Hello my friends! Blessings all over to be counted on!! Rain this morning - went to Lori's for a meal she prepared for us, and a beautiful card for her Dad - so touching. Then the sun came out, we all three went to a nephew's daughter's graduation - what a beauty!! Nice Sunny day then! Hope everyone had a great Father's Day - and that if you had a Father here on earth yet, you were able to see him. Mine's and a lot of them are in Heaven - but remembered in a very special way. Cakers, for sure, you were one of the first here on this thread!!! And the years are seven!! Thank you for all you do! You are appreciated. Serenity, please do consider to come back - this thread is meant for everyone - everyone except those who like to mock it and make fun of it. This thread is meant for our Lord to touch you all with His blessings through the posts and sharings here, which is why I ask you to please share your blessings with us - blessings we just take for granted and unnoticed. Like my meeting an old friend at Church last night, like a very beautiful day given by God, anything you'd like to share. And of course, prayers for each other.
Worry about nothing, pray for everything, and thank God for His answers.
Lord, I ask You to handle my problems with me and care for my needs.
Scripture for the day:
"'When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles
do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask
him. "Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your
name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in
heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of
trial, but rescue us from the evil one. For if you forgive others
their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do
not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
~Matthew 6:7-15
Meditation for the day:
Prayer is of many kinds, but of whatever kind, prayer is the linking
up of the soul and mind to God. So, if prayer is only a glance of
faith, a look or a word of love, or just a feeling of confidence in
the goodness and purpose in the universe, still the result of that
prayer is added strength to meet all temptations and to overcome them.
Even if no supplication is expressed, all the supply of strength that
is necessary is secured, because the soul, being linked and united to
God, receives from God all spiritual help needed. The soul, when in
its human body, still needs the things belonging to its heavenly
habitation.
Prayer for the day:
I pray that I may be taught how to pray. I pray that I may be linked
through prayer to the mind and will of God.
The Fruit of the Spirit
There are so many scripture passages that relate to the Holy Spirit and
today’s feast of Pentecost, but my reflection will just focus on a few
verses from the alternative Second Reading. It’s clear that those whose
lives are guided by the Holy Spirit bear fruit in their lives - the fruit of
the Holy Spirit, listed by St. Paul in his letter to the Galatians. There
are twelve listed in the tradition of our Church, beginning with the fruit
of love or charity, words which are quite misused in our society. For Paul
is referring to the love that God shows us by sending His Son into the world
to die for us, which of course is much more than just the romantic love we
toast on St. Valentine’s day! Charity, likewise, is often thought of
primarily as a monetary donation to some poor person or “charitable” cause.
But charity is anything that puts into practice that love we are meant to
have in our lives....
It has been said that the infallible sign of the presence of God in a person
is an unquenchable joy. Pope Paul VI wrote a beautiful letter on Christian
joy in the year 1975, in which he reflected on the life of Christ, which
always shone forth with that Christian joy. Why? Because He was secure in
knowing that He was loved by His heavenly Father. And so in spite of
disappointment in His life, in spite of the hardships of His life, He always
shone forth with the joy that marked the presence of the love of God in Him.
Our lives should also sparkle with that joy, with that fruit of the Holy
Spirit, so much so that others throughout the world, the people that God
puts in our lives for a purpose, will be attracted by that joy.
Peace is another fruit of the Holy Spirit, and we recall the Lord’s words
that He gives us His peace, not as the world gives, but a deeper kind of
peace. More than just the absence of hostilities, Christ’s peace is Shalom,
the sense of wholeness that comes when God is wholly with us.
Patience, even and especially when things aren’t going our way! In all of
our lives, mishaps happen; in all of our lives, the unexpected occurs. And
how we adapt ourselves, how we roll with the punches, shows how much our
lives are bearing or not bearing the fruit of patience. So many of the
Saints were secure in their patience, even in spite of numerous tribulations
and tortures - what a formidable fruit that is!
And kindness - certainly, all of us have experienced many times in our lives
when the rudeness of others wore on us, and ate at our hearts, and soured
our own outlook, clinging to us like a barnacle. But on the other hand, the
kindness of others has often brightened our lives, and that sense of
kindness is meant to be brought into every situation in life! No matter how
rudely, no matter how inconsiderately others treat us, there is always a
kind reply at our disposal, if we are attentive to developing and harvesting
that fruit of the Holy Spirit, the kindness that the Lord gives us!
Goodness: the goodness that comes from modeling our lives on the life of
Jesus, not being content with just a few good deeds daily, but having the
goodness of Christ living in our life in a concrete way that is always
inspiring us to see the goodness in others, as well as goodness in
ourselves, the blessings of the Lord which are always meant to be shared
with others. For if we hoard that goodness, what good does it do? But if we
share it with others, it’s a multiplication of a fruit of the Holy Spirit!
Generosity, the fruit of the Holy Spirit that is, in a sense, the sharing of
all of the other gifts, of all of those other fruits, the acknowledgment
that God has given us more than we need, more than we can even use on our
own! And so we have an obligation and a need to share all of our gifts, and
not in a miserly way, but in a generous way, a pouring forth to others!
Meekness, an awareness that, instead of always standing up and claiming what
is our due, all of us have to remind ourselves that “all is gift,” and
sometimes that means we have to even forego what is our right, our justice
under law, in order to help the world to appreciate the One who died on a
Cross, even though He had done no wrong, the One meekly led like a lamb to
slaughter.
Faith comes from the awareness that God is here with us. So we don’t have to
worry about everything in this world, because our God is here with us! And
we don’t have to have the answers to everything, of all the questions that
come to us, because our God is here with us, and He knows the answers! We
don’t have to have a sense of loneliness, a sense of being by ourselves,
because our God is here with us! When that fruit of faith is clearly shining
throughout our life, then the whole world sees us as people of faith, and
that fruit helps others develop their fruits.
Modesty refers both to modesty of the body (how we dress, how we clothe our
body and present ourselves to others) and modesty of soul. This spiritual
modesty is the recognition that no matter what great gifts we have been
given (and we all have been given such great gifts), that’s what they are -
gifts! We would not have them, we would not have the gift of life, if it
were not for our loving generous Father and Creator. And so to acknowledge
Him as the source of all our gifts, of all our blessing and bear the fruit
of modesty in our life.
The fruit of self-control, of discipline in all aspects of life, reminds us
that we need not and should not ever be slaves of passion or greed, for
grace is never lacking to those who strive for self-mastery in God’s
service.
The fruit of chastity is derided by many in our as a rotten fruit, and yet
how sweet it is when a person’s life bears that fruit of chastity! Not just
the chastity of body, but also the chastity of heart, the chastity of
recognizing all that we are as made by God, male and female, in His image,
and so presenting His image as He wants it presented.
As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “you shall know them by their
fruits!” If we live in the Spirit and follow the Spirit, the fruit of the
Spirit will blossom in our lives as well!
Prayer to the Holy Spirit for One's Friends
Holy Spirit, Love of the Father and the Son,
Hear my prayer for all those whom You have given me to love.
By the love You have for them I pray You,
Protect them from all harm,
Deliver them from evil,
Comfort them in sorrow,
Reassure them in anxiety,
Give them Your own gladness,
And draw them to Yourself.
If you can look at the sunset and smile, then you still have hope.
If you can find beauty in the colors of a small flower, then you still have
hope.
If you can find pleasure in the movement of a butterfly, then you still have
hope.
If the smile of a child can still warm your heart, then you still have hope.
If you can see the good in other people, then you still have hope.
If the rain breaking on a roof top can still lull you to sleep, then you
still have hope.
If the sight of a rainbow still makes you stop and stare in wonder, then you
still have hope.
If the soft fur of a favored pet still feels pleasant under your fingertips,
then you still have hope.
If you meet new people with a trace of excitement and optimism, then you
still have hope.
If you give people the benefit of a doubt, then you still have hope.
If you still offer your hand in friendship to others that have touched your
life, then you still have hope.
If receiving an unexpected card or letter still brings a pleasant surprise,
then you still have hope.
If the suffering of others still fills you with pain and frustration, then
you still have hope.
If you refuse to let a friendship die, or accept that it must end, then you
still have hope.
If you look forward to a time or place of quiet and reflection, then you
still have hope.
If you still buy the ornaments, put up the Christmas tree or cook the
turkey, then you still have hope.
If you still watch love stories or want the endings to be happy, then you
still have hope.
If you can look to the past and smile, then you still have hope.
If, when faced with the bad, when told everything is futile, you can still
look up and end the conversation with the phrase...."yeah....BUT.." then you
still have hope.
Hope is such a marvelous thing. It bends, it twists, it sometimes hides, but
rarely does it break. It sustains us when nothing else can. It gives us
reason to continue and courage to move ahead, when we tell ourselves we'd
rather give in.
Hope puts a smile on our face when the heart cannot manage.
Hope puts our feet on the path when our eyes cannot see it.
Hope moves us to act when our souls are confused of the direction.
Hope is a wonderful thing, something to be cherished and nurtured, and
something that will refresh us in return. And it can be found in each of us,
and it can bring light into the darkest of places.
NEVER LOSE HOPE!
Author Unknown
God's Boxes
I have in my hands two boxes,
Which God gave me to hold.
He said, 'Put all your sorrows in the black box,
And all your joys in the gold.'
I heeded His words, and in the two boxes,
Both my joys and sorrows I stored,
But though the gold became heavier each day,
The black was as light as before.
With curiosity, I opened the black,
I wanted to find out why,
And I saw, in the base of the box, a hole,
Which my sorrows had fallen out by.
I showed the hole to God, and mused,
'I wonder where my sorrows could be!'
He smiled a gentle smile and said,
'My child, they're all here with me..'
I asked God, why He gave me the boxes,
Why the gold and the black with the hole?
'My child, the gold is for you to count your blessings,
The black is for you to let go.'
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