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January 15,
2007

Let there be Joy!

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Thoughts from Sister Patricia
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Message taken from today's Peace Card

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To send today's card: Sunshine in the House

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Quote for the Day:
Nothing is far from God.
St. Monica



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Shelley - The Happy Snow Dance


In case anyone wondered ..... Shelley loves the snow.

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BREAKING NEWS! I've started blogging on the Seattle PI !

"The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is the oldest morning newspaper in the state of Washington and has a following throughout the Northwest. It has been "The Voice of the Northwest since 1863."

You can visit the blog Monastic Moments here. The blog will always include most of the messages from my personal message of JoyNotes plus more pictures, and other stuff. Who knows what at this point?

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This evening [Tuesday, January 15th] I will be holding the first session of the three part teleconference (telephone or internet) with Susan Rowland.

Make Room for God - Clearing out the Clutter

Session One: Making God My Number One Priority [one hour]

Session Two: Putting Work in Its Place [one hour]

Session Three: Clearing Out Our (Physical) Clutter [one hour]


The time is:

6:00 pm Pacific Standard time
7:00 pm Mountain Standard time
8:00 pm Central Standard time
9:00 pm Eastern Standard time

The cost is $25.00 for all three sessions.

Sign up or find out more information here
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Blessings of Peace and Joy,
Sister Patricia and all the Sisters

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Sr. Patricia and Oprah

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Collecting Stories from
September 14 - January 15, 2007

101 Inspirational Stories
of the Power of Prayer



This project is placed under the patronage
of the Blessed Mother.

The Last Day to submit your story for the contest!


        Submit your Story         http://101prayer.com/prayerstory.html

Your daily Ten Minute Mini Retreat
Opening Closed Doors
Sister Patricia

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Mini Retreat
Sr Patricia Proctor, OSC
Meditation One: This is a series of meditations to explore difficulties you might be experiencing in your relationships. This is sort of taking a look into the dark side. The doors we often keep shut... hidden.. and forgotten. In a quiet place sit and listen to everything that is going about you. Try not to let words or thoughts break in.... just listen and absorb what is going on about you.

But don't worry... this is not a depressing exercise. Instead I think you will find it tremendously freeing - and will open you up to experience peace, joy and love in a brand new way!

Do this for one minute - then imagine a hallway opens before you. A very long, long hallway with many doors on each side of the passageway. There is very little light in the hallway, though every so often there is a little niche with a candle burning and it casts shadows on the opposite wall and the floor. It's not a scary time for you. Just sort of soft and mysterious.

Carefully walk down the hallway in your imagination. Slowly and peacefully. As you come to the first door on your left you notice there is a little sign stuck to the door. Your read it slowly. It says . . . .

ANGER!

That's sort of upsetting. You feel a tenseness in your stomach. What kind of a door is this? Are you supposed to go in?

Notice how you feel? What images come to your mind? Who or what situations come unwelcome into your thoughts?

Now you feel a very warm presence behind you. It is Jesus. He has his arm around you and gently he encourages you to open the ANGER door. You hesitate but then decide to do it. Knowing Jesus is with you makes you feel safe and protected.

As the door opens you meet the Anger that you have stored inside your thoughts and heart. You thought you had it under control but there it is, snarling and snearing and spitting.

Who comes to mind? What event comes to mind?

Now you watch as Jesus gently raises his hand and says to the ANGER! Be still. Leave.

The ANGER just goes poof! It deflates like a balloon and swishes about the room until there is nothing left at all.

There is a big window in the room that has been boarded up. You walk over to it and start taking off the boards. They come off easily. You take them down one by one. And as you handle each board. You say, "It's time to let LOVE come in here."

Light floods into the room from the window. It becomes aglow with love. You smile. It's time to leave the room and continue on. As you close the door behind you - you notice the words have been changed to something else.

LOVE



A selected meditation for the upcoming book "101 Inspirational Stories of the Power of Prayer." May 2008
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Rejoice in Me
by Msgr. David E. Rosage


Let Us Praise the Lord

Psalm 123:1 & 2b Enthroned in Heaven

To you I lift up my eyes
who are enthroned in heaven.
So are our eyes on the Lord, our God,
till he have pity on us.


When we fix our mind's eye on the Lord, we are moving into an attitude of quiet prayer. As we visualize the Lord "enthroned in heaven" we are filled with awe and wonder. It is then our hearts become jubilant, and we yearn to sing his praises.

When our eyes are on the Lord our God, we are praying. As our voices reecho his praise, as we glorify his name, our Father is pleased. St. Peter explains it thus: "Your adornment is rather the hidden character of the heart, expressed in the unfading beauty of a calm and gently disposition. This is precious in God's eyes." (1 Pet 3:4)
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Joy in Eating!
Healthy Eating from Barbara George

Elder Care Diet Tips
Your resource for hints on nutrition and health;
a place to learn and a place to share!

Visit Barb's Blog to leave comments and find more great tips.





Joy from Home
A Smile from Home - Danielle Bean

Today's Thought

Visit Danielle's blog to see pictures and links to go with this text.

God's Voice

Sometimes God's voice is small — like the sound of a toddler knocking on my bedroom door just minutes after I locked it an a desperate attempt to find ten uninterrupted minutes in which to proofread an article. “Mama, I need you.”

Sometime God’s voice is loud — like the shriek of my baby who wakes me from sleep, sniffly-nosed and angry, in the dead of the night.

Sometimes God’s voice is a whisper — like a sudden thought inside my head. Just a suggestion. A tiny “You should write that down” or “Don’t you think so-and-so might need a phone call today?”

And sometimes God’s voice is simple — like a friendly invitation. It’s the familiar sound of my husband’s voice on the other end of the phone.

“Wanna get the kids ready? Let’s take them sledding.”

He invites me to get out. To breathe cold, fresh air and drink in the dusky, quiet beauty of a late winter afternoon. To watch my children squeal with delight as they swoosh down high hills and darkness falls around them. He invites me to live a little. To let go a little. And I thank Him for that.

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Joy from Rome
Greetings from Rome with Sister Janet Fearns, FMDM

Pause for Prayer

Visit Janet's Blog to see pictures to go with this text.


On a personal note…


Journeying [taken from January 13, 2008]

shire1.bmp It is early on Sunday morning. The grey sky, heavy with clouds, is only just starting to reveal the waking world. Trees are still silhouetted, almost black, as their branches wave in the wind.

Beneath the window, a horse grazes in the field. Is it the same Shire colt that, yesterday, threatened to bite a Sister who tried to clean its sticky eye? A few months ago, it was a small foal. Already, much grown, it is larger and considerably heavier, than many an adult pony. Yet its silly little tail is still that of a baby. One day soon, perhaps, it will be lovingly and colourfully plaited, the dusty coat groomed, the untidy mane carefully combed and entwined with bright ribbons for an excursion to the showground and the gaze of admirers, gathered around the perimeter of an arena to see the once commonplace gentle giants.

Yesterday, a very different but rather frightened child found itself led through the small town of Godalming. It is just not the sort of town that expects to witness a bullock in its streets. People stopped and stared at its frazzled female companion as she held the halter and tried hard to keep the animal on the road rather than in the shops. The heavy black animal did not like the shops, the traffic or the 16th century, black and white buildings that form the centre of the town. Its owner was also unhappy at having to take responsibility for the beast, appearing increasingly worried as the minutes passed by. Who was she? What was the story behind the unfamiliar journey? Where did they begin ad where would they end?

We all have our own journey. Mine from Rome to England has already passed into history (except for the mountain of not-yet unpacked luggage which must, somehow, accompany me to London on Tuesday).

Who is with us on our travels? Do they bring us happiness or pain? What effect does my presence have on others? Am I able to bring joy into their lives?

Someone once wrote:
“Do not walk ahead of me: I might not follow.
Do not follow me: I might not lead.
Just walk beside me and be my friend.”

God bless,
Sr. Janet

Joy from Church
Spiritual Blessings from Father Rory Pitstick

A Virtual Retreat
Reflections following the Daily Liturgical cycle

Visit Fr. Rory's Blog

Tuesday

1 Sm 1: 9-20
1 Sm 2: 1. 4-5. 6-7. 8abcd
Mk 1: 21-28


Daily Readings
Jan 15 Tue: Ordinary Weekday

From today's readings: “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of Him.... My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.... The people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.”

Prejudice and Contrition


The word “prejudice” literally means “pre-judgment,” the crystalizing of an opinion before all pertinent facts have a chance to be examined and considered. While the word is strongly charged in modern parlance as the unwarranted basis for racial and other discrimination, “prejudice” actually has a wider denotation that applies to numerous everyday situations that more than likely all of us find ourselves in too often.

In the first reading, when the priest Eli saw Hannah miserably mouthing her petition in the temple, he concluded that she was drunk, and so he berated her in a rather un-priestly fashion! In his pre-judgment, Eli had concluded the worst about Hannah, and even told her so. To Hannah’s credit, she did NOT storm out of the temple, never to return, harboring a lifelong grudge against cruel priests! Given Eli’s insensitivity, no one would have blamed Hannah for overreacting in such a manner, as some have done in our day in response to insensitive remarks or other inexcusable actions of priests. Hannah, however, looks past Eli’s human failings and calls upon the intercession of his priesthood as she explains to him a bit of her sad situation. Much chagrined, Eli changes his tone completely, intercedes as a priest for her petition, and offers Hannah a few words that evidently brought her comfort, for she “left, went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband, and no longer appeared downcast.” Read the rest of chapter one to see the happy ending to this incident!

In my own human frailty, I know I have been guilty of Eli’s example of prejudice - instantly assuming the worst about people; and even if my words aren’t as coldly insensitive as were Eli’s, there’s still been too many times when I made my disgust known, even if only with a non-verbal cold shoulder. Inspired by the Word of God, I’m sure that all my brother priests join me in praying to God for forgiveness for such faults, and begging anyone offended by any one of us to have the mature faith of Hannah - look past our human failings, turn to your priests for the prayers, inspiration and intercession God charges us to provide, bringing the Gospel - the Good News! - to every heavy heart.


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