Community Chat

[gloriajean]

We are judged by our actions, not by our intentions. Lord, may I show
my love for You through charity and goodness toward others.


Scripture for the day:

"Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."
~Matthew 18:20

Meditation for the day:

"Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."
When God finds two or three of us in union, who only want God's will to
be done, who want only to serve God, God has a plan that can be revealed
to them. The grace of God can come to people who are together in one
place with one accord. A union like this is miracle-working. God is
able to use such people. Only good can come through such consecrated
people, brought together in unified groups for a single purpose and of a
single mind.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may be part of a unified group. I pray that I may
contribute my share to its consecrated purpose.

Hello my friends! Today was busy - got some tomatoes frozen, I diced 5
quarts and tomorrow I'll make some juice out of the others. I helped Lori
out late this afternoon for her purse party she had, did her floors, and
baked bars because she was so busy - ever hear of Miche purses? I ordered
on with a couple shells to make it look like two different purses, the
shells go on and there's a magnet and that's what holds it - you can look
that up on their Miche site. Hope I spelled that right. Lori already has
one of those purses, so at her party she's getting either another one or
accessories for it. We can exchange the covers etc. and that will be fun.
Not going over $100. that's for sure, I know you can buy handbags for much
more, but not me. So getting two covers for one purse is like paying 50 for
each! I'm sure I'll enjoy it. My blessings today is family! It was so
good to see my nephew's wife from Mpls. there, she brought her married
daughter and so I got to visit with her, too. Her daughter told me that her
Mother is her best friend. Isn't that absolutely sweet? They both live in
the same suburb in Mpls, not far away from each other. How cool is that? So
many blessings today - and Linus came too so he could take care of Ollie
outside, and he fixed his collar for the invisible fence and it works now.
Praying for you all for all your needs and thank you for your prayers for
us.

Attention and Care

During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop quiz.
I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I
read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the
school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman
several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I
know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank.

Before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count
toward our quiz grade. "Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers
you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention
and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'Hello'."

- - -
Luke 10:20 - ... Be glad because your names are written in heaven.

Romans 12:16 - Have the same concern for everyone. Do not be proud, but
accept humble duties. Do not think of yourselves as wise.

DON'T LET ME CRY

My son Gilbert was eight years old and had been in Cub Scouts only a short
time. During one of his meetings he was handed a sheet of paper, a block of
wood and four tires and told to return home and give all to "dad".

That was not an easy task for Gilbert to do. Dad was not receptive to doing
things with his son. But Gilbert tried. Dad read the paper and scoffed at
the idea of making a pine wood derby car with his young, eager son. The
block of wood remained untouched as the weeks passed.

Finally, mom stepped in to see if I could figure this all out. The project
began. Having no carpentry skills, she decided it would be best if she
simply read the directions and let Gilbert do the work. And he did. She read
aloud the measurements, the rules of what they could do and what we couldn't
do.

Within days his block of wood was turning into a pinewood derby car. A
little lopsided, but looking great (at least through the eyes of mom).
Gilbert had not seen any of the other kids cars and was feeling pretty proud
of his "Blue Lightning", the pride that comes with knowing you did something
on your own.

Then the big night came. With his blue pinewood derby in his hand and pride
in his heart they headed to the big race. Once there Gilbert's pride turned
to humility. His car was obviously the only car made entirely on his own.
All the other cars were a father-son partnership, with cool paint jobs and
sleek body styles made for speed.

A few of the boys giggled as they looked at Gilbert's lopsided, wobbly,
unattractive vehicle. To add to the humility Gilbert was the only boy
without a man at his side. A couple of the boys who were from single parent
homes at least had an uncle or grandfather by their side, Gilbert had "Mom".

As the race began it was done in elimination fashion. You kept racing as
long as you were the winner. One by one the cars raced down the finely
sanded ramp. Finally it was between Gilbert and the sleekest, fastest
looking car there. As the last race was about to begin, my wide eyed, shy
eight year old ask if they could stop the race for a minute, because he
wanted to pray. The race stopped.

Gilbert hit his knees clutching his funny looking block of wood between his
hands. With a wrinkled brow he set to converse with his Father. He prayed in
earnest for a very long minute and a half. Then he stood, smile on his face
and announced, 'Okay, I am ready."

As the crowd cheered, a boy named Tommy stood with his father as their car
sped down the ramp. Gilbert stood with his Father within his heart and
watched his block of wood wobble down the ramp with surprisingly great speed
and rushed over the finish line a fraction of a second before Tommy's car.

Gilbert leaped into the air with a loud "Thank you" as the crowd roared in
approval. The Scout Master came up to Gilbert with microphone in hand and
asked the obvious question, "So you prayed to win, huh, Gilbert?" To which
the young boy answered, "Oh, no sir. That wouldn't be fair to ask God to
help you beat someone else. I just asked Him to make it so I don't cry when
I lose."

Children seem to have a wisdom far beyond us. Gilbert didn't ask God to win
the race, he didn't ask God to fix the out come, Gilbert asked God to give
him strength in the outcome. When Gilbert first saw the other cars he didn't
cry out to God, "No fair, they had a fathers help".

No, he went to his Father for strength. Perhaps we spend too much of our
prayer time asking God to rig the race, to make us number one, or too much
time asking God to remove us from the struggle, when we should be seeking
God's strength to get through the struggle. Gilbert didn't pray to win, thus
hurt someone else, he prayed that God supply the grace to lose with dignity.
Gilbert, by his stopping the race to speak to his Father also showed the
crowd that he wasn't there without a "dad", but His Father was most
definitely there with him. Yes, Gilbert walked away a winner that night,
with his Father at his side.

COAT HANGER ANGEL

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.

When 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, "Great God. 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 today.
I was in prison for car theft and have only been out for about an hour. "The
woman hugged the man again and with sobbing tears cried out loud ...

"THANK YOU, GOD, FOR SENDING ME A PROFESSIONAL!"

What Can I Do?

What can I do for you dear Jesus?
You have done so much for me.
Can I read your word,
Or say a prayer?
One I'm sure you've heard.

What good thing can I do for you,
Maybe speak a sweet kind word?
To friends or foe,
Who doesn't know,
How precious is your love.

What can I do or say dear Lord,
That hasn't already been said?
So many have written about you,
So many that are led.
Led of your Spirit to do your will
And always stay alert,
So all are healed and helped some way
And no one's ever hurt!

I can't do much but say,
Thank you Lord for all you've done
And praise your Holy name,
Our Lord, Gods only Son.

By Fae Read

Healing of the Spirit Special Intention

Gentle Jesus, with faith in Your healing powers and confidence in Your
constant compassion, I ask you to heal my suffering spirit. May my soul
find rest in Your comforting love and relief from sorrow and anguish.
Relying on Your love, I especially ask Your help in (name your concern.) I
place my trust in Your power to heal my spirit from feelings of
hopelessness, unrest, and despair. Amen.

Interview with Mother Teresa




Time: What did you do this morning?
Mother Teresa: Pray.

Time: When did you start?

Mother Teresa: Half-past four

Time: And after prayer

Mother Teresa: We try to pray through our work by doing it with Jesus, for
Jesus, to Jesus. That helps us to put our whole heart and soul into doing
it. The dying, the cripple, the mental, the unwanted, the unloved they are
Jesus in disguise.

Time: People know you as a sort of religious social worker. Do they
understand the spiritual basis of your work?

Mother Teresa: I don't know. But I give them a chance to come and touch the
poor. Everybody has to experience that. So many young people give up
everything to do just that. This is something so completely unbelievable in
the world, no? And yet it is wonderful. Our volunteers go back different
people.

Time: Does the fact that you are a woman make your message more
understandable?

Mother Teresa: I never think like that.

Time: But don't you think the world responds better to a mother?

Mother Teresa: People are responding not because of me, but because of what
we're doing. Before, people were speaking much about the poor, but now more
and more people are speaking to the poor. That's the great difference. The
work has created this. The presence of the poor is known now, especially the
poorest of the poor, the unwanted, the loved, the uncared-for. Before,
nobody bothered about the people in the street. We have picked up from the
streets of Calcutta 54,000 people, and 23,000 something have died in that
one room [at Kalighat].

Time: Why have you been so successful?

Mother Teresa: Jesus made Himself the bread of life to give us life. That's
where we begin the day, with Mass. And we end the day with Adoration of the
Blessed Sacrament. I don't think that I could do this work for even one week
if I didn't have four hours of prayer every day.

Time: Humble as you are, it must be an extraordinary thing to be a vehicle
of God's grace in the world.

Mother Teresa: But it is His work. I think God wants to show His greatness
by using nothingness.

Time: You are nothingness?

Mother Teresa: I'm very sure of that.

Time: You feel you have no special qualities?

Mother Teresa: I don't think so. I don't claim anything of the work. It's
His work. I'm like a little pencil in His hand. That's all. He does the
thinking. He does the writing. The pencil has nothing to do it. The pencil
has only to be allowed to be used. In human terms, the success of our work
should not have happened, no? That is a sign that it's His work, and that He
is using others as instruments - all our Sisters. None of us could produce
this. Yet see what He has done.

Time: What is God's greatest gift to you?

Mother Teresa: The poor people.

Time: How are they a gift?

Mother Teresa: I have an opportunity to be with Jesus 24 hours a day.

Time: Here in Calcutta, have you created a real change?

Mother Teresa: I think so. People are aware of the presence and also many,
many, many Hindu people share with us. They come and feed the people and
they serve the people. Now we never see a person lying there in the street
dying. It has created a worldwide awareness of the poor.

Time: Beyond showing the poor to the world, have you conveyed any message
about how to work with the poor?

Mother Teresa: You must make them feel loved and wanted. They are Jesus for
me. I believe in that much more than doing big things for them.

Time: What's your greatest hope here in India?

Mother Teresa: To give Jesus to all.

Time: But you do not evangelize in the conventional sense of the term.

Mother Teresa: I'm evangelizing by my works of love.

Time: Is that the best way?

Mother Teresa: For us, yes. For somebody else, something else. I'm
evangelizing the way God wants me to. Jesus said go and preach to all the
nations. We are now in so many nations preaching the Gospel by our works of
love. "By the love that you have for one another will they know you are my
disciples." That's the preaching that we are doing, and I think that is more
real.

Time: Friends of yours say that you are disappointed that your work has not
brought more conversions in this great Hindu nation.

Mother Teresa: Missionaries don't think of that. They only want to proclaim
the Word of God. Numbers have nothing to do with it. But the people are
putting prayer into action by coming and serving the people. Continually
people are coming to feed and serve, so many, you go and see. Everywhere
people are helping. We don't know the future. But the door is already open
to Christ. There may not be a big conversion like that, but we don't know
what is happening in the soul.

Time: What do you think of Hinduism?

Mother Teresa: I love all religions, but I am in love with my own. No
discussion. That's what we have to prove to them. Seeing what I do, they
realize that I am in love with Jesus.

Time: And they should love Jesus too?

Mother Teresa: Naturally, if they want peace, if they want joy, let them
find Jesus. If people become better Hindus, better Moslems, better Buddhists
by our acts of love, then there is something else growing there. They come
closer and closer to God. When they come closer, they have to choose.

Time: You and John Paul II, among other Church leaders, have spoken out
against certain lifestyles in the West, against materialism and abortion.
How alarmed are you?

Mother Teresa: I always say one thing: If a mother can kill her own child,
then what is left of the West to be destroyed? It is difficult to explain ,
but it is just that.

Time: When you spoke at Harvard University a few years ago, you said
abortion was a great evil and people booed. What did you think when people
booed you?

Mother Teresa: I offered it to our Lord. It's all for Him, no? I let Him say
what He wants.

Time: But these people who booed you would say that they also only want the
best for women?

Mother Teresa: That may be. But we must tell the truth.

Time: And that is?

Mother Teresa: We have no right to kill. Thou shalt not kill, a commandment
of God. And still should we kill the helpless one, the little one? You see
we get so excited because people are throwing bombs and so many are being
killed. For the grown ups, there is so much excitement in the world. But
that little one in the womb, not even a sound? He cannot even escape. That
child is the poorest of the poor.

Time: Is materialism in the West an equally serious problem?

Mother Teresa: I don't know. I have so many things to think about. I pray
lots about that, but I am not occupied by that. Take our congregation for
example, we have very little, so we have nothing to be preoccupied with. The
more you have, the more you are occupied, the less you give. But the less
you have the more free you are. Poverty for us is a freedom. It is not a
mortification, a penance. It is joyful freedom. There is no television here,
no this, no that. This is the only fan in the whole house. It doesn't matter
how hot it is, and it is for the guests. But we are perfectly happy.

Time: How do you find rich people then?

Mother Teresa: I find the rich much poorer. Sometimes they are more lonely
inside. They are never satisfied. They always need something more. I don't
say all of them are like that. Everybody is not the same. I find that
poverty hard to remove. The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove
than the hunger for bread.

Time: What is the saddest place you've ever visited?

Mother Teresa: I don't know. I can't remember. It's a sad thing to see
people suffer, especially the broken family, unloved, uncared for. It's a
big sadness; it's always the children who suffer most when there is no love
in the family. That's a terrible suffering. Very difficult because you can
do nothing. That is the great poverty. You feel helpless. But if you pick up
a person dying of hunger, you give him food and it is finished.

Time: Why has your order grown so quickly?

Mother Teresa: When I ask young people why they want to join us, they say
they want the life of prayer, the life of poverty and the life of service to
the poorest of the poor. One very rich girl wrote to me and said for a very
long time she had been longing to become a nun. When she met us, she said I
won't have to give up anything even if I give up everything. You see, that
is the mentality of the young today. We have many vocations.

Time: There's been some criticism of the very severe regimen under which you
and your Sisters live.

Mother Teresa: We chose that. That is the difference between us and the
poor. Because what will bring us closer to our poor people? How can we be
truthful to them if we lead a different life? If we have everything possible
that money can give, that the world can give, then what is our connection to
the poor? What language will I speak to them? Now if the people tell me it
is so hot, I can say you come and see my room.

Time: Just as hot?

Mother Teresa: Much hotter even, because there is a kitchen underneath. A
man came and stayed here as a cook at the children's home. He was rich
before and became very poor. Lost everything. He came and said, "Mother
Teresa, I cannot eat that food." I said, "I am eating it every day." He
looked at me and said, "You eat it too? All right, I will eat it also." And
he left perfectly happy. Now if I could not tell him the truth, that man
would have remained bitter. He would never have accepted his poverty. He
would never have accepted to have that food when he was used to other kinds
of food. That helped him to forgive, to forget.

Time: What's the most joyful place that you have ever visited?

Mother Teresa: Kalighat. When the people die in peace, in the love of God,
it is a wonderful thing. To see our poor people happy together with their
families, these are beautiful things. The real poor know what is joy.

Time: There are people who would say that it's an illusion to think of the
poor as joyous, that they must be given housing, raised up.

Mother Teresa: The material is not the only thing that gives joy. Something
greater than that, the deep sense of peace in the heart. They are content.
That is the great difference between rich and poor.

Time: But what about those people who are oppressed? Who are taken advantage
of?

Mother Teresa: There will always be people like that. That is why we must
come and share the joy of loving with them.

Time: Should the Church's role be just to make the poor as joyous in Christ
as they can be made?

Mother Teresa: You and I, we are the Church, no? We have to share with our
people. Suffering today is because people are hoarding, not giving, not
sharing. Jesus made it very clear. Whatever you do to the least of my
brethren, you do it to me. Give a glass of water, you give it to me. Receive
a little child, you receive me. Clear.

Time: If you speak to a political leader who could do more for his people,
do you tell him that he must do better?

Mother Teresa: I don't say it like that. I say share the joy of loving with
your people. Because a politician maybe cannot do the feeding as I do. But
he should be clear in his mind to give proper rules and proper regulations
to help his people.

Time: It is my job to keep politicians honest, and your job to share joy
with the poor.

Mother Teresa: Exactly. And it is to be for the good of the people and the
glory of God. This will be really fruitful. Like a man says to me that you
are spoiling the people by giving them fish to eat. You have to give them a
rod to catch the fish. And I said my people cannot even stand, still less
hold a rod. But I will give them the fish to eat, and when they are strong
enough, I will hand them over to you. And you give them the rod to catch the
fish. That is a beautiful combination, no?

Time: Feminist Catholic nuns sometimes say that you should pour your energy
into getting the Vatican to ordain women.

Mother Teresa: That does not touch me.

Time: What do you think of the feminist movement among nuns in the West?

Mother Teresa: I think we should be more busy with our Lord than with all
that, more busy with Jesus and proclaiming His Word. What a woman can give,
no man can give. That is why God has created them separately. Nuns, women,
any woman. Woman is created to be the heart of the family, the heart of
love. If we miss that, we miss everything. They give that love in the family
or they give it in service, that is what their creation is for.

Time: The world wants to know more about you.

Mother Teresa: No, no. Let them come to know the poor. I want them to love
the poor. I want them to try to find the poor in their own families first,
to bring peace and joy and love in the family first.

Time: Malcolm Muggeridge once said that if you had not become a Sister and
not found Christ's love, you would be a very hard woman. Do you think that
is true?

Mother Teresa: I don't know. I have no time to think about these things.

Time: People who work with you say that you are unstoppable. You always get
what you want.

Mother Teresa: That's right. All for Jesus.

Time: And if they have a problem with that?

Mother Teresa: For example, I went to a person recently who would not give
me what I needed. I said God bless you, and I went on. He called me back and
said what would you say if I give you that thing. I said I will give you a
"God bless you" and a big smile. That is all. So he said then come, I will
give it to you. We must live the simplicity of the Gospel.

Time: You once met Haile Mariam Mengistu, the much feared communist leader
of Ethiopia and an avowed atheist. You asked him if he said his prayers. Why
did you risk that?

Mother Teresa: He is one more child of God. When I went to China, one of the
top officials asked me, "What is a communist to you?" I said, "A child of
God." Then the next morning the newspapers reported that Mother Teresa said
communists are children of God. I was happy because after a long, long time
the name God was printed in the papers in China. Beautiful.

Time: Are you ever afraid?

Mother Teresa: No. I am only afraid of offending God. We are all human
beings, that is our weakness, no? The devil would do anything to destroy us,
to take us away from Jesus.

Time: Where do you see the devil at work?

Mother Teresa: Everywhere. When a person is longing to come closer to God he
puts temptation in the way to destroy the desire. Sin comes everywhere, in
the best of places.

Time: What is your greatest fear?

Mother Teresa: I have Jesus, I have no fear.

Time: What is your greatest disappointment?

Mother Teresa: I do the will of God, no? In doing the will of God there is
no disappointment.

Time: Do your work and spiritual life become easier with time?

Mother Teresa: Yes, the closer we come to Jesus, the more we become the
work. Because you know to whom you are doing it, with whom you are doing it
and for whom you are doing it. That is very clear. That is why we need a
clean heart to see God.

Time: What are your plans for the future?

Mother Teresa: I just take one day. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not
come. We have only today to love Jesus.

Time: And the future of the order?

Mother Teresa: It is His concern.


Edward W. Desmond in 1989 for Time magazine

Prayer for the Salvation of the World

Father, hear our prayers for the salvation of the world. Grant Mercy to all
souls that turned away from you. Open their hearts and minds with Your
light.

Gather your children from the east and the west, from the north and the
south. Have mercy O God on those who do not know You. Bring them out of
darkness into your light. You are our saving God who leads us in our
salvation. Protect us from evil.

Bless and praise You O Lord, hear our prayers and answer us. You, our
Savior, are the hope of all the ends of the Earth and the distant seas. May
Your way be known upon Earth; among all nations Your salvation.

We put the world in Your hands; fill us with Your love. Grant us peace
through Christ, our Lord.

Amen.