Community Chat

[gloriajean]

Live a God-filled life and it will be only natural that you will express
enthusiasm
for life, joy, laughter and happiness. Lord, may the way I live always
express my
love for You.

Scripture for the day:

"The woman said to herself, 'If I only touch his cloak, I will be made
well.' Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, 'Take heart, daughter;
your faith has made you well.'" ~Matthew 9:21-22

Meditation for the day:

This is the time for my spirit to touch the spirit of God. I can know
that the feeling of God's touch is more important than all the
sensations of material things. With just a moment's contact, all the
fever of life can leave me. Then I can be well, whole, calm and able to
rise and minister to others. God's touch is a potent healer. I can
feel that touch and sense God's presence.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that the fever of resentments, worry and fear may melt into
nothingness. I pray that health, joy, peace and serenity may take its
place.

Amen to that prayer above!

Hello my friends! Today's Mass was very beautiful - great choir, very
prayerful, and great homily! That's the first blessing of the day, then Lori
picked me up to do some shopping and then we went to her place, called Linus
at work to come there for supper and visit - another blessing. He wants the
Statler Bro. for his car - so Lori downloaded a bunch of his favorites and
she's making it into two CD's. Much cheaper than ordering it. Bought his
Christmas gift and it's at her place - she'll wrap it for me as she always
does every year! Say a prayer! Steve and Lori have been talking - and he
is thinking he made a mistake by quitting the relationship and they may try
again - all in God's Holy Will. He'll have a talk with his 15 year old
daughter, and see if things can be worked out. They both really like each
other a lot - maybe they are meant for each other - so we pray everything
works out for the best. Praying for all of you for all your needs, thanks
for your prayers for us.

HOW TO CELEBRATE CHRIST'S BIRTHDAY
-- from Christ

Author Unknown



Dear children,

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are
taking My name out of the season. Maybe you've forgotten that I
wasn't actually born during this time of the year and that it was some of
your predecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday on what was actually
a time of pagan festival. Although I do appreciate being remembered
anytime.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most
easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of
your own. I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My
birth just, GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER. Now, having said that,
let Me go on. If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't
allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of
Santa's and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own
front lawn. If all My followers did that there wouldn't be any need for such
a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all
around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a
holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You
can & may remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if
you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching explaining who I am
in relation to you & what each of our tasks were. If you have forgot
that one, look up John 15: 1 - 8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is
my wish list. Choose something from it.

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My
birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers
away
from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I
know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them
personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing George complaining about the wording on the
cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him that
you'll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up.
It will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford
and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My
birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms
and remind them that I love them.

5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

6. Did you know that some people in your town will attempt to take
their own lives this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since
you don't know who those people are, try giving everyone you meet a warm
smile. It could make the difference. Also, you might consider
supporting the local Hot-Line: they talk with people like that every day.

7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls
the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a
warm smile and a kind word even if they aren't allowed to wish you a
"Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them one. Then stop
shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn't make so much money on
that day they'd close and let their employees spend the day at home with
their families.

8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary,
especially one who takes My love & Good News to those who have never
heard My name. You may already know someone like that.

9. Here's a good one. There are individuals & whole families in your
town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither will
they have any presents to give or receive. If you don't know them (and I
suspect you don't) buy some food & a few gifts & give them to the
Marines, the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me
& they will make the delivery for you.

10 Finally if you want to make a statement about your belief in and
loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things in
secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by your actions
that you are one of mine.

P.S ~ Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me
& do what I have told you to do. I'll take care of all the rest. Check
out the list above & get to work; time is short. I'll help you, but the
ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all
those whom you love and remember I LOVE YOU

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass - it's about learning
to dance in the rain.

Listening

A man realized that he could not hear very well and that he had to buy a
hearing aid. But he did not want to spend much money on it. So he went to
the store and asked the clerk, "How much do hearing aids cost?"

"Well" said the salesman, "it depends. They run from two dollars to two
thousand .'' "Let me see the two dollar model," the man said.

The clerk hung a string around the man's neck. "Just put this button in your
ear," he said, "and stick this string in your pocket." "How does it work?"
asked the customer. "It doesn't work. But when people see it on you, they'll
speak louder."

Actually most of our communication problems are not due to people speaking
too softly, Most of us are not good listeners. Big companies know that
people want to be listened to. One company uses the motto: "We listen
better, and another company says, "We hear you."

As one little girl
The Christmas Envelope

It's just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas
tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the
branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.

It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas.

Oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it.
Overspending -- the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie
for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma -- the gifts given in
desperation because you couldn't think of anything else.

Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts,
sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike.
The inspiration came in an unusual way.

Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at
the school he attended, and shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league
match against a team sponsored by an intercut church. These youngsters,
dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing
holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their
spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes.

As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling
without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's
ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford.

Well, we ended up walloping them, taking every weight class. As each of
their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with
false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat.

Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, I wish just one of them could
have won; he said. They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could
take the heart right out of them. Mike loved kids-all kids-and he knew them,
having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse.

That's when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local
sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and
shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church.

On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling
Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the
brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years.

For each Christmas, I followed the tradition -- one year sending a group of
mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a
pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before
Christmas, and on and on.

The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last
thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys,
would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope
from the tree to reveal its contents. As the children grew, toys gave way to
more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure.

The story doesn't end there.

You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled
around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But
Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning,
it was joined by three more.

Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on
the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even
further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed
anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope.
Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us.

May we all remember Christ, who is the reason for the season, and the true
Christmas spirit.

- Author Unknown

Advent Prayer
Lord God, may we, your people, who look forward to the birthday of Christ
experience the joy of salvation and celebrate that feast with love and
thanksgiving. 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. Amen.

Origins of Christmas

Around December 22nd in the Northern Hemisphere marks the shortest day of
the year as measured between the times of sunrise and sunset. In 274 AD,
Roman Emperor Aurelian declared December 25th as a cause for celebration
because the sun begins anew its journey toward longer days... and so the
Winter Solstice pagan festival (or Yule) was born.

The early Church, which was being persecuted by ancient Rome, believed they
could convert some pagans by assimilating this holiday into Christian
beliefs. As the Pagans were celebrating the Light and the rebirth of the
Sun, early Christians took this opportunity to teach them about Jesus, who
is the "Light of the World". (And so Christians started Christmas in 336
AD.)

(Many scholars believe that Jesus was born during the Feast of Tabernacles,
which is around September.)

Even the popular Roman pagan festival Saturnalia led to a Christmas
tradition. Saturnalia was held in mid-December to honor the pagan-god of
agriculture, Saturnus, with feasting and gift giving. Early Christians
found the gift giving tradition endearing, because it is a reminder that God
gave his only Son to save us.

Let us pray:
Father, help us to prepare the way of Jesus, the Light of the world.
May we, who believe He will come again, always serve You.
Let us proclaim this mystery of faith: Christ has died, Christ is risen,
Christ will come again.
Amen.

- - -
John 8:12 - "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will have the
light of life and will never walk in darkness."

John 3:16 - For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so
that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.
promised, "I'll try to listen louder."