Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Our body is the temple of God and our soul is His image. It is the devil's
work to make us forget that and feel useless, incapable and worthless.
Lord, I will not deny Your existence in me. I am strong and capable
because You live and work through me.


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

"In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not
so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And
if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take
you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also." ~John
14:2-3

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

We can look at the world as our Father's house. We can think of all
people we meet as guests in our Fathers house, to be treated with love
and consideration. We can look at ourselves as servants in our
Father's house, as servants of all. We can think of no work as
beneath us. We can be ready to do all we can for others who need our
help. There is gladness in God's service. There is much satisfaction
in serving the highest that we know. We can express our love for God
in service to all
who are living with us in our Father's house.

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

I pray that I may serve others out of gratitude to God. I pray that
my work may be a small repayment for God's grace so freely given me.

Hello my friends! How's your day going? My day went well so far - it's a day of fast so no eating between meals, but that's ok - I used to fast much stricter in my younger days, but no more. I couldn't get to Mass today because he's working but we'll go tomorrow for sure at noon. When he called me during his lunch break he was doing okay so far! Praise the Lord! After today we can be grateful for shorter shifts next week and days off until Monday! Tonight's supper will be tilapia fish and the food that is on the package like wild rice etc. and veggies. Hope I'll like it, I'm not much of a fish lover. But then again, isn't Lent for sacrifices? Gotta remember that. I want to get more spiritual reading in this Lent, I have lots of spiritual reading books that I haven't read yet. First one I'm going to read is Scott Hahn's "Rome Sweet Rome". Linus read it and said it's great!! Also I shouldn't forget Bible reading. There's so much work to do to grow more spiritually, isn't there? This is the best time to do it!


Homily of the Day


March 9, 2011


God´s Love-Power Can Change Hearts
by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.

Jl 2:12-18 / 2 Cor 5:20-6:2 / Mt 6:1-6,16-18

The human heart is more complex than any computer, and none of us ever fully understands its reasons and its choices. But we have to try, with God’s help, lest we let our hearts lead us, all unawares, to places whose dangers are invisible to us. That testing of the heart and reorienting of the heart is what Lent is about.

In today’s gospel, Matthew reminds us of one of the hazards that every religious person faces: Practicing our faith and doing good for others just to be seen and admired. It’s a trap that’s so easy to fall into, and it’s such a waste of time and joy. The alternative is ever so much more satisfying because our hearts know that it is true.

Only a heart that sees that it is loved by God will have in it the astonished gratitude that impels it to thank God in word and deed. True thankfulness will blossom into prayer, into sharing with others what God has shared with us, and into striving to reshape our hearts into God’s likeness. The good deeds will come naturally from deep inside, and what others see or don’t see won’t matter.

This Lent, concentrate on God’s goodness and generosity to you, so totally unearned and unmerited. Gratitude will tell your heart where you need to go, and what needs to change. God’s love-power has changed many hearts. Why not let His love-power change yours?

Be Merciful

God wants us to be generous
when we measure out a dose of mercy.
Today, be merciful to someone
who needs our forgiveness and compassion.


Why do we do Penance during the days of Lent?

The Reasons for doing Penance are:
1. To atone for the temporal punishment due to our sins
2. To increase the value of our prayers, which are far more efficacious when joined with penance
3. To obtain graces for others Note: Our Lady of Fatima asked the children to pray and sacrifice for sinners
4. To strengthen our will power, our will is weak , but penance makes us stronger against temptations
5. To increase merit and earn a higher place in heaven
6. To elevate our mind to heavenly things (Penance helps us pray and meditate better)
7. To demonstrate our love for God (True love entails a willingness to suffer for the person loved)

Live Your Prayers


I knelt to pray when day was done
And prayed, "O Lord, bless everyone,
Lift from each saddened heart the pain
And let the sick be well again."

And then I woke another day
And carelessly went on my way,
The whole day long I did not try
To wipe a tear from any eye.

I did not try to share the load
Of any brother on the road.
I did not even go to see
The sick man just next door to me.

Yet once again when day was done
I prayed, "O Lord, bless everyone."
But as I prayed, into my ear
there came a voice that whispered clear,

"Pause now, my child, before you pray.
Whom have you tried to bless today?
God's sweetest blessings always go
by hands that serve him here below."

And then I hid my face and cried,
"Forgive me, God, I have not tried,
But let me live another day
and I will live the way I pray."

~ Author Unknown ~

Wings Of A Prayer

Just close your eyes
and open your heart
And feel your worries
and cares depart...
Just yield yourself
to the Father above
And let Him hold you
secure in His love,

For He hears every prayer
and answers each one
When we pray in His name,
"Thy will be done" --
And the burdens that seemed
too heavy to bear
are lifted away
on the wings of prayer

Helen Steiner Rice

This is really powerful !!!!

A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales
convention in Chicago . They had assured their wives that they would
be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner. In their rush,
with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked
over a table which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere.
Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane
in time for their nearly missed boarding... ALL BUT ONE !!! He paused,
took a deep breath, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl
whose apple stand had been overturned..
He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one
of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination
and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal
where the apples were all over the terminal floor.
He was glad he did.

The 16 year old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying,
tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time
helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about
her, no one stopping and no one to care for her plight.

The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples,
put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did
this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised;
these he set aside in another basket.
When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the
girl, 'Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?'
She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, 'I hope we didn't
spoil your day too badly.'

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl
called out to him, 'Mister.......' He paused and turned to look back
into those blind eyes. She continued,


'Are you Jesus?'
He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered. Then slowly he made his
way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing
about in his soul: 'Are you Jesus?'
Do people mistake you for Jesus?
That's our Destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people
cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is
blind to His love, life and grace.
If we claim to know Him,
we should live, walk and act as He would.
Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church.
It's actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day.
You are the apple of His eye even though we, too, have been bruised
by a fall. He stopped what He was doing and picked you and me up on a
hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit.

Please share this... Sometimes we just take things for granted, when
we really need to be sharing what we know....Thanks

GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.
TOO MANY CHRISTIANS ARE NO LONGER FISHERS OF MEN BUT KEEPERS OF THE
AQUARIUM.

Closing prayers:
Prayers for Ash Wednesday
Lord, protect us in our struggle against evil. As we begin the discipline of Lent, make this season holy by our self-denial. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

+ + + + + + + + + +

Father in heaven, the light of your truth bestows sight to the darkness of sinful eyes. May this season of repentance bring us the blessing of your forgiveness and the gift of our light. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Good night everyone and sweet dreams - may you all have a very blessed Lent and giving ourselves a good spring cleaning inside! All for Jesus!!