Keep your feet firmly planted in your faith and your eyes raised to the heavens.
Lord, You are my strength, my encouragement and my source of all that is good.
Scripture for the day:
"To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; do not let me
be put to shame." ~Psalm 25:1-2
Meditation for the day:
I can link up my frail nature with God's limitless power. I can link my
life with God's force for good in the world. It is not the passionate
appeal that gains God's attention as much as the quiet placing of our
difficulties and worries in God's hands. So I can trust God like a child
who places its tangled skein of wool in the hands of a loving mother to
unravel. We can please God more by our unquestioning confidence than by
imploring God for help.
Prayer for the day:
I pray that I may put all my difficulties in God's hands and leave them
there. I pray that I may fully trust God to take care of them.
Hello my friends! Today's blessings are - Noon Mass at the Cathedral - and seeing my dear cousin there! Had a nice visit with her! Then Sammy got groomed, and he is so handsome! Went out to a fish fry at St. Anthony's parish, they have one every Friday in Lent, and we reserved a table there for next week. We will be celebrating Linus' birthday there with his brothers and sisters - and Lori, too. Do you have any blessings you'd care to share with us? That's what this is all about. Tomorrow will be a busy day - going to my oldest sister, Deil's - Lori and Ollie are going alone, Sammy too, of course, and that night a birthday party we're invited to Lori's neighbor. If I don't get this thread out tomorrow night, you'll know that's the reason, but I'll be sure to try. Praying for you all - thanks for your prayers for us.
Prayer for Discernment:
O Lord,
I do not know what to ask you.
You alone know my real needs,
and you love me more
than I even know how to love.
Enable me to discern my true needs
which are hidden from me.
I ask for neither cross nor consolation;
I wait in patience for you.
My heart is open to you.
For your great mercy's sake,
come to me and help me.
Put your mark on me and heal me,
cast me down and raise me up.
Silently I adore your holy will
and your inscrutable ways.
I offer myself in sacrifice to you
and put all my trust in you.
I desire only to do your will.
Teach me how to pray
and pray in me, yourself.
--Vasily Drosdov Philaret, c. 1780 - 1867
Lord Jesus, give me your peace
Give me confidence in the depths of danger.
Give me hope when I am surrounded by fear.
Still my worries, calm the anxieties pressing in on me from the world I live in.
Reassure me that you are with me when I seem alone.
Ease my doubting, as you did Thomas'.
Guide my searching for peace,
so that I may not seek it where it is not to be found,
but I may seek it in you.
Lord Jesus, live in me and give me your peace.
Amen
There is one who knows all your heartache;
He sees ev'ry falling tear;
His grace will bring you rich comfort
And help all your burdens to bear.
Though your path may be strewn with sorrow,
And lonely may be your day,
There's one who will walk beside you
And bring joy and gladness your way.
Though your dearest friend may forsake you,
And loved ones misunderstand,
There's one who will never leave you;
He'll hold to your faltering hand.
Come, kneel at the Cross of the Saviour
And cast your cares upon Him!
He graciously bestows pardon
And takes away burden of sin.
There is never a disappointment,
Nor heartache He cannot heal;
He'll answer your soul's deep longing,
As in His blest presence you kneel.
(Kathryn Thorne Bowsher)
Take Me Too
I was driving to the grocery store just thinking of everything on
my list to do today. Taking the kids to soccer practice, cleaning the
house, getting groceries, getting the oil changed in the car, the list
went on and on. I was feeling overwhelmed and was already tired
before I had even gotten started.
On my way to the store I saw something horrible happen, a
train had run into a car that was crossing the tracks. I thought
"Oh no! This is horrible, there is no way the driver of that car
could have lived!!"
I was the closest car to the tracks so I put my car in
park and got out. I ran over to the car and looked in and could
not believe what I was seeing. Tears came to my eyes and I
just couldn't take it. Inside the car was a woman driving that
was obviously dead. In the backseat was a baby in it's car
seat bleeding everywhere and next to the baby was a little
girl who I guessed to be about 4 years old and she was bleeding also.
Just then the little girl spoke. She said, "Is my mommy and
baby sister okay?" I just looked at her and said, "Honey I
don't know. There is a doctor on his way right now."
Just then the little girl started crying saying, "Don't take my mommy
and my baby sister. Take me with you too!! Please!!" She was
pleading at who knows what to take her - but take her where???
I asked the little girl who she was talking to and she said,
"Don't you see? That Angel is taking my mommy and my baby
sister! I want to go with them too! My mommy is waving goodbye
to me and she is holding my baby sister and she is smiling!"
The little girl started to cry because she did not want to
stay, she wanted to go with her mommy and her baby sister.
I felt so sorry for her. I didn't believe in God and I thought to
myself, where did an Angel come from? What kind of God would
take a mommy and a baby but not the little sister?
At that moment I saw the little girl start to smile so big
as she held her arms out to something, someone to pick
her up. I thought to myself that she must be delirious and
maybe she is hurt worse than I thought. Just then the little girl
closed her eyes and slumped over in her seat. She was dead!
I couldn't be sad even though this was a 4-year-old little
girl that had just died. You wouldn't be sad either if you could see
that beautiful smile on her face! I guess her mommy and baby
sister came back to get her. That was also the day that God
came to get me - as that was the day that I became a
believer and turned my life over to the Living God.
Jesus said, " if you are ashamed of me, I will be ashamed
of you before my Father."
Yes, I do love God.
He is my source of existence and Savior and
keeps me functioning each and
everyday. Without Him, I will be nothing.
Without Him, I am nothing but with Him
I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me. (Phil 4:13)
PARDON PRAYER TO SWEET JESUS IN HIS SUFFERINGS
O my good Jesus, my dear Savior, I compassionate Thee in Thy sufferings. I fervently bless Thee and thank Thee for all Thou hast done and suffered for me; give me grace to weep over the sins and the ingratitude which caused Thy dreadful agony. Sweet Jesus, mercy! Pardon me, O Lord, for my past indifference to Thy love.
Heart of Jesus, burning with love for us, set our hearts on fire with love of Thee.
May those bonds which confined Thy hands burst the fetters of my sins, and restore me to the sweet liberty of Thy children! I cast myself at Thy sacred feet, O my King and my God; and since Thou hast undergone the humiliation of allowing Thyself to be bound by Thy creatures, may I place my happiness in sharing Thy humiliations, and carrying Thy Cross.
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