Community Chat

[gloriajean]

It is important to remember that different can be better. Lord, as I resist change
and cling to the familiar, help me to remember that Your plan is perfect and will
truly make me happy.

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

"Be still and know that I am God." ~Psalm 46:10

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

When we look to God for strength to face responsibility and are quiet
before God, God's healing touch can cause the divine quiet to flow
into our very being. When in weakness we cry to God, God's touch can
bring healing, the renewal of our courage, and the power to meet every
situation and be victorious. When we faint by the way or are
distracted by feelings of inferiority, then we can rely on the touch
of God's spirit to support us on our way. Then we can arise and go
forth with confidence.

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

I pray that I may lay myself open today to the healing touch of God.
I pray that I may not falter or faint by the wayside, but renew my
courage through prayer.

Greetings to you all!! Hope your day went well - it's so sad to hear reports of the earthquake in Japan and all the disasters. Dear Lord, have mercy upon them all, and put them in Your Care. Today it got up to 40 degrees - guess what Linus did? He went in the patio and took a nap enjoying the sun! It should be nice again tomorrow and next week even warmer! Spring has sprung and hope it melts the snow and we can see grass again!! Today was a good day for us. Linus busied himself in the garage making frames for some baseball pictures he bought at an auction for the patio. We started out with Mass - had our breakfast, went to the Good Earth - got some groceries and put in my paper to volunteer to do demo's there and I will volunteer the 10 hours a month and get 15% off our groceries each time we buy! I know I'll like doing that! Today the demo lady gave me a sample of a quinoa casserole and the recipe and it was good. We have quinoa so I'll try making it. Then we went to the Catholic Book Store - bought some good books to read. Scott Hahn's - "The Lamb's Supper" and "Hail Holy Queen - The Mother of God in the Word of God" Yes, it's a whole book Mary - I know it'll be good! Plus Patrick Madrid's "Pope Fiction" - Answers to 30 Myths and Misconceptions about the Papacy. So we'll be doing a lot of reading!! I'm now reading Scott Hahn's "Rome Sweet Rome" on his conversion. It was fun to just take time and look at all the books there available. Then I got a call from my good friend, Ann - to top off a good day - inviting us for supper there tomorrow night. Wow! They are the ones we went to Appleton, Wis. to see Fr. John Corapi there giving a conference and we bought some of his DVD's, and we'll be watching another of his talks after our meal.
Looks like I talk too much!! Here are the inspirations:

Homily of the Day


March 11, 2011


Loving Grows Hearts
by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Is 58:1-9 / Mt 9:14-15

Until the mid-1960s, the time of Vatican Council II, we Catholics fasted six days out of seven for the whole six weeks of Lent. How we looked forward to Sundays! And then the discipline of the Church changed to what is now the practice: fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and abstaining from meat on the Fridays of Lent.

Has the Church gotten soft? Is that what’s going on? I don’t think so. I think there was something more subtle and wise behind the decision to change, and that is the recognition that we can get so caught up in the externals that we can miss or bypass the real point. It’s so easy to say something like, “I’ve had a very successful Lent because I’ve kept the fasting rule perfectly every single day without exception.” To think or say that would, of course, be a joke. But the speaker might well not know it.

Today’s Old Testament reading tells us what the Lord wants us to accomplish in Lent. “The fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, setting free the oppressed, sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless, clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own.”

God is summoning us to do more than play at being Christian. He wants to help us change our hearts, and only the works of love can do that.

Love in deed, and your heart will change and grow very full indeed!

Before You Can Dry Another's Tears
You Too Must Weep !
By: Helen Steiner Rice


Let me not live a life that's free
From "THE THINGS" that draw me close to
THEE-
For how can I ever hope to heal
The wounds of others I do not feel -
If my eyes are dry and I never weep -
How do I know when the hurt is deep -
If my heart is cold and it never bleeds,
How can I tell what my brother needs -
For when my ears are deaf to the beggar's plea
And we close our eyes and refuse to see,
And we steel our hearts and harden our mind,
And we count it a weakness whenever we're kind,
We are no longer following THE FATHER'S WAY
Or seeking His guidance from day to day -
For, without "crosses to carry" and "burdens to
Bear,"
We dance through a life that is frothy and fair,
And "chasing the rainbow" we have no desire
For "roads that are rough" and "realms that are
Higher"-
So spare me no heartache or sorrow, dear Lord,
For the heart that is hurt reaps the richest reward,
And God enters the heart that is broken with sorrow
As He opens the door to a BRIGHTER
TOMORROW,
For only through tears can we recognize
The suffering that lies in another's eyes.

Kindness is a quality that belongs to the very nature of God (Mt 11:29). If you love God, it follows that you must also love all that God loves; and God loves the neighbours with whom you live. That being the case, you will go your way in life looking for occasions to help each and every one; to give them cosolation, and to do all in your power to make them happy (Lk 6:33).

Kindness should be uppermost, especially in dealings with the poor because they are treated harshly by many. It also should be apparent in dealings with the sick and infirm, because these are already suffering under infliction. But above all, kindness should be our guide when we have dealings with those who are our enemies (Ro 12:21). [Yes, including the infidels.] Hatred must be conquered by love; persecution must be conquered by meekness.

Let us pray:
Lord, we pray we may be all you have called us to be. May we be alert to the enemy's schemes to steal our positions in the truth; to knock us off guard and buckle our knees in fear and weakness. Help us to stand true and strong in our position of faith today. May we be courageous in the face of adversity and compassionate in the midst of confusion and chaos. Apart from you we have nothing, but with you today may we be on guard, true, courageous, strong and filled to overflowing with love. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

- - -
Matthew 5:44 - "But now I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..."

Matthew 11:29 - "I am gentle and humble in spirit." (Other translations read "meek and humble in heart".)

Luke 6:33 - "And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you receive a blessing? Even sinners do that!"

Romans 2:4 - Surely you know that God is kind, because he is trying to lead you to repent.

Romans 12:21 - Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 - Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be brave, be strong. Do all your work in love.

Colossians 3:12 - You are the people of God; he loved you and chose you for his own. So then, you must clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

1 Peter 2:15 - For God wants you to silence the ignorant talk of foolish people by the good things you do.

- - -
"Always forgive your enemies -- Nothing annoys them so much." - Oscar Wilde

"Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend" - Martin Luther King Jr.



Can I borrow $ 25?

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.

SON: 'Daddy, may I ask you a question?'

DAD: 'Yeah sure, what it is?' replied the man.

SON: 'Daddy, how much do you make an hour?'

DAD: 'That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?' the man said angrily.

SON: 'I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?'

DAD: 'If you must know, I make $50 an hour.'

SON: 'Oh,' the little boy replied, with his head down.

SON: 'Daddy, may I please borrow $25?'

The father was furious, 'If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don't work hard everyday for such childish frivolities.'

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.

The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?

After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down , and started to think:

Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $25.00 and he really didn't ask for money very often The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.

'Are you asleep, son?' He asked.

'No daddy, I'm awake,' replied the boy.

'I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier' said the man. 'It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $25 you asked for.'

The little boy sat straight up, smiling. 'Oh, thank you daddy!' he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.

The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again.

The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father...

'Why do you want more money if you already have some?' the father grumbled.

'Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' the little boy replied.

'Daddy, I have $50 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.'

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness.

It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that $50 worth of your time with someone you love.

If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of hours. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

Week 1: Stations of the Cross #1-3


This week we invite you to meditate on stations I, II and III.

Christ's Passion - as represented in the Way of the Cross - begins with a condemnation. Condemnation is an act of finality. It destroys the human person - it waives freedom and dignity - even before killing the body. In the case of Jesus, condemnation also means a final mockery of innocence and justice. Shouldering the cross, Jesus assumes our shame, lost innocence, and lack of justice. The Way of the Cross begins with a fall: Christ has assumed our human condition; the Way of the Cross is not make-believe but real.

First Station: Condemned to Death

Roots
When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no crime in him." John 19:6

Representation

Red upon red, vilified or lightened by yellow. Poisonous anger to the left of Pilate, idle curiosity and anguished premonition on his right. Pilate himself is the image of heavy-lined chaos: the chaos of conflicting emotions, allegiances, and truth. But where is Jesus?

Identification

Jesus’ face is never seen in this Way of the Cross. He is absent altogether from the First Station. So, who is the victim of anger, injustice or indifference? Is there an open slot for me, maybe even a gap? Frightened? "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Trial, or distress, or persecution, or hunger, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword?" (Romans 8:35)

+ + + + + + + + + +

Second Station: Carrying the Cross

Roots

The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and by that law he ought to die, because he has made himself the Son of God." John 19:7

Representation

Golgotha, in the upper left corner, seems very far and insignificant, swallowed up almost by the flying buttresses of still another tower of Babel beneath. In the lower left corner, the lamb of God is being crushed by the weight of the universe. But who is the black figure in the far right portion of the Second Station?

Identification

Black and in street clothes, the figure stands for each one of us, including Jesus. Thanks to him the cross is now a crutch and staff, for Golgotha is a long, long way ahead. But we are riding on the back of the lamb, symbol of victory over death.

+ + + + + + + + + +

Third Station: The First Fall

Roots

The idea of the first fall, not mentioned in Scripture, is traceable to ca. 1475 (Bethlehem). Isaiah speaks of the suffering servant: Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. Isaiah 53:4

Representation

Flattened to the ground and convulsing in helpless struggle, the bearer of the cross is seeing, in his fevered imagination, visions of betrayal (flying rooster), of injustice (Pilate in a time capsule), and abandonment (the angel of God indifferently flying by). What help is there in the cross?

Identification

The cross is like a giant nail pinning us to the ground of our human condition. Not only sign of victory and redemption, the cross is also a mark of shame and defeat. In this sign, joy and shame are reconciled.

CROWN OF THORNS PRAYER

DEAR LORD, I am grieved when I consider Thy sad condition when Thou wore the Crown of Thorns upon Thy hold Head. I desire to withdraw the thorns by offering to the Eternal Father the merits of Thy Wounds for the salvation of sinners. I wish to unite my actions to the merits of Thy Most Holy Crown, so that they may gain many merits, as Thou hast promised. Amen.

-----Prayer based on a revelation by Our Lord to Sr. Chambon

A PRAYER FOR LENT

Lord, it is that time of year again when I become aware of my need for you, and of how I have forgotten you since Christmas! I know, Lord, that I'm supposed to mortify myself everyday to remind myself of sin, of suffering, of punishment, of human weakness.

And a Closing Prayer:

Prayer of Gratitude

Thank you,
Lord Jesus Christ,

for all the benefits

and blessings which

you have given me, for all the pains and

insults which you have borne for me.

Merciful Friend,

Brother and Redeemer,

may I know you more clearly,

love you more

dearly,

and follow you

more nearly,

day by day.

Amen.

Good night now and God bless you all!! Wishing you all a good night's sleep and sweet dreams with many blessings to come your way! Enjoy your Saturday!