Community Chat

[gloriajean]

As you draw closer and closer to God, you won't have to tell anyone because
it will show
in your face. Lord, teach me Your ways as I am ready and let Your love and
peace flow
through me even in my difficult moments.


Scripture for the day:

"O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me." ~Psalm
30:2

Meditation for the day:

According to our varying needs, so do we think of God. It is not
necessary that we think of God as others think of God, but it is helpful
if we think of God as supplying what we personally need. The weak need
God's strength. The strong need God's tenderness. The tempted and
fallen need God's saving grace. The righteous need God's compassion for
sinners. The lonely need God as a friend. The fighters for
righteousness need a leader in God. We may find help from God in all
these areas. When we turn to God for help, God's help is available to
us.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may think of God as supplying my needs. I pray that I
will bring all my problems to God for help in meeting them.

Greetings to you all! Hope your day went well. My second day at the
office - long day! Didn't sell anything yet, but did a credit card at the
end of the day that Lori had me do with her there to get me reviewed from
last year. That all helps. Not much new to say tonight - tired and ready
for bed - hope to see more posters soon. My blessing today was just being
with Lori between massages and lunch which I brought again, she will cook
for Friday and tomorrow I have off. Tomorrow is the Feast of the Immaculate
Conception, there's a Mass in the morning, noon and at night, we haven't
decided yet which one we'll take.


According to Your Faith


Let us trust Him blindly.
He will see to it that our faith in Him
will not be lost. —Mother Teresa

In many ways, God asks us to believe without seeing,
to trust even in the face of great hardship.
Remember a time when you were sure you could not make it through another
day,
and thank God for carrying you.

from Day by Day Through Advent With Mother Teresa

Legend of the Poinsettia

The legend of the Poinsettia comes from Mexico. It tells of a girl named
Maria and her little brother Pablo. They were very poor but always looked
forward to the Christmas festival. Each year a large manger scene was set
up in the village church, and the days before Christmas were filled with
parades and parties.
The two children loved Christmas but were always saddened because they had
no money to buy presents. They especially wished that they could give
something to the church for the Baby Jesus. But they had nothing. One
Christmas Eve, Maria and Pablo set out for church to attend the service.
On their way they picked some weeds growing along the roadside and decided
to take them as their gift to the Baby Jesus in the manger scene.
Of course other children teased them when they arrived with their gift,
but they said nothing for they knew they had given what they could. Maria
and
Pablo began placing the green plants around the manger and miraculously,
the green top leaves turned into bright blood red petals, and soon the
manger
was surrounded by beautiful star-like flowers, just like we see them today.

The preacher placed two identical jars on the table next to the pulpit.

He quoted 1 Samuel 16:7 'The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.
Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

"These jars came from the same factory, were made of the same materials, and
can hold the same amount. But they are different," he explained. Then he
upset one and it oozed out honey. He turned over the other, and vinegar
spilled out.

"When a jar is upset, whatever is in it comes out. Until the jars were
upset, they looked alike. The difference was within, and could not be seen.
When they were upset, their contents were revealed. Until we are upset we
put on a good front. But when we are upset, we reveal our innermost thoughts
and attitudes, for 'out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.'"
(Luke 6:45)

What if someone tipped you over today? What would flow out? Would you reveal
the "honey" of grace and patience, or the "vinegar" of anger and sarcasm?

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of
sins." (1Peter 4:8)

Have a terrific day knowing that the one who upsets you may be just looking
for some honey - Don't give them vinegar!

Letter To Santa

Dear Santa

Snowflakes softly falling
Upon your window play,
Your blankets snug around you,
Into sleep you drift away.

I bend to gently kiss you,
When I see that on the floor
There's a letter, neatly written
I wonder who it's for.

I quietly unfold it
Making sure you're still asleep,
It's a Christmas list for Santa--
One my heart will always keep.

It started just as always
With the toys seen on TV,
A new watch for your father
And a winter coat for me.

But as my eyes read on
I could see that deep inside
There were many things you wished for
That your loving heart would hide.

You asked if your friend Molly
Could have another dad;
It seems her father hits her
And it makes you very sad.

Then you asked dear Santa
If the neighbors down the street
Could find a job, that he might have
Some food, and clothes, and heat.

You saw a family on the news
Whose house had blown away;
"Dear Santa, send them just one thing:
A place where they can stay."

"And Santa, those four cookies that
I left you for a treat,
Could you take them to the children
Who have nothing else to eat?"

"Do you know that little bear I have-
The one I love so dear?
I'm leaving it for you to take
To Africa this year."

"And as you fly your reindeer
On this night of Jesus' birth,
Could your magic bring to everyone
Goodwill and peace on earth?"

"There's one last thing before you go--
So grateful I would be--
If you'd smile at Baby Jesus
In the manger by our tree."

I pulled the letter close to me;
I felt it melt my heart.
Those tiny hands had written
What no other could impart.

"And a little child shall lead them,"
Was whispered in my ear
As I watched you sleep on Christmas Eve
While Santa Claus was here.

Author Unknown

Fr. Rick's Homily
Today, the entire Catholic Church celebrates with joy and exultation
the feast of the Immaculate Concepcion. "Sing to the Lord a new song,
for He has done a marvelous thing," (Pa 98:1) Yes, marvelous indeed is
His call to Mary, a woman of Israel, born pure and immaculate. The
Lord God chose her to be the Mother of His Son. This is a sign of
God's gratuitous and immeasurable love for Mar y and also of mankind.

When Mary heard the angel's greeting, she was greatly troubled, but
the angel assured her of the action of the Holy Spirit. "Do not be
afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God… you will conceive in
your womb and bear a son, and you shall call him Jesus…" Who would not
be greatly troubled? The angel continued: "The Holy Spirit will come
upon you; the power of the most high will overshadow you. The child to
be born will be called holy, the Son of God." How could Mary say "no?"
All her life, she was just a simple, available, listening woman at
tuned to the Father's will. Total availability seems to be part of her
innermost being. "I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me
according to your words." Although Mary did not know how far God would
take her, she surrendered herself completely, trusting and loving God.

We are invited to follow her example to open ourselves to the action
of the Holy Spirit that we may become instruments of salvation.

Mary, be our guide in today's world so that we may become more
available to God and thankful for the wonders of His love.


Charles Plum, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, was a jet fighter pilot
in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a
surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected & parachuted into enemy hands.
He was
captured & spent six years in a Communist prison.

He survived that ordeal & now lectures about lessons learned from
that experience.

One day, when Plumb & his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at
another table came up & said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in
Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!"

"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb.

"I packed your parachute," the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise
& gratitude. The man pumped his hand & said, "I guess it worked!"

Plumb assured him, "It sure did-if your 'chute hadn't worked, I
wouldn't be here today."

Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says,
'I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform-a
Dixie cup hat, a bib in the back, and bell bottom trousers. I wondered
how many times I might have passed him on the Kitty Hawk. I wondered
how many times I might have seen him & not even said good morning, how
are you or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot & he was
just a sailor.

Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent on a long wooden
table in the bowels of the ship carefully weaving the shrouds &
folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the
fate of someone he didn't
know. Now, Plumb asks his audience, 'Who's packing your parachute?'
Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through
the day. Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes
when his plane was shot down over enemy territory-he needed his
physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, &
his spiritual parachute."

He called on all these supports before reaching safety. His
experience reminds us all to prepare ourselves to weather whatever
storms lie ahead.

SUGGESTION: Recognize people who pack your parachute & strengthen
yourself to prevail through tough times.

Advent Prayer


Father in heaven, our hearts desire the warmth of your love and our minds
are searching for the light of your Word. Increase our longing for Christ
our Savior and give us the strength to grow in love, that the dawn of his
coming may find us rejoicing in his presence and welcoming the light of his
truth. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen.

Good night all - Sweet Dreams - enjoy your Thursday - we will, both have the
day off!