Community Chat

[gloriajean]

We are often called upon by God as His means to care for His people.
Lord, I am here to serve You and am ready to do Your work.

Scripture for the day:

"But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and
persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act--they will be
blessed in their doing." ~James 1:25

Meditation for the day:

When something happens to upset us and we are discouraged, we can try to
feel that life's difficulties and troubles are not intended to arrest
our progress in the spiritual life, but to test our strength and to
increase our determination to keep going. Whatever it is that must be
met, we can either overcome it or use it. Nothing need daunt us for
long, nor need any difficulty entirely overcome or conquer us. God's
strength is always there, waiting for us to use it. Nothing can be too
great to be overcome, or if not overcome, then used.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may know that there can be no failure with God. I pray
that with God's help I may live a more victorious life.

Peace to all of you! Today was interesting. We bought some sunflower oil
at the Food Co-op by bulk and got it for 4 dollars and something for a whole
quart jar - the bottled is only 16 oz. and the price is over 9.00. Quite a
savings and they also have Olive Oil in bulk too, so will check that out
next time, and Canola oil. What a blessing!! I heated some left over chili
I had frozen for lunch - and it just doesn't seem to agree with me, it
tastes great! I had one bowl, and it seems to always do a number on my
stomach so I think I'll be eating beans less and less. He wanted us to go
to a fish fry tonight, but the thought of the greasy fish fry, made me feel
even worse so we didn't go. We had eggs and toast instead and that went
fine with me. These beans were the dry ones that were old before and I
cooked them all and froze them for use. I have a few more bags to use up
though. I just don't seem to have that much of a problem with canned beans
though, so that's odd. It was a blessing today when he called the appliance
store to check on things, and found out they are still very much interested
in him, but they've been gone and they'll call him next week to come in. It
looks very hopeful, friends, thank you so much for praying. On a sad note
here, last night I saw on the email a prayer request for me to send to our
Parish Prayer Line, for Michael who was in a car accident. It was sent by
my good friend, Ann. So I called and it's their son, in North Dakota, hit
ice, another car hit him, he was in his pickup - they a car, and that's all
I knew last night. I called and talked to Ray, his Dad today, Ann drove
there to be with him, Ray has to stay and baby-sit their grandson today for
the weekend, but when Ann comes home he's going there for the week. It's an
8 hour drive. Ann told him that the seat belt and air bag saved his life,
but the seat belt dug into his skin and scraped his liver and some other
things, and he will need some surgery - they will keep him on morphine thru
the night and decide on surgery tomorrow, so if you will pray for his
healing and also for Ray and Ann, our dear friends. I promised Ray I'll
have as many people praying for him as I can. I think he said there were
three guys driving the car, had been drinking, and they are in critical
condition, and Mike feels so bad that his vehicle got them there, but their
car swayed into him! The roads were icy and bad. Thanks for listening and
for your prayers.

Prayer for Friday - First Week of Lent
Creator of my Life,
renew me: bring me to new life in you.
Touch me and make me feel whole again.
Help me to see your love
in the passion, death and resurrection of your son.
Help me to observe Lent
in a way that allows me to celebrate that love.
Prepare me for these weeks of Lent
as I feel both deep sorrow for my sins
and your undying love for me.

With permission from: Creighton U Online Ministries

Lenten Exercise

Cleaning the Mind

The biggest problem with a mistake that's not forgiven is that it becomes a
piece of garbage cluttering up your mind. The longer you dwell on the
mistake, the more it magnifies and distracts you. Soon, all you think about
is this horrible mistake and how much it's impacted your life. Since we
rarely, if ever, throw out our mistakes, our minds become a giant toxic
dumpsite for all these things that we've done or had done to us. It results
in perpetual unhappiness.
Imagine what your house would be like if you never cleaned it or if you
never threw anything out. There would be dust and dirt everywhere. Huge
piles of junk mail, newspapers, and catalogs. Add heaps of old clothes,
decaying foods, broken appliances, worn-out furniture, and pretty soon you
have a real mess going. All of this trash and ugliness would be contained in
your house for you to look at and live with and remember. Day in and day
out, you would be reminded of every little piece of trash you ever brought
into your house.

This is what it's like to keep your past mistakes [or other people's past
mistakes]. It's like walking through garbage, standing in garbage, sleeping
in garbage, eating next to garbage, and pretending with all your might that
the garbage doesn't matter. It's impossible to be happy when you're living
in a dump. The solution is to stop living in such a toxic environment and
clean up the dump! This is what forgiveness does for you. It cleans your
mind and gets you out of your past.

Spiritual forgiveness is not a painful process. A mind that is free of
darkness experiences the joy of light. When you forgive yourself or another,
you open the door to this joy.

Forgiveness is fast
Spiritual forgiveness is very fast, and the social practice of forgiveness
is slow. Many people believe forgiveness takes an extended period of time,
perhaps even a lifetime. People waste years, literally year after year,
trying to justify their anger. Trying to vent their anger. Trying to
understand someone else's anger. Complaining about how hard or unfair life
is. Or about how much they've been mistreated. Maybe they're living with
great anxiety and guilt about something they said or did in the past. These
rehashing practices are supposed to get rid of the anger and bring about
happiness. But think about this for a moment. If you get what you focus on,
is it possible to be happy when you continually focus on hate? No. Not now.
Not ever! It is not possible in any way because the presence of anger and
guilt blocks happiness. Therefore all the excruciating time spent on
activities like the ones listed above is a colossal waste and results in
nothing except more unhappiness.

The only way to be happy is to get rid of anger and guilt. This happens in
an instant. It happens the moment you express your willingness to get rid of
the hate that's in your mind. The notion that forgiveness takes a long time
is a lie.

Forgiveness is not hard
The social practice of forgiveness can be cumbersome and difficult,
involving multiple stages and/or steps. First, you get ready to forgive.
Then you do this. Then you do that. Then the person you want to forgive has
to do something. Maybe you need professional help or expert intervention.
And on and on.

It's useful to remember that God does not take steps because his
accomplishments cannot be partial or gradual. Therefore the spiritual
practice of forgiveness is in God's likeness. It's extremely easy, extremely
powerful, and it only involves one step: a change of mind about badness or
wrongness. This one simple step results in an immediate effect.

Forgiveness is private
The social practice of forgiveness is public in the sense that it always
involves a dialogue between two or more people, usually face-to-face.
Spiritual forgiveness is not publicly expressed and physical presence is not
important. The person to be forgiven can be alive or dead, close or far
away.

Forgiveness is an ongoing practice
The social practice of forgiveness is typically done just once and then it's
over with. Spiritual forgiveness is an ongoing effort, continually repeated
over and over, to keep the mind free of hate.

A friend of mine was going through a painful divorce, and she decided to
participate in a support group as a form of self-help. She noticed that a
man in the group was hung up about a cheating spouse and constantly
complained bitterly about her. "I tried to forgive her," he said. "I tried
for a whole week. But it was no use, I can't forgive her. I hate what she
did. I hate the way she did it. And I hate the way she s crewed up my life!"
My friend said that the other people in the group sympathized with the
speaker's feelings.

It's not generally understood that forgiveness is something you do for
yourself every day, like brushing your teeth. Plaque has to be removed from
your teeth on a daily basis, just like hate has to be removed from your mind
on a daily basis. It's helpful to think of forgiveness as a spiritual
fitness program instead of a one-time event. No one starting a physical
fitness program expects to be conditioned and fit in a week. Likewise, no
one expects to build a big beautiful muscle the very first time a weight is
lifted at the gym. If, for example, you're trying to build strong and large
biceps, then you have to do hundreds of bicep exercises over several
consecutive weeks to get a result. The same principle of repetition is
necessary to become spiritually strong. Strength doesn't appear the first
time you offer forgiveness. It comes as the result of regular and
disciplined practice.

Forgiveness strengthens your connection to God
When your thoughts are neutralized of condemnation, they are in alignment
with God. That's because God, being love and only love, does not condemn.
God does not hold your unloving thoughts, words, or acts against you. God
does not even see them. In heaven, there is no such thing as a mistake.
Therefore, a mistake is not real. It's something made by the ego self and
can be completely undone and overlooked. This is why it's always appropriate
to release unloving thoughts you hold against yourself or others. The
spiritual practice of forgiveness is a refusal to focus on mistakes and the
willingness to develop spiritual vision, which sees only goodness.

In addition, the act of spiritual forgiveness invites your Higher Self into
your conscious awareness. It's a way to tangibly demonstrate and remember
yourself as a loving, worthy being. You are the one, after all, who most
needs to remember yourself in this way.

Forgiveness is also a step towards enlightenment because each time you
override the impulse to hate, you are temporarily disengaging the ego. When
you repeatedly disengage the ego, over and over, in a consistent and
disciplined way, you develop a kind of momentum. This momentum then works in
your favor because you develop a predisposition or a habit to override the
ego. This predisposition makes it easier and easier to stay focused on your
Higher Christ self. The same thing happens, but in an inverse way, with
so-called bad habits. When you continually overeat or drink too much, the
predisposition to indulge takes over and becomes very strong. In both cases,
you are dealing with the strength of momentum. It's just that in one case,
the momentum works for you, and in the other, it works against you.

EXERCISE IN LOVE
The time is now to forgive, my friend. No more procrastination. No more
delay. No more deliberation about whether it's appropriate for you. No more
wondering whether it will work. Forgiveness is always justified. It's always
appropriate. It always works. Take the next 10 or 15 minutes of your life to
rediscover your own, true, loving, Christ self nature. That's all it takes
to see yourself and another through the eyes of kindness.

Preparation
Decide, now, who you want to forgive. It should be someone other than
yourself, as you will forgive yourself as part of the exercise. This other
person can be living or deceased. It can be someone from far back in your
past or from a current relationship. It can be someone you know casually or
someone you know very well. Anyone who comes to the forefront of your mind
is a good choice for this exercise. As part of the exercise, you'll be asked
to identify all the things that bother you about this person. Don't leave
anything out. Recognizing each and every one of your attack thoughts, no
matter how small or seemingly insignificant, is a way of neutralizing them.
So be completely honest with yourself. This will enable you to get the
maximum effect.

Whenever you're ready, find a quiet, private place where you won't be
observed or interrupted. If possible, sit in a chair or on the floor, rather
than standing up or laying down. Once you've found a spot and identified the
person to be forgiven, become as relaxed and comfortable as possible. First,
give yourself a minute or two to quiet your mind. If you're familiar with
meditating, then meditate until you feel at peace. If you don't meditate,
then just shut your eyes and breathe in a relaxed way. Once your mind is
quiet, relax your body while keeping your eyes closed. If you notice any
areas of tightness, briefly tighten them even more, and then let go of the
tension. When you feel ready to begin the forgiveness exercise, open your
eyes enough to be able to continue to read, but at the same time maintain
your peaceful state.

The exercise
This exercise starts with the forgiveness of another, and it ends with the
forgiveness of yourself. By letting go of the judgments you hold against
another, you're then able to let go of the judgments you hold against
yourself.

1. Think of the person you want to forgive. Become aware of the hate in your
mind that you hold towards this person. Recognize the hate and accept it
without judgment. Don't make yourself wrong or bad for being hateful. So
what if you have hate in your mind? We all do or we wouldn't be here. What
matters is whether or not you choose to keep it once you become aware of it.

2. Start thinking about what this person said or did in the past that is
bothering you. Maybe it's a long list of little things. Maybe it's one big
thing. Maybe it's petty. Maybe it's selfish. Maybe it's silly. It doesn't
matter. Bring whatever is bothering you out into the light. Write it down if
you like. Then use the following phrase to neutralize each bothersome thing
you identify:

My attack thoughts about ___________ [person's name]
and _______________________________ [the disturbance that is bothering me]
are dissolved in the light of forgiveness.

Examples:

My attack thoughts about Jim
and the hateful, demeaning things that he says to me
are dissolved in the light of forgiveness.

My attack thoughts about Jim
because of the way he lies and tries to cheat me out of money
are dissolved in the light of forgiveness.

And so on.

3. When you're done, you now realize that you fully want to forgive this
person, and so you say these words in your mind:

In the holiness of God's light, I forgive ___________ [person's name].

4. Now think about all the things that are bothering you about yourself.
Again, it doesn't matter what the bothersome thing is. It could be from the
past or present. Just bring it into your conscious awareness. Use the
following phrase to neutralize each bothersome thing you identify:

My attack thoughts about myself because __________________________ [the
disturbance that is bothering me] are dissolved in the light of forgiveness.

Examples:

My attack thoughts about myself
because my carelessness caused an accident
are dissolved in the light of forgiveness.

My attack thoughts about myself
because I said mean things about Janice
are dissolved in the light of forgiveness.

And so on.

5. When you're done, you'll realize that you fully want to forgive yourself.
So you say these words in your mind:

In the holiness of God's light, I forgive myself.

LOVING MEDITATION
Say this prayer several times until it fully registers in your mind:

Forgiveness and Love is our journey to God.
Today I have accepted this as true.
Today I have received a grace from God.

Reforming Our Lives
MOTHER TERESA OF CALCUTTA

Holiness is not the luxury of the few but a simple duty for you and me, so
let us be holy as our Father in heaven is holy. Saint Thomas says: "Sanctity
consists in nothing else but a firm resolve" - the heroic act of a soul
abandoning itself to God.

Our progress in holiness depends on God and on ourselves - on God's grace
and on our will to be holy. We must have a real living determination to
reach holiness. "I will be a saint" means I will despoil myself of all that
is not God, I will strip my heart of all created things, I will live in
poverty and detachment, I will renounce my will, my inclinations, my whims
and fancies, and make myself a willing slave to the will of God.

Give yourself fully to God. He will use you to accomplish great things on
the condition that you believe much more in his love than in your weakness.

Saint Augustine says: "Fill yourselves first and then only will you be able
to give to others." If we really want God to fill us, we must empty
ourselves through humility of all that is selfishness in us.

We must not attempt to control God's actions. We must not count the stages
in the journey he would have us make. We must not desire a clear perception
of our advance along the road, nor know precisely where we are on the way of
holiness.

START OVER


When you've trusted God and walked his way
When you've felt his hand lead you day by day
But your steps now take you another way ...

Start over.

When you've made your plans and they've gone awry
When you've tried your best and there's no more to try
When you've failed yourself and you don't know why ...

Start over.

When you've told your friends what you plan to do
When you've trusted them and they didn't come through
And you're all alone and it's up to you ...

Start over.

When you've failed your kids and they're grown and gone
When you've done your best but it's turned out wrong
And now your grandchildren come along ...

Start over.

When you've prayed to God so you'll know his will
When you've prayed and prayed and you don't know still ...
When you want to stop cause you've had your fill ...

Start over.

When you think you're finished and want to quit
When you've bottomed out in life's deepest pit
When you've tried and tried to get out of it ...

Start over.

When the year has been long and successes few
When December comes and you're feeling blue
God gives a January just for you ...

Start over.

Starting over means "Victories Won"
Starting over means "A Race Well Run"
Starting over means "God's Will Done"
Don't just sit there ..............

When I say good morning I mean to say:
G-od
O-ffers us His
O-utstanding
D-evotion to
M-ake us
O-bedient &
R-eady for a
N-ew day with Him.
I-nspire others please, and
N-ever forget
G-od loves you!

If you like it send it to others. God will bless you for doing just that!!!

May you have a blessed weekend and let us continue to pray for one another.
God knows our needs and He listens and answers according to His Will.