Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Stay close to God because He is the solution to all problems. Lord, I will
live in Your presence, protected by You and Your peace will be mine.


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

"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and
I will give you rest." ~Matthew 11:28

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

"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and
I will give you rest." For rest from the cares of life, we can turn to
God each day in prayer and communion. Real relaxation and serenity come
from a deep sense of the fundamental goodness of the universe. God's
everlasting arms are underneath all and can support us. We can commune
with God, not so much for petitions to be granted as for the rest that
comes from our relying on God's will and God's purposes for our lives.
We can be sure of God's strength available to us, and conscious of God's
support. We can wait quietly until that true rest from God fills our
being.

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

I pray that I may be conscious of God's support today. I pray that I
may rest safe and sure therein.

Greetings my friends! How was your Friday? It was a nice day - but a cold wind. We didn’t' make it to our morning Mass so went to St. Mary's (the Cathedral) at noon, Fr. Jerry had the Mass and we had a nice visit with him before. After Mass we picked up my new glasses and then to Kohl's as Linus wanted to get a new watch. He got one for 20% off, and it was on sale too, and I opened up a credit card there, so with the discounts etc. his watch came to $27.00! Very affordable and it's a nice one. That's a great blessing - also after a light lunch later, Lori came over - Salmon for supper - with aparagus steamed. We had game night after supper - started with Farkel and then a game of Dominoes. It was so nice and lots of fun!! My family is a great blessing to me - and our Sammy! I pray he'll start eating his dog food - he just is so spoiled and wants to eat our food - but getting him to eat his food is a challenge. My sweet but fussy dog! He's 6 years old now.

Homily of the Day


February 18, 2011


The great Delusion: I Am God!
by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.

Gen 11:1-9 / Mk 8:34-9:1

The first eleven chapters of Genesis develop a grand theme, namely, our need for God which is hidden under our illusion that we ourselves can be God. That was the issue in the story of Adam and Eve’s fall, it was the issue in the tower of Babel story, and it’s the issue that keeps resurfacing in our own lives: Pretending and even believing that we can be God.

It’s the ultimate delusion, bordering on madness, but it recurs reliably in every generation in every human being. For some reason, ego irrationally whispers to each of us, just as the snake did to Adam and Eve, ‘You can be god.’ And fools that we are, we believe it. We put ourselves at the center of our own little universe, and we forget whence we came and where we are going. It’s a heady delusion for a while, till reality begins to sink in with our arrival at some crossroad where events are beyond our control. The awakening is inevitably painful and denial almost always persists beyond all reason.

Eventually, the reckoning is too clear to be denied: I am not God! I need the real God! Without him I will perish! It’s the beginning of wisdom and the beginning of our great pilgrimage homeward to that place where we truly belong, in God’s embrace. Why waste another day in the land of fiction. Step into reality and start your trip home now.

Short Meditation

Prayer Necessity

Prayer is as necessary as the air,
as the blood in our bodies,
and anything to keep us alive
to the grace of God.

from Thirsting for God: Mother Teresa

PRAYER IS:

~~~surrender to the influence of the Holy Spirit,
becoming calm, recollected in order to grow
docile as He prays in us........

~~~making way for Someone greater than we, letting
the Son's joy and love for the Father awaken
in us and fill us to overflowing........

~~~allowing the Spirit-the Son's love for the Father
-to spring from heart to lips....Authentic prayer
must echo the Son's love..........

~~~placing ourselves at God's disposal for a moment
or two, so that He can accomplish in us what He
has always wanted to do...but we've never given
Him the chance.......

~~~most simply, being 'with' God. Believing in
His loving presence even when not feeling it,
and trying to be present to Him in faith, in
loving attention, in mysterious oneness.......

by Fr. Gabriel O´Donnell, OP

The Garden Of My Heart

One day while thinking about my garden,
God showed me how I could think about
my soul in a different way.
As a flower garden!

He said we could imagine
that when we were baptized,
God gave us this beautiful garden
(Our Baptized Soul).

It is a beautiful garden with
every kind of flower that He envisions for us.
He is giving us this garden to tend to
and we are free to do
whatever we want with our garden.

When we die, we present to God
our garden that He first gave to us.
I thought about everything that
it takes to make a beautiful garden
and how much deliberate effort it takes
to keep the garden free of weeds
and the flowers blooming.

A garden needs sunshine,
which I see is God and his love for us.
A garden needs water,
which I see is the life-giving grace
that he freely gives to us.

In order to have strong and
beautiful flowers and plants,
fertilizer is needed to feed and
nourish the soil and the flowers.

In order for a garden to do well,
the soil needs to be tilled and broken up.
I see this as the struggles and
problems we have in our life.

God lets things happen in our life
in order to soften and nourish the ground
(Our Soul) so that the flowers
can have a perfect environment to grow.

By cooperating with the grace that God gives us
and being open to His will,
we are allowing the seeds
that He has sown for us to grow.

Of course a garden has weeds
that always seem to pop up.
Unless we keep control of these weeds
they can overtake our garden and
choke out all the flowers that were thriving.
I see the weeds as the sin and vice
that can be in our lives
and that can keep us from
being more closely united to God.

We are free to ignore or pay attention
to OUR personal gift from God.
God planted the flowers
and it’s up to us to nourish
and tend our garden.

Finally I see that
WE never planted the flowers
and the plants in our garden.
Our garden is perfectly suited for
us according to Gods eternal plan.

God planted the flowers and it’s up to us
to nourish and tend our garden so that
everything God has planned for us can truly be,
and that at the end of our life
our garden will be most pleasing to our Lord.

Author Unknown To Me

It's Me Again God

Remember me God?
I come everyday
Just to talk to you, Lord
And to learn how to pray

You make me feel welcome
You reach out your hand
I need never explain
For you understand

I come to you frightened
And burdened with care
So lonely and lost
And so filled with despair

And suddenly Lord
I am no longer afraid
My burden is lighter
And the dark shadows fade

Oh God what a comfort
To know that you care
And to know when I seek you
You will always be there

WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND
Author Unknown


The man slowly looked up. This was a woman clearly accustomed to the
finer things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like that she had
never missed a meal in her life.

His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many
others had done before.

'Leave me alone,' he growled.

To his amazement, the woman continued standing. She was smiling --her
even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows. 'Are you hungry?' she
asked. 'No,' he answered sarcastically. 'I've just come from dining
with the President. Now go away.' The woman's smile became even
broader. Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm.

'What are you doing, lady?' the man asked angrily. 'I said to leave me
alone.

Just then a policeman came up. 'Is there any problem, ma'am?' he
asked.

'No problem here, officer,' the woman answered. 'I'm just trying to
get this man to his feet. Will you help me?'

The officer scratched his head. 'That's old Jack. He's been a fixture
around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?'

'See that cafeteria over there?' she asked. 'I'm going to get him
something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile.'

'Are you crazy, lady?' the homeless man resisted. 'I don't want to go
in there!' Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him
up.

'Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything.'

'This is a good deal for you, Jack,' the officer answered. 'Don't blow
it.'

Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer
got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner.
It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had
already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived. The manager
strode across the
cafeteria and stood by his table.

'What's going on here, officer?' he asked. 'What is all this. Is this
man in trouble?'

'This lady brought this man in here to be fed,' the policeman
answered.

'Not in here!' the manager replied angrily. 'Having a person like that
here is bad for business.'

Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. 'See, lady. I told you so. Now if
you'll let me go. I didn't want to come here in the first place.'

The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled. 'Sir, are you
familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?'

'Of course I am,' the manager answered impatiently. 'They hold their
weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms.'

'And do you make a goodly amount of money providing food at these
weekly meetings?'

'What business is that of yours?'

'I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company.'

'Oh'

The woman smiled again. 'I thought that might make a difference' She
glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a giggle. 'Would you like to
join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?'

'No thanks, ma'am,' the officer replied. 'I'm on duty.'

'Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?'

'Yes, ma'am. That would be very nice.'

The cafeteria manager turned on his heel . 'I'll get your coffee for
you right away, officer.'

The officer watched him walk away. 'You certainly put him in his
place,' he said.

'That was not my intent. Believe it or not, I have a reason for all
this.'

She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She
stared at him intently. 'Jack, do you remember me?'

Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes 'I think so - I
mean you do look familiar.'

'I'm a little older perhaps,' she said. 'Maybe I've even filled out
more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through
that very door, cold and hungry.'

'Ma'am?' the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such
a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry.

'I was just out of college,' the woman began. 'I had come to the city
looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to
my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked
the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly
starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I
could get something to eat.'

Jack lit up with a smile. 'Now I remember,' he said. 'I was behind the
serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for
something to eat. I said that it was against company policy.'

'I know,' the woman continued. 'Then you made me the biggest roast
beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told
me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you
would get into trouble. Then, when I looked over, I saw you put the
price of my food in the cash register. I knew then that everything
would be all right.'

'So you started your own business?' Old Jack said.

'I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I
started my own business that, with the help of God, prospered.' She
opened her purse and pulled out a business card. 'When you are
finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons. He's the
personnel director of my
company. I'll go talk to him now and I'm certain he'll find something
for you to do around the office.' She smiled. 'I think he might even
find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some
clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet.

'If you ever need anything, my door is always opened to you.'

There were tears in the old man's eyes. 'How can I ever thank you?' he
said.

'Don't thank me,' the woman answered. 'To God goes the glory. Thank
Jesus... He led me to you.'

Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the
entrance before going their separate ways. 'Thank you for all your
help, officer,' she said.

'On the contrary, Ms. Eddy,' he answered.

'Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget.
And... And thank you for the coffee.'

If you have missed knowing me, you have missed nothing. If you have
missed some of my emails, you might have missed a laugh.

But, if you have missed knowing my LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, you
have missed everything in the world .

Have a Wonderful Day. May God Bless You Always. And don't forget that
when you 'cast your bread upon the waters,' you never know how it will
be returned to you.

God is so big He can cover the whole world with His Love and so small
He can curl up inside your heart.

Jesus Is My Everything



He is my Song that I sing
He is the Joy that a new day brings

He is my Strength when I am weak
He is my Voice when I speak

He is my Friend when I need a hug
He is my Lover, when I need real love

He is the Lawyer who pleads my case
He is the only Righteous Judge who forgives me, then all me sins He erases

He is the Doctor who heals my wounds
He is my Redeemer, and He's coming back soon

He is my Comforter when I'm feeling down
He is my Angel that is ever-present, always around

He is my Provider always supplying when I need help
He is my Water, my Bread, stored up on the shelf

He is my Teacher, who shows me what to do
He is my Encourager, when I really don't want to

He is that Fire burning deep down in my soul
He is my Fortune-teller, for in His hands, my future He holds

He is the Repairman who comes to fix my stuff
He is the Everlasting Father, who is more than enough

He is the Prince of Peace, yes a Peacemaker is He
He is my Eyes, my Light, my Pathway, when I can't see

He is my Mighty Counselor when I need some advice
He is my Debt Consolidator, for He paid the ultimate price

He is my Hope for tomorrow
He is my Everflowing Income, so I don't have to beg, steal, nor borrow

He is the Mercy which He renews for me everyday
He is my Truth, my Life, the Only Way

He is the Warden, who unlocks the chains and sets me free
He is my Role Model, for I always look up to Thee

He is the Author, the Finisher of my faith
He is the Patience that always tells me to wait

Jesus is my Everything, although with my natural eyes, Him, I cannot see
Jesus is my Everything, my Everything, Everything I want to be


Author Unknown

Closing prayer:

Franciscan Morning Prayer

Jesus Lord, I offer you this new day because I believe in you,
love you,
hope all things in you
and thank you for your blessings.

I am sorry for having offended you and forgive everyone who has offended me.

Lord, look on me and leave in me peace and courage and your humble wisdom that I may serve others with joy, and be pleasing to you all day. Amen.

Good night everyone! Sweet Dreams and have a great Saturday filled with many blessings throughout the day!
See you then!