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Delivered Monday through Friday!
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June 24,
2008
Angels Watching O'er Me
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Joy from the Monastery |
Thoughts from Sister Patricia
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to leave a comment and share with others about this topic.
To send this card: Birth of Saint John the Baptist
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Quote for the Day:
Do not be troubled if you do not immediately receive from God what you ask him; for he desires to do something even greater for you, while you cling to him in prayer.
Evagrius Ponticus
Quote from the book, "101 Inspirational Stories of the Power of Prayer"
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I have read from different sources that if you don't "feel" like if you have faith... you should act "as if" you had faith anyway. So I wonder if that means we move forward with things - as if we are a great saint whom God is listening to as much as a Saint Paul or Saint Joan of Arc. I do believe God has no favorites... but I wonder how great my faith is compared to theirs? Do I even want to have that kind of faith... the faith that opens the door to great opposition? It's so much easier and simpler to have a nice quiet faith - that minds its own business and stays at home. I'm not saying I want to be a radical - because I don't. I do believe I'm rather a wimp in the faith camp. I'm just sort of challenging myself is all.... don't know why.. just questions that sort of seem to have popped up.
Today I'm being swallowed by the grumpies and the frustations of life. Nothing big, nothing major - just the glums that settled in like a heavy fog on the day. I'm trying to think how to push beyond that.
I have been thinking off and on about Blessed Basil Hopko having to walk for 121 days without stopping. I just so totally cannot imagine that - nor can I imagine anyone (much less a group) putting someone to such torture for that length of time. Sometimes I get in one of my moods where I think I could probably do someone in.. but it never lasts very long and I always feel completely ugly, ugly.. imagine torturing someone for that length of time? What kind of possession must they be under?
Then I think well, geesh, you can't handle stupid little inconsiderations for a few minutes - hardly ever a day and certainly not 121 days! And truthfully - I don't want to handle inconsiderations... even if they are of my own making. So does that take me out of the running for saint hood? Nope, I don't think so. What it means is - that if we are going to be saints.. it's got to be God that makes us one.. because we are sure not going to accomplish it on our own.
That has been my major break through for the day. Blessed Basil - did not want to go to prison - he did not choose to be tortured - and imprisoned - but what he did choose was to say YES to God - one minute at a time. So I guess that is what I am to do - Give the planning and the details to God - and concentrate on just saying "YES" to whatever unfolds from his hands.. one minute at a time. Even on a grumpy, gray old day that I would rather forget - somehow - bear up and get through it.
Probably need to drink a lot more water and horrors.. maybe even take my vitamins. I did get enough sleep so that is not an issue - I think its a "CONTROL" issue.. wanting God and Life to operate on my time schedule to my planning and it's not happening.
So Lah de dah - lah de dah - God will work things out - regardless of how sweet and charming (or not) I'm at the moment.
Blessings of Peace and Joy! (God's Peace and Joy that is!)
Sister Patricia
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Saint of the day
Reverend Fun
Motivational
Meditation
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Taking My Own Advice
Rowena S. Glasfurd
Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Like many others, my story begins with disappointment. I was disappointed at work, because I did not get to do what I wanted to and everything I laid my hands on was a failure. I was disappointed at home because I could not spend enough time with my four-year-old daughter. I felt that my relationship with my family was suffering. I had dreams and ambitions that I felt I would never be able to fulfill.
My mind was filled with doubts when a person I knew very well started at my work. This person was a Hindu and had a lot of questions about Christianity. As a good Catholic, I began telling him about Jesus and my relationship with God. Eventually, he began turning to me for spiritual support. As I guided him, I came to realize how important it was to submit to God.
To share a Comment
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/monasticmoments/archives/141853.asp
From the book 101 Inspirational Stories of the Power of Prayer
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Blogs Supporting 101 Prayer |
The Daily Grotto
Danielle Bean
Friends for Jesus
Cause of Our Joy
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Rejoice in Me
by Msgr. David E. Rosage
God's Might and Power
Psalm 145:3-4
Great is the Lord and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
Generation after generation praises your works
and proclaims your might.
The might and power of God is certainly unsearchable. His power is concealed in all his creation from the tiny atom to the mighty sun.
As we stand in awe and reverence, our heart longs to sing his praises. We join with all peoples in praising and glorifying his mighty power.
Overwhelmed by the mystery of God, the inspired writer exclaimed: "How deep are the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How inscrutable his judgements, how unsearchable his ways!" (Rom 11:33)
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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.
Abandoned
This morning I take my big girls to camp. It’s a day camp, but they’ll be spending evenings at their grandmother’s house for the week. Which will leave Gabby and me alone to face a houseful of testosterone. One husband, five sons, and one dog. All boys.
I’m thinking I should move into her bedroom for the week and bring along my nail polish, hair accessories, and Jane Austen novels. We can also encourage plenty of fishing trips and outdoor activities for the men folk. Together, we can do this.
Gabrielle, however, has her doubts. When I was explaining the logistics of our upcoming week to her last night at bedtime, she looked a little uncertain.
“It might be okay,” she told me, “if we do a lot of shopping.”
Hmmm, yeah. I’ve probably got all the girl I need right here.
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Greetings from London with Sister Janet Fearns, FMDM
Pause for Prayer
Visit Janet's Blog to see pictures to go with this text.
On a personal note…
Cry, my beloved country
Cry, my beloved country. How many Zimbabweans must be thinking just such thoughts at this present time?
Zimbabwe certainly was a beautiful country and probably still is, if its loveliness can be seen through the veil of tears shed by its own sons and daughters.
I look back in time and visualise the vast expanse of the Hwange Game Park with its magnificent wildlife. There is the crashing force of the Victoria Falls as millions of gallons of water cascade over the rocks into the Zambezi River far below. Rocks covered with paintings dating back many millenia are almost commonplace in the wonderful scenario of the Matopas…
… and then, in the town of Victoria Falls, there is, on one side of the town, the luxury that caters for the tourist and, on the other, a shanty town where the ‘houses’ are made from black plastic bin liners… the story continues…we all hear, day by day, of the horrors visited upon the country by Rent-a-Mob thugs who call themselves ‘war veterans’, too young to have struggled for independence, but old enough to inflict unnecessary suffering on the innocent who crave freedom.
Cry, my beloved country and we will shed our tears with you. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May he turn his countenance upon you and be gracious to you. May he bless you and give you peace.
God bless,
Sr. Janet
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Spiritual Blessings from Father Rory Pitstick
A Virtual Retreat
Reflections following the Daily Liturgical cycle
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Tuesday
Day: Is 49:1-6
Ps 138(139)/Acts 13:22-26
Lk 1:57-66.80
Daily Readings
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Jun 24 Tue: NATIVITY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST S
From today's readings:
"The LORD called me from birth, from my mother's womb he gave me my name.... Truly You have formed my inmost being; You knit me in my mother's womb. I give You thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works.... My brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those others among you who are God-fearing, to us this word of salvation has been sent.... For surely the hand of the Lord was with him..."
The Baptist's Birth
Some artists have produced masterworks partly on accident - they started with one idea, but ended up changing design plans because of the quality of their raw materials, or limitations of the medium, or a fresh inspiration. However, such developments and modifications are completely excluded from the creative activity of God our Creator - He always starts with a complete and perfect plan that takes into account all contingencies, and so He then molds His work into the envisioned model.
Today's solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist emphasizes this point. Half a year away from celebrating the birth of our Savior, we see how God prepared the world for that event - by sending His precursor to prepare His way. The scriptural texts that relate the birth of John clearly outline the guiding power of Providence, and thus explain why God's people are called upon to embrace their own parts in God's plan as it is gradually unfolded in their lives.
For although John's role of preparing the way of the Lord was certainly unique, yet that doesn't mean that our Creator was more concerned and involved in John's birth than He was in your birth or mine. In fact, each one of us is just as entitled to echo Isaiah's words: "The LORD called me from birth, from my mother's womb, He gave me my name!" So when you come to celebrate your own birthday this year, re-read these biblical verses detailing God's Providence in bringing John to birth, and rest assured that the very same creative Genius created you as well as a masterpiece with a uniquely sculptured place in the plan of Providence!
Fr. Rory Pitstick Our Lady of the Valley Parish 2511 N. Elmway Okanogan WA 98840 USA
(509) 422-5049
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