day here in Minnesota. Sure felt the wind chill coming out of Church to our carl!! We spent the day home, of course! I took a nap, and it was just a relaxing day! Other than that, I have nothing new to say, so here are the inspirations for tomorrow - and wishing you all a very good night with prayers.
Often times, life is what happens when you're busy making plans.
Lord, help me to notice each moment and not rush through it.
S C R I P T U R E F O R T H E D A Y
"Jesus straightened up and said to the woman caught in adultery,
'Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?' She said, 'No one,
sir.' And Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and
from now on do not sin again.'" ~John 8:10-11
M E D I T A T I O N F O R T H E D A Y
In the new year, I can live one day at a time. I can make each day
one of preparation for better things ahead. I need not dwell on the
past or the future, only on the present. I can bury every fear of the
future, all thoughts of unkindness and bitterness, all my dislikes, my
resentments, my sense of failure, my disappointments in others and in
myself, my gloom and my despondency. I can leave all these things
buried and go forward, in this new year and this new millennium, into
a new life!
P R A Y E R F O R T H E D A Y
I pray that God will guide me one day at a time in the new year. I
pray that for each day, God will supply the wisdom and the strength I
need.
Saint of the Day
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Lived(1774-1821) | Feast Day: Sunday, January 4, 2015
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Mother Seton is one of the keystones of the American Catholic Church. She founded the first American religious community for women, the Sisters of Charity. She opened the first American parish school and established the first American Catholic orphanage. All this she did in the span of 46 years while raising her five children.
Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton is a true daughter of the American Revolution, born August 28, 1774, just two years before the Declaration of Independence. By birth and marriage, she was linked to the first families of New York and enjoyed the fruits of high society. Reared a staunch Episcopalian by her mother and stepmother, she learned the value of prayer, Scripture and a nightly examination of conscience. Her father, Dr. Richard Bayley, did not have much use for churches but was a great humanitarian, teaching his daughter to love and serve others.
The early deaths of her mother in 1777 and her baby sister in 1778 gave Elizabeth a feel for eternity and the temporariness of the pilgrim life on earth. Far from being brooding and sullen, she faced each new “holocaust,” as she put it, with hopeful cheerfulness.
At 19, Elizabeth was the belle of New York and married a handsome, wealthy businessman, William Magee Seton. They had five children before his business failed and he died of tuberculosis. At 30, Elizabeth was widowed, penniless, with five small children to support.
While in Italy with her dying husband, Elizabeth witnessed Catholicity in action through family friends. Three basic points led her to become a Catholic: belief in the Real Presence, devotion to the Blessed Mother and conviction that the Catholic Church led back to the apostles and to Christ. Many of her family and friends rejected her when she became a Catholic in March 1805.
To support her children, she opened a school in Baltimore. From the beginning, her group followed the lines of a religious community, which was officially founded in 1809.
The thousand or more letters of Mother Seton reveal the development of her spiritual life from ordinary goodness to heroic sanctity. She suffered great trials of sickness, misunderstanding, the death of loved ones (her husband and two young daughters) and the heartache of a wayward son. She died January 4, 1821, and became the first American-born citizen to be beatified (1963) and then canonized (1975). She is buried in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
Comment:
Elizabeth Seton had no extraordinary gifts. She was not a mystic or stigmatic. She did not prophesy or speak in tongues. She had two great devotions: abandonment to the will of God and an ardent love for the Blessed Sacrament. She wrote to a friend, Julia Scott, that she would prefer to exchange the world for a “cave or a desert.” “But God has given me a great deal to do, and I have always and hope always to prefer his will to every wish of my own.” Her brand of sanctity is open to everyone if we love God and do his will.
Quote:
Elizabeth Seton told her sisters, “The first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner he wills it; and thirdly, to do it because it is his will.”
A Prayer to Jesus
Jesus, I believe in you,
Jesus, I hope in you,
Jesus, I love you.
I believe in you for those who do not believe.
I hope in you for those who have never hoped
and for those who have lost hope.
I love you for those who have never known you
and have never loved you.
Sweet Heart of Jesus, I trust in you.
I trust in you for all, with all, in spite of all,
and forever.
O Mary, Mother of my Jesus,
keep me close to Jesus,
keep Jesus close to me.
Prayer by St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Our Father, you would not willingly call on us to suffer. You say all things work together for our good if we are faithful to You. Therefore, if You ordain it: through disappointment and poverty, sickness and pain, even shame and contempt and calumny, You will support us with the consolation of Your Grace and compensate us for any temporal suffering by the possession of that peace which the world can neither give nor take away.
Dear Lord Jesus
As I go about my housework
Let me see each job I do,
As a service for my King
And a way of loving You.
Let me wash away my judgments
Of others right or wrong,
As I wash up the dishes
Place within my heart a song.
As I clean up little fingerprints
And lots of muddy shoes,
May I remember how you cleaned the feet
Of the loved ones you did choose.
As I mend up torn pajamas
And sew a button on,
Show me where I need to mend a breech
That's gone on far too long.
Let me tidy up my thoughts
As I tidy up the toys,
Let me sweep away my fears
Like the dirt from little boys.
May I be just as quick with my forgiveness
As I am with mop and broom,
Sweeping up the clutter
In my heart and living room.
May I rinse out pride and ego
As I rinse the bathtub out,
And while we are at it Lord
Let's take care of anger, hate and doubt.
Please remind me often Lord
That the way I'm called to serve,
Is an honor given me
And not below what I deserve.
You know Lord, as I look
At all the work we need to do,
I think we'd better house clean
At least each day or two.
Happy New Year From God
Happy New Year--this is God.
This year, as with every year, I will be handling all of your problems. Please remember, I do not need your help.
If the devil happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it.
Kindly put it all in the SFJTD BOX (Something for Jesus to Do). It will be addressed in my time, not yours.
Please be patient. Once the matter has been placed in the box, do not hold onto it.
Do not become impatient and take it back to see if you can find a solution. Holding on or removal will delay the resolution of your problem.
You must surrender the problem to Me for proper resolution.
If a situation you think you cannot handle arises, please consult Me in prayer. Together we will come up with proper resolution.
If you do not receive what you anticipate as proper response from Me, remember--some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayer.
Because I do not sleep, there is no need for you to lose any.
Rest, my child...if you need Me, I am but a prayer away.
- Author Unknown
Jesus Calling
January 4
I want you to learn a new habit. Try saying, "I trust You, Jesus" in response to whatever happens to you. If there is time, think about who I AM in all My Power and Glory; ponder also the depth and breadth of My Love for you.
This simple practice will help you see Me in every situation, acknowledging My sovereign control over the universe. When you view events from this perspective-through the Light of My universal Presence-fear loses its grip on you. Adverse circumstances become growth opportunities when you affirm your trust in Me no matter what. You receive blessings gratefully, realizing they flow directly from My hand of grace. Your continual assertion of trusting Me will strengthen our relationship and keep you close to Me.
Psalm 63:2; Isaiah 40:10-11; Psalm 139:7-10
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