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Prayer & Readings – The LORD is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.

August 24, 2007

When: Friday, August 24, 2007 6:00 AM-7:00 AM.

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Dear Lord God, here I am, right now, I cannot change yesterday and cannot control tomorrow, I can only deal with what I do now. So I come to You for with You I find peace, rest and courage; courage to be, to be strong, to be gentle, to be righteous, to be humble and to be eyes of faith. For as St. Ephraem states today not one of us that has been born again, as Jesus explained to  Nicodemus, wants to go back, but to path ahead is full of trials, tribulations and temptations. Lord I feel You are revealing to me that just as I must stay in the now, for yesterday only holds me back and tomorrow keeps me from acting now; I must stay within myself with You, in Your presence. For to be present within myself is being and being is what I can control now; and being with You is how I serve Your will. If I allow myself to be distracted and impacted in the by external influences I begin to leave the moment of now and Your presence. Walking this way in the now isn’t easy, it requires practice, it requires I make more choices and fewer decisions. O Lord through Jesus Christ I can find this way for He is my teacher as well as Savior. So my prayer today is that in His name You would have mercy on me and with Jesus in the Holy Spirit You would help show Yourself more visibly to me. For in Your presence the choices become clearer and courage comes from just being. O Lord God for the sake of His sorrowful passion have mercy on us and on the whole world, Amen.
 
What leper, when he has been healed, turns again and desires to have his leprosy back? You have put off your transgressions in Baptism….forsake them! – St. Ephraem the Syrian
 
9 Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, and spoke to me, saying, "Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb." 10 And in the Spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed; 13 on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.


Psalm 145:10-13, 17-18
10 All thy works shall give thanks to thee, O LORD, and all thy saints shall bless thee! 11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and tell of thy power, 12 to make known to the sons of men thy mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of thy kingdom. 13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endures throughout all generations. The LORD is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds. 17 The LORD is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings. 18 The LORD is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.

John 1:45-51
45 Philip found Nathan’a-el, and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." 46 Nathan’a-el said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." 47 Jesus saw Nathan’a-el coming to him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" 48 Nathan’a-el said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." 49 Nathan’a-el answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" 50 Jesus answered him, "Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these." 51 And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."

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Prayer & Readings – anyone who does not confess all that pertains to Christ does in fact deny Christ

August 23, 2007

When: Thursday, August 23, 2007 6:00 AM-7:00 AM.

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Dear Lord God, the business of life under the sun occupies my mind the little things that go wrong, the big things that I need to get done. So I come to You for peace and rest, for clarity of mind which controls the body and calming of the spirit which feeds the heart; for a ripe heart leads the mind in seeking Your will, and only a ripe heart can produce the fruit of the spirit which is my goal. O Lord for the sake of His sorrowful passion have mercy on use and on the whole world. In the name of Jesus and all that pertains to Him I ask for Your continued grace and mercy so that I may finish the race in His name and for His glory, Amen. 
 
Even the heretics appear to have Christ, for none of them denies the name of Christ. Yet, anyone who does not confess all that pertains to Christ does in fact deny Christ. — St. Ambrose of Milan

Judges 11:29-39
29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manas’seh, and passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites. 30 And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, "If thou wilt give the Ammonites into my hand, 31 then whoever comes forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return victorious from the Ammonites, shall be the LORD’s, and I will offer him up for a burnt offering." 32 So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them; and the LORD gave them into his hand. 33 And he smote them from Aro’er to the neighborhood of Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim, with a very great slaughter. So the Ammonites were subdued before the people of Israel. 34 Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah; and behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances; she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And when he saw her, he rent his clothes, and said, "Alas, my daughter! you have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me; for I have opened my mouth to the LORD, and I cannot take back my vow." 36 And she said to him, "My father, if you have opened your mouth to the LORD, do to me according to what has gone forth from your mouth, now that the LORD has avenged you on your enemies, on the Ammonites." 37 And she said to her father, "Let this thing be done for me; let me alone two months, that I may go and wander on the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my companions." 38 And he said, "Go." And he sent her away for two months; and she departed, she and her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. 39 And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had made. She had never known a man. And it became a custom in Israel

Psalm 40:5, 7-10
5 Thou hast multiplied, O LORD my God, thy wondrous deeds and thy thoughts toward us; none can compare with thee! Were I to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than can be numbered. 7 Then I said, "Lo, I come; in the roll of the book it is written of me; 8 I delight to do thy will, O my God; thy law is within my heart." 9 I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; lo, I have not restrained my lips, as thou knowest, O LORD. 10 I have not hid thy saving help within my heart, I have spoken of thy faithfulness and thy salvation; I have not concealed thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness from the great congregation.

Matthew 22:1-14
1 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast; but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, `Tell those who are invited, Behold, I have made ready my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves are killed, and everything is ready; come to the marriage feast.’ 5 But they made light of it and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, `The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the thoroughfares, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 "But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment; 12 and he said to him, `Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, `Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen."
 

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Prayer & Readings – O Lord God for the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

August 22, 2007

When: Wednesday, August 22, 2007 6:00 AM-7:00 AM.

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Dear Lord God, the whole world is in search, humans need answer, but I remember Father Guys Homely about beyond fact. I realize that it is faith not fact that matters; for You are the Source of Source and You created in our hearts the need to know. But what if we knew; would we then ask how can we believe we can do it. All one has to do is look at all the things under the sun that are possible, but yet we do not achieve, often we do not even try because we do not believe we can do something that we know can be done. O that we would forget the ‘if’ and focus more on the ‘how’. For I believe all paths under the sun lead to You and we see You along the path many times. We just need to slow down, believe and let You in. Just like with loving and knowing You, if we focus on loving, we will find You; despite all the horror, the tragedies, the catastrophes and evil. For with love we will see all the good. It is so appropriate that today with the Chaplet of Divine Mercy on my mind the Saint quote is the revelation to Saint Faustina and the proclamation to the whole world (Jew, Muslim Christian and Atheist) of Your unfathomable mercy. O Lord God for the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. In the name of Jesus Christ I ask and pray for mercy, that I show and receive mercy, and the through Your Son Jesus Christ someone will be touched today to show mercy as they travel their path today. For as Jesus said whenever we did, we did so to Him. This is why I believe in You, in the Son and the Holy Spirit and know that if I can keep my heart ripe, the fruit will be love, hope and faith. Please be with my love ones while I am away, Amen.
 
Apostle of My mercy, proclaim to the whole world My unfathomable mercy.
— Revelation to St. Faustina
1 But there will be no gloom for her that was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zeb’ulun and the land of Naph’tali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. 3 Thou hast multiplied the nation, thou hast increased its joy; they rejoice before thee as with joy at the harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, thou hast broken as on the day of Mid’ian. 5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."


Psalm 113:1-8
1 Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD! 2 Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore! 3 From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the LORD is to be praised! 4 The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens! 5 Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high, 6 who looks far down upon the heavens and the earth? 7 He raises the poor from the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap, 8 to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.

Luke 1:26-38
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give

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Prayer & Readings – I look to You Lord, without You I can do nothing, with and through You all things are possible!

August 21, 2007

When: Tuesday, August 21, 2007 9:00 AM-9:30 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).
 
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Dear Lord God, O Lord I see Your hand is everything as the world is at war over its interpretation of what You desire, but as Solomon said under the sun all is folly for under the sun our human nature can never know and can only serve itself. I look at myself and see how natural it is to focus on myself and create a false sense of understanding to justify whatever behavior I thought best for that moment, but now through Jesus I see the error of my ways, and when I meditate on Him I believe I see the world through His eyes and I cry; for so many of us who accept Him as our savior have used Him and we will have to deal with that fact. I do not seek to judge, but as the song goes the world has a voice and it is ‘crying for mercy’. And I hear that voice, sometimes as one, sometimes as many, but the cry is the same. O Lord have I so many thoughts running through my mind and my nature tries to react to each one, but in this time with You I try to let go and just practice Your presence, to meditate on Your readings, to rest in and be with You. For in this state there is no need, no need to react, no need for anything, but then the clock says it is time to get going. O Lord God for the sake of His sorrowful passion have mercy on us and on the all world. In Jesus name I pray and ask that You be with me and my love ones as I travel; help us all to use this time to grow closer to You, Amen.
 
To rely on our talents is a cause of great loss. When soneone places confidence in his own prudence, knowledge, and intelligence, God, To make him know and see his insufficiency, withdraws from him His help and leaves him to work by himself. This is often why our undertakings miserably fail.
— St. Vincent de Paul
11 Now the angel of the LORD came and sat under the oak at Ophrah, which belonged to Jo’ash the Abiez’rite, as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Mid’ianites. 12 And the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor." 13 And Gideon said to him, "Pray, sir, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this befallen us? And where are all his wonderful deeds which our fathers recounted to us, saying, `Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has cast us off, and given us into the hand of Mid’ian." 14 And the LORD turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Mid’ian; do not I send you?" 15 And he said to him, "Pray, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manas’seh, and I am the least in my family." 16 And the LORD said to him, "But I will be with you, and you shall smite the Mid’ianites as one man." 17 And he said to him, "If now I have found favor with thee, then show me a sign that it is thou who speakest with me. 18 Do not depart from here, I pray thee, until I come to thee, and bring out my present, and set it before thee." And he said, "I will stay till you return." 19 So Gideon went into his house and prepared a kid, and unleavened cakes from an ephah of flour; the meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the oak and presented them. 20 And the angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour the broth over them." And he did so. 21 Then the angel of the LORD reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes; and there sprang up fire from the rock and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight. 22 Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the LORD; and Gideon said, "Alas, O Lord GOD! For now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face." 23 But the LORD said to him, "Peace be to you; do not fear, you shall not die." 24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it, The LORD is peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiez’rites.

Psalm 85:9, 11-14
9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land. 11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky. 12 Yea, the LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. 13 Righteousness will go before him, and make his footsteps a way.
Matthew 19:23-30
23 And Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 25 When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" 26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." 27 Then Peter said in reply, "Lo, we have left everything and followed you. What then shall we have?" 28 Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of man shall sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. 30 But many that are first will be last, and the last first.
 
 

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Readings – Strong in You, walking with Jesus

August 21, 2007

When: Tuesday, August 21, 2007 9:30 AM-10:00 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).
 
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Dear Lord God, I look back at yesterday with thanksgiving and praise; for You put me where I asked, doing what I wanted – You are truly an assume God, loving, forgiving and through Jesus I see how I get to know You more. Thank You for safe travel, thank You for watching over my love ones. Lord You see my heart, You know my every thought; I seek You, to serve and worship You. I ask and pray that I will run a good race and that through Jesus Christ I will serve Your will and fulfill Your purpose powerfully and peacefully, in Jesus’ Holy name I pray and ask that You will help me see and stay strong in You, Amen.
A weak minded person is frequently diverted toward pursuing exterior happiness when the breath of popular favor accompanies his good actions. So he gives up his own personal choices, prefering to remain at the mercy of whatever he hears from others. Thus, he rejoices not so much to become but to be called blessed. Eager for praise, he gives up what he had begun to be; and so he is severed from God by the very means by which he appeared to be commendable in God.
— Pope St. Gregory the Great
11 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Ba’als; 12 and they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; they went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were round about them, and bowed down to them; and they provoked the LORD to anger. 13 They forsook the LORD, and served the Ba’als and the Ash’taroth. 14 So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them; and he sold them into the power of their enemies round about, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. 15 Whenever they marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had warned, and as the LORD had sworn to them; and they were in sore straits. 16 Then the LORD raised up Judges, who saved them out of the power of those who plundered them. 17 And yet they did not listen to their Judges; for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed down to them; they soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the LORD, and they did not do so. 18 Whenever the LORD raised up Judges for them, the LORD was with the Judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the Judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. 19 But whenever the Judge died, they turned back and behaved worse than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them; they did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways.

Psalm 106:34-37, 39-40, 43-44
34 They did not destroy the peoples, as the LORD commanded them, 35 but they mingled with the nations and learned to do as they did. 36 They served their idols, which became a snare to them. 37 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; 39 Thus they became unclean by their acts, and played the harlot in their doings. 40 Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people, and he abhorred his heritage; 43 Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes, and were brought low through their iniquity. 44 Nevertheless he regarded their distress, when he heard their cry.
Matthew 19:16-22
16 And behold, one came up to him, saying, "Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?" 17 And he said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? One there is who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments." 18 He said to him, "Which?" And Jesus said, "You shall not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 20 The young man said to him, "All these I have observed; what do I still lack?" 21 Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.
 
 

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Prayer & Readings – The Lord, rewards great services with trials, and there can be no better reward, for out of trials springs love for God.

August 19, 2007

When: Sunday, August 19, 2007 8:30 AM-9:00 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).
 
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Dear Lord God, today I think of serving You, managing my time and priorities around You. The last few months have tested me in many ways and in many areas. I see where I have grown and I see where I need to grow; the possibilities are limitless and harvest is ripe, help me to be a ripe branch. To be in the now with You, letting go of the past moment, not looking at the next, but present in the now with You. O Lord I know I cannot change the past, it is Yours to use within my purpose, I know I cannot control the future for it is Your will that will be done on earth as in heaven, but in the now through the Holy Spirit in Jesus Christ I can serve You, Your will and Your purpose for me; this is my prayer today. Let the coming weeks server as testimony of my faith, hope and love. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
His Majesty, The Lord, rewards great services with trials, and there can be no better reward, for out of trials springs love for God.
— St. Teresa of Avila
4 Then the princes said to the king, "Let this man be put to death, for he is weakening the hands of the soldiers who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man is not seeking the welfare of this people, but their harm." 5 King Zedeki’ah said, "Behold, he is in your hands; for the king can do nothing against you." 6 So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchi’ah, the king’s son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. And there was no water in the cistern, but only mire, and Jeremiah sank in the mire. 8 E’bed-mel’ech went from the king’s house and said to the king, 9 "My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they did to Jeremiah the prophet by casting him into the cistern; and he will die there of hunger, for there is no bread left in the city." 10 Then the king commanded E’bed-mel’ech, the Ethiopian, "Take three men with you from here, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies."

Psalm 40:2-4, 18
2 He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD. 4 Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods!
Hebrews 12:1-4
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
Luke 12:49-53
49 "I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished! 51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; 52 for henceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three; 53 they will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against her mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."
 
 

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Prayer & Readings – "as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD"

August 18, 2007

When: Saturday, August 18, 2007 8:30 AM-9:00 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).
 
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Dear Lord God, how today’s reading remind me of my time under the sun, first Joshua reminds me of all my broken promises to You, the many times I promised to follow and obey, I would try to make deals; if You help me with this, I would do that. Yet knowingly I disobeyed and sinned against You and others. I put other things first and made things under the sun my god and closed my heart to You, I believed I could find want I wanted under the sun and then return to You. But through my Lord Jesus Christ I was saved and found redemption; I was awakened to the reality of my beliefs and Your presence inside me. It became clear to me that I was sacrificing myself for the ways and things under the sun; for under the sun as Solomon proclaimed all is vanity and all is temporary, the only permanence is the loss of ourselves and the experience of You. Through Jesus I was able to find forgiveness and learn to forgive, and most of all forget. One of the first verses that penetrated my heart and engulfed my spirit was Joshua 24:15 and I too proclaimed "as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD". This became and continues my vision and quest, my hope and prayer as a legacy. I now walk under the sun according to Psalm 16 I take refuge in You, I know I have no good apart from Thee, You are my chosen portion and my cup, You give me counsel and instruction, I practice Your presence, I seek Your will and pray that I will fulfill Your purpose for me. I realize as Jesus taught in Matthew 19:14 that it is only when I allow myself to be like a child that I am closet to You. Wisdom and knowledge are things we seek as we grow, but only get in the way; it is the innocence of a child that I need to seek, for it is in that state that I can be closest to You. So while I need to be capable to witness and testify the Gospel, it is the innocence and total dependence of a child that I must practice and share. O Lord God thank You, in Jesus name I ask and pray for Your continued blessings, counsel and instruction, Amen.
But I would not believe in the Gospel, had not the authority of the Catholic Church already moved me.
— St. Augustine, Contra epistolam Manichaei
14 "Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 And if you be unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." 16 Then the people answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods; 17 for it is the LORD our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, and who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; 18 and the LORD drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land; therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God." 19 But Joshua said to the people, "You cannot serve the LORD; for he is a holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done you good." 21 And the people said to Joshua, "Nay; but we will serve the LORD." 22 Then Joshua said to the people, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD, to serve him." And they said, "We are witnesses." 23 He said, "Then put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the LORD, the God of Israel." 24 And the people said to Joshua, "The LORD our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey." 25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem. 26 And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a great stone, and set it up there under the oak in the sanctuary of the LORD. 27 And Joshua said to all the people, "Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it has heard all the words of the LORD which he spoke to us; therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God." 28 So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance. 29 After these things Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being a hundred and ten years old.

Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 11
1 Preserve me, O God, for in thee I take refuge. 2 I say to the LORD, "Thou art my Lord; I have no good apart from thee." 5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; thou holdest my lot. 7 I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. 8 I keep the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 11 Thou dost show me the path of life; in thy presence there is fulness of joy, in thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.
Matthew 19:13-15
13 Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people; 14 but Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." 15 And he laid his hands on them and went away.
 
 

Posted in Bible Readings, Daily Bible Readings, Daily Prayers, Richard Angulo | Leave a Comment »

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