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Delivered Monday through Friday!
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September 9,
2008
Amazing Grace
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Joy from the Monastery |
Thoughts from Sister Patricia
Visit Sr. Patricia's blog
to leave a comment and share with others about this topic.
Quote for the Day:
Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all
understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
Quote from the book, "101 Inspirational Stories of the Power of Prayer"
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Today was of course the beautiful, beautiful feast of our Lady's birthday. It was also the 27th anniversary of my entrance into the Poor Clares. Amazing. I'm glad as Christians we believe that we live for eternity otherwise I might start feeling old. But hey, in the scheme of a billion, billion years.. 52 is hardly a drop in the bucket.
Had an exciting first meeting with a core group that will be helping out with the radio. Was lots of fun and it was one of those meetings in which the Holy Spirit was so into every aspect of it that I'm just sort of left with my mouth hanging open how he takes care of things and how he moves. I mean when the Holy Spirit decides its time to move...everything just goes snap, snap, snap into place.
This Thursday I have a radio interview on KBVM in Portland. I think the subject will be 911 and prayer... if anyone has any September 11 stories to share with me - would love to hear them and possibly share them with the listeners on the interview.
Well time to keep moving - the sand man dumped his whole load on me this afternoon. I took a nap but its time for a second round.
Blessings of Peace and All Good,
Sister Patricia and all the Sisters
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Reverend Fun
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My Everything
Christian and the Lion
Benjamin Zander
James Martin, SJ [2:36]
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The Express Novena
Elizabeth L. Chabala
Bridgeville, Pennsylvania
My story is about the power of praying the "Express Novena" that
has been made popular by blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. For us it
had to do with getting a job and also jobs for some other people that I
am aware of.
Several years ago, while watching morning Mass on EWTN, I was
pleased to hear a homily given by Fr. Andrew Apostoli concerning the
topic: "God Answers Prayer." He talked about the ways to pray that God
hears and answers. Toward the end, he mentioned how Mother Teresa
always prayed the "Express Novena," as she called it. It consists of saying
the Memorare nine times in a row.
I was so impressed with Father's homily that at noon, when the Mass
was repeated, I turned off the phone and forbade anyone to talk so that
I could record it.
More
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/monasticmoments/archives/148247.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
Our Refuge Gives Joy
Psalm 5:12
But let all who take refuge in you
be glad and exult forever.
Protect them, that you may be the joy
of those who love your name.
Daily we need to recall how much God loves us and how lovingly he watches over us. This psalm of morning prayer reminds us that God is always our refuge.
Through God's endless goodness and mercy, every new day brings fresh hope to us. This hope creates within us a positive attitude which helps us radiate the joy of the Lord along our path.
This truism is inherent in the angels' message: "You have nothing to fear! I come to proclaim good news to you—tidings of great joy to be shared by the whole people." (Lk 2:10)
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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.
Forgetful
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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…
God was with him
In recent days, we have heard stories of the terrible killings that have taken place in Orissa in India, in which Hindu extremists have murdered both Christians and some Hindus, often with horrific brutality.
Below is a first-hand account, forwarded to me by e-mail, of one of the latest of these attacks, when a Divine Word Missionary priest was almost killed. Whilst indicating some of the suffering that some people are facing at this moment, I think it also shows that God is there in the midst of all that is happening. (I have done some correcting of the English, but otherwise, the account is unchanged.)
Let us join Pope Benedict and the Bishops’ conference of India in praying for a cessation of violence.
God bless,
Sr Janet
Dear Friends
I met Fr. Edward Sequeira (my classmate all through the seminary life) this morning and was consoled to see him in good spirits. Earlier when people used to ask him “how are you?” he used to say jokingly, “I am well in the hell”. But now when the same question is asked to him he says, “I am safe in the hands of God”. He shared with me personally the events that took place on 25th August. What I want to share with you in this mail is his spiritual experience during that time.
It was one o’clock in the afternoon. He came back to his residence to have lunch, after being out on the construction site. He was about to take the first gulp of food when some people came to see him, and asked him, “Who is the priest here”? Fr. Edward thought they must have come for some help, for instance for somebody who was sick and needed to be taken to the hospital. So he said, “I am the one”.
When he looked outside he saw there were about 20 people with sticks, iron bars, shovels, and spades. He realized what was going to happen. So he tried to close the door. But their sticks and iron bars came in between. He could not close the door and bolt it. Whilst this was happening, one of the men shouted, “You twenty people cannot manage one?”
They managed to pull Fr. Edward out and then started beating him all over. With all the instruments they had, they beat him on the back of the head, on the backs of his shoulders and on his hands, fracturing both of his shoulders, his right hand and the back of his skull.
From the front, they punched him all over, including where it hurts most. They slapped him on the face. This went on for 45 minutes and then Fr. Edward collapsed.
Meanwhile others had entered and looted the house. They took away cash, and whatever was useful to them. They piled together everything in the office and in the bed room, including clothes, in order to burn them, spreading chemicals on the floor so that the whole place would catch fire easily. These chemicals made the floor very slippery. They then set the place on fire and came out. The house was full of smoke.
They held Fr. Edward and pushed him inside the house and bolted the door from outside.
Remember Fr. Edward has lost his strength and had collapsed. But at this moment when he was alone inside the burning house he realized he was not alone. There was Jesus with him. He experienced tremendous strength at this moment. He experienced Jesus not as a separate entity from him, but “He in me and I in him”. He experienced Jesus suffering in him.
The floor was slippery, and he could not see anything because the house was full of smoke. The fire had not yet spread to where he was. He held on to the wall and windows on the wall and found his way to the bathroom.
He saw wild flames of fire in his bedroom and in his office. He collected half a bucket of water and went and threw it in his bedroom and the fire went off.
Was this a MIRACLE?
He filled another half bucket of water and threw it in the office and the same result. The fire in the office was put out.
He had a deep sense that God was with him.
He went back to the bathroom and locked himself inside, but all the rooms were filled with smoke and breathing was difficult.
Somehow he managed to remain in the bathroom. The people who attacked him were outside. They wanted to know what had happened to him. They tried to break the window, and managed to make a hole in the glass. Their job became difficult as smoke was gushing out through the hole, but somehow they managed to break open part of the window. They tried to see inside. Fr. Edward was still in a corner. They could not see him and concluded that he was dead, but, wanting to make sure, they went to the roof and broke through to a different room.
Meanwhile Rajani Majhi, 19 years of age, a student and a helper at the orphanage (for the children of the leprosy patients) came to the scene. Fr. Edward could only hear the cry of Rajani, “Father, they are going to burn me”. Then he lost consciousness.
Rajani was burnt alive. Fr. Edward came to know about it only two days later. Rajani was a Hindu girl, very committed and hard working. She was an all-rounder in the orphanage. In the morning she used to go to college, come back around 1.30 p.m. and then help out in the orphanage.
Fr. Edward believes that it is because of the efforts of Dr. Mary Kutty, H.M., and Dr. Rajnesh Samal, a Baptist missionary, he is saved otherwise he would have been suffocated to death. When these two heard the news of what had happened to Fr. Edward they mobilized help though some influential people. The ambulance, fire brigade and police arrived at around 5.30p.m. and Fr. Edward was admitted in the Sub-divisional Hospital at Padampur. His brother, Commodore Valentine Sequeira joined in to help at this stage. From there he was shifted to Burla Medical College, Sambalpur. He says, the Doctors there were extremely good to him.
Fr. Edward is now recuperating in a hospital in Mumbai and is given good treatment and care.
When people come and tell him, “we are praying for you”, he says, “Do not pray for me, I am in the safe hands of God, you go and work for the rights of the minorities”. Fr. Edward believes that God has saved him miraculously and has a purpose for him.
Jesus is alive.
Yours in Christ
Fr. Edwin Vas SVD.
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Spiritual Blessings from Father Rory Pitstick
A Virtual Retreat
Reflections following the Daily Liturgical cycle
Visit Fr. Rory's Blog
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1 Cor 6: 1-11
Ps 149: 1b-2. 3-4. 5-6a and 9b
Lk 6: 12-19
Daily Readings
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Sep 9 Tue: Peter Claver, p, r, ms M
From today's readings:
“Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the Kingdom of God?... LORD loves His people, and He adorns the lowly with victory.... Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and He spent the night in prayer to God....”
The "Off" List
In my years as a priest, one of the surprises that I continue to come across is the ubiquitous and entrenched presumption that practically everyone will go to Heaven and inherit everlasting life.
Now, certainly God desires all to share in His life, and He makes it possible for every single person to attain salvation, but it must be recalled that God endows all His children with free will, and so no one is forced or hoodwinked into choosing to accept God's invitation to live their lives according to His plan.
Paul explains point blank that "neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers...will inherit the Kingdom of God." While the many specific vices cataloged here (1Cor. 6:9-10) and elsewhere in the Bible (e.g., Gal. 5:19-21, Eph. 5:5, Apoc. 22:15) are not to be taken as an exhaustive list of all possible mortal sins, such lists do provide a sufficient sampling to alert everyone to the reality of this "off" list of those excluded from God's Kingdom.
Paul points out, of course, that it is possible to get off the "off" list by turning to Jesus for forgiveness and sanctification, but one shouldn't overlook the other real possibility of getting on the dreadful "off" list by turning away from Jesus when one lives in such sinfulness. So if you are on the "off" list, there's nothing more important than getting off it TODAY by turning to Jesus in confession with contrition!
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