Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Wait patiently for God to answer Your prayers. He has patiently waited for you to ask.
Lord, Your promises are everlasting and I will always receive what I need when the time
is right.

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

"This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in
it." ~Psalm 118:24

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

Many of us have had to live through the dark part of our lives, the
time of failure, the nighttime of our lives, when we were full of
struggle and care, worry and remorse, when we felt deeply the tragedy
of life. But with our daily surrender to God comes a peace and joy
that makes all things new. We can now take each day as a joyous
sunrise-gift from God to use for God and for other people. The night
of the past is gone. This day is ours.

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

I pray that I may take this day as a gift form God. I pray that I may
thank God for this day and be glad in it.

Hello my friends! Hope you all had a good day today. It snowed here all day - we have at least a foot of snow all around, maybe more!! Sammy really got scared to go out, the snow was so high! So we found one door that worked!! In the morning Linus plans on snowblowing us out so we can get to Mass at 10:30. It was a blessing being stuck at home - at least we were together, and we ate good, and I made bread because we were out, and now I have four more loaves, all sliced and three in the freezer! Talked to both daughters today on the phone, always a blessing! With Darla Linus put the speaker on and we both could talk. Weather there is nice and sunny, and next week it'll be 75 degrees. I remember years ago when they were kids and they loved making snow forts, they and the neighbor girl! Oh, they spent so much time doing this!! And the snow men etc. too.
I'm not going to dwell upon apartments now. Maybe, just maybe we can still make it work that we can stay here, God Willing!! God knows what is best, we need to listen.
I pray that when Darla and Greg leave Texas on the 23rd to come here - they won't run into any bad weather during their 16 hour drive, both ways. Friends, we need to pray hard for Ann (Twinnie's ) sister, Mary Ann. She is very ill right now - and needs healing prayers!! I put her on the prayer line of my list.



Homily of the Day


December 11, 2010


You´d Better Get to Know Him or You´ll Self-Destruct!
by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.

Is 35:1-6a, 10 / Jas 5:7-10 / Mt 11:2-11

Scientists at NASA built a special gun to simulate dangerous, high-velocity collisions with airborne fowl. The gun launched dead chickens at aircraft windshields, providing data that helped reduce the accident rate. British observers were impressed and borrowed the gun to test the windshields on their new high-speed trains.

Their first test was a disaster: The chicken shattered the windshield, blasted through the control console, ripped the engineer’s back rest in half, and embedded itself in the wall of the cabin like an arrow shot from a bow. The Brits were horrified and asked for help. NASA responded with a one-line memo: “You have to defrost the chicken.”

+ + +

Life is a wonderful gift, but we surely do make a mess of it. We let our fears shut us down and freeze us in place. We let our desires for what we don’t need or shouldn’t have take us down roads we shouldn’t travel. We harm our bodies, damage our spirits, and shorten our lives with too much or too little of too many things.

We use, control, envy, ridicule, and betray our friends. We wound hearts and trample spirits — and never notice it. We lie to ourselves, lose our way, leave half our gifts unclaimed, and spend our days on dead-end streets. And we do it all, again and again, in the sure and certain belief that happiness will be ours forthwith.

We need help! Without it we’ll destroy this wonderful gift of life! That’s why God sent Jesus: to walk with us and work with us as a mentor and friend, to show us what a fully human life looks like, and to give us the desire and the power to make such a life for ourselves.

But if that is to happen, if Jesus is to be a true mentor for us, we have to get to know Him, not just on the outside, but on the inside. We need to discover how He sees the world and all of us. We need to figure out why He was such a happy man, even on the bad days. And we need to find out what He was thinking when He chose not to run away when He knew that holding to course would lead to the Cross.

Getting to know Jesus, up close and personal, is the most urgent project of our entire lives. It will make the difference between destroying ourselves and finding happiness that will last forever. There’s not a moment to lose: Get to know Him now. Let Him be your mentor. He’ll save your life! That’s what He came to do.

WHY JESUS IS BETTER THAN SANTA CLAUS
Author Unknown

Santa lives at the North Pole ...

JESUS is everywhere.

Santa rides in a sleigh ...

JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.

Santa comes but once a year ...

JESUS is an ever present help.

Santa fills your stockings with goodies ...

JESUS supplies all your needs.

Santa comes down your chimney uninvited ...

JESUS stands at your door and knocks, and then enters your heart when
invited.

You have to wait in line to see Santa ...

JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.

Santa lets you sit on his lap ...

JESUS lets you rest in His arms.

Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is "Hi little boy or
girl, what's your name?" ...

JESUS knew our name before we did. Not only does He know our name, He
knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even
knows how many hairs are on our heads.

Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly ...

JESUS has a heart full of love.

All Santa can offer is HO HO HO ...

JESUS offers health, help and hope.

Santa says "You better not cry" ...

JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you."

Santa's little helpers make toys ...

JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and
builds mansions.

Santa may make you chuckle but ...

JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.

While Santa puts gifts under your tree ...

JESUS became our gift and died on a tree.

It's obvious there is really no comparison.

We need to remember WHO Christmas is all about.

We need to put Christ back in CHRISTmas,

Jesus is still the reason for the season.

Yes, Jesus is better, he is even better than Santa Claus.

We'll see




Once upon a time, there was a farmer in the central region of China. He didn't have a lot of money and, instead of a tractor, he used an old horse to plow his field.

One afternoon, while working in the field, the horse dropped dead. Everyone in the village said, "Oh, what a horrible thing to happen." The farmer said simply, "We'll see." He was so at peace and so calm, that everyone in the village got together and, admiring his attitude, gave him a new horse as a gift.

Everyone's reaction now was, "What a lucky man." And the farmer said, "We'll see."

A couple days later, the new horse jumped a fence and ran away. Everyone in the village shook their heads and said, "What a poor fellow!"

The farmer smiled and said, "We'll see."

Eventually, the horse found his way home, and everyone again said, "What a fortunate man."

The farmer said, "We'll see."

Later in the year, the farmer's young boy went out riding on the horse and fell and broke his leg. Everyone in the village said, "What a shame for the poor boy."

The farmer said, "We'll see."

Two days later, the army came into the village to draft new recruits. When they saw that the farmer's son had a broken leg, they decided not to recruit him.

Everyone said, "What a fortunate young man."

The farmer smiled again - and said "We'll see."

Moral of the story: There's no use in overreacting to the events and circumstances of our everyday lives. Many times what looks like a setback, may actually be a gift in disguise. And when our hearts are in the right place, all events and circumstances are gifts that we can learn valuable lessons from.

As Fra Giovanni once said:

"Everything we call a trial, a sorrow, or a duty, believe me... the gift is there and the wonder of an overshadowing presence."

author unknown

Read, Learn and Enjoy!

1 The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish son grief to his mother.
2 Ill-gotten treasures are of no value,
but righteousness delivers from death.
3 The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry
but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
4 Lazy hands make a man poor,
but diligent hands bring wealth.
5 He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son,
but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.
6 Blessings crown the head of the righteous,
but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.
7 The memory of the righteous will be a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.
8 The wise in heart accept commands,
but a chattering fool comes to ruin.
9 The man of integrity walks securely,
but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.
10 He who winks maliciously causes grief,
and a chattering fool comes to ruin.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.
12 Hatred stirs up dissension,
but love covers over all wrongs.
13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,
but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment.
14 Wise men store up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.
15 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city,
but poverty is the ruin of the poor.
16 The wages of the righteous bring them life,
but the income of the wicked brings them punishment.
17 He who heeds discipline shows the way to life,
but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.
18 He who conceals his hatred has lying lips,
and whoever spreads slander is a fool.
19 When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise.
20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver,
but the heart of the wicked is of little value.
21 The lips of the righteous nourish many,
but fools die for lack of judgment.
22 The blessing of the LORD brings wealth,
and he adds no trouble to it.
23 A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct,
but a man of understanding delights in wisdom.
24 What the wicked dreads will overtake him;
what the righteous desire will be granted.
25 When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone,
but the righteous stand firm forever.
26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so is a sluggard to those who send him.
27 The fear of the LORD adds length to life,
but the years of the wicked are cut short.
28 The prospect of the righteous is joy,
but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.
29 The way of the LORD is a refuge for the righteous,
but it is the ruin of those who do evil.
30 The righteous will never be uprooted,
but the wicked will not remain in the land.
31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
but a perverse tongue will be cut out.
32 The lips of the righteous know what is fitting,
but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.

Using God's Gifts

Many people are puzzled by the words of Luke 19:26, where the king is
settling accounts with his servants who had been given money to invest.
After he has told the parable, Jesus sums up by saying: "To everyone who
has, more will be given. And from him who has not, even that which he has
will be taken away."

Look at it this way: if a man plays a game and goes on practicing at it, he
will keep getting better. The good talent he has will increase. He had; and
he gets more.

On the other hand, the fellow who does not practice loses whatever ability
he started out with. In other words, what he had is taken away from him.

If we discipline and train our bodies, they grow fit and strong. If we take
it easy, they grow flabby and lose the strength they had. There is no such
thing as standing still in Christian life. We either get more, or we lose
what we have. We either advance or we slip back.

Good night everyone -Sweet Dreams to all and may your Sunday be very blessed!! Enjoy the Gift of God's Day!

Closing prayer:

Be with me today, O Lord


May
all I do today
begin with you, O Lord.
Plant dreams and hopes
within my soul,
revive my tired spirit:
be with me today.
May
all I do today
continue with your help, O Lord.
Be at my side
and walk with me:
Be my support today.
May
all I do today
reach far and wide, O Lord.
My thoughts, my work, my life:
make them blessings
for your kingdom;
let them go beyond today,
O God
Today is new
unlike any other day,
for God makes each day different.
Today God's everyday grace
falls on my soul like abundant seed,
though I may hardly see it.

Today is one of those days
Jesus promised to be with me,
a companion on my journey,
And my life today, if I trust him,
has consequences unseen.
My life has a purpose.

"I have a mission...
"I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. God has not created me for naught... Therefore I will trust him. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away. God does nothing in vain.

"He knows what he is about."

J. H. Newman