Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Do not be discouraged if it seems that there is no response to your prayers
at this time. God always responds. Lord, Your wisdom always responds to
my needs with unceasing peace and love and when I listen and give thanks
I am blessed with results that bring goodness to me in better ways than I
expect.


Scripture for the day:

"I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God
that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have
been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind-- just as
the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you-- so that you
are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of
our Lord Jesus Christ." ~1Corinthians 1:4-7

Meditation for the day:

The grace of God is an assurance against all evil. It holds out
security to the believing soul. The grace of God means safety in the
midst of evil. We can be kept unspotted by the world through the
power of God's grace. We can have a new life of power. But only in
close contact with the grace of God in its power realized. In order
to realize it and benefit from it, we can have daily quiet communion
with God, so that the power of God's grace will come unhindered into
your soul.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may be kept from evil by the grace of God. I pray that
henceforth I will try to keep myself more unspotted by the world.

Hello my friends! How was your day? My back is giving me a bit of
trouble - going to Dr. Mike in the morning. Tonight we looked at an apt.
that is only about five blocks to Lori's house and it's less expensive than
the other ones we looked at. Now the only problem would be to have good one
available when we need it. I've got this on our prayer line, please pray,
too. Sunday we have our first open house here - only for an hour. We are
praying for a quick sale.

Homily of the Day


May 31, 2011

The greatness of the Lord
by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.

(Excerpt from a homily by Saint Bede the Venerable, priest)

Zep 3:14-18a / Luke 1:39-56

Mary proclaims the greatness of the Lord working in her soul

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God
my Savior.” With these words Mary first acknowledges the special gifts she
has been given. Then she recalls God’s universal favors, bestowed
unceasingly on the human race.

When a man devotes all his thoughts to the praise and service of the Lord,
he proclaims God’s greatness. His observance of God’s commands, moreover,
shows that he has God’s power and greatness always at heart. His spirit
rejoices in God his Savior and delights in the mere recollection of his
Creator who gives him hope for eternal salvation.

These words are often used for all God’s creations, but especially for the
Mother of God. She alone was chosen, and she burned with spiritual love for
the son she so joyously conceived. Above all other saints, she alone could
truly rejoice in Jesus, her Savior, for she knew that He Who was the source
of eternal salvation would be born in time in her body, in one person both
her own son and her Lord.

“For the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name.” Mary
attributes nothing to her own merits. She refers all her greatness to the
gift of the one whose essence is power and whose nature is greatness, for He
fills with greatness and strength the small and the weak who believe in Him.

She did well to add: “and holy is His name,” to warn those who heard, and
indeed all who would receive His words, that they must believe and call upon
His name. For they too could share in everlasting holiness and true
salvation according to the words of the prophet: and it will come to pass,
that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. This is the
name she spoke of earlier: “…and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

Therefore it is an excellent and fruitful custom of holy Church that we
should sing Mary’s hymn at the time of evening prayer. By meditating upon
the incarnation, our devotion is kindled, and by remembering the example of
God’s Mother, we are encouraged to lead a life of virtue. Such virtues are
best achieved in the evening. We are weary after the day’s work and worn out
by our distractions. The time for rest is near, and our minds are ready for
contemplation.

Let us pray.

Happy are you who have believed,
because the Lord’s promises will be accomplished in you.
And Mary said:

R. My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.

Come, and listen,
and I will tell what great things God
has accomplished for me.

R. My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.

Te Deum

You are God: we praise You;
You are the Lord: we acclaim You;
You are the eternal Father:
All creation worships You.

To You all angels, all the powers of heaven,
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of Your glory.

The glorious company of apostles praise You.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise You.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise You.

Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims You:
Father, of majesty unbounded,
Your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You, Christ, are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
When you became man to set us free
you did not spurn the Virgin’s womb.

You overcame the sting of death,
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.

You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.
We believe that You will come, and be our judge.

Come then, Lord, and help Your people,
bought with the price of Your own blood,
and bring us with Your saints
to glory everlasting.

V. Save Your people, Lord, and bless Your inheritance.

R. Govern and uphold them now and always.

V. Day by day we bless You.

R. We praise Your name for ever.

V. Keep us today, Lord, from all sin.

R. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.

V. Lord, show us Your love and mercy;

R. for we put our trust in You.

V. In You, Lord, is our hope:

R. and we shall never hope in vain.

Prayer

Eternal Father,
You inspired the Virgin Mary, mother of Your Son,
to visit Elizabeth and assist her in her need.
Keep us open to the working of Your Spirit,
and with Mary may we praise You for ever.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Let us praise the Lord. And give Him thanks.

Amen.

My Friend
God isn't far away
But surrounds you with his love.
It was him who opened your eyes this morning,

It is his strength
That will carry you through this day,
And it is in his peace
That your heart will find rest tonight.

God isn't far away.
He is the light of this day,
He is the sky above you,
And the earth beneath you,
And the life of every living thing.

God isn't far away.
He is in every smile,
In every thought that gives you hope,
In every tear that waters your soul,
In every moment you can't face alone.

God isn't far away.
He is the love on a loved one's face,
He is in the friends along the way,
In strangers you've yet to meet
And blessings you've yet to receive.

My Friend,
God isn't far away.
He is in every good thing that touches you.
He is in every step you make
And every breath you take.
God isn't far away
For He is with you always.........

"Does God Cry?"

A little girl once asked, "Mommy does God cry?"
"Don't be silly, God can't cry baby," her mother replied.

"But what about when He looks down from Heaven above
And sees all the people who needs His love?

And what about when He looks down and sees
The playground kids fall and scrape their knees?

Or how about Aunt Jane who can't have baby girls or boys?
Or what about the poor kids who gets no Christmas toys?

Maybe God would cry if He lived with my friend Tommy.
Whose daddy beats and bruises him and his mommy.

Or maybe if He looked down and saw people being killed,
I think He'd surely have eyes that are tear filled.

But I think most of all, mommy, what would have made God cry,
Is when He looked down at the cross and watched His baby die."

The mother stood in silence as her eyes filled with tears,
For she knew her little girl was wise beyond her years.

Staring into deep blue eyes, the mother found courage to say,
"Yes baby girl, I think God looks down and cries every day."

God Bless you and keep you safe in Jesus' arms!

Half Truths

The crew on board a large freighter were having a party. Somehow the first
mate got drunk. So that night the captain wrote into the record of the day:
"The first mate was drunk today."

The next day the mate saw it and asked the captain to take it out of the
record. Otherwise, he might lose his job. And besides, it was a first
offense. The captain refused, saying: "It's a fact; and into the record it
goes."

Some days later it was the mate's turn to take his watch duty on the bridge.
And that also meant that he had to write the record for the day. He did. He
duly recorded the location of the ship, its speed, and the distance it
covered that day. Then he also added a line which said: "The captain was
sober today."

The next day the captain saw it and protested, that this would leave an
altogether false impression... It seemed to hint that it was unusual for the
captain to be sober. But the mate answered exactly as the captain had to
him: "It's a fact; and so into the record it goes."

A thing may be true, but the circumstances and way of telling it may give
the opposite message. In the Old Testament Zechariah's book would have said
it this way: "Render true judgment and show kindness." 7:9

Mother Teresa said...

I always begin my prayer in silence, for it is in the silence of the heart
that God speaks. God is the friend of silence - we need to listen to God
because it's not what we say but what He says to us and through us that
matters. Prayer feeds the soul - as blood is to the body, prayer is the
soul - and it brings you closer to God. It also gives you a clean and pure
heart. A clean heart can see God, can speak to God, and can see the love of
God in others.

Good night everyone - Sweet Dreams! Enjoy Wednesday - and God's blessings!