Take Nothing for Granted Gratefulness brings joy to my life. How could I find joy in what I take for granted? So I stop "taking for granted," and there is no end to the surprises I find. A grateful attitude is a creative one, because, in the final analysis, opportunity is the gift within the gift of every given moment. Mostly this means opportunities to see and hear and smell and touch and taste with pleasure. But once I am in the habit of availing myself of opportunities, I will do so even in unpleasant situations creatively. —from the book The Way of Silence: Engaging the Sacred in Daily Life | †Quote
"When you sit down to eat, pray. When you eat bread, do so thanking Him for being so generous to you. If you drink wine, be mindful of Him who has given it to you for your pleasure and as a relief in sickness. When you dress, thank Him for His kindness in providing you with clothes. When you look at the sky and the beauty of the stars, throw yourself at God's feet and adore Him who in His wisdom has arranged things in this way. Similarly, when the sun goes down and when it rises, when you are asleep or awake, give thanks to God, who created and arranged all things for your benefit, to have you know, love and praise their Creator."
— St. Basil the Great † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Prayer is more the work of the heart than of the head; it should, therefore, be simple, affective, and sincere. Let not the mind, then, weary itself in seeking for beautiful thoughts and sonorous phrases; we meditate not to prepare a finished sermon, nor to address God with fine rhetoric, but to nourish our soul with reflections which may enlighten and move us, and excite holy and generous resolutions; we make these reflections for ourselves alone, let them, then, be simple as well as pious. In affections, likewise, we seek for the practice of virtue, and not for the pleasures of a refined egotism. Let us never confound our sensible feelings with our will, or mere emotion with devotion. None of these acts need be made with a feverish ardour, nor in a tone of enthusiastic fervor . . . Above all, our prayers should be the faithful echo of our interior dispositions; our affections should express the sentiments which reign in our heart, or which we wish to form there; our petitions should proceed from a real desire; our every resolution should be a firm purpose of the will, and thus our whole soul will be upright and sincere before God."
— Rev. Dom Vitalis Lehodey, p. 99
AN EXCERPT FROM
The Ways of Mental Prayer † VERSE OF THE DAY
"All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth."
Hebrews 11:13 |  click to read more | | ST. ALBERT THE GREAT St. Albert the Great (1206-1280) was born in Bavaria, Germany, the eldest son of a powerful military count. As a youth he was sent to study at the University of Padua where he encountered and entered the newly-founded Dominican order as a mendicant friar, forsaking his inheritance against his family's wishes. He was the first Dominican to earn a Master of Theology degree and was sent as a lecturer to the University of Paris (which at that time was the intellectual center of Europe) before launching a Dominican house of studies in Cologne. He introduced the works of Aristotle to western thought which allowed his most brilliant student, St. Thomas Aquinas, to synthesize the Catholic faith with human reason, that is, the truths established through philosophy. St. Albert the Great was a renowned scholar and a pioneer in the field of natural science, keeping his own laboratory for scientific experiments. He is known as one of the greatest thinkers of his day, called by his contemporaries "the teacher of everything there is to know" for writing an encyclopedia of all human knowledge up to that point in history. St. Albert the Great was also one of the most famous preachers of his day and served as the papal theologian in Rome. He was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1931 by Pope Pius XI. St. Albert the Great is the patron saint of scientists and philosophers. His feast day is November 15th. | Thursday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Phmn 7-20 Beloved:
I have experienced much joy and encouragement from your love,
because the hearts of the holy ones
have been refreshed by you, brother.
Therefore, although I have the full right in Christ
to order you to do what is proper,
I rather urge you out of love,
being as I am, Paul, an old man,
and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus.
I urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus,
whose father I have become in my imprisonment,
who was once useless to you but is now useful to both you and me.
I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you.
I should have liked to retain him for myself,
so that he might serve me on your behalf
in my imprisonment for the Gospel,
but I did not want to do anything without your consent,
so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary.
Perhaps this is why he was away from you for a while,
that you might have him back forever,
no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a brother,
beloved especially to me, but even more so to you,
as a man and in the Lord.
So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me.
And if he has done you any injustice
or owes you anything, charge it to me.
I, Paul, write this in my own hand: I will pay.
May I not tell you that you owe me your very self.
Yes, brother, may I profit from you in the Lord.
Refresh my heart in Christ. Responsorial Psalm Ps 146:7, 8-9a, 9bc-10
R. (5a) Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;
the LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 15:5
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the vine, you are the branches, says the Lord:
whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 17:20-25 Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come,
Jesus said in reply,
"The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed,
and no one will announce, 'Look, here it is,' or, 'There it is.'
For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you." Then he said to his disciples,
"The days will come when you will long to see
one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.
There will be those who will say to you,
'Look, there he is,' or 'Look, here he is.'
Do not go off, do not run in pursuit.
For just as lightning flashes
and lights up the sky from one side to the other,
so will the Son of Man be in his day.
But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation."
| Meditation: Luke 17:20-25 Saint Albert the Great, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Optional Memorial) The Kingdom of God is among you. (Luke 17:21) "Wait!" said one Pharisee to another. "Is he saying that the kingdom of God is already here? What about the Romans and their empire? We're still an occupied nation. This sure doesn't feel like the kingdom of God!" Looking around at our world, we might come to a similar conclusion. But the kingdom of God is not about a location or even the regime in power; it's about a new way of relating to one another that brings healing and freedom. Throughout Jesus' ministry, he didn't just talk about the kingdom of God. He also demonstrated it as he blessed, loved, forgave, healed, and served the people he was speaking to. His own witness demonstrated the kingdom: he didn't hold any grudges, put on airs, or distance himself from the poor and the marginalized. In fact, he went out of his way to welcome them and show them God's mercy. He also taught about this way of relating through parables that prioritized forgiveness over revenge, service over being served, and sacrificial love over self-serving arrogance. Think about your relationships in this light. There is probably more of the kingdom of God in your midst than you think! Every time you hug your child, call a friend, help out in your parish, or do the dishes (with or without complaining), the kingdom of God is there. Every time you pray, it is there. Every time you choose to love the people around you, even when they're not being particularly lovable, it's there. That's encouraging, isn't it? The kingdom of God really and truly is among you. Today, think about how you can bring the kingdom of God into just one relationship. Look for one opportunity to encourage someone, to forgive, or to be an instrument of God's presence. It doesn't have to be dramatic and life changing. It just has to be upbuilding and life affirming. You are a citizen of this kingdom, an ambassador for Christ. Because of that, you can bring his presence wherever you go. You can make a difference! "Thank you, Lord, for making me a citizen of your kingdom. Empower me to be a blessing to everyone I meet today." Philemon 7-20
Psalm 146:7-10 | 2 cents :
"I have experienced much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the holy ones..." said a prisoner...Saint Paul. Said the man that was touched by Love, Jesus. Said the man that was issuing forth a son, because now he said he was his father. Saint Paul becomes a father to many, in the spirit world. In the same way, I feel responsible to by god-children, my ones I sponsored. I feel I am responsible for their faith. And now my students. I am their father, I've even told them to their face, their little angelic faces. They are so precious to God, should I lose one, I would go crazy, and I do. I have one scoundrel that won't listen to a word I say, and when I teach like last night, right when I speak or read out of the book, another one puts his head down, not following. But when I see him out and about, he is like an angel. So...what's up with that? In prison, everyone I seen is lovable. But, they remain scoundrels. One was released, I hired him. He works, has an accident and the drug test comes out dirty. Scoundrel. So, I can't continue to employ him, I offer rehab or come back when he's clean. In the meantime, I hire him around my house. I feel obligated for my love for him. A gun from my truck comes up missing after he moved my truck. I live out in the country, I don't come up missing things often. I still love him but ask him where it is, "I don't have it" he said, and I can't do anything else...but love him. Later on, he's in the news, robbery. Now looking at jail time, again. Love able guy. But, he's locked up. So the question on love is on you. Are you like that lovable prisoner? You refuse to be helped...in rehab? Church is rehab you know. Take it ...or there is hell to pay. And I don't want that for a single soul. As tempting as it may be for scoundrels who refuse in their infidelity to listen...God's mercy is still reaching out. | Let us pray: "Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob. The LORD secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free." For those who want to be set free, come see Jesus, in rehab. A couple guys I had in prison went to confess. One guy said he felt like he was walking on clouds. In conversing with him, he seemed to be looking forward to getting back to work, to provide for his family. I realized that job took him away from his family, out of town work. I said "you'd be better off working at McDonald's and being home every day to teach your children about God". What's more important? I just had a guy leave our company, got his own truck to work. I said "I'm glad for you, but I'm worried for your soul....I hope where you go you find someone like me asking you to go to Church" otherwise, you'll be blinded, like the one needing rehab. I see how money is blinding. I see how it keeps people away from home...and Jesus calls Heaven our home. | Let us, therefore, turn to our Lord, today: "Behold, the Kingdom of God is among you." WOW. Seriously? Can you see God's Kingdom among us? In the Old Testament, they said that the Lord would be Emmanuel. Emmanuel means "God is with us". And He comes. And He is named Jesus. Jesus means "He Saves". And He dies to save us. WOW. Seriously? You haven't met Him (physically) because He died for you. BUT. Good News. When He died, He did so His Holy Spirit would spread throughout the world. Amen!? Amazing. Always Jesus said "The Kingdom of Heaven Is At Hand". Lord, that is mind-boggling. Really. Some scholars will argue this, saying it is not Heaven among us. Ok. But the Kingdom of God is what it is. God's!!! You know, it's like this: He is King, but we got a bad governor, LOL. Evil rules. MAN! WHY? That's the question atheists want answered, even agnostics, even faithless believers, which is an oxymoron, isn't it? Can you be faithless and still believe? Either you believe or not! Either you have the King or not! Jesus says in the world we will suffer. Prosperity gospels contradict this. "he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation." They say only Jesus had to suffer and "you shouldn't have to suffer". These words are whispered by the devil softly into a couple thinking about divorce or about suicide. These words seem so nice and so true, like "think about the woman's rights (to abortion)". All lies. There is a true Kingdom on Earth. You can see it. I'd bet most priests see it, for sure an exorcist. There are powers. Hierarchical forces. Where do you belong in this church militant? That's the point, here, you simply belong. As a baptized soul, you belong to Him, and there are violent forces in the world fooling people into a way of life apart from the Way of our Lord in Heaven. Millions fooled. I see it. I see the lies fed. I've been fed those lies too. I tasted them, and they've almost killed me (spiritually). I spend much of my time praying for zombies to wake up. Those mortally wounded. Those with no desire for God in their life in plenary style of grace. WAKE UP!
I'll leave you with a story I read in 5minutos today (I will attempt to translate):
"A very fortunate man got to have the best interview of his life; he was going to interview the Lord God Himself. He got home a couple hours early, he got ready with his best clothes, washed his car. He drove to the place of interview, but on the way, a horrible storm ensued and it stopped traffic. It was now 7:30pm. Suddenly they knock on his window and he sees a little boy selling a box full of chiclets (gum). The man reaches for his wallet to get money out and when he looked, he couldn't see the boy anymore. He looked down, and he saw the boy was in the middle of an epilepsy attack. He opened his door and put the boy inside the car. He took off to the hospital closest by. There he left them the child, and he asked them to take care of him the best possible way and excused himself from the doctor and ran out to get to the interview, but he was 10 minutes late when he got there. There was nobody there. The man got offended and screamed to Heaven "My God, but you know why, I didn't get here because of the child, you couldn't wait for me???" With no consolation, he sat in his car; suddenly a blinding light came and he saw in it the face of the child who he had helped. He had the same little frayed sweater on but now his face shined with goodness. The man then heard in the interior of himself a voice that said: My child, I couldn't wait for you...so I went to encounter you. " | |
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