Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Recognize the joy that comes from the simple things in life like a smile, a hug,

or a good meal. Lord, help me think about the good things in my life and

how my life would change without them.

Scripture for the day:

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to

do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love."

~John 4:18

Meditation for the day:

I can trust God. This lesson has to be learned. My doubts and fears can

continually drive me back into the wilderness. Doubts can lead me astray,

because I am not trusting God. I can trust God's love. It will never fail

me, but I can learn not fail it by my doubts and fears. We all have much to

learn in turning out fear by faith. Our doubts can arrest God's work

through us. I need not doubt. I can believe in God and continually work at

strengthening my faith.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may live the way God wants me to live. I pray that I may get

into that stream of goodness and love in the world.

Hello my friends! One week from today we take Sammy to my sister, Deil's and one week from tomorrow night we leave for Texas by car. We plan on leaving Texas Easter Monday around noon to avoid the Kansas City rush hour - our half way mark. My blessings today - a restful day - I don't know why I'm so tired today! Phone call from my sister, another blessing, but Linus heard tonight that his youngest brother, Dave, will have some surgery on his head tomorrow - he fell in Jan. and there's some blood in the brain so he'll have some surgery done to relieve it. He's been having headaches. I first heard of this on Facebook - his daughter was asking for prayers, then messaged his wife, and she called. Please pray for Dave. Haven't heard a thing yet about Darla's interview. Prayed for her at Mass this morning - and offered my Communion up for her. Praying for you all - thanks for your prayers for us.

WHY DO WE CRUCIFY HIM AGAIN?

I say something rude

to someone who's lost,

And I've ruinded my witness,

But they will pay the cost.

--So I nail in the nails.

Can anyone see the Lord through me,

Or do they simply see my sins?

Am I living the life Christ wants me to,

Am I living the life of man?

--So I plunge in the spear.

And when I fail to pray,

and my conversations with Him fade,

Does He patiently wait for my call,

Though it causes Him pain?

--And I place the thorns upon His brow.

I lead a life of double standards,

One day good, the next one bad.

Can He quietly stand by

When He sees all I could have had?

--And I ridicule my Lord once again.

For you see,

Each time we turn our backs,

and return to the world of sin,

It is then that you and I,

We crucify Him again.

-- Brandy Cambell (12th grade)

TRAVELING ON YOUR KNEES

Last night I took a journey

To a land across the seas.

I didn't go by ship or plane

I traveled on my knees.

I saw so many people there

In bondage to their sin,

And Jesus told me I should go,

That there were souls to win.

But I said "Jesus, I can't go

To lands across the seas."

He answered quickly, "Yes, you can

By traveling on your knees."

He said, "You pray, I'll meet the need.

You call, and I will hear.

It's up to you to be concerned

For lost souls far and near."

And so I did; knelt in prayer,

Gave up some hours of ease,

And with the Savior by my side,

I traveled on my knees.

As I prayed on, I saw souls saved

And twisted persons healed,

I saw God's workers strength renewed

While laboring in the field.

I said, "Yes Lord, I'll take the job.

Your heart I want to please.

I'll heed Your call and swiftly go

By traveling on my knees."

Daily Grace Lines

March 19, 2013

Feast of St. Joseph,

Husband of Mary

"Behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 'Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt. Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt."

Matthew 2:13- 14

For Reflection:

St. Joseph responded to the word of God immediately. How quickly do I respond to God's word and the promptings of the Holy Spirit? St. Joseph's obedience to God saved his family from calamity. Can I remember a time when my obedience to God saved me from some disaster or unfortunate situation? To what extent will this help me to promptly obey God today and in the future?

Meditation:

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

St. Joseph, Pray for Us

Help us to trust as Joseph did.

Enable us to be a link in passing faith

and the gospel on to future generations.

from Daily Reflections for Lent

Divine Mercy in my Soul

Your daily reading from

St. Faustina's diary

March 19

O my Jesus, my Master, I unite my desires to the desires that You had on the Cross: I desire to fulfill Your holy will; I desire the conversion of souls; I desire that Your mercy be adored; I desire that the triumph of the Church be hastened; I desire the Feast of Mercy to be celebrated all over the world; I desire sanctity for priests; I desire that there be a saint in our Congregation (Diary, 1581).

I do not know how to describe all that I suffer, and what I have written thus far is merely a drop. There are moments of suffering about which I really cannot write. But there are also moments in my life when my lips are silent, and there are no words for my defense, and I submit myself completely to the will of God (Diary, 1656).

The words of Our Lord Jesus Christ are in boldface. The words of Our Lady are in italics.

Homily of the Day

March 19, 2013

St. Joseph

by Saints Editor

St. Joseph was the husband of Mary and the foster-father of Jesus. What little we know of his life comes from the Gospels according to Matthew and Luke. Joseph’s father was named Jacob, and he was a descendant of King David (Matthew 1:16). While working as a carpenter in Nazareth, Joseph became formally engaged to Mary, being willing to respect her vow of perpetual virginity.

When Mary was discovered to be pregnant, Joseph naturally assumed she had been unfaithful to him. He could have denounced her, thus sparing his reputation while ruining hers, but he didn’t want to hurt her — so he decided to combine mercy and justice by divorcing her quietly. It was after Joseph made this noble decision that the angel of the Lord revealed the truth to him (Matthew 1:18-25). Joseph believed this amazing message; he went ahead with his marriage to Mary, and then took her to Bethlehem for a census; while there, Jesus was born (Luke 2:1-7).

Because he was the head of the Holy Family, it was to Joseph that God sent an angel with a warning to flee to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15); when it was safe, the Holy Family returned to Nazareth. As an upright and hard-working man, Joseph taught Jesus his own trade of carpentry, and faithfully guarded and served Him and Mary. Tradition states that St. Joseph died sometime before Jesus began His public ministry at the age of thirty; he is considered the Patron of the Universal Church and the Patron of a happy death.

Lessons

1. True greatness doesn’t depend on all the right “advantages”: wealth, a good education, and the proper social connections. St. Joseph had none of these things, but his humility and integrity allowed God to make him one of the greatest saints.

2. Genuine humility doesn’t excuse us from our responsibilities. Joseph knew he couldn’t compare in holiness to Jesus or Mary — but he nonetheless exercised authority over them in accord with God’s will.