Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Hello my friends, Wishing you all God's blessings - and here we show our gratitude for them. I'm so thankful for all of you - who became my friends through this thread - So grateful for God's blessings He sends us daily - Our nice, sunny day today, our daughter coming for supper, the deer meat we got and had some, delicious! Today Darla is in Chicago having an interview for a job. I want her closer, but we pray for God's will to be done. Chicago is half as far as Texas. My husband's back is hurting so - he went to Dr. Mike, had an adjustment, was told to take today easy, he twisted it somehow. Praying for you all.

Live today so that you will make life better for those around you. You will

end up making your life better too. Lord, You teach that it is in giving

that

I receive. May I always have a generous spirit.

Scripture for the day:

"'Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who

fell into the hands of the robbers?' He said, 'The one who showed him

mercy.' Jesus said to him, 'Go and do likewise.'" ~Luke 10:36-37

Meditation for the day:

We can accept the difficulties and disciplines of life and thereby

fully share the common life of other people. Many things that we need

to accept in life are not to be taken so much as being necessary for

us personally. In our disappointments and difficulties we share in the

problems of humanity. We can accept the compassion and understanding

of others. We can share many of these experiences of life in order to

understand and sympathize with others. Unless we have been through

the same experiences, we cannot understand other people or their

makeup well enough to be able to help them.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may accept everything that comes my way as a part of

life. I pray that I may make use of it in helping other people.

When you pray do you ever feel that you have Dryness in Prayer? Here is

something on that:

Dryness in Prayer

Brother John Raymond - Community of the Monks of Adoration

March 28, 1993

You may have read about or heard of certain stages in prayer. I

would like to talk about what is perhaps the second stage a person

enters into as he progresses in prayer.

Prayer is more than just words - it involves our whole

relationship with God. Just as in any relationship the intimacy

between two people takes time to grow. In the case of our

relationship with God it is only our response to God's love that

needs growth. God helps us in the beginning of our relationship with

Him by drawing us to Himself through many consolations during our

prayer. We pray to God and enjoy the consolations we receive from

Him. God showers us with these consolations to form in us the habit

of prayer.

Once we are firmly rooted in a life of prayer God sometimes

withdraws these sensible consolations. Perhaps we have become use to

them. We begin to feel like a "cold stone" when we try to pray. This

dryness or loss of feelings we experience may even carry over into

our charitable works. Some may experience other difficulties when

praying. The first thought (though it's incorrect) that comes to

many people when this happens is that they have done something wrong

and therefore God has abandoned them. Yet when they examine

themselves they cannot find any serious violations of His Law. This

experience of dryness can be very painful. It can be even more

painful if one was very attached to the former feelings of

consolation.

What is happening? God is purifying our love for Him. We are now

asked to pray and serve Him with higher motives than before. Our

relationship with God becomes less of a "what I'm getting out of it"

attitude. Then we'll grow in humility before God. We realize just

how much we depend on Him for everything - even prayer. Thus this

seemingly negative experience in prayer helps us to grow in a

positive way.

Some people, however, turn back in their relationship with God at

this point. They give up their daily prayers. Their "motive" for

prayer is gone and so they give up. Others may not give up prayer

altogether but cut down on the amount of time they used to spend in

prayer. This is a sad mistake.

If we accept this new situation in our relationship with God and

do not panic we actually will suffer less. After some time we will

notice a deeper level of love for God developing. We will again

"want" to pray regardless of what we "experience" while praying.

Just to spend time with God will be our delight.

We have to remain faithful to this relationship of prayer with

God. Perhaps the only thing we are able to do during prayer is say

to God "here I am." But God, Who looks at the heart, knows our

intentions and is pleased with us.

When we arrive at a type of prayer where we are just happy to be

in God's presence we have arrived at what spiritual authors call the

Prayer of Simple Regard or a stage of prayer which involves a "look

of love," a simple gazing upon God. Our will is attached to God and

we are happy to just sit in His presence. St. John Vianney tells

about a man who used to a lot of time before Our Lord present in the

tabernacle of the church. One day St. John Vianney asked the man

what he did during this time. The man responded, "I look at Him and

He looks at me." In other words this man was experiencing this form

of prayer.

I wish to point out that often spiritual writers are speaking

about the stages of prayer that many people pass through. This does

not mean that everyone travels by this path in their life of prayer.

As the Benedictine, Father John Chapman stated, "Pray as you can,

not as you can't." But for those who are experiencing dryness in

prayer I hope and pray that they may persevere on the path they have

begun. A path that will lead to a more intimate prayer-life with

God.

I Wish You

When you are lonely

I wish you love.

When you are down

I wish you joy.

When you are troubled

I wish you peace.

When things are complicated

I wish you simple beauty.

When things are chaotic

I wish you inner peace.

When things looks empty

I wish you hope.

- Author Unknown

Special Hymn's for All Occupations

The Dentist's Hymn:.............Crown Him with Many Crowns

The Weatherman's Hymn:..........There Shall Be Showers of Blessings

The Contractor's Hymn:..........The Church's One Foundation

The Tailor's Hymn:..............Holy, Holy, Holy

The Golfer's Hymn:..............There's a Green Hill Far Away

The Politician's Hymn:..........Standing on the Promises

The Optometrist's Hymn:.........Open My Eyes That I Might See

The IRS Agent's Hymn:...........I Surrender All

The Gossip's Hymn:..............Pass It On

The Electrician's Hymn:.........Send The Light

The Shopper's Hymn:.............Sweet By and By

The Realtor's Hymn:.............I've Got a Mansion, Just Over the Hilltop

The Massage Therapists Hymn:....He Touched Me

The Doctor's Hymn:..............The Great Physician

RIGHT TO LIFE PRAYER

O heavenly Father, strengthen us against the mounting forces of anti-life;

enlighten those who walk in this deadly ways that they may see the enormity

of their sin and return to the generous observance of the divine law. We

pray, too, for mothers, that they may bring up their children in the holy

love and fear of God, thus saving their own immortal souls and furthering

the honor and the glory of their Maker. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Patience In Prayer

When the idea is not right, God says, "NO".

No - when the idea is not the best.

No - when the idea is absolutely wrong.

No - when though it may help you,

it would create problems for someone else

When the time is not right, God says, "SLOW".

What a catastrophe it would be if God answered every prayer at the snap of

your fingers.

Do you know what would happen?

God would become your servant, not your master.

Suddenly God would be working for you instead of you working for God.

When you are not right, God says, "GROW."

The selfish person has to grow in unselfishness.

The cautious person must grow in courage.

The timid person must grow in confidence,

The dominating person must grow in sensitivity.

The critical person must grow in tolerance.

The negative person must grow in positive attitudes.

The pleasure-seeking person must grow in compassion for suffering people.

When everything is all right, God says, "GO."

Then miracles happen:

A hopeless alcoholic is set free.

A drug addict finds release.

A doubter becomes a child in his belief.

Diseased tissue responds to treatment, and healing begins.

The door to your dream suddenly swings open and there stands God saying,

"GO!".

Remember: God's delays are not God's denials.

God's timing is perfect.

Patience is what we need in prayer.