Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Love people so much that you will do all that you can to lessen their human
sorrows. Lord, You have shown Your love for me. May I now radiate
Your presence to others.

S C R I P T U R E F O R T H E D A Y

"A lawyer, asked Jesus a question to test him. 'Teacher, which commandment
in the law is the greatest?' He said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your
God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You
shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all
the law and the prophets." ~Matthew 22:35-40

M E D I T A T I O N F O R T H E D A Y

God has a plan for the world we live in. God's design for the world is a
universal fellowship of men and women, guided by God. The plan for our
lives is also in the mind of God. In times of quiet meditation we can seek
God's guidance, for the revealing of God's plan for our day. Then we can
live this day according to God's guidance. Many of us are not making of our
lives what God means them to be, and so we are unhappy. We can miss the
God's plan for our lives.

P R A Y E R F O R T H E D A Y

I pray that I may try to follow God's design for today. I pray that I may
live my life today consistent with God's plan.

PS. The priest who wrote this – Fr. Pat Umberger, has passed away recently,
but his works live on forever.

Hello my friends! Where did the weekend go again? They seem so fast!
Anyway tomorrow is Monday and another start of another week for us all - but
another day/week that is given to us to enjoy by our Lord and Savior Who
also loves to give us many blessings along the way. Today was a very
restful day. After Mass we came home, and I just didn't feel like cooking
so mentioned about going out to eat for breakfast which we do so very
seldom. Need groceries to cook with, but first need money to buy them, so
we wait until Wednesday when the SS check comes. Then I get cash and in
envelopes I budget everything. Anyway - we went to Holiday Inn for their
buffet, and was that ever good!! We may just go back there again some time.
It was not crowded at all, was told earlier it was crowded but after our
Mass it was 11:30 and the crowd had left. A big blessing that was! Our
hopes are still high that my dear husband will still be getting that
appliance job, it's just that they aren't quite ready yet, they are opening
up a new store somewhere. And the better timing for us would be after our
Texas trip, so please keep those prayers coming and don't give up!!!
Lori's new friend never did call at all - so she's done with waiting for
him! We continue to pray for a good husband for her. Getting quite a few
more sign-ups for the St. Padre Pio's reflections that I'm typing up for the
list. Today I had Linus dictate it for me and that went so much easier and
faster! He'll have to keep that up!! If any of you would like to be a part
of these reflections, just let me know and I can sign you up for them. It's
a short one daily.

Prayer for the Fifth Sunday in Lent

My loving Lord,
it's so hard to love the world sometimes
and to love it the way Jesus did seems impossible.
Help me to be inspired by his love and
guided by his example.
Most of all, I want to accept that I can't do it alone,
and that trying is an arrogance of self-centeredness.
I need you, dear God, to give me support in this journey.
Show me how to unlock my heart
so that I am less selfish.
Let me be less fearful of the pain and darkness
that will be transformed by you into Easter joy.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Authentic Communing With God

Our prayer deepens to the extent that
our living of the gospel generously deepens.
Or, to put the matter in other words,
communing with God is authentic
if our life-style is authentic.

from Prayer Primer: Igniting a Fire Within

DYING TO SELF

When you are forgotten, or neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you
don't sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is
happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ.


THAT IS DYING TO SELF

When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice
disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in
your heart, or even defend yourself, but take in all in patient, loving
silence.


THAT IS DYING TO SELF

When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any
impunctuality, or any annoyance; when you stand face-to- face with waste,
folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility-and endure it as Jesus endured.


THAT IS DYING TO SELF

When you are content with any food, any offering, any climate, any society,
any raiment, any interruption by the will of God.


THAT IS DYING TO SELF

When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, or to record your
own good works, or aspiring after commendations, when you can truly love to be
unknown.


THAT IS DYING TO SELF

When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met and can
honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God,
while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstances.


THAT IS DYING TO SELF

When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than
yourself and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no
rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart.


THAT IS DYING TO SELF

Are you dead yet? In these last days, the Spirit would bring us to the
cross.


"That I may know Him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship
of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death." Phil.3:10

A Prayer for Lent

For our sake, O God, you willed that your Son should climb the scaffold of
the cross to lift from our shoulders the dark yoke of Satan. Grant that we
may come to share the grace and power of Christ's resurrection. We ask this
through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in
the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.

Prayer for the Feast of the Annunciation

Oh God, Who wast pleased that Thy Word should take Flesh in the womb of the
Blessed Virgin Mary at the message of an Angel, grant to us Thy suppliants
that we, who believe her to be truly the Mother of God, may be aided by her
intercession before Thee. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ forever and
ever. Amen.

~~From My Daily Prayer

THE APPLE BASKET
Author Unknown


One day an elderly man entered into a hospital. He was grumpy from
being on medication and the nurses thought him to be insane, as he
yelled for his wife to get the apple basket. By the time they had
checked him into his room the nurses were exhausted from the fight he
was putting up.

"Sir you have to calm down we are doing everything we can for you"
they would try to explain.

"I don't need your help" the grumpy man would yell "I want my apple
basket". He finally slept. The nurses sighed with relief and talked
among themselves whether they should call the hospital psychologist
about the old man and his obsession with the apple basket.

As they talked and laughed about the situation the wife came in
carrying the basket of apples. They looked kind of stunned as she
asked if she could see her husband and deliver his basket. Sure, they
agreed as they watched her slip past into his room.

Curiosity consumed them over the next few weeks as they tended to the
elderly man. He was eaten with cancer and the doctors had given him no
hope of survival. He turned out to be a very calm, happy man once he
had his basket. His wife, they noticed, would come in with apples and
go out with apples and the curiosity grew even more till one nurse
couldn't stand the suspense.

One night as he was nearing the end, the nurse sat down in a chair by
the wife." May I ask why do you have that apple basket? I just don't
understand the significance."

"I am an apple farmer by trade he sighed. From the time I was 20 till
the day I do die I will forever have my apples." The nurse nodded
thinking she understood. He just likes his work, she thought, assured
now he was a little bit crazy.

As she started to leave, the old man asked her to sit down. "At age 20
I was saved, I accepted the Lord as my Savior." Oh no, the nurse
thought. Here comes the lecture on religion. The old man continued.
"The day I accepted the Lord as my Savior I got this basket, and each
time I had a problem or concern that I could not handle, I put an
apple in the basket un-shined."

"Why?" the nurse said shaking her head.

"Because it reminded me to give those problems to the Lord for him to
shine. See my basket now, he stated. As my problems disappear so do
the apples. As I get new problems, ones I cannot handle alone, I put
an apple in."

The humble nurse looked into the basket...only one apple was there.

With that, he took a big breath and grabbed his wife by the hand and
faded into eternal sleep. The wife paused for a moment and got up from
her place to take from the basket the last remaining apple. She
whispered in his ear that his reward awaits him in heaven.

The nurse stayed still and asked with tears in her eyes, "what do you
think his riches will be?"

The wife knew what they were, eternal life with Jesus Christ. But she
could see the concern and sadness upon the young nurses' face and
handed her the apple and said "the biggest apple pie you can
imagine!"

That was the day the young nurse was saved, and from that day on she
always had a basket by her bed.

Not-So-Identical Twins
Author Unknown

There were once two brothers who were identical twins. Now even though they
looked exactly alike, they were exact opposites when it came to their
personalities. One brother was an eternal optimist--he always saw good in
everything and everybody. The other brother, however, was an eternal
pessimist--he never saw good in anything anywhere.

One Christmas, their parents decided to try an experiment on them to see if
there was any way that the two brothers could find some balance in their
personalities. To the pessimist son, the parents gave a bright, shiny
bicycle. To their optimist son, they gave a bag filled with nothing but
straw. They put their presents under the tree with the boys' names on them
and waited to see what would happened.

On Christmas morning, the two boys ran downstairs to discover what they had
received from their parents. Upon finding the bicycle, the pessimist
proclaimed, "A bicycle? Why did you give me a bicycle? It's too cold to ride
outside, and besides, I will probably fall and hurt myself. I can't believe
you got me a lousy bicycle!"

The optimist opened his present, found the bag of straw and thought for a
minute. Suddenly he ran to the backyard and began looking around
frantically. His parents and brothers were completely puzzled, and they
finally asked him "What in the world are you doing?" To which he replied,
"Well, after getting that bag of straw, I just know there's a pony around
here someplace! I just haven't found him yet!"

Attitude can make a huge difference in your circumstances. When things
happen to you at home, at school, with your friends--you have two choices.
You can take the high road or the low road. The high road is to remain
positive and look for the good in your situation. The low road is to be
negative and to see only the bad. One road leads to happiness, the other to
despair. Really, the choice is yours. Circumstances don't have to control
your life. You can instead control how those circumstances affect you. You
have the power.

As Christians, we have every reason to take the high road and to be
optimistic about life. Because of Christ, we have hope--real hope. We know
that no matter what happens, God is in control and we have the victory that
Christ won for us on the cross. The apostle Paul was in prison when he
wrote, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
(Philippians 4:4). That's the kind of attitude we need to have.

A BOUQUET FOR GOD
By Gail Rodgers

Do you ever wonder how to accept compliments when you have simply done
what God asked you to and know He empowered you to do it?

Jesus said that we cannot bear fruit unless we are connected to Him. Our
own best efforts, without the power of the Holy Spirit, will have no effect
for eternity.

He told us that having fruit in our lives shows that we are Jesus'
followers. When we see results for God's kingdom...God gets the credit.

Jesus said" This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing
yourselves to be my disciples" (John 15:7).

So what do you do when people want to give you the credit and you feel
uncomfortable with it?

A wise lady once told me to graciously say "thank you" and receive each
compliment as you would accept a beautiful rose. Honor the giver with
heartfelt gratitude. Enjoy each blossom that is handed to you and in your
heart praise God for the beauty His fruit has brought to your own life.
Then, at the end of each day, offer all the flowers up to God as a bouquet
of praise and thankfulness to Him.

Giving everything back to God, whether it is your compliments, your
accomplishments, your riches or your influence keeps them from taking root
in your own heart. It keeps you mindful of God's work through the power of
His Holy Spirit and safeguards you from having unwanted seeds of pride take
root.

Don't rob God by casting aside the kind words of those whose lives are
touched by what God is doing through you. Gather the lovely flowers and
carry them to your Heavenly Father as your praise offering.

What a lovely picture...bouquets for God.

~ Father God,

Thank You for Your empowering Holy Spirit who works through me to touch
lives around me. Please help me to graciously accept the flowers of
gratitude that come my way and to gather them together as a bouquet for You,
the Giver of all good gifts. Keep my heart free of self pride that stifles
Your Spirit and use me to bear much fruit for Your kingdom. With
thanksgiving I pray in Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have Mercy, Lord!

Seven Simple Steps toward Repentance

1. Every evening or morning, take some time out to review the previous day.
Begin by quieting your mind so you can hear the Holy Spirit speaking to your
conscience.

2. Ask the Spirit to show you any wrongdoing—in your thoughts and desires,
in your words and relationships, and in your actions. You may want to use
the examination of conscience.

3. Think about how the sins you see have clouded your experience of and
trust in the Lord’s love.

4. Check your heart: Are you pliable and willing to change your mind about
these sins? Do you feel unwilling to change? Do you have any sense that it’s
hopeless even to try?

5. Cling to God. Acknowledge that he is your strength and tell him that you
want him to reform your mind so that you think as he would have you think
and choose as he would have you choose. Renounce any drive in you that wants
to remain independent of the Lord.

6. Place yourself in God’s hands and obey whatever you think he is asking
you to do. As you practice, God’s voice will become clearer.

7. Be sure to move from thought to action. Make a decision to take one or
two concrete steps to overcome or avoid that sin area the next day.
Remember: Jesus is with you every step of the way!

Wishing and praying for you all to have a very blessed week. I pray for all
of you here, for your intentions, even if you are only here to read. God
bless you!