Community Chat

[gloriajean]

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.


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

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the
things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set
their minds on the things of the Spirit." ~Romans 8:5

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

God can draw us all closer to God in the bonds of the spirit. God
would have all people drawn closer to each other in the bonds of the
spirit. God, the great spirit of the universe, of which each of our
spirits is a part, wants unity with God and all God's children.
"Unity of the spirit in the bonds of peace." Each experience of our
life, of joy, of sorrow, of danger, of safety, of difficulty, of
success, of hardship, of ease, each can be accepted as part of our
common lot, n the bonds of the spirit.

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

I pray that I may welcome the bonds of true fellowship. I pray that I
may be brought closer to unity with God and other people.

Greetings my friends! Hope you all had a great day today - it was so nice
out here today all day - sun was out and the patio warmed up and we could
sit out there this morning - and we had our supper there tonight! I know
those days are numbered so I will enjoy and appreciate all the days and
nights we can spend there yet! It helps now that the plastic is on the
screens, like windows. He made the frames for the plastic last Fall for this
year and it makes it easier to put on and off now. This morning started out
with Mass - always a good way to start our day - then we saw a friend of
ours who is in such need of prayers. She is in her 80's, her husband is
doctoring with his legs (so much wrong with his health), her adoptive
daughter moved home from Florida with a 2 year old, says she doesn't like
her rules, and so Mae says she is always having to fight every day and it's
wearing her out! Such a life - for an older lady who is nothing but
kindness to everyone - and she also is the President of the Legion of Mary
in our Parish! Please would you remember Mae in your prayers? It's good
that Mae can go to Daily Mass for her own spiritual strength.

I Can Pray

When the world about me seems tossed to and fro,
When personal problems begin to trouble me so,
When many heartaches and disappointments come my way,
I am so thankful that I know how to pray.

I'm thankful , too, that I can pray when all is well.
His blessings for me are far too numerous to tell;
But I can thank Him for some of them, one by one,
And can praise Him for all the things He has done.

I can pray and then pause and listen to God speak to me.
This makes communion real and vital, you see.
For prayer with the assurance that God will hear,
And His presence becomes so wonderfully near.
I can pray in the darkness or in the sun's golden light;
O wherever I am, prayer seems to be right.

Oh, I can pray, and this I do cherish!
I pray that my loved ones will not perish.
I pray that they will know this privilege I know,
Then they, too, can thank God for loving them so.

Because I can pray I never feel alone,
For God has promised to draw nigh to His own.
A peace fills my heart and mind each day,
As I rejoice in the knowledge that I can pray!

Written by my friend Mel:

As we PRAISE GOD today may we realize HE is in charge
and we need not fret unnecessarily.
Today has enough troubles of its' own.
Why borrow more by fearing tomorrow?


~ HE'S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS !

Alphabet Praise

Although things are not perfect
Because of trial or pain
Continue in thanksgiving
Do not begin to blame
Even when the times are hard
Fierce winds are bound to blow
God is forever able
Hold on to what you know
Imagine life without His love
Joy would cease to be
Keep thanking Him for all the things
Love imparts to thee
Move out of "Camp Complaining"
No weapon that is known
On earth can yield the power
Praise can do alone
Quit looking at the future
Redeem the time at hand
Start every day with worship
To "thank" is a command
Until we see Him coming
Victorious in the sky
We'll run the race with gratitude
Xalting God most high
Yes, there'll be good times and yes some will be bad, but...
Zion waits in glory...where none are ever sad!


GOD LIVES UNDER THE BED



I envy Billy. My brother, Billy, thinks God lives under his bed. At least
that's what I heard him say one night.


He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to listen, 'Are
you there, God?' he said. 'Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed...'

I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Billys' unique perspectives
are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long
after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world
Billy lives in.


He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties
during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in
which he is an adult.

He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he
always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed,
that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every
Christmas and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them.


I remember wondering if Billy realizes he is different. Is he ever
dissatisfied with his monotonous life?


Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to
walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for
dinner, and later to bed.


The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers
excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child.

He does not seem dissatisfied.


He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple
work.

He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before
dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for
his next day's laundry chores.


And Saturdays - oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad takes
Billy to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and
speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside. 'That one's
goin' to Chi-car-go! ' Billy shouts as he claps his hands.


His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights.


And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips.


He doesn't know what it means to be discontent.

His life is simple.

He will never know the entanglements of wealth and power, and he does not
care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. His needs
have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be.

His hands are diligent. Billy is never so happy as when he is working. When
he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in
it.


He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job
until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Billy knows how to relax.

He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others. His heart is pure.

He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when
you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue.

Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Billy is not afraid to cry
when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere.
And he trusts God.


Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as
a child. Billy seems to know God - to really be friends with Him in a way
that is difficult for an 'educated' person to grasp. God seems like his
closest companion.


In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity, I envy the
security Billy has in his simple faith.


It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge
that rises above my mortal questions.


It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap. I
am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances - they all become
disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care.


Who knows if Billy comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has
spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and
soaking up the goodness and love of God.

And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed
at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the
simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed.

Billy won't be surprised at all!

Bless me, Heavenly Father

Bless me, heavenly Father -
forgive my erring ways.
Grant me strength to serve Thee,
put purpose in my days.
Give me understanding,
enough to make me kind.
So I may judge all people
with my heart not my mind.
Teach me to be patient
in everything I do,
Content to trust Your wisdom
and to follow after You.
Help me when I falter
and hear me when I pray,
And receive me in Thy kingdom
to dwell with Thee someday.

Amen.

Helen Steiner Rice

PHYSICAL HEALING PRAYER

"Jesus, you are the wounded healer, heal me through your wounds. You are the
God, the Ultimate, who alone can heal me. You are my Divine medicine. O!
Lord! Just say one word, and I shall be healed. Jesus, forgive all my sins
and iniquities through your bloodshed. Have mercy on all my ancestors. O!
Jesus! Send your Holy Spirit upon me and liberate me from all bondage.
Jesus, my only Savior, deliver me from all my sins and sickness. Mother
Mary, mother of good health, I cry out to you for your prayers for the mercy
of your Son to heal me right now! Thank you Mother Mary, Thank you Jesus,
Thank you Abba Father, and Thank you Holy Spirit. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!"

Prayer to Our Lady, Health of the Sick
Virgin, most holy, Mother of the Word Incarnate, Treasurer of graces, and
Refuge of sinners, I fly top your motherly affection with lively faith, and
I beg of you the grace ever to do the will of God.
Into your most holy hands I commit the keeping of my heart, asking you for
health of soul and body, in the certain hope that you, my most loving
Mother, will hear my prayer.

Into the bosom of your tender mercy, this day, every day of my life, and at
the hour of my death, I commend my soul and body.

To you I entrust all my hopes and consolations, all my trials and miseries,
my life and the end of my life, that all my actions may be ordered and
disposed according to your will and that of your Divine Son. Amen.

Good night everyone! Sweet Dreams and may you all have a very blessed
Tuesday filled with lots of blessings! Enjoy the Gift of God's Day!