Many of life's hassles are mere tests of our strength.
Lord, help me remember that patience can often diffuse
a situation quicker than a snap response.
Scripture for the day:
"May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of
Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything needed for life
and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory
and goodness." 2 Peter 2-3
Meditation for the day:
There is only one way to get full satisfaction from life and that is to live
the way we believe God wants us to live. We can live with God in that
secret place of the spirit and we will have a feeling of being on the right
road. We can have a deep sense of satisfaction. The world can have meaning
and we can have a place in the world, work to do that counts in the eternal
order of things. Many things can work for us and with us, as long as we try
to stay on God's side.
Prayer for the day:
I pray that I may have a sense of the eternal value of the work I do.
I pray that I may not only work for now, but also for eternity.
Hello my friends - today was just an ordinary day - filled with lots of God's blessings, everyday ones, but are very grateful for them all. I don't have much to say, wishing more would come back to post - thank you, Joy, for coming back! What are your blessings? Do you have any you'd like to share? Praying for you all - thanks for your prayers for us.
Dear Lord, Please give me...
A few friends who understand me and yet remain my friends.
A work to do which has real value, without which the world would feel the poorer...
A mind unafraid to travel, even though the trail be not blazed.
An understanding heart...
A sense of humor.
Time for quiet, silent meditation.
A feeling of the presence of God.
And the patience to wait for the coming of these things, with the wisdom to know them when they come.
Amen.
(W. R. Hunt)
Homily of the Day
Our Part in the Battle
Jan 28, 2013 12:00 am | Food For Thought
Can we ever win the battle against evil if we are being controlled by it? Jesus said, “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.” If we habitually tear ourselves down, we lose sight of what matters most –God’s saving power. His love and mercy cannot shine through in our moments of darkness because we refuse to allow Him to invade our souls. In the process, we get locked up in our own sins until we rot inside. Is this the end of the road for us? Jesus did not die and suffer for us just to see us lose our own fight. He wants to go to battle for us. Being stronger than the evil one, He tells the enemy, “You pick a fight with this person; you pick a fight with me.” And here’s the good news –He never loses a battle. The victory is already ours.
If Jesus fights for us, then what is our part in the battle? He wants us not to quit but to try again amidst a multitude of failures. He wants us to trust him and stay faithful to his words. He has delivered us from all our sins and accepted all our failures. That powerful acceptance and loving forgiveness will break the bondages from our hands. It will set us free and make us whole again.
Here is the Saint of the Day:
Saint of the Day
Saint Thomas Aquinas
Jan 28, 2013 12:00 am | Saints Editor
Thomas Aquinas was born at the family castle near Aquino, Italy, in 1225. He was the son of Count Landulf of Aquino. When he was only five years old he was sent to Benedictine Monte Cassino Monastery to be educated. When he was 14 he went to Naples to complete his education and while there joined the Dominicans.
His family was so outraged by this that they actually had him kidnapped and held captive at Roccasecca Castle to try to keep him out of the Dominican order. He spent 15 months in the castle, and when released, rejoined the Dominicans and went to study in Paris. He was ordained in Cologne around the year 1250. While studying there under St. Albert the Great, he was nicknamed “The Dumb Ox,” due principally to his large size and quiet manner. But Thomas was anything but dumb. He became a master of Theology at Paris in 1256, and taught not only in Naples but also in Anagni, Orvieto, Rome and Viterbo.
It was during this time that he was writing his Summa Theologia and finishing his Summa Contra Gentiles. When he was only 22 years old he was sent to teach in Cologne and he began to publish his first works. He received his doctorate at age 30.
Thomas was a personal friend of St. Louis, the King of France, and they spent a lot of time together. Pope Clement IV offered Thomas the archbishopric of Naples, but he declined the offer. He spent much time writing and eventually his writings filled 20 hefty tomes. Unfortunately, his greatest work, Summa Theologia, was never completed because on his way to the second Council of Lyons in 1274, Thomas fell ill and died at the Cistercian monastery there.
Lessons
St. Thomas was not only brilliant, but also very humble and holy. He is one of the greatest and most influential theologians of all time. Even seven centuries after his death, his thought still dominates Catholic teaching. His writings are characterized by the interconnection of faith and reason. He points out that even though many Christian doctrines are impossible to establish by reason, they are not contrary to reason and reach us by revelation. However, he also believed that truths such as the existence of God, His creative power, and His Providence, could in fact be discovered by natural reason. St. Thomas also wrote hymns, commentaries on Scripture, the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostle’s Creed. He was canonized by Pope John XXII in 1323, and was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope St. Pius V in 1567. St. Thomas Aquinas is the patron of all universities, colleges, and schools. All theological students are required to study his thought and the substance of his work has become the official teaching of the Catholic Church.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we pray that St. Thomas Aquinas is being richly rewarded in heaven as he richly endowed us while on earth. His brilliant and beautiful writings have inspired countless souls and we are eternally grateful for his legacy. St. Thomas Aquinas, pray for us. Amen.
Other Saints We Remember Today
St. Peter Nolasco (1256), Priest, Religious, Founder of the Order of Our Lady of Ransom
Second Feast of St. Agnes (304), Virgin, Martyr
Guardian Angel Prayer For Friends
Guardian Angel,
watch over those whose names you can read in my heart.
Guard over them with every care
and make their way easy and their labors fruitful.
Dry their tears if they weep;
sanctify their joys;
raise their courage if they weaken;
restore their hope if they lose heart,
their health if they be ill,
truth if they err,
repentance if they fail...
Amen.
My Morning Prayer
I come before You, Lord, In the newness of this day
To ask Your grace upon me, Your love to guide my way.
May I face this day with strength, A gift from You above,
And may I show to others The mercies of your love.
May I don my Christian faith Best to wear at its best,
So when temptations come to taunt I'm ready for their test.
Then when at last it's evening And I come again in prayer
May I not forget to thank You For this tender, loving care.
By Mary Leonard
Blogs & Forums
