Hello my friends! Today went well - Linus had a good day at work and got home in time for us to go to our Ash Wednesday Mass - it was a very nice and prayerful Mass with a great homily by Father Mark. The Church was full! I pray you all have a very good and spirit-filled Lent as we spring clean our souls for Easter!
Forgiveness frees the heart and moves us from the victim to the one who
is in control of our lives. Lord, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
those who trespass against us.
Scripture for the day:
"O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are
all the work of your hand." ~Isaiah 64:8
Meditation for the day:
I believe that the future is in God's hands. God knows better than I what
the future holds for me. I am not at the mercy of fate or buffeted about by
life. I am being led in a very definite way, as I try to rebuild my life. I
am the builder, but God is the architect. It is mine to follow God's
guidance and to build as best I can.
Prayer for the day:
I pray that I may depend on God, since God has a plan for my life. I pray
that I may live my life as I believe God wants me to live it.
Mother Teresa's Rules & Beliefs to incorporate
The dying, the cripple, the mental, the unwanted, the unloved they are Jesus
in disguise.
Little things are indeed little, but to be faithful in little things is a
great thing. It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the
doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.
Nakedness is not only for a piece of clothing; nakedness is lack of human
dignity, and also that beautiful virtue of purity, and lack of that respect
for each other. There is a terrible hunger for love. We all experience
that in our lives - the pain, the loneliness. We must have the courage to
recognize it. The poor you may have right in your own family. Find them.
Love them. Before you speak, it is necessary for you to listen, for God
speaks in the silence of the heart. Speak tenderly to them. Let there be
kindness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile, in the warmth of your
greeting. Always have a cheerful smile. Don't only give your care, but give
your heart as well. The more you have, the more you are occupied, the less
you give. But the less you have the more free you are. Poverty for us is a
freedom. It is not a mortification, a penance. It is joyful freedom. There
is no television here, no this, no that. But we are perfectly happy. If
you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because
you know what you are. Do not allow yourselves to be disheartened by any
failure as long as you have done your best. There is only one God and He
is God to all; therefore it is important that everyone is seen as equal
before God. I've always said we should help a Hindu become a better Hindu, a
Muslim become a better Muslim, a Catholic become a better Catholic. If we
really want to love we must learn how to forgive. It is a poverty to
decide that an unborn child must die so that you may live as you like. If
we pray, we will believe; If we believe, we will love; If we love, we will
serve. We can do no great things; only small things with great love. You
and I, we are the Church, no? We have to share with our people. Suffering
today is because people are hoarding, not giving, not sharing. Jesus made it
very clear. Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it to me.
Give a glass of water, you give it to me. Receive a little child, you
receive me. Clear. Only in heaven will we see how much we owe to the poor
for helping us to love God better because of them. Make us worthy, Lord,
to serve those people throughout the world who live and die in poverty and
hunger. Give them through our hands, this day, their daily bread, and by our
understanding love, give them peace and joy. Give me courage. I must do
something. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only
today. Let us begin. Let's do something beautiful for God.
Christian One Liners
Don't let your worries get the
best of you; remember, Moses started
out as a basket case.
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Some people are kind, polite, and
sweet-spirited until you try to sit in their pews.
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Many folks want to serve God,
but only as advisors.
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It is easier to preach ten sermons
than it is to live one.
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The good Lord didn't create anything
without a purpose, but mosquitoes come close.
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When you get to your wit's end,
you'll find God lives there.
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People are funny; they want the front
of the bus, the middle of the road, and
the back of the church..
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Opportunity may knock once, but temptation
bangs on your front door forever.
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Quit griping about your church;
if it was perfect, you couldn't belong.
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If the church wants a better preacher,
it only needs to pray for the one it has.
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God Himself does not propose to judge
a man until he is dead. So why should you?
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Some minds are like concrete
thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.
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Peace starts with a smile.
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I don't know why some people
change churches; what difference does
it make which one you stay home from?
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A lot of church members who are singing
'Standing on the Promises'
are just sitting on the premises.
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We were called to be witnesses,
not lawyers or judges..
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Be ye fishers of men. You catch
them - He'll clean them.
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Coincidence is when God
chooses to remain anonymous.
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Don't put a question mark
where God put a period.
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Don't wait for 6 strong men
to take you to church.
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Forbidden fruits create many jams.
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God doesn't call the qualified,
He qualifies the called.
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God grades on the cross, not the curve.
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God loves everyone, but probably prefers
'fruit of the spirit' over a 'religious nut!'
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God promises a safe landing,
not a calm passage.
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He who angers you, controls you!
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If God is your Co-pilot - swap seats!
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Prayer:
Don't give God instructions -- just report for duty!
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The task ahead of us is never as
great as the Power behind us.
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The Will of God never takes you to
where the Grace of God will not protect you..
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We don't change the message,
the message changes us
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You can tell how big a person is
by what it takes to discourage him.
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The best mathematical equation
I have ever seen:
1 cross + 3 nails = 4 given.
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If this e-mail blessed you in a profound
way today my Dear Friend, PLEASE pass
this along to bless them today,
tomorrow and ALWAYS!
May God and His Son bless you
from today on out!
I bet someone will LOVE it
just as much as you did.
Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel. All claimed
that they were the best. The most important. The most useful. The favorite.
Green said:
"Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. I was
chosen for grass, trees and leaves. Without me, all animals would die. Look
over the countryside and you will see that I am in the majority."
Blue interrupted:
"You only think about the earth, but consider the sky and the sea. It is the
water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep
sea. The sky gives space and peace and serenity. Without my peace, you would
all be nothing."
Yellow chuckled:
"You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth into the
world. The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, the stars are yellow. Every
time you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile. Without me
there would be no fun."
Orange started next to blow her trumpet:
"I am the color of health and strength. I may be scarce, but I am precious
for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the most important vitamins.
Think of carrots, pumpkins, oranges, mangoes, and papayas. I don't hang
around all the time, but when I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty
is so striking that no one gives another thought to any of you."
Red could stand it no longer he shouted out:
"I am the ruler of all of you. I am blood - life's blood! I am the color of
danger and of bravery. I am willing to fight for a cause. I bring fire into
the blood. Without me, the earth would be as empty as the moon. I am the
color of passion and of love, the red rose, the poinsettia and the poppy."
Purple rose up to his full height:
He was very tall and spoke with great pomp: "I am the color of royalty and
power. Kings, chiefs, and bishops have always chosen me for I am the sign of
authority and wisdom. People do not question me! They listen and obey."
Finally Indigo spoke, much more quietly than all the others, but with just
as much determination: "Think of me. I am the color of silence. You hardly
notice me, but without me you all become superficial. I represent thought
and reflection, twilight and deep water. You need me for balance and
contrast, for prayer and inner peace."
And so the colors went on boasting, each convinced of his or her own
superiority. Their quarreling became louder and louder. Suddenly there was a
startling flash of bright lightening thunder rolled and boomed. Rain started
to pour down relentlessly. The colors crouched down in fear, drawing close
to one another for comfort.
In the midst of the clamor, rain began to speak:
"You foolish colors, fighting amongst yourselves, each trying to dominate
the rest. Don't you know that you were each made for a special purpose,
unique and different? Join hands with one another and come to me."
Doing as they were told, the colors united and joined hands.
The rain continued:
"From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across the sky in a
great bow of color as a reminder that you can all live in peace. The Rainbow
is a sign of hope for tomorrow." And so, whenever a good rain washes the
world, and a Rainbow appears in the sky, let us remember to appreciate one
another.
Meditations by Padre Pio
I understand very well, that your Calvary is becoming more and more painful.
But remember that it was on Calvary the Jesus redeemed us, and the salvation
of redeemed souls must be accomplished there (Letters III, p. 452).
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