Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Let life's lessons grow into wisdom so that you may be the light for someone

else's darkness. Lord, help me put to good use that which today brings so

that I am better prepared for tomorrow.

Scripture for the day:

"He said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest

a while." ~Mark 6:31

Meditation for the day:

I can sometimes go aside into a quiet place of retreat with God. In that

place, I can find restoration and healing and power. I can plan quiet times

now and then, times when I can commune with God and arise rested and

refreshed to carry on the work which God has given me to do.

I know that God will never give me a load greater than I can bear. It is in

serenity and peace that all true success lies.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may strengthen my inner life. I pray that my soul may be

restored in quietness and peace.

Hello my friends! I really like that first paragraph, well all of it is so meaningful. I've been enjoying the peace here today very much! I'm sure you have too. To God be the Glory!

Today's blessings I'd like to share with you are 1) Long distance call from my oldest sister, always a joy to hear from her. Even at 90, she talks and acts so much younger than she is! 2) The snow is stopping! It snowed for a couple days here, 3) Very grateful for my dear husband and daughters, sisters, friends and Sammy, our dog. Grateful for all the things I take for granted, thank you, Lord! For every breath I take, thank you, Lord! For being with me in trials, thank you, Lord! Praying for all your needs and thanks for your prayers for us!

Here are some Mother Teresa Quotes from her book "In My Own Words"

It is very compelling that before Jesus explained God's words, before he

explained the beatitudes to the crowd, he felt compassion for them and fed

them (Matthew 5). Only after they were fed did he start to teach them.

+++

True love causes pain. Jesus, in order to give us the proof of his love,

died on the cross. A mother, in order to give birth to her baby, has to

suffer. If you really love one another, you will not be able to avoid making

sacrifices.

I will never tire of repeating this; what the poor need the most is not pity

but love. They need to feel respect for their human dignity. which is

neither less nor different from the dignity of any other human being.

+++

To help us be worthy of heaven, Christ put as a condition that at our hour

of death, you and I, regardless of whom we were (Christians or

non-Christians, each human being has been created by the loving hand of God

in his own likeness), will stand before God and be judged according to how

we have acted toward the poor (Matthew 25:40).

+++

Someone once told me that nor even for a million dollars would they touch a

leper. I responded: "Neither would I. If it were a case of money, I would

not even do it for two million. On the other hand, I do it gladly for love

of God."

+++

I pay no attention to numbers; what matters is the people. I rely on one.

There is only one: Jesus.

+++

Today countries are concentrating too much on efforts and means to defend

their borders. Yet these countries know so little about the poverty and

suffering that make the human beings who live inside such borders feel so

lonely!

If instead they would worry about giving these defenseless beings some food,

some shelter, some healthcare, some clothes, it is undeniable that the world

would be a more peaceful and happy place to live.

+++

I tell my Sisters that when we lovingly help Christ in the poor, we do not

do it like social workers. We do it like contemplatives in the world.

+++

+++

The poor do not need our condescending attitude or our pity. They only need

our love and our tenderness.

+++

To me, Jesus is the Life I want to live, the Light I want to reflect, the

Way to the Father, the Love I want to express, the Joy I want to share, the

Peace I want to sow around me.

Jesus is everything to me.

+++

If faith is scarce, it is because there is too much selfishness in the

world, too much egoism. Faith, in order to be authentic, has to be generous

and giving.

Love and faith go hand in hand.

+++

Save Us, Lord

We implore You, Master,

to be our helper and protector.

Save the afflicted among us;

have mercy on the lowly;

raise up the fallen;

appear to the needy;

heal the ungodly; restore the

wanderers of thy people;

feed the hungry;

ransom our prisoners;

raise up the sick;

comfort the faint-hearted.

Amen.

Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Faith, Hope and Love

F ------ Fervently Praying

A ------ Accepting whatever outcome from prayer

I ------ In tune with Jesus Christ

T ------ Teaching others about Jesus Christ

H ------ Heaven is the place where my walk is heading

H ------ Helping others see Jesus Christ

O ------ Offering my life to the service of Jesus Christ

P ------ Praying always for others, lost or not, to see Jesus Christ

E ------ Encouraging and edifying Jesus Christ and others

L ------ Looking to Jesus all the time

O ------ Opening my heart to His ways only

V ------ Verifying everything in the Spirit

E ------ Extending myself to insure others in their walk with the Lord.

A nurse on the pediatric ward, before listening to the little ones' chests, would plug the stethoscope into their ears and let them listen to their own hearts. Their eyes would always light up with awe. But she never got a response to equal four-year-old Johnny's...

Gently she tucked the stethoscope in his ears and placed the disk over his heart. "Listen," she said, "What do you suppose that is?"

He drew his eyebrows together in a puzzled line and looked up as if lost in the mystery of the strange tap-tap-tapping deep in his chest. Then his face broke out in a wondrous grin. "Is that Jesus knocking?"

Listen to your heartbeat.

Listen for the knock of Jesus upon the door of your heart.

Not The Way You Planned

Once there were three trees

on a hill in the woods.

They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, 'Someday I hope to be a great treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with an intricate carving and

everyone would see the beauty.'

Then the second tree said, 'Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take Kings and Queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. People will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull.'

Finally the third tree said, 'I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill, look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the

greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me.'

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, 'This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter, and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree the woodsman said, 'This looks like a strong tree. I will be able to sell it to the shipyard.' The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the men said,'I don't need anything special from my tree, I'll take this one,' and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for.

The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying Kings had come to an end.

The third tree was cut into large pieces, and left alone in the dark.

The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.

Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said 'Peace' and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, God will give you great gifts.

Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined...

We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His Ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.

May your day be blessed.

And another Mother Teresa quote:

Mother Teresa Said...

Real prayer is union with God, a union as vital as that of the vine and the branches, which is the illustration Jesus gives us in the Gospel of John.

We need prayer.

We need that union to produce good fruit.