Archive for June 23rd, 2008

The beginning of sanctity lies in my total abandonment to the Lord’s will, even in little things.

June 23, 2008

When: Monday, June 23, 2008 12:00 AM to Tuesday, June 24, 2008 12:00 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 
Words of Jesus
"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, `Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. 
Matthew 7: 1 – 5
 
The beginning of sanctity lies in my total abandonment to the Lord’s will, even in little things.
— Bl. John XXIII
 
Abba, Father, Lord God, grateful but humbled by my selfish and prideful nature, unable to empty myself of all that I have become under the sun, I see and hear a man unable, yet worse I feel a man convicted by the spirit being he wishes to become, held back by the human being that he has become. O how vain I must be to think that I would have anything , but the Words of Jesus to offer anyone; when I have so far to go, how can I pronounce any thought, opinion or judgment on anyone? So I ask:  Is Jesus truly capable of breaking the chains that bind me? Can Jesus have mercy on me? Can Jesus rescue me from myself? What do I have to do to learn how to put Jesus’ teaches into action? To be His image under the sun; my heart likened to His, my words, actions and image a light on a hill. Surrounded by my mistakes, covered by the man I have become, not the man I want to be. A man after Your heart! O that You would find me worthy of continued mercy and grace, that You would bless me indeed, that Your hand would help separate me from what I have become, from what I am in Jesus. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
 
 
Audio books I am listening to and other books or readings I am reading:
The Shack Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant "The Shack" wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You’ll want everyone you know to read this book!
Revolution: Finding Vibrant Faith Beyond the Walls of the Sanctuary (Unabridged) – World-renowned pollster George Barna has the numbers, and they indicate a revolution is already taking place within the Church: one that will impact every believer in America. For leaders working for positive change in the church, and for believers struggling to find a spiritual community and worship experience that resonates, Revolution is here. Are you ready?
Heaven Is Real: Lessons on Earthly Joy – from the Man Who Spent 90 Minutes in Heaven (Unabridged) – On January 18th 1989, Don Piper died in a car accident. Ninety minutes later, after a preacher prayed over him, Piper came back to life with an extraordinary story. He’d been to heaven. So began the phenomenon of 90 Minutes in Heaven.
 
 

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first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

June 23, 2008

When: Thursday, June 12, 2008 12:00 AM to Friday, June 13, 2008 12:00 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 
Words of Jesus
For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.         "You have heard that it was said to the men of old, `You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, `You fool!’ shall be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison; truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny.
Matthew 5: 20 – 26
 
Blessed is He who came into the world for no other purpose than to suffer.
— St Teresa of Avila
 
Abba, Father, Lord God, humbled but always thankful for all Your blessings, I ask that You bless me and my house this day, that You enlarge our territory and that Your hand would be with each of us to keep us from evil and from causing pain. For I am committed to create a legacy built on faith, empowered by hope and filled with love, unconditional love. The kind of love that is forgiving as its source, for no one under the sun should be or do anything but what he or she would expect and ask for be done to and with them. For as You have forgiven, we should forgive, and as You are slow to anger we too should always work towards letting go of what tempts us to be angry, and always be quick to reconcile in this unconditional love. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen. 
 
 
Audio books I am listening to and other books or readings I am reading:
Heaven Is Real: Lessons on Earthly Joy – from the Man Who Spent 90 Minutes in Heaven (Unabridged) – On January 18th 1989, Don Piper died in a car accident. Ninety minutes later, after a preacher prayed over him, Piper came back to life with an extraordinary story. He’d been to heaven. So began the phenomenon of 90 Minutes in Heaven.
Revolution: Finding Vibrant Faith Beyond the Walls of the Sanctuary (Unabridged) – World-renowned pollster George Barna has the numbers, and they indicate a revolution is already taking place within the Church: one that will impact every believer in America. For leaders working for positive change in the church, and for believers struggling to find a spiritual community and worship experience that resonates, Revolution is here. Are you ready?
 
 

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`I desire mercy, and not sacrifice. ‘For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."

June 23, 2008

When: Sunday, June 08, 2008 12:00 AM to Monday, June 09, 2008 12:00 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 
Words of Jesus
As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him. And as he sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" But when he heard it, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, `I desire mercy, and not sacrifice. ‘For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."

Matthew 9: 9 – 13
 
The passion of Jesus is a sea of sorrows, but it is also an ocean of love. Ask the Lord to teach you to fish in this ocean. Dive into its depths. No matter how deep you go, you will never reach the bottom.
— St. Paul of the Cross
 
Abba, Father, Lord God, always thankful and aware, I feel it must be from a grateful heart, thirsty  spirit and hunger mind, that I come to You. For it is in the counting of my blessings and all that You have given me that feeling begins replaces desire. Today’s readings are clear to the fact that You ‘desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God, rather than burnt offerings.’ Away from the busyness under the sun and removed from the desires of my human nature it is easy to feel Your presence and in that presence know that I am expressing my love for You through my seeking to know You more and expressing that knowledge in acts of faith, expressed in hope and worked out through love. But under the sun I must fight doubt and embrace each moment for what it is; a chance to work out my faith by finding hope in loving all that I have over that which I desire. Oh that You would help me find the faith of Abraham to go with the heart of David, for as St. Paul writes today ‘No distrust made him waver concerning Your promise, he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to You, fully convinced that You were able to do what You had promised. That is why his faith was "reckoned to him as righteousness."’ In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
 
 
Hosea 6:3-6
Psalm 50:1, 8, 12-15
Romans 4:18-25
Matthew 9:9-13
 
Audio books I am listening to and other books or readings I am reading:
Heaven Is Real: Lessons on Earthly Joy – from the Man Who Spent 90 Minutes in Heaven (Unabridged) – On January 18th 1989, Don Piper died in a car accident. Ninety minutes later, after a preacher prayed over him, Piper came back to life with an extraordinary story. He’d been to heaven. So began the phenomenon of 90 Minutes in Heaven.
Revolution: Finding Vibrant Faith Beyond the Walls of the Sanctuary (Unabridged) – World-renowned pollster George Barna has the numbers, and they indicate a revolution is already taking place within the Church: one that will impact every believer in America. For leaders working for positive change in the church, and for believers struggling to find a spiritual community and worship experience that resonates, Revolution is here. Are you ready?
 
 

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`I desire mercy, and not sacrifice. ‘For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."

June 23, 2008

When: Sunday, June 08, 2008 12:00 AM to Monday, June 09, 2008 12:00 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 
Words of Jesus
As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him. And as he sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" But when he heard it, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, `I desire mercy, and not sacrifice. ‘For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."
Matthew 9: 9 – 13
 
The passion of Jesus is a sea of sorrows, but it is also an ocean of love. Ask the Lord to teach you to fish in this ocean. Dive into its depths. No matter how deep you go, you will never reach the bottom.
— St. Paul of the Cross
 
Abba, Father, Lord God, always thankful and aware, I feel it must be from a grateful heart, thirsty  spirit and hunger mind, that I come to You. For it is in the counting of my blessings and all that You have given me that feeling begins replaces desire. Today’s readings are clear to the fact that You ‘desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God, rather than burnt offerings.’ Away from the busyness under the sun and removed from the desires of my human nature it is easy to feel Your presence and in that presence know that I am expressing my love for You through my seeking to know You more and expressing that knowledge in acts of faith, expressed in hope and worked out through love. But under the sun I must fight doubt and embrace each moment for what it is; a chance to work out my faith by finding hope in loving all that I have over that which I desire. Oh that You would help me find the faith of Abraham to go with the heart of David, for as St. Paul writes today ‘No distrust made him waver concerning Your promise, he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to You, fully convinced that You were able to do what You had promised. That is why his faith was "reckoned to him as righteousness."’ In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
 
 
 
Audio books I am listening to and other books or readings I am reading:
Heaven Is Real: Lessons on Earthly Joy – from the Man Who Spent 90 Minutes in Heaven (Unabridged) – On January 18th 1989, Don Piper died in a car accident. Ninety minutes later, after a preacher prayed over him, Piper came back to life with an extraordinary story. He’d been to heaven. So began the phenomenon of 90 Minutes in Heaven.
Revolution: Finding Vibrant Faith Beyond the Walls of the Sanctuary (Unabridged) – World-renowned pollster George Barna has the numbers, and they indicate a revolution is already taking place within the Church: one that will impact every believer in America. For leaders working for positive change in the church, and for believers struggling to find a spiritual community and worship experience that resonates, Revolution is here. Are you ready?
 
 

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when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret;

June 23, 2008

When: Wednesday, June 18, 2008 12:00 AM to Thursday, June 19, 2008 12:00 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 
Words of Jesus
"Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven." Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. "And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Matthew 6: 1 – 6, 16 – 18
 
Take good care for the aged, for in them you are caring for Christ Himself.
— Bl. Jeanne Jugan
 
Abba, Father, Lord God, thankful and hungry for Your Word I come before You today; seeking to ‘be strong, and let my heart take courage’ from these Words as I wait on You today. Conscious of Your presence yet over whelmed by thoughts of one beaten down, humbled and stripped to my essence, faced with the reflection of what I have been before man and what I am before You. Trying to stay focused and walk in the moment as I am, Your child, saved by the passion of Christ Jesus, united through Him with You by the Holy Spirit; and not worry about has been or can be, but what is. As it is in these moments with You, which I feel the busyness under the sun tries to separate me from, by robbing me of this time with You. But I will not surrender, I will not be pulled way, for I seek Thy will above all and the Heart of Jesus hidden in the Wisdom of the Holy Spirit, whom I know lives and works out in me through my faith, hope and love. ‘O that You would bless me and my love ones today, enlarger our territory, and that You hand would be with us to keep us from evil, and from causing any pain.’ In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
 
 
Audio books I am listening to and other books or readings I am reading:
The Shack Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant "The Shack" wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You’ll want everyone you know to read this book!
Revolution: Finding Vibrant Faith Beyond the Walls of the Sanctuary (Unabridged) – World-renowned pollster George Barna has the numbers, and they indicate a revolution is already taking place within the Church: one that will impact every believer in America. For leaders working for positive change in the church, and for believers struggling to find a spiritual community and worship experience that resonates, Revolution is here. Are you ready?
Heaven Is Real: Lessons on Earthly Joy – from the Man Who Spent 90 Minutes in Heaven (Unabridged) – On January 18th 1989, Don Piper died in a car accident. Ninety minutes later, after a preacher prayed over him, Piper came back to life with an extraordinary story. He’d been to heaven. So began the phenomenon of 90 Minutes in Heaven.
 
 

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seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.

June 23, 2008

When: Saturday, June 21, 2008 12:00 AM to Sunday, June 22, 2008 12:00 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 
Words of Jesus
"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, `What shall we eat?’ or `What shall we drink?’ or `What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.
Matthew 6:24-34
 
It is better to be the child of God than king of the whole world.
— St. Aloysius Gonzaga
 
Abba, Father, Lord God, O Lord hear my thoughts and prayers; You know my heart; You know my human and spirit nature for You are my source of source; and only You know my intent and how I do try so hard to hold myself accountable to the conviction of the spirit within me according to the teachings of Jesus. I ask Your help in dying to my human self and all of its pride and selfishness, so that I may visibly rise in the spirit with Jesus and Your work in me would be light on the hill to heaven. O that You would bless me indeed, that Your hand would be with me and my love ones always, to keep us from evil and from causing any hurt or pain; and that I may be able to proclaim as did Joshua ‘as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord’. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
 
 
Audio books I am listening to and other books or readings I am reading:
The Shack Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant "The Shack" wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You’ll want everyone you know to read this book!
Revolution: Finding Vibrant Faith Beyond the Walls of the Sanctuary (Unabridged) – World-renowned pollster George Barna has the numbers, and they indicate a revolution is already taking place within the Church: one that will impact every believer in America. For leaders working for positive change in the church, and for believers struggling to find a spiritual community and worship experience that resonates, Revolution is here. Are you ready?
Heaven Is Real: Lessons on Earthly Joy – from the Man Who Spent 90 Minutes in Heaven (Unabridged) – On January 18th 1989, Don Piper died in a car accident. Ninety minutes later, after a preacher prayed over him, Piper came back to life with an extraordinary story. He’d been to heaven. So began the phenomenon of 90 Minutes in Heaven.
 
 

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I saw all the devil’s traps set upon the earth, and groaned and said, "Who do you think can pass through them?" And I heard a voice saying, "Humility."

June 23, 2008

When: Sunday, June 22, 2008 12:00 AM to Monday, June 23, 2008 12:00 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 
Words of Jesus
"So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, utter in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s will. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. 
Matthew 10: 26 – 33
 
I saw all the devil’s traps set upon the earth, and groaned and said, "Who do you think can pass through them?" And I heard a voice saying, "Humility."
— St Anthony the Great
 
Abba, Father, Lord God, ‘O LORD of hosts, who tryst the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind’; You know how thankful I am for all Your blessings, mercy and grace; You know the number of breathes I will take. ‘I have become a stranger to my brethren’, I understand that ‘sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law.’ I want to believe that sin is that which is not according to Thy source, my source, and my true being nature which source is spiritual, and thus I meditate on Your every Word looking to feed my spirit being giving drink to human being. O that You would bless me indeed, that Your hand would be with me and my love ones always, to keep us from evil and from causing any hurt or pain; and that I may be a light for You and as did Joshua be able to proclaim ‘as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord’; for ‘to Thee have I committed my cause’. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
 
 
Audio books I am listening to and other books or readings I am reading:
The Shack Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant "The Shack" wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You’ll want everyone you know to read this book!
Revolution: Finding Vibrant Faith Beyond the Walls of the Sanctuary (Unabridged) – World-renowned pollster George Barna has the numbers, and they indicate a revolution is already taking place within the Church: one that will impact every believer in America. For leaders working for positive change in the church, and for believers struggling to find a spiritual community and worship experience that resonates, Revolution is here. Are you ready?
Heaven Is Real: Lessons on Earthly Joy – from the Man Who Spent 90 Minutes in Heaven (Unabridged) – On January 18th 1989, Don Piper died in a car accident. Ninety minutes later, after a preacher prayed over him, Piper came back to life with an extraordinary story. He’d been to heaven. So began the phenomenon of 90 Minutes in Heaven.
 
 

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