Hello my friends! Well we got most of the invitations out today - a few awaiting for addresses. That big batch of soup I made is all gone now!! His brothers came today and finished a job in the garage and I fed it to them, and the rest when Linus got home from work!! It's so easy to make! Many blessings from God today - too numerous to mention, but I'll just say, that Linus' two brothers always come when help is needed and work so nicely together - and build and fix whatever! Two neighbors came over earlier this evening, and I was able to give them the invitation without mailing them. Praying for you all - and thanks for your prayers for us.
God gives abundantly to those who pass His gifts on to others. Lord, let
Your blessings flow in to me and then out from me. I will neither be
selfish
nor let my gifts stagnate.
Scripture for the day:
"It is God's will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance
of the foolish. As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use
your freedom as a pretext for evil. Honor everyone." ~1 Peter 2:15-17
Meditation for the day:
Each new day brings an opportunity to do some little thing that will
help to make a better world, that will bring God's kingdom a little
nearer to being realized on earth. We can take each day's happenings as
opportunities for something we can do for God. In that spirit, a
blessing will attend all that we do. When we offer this day's service
to God, we are sharing in God's work. We do not have to do great
things.
Prayer for the day:
I pray that today I may do the next thing, the unselfish thing, the
loving thing. I pray that I may be content with doing small things as
long as they are right.
THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH
Contributed by Andrea Chapman
Recreation.. . Vacation... Holidays... These magical words describe
times when we can break away from our routines and obligations and get
in touch with our feelings. A sunrise in Cape Cod, a sunset in
California, the serenity of a lake in the woods of Minnesota, the
ancient majesty of
Alaskan glaciers, the thundering power of the waves of the Coast-- all
stir something within us and impress us with the natural beauty of the
world around us.
It's natural to feel infused with a sense of oneness with our planet,
a spiritual connection with the trees, water, stars, mountains, sky,
and earth.
Yet behind the awesome grandeur of creation there is an even more
awesome Creator. The connection for which our souls are longing can be
fulfilled by establishing a personal relationship with our Almighty
and ever-living God.
To make it easier for us mere humans, God reveals Himself to us
through the Person of Jesus Christ. We come to know the character of
God and His immense love for us by learning about Jesus, the totally
divine, totally human Being who suffered a humiliating death for our
sakes so that we might share eternal life with Him.
The beauty of the earth will become even more meaningful when you can
experience it as the creation of our loving, omnipotent God. God is
more than a "higher power," more than a "feeling of oneness." Get to
know your Creator through His Son, Jesus, and your life will change.
You'll
find that the beauty of this world pales in comparison to the love you
will experience as a member of the Kingdom of God.
SHAKE OFF THE DEVIL
Tell the devil today he is a liar! He will not take your joy, your peace or
disturb your spirit.
Tell the devil he cannot sleep in your bed; there’s not enough cover.
Tell the devil he cannot sit in your chair; you will not give him a cushion
of comfort.
Tell the devil he cannot touch your body; it’s covered with the blood.
Tell the devil he cannot audit your finances; you’ve changed accountants.
Tell the devil he cannot enter you home; the lock’s been changed.
Tell the devil to leave your workplace; he’s not on your list of things to
do today.
Tell the devil to take his hands off your children; because you’ve had hands
laid on them.
Tell the devil you have no time for his nonsense, criticism or fears; you
are on a mission, and you walk by faith.
Tell the devil no more tears, heartaches, or headaches; because there’s
another, HE, that restoreth your soul.
Tell him...Tell him...Tell him.
Tell the devil today you have a gentle, powerful inner peace within that
consumes you and leaves no room for confusion.
Tell the devil today you will respond soothingly to a crying child, a tense
spouse, or an impatient friend.
Tell the devil today you will find no fault with a relative, friend or
colleague.
Tell the devil to leave your tongue alone; for today you will not talk of
anyone before placing God at the beginning of your every thought.
Tell the devils God said, “My people will abide in a peaceful habitation and
in quiet resting places.” Isaiah 32:18
OUR FATHER:
PARAPHRASED BY SAINT PETER JULIAN EYMARD
Our Father Who art in Heaven
in the heaven of the Eucharist,
to You Who are seated on the throne of grace and love,
be benediction, and honor, and power and glory for
ever and ever!
Hallowed be Your Name
first in ourselves, through the spirit of
Your humility, obedience, and charity.
May we in all humility and zeal
make You known, loved, and adored by all men
in the Holy Eucharist.
Thy kingdom come
Thy Eucharistic kingdom.
Rule Thou alone forever over us
for Your greater glory
through the power of Your love
and triumph of Your virtues
and the grace of a Eucharistic vocation
in my state as a layman.
Grant us the grace and mission of Your holy love
so that we may be able to effectively extend
Your Eucharistic kingdom everywhere
and realize the desire you expressed:
"I have come to cast fire on the earth;
and what would I, but that it be kindled?"
Oh! that we might be the incendiaries of this heavenly fire!
Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven
grant us the grace to find all our joy
in wanting You alone,
in desiring You alone,
and in thinking of You alone.
Grant that by denying ourselves always
and in all things,
we may find light and life
in obeying Your good, acceptable, perfect Will.
I will what You will.
I will it because You will it.
I will as You will it.
I will it as long as You will it.
Perish our thoughts and desires
if they are not purely
from You, for You, and in You.
Give us this day our daily bread
You are our Eucharistic Lord
and You alone will be our food and clothing,
our riches and glory,
our remedy in illness,
and our protection against all evil.
You will be all things to us.
And forgive us our trespasses
Forgive me Jesus, for I am sorry for all my sins
just as they stand in Your eyes.
As we forgive those who trespass against us
For anyone who has offended us in any way,
with our whole heart we forgive them
and desire for them the gifts of Your love.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil
Deliver us Jesus, from the demon of pride,
impurity, discord and complacency.
Deliver us from the cares and worries of life
so that with a pure heart and a free mind
we may joyfully spend our life
and devote all that we are and all that we have
in the service of our Eucharistic Lord.
Amen.
In You, O Lord Jesus, have I hoped;
let me not be confounded forever.
You alone are good.
You alone are powerful.
You alone are eternal.
To you alone be honor and glory,
love and thanksgiving
forever and ever.
FISHERMEN
Now it came to pass that a group existed who called themselves fishermen.
And lo, there were many fish in the streams and lakes throughout the
surrounding area.
Week after week, month after month, and year after year, those who
called themselves fishermen met in meetings and talked about …
The call to fish.
The abundance of fish.
How they might go about fishing as an occupation.
They declared that fishing is always to be the primary task of
fishermen, but they never fished!
These fishermen built large, beautiful buildings for local fishing
headquarters. The plea was that everyone should be a fisherman and every
fisherman should fish. One thing they didn't do, however, was fish.
In addition to meeting regularly, they organized a board to send out
fishermen to other places where there were many fish. The board was formed
by those who had great vision and courage to speak about fishing, to define
fishing, to promote the idea of fishing in far-away streams and lakes where
many other fish of different color lived. Also the board hired staffs and
appointed committees and held many meetings to …
Define fishing.
Defend fishing
Decide what new streams should be thought about.
But the staff and committee members did not fish.
A speaker bureau was provided to schedule special speakers on the
subject of fishing. After one stirring meeting on "The Necessity of
Fishing," one young fellow left the meeting and went fishing. The next day
he reported that he had caught two outstanding fish. He was honored for his
excellent catch, and he was scheduled to visit all the big meetings to tell
how he did it. So he quit his fishing in order to have time to tell about
the experience to the other fishermen. He was also placed on the Fisherman's
General Board as a person having considerable experience.
Now it's true that many of the fishermen sacrificed and put up with all
kinds of difficulties. Some lived near the water and bore the smell of dead
fish. They received ridicule of some who made fun of their fishermen's clubs
and the fact that they claimed to be fishermen, yet never fished.
They wondered about those who felt it was of little use to attend the
talks about fishing. After all, were they not following the Master, who
said, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fisher of men"? (Mark 1:17)
Imagine how hurt some were when one day a person suggested that those
who didn't fish were not really fishermen, no matter how much they claimed
to be. Yet it did sound correct.
Is a person a fisherman if, year after year, he never catches a fish?
Is one following if he isn't fishing?
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!!!
HAVE A BLESSED DAY!
NEW VERSION OF FOOTPRINTS
Author Unknown
Imagine you and the Lord Jesus are walking down the road together. For
much of the way, the Lord's footprints go along steadily,
consistently, rarely varying the pace. But your footprints are a
disorganized stream of zigzags, starts, stops, turnarounds, circles,
departures and returns.
For much of the way, it seems to go like this, but gradually your
footprints come more in line with the Lord's, soon paralleling His
consistently. You and Jesus are walking as true friends! This seems
perfect, but then an interesting thing happens: Your footprints, that
once etched the sand next to Jesus', are now walking precisely in His
steps.
Inside His larger footprints are your smaller ones, you and Jesus are
becoming one. This goes on for many miles, but gradually you notice
another change. The footprints inside the large footprints seem to
grow larger.
Eventually they disappear altogether.
There is only one set of footprints: they have become one. This goes
on for a long time, but suddenly the second set of footprints are
back. This time it seems even worse! Zigzags all over the place.
Stops. Starts. Deep gashes in the sand. A veritable mess of prints.
You are amazed and shocked. Your dream ends. Now you pray: "Lord, I
understand the first scene with zigzags and fits. I was a new
Christian; I was just learning. But you walked on through the storm
and helped me learn to walk with you."
"That is correct."
" ... and when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours, I was
actually learning to walk in Your steps; followed you very closely."
"Very good. You have understood everything so far."
"... when the smaller footprints grew and filled in Yours, I suppose
that I was becoming like you in every way."
"Precisely."
"So, Lord, was there a regression or something? The footprints
separated, and this time it was worse than at first."
There is a pause as the Lord answers with a smile in his voice. "You
don't know? That was when we danced."
"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under
Heaven. A time to weep, a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time
to dance." Ecclesiastes 3:1,4
The Seven Wonders
I heard about a group of Geography students who studied the Seven Wonders of
the World. At the end of that section, the students were asked to list what
they each considered to be the Seven Wonders of the World.
Though there was some disagreement, the following got the most votes:
Egypt's Great Pyramids, the Taj Mahal, the Grand Canyon, the Panama Canal,
the Empire State Building, St. Peter's Basilica and China's Great Wall.
While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student, a quiet girl,
hadn't turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having
trouble with her list.
The quiet girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind
because there were so many."
The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."
The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are,
to touch and to taste, to see and to hear . . . " She hesitated a little,
"and then, to run and to laugh and to love."
It is far too easy for us to look at the exploits of man and refer to them
as "wonders" while we overlook all that God has done, regarding them as
merely "ordinary."
May you be reminded today of those things which are truly wondrous!
- Author Unknown
Mother Teresa Said...
You are to be that presence of Christ to each other.
Love each other tenderly as Jesus loves each one of you. Tender love for
each other speaks much louder than all the words you can say.
Meditations by Padre Pio
To see suffering makes me very unhappy! I would gladly stab myself in the
heart to take away suffering from someone! Yes, this would be very easy for
me! (T 121).
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