Prayers/Reflection

[petite fleur]

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One day spent in your Temple is better than a thousand
Psalm 84:10

How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD Almighty!

My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.

Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.

Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.

As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.
Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty;
listen to me, O God of Jacob.

Look upon our shield,c O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.

Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.

O LORD Almighty,
blessed is the man who trusts in you.

+Blessed Sunday to us all!

[petite fleur]

Blessed Feast of All Saints!

2. While the Epistle gives us a glimpse of the life of the saints in heavenly glory, the Gospel (Matthew 5:1-12), citing a passage from the beatitudes, unveils the life which was theirs upon earth:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit … Blessed are the meek … Blessed are they that mourn … Blessed are that that hunger and thirst after justice … Blessed are the merciful … Blessed are the clean of heart … Blessed are the peacemakers … Blessed are they that suffer persecution."

Poverty,
humility,
detachment from earthly goods;
meekness of heart,
resignation and patience in sorrow,
uprightness,
hunger for justice;
kindness and understanding toward one's neighbour;
purity of mind and heart;
peacefulness of spirit and bearer of peace;
fortitude and generosity, which, for love of God, embrace every suffering and endure every injustice:

such are the characteristics of the life led by the saints on earth, and such must be our programme, too, if we wish to attain sanctity as they did.

We want to become saints, but in the easiest way possible, without effort, without fatigue or violence to ourselves; we should like to practise virtue, but only to a certain point, only when it does not ask for great sacrifice, or go too much against the grain. And so it happens that when faced with acts of virtue which exact greater self-renunciation, or the acceptance of difficult and repugnant things, such as quelling the resentments of self-love, renouncing an attempt to make our opinion prevail, submitting ourselves and meekly condescending to one who is opposed to us, very often — if not always — we refuse, thinking it unnecessary to go to such lengths.

Yet our progress in holiness depends precisely upon these acts which we hesitate to make; without them we shall always lead a mediocre life, we shall always remain on the same level, if indeed we do not lose ground.

Let us beg the saints whom we honour today to help us overcome our laziness, our lassitude, our cowardice; let us ask those who have gone before us in the arduous way of sanctity to obtain for us the strength to follow them. "If such as these [have attained to sanctity], why not I?" (St Augustine).

God offers us the grace which He gave to the saints; but alas! what is lacking is our correspondence to it.


Daily Meditation from "Divine Intimacy": Catholic-Pages.com

[petite fleur]

“We do not know your mystery, Infinite Love, but you do have a heart, for you seek the prodigal son and hold against your breast this troublesome child which is the world of mortals. We do not see your face, Infinite Love, but you do have eyes, for you weep through the oppressed and look upon us with a shining gaze that reveals your forgiveness.”

[eXpLoDe]

"Mama Mary Cover Us With Your Blue Mantle To Protect Us In Any Danger. Amen"

[petite fleur]

Your eye is on the sparrow
And Your hand, it comforts me
From the ends of the Earth to the depth of my heart
Let Your mercy and strength be seen

You call me to Your purpose
As angels understand
For Your glory, may You draw all men
As Your love and grace demand

And I will run to You
To Your words of truth
Not by might, not by power
But by the spirit of God
Yes I will run the race
'Till I see Your face
Oh let me live in the glory of Your grace

I will run to You - hillsong - YouTube

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

[leurabelle]

Lord, help me look to You when my day is going well..and when my day is looking bleak.
I want to serve You and honor You in everything I do.
Amen.

A Woman After God's Own Heart

Elizabeth George

[petite fleur]

~The Most Beautiful Flower~

The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read Beneath the long, straggly branches of an old willow tree. Disillusioned by life with good reason to frown, For the world was intent on dragging me down.

And if that weren't enough to ruin my day, A young boy out of breath approached me, all tired from play. He stood right before me with his head tilted down And said with great excitement, "Look what I found!"

In his hand was a flower, and what a pitiful sight, With its petals all worn - not enough rain, or too little light. Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play, I faked a small smile and then shifted away.

But instead of retreating he sat next to my side And placed the flower to his nose and declared with surprise, "It sure smells pretty and it's beautiful, too. That's why I picked it; here, it's for you."

The weed before me was dying or dead. Not vibrant of colors, orange, yellow or red. But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave. So I reached for the flower, and replied, "Just what I need."

But instead of him placing the flower in my hand, He held it mid-air without reason or plan. It was then that I noticed for the very first time That weed-toting boy could not see: he was blind.

I heard my voice quiver, tears shone like the sun As I thanked him for picking the very best one. "You're welcome," he smiled, and then ran off to play, Unaware of the impact he'd had on my day.

I sat there and wondered how he managed to see A self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree. How did he know of my self-indulged plight? Perhaps from his heart, he'd been blessed with true sight.

Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see The problem was not with the world; the problem was me. And for all of those times I myself had been blind, I vowed to see beauty, and appreciate every second that's mine.

And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose And breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose And smiled as that young boy, another weed in his hand About to change the life of an unsuspecting old man.

-Author unknown

[anhkbernz]

love this thread

[petite fleur]

love this thread

Share some to us too!
\ Gud Day!

[petite fleur]

LET ME GIVE

I do not know how long I'll live
But while I live, Lord, let me give
Some comfort to someone in need
By smile or nod, kind word or deed.

And let me do what ever I can
To ease things for my fellow man.
I want naught but to do my part
To "lift" a tired or weary heart.

To change folks' frowns to smiles again.
Then I will not have lived in vain
And I'll not care how long I'll live
If I can give ... and give ... and give.

-BJ.Morbitzer