Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Reach out with compassion and a gentle spirit to all that you meet
because they, too, are carrying a heavy cross. Lord, may I remember
that all others have hardships, too, and may I be a source of encouragement
for them or at the very least not add to their troubles.


Scripture for the day:

"There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy
habitation of the Most High." Psalm 46:4

Meditation for the Day

We seem to live not only in time but also in eternity. If we abide
with God and God abides with us, we may bring forth spiritual fruit
which can last for eternity. If we live with God, our lives can flow
as some calm river through the dry land of earth. It can cause the
trees and flowers of the spiritual life--love and service--to spring
forth and yield abundantly. Spiritual work may be done for eternity,
not just for now. Even here on earth we can live as though our real
lives were eternal.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may try to make my life like cool river in a thirsty
land. I pray that I may give freely to all who ask my help.

Peace to you all! Hope your day was great!! Today was busy on the phones -
talking to three of my sisters, Sister LaDonna included, plus my cousin
giving her the number to the hospital to call her. I was blessed to hear
they can't find any broken bones - but she is still in severe pain, so what
she says is that before she left to go, remember she fell in her room and
hurt her tailbone? She said when she fell into the shower Friday morning it
seem she re-injured herself there. Friends, she's on Morphine for the
pain!!
Her luggage didn't get there yet, and her charger for her phone is in there,
she can hardly wait to get her phone charged up. I told her you all are
praying for her and she says "Bless your hearts!" Thank you so much for
caring for my sister. Today I think I picked raspberries for the last time
this season, there really weren't many there and it's chilly and windy out
now too.
This week we'd better get our plants inside from the porch because the highs
will be in the 40's. I 'm very grateful to our Lord for the nice
raspberries I got this summer - some are in the freezer, and we never get
tired of eating them.

Homily of the Day


October 17, 2011

How Much Is Enough?
by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.

Romans 4:20-25 / Lk 12:13-21

Today’s gospel raises a perennial human question: how much is enough? And
the answer as we usually feel it, even if we don’t say it, is ‘just a little
bit more.’ It’s strange how that answer can be so consistent at every
economic level: What would you like? What do you need? Just a little bit
more. And what does that tell us? That there will never be enough to fill us
full, as long as we look in the wrong places. The only one who can ever fill
us full is the Lord, who made us for himself and who made our hearts to be
satisfied by no one and no thing less than himself.

The rich man in the gospel was caught in that trap. His definition of
success was very simply ‘more.’ So, when the harvest exceeded all his
expectations, his response was to tear down his barns and build bigger ones
to hold ‘more.’ On the one hand that seems so logical, but on the other,
why tear down the barns, why not share the excess which he obviously didn’t
need and certainly hadn’t expected?

This man was known as rich, but in fact he was poor, because he didn’t know
how to make the most of God’s gifts. He didn’t know that the greatest joy in
having something is in being able to share it or even give it away. That’s
God-like joy, and it’s the joy that God wants us to grow accustomed to now,
because that kind of sharing of life is what heaven is all about.

A TRIBUTE TO MOTHER TERESA OF CALCUTTA
(1997 - Eternity)



"Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones" -Psalm
116:15

You saw Christ in the poorest of the poor, and the world saw Christ in you.

You were a shining beacon of Divine Light in a century of great darkness and
so few saints

Chesterton once said "Christianity hasn't been tried and found wanting, it
has been found difficult and not tried". But you are one of the few who
truly tried it and revealed its power to the world.

The press calls your falling asleep "a tragedy" and "a great loss". They say
you'll "live on in our hearts". Yet you are still very much alive in the
heart of Mother Church.

You have temporarily left your body, but not the Church. You are still
united with us in the Body of Christ; and in some mysterious way you are now
closer to us than you ever could have been before.

When I heard about your passing I felt uneasy about praying for your soul -
it seemed that you should be praying for me!

(Perhaps all the prayers we offer for you will be applied to the poorest of
the poor in purgatory).

I know the Vatican will ultimately canonize you, after following all the
necessary procedures. In the meantime I will treat every picture of you as
an ikon.

Though the Church has not lost you, I suppose the world has. It has lost a
tireless servant of the poor and a fearless prophetess for life.

Holy Teresa, pray that the poorest of the poor will never be without aid...

...pray that world leaders will finally take to heart your call to protect
all human life; a call they seem so unwilling to heed...

...pray that a hundred great saints may rise up in your place, to turn the
tide of evil in the world and usher in the long-awaited Springtime of the
Church...

...and please pray for me, an unworthy servant who will probably never
accomplish in her lifetime one-tenth of what you did in yours.

REQUIESCAT IN PACE
ORA PRO NOBIS

“THE ONION”

I was an onion before Christ set me free;
Layers upon layers of iniquity.
An ugly old onion whose fragrance was strong;
That my Jesus bought and loved all along.
Unknown to me what He was going to do;
Of what He was planning, I had not a clue.
Pulling each layer off one by one,
In order to make me more like Jesus the Son.
The first layer wasn’t so bad,
I saw all the sins that I knew I had.
They were easy to fix, just change the way I talk,
And learn more of how He wanted me to walk.
Reading His Word, and learning again;
How to put aside my life of sin.
But the next layer was pulled which hurt more,
He was getting closer to the core.
Unknown what He would find there,
I simply gave it to Him in prayer.
As another layer was removed, He started to cry;
Pulling this layer brought pain to my Father on high.
And I was crying over the sadness I felt;
The brokenness and all the guilt.
Past memories that I thought were gone;
But they were buried under layers disguised in a fragrance so strong.
As onions are peeled more and more,
They put tears in our eyes as we get close to the core;
So my Father wept over my pain;
Giving me a balm of comfort and strength to sustain.
“NO MORE LAYERS!” I would scream,
As he continued to peel each layer off of me.
“I’ll have nothing left, my Lord, what will I do?
I’ll be nothing but a worthless core to You.”
But he simply said “Trust Me,” continuing to peel,
I believe he was blinded to my pain that was so real.
Year after year I shrunk more and more;
Until all that was left of this onion was a core.
It was then that I began to understand;
As the Lord embraced me in His loving hand.
He said, “Now and only now, can you be;
The creation that will minister before Me.
“Clothed with the righteousness only from above;
Gone are your layers of self, so you can be filled with My love.”
He took my layers of sin, hurt and pain;
And clothed me with love, truth and mercy in His name.
Yes, we are all onions, learning with each day;
How to overcome as each layer is taken away.
Some layers tear and pull at your heart;
While others grieve us to our innermost part.
But we are nothing but an ugly onion before Christ.
Layers upon layers of pride, sin and strife.
Only God can take those layers away.
And clothe us with His righteousness in that final day.

An Act of Love

An act of love need not be
a gesture great or grand…
A smile can work a miracle
and show you understand.
Being there in time of need
transcends the spoken word;
A helping hand is simply grand
when hearts begin to bleed.

A prayer is nothing till it’s heard
beyond the highest leaf,
But when it’s answered, oh my friend,
how strong is our belief!
An act of love may simply be
a smile, a hug, a kiss…
But it’s a joy for all to see
when troubles come like this.

Author Clay Harrison

THANK YOU LORD
Author Unknown
October 17, 2011


Lord, thank you for this sink of dirty dishes; we have plenty of food
to eat.

Thank you for this pile of dirty, stinky laundry; we have plenty of
nice clothes to wear.

And I would like to thank you, Lord, for those unmade beds; they were
so warm and comfortable last night. I know that many have no bed.

My thanks to you, Lord, for this bathroom, complete with all the
splattered mirrors, soggy, grimy towels and dirty lavatory; they are
so convenient.

Thank you for this finger-smudged refrigerator that needs defrosting
so badly; It has served us faithfully for many years. It is full of
cold drinks and enough leftovers for two or three meals.

Thank you, Lord, for this oven that absolutely must be cleaned today.
It has baked so many things over the years.

The whole family is grateful for that tall grass that needs mowing,
the lawn that needs raking; we all enjoy the yard.

Thank you, Lord, even for that slamming screen door. My kids are
healthy and able to run and play.

Lord, the presence of all these chores awaiting me says You have
richly blessed my family. I shall do them cheerfully and I shall do
them gratefully.

Step Right Up!
Bible Reading for Today: John 10:1-10
I am the door: if any man enter by me, he shall be saved (verse 9)

You arrive at the door of the up to date supermarket. It swings wide open,
apparently
of its own volition.

Did you ever pause to figure out what makes it work? Have you sometimes
stood on the
threshold doubting that the door would open? Or are you the
technically-minded type of
person for whom the door poses no mystery at all? You're aware that by
stepping on a
specific area you activate the current that operates it.

More likely you simply accept the fact without question. In doing so, you
are exercising
faith. Faith in an "electric eye."

Apply the same faith or logic to the words of Christ, who says: "I am the
door." "Enter in,"
Jesus invites you and me. There is no need to stand outside wondering if the
door will
really open. No need to figure out by what process He will open the door for
us.

As simply as the youngest child, on a shopping trip with Mommie, stands
expectantly
waiting for the door to open, you can appropriate the benefits of Heaven's
open door.
Just step right up! Jesus is saying I am the door enter in...........

*~Thank-You God~*
(author: unknown)

***

Thank-You God for being my Comforter,
When my soul was weak
and the tears wouldn't stop,
When my heart was aching with pain
and I was searching for refuge,
When my spirit was broken beyond repair
and I felt lost and hopeless,
Thank-You for Joy.
Thank-You God for being my Teacher,
When I was ignorant to the Lessons of Life
and rebuked wisdom,
When I was rebellious against your principles
and rejected morality,
When I was hindered by obstacles
and blinded by self-doubt,
Thank-You for Knowledge.
Thank-You God for being my Spiritual Guide,
When I chose the wrong path to tread
and lost sight of my purpose,
When I didn't know the power of faith, prayer,
and forgiveness,
When I didn't know how to surrender all my
anger, fears, and temptations,
Thank-You for your Guidance.
Thank-You God for being my Counselor,
When I didn't know how to acknowledge nor
express my feelings,
When I chose Sin over Self-Love,
Thank-You for Revelations, Awakenings, & Resolutions.
Thank-You God

Good night everyone - Sweet Dreams and may your Tuesday be blessed with many
blessings!!