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[gloriajean]

Joy is left if you rid your heart of all that pulls you down. Lord, help
me to heal my spirit and grow from today's experiences.

Scripture for the day:

"The apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith!'" ~Luke 17:5

Meditation for the day:

I can pray for faith as a thirsty person prayers for water in a desert.
I can know what it means to feel sure that God will never fail me. I can be
as sure of this as I am sure that I still breathe. I can pray daily and
most diligently that my faith may increase. There is nothing lacking in my
life because, really, all I need is mine, only I sometimes lack the faith to
know it. I can be like a rich man's child who sits in rags when all around
me are stores of all I could ever desire.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that for the realization that God has everything I need. I pray that
I may know that God's power is always available to me.

Hello my friends! Just a lazy day here today for me, I was so tired I had a
good nap! But got up early - had our coffee - and off to Mass at 8.
Tomorrow morning we can't get to Mass because at 7:30 AM I have an appt. to
get my blood checked for chol and trig. again - so does Linus. Hope he's
not back to being pre-diabetic. He's been sloppy. His appt. is at 8 AM. My
blessings today are always, I'm alive! I am well! I am so blessed by my
family and friends! And Linus' knee is still hurting, but with the brace
it's working ok. There are many more blessings too numerous to count!!!!
Thanks be to God!


Homily of the Day


January 31, 2012


Devotion to Family
by Food For Thought

First Reading: 2 Sm 18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30; 19:3
Psalm: Ps 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Gospel: Mk 5:21-43

Today’s first reading focuses on David’s anguish over the death of
his son, Absalom. His anguish has been called one of the most
heartrending passages in Scripture. “My son, my son Absalom! Would
I had died in your place! Absalom, my son, my son!”

The Scripture comments, “the day’s victory was turned to mourning
for all the troops, because they learned that the king was grieving
for his son.” Unfortunately, it was David who had created the
situation that led to his son’s death. Go back to yesterday’s
reflection; consider the evil that flowed from David’s excessive
love for his other son, Amnon. Had David given justice to Tamar and
Absalom, these evils never would have occurred. The final evil was
of course the death of Absalom.

David’s love for his family was very intense and worthy of
imitation. The difficulty is that devotion to family can be
misplaced; the family can be given absolute value and this can cause
many evils both for the family and even for those outside the family.
In any country in which family ties are very strong, as they are in
the Philippines, there is danger that defense of family members will
cross over the boundary into injustice. The family member accused
may be acquitted, but only at cost to the victims and to society in
general.

POINTS TO PONDER
How does my own faith compare to the suffering woman in today’s
Gospel?

Mother Teresa Said...

Let us keep the joy of loving Jesus in our hearts. And let's share that joy
with everyone we meet. Passing on joy is something which is very natural. We
have no reason for not being joyful, since Christ is with us. Christ is in
our hearts.

WASH DAY
Author Unknown


Monday
Wash Day
Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and vanity, so I may serve
you with perfect humility through the week ahead.


Tuesday
Ironing Day
Dear Lord, help me iron out all the wrinkles of prejudice I have
collected
through the years so that I may see the beauty in others.


Wednesday
Mending Day
O God, help me mend my ways so I will not set a bad example for
others.


Thursday
Cleaning Day
Lord Jesus, help me to dust out all the many faults I have been
hiding in the secret corners of my heart.


Friday
Shopping Day
O God, give me the grace to shop wisely so I may purchase eternal
happiness for myself and all others in need of love.


Saturday
Cooking Day
Help me, my Savior, to brew a big kettle of brotherly love and serve
it with clean, sweet bread of human kindness.


Sunday
The Lord's Day
O God, I have prepared my house for you. Please come into my heart so
I may spend the day and the rest of my life in your presence.

Challenges

When a teacher finds a really brilliant student in class, he does not exempt
him from his work. On the contrary, he loads him with extras, with a double
share.

A brilliant young musician is given, not easier, but harder music to master.

The lad who has starred on the second team is not put onto the third team,
where he would walk through the game without a sweat. No, he is put onto the
first team, where he has to play his heart out just to break even.

A wise teacher always challenges a pupil. That is what God and Christianity
do. The better a Christian we become, the more things we find we should be
doing.

Love Your Enemies

Some years ago, a tiny Korean orphan arrived in the United States to join
her adoptive family. She was nine months old and weighed only 9 ½ pounds.
She grew and blossomed in her new home, but remained a diminutive size.

Her new name was Edie.

One day when Edie was in second grade, she ran home from school, crying. She
was frightened. That day, three new girls had been enrolled in her class.

During the first recess, they picked the smallest girl in the class as the
object of their anger and frustration. They pinched, poked, and pushed tiny
Edie and threatened to beat her up.

Edie had spent an hour in the principal's office with the three girls and
was assured the teachers would be watching. The girls were given a warning.

Edie's mother held her little one and comforted her. She learned later,
after speaking with the principal, that the girls had been troublemakers at
several other schools. They were being given one more chance at a new
beginning.

"These girls must have been very hurt in their young lives to be so angry.
Her mother said. "The Bible tells us, "Be kind to your enemies, and pray for
those who persecute you. Edie, let's pray."

Then they prayed for the girls and asked the Lord for a plan of action.

A plan began to take shape. "I can't go to school with you everyday, so you
will need to stay close to a teacher when you are at recess or in line to go
into school." said Edie's mom.

"If the girls start to pick on you, tell them, "I'd really like to be your
friend Are you brave enough to do that?" Edie's mother asked. "The Lord
asks us to be kind to our enemies, let's see what happens, okay?

The tiny girl perked up, and with a smile, looked at her mother and said,
"Yes, Mom, I'll try."

The next morning, and everyday before Edie left for school, she and her mom
prayed for her to be safe and brave, and for the girls to be open to God's
love. Everyday, the girls shoved into line behind Edie and called her
names and tried to get in a poke or two.

Each time, Edie looked up at them and said, "I'd really like to be your
friend." She did have to look up at them since they were so much taller
than she was.

The teachers kept an eye on the proceedings, but did not need to interfere
as the girls were not hurting her.

After about two weeks, Edie came home looking so discouraged. She told her
mother that she didn't think it was working. After they talked about it
some more and prayed, she decided to keep trying and continued to faithfully
tell them, "I'd really like to be your friend."

One day the following week, Edie ran home as fast as she could and ran into
the house shouting, "Mom, Mom, guess what happened today? Just like I
always did, I said I'd really like to be your friend, and one of the girls
said, "Okay, Edie, we give up, we'll be your friend."

Edie and her mom thanked the Lord for His faithfulness.

A short time later, as the girls were trying to become friends, Edie asked
the teacher if she could sit at a table with these girls in the classroom.
She had noticed that they were disruptive because they didn't understand the
lessons. Edie became their tutor.

Toward the end of the school year, when Edie's parents went to school for a
parent teacher conference, the teacher told them, "Because of Edie's
kindness, those girls have completely turned around and are productive
members of the class." She felt she had witnessed a miracle. And so did
Edie's mom and dad.

How many people go through life never experiencing kindness? They don't see
it in strangers, and some don't even find it in their own families.

Without experiencing kindness, it becomes impossible to express kindness
toward others. The result of this tragic lack is seen everywhere.

What a different society this would be if everyone who has received kindness
would be kind to others, especially the unlovely.

- Author Unknown

GOD KNOWS JUST WHAT WE NEED
Author Unknown
January 31, 2011


A woman was at work when she received a phone call that her daughter
was very sick with a fever. She left her work and stopped by the
pharmacy to get some medication for her daughter.


Upon returning to her car she found that she had locked her keys in
the car. She was in a hurry to get home to her sick daughter. She
didn't know what to do, so she called her home and told the baby
sitter what had happened and that she did not know what to do.


The baby sitter told her that her daughter was getting worse. She
said, "You might find a coat hanger and use that to open the door."
The woman looked around and found an old rusty coat hanger that had
been thrown down on the ground, possibly by someone else who at some
time or other had locked their keys in their car. Then she looked at
the hanger and said, "I don't know how to use this." So she bowed her
head and asked God to send her some help.


Within five minutes an old rusty car pulled up, with a dirty, greasy,
bearded man who was wearing an old biker skull rag on his head. The
woman thought, "This is what you sent to help me?" But, she was
desperate, so she was also very thankful.


The man got out of his car and asked her if he could help. She said,
"Yes, my daughter is very sick. I stopped to get her some medication
and I locked my keys in my car. I must get home to her. Please, can
you use this hanger to unlock my car?"


He said, "Sure". He walked over to the car, and in less than one
minute the
car was opened.


She hugged the man and through her tears she said, "Thank You So Much!
You
are a very nice man."


The man replied, "Lady, I am not a nice man. I just got out of prison
yesterday. I was in prison for car theft and have only been out less
than 24
hours."


The woman hugged the man again and with sobbing tears cried out loud,
"Oh,
Thank you God! You even sent me a Professional!"


God may not always send us what we expect, but He will always send us
what
we need. It's up to us to have the wisdom to recognize the difference
and
be thankful.

May you all have a great night and tomorrow - blessed by Our Lord! Let us
remember each other in prayer. God bless you all!