Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Pray even when your heart has no words rather than to pray words
with no heart. Lord, You faithfully answer all prayers. I will trust in
Your answers and never take Your love for granted.


Scripture for the day:

"I believe; help my unbelief!" ~Mark 9:24

Meditation for the day:

"I believe; help my unbelief!" This cry of the human heart is an
expression of human frailty. It signifies the soul's sincere desire
for progress. As we feel the existence of God and God's power, we can
believe in God more and more. At the same time, we can be more
conscious of our falling short of absolute trust in God. The soul's
progress is an increasing belief, then a cry for more faith, a plea to
conquer all unbelief, all lack of trust. We can believe that this cry
is heard by God and that this prayer is answered in due time. And so
our faith can grow, little by little, day by day.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that with more power in my life will come more faith. I pray
that I may come to trust God more each day.

Greetings everyone! It's late - sorry! Family was home - and that's always a blessing! The girls made us some lasagna and I made a good salad. Later they ordered pizza in, good for a change. Hope your day went well.

Our Mother's Help

Marian devotion is not just another task that needs to be checked off on the day's "to do" list; rather it is an opportunity to realize you have a mother who is waiting for you to get to know her son more and longs to assist you in doing so.

— from Wholly Mary


Meeting Jesus

When we take refuge in the familiar places
and activities of our lives,
Christ also seeks us out, prepares a meal for us,
and waits to say those words of forgiveness
we so desperately need to hear.
Knowing that the Lord is waiting for us,
we can jump out to meet him.

from Saints Off the Pedestal: Real Saints for Real People

"I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you now."

Trinity of Persons, One Eternal God (Today is Trinity Sunday, the end of the Easter Season)

We generally begin and end our prayers by recalling the Blessed Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, One God in Three divine Persons. Let us be on our guard against regarding the Blessed Trinity as something remote, something of an abstraction. This great feast, at the end of the Easter season, is intended to remind us how close to us God in all his glory and in all his infinity has come.

PERSONAL PRAYER

Glory to you, Father, creator of heaven and earth. Glory to you, Son, redeemer of the world. Glory to you, Spirit, inspiration of Christians.

Father, I love you, my God, but my love is imperfect. You are a loving Father, who wishes me to be saved. Forgive me when I come to judgement and see all my sins as little ones, so that I will be able to see you and live with you in heaven.

Jesus, you are the all-powerful Son of the Father. You came at the Father´s request to save me from sin. Thank you, Lord, for that and for dying for me. When you come in glory to judge the living and the dead, remember my good deeds and forgive my faults.

Spirit of the living God, I need you with me to guide me. Stay with me, inspire me. Fill me with love of God and neighbour so that as I grow old I may not fear death but be waiting to be called into your Kingdom. Amen.

The Trinity and the Family

The family is a community of persons, with members having varied functions and roles, yet united in one purpose--to live in love. The Trinity is also the communion of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit with their respective roles as Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier.

In the family, every member also has his or her own unique place; everybody is important. Even the sick, the elderly, and the little babies have their roles to play.

The life and love shared within the Holy Trinity do not, however, remain enclosed in themselves. The Trinitarian love spreads to embrace peoples of every time, place, color and belief.

To transcend the concerns of the family, and to be able to reach out to other families remain as a perennial challenge for us.

by Paul Marques, SSP

ABC'S OF BEING A FATHER

A - Always trust them to God's care
B - Bring them to church
C - Challenge them to high goals
D - Delight in their achievements
E - Exalt the Lord in their presence
F - Frown on evil
G - Give them love
H - Hear their problems
I - Ignore not their childish fears
J - Joyfully accept their apologies
K - Keep their confidence
L - Live a good example before them
M - Make them your friends
N - Never ignore their endless questions
O - Open your home to their visits
P - Pray for them by name
Q - Quicken your interest in their spirituality
R - Remember their needs
S - Show them the way of salvation
T - Teach them to work
U - Understand they are still young
V - Verify your statements
W - Wean them from bad company
X - eXpect them to obey
Y - Yearn for God's best for them
Z - Zealously guide them in biblical truth

-- Author Unknown

The Perfect Dad

Whether you had the world's second greatest dad (mine is the greatest!) or if your dad wasn't around, or if you wish your dad hadn't been around, one thing is for certain: your dad wasn't perfect.
Even now that I'm a dad with three kids myself I can look back at times when I could have been a better dad. It's humbling sometimes to receive Father's Day cards and greetings knowing that I hadn't always lived up to being a real good dad. I remember the times I hid behind the newspaper saying I was busy when my son wanted to play catch. I remember the times that mowing the yard were more important than coloring with my kids. I remember the times that watching the game on TV were more important than having a conversation with my daughter and her boyfriend. The "perfect dad".no way!
These thoughts bring me back to our heavenly Father, our heavenly Dad. In my times of prayer, I've never heard Him say He's too busy for me. I've never heard Him say He's too tired. I've never heard Him tell me I'll never amount to anything. Full of love, grace, and mercy.that's what I want to be for my kids. I want to point them to our heavenly Father and say, "Now there's a good Daddy, and I want to be more like Him!"
I pray that this Father's Day we all take the time to honor our dads. Even though we dads are not perfect, we appreciate your expressions of love and kindness and are grateful for them. And this Father's Day, let's also remember to honor our heavenly Father and thank Him for being the loving Father and the perfect Dad He is.
His Abundant Blessings to You This Father's Day,
Linn Carlson

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"
I John 3:1

Yesterday - Today - Tomorrow

Yesterday I met a stranger...
Today this stranger is my friend. Had I not taken the time to say
hello, or return a smile, or shake a hand, or listen, I would not
have known this person.
Yesterday would have turned into today,
and our chance meeting would be gone.

Yesterday I hugged someone very dear to me. Today they are
gone... and tomorrow will not bring them back.

Wouldn't it be nice if we all knew tomorrow they would be here?
But this is not to be, so take the time TODAY to give a hug, a smile,
an "I love you."

JUST FOR TODAY,
....smile at a stranger
....listen to someone's heart
....drop a coin where a child can find it
....learn something new, then teach it to someone
....tell someone you're thinking of them
....hug a loved one
....don't hold a grudge
....don't be afraid to say "I'm sorry"
....look a child in the eye and tell them how great they are
....look beyond the face of a person into their heart
....make a promise, and keep it
....call someone, for no other reason than to just say "hi"
....show kindness to an animal
....stand up for what you believe in
....smell the rain, feel the breeze, listen to the wind
....use all your senses to their fullest
....cherish all your TODAYS


Sin is deceitful. It promises pleasure, it gives pain; it offers
life, and gives death. It opens out as bright as the morning; it
closes as dark as night.

It is a beast of prey. Under a velvet paw it conceals a claw with
which it wounds and lacerates those who would stroke it.

In every sin there is the seed of another sin. It is self-propagating.
It roots itself in the soul of the sinner until it has used up every
bit of good soil in the soul.

It corrupts his nature, perverts his tastes, weakens his will, and
sears his conscience. And with each evil deed inclinations towards
evil become stronger and stronger until "he cannot cease from sin,"
and the sinner is "consumed by his own lusts."

Sin is a very promising employer - and a terrible paymaster.


By Charles A Jeffries

WHAT'S IN YOUR SPONGE?
Author Unknown


There are 5 sponges laying on your kitchen counter top. Each member of
your family has been cleaning up different areas of your home, but
all the sponges look the same. You are curious as to what was cleaned
in your home, but you can't tell by looking...they all look the
same....so what do you do?


You squeeze each sponge to see what comes out. As you squeeze the
first sponge, you see that cola comes out, and so you decide that
someone cleaned the kitchen with that one. Upon squeezing the second
sponge, you find tub and tile cleaner - that one was used to clean the
bathroom.


Next, in the third sponge, you find motor oil -- hubby was cleaning
the garage!


In the fourth sponge, baby powder puffs out when it is squeezed -- yep
the baby's nursery was done with that one!


And finally, in the last one, is floor wax -- that was the one you
used on the hall floor!


As you lay the last one down, you look again at their similarity - and
they all look the same until they're squeezed.


Christians are the same way. As life squeezes us, different things
come out - anger from one, a need for revenge from another, tears from
one, remorse from yet another - also greed, untruth, lust - and
finally, from one saint, pours forth the love of Christ.
Just like the sponge, we can only squeeze out what is put in - stay in
the Word daily, and be in continuous prayer, so that when life puts
the squeeze on you (and it WILL), Jesus, and Jesus ALONE will shine
forth from you!


Have a blessed, squeaky clean day!

PRAYER FOR THE SICK
Father of goodness and love, hear our prayers for the sick members of our community and for all who are in need. Amid mental and physical suffering may they find consolation in your healing presence. Show your mercy as you close wounds, cure illness, make broken bodies whole and free downcast spirits. May these special people find lasting health and deliverance, and so join us in thanking you for all your gifts. We ask this through the Lord Jesus who healed those who believed. Amen.

Good night and Sweet Dreams! God bless you now and forever!!