Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Let nothing that others do alter how you treat them. Lord, may I treat
all with love and consideration.


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

"Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life." ~John
6:68

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

"Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life." The
words of eternal life are the words from God reaching out into our true
being, our spiritual selves. They are the words from God which are
heard by us in our hearts and minds when these are wide open to God's
spirit. These are the words of eternal life, which express the true way
we are to live. They say to us in the stillness of our heart and mind
and soul: "Do this and live."

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

I pray that I may follow the dictates of my conscience. I pray that I
may follow he inner urging of my soul.

Peace of Jesus to you all! Hope your Sunday was great and even relaxing! It was for us. Last night before going to bed I put chicken, potatoes, and lots of carrots in the slow cooker, and after Mass we had this for lunch! It was delicious! Now again, we have left overs - and that's good. I don't need to cook tomorrow at all! I even took out our chili from the freezer to have this week. Our low glycemic index diet seems to be going pretty well! I still haven't read that big dummy book yet, but got the other one read with the color coded foods we can have etc. helps a great deal. Even our going out last night we were fine. It was our favorite Greek Restaurant with Jim, the manager, who's become our friend.
My blessings today - Lori came home for a little while - was nice to visit with her. She is so busy. Another blessing was our nice, peaceful day - and we had a nice, warm day today - it got up in the 40's and that was so much appreciated! The sun was melting snow all over - but it needs a whole lot more melting! I love to read all about your blessings, and even when you have a rough day, we're here for you!

St. Valentine's Story

Let me introduce myself. My name is Valentine. I lived in Rome during the third century. That was long, long ago! At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius. I didn't like Emperor Claudius, and I wasn't the only one! A lot of people shared my feelings.

Claudius wanted to have a big army. He expected men to volunteer to join. Many men just did not want to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their wives and families. As you might have guessed, not many men signed up. This made Claudius furious. So what happened? He had a crazy idea. He thought that if men were not married, they would not mind joining the army. So Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages. Young people thought his new law was cruel. I thought it was preposterous! I certainly wasn't going to support that law!

Did I mention that I was a priest? One of my favourite activities was to marry couples. Even after Emperor Claudius passed his law, I kept on performing marriage ceremonies -- secretly, of course. It was really quite exciting. Imagine a small candlelit room with only the bride and groom and myself. We would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the steps of soldiers.

One night, we did hear footsteps. It was scary! Thank goodness the couple I was marrying escaped in time. I was caught. (Not quite as light on my feet as I used to be, I guess.) I was thrown in jail and told that my punishment was death.

I tried to stay cheerful. And do you know what? Wonderful things happened. Many young people came to the jail to visit me. They threw flowers and notes up to my window. They wanted me to know that they, too, believed in love.

One of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit me in the cell. Sometimes we would sit and talk for hours. She helped me to keep my spirits up. She agreed that I did the right thing by ignoring the Emperor and going ahead with the secret marriages. On the day I was to die, I left my friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. I signed it, "Love from your Valentine."

I believe that note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine's Day. It was written on the day I died, February 14, 269 A.D. Now, every year on this day, people remember. But most importantly, they think about love and friendship. And when they think of Emperor Claudius, they remember how he tried to stand in the way of love, and they laugh -- because they know that love can't be beaten!

- - -
In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.



Forgive Me Lord

Forgive me Lord
For the wrongs I have done.
For anger I shouldn't have
Against anyone.



I know I'm weak Lord,
But I love You, I really do,
And in spite of my weakness,
I know You love me too.



Forgive me for not reading Your word,
And for the times that I stray.
Forgive me for just being too tired
When I don't take the time to pray.



Give me the strength, Lord
To do what I should each day.
Let Your love shine through me
So others will follow Your way.



Even though I've failed You Lord,
I know You'll forgive me,
And this I promise Lord,
A better Christian I will be.



For Your presence is in me
Filling my heart with Your love,
And I have Your reassurance
You're guiding from above.



I love You Lord, and thank You
For the blessings You bestow,
I will tell others about You
So Your goodness they too, will know.

~ Louise P. Heckman ~

Whisper Jesus

Today I got a burden,
And I felt that I should pray
For God's spirit seemed to tell me,
That you were having a bad day.

I don't know what the problem is,
But I sure do know the cure
And if you'll only let Him
God will keep you safe and secure.

In life there's always problems
Cropping up to spoil our day
But my friend you know the answer
All you have to do is pray.

If you still feel you're defeated
And you want to run and hide
Just reach out and I'll be there
Standing right there by your side.

So remember, Whisper Jesus,
For He's just a prayer away,
He's so close that you can touch Him
All you have to do is pray.

(author unknown)

THE PRAYER CHAIR
Author Unknown
February 13, 2011


A man's daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with
her father. When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed
with his head propped up on two pillows. An empty chair sat beside his
bed. The minister assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his
visit.


"I guess you were expecting me," he said.


"No, who are you?" said the father.


"I'm the new minister at your church," he replied. "When I saw the
empty
chair, I figured you knew I was going to show up."


"Oh yeah, the chair," said the bedridden man. "Would you mind closing
the door?" Puzzled, the minister shut the door. "I have never told
anyone this, not even my daughter," said the man. "But all of my life
I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor
talk about prayer, but it went right over my head."


"I abandoned any attempt at prayer," the old man continued, "until one
day about four years ago my best friend said to me. 'Joe, prayer is
just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here is what
I suggest. Sit down in a chair; place an empty chair in front of you,
and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It's not spooky because He
promised, "I'll be with you always." Then just speak to him and listen
in the same way you're doing with me right now.'


"So, I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it a couple of
hours every day. I'm careful though. If my daughter saw me talking to
an empty chair, she'd either have a nervous breakdown or send me off
to the funny farm."


The minister was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old guy
to continue on the journey. Then he prayed with him, anointed him with
oil, and returned to the church. Two nights later the daughter called
to tell the minister that her daddy had died that afternoon.


"Did he die in peace?" he asked.


"Yes, when I left the house about two o'clock, he called me over to
his bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on the check. When I
got back from the store an hour later, I found him dead. But there was
something strange about his death. Apparently, just before Daddy died,
he leaned over and rested his head on the chair beside the bed. What
do you make of that?"


The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said, "I wish we all could
go like that."


2 Corinthians 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight)

JUST LIKE CAIN

“If you do well, you can hold up your head…” – Genesis 4:7

There’s a boy I know who tries so hard to get the approval of his parents. Thing is, he does foolish things to compete with his siblings for attention. He’s intelligent and street smart but, because of the trouble he gets himself into, what he gets is disfavor. He refuses to understand that approval is a prize for being good. Just like Cain, he has become bitter and jealous.
To be competitive is a good thing. However, if it is motivated by jealousy and greed, it destroys one’s being. In the Gospel today, Jesus refused to give the Pharisees a miraculous sign. He did not give in to the pressure of proving His detractors wrong. His quiet confidence in doing the work of His Father spoke so loud that people flocked to and believed in Him.
Oftentimes we need not try too hard to gain approval. That’s because good works will always earn us respect and favor. God said to Cain, “If you do well, you can hold up your head.”
Now, wouldn’t it feel good to get a pat on the back for something you did well without having to compete for it?Nova Arias (nova.svp@gmail.com)
14
REFLECTION:
Compete only with yourself, striving to be better than who you are.

Father, teach me to trust in my ability to do well. May I always remember to please You and no one else.

Closing Prayer:

GIVE ME THE STRENGTH GOD


GOD, give me the faith to accept that bad things do
happen to good people.

GOD, give me the strength to make a good home for my
family, to be inspired to share your love with them so
they will also love you, each other and themselves.

GOD, give the strength to turn the other cheek when
people make fun of me or my loved ones, of our clothes,
our goods, let me remember that it is our faith and love
that matters.

GOD, give me the strength to bite my tongue and not
say, « I told you so » or « I knew that would happen »,
help me offer prayers of support.

GOD, give me the strength to remember to pray when I
feel that all hope is lost, let me share this hope with others.

GOD, give me the strength to make changes in this
world in Your name, to right the wrongs I see, to
give justice and love to all Your children.

GOD, help me protect my family---give the strength
to help them withstand the trials You give them.

GOD, help me remember You every day, in everything I
do, in all those I love---You are there.

GOD, give me the strength to have faith in You even
when I don't immediately understand a situation and
to accept that all that You do is for our good, even if
I don't see it.

GOD, show me the path to being a better Christian,
wife, husband, mother, friend.

GOD, give me the strength to speak a universal
language and not be misunderstood; teach me
this universal language of the heart.

GOD, show me how to lead my loved ones in the right
pathway to You, give them the strength to withstand
the barriers and return to the right path.

GOD, give me the strength to forgive other, to love
them as You love me.

GOD, give me the strength to pray when I least feel
like it.

GOD, give me a sign from time to time that You are
there and haven't forgotten us.

GOD, give me the strength to help my family members in
new ventures and experiences, to help ease their way.

GOD, I ask these things of You , not out of selfishness,
but out of love and desire to serve You better and to do
a good Job at what you have sent me here to do.

To everyone, add your own « STRENGTHS » to this list.
Use it and share it with others. May you all gain the
strength you need.

----Author Unknown

Good night everyone! Wishing you all a good night's sleep with sweet dreams and a wonderful day tomorrow that God gives us! This is the Day the Lord has made, let us rejoice in it! May you find it full of blessings - and try to keep it positive! Praying for all of you and all your intentions daily! Thanks for praying for me and my family, too.