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January 16,
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: Eyore's Gloomy Day
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Quote for the Day:
Adventure is not outside man; it is within.
David Grayson
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 Pia Enjoying a Special Bath
In my office I have sectioned off a little space with a screen so she can sit on top of her cage and supervise. She's very sociable when she goes to the dining room. Quiet, watches her manners, etc. BUT... in my office... that is her domain. Then... only I am allowed to be there without permission. Everyone else gets the evil eye and if it looks like they really, really shouldn't be there - then she lets out this shriek. Loud and sudden. People jump. I think she likes that power of control.
If you think a cat can glare... than you really haven't seen Pi. When Pi thinks you are out of order (which means in her space) then she doesn't mind letting you know about it.
But this posting is really about her shower. She loves showers. She really gets into them. I use up the whole spray bottle making sure she gets wet, wet, wet!
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Opening Closed Doors
Sister Patricia
 Mini Retreat
Sr Patricia Proctor, OSC
You continue to walk down the hall, leaving the first door behind you. You are feeling very happy. That turned out so well! All the anger evaporated and the joy and peace you felt as you took the anger boards off the window and let love enter the room.
Soon you come to the next door. It has a very strange word on it. UPSET! Now what could that mean? Upset? Upset about what? Who is upset? That doesn't sound like a room you want to check out… maybe you will just continue past this one and check out another door. After all, you don't have to open all the doors do you?
You start to move past this second door but you find your curiosity has the best of you. Upset? Does this have something to do with you? Is there something upsetting in that room that perhaps you need to know about? What could it be?
Oh well, what the heck the first door turned out so well, maybe this one will turn out fine as well. You put your hand on the knob and gently turn it. Nothing. It's locked! Well that's stupid you think. How can I find out what is upsetting if the door won't even open?
You grasp it a little more firmly and twist it hard. Nothing.
Great. Stupid door. You jiggle the knob a little bit. You jiggle it a little bit harder. Nothing. Fine! You don't need to check out UPSET anyway. You certainly have better things to do. You let go of the knob and glare at the door.
"Why don't you open, stupid door!"
The door as if waiting for those magic words – slowly opens. And then a powerful wind rushes out at you, swirls around you and you are grasped by a huge force of air, swirling and twirling and sucking you up like a giant vacuum cleaner. It picks you up and the insides of your stomach are compressed into a hard knot. You can't breathe. You can't see. You can't think.
Yes this is Upsetting! You've been tricked! What the heck is going on here? You start getting angry!
Then for some strange reason – you remember the last door. The door with "Anger" written on it that changed into "Love."
Wasn't that amazing? You are thinking these thoughts even while you are being lambasted and tossed and twirled by this wind from hell. Geesh!
Surprisingly…as your thoughts turn away from this "UPSETTING" situation the wind lessens its grip on you and suddenly you are in the room and it is quiet and peaceful.
Hmmmm?
Could it be that it is your thoughts that control the emotions in this room? That the wind has no power over you if you are thinking of something pleasant? Something good? Something calm, peaceful?
There is nothing in this room. Nothing at all. Just you and your thoughts. How very, very strange.
A memory of being caught in traffic this morning flickers across your thoughts, you frown, remembering the impatience you felt. Almost immediately the wind picks up and now it shoves you hard against the wall.
"Stupid wind!" You yell at it. "You are just like that stupid driver this morning… absolutely no consideration for anyone else!"
You shake your fist. The wind slaps and wraps itself about you, squeezing and churning and blasting itself against you.
You are upset! Upset! Upset!
Then it hits you! That wind is you! That wind is your angry thought. Boiled up by whatever wave of emotion you give vent to.
Whoa!
The power your emotions have. The power you let them have.
The room grows very quiet and still as you think about that.
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 134:1 Quiet Time
Come, bless the Lord,
all you servants of the Lord,
who stand in the house of the Lord,
during the hours of night.
We are invited to come and bless the Lord "during the hours of the night" when the noise and confusion of the day simmers down. In the quiet hours of the night we find the solitude and stillness which is so conducive to prayer.
As we reflect on the countless blessings ofthe day just passed, our hearts want to ring out the praises of the Lord.
Jesus found the nocturnal hours conducive to prayer: "He went out to the mountain to pray, spending the night in communion with God." (Lk 6:12)
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A Smile from Home - Danielle Bean
Today's Thought
Visit Danielle's blog to see pictures and links to go with this text.
Chicken Q&A
My disclaimer: I am not a poultry farming expert. The information I share here is based solely upon my own experience with our own backyard flock.
Q: Aren't chickens very messy? Or stinky?
A: I don't think so at all. I think chickens are actually quite ladylike compared to many other animals. Of course they are animals, so there is going to be some ... manure to deal with. My husband built us a great little coop, though, with nice roosts, nesting boxes, and a wire floor. Most of the waste falls down through the the wiring. We cover the floors beneath the roosts and keep the nest boxes filled with fresh cedar shavings, and the coop only requires a major scoop-out and clean-up about twice a year.
We do have ten acres here, though, and so the coop is a good distance from our house. If it were directly outside my kitchen window, I might feel differently about the mess or the smell. I can tell you, however, that pigs are an awful lot stinkier. We used to raise a couple of pigs each year and you did not want to be downwind of those creatures. Especially when pregnant. Trust me.
To read more of Danielle's Q & A Click Here
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Spiritual Blessings from Father Rory Pitstick
A Virtual Retreat
Reflections following the Daily Liturgical cycle
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Wednesday
1 Sm 3: 1-10. 19-20
Ps 39(40): 2 and
5. 7-8a. 8b-9. 10
Mk 1: 29-39
Daily Readings
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Jan 16 Wed: Ordinary Weekday
From today's readings:
“Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.... Here am I, Lord; I come to do Your will.... Rising very early before dawn, He left and went off to a deserted place, where He prayed.”
Samuel’s Model Vocation
The Lord’s call of Samuel is an excellent biblical example of typical signs which point to a divine vocation. First, note that Samuel thought that he was being called by Eli. Likewise, a modern vocation to the priesthood or religious life often is first felt with a subdued suggestion, from parents, pastor, teachers, or others, who ask a youngster if he has ever thought of becoming a priest, or if she has any interest in serving the Lord as a religious Sister. A child faced with this prospect would probably at first just think the vocational idea originated with the person who brought it up. However, if the idea resonates within the child’s heart, and especially if the same suggestion is brought up by several significant adults, the child will eventually conclude that the vocation actually originates with God, who often calls through human instruments.
Second, note the nature of God’s call to Samuel: gentle and initially indefinite, yet clear and persistent. Likewise, a modern vocation to the priesthood or religious life often is experienced as a gentle invitation heard in prayer to come closer to God. The child or young adult might not even have a vague notion about where the invitation ultimately will lead. But the invitation itself is clear - when dismissed or put on a back burner, it inevitably will turn up again, gentle, but clear and persistent. There are exceptions (such as Paul’s vocation!) when the initial call is itself an overwhelming experience and not subtle at all, but those are the exceptions.
Finally, when Samuel responds to the Lord’s call with the exemplary, “Speak Lord, for Your servant is listening!”, the Lord in turn responds to Samuel’s response. The lectionary reading omits these verses, 1 Sam 3:11 -18, because the Lord’s words are not good news for Eli, and the lectionary compilers evidently sought to preserve the propitious and sacred sense of this vocational moment by not dampening it with the introduction of the negative news - Eli himself would probably concur with that approach (cf. v. 18). Likewise, although the call is at times experienced in the midst of some turmoil, whenever a young adult begins to respond to a divine vocation, confirmation signs affirming the response will soon be given by God.
Each of us has a role in fostering vocations to the priesthood in religious life, through our prayers and personal encouragement. During this vocation awareness week, the model vocation of Samuel can help us all to do our part in making sure the call gets heard! Note that while the call came directly from God, Eli was instrumental in setting Samuel on the right track, and think about how you might be able to do the same for someone you know who might be called by God as was Samuel.
If anyone reading this has surfaced personal vocational questions, I heartily encourage you to bring them up with a trusted spiritual advisor!
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