Map of Canada

My friend, Nina, sent this to me today. I think it is wonderful!  Thank you, sweet friend!

A father wanted to read a magazine but was being asked a question by his little girl, Shelby. She wanted to know what Canada looked like.

He tore a sheet out of his new magazine on which was printed the map of the country.

Tearing it into small pieces, he gave it to Shelby and said, "Go into the other room and see if you can put this together. This will show you our whole country today."

 After  a few minutes, Shelby returned and handed him the  map, correctly  fitted and taped together.
The father was surprised and  asked how she had finished so  quickly.
"Oh,"  she said, "on  the other side of the paper is a picture of  Jesus.
When I  got all of Jesus back where He belonged, then  our country just came together."

So . . . . when we get Jesus back where He belongs, our country will come together.

You Say; God Says

You say: It’s impossible
God says: All thing are possible ~Luke 18:27

You say: I’m too tired
God says: I will give you rest ~ Matthew 11:28-30

You say: Nobody really loves me
God says: I love you ~ Jeremiah 31:3

You say: I can’t go on
God says: My grace is sufficient ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9

You say: I can’t figure things out
God says: I will direct your steps ~ Proverbs 3:5-6

You say: I can’t do it
God says: You can do all things through Christ ~ Philippians 4:13

You say : It’s not worth it
God says: It will be worth it ~ Romans 8:28-29

You say: I can’t forgive myself
God says: I forgive you ~ 1 John 1:9

You say: I can’t manage
God says: I will supply all your needs ~ Philippians 4:19

You say: I’m afraid
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear ~ 2 Timothy 1:7

You say: I’m always worried and frustrated
God says: Cast all your cares on ME ~ 1 Peter 5:7

You say: I don’t have enough faith
God says: I’ve given every believer faith ~ Romans 12:3

You say: I’m not smart enough
God says: I give you wisdom ~Proverbs 2:6-7

You say: I feel all alone
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you~ Hebrews 13: 5-6





H/T: my dear friend, Dawn. Thank you!

Fight for Your Joy

I find this a helpful way to check myself when I’m tempted to give in. I just say to myself,

“NO. Not today. This is my day to keep that joy, to hold on to the love of Jesus. Today, nothing is going to take that away. I know this situation stinks, but I AM going to fight for my joy. This is MY time; God made me for this situation. I can do this.”

So when you are frustrated, tired, disappointed, struggling—rebel against the world and against the devil.

Fight for your joy.



 
Full article by Peter Mirus over at Catholic Culture

GOD IS NOWHERE

An agnostic lay dying. He called his weeping child to his bedside and asked her to read to him the one text that hung on his wall. It contained a summary of his life's philosophy: GOD IS NOWHERE.

The little girl began to read:
"G-O-D: God; I-S: is; N-O-W: now; H-E-R-E: here. God is now here," she repeated.

The child led to her father to conversion.

Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Mark 10:14 and Matthew 19:14

Why I Love & Need The Church

From the blog, Why I Am Catholic:

At the bottom of one of my most heartfelt posts "Anonymous" wrote this comment,

"I'm always bewildered by how many times Catholics use the term 'the Church' when they should be saying 'Jesus Christ.' Jesus Christ is the Savior of all mankind. It's not a church, not sacraments, not membership in any church or organization. It's a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and with Him alone."

"Anonymous" must be far more virtuous than I am. Me, I forget. Which means I am a sinner. I do not have any problem with the old-fashioned concepts of sin and The Devil, because for me sin is when I forget the Commandments (two or ten), and the Devil is anything that leads me into forgetting. Apparently, "Anonymous" forgets far less than I do, seldom falls into sin, isn't lured away by the Devil.

This is precisely why I, as a Catholic, need the Church and, yes, love the Church. I would love to have and perhaps sometimes I even do feel a direct relationship with Jesus Christ (that's my business). But the Church is my connection with Our Savior, my daily relationship, my other marriage. Alone, I'm afraid I would not be capable of remembering.

So I wake up around 4 a.m. to the Office of Readings from the Liturgy of the Hours, prescribed by the Church in varied forms but with the persistent love of a good father for the better part of two millennium, and I read, "Today, listen to the voice of the Lord." And I try again. I do some work (these days I finish a post); then dawn comes up and I move to Morning Prayer. Then I come to the Church. This is a practical gesture. I come every morning to Mass at 7 a.m. And through the grace of the liturgy I am brought again into the loving presence of Our Father, the grace and peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. And I listen attentively to the homilies of our good pastor, Father Barnes, who inevitably will be the subject of a future post.

Very often I leave mass with my arm slung over Ferde's big shoulders, and we walk down the marble steps worn by a century of worship. And why not, when St. Mary Star of the Sea is this beautiful? Later in the morning, at his appointed hour, Ferde will return for Eucharistic Adoration. My accustomed hour is 2:30–3:30, and on days when I am out of town on business, Ferde sometimes covers for me (he is retired). He does this—we do this in a conscious act of solidarity at St. Mary's—so that Jesus will not be left alone. I often take a walk late in the afternoon, sometimes with my rosary in hand, if I haven't already said a rosary before Mass or during Adoration, and when I return home before dinner —if I remember— I read Evening Prayer.


Saints Cornelius and Cyprian were third-century martyrs. I am particularly touched by the love Cyprian expressed for Cornelius in his letter. ("Let us then remember one another, united in mind and heart.") And by the courage Cornelius showed in the face of violent death. ("When the executioner arrived, Cyprian told his friends to give the man twenty-five gold pieces.") The liturgy of the Church, my Church, promises me that in some way too mysterious for me to grasp completely, I am in communion with these and all the other saints who have inspired me. This is almost too much for me to bear.

Who are these saints? What is this Church? Nothing less than the direct result of words that issued from "the mouth of Our Savior, Christ Himself, whilst he lived, and was personally present here on earth," to quote Paul Scofield as St. Thomas More. It would take a far more mindful, far less forgetful, far more virtuous man than I to ignore such words, to turn my undeserving back on such love.

This is why I am not just a Catholic but a proud member of the universal and (despite so many human failings over two thousand years of forgetting) Holy Catholic Church.


Note from Soutenus:
This post has been, ever so lightly, edited.
I am so pleased to have found the blog, Why I Am Catholic.
And, I appreciate being able to keep copies of such inspiring posts here in my online Catholic Notebook.
"In the olden days," as my son might say . . . . . I would have to copy them, punch holes for the notebook and then keep up with an ever growing table of contents to keep it all organized.

45 Lessons Life Has Taught Me

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it..

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind..

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Refiner's Fire

Malachi 3:2,3
(2) But who can endure the day of His coming? Who can stand when he appears? For He will be like a refiner's fire. (3) He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver . . . "

God is the purifier & He controls the the refiner's fire; He is the creator. Is there more to be understood here?
You betcha!
It helps to find out more about the process of refining by fire. Let's look at a silversmith's work by way of example
In fact, let me tell you a story -- one you may have heard, but as with all good stories it is even finer in the retelling.

A woman read that passage in Malachi and wanted to learn about a silversmith's work to understand this whole "refining with fire" idea better. So she made an appointment with a silversmith to watch him while at work.
She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest, beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith work, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up.
He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire, where the flames were the hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot, then she thought again about the verse, that "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."
She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the entire time the silver was being refined.
The man answered, yes, that not only did he have to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on it the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith,
"But how do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy - when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that you are in God's hand, He has His eye on you, and He will keep holding you and watching you until He sees His image in you.


Photo credit: William Kirk, silversmith: Photo by Shannon Tofts
Graphics credit: http://www.parkinx.com/fineart/bio.html artist: Jana Winters Parkin

What Rules Your Life?

Amy Wellborn is posting at Beliefnet.  Part of what she wrote today just spoke to me . . . . . no! 
It overwhelmed me.
Reading it brought instant understanding and peace.  I hope it touches you in the same way.
Amy was writing about what Michael (her husband who died recently)  taught her.  Bolding is my emphasis:

Michael was all about freedom in Christ, resisting idol-making, treating nothing else as God in your life except God - that is letting nothing control you, to not be captive by anything - present sin, past sin or a difficult situation.  
What rules your life - that situation...or God? Are you a captive or are you free in Christ, because he has reconciled all things and conquered sin and death?

 He emphasized really believing that God is present in every moment and experience, no matter how strange or wretched and, as he quoted Father Benedict Groeschel in a column he wrote the evening before he died, to embrace a life in which "We have no plans but to be led by God."  He was about moving forward in Christ - with Christ.

Life Without Limbs

Nick Vujicic - Life Without Limbs  (Vujicic is pronounced Vooey-Cheech)

Refining & Purifying Silver

Malachi 3:2,3
(2) But who can endure the day of His coming? Who can stand when he appears? For He will be like a refiner's fire. (3) He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver . . . "

God is the purifier & He controls the the refiner's fire; He is the creator. Is there more to be understood here?
You betcha!
It helps to find out more about the process of refining by fire. Let's look at a silversmith's work by way of example
In fact, let me tell you a story -- one you may have heard, but as with all good stories it is even finer in the retelling.

A woman read that passage in Malachi and wanted to learn about a silversmith's work to understand this whole "refining with fire" idea better. So she made an appointment with a silversmith to watch him while at work.
She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest, beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith work, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up.
He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire, where the flames were the hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot, then she thought again about the verse, that "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."
She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the entire time the silver was being refined.
The man answered, yes, that not only did he have to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on it the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith,
"But how do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy - when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that you are in God's hand, He has His eye on you, and He will keep holding you and watching you until He sees His image in you.


Photo credit: William Kirk, silversmith: Photo by Shannon Tofts
Graphics credit: http://www.parkinx.com/fineart/bio.html artist: Jana Winters Parkin

The Devil's Beatitudes

This reminded me of C.S.Lewis' The Screwtape Letters

If the Devil were to write his Beatitudes, they would probably go something like this:

• Blessed are those who are too tired, too busy, too distracted to spend an hour once a week with their fellow Christians in Mass -- they are my best workers.

• Blessed are those Christians who wait to be asked and expect to be thanked -- I can use them.


• Blessed are the touchy, with a bit of luck they may stop going to Mass -- they are my missionaries.


• Blessed are those who try to appear very "religious" and get on everyone's nerves -- they are mine forever.

• Blessed are the troublemakers -- they shall be called my children.


• Blessed are those who have no time to pray -- they are easy prey for me.

• Blessed are the gossiper -- for they are my secret agents.


• Blessed are those critical of church leadership -- for they shall inherit a place with me in my fate.

• Blessed are the complainers -- I'm all ears for them.


• Blessed are you when you read this and think it is about other people and not yourself -- I've got you.

Author unknown. I found this at http://ramblinggopsoccerom.blogspot.com/

Movie of Your Life

This is from Catholics Come Home.
Click on the image below to take you to the landing site and then scroll down to find this picture. Then click on this very same picture to watch. Very much worth the minute or so it runs.

What do you think? I think it was pretty powerful, especially for our protestant brothers and sisters.

Water

A priceless exchange between a mother and son -- shared (with permission) by A Crocus in the Valley

11 year old Son (As he was getting a drink from the water container in the refrigerator) Do you know what I often think of when I open up the refrigerator to get a drink of water?

Mom: That every time you open the door it costs Mom and Dad money, so you'd better get in and out real quick?

Son Um, no. I think of when Jesus said that as long as we drank earthly water we would be thirsty, but if we drank the living water, we wouldn't be thirsty anymore.

Mom: Huh. Ya, that's good to think about too.

John 4:13&14

Jesus said to her, "Every one who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

1. O let all who thirst,
let them come to the water.
And let all who have nothing,
let them come to the Lord:
without money, without price.
Why should you pay the price,
except for the Lord?

2. And let all who seek,
let them come to the water.
And let all who have nothing,
let them come to the Lord:
without money, without strife.
Why should you spend your life,
except for the Lord?

3. And let all who toil,
let them come to the water.
And let all who are weary,
let them come to the Lord:
all who labor, without rest.
How can your soul find rest,
except for the Lord?

4. And let all the poor,
let them come to the water,
Bring the ones who are laden,
bring them all to the Lord:
bring the children without might.
Easy the load and light:
come to the Lord.

Text: Based on Isaiah 55:1-2; Matthew 11:28-30. Text and music © 1978, John B. Foley, S.J., and OCP. All rights reserved.
You can listen to this at Spirit and Song.

Michael John Poirier

If you have ever have the opportunity to go to a prayer /song service with Michael John Poirier, I have one word for you . . . GO!

Who is Michael John Poirier?
This gentle man, Michael John Poirier, has wrapped his prayers in songs and presented them as gifts to listeners and to God. Michael's music speaks of forgiveness, peace, and love.

One of 12 children, Michael's public music life began at age 14. His story winds through a variety of venues along life's way, and always with the gentle nudging of God saying 'return to prayer'.

Today, Michael - singer, songwriter and storyteller - travels with his family throughout the United States, changing hearts and lives as they spread their message of God's love and mercy through parish missions, candlelight prayer concerts, and Eucharistic Adoration.

His music is filled with prayers of encouragement, comfort, forgiveness and mercy, and touches the lives of all...people of all faiths, and those who are new and old to the Christian faith.

____________________________________________________________________

This is the second year I have been able to pray with, friends, family and John Michael. I only wish he and his family could stay longer in our neck of the woods but that would be so selfish!
Here is a link to the family's schedule.

This is a comment of John Michael's that I really liked!

A young woman asked me, "How do you hold onto that amazing peaceful feeling? When you came to our parish a few weeks ago, I was floating for three weeks - then it stopped! I got very angry about it."
I told her it might be wonderful to 'feel those warm feelings' but it is important for our growth to not be "floating" all the time. There is a temptation to worship the blessing instead of the God who bestows.

You can keep up with the Poirier family travels through their Holy Family Now blog.

True Love

This story may or may not be true. It doesn't matter. It has made the rounds of "email forwards" for quite a few years now. I like this story because it is an example of true, selfless love. I know there are people who do love this way. It is the way our Lord loves us. The spirit of the story is what is important.

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness.. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.
I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, 'Yes I'll do it if it will save her.' As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.

He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, 'Will I start to die right away'.

Being so young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

Building Castles in the Sand

I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. Ecc 2:18

Max Lucado writes: 'A little boy is on the beach. He packs the sand with plastic spades into a bright red bucket. Then he upends the bucket and a sandcastle is created. 'A man is in his office. He shoves papers into stacks and delegates assignments. Numbers are juggled, contracts are signed, and a profit is made. 'Two builders; two castles. They see nothing and make something. And for both the tide will rise and the end will come. Yet that's where the similarities cease.

For the boy sees the end while the man ignores it. Watch the boy as dusk approaches. As the waves near, the wise child begins to clap. There is no sorrow. No fear. No regret. He knew this would happen. He is not surprised. And when the great wave finally crashes upon his castle and his masterpiece is sucked into the sea, he smiles, picks up his tools, takes his father's hand and goes home.

The grown-up however, is not so wise. As the wave of years collapses on his castle he is terrified. He hovers over the sandy monument he protected. He blocks the waves from the walls he has made. Salt-water soaked and shivering he scowls at the incoming tide. 'It's my castle,' he defies. The ocean need not respond. Both know to whom the sand belongs...and I don't know much about sandcastles. But children do. Watch them and learn. Go ahead and build, but build with a child's heart. When the sun sets and the tides take - applaud. Salute the process of life, then take your Father's hand and go home.'

Excerpt from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here.

H/T: This I Do

What is Free Rice?

"What if just knowing what a word meant could help feed hungry people around the world? Well, at FreeRice it does. . . the totals have grown exponentially."

--The Washington Post

FreeRice has two goals:

1. Provide English vocabulary to everyone for free.
2. Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

This is made possible by the sponsors who advertise on their site.

For each word you get right (in their free rice game) they donate 20 grains of rice through the United Nations to help end world hunger. 20 grains does not sound like much? Well, check out the "Totals" tab at their website! There are approximately 29,000 grains of long-grain white rice in a pound. (& take a look at my calculations at the bottom)

Whether you are CEO of a large corporation or a street child in a poor country, improving your vocabulary can improve your life. Spending a little time on the FreeRice Game is a great investment in yourself.

Perhaps even greater is the investment your donated rice makes in hungry human beings, enabling them to function and be productive. Somewhere in the world, a person could be eating rice that you could help provide.

The founders intended to start a charity, but the process was so long and cumbersome, they became a for-profit company, and just donate all the profits they make! (learned that tid bit from Simcha over at I Have to Sit Down)

Some of my kids and I played today!!
Soutenus (yours truly) got 2040 grains of rice.
Marker got 1000
GoGo and Pabz worked together to get 1000

My calculations:

4, 933, 763, 490 (grains of rice since 10-7-07) divided by 29, 000 = 170, 129.776 (pounds of rice donated so far)

Can you say "Wow!?" See, if we work together to take this thing to the tipping point we could get some people fed!
FreeRice is a sister site of the world poverty site Poverty.com.

Logan and the Calf

Logan is a 13 year-old boy who lives on a ranch in a very small town in Nebraska. Logan listens to Christian Radio station 89.3FM KSBJ which broadcasts from Houston, TX. Logan called the radio station distraught because he had to take down a calf. His words have wisdom beyond his years.

Be Still & Know That I Am God

There is a wonderful blog I like to visit called Civilization of Love. Here is an excerpt that was particularly poignant to me. (I have edited and added graphics - as usual!)

When we fall into desperation or desolation because of what happens in our lives or because of the suffering of others that we see around us, we need to remind ourselves of what Psalm 46 says: “Be still and know that I am God” (v. 11) and that should bring us comfort. God’s ways are greater than ours and beyond our imagination–as St. Paul says, we cannot grasp yet what “God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor 2:9) and we need to remain a hopeful people. We cannot lose faith.

Our human condition always tempts us to put God in clear and distinct categories and this passage reminds us that we cannot do that when thinking about God. What we find so puzzling is that no one says “I am who am,” but rather we are something or someone: we are men, or women, or children, or adults, or siblings, or spouses, or small, or tall, or mothers, or fathers, or doctors, or farmers… you name it! But God is infinite and limitless. Our human categories do not apply to Him.

"But," said Moses to God, "when I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ if they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what am I to tell them?’
God replied, ‘I am who am.’ Then he added, ‘This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you. ” (Ex 3:13-14)

When we meditate on the greatness of God and His essence, as Christians, we cannot forget also the nearness of God. The invisible God in the Old Testament became man for us and has invited
us to the Divine Fellowship of God and that has to always bring us hope and comfort.

Mightily & Sweetly

Hat Tip to NunBlog where I found this post. It is almost verbatim. Sister's blog is insightful, inspiration and just a nice place to visit! Go and see what I mean!

Oh, and btw -- she is a singing nun!
Christmas album!

Fortiter et Suaviter " Fortiter et suaviter" are words from the Old Testament, and they are in today's first reading from the book of Wisdom. The Latin words are usually translated "mightily and sweetly." In context, the Scripture is saying that God's wisdom "reaches mightily from one end [of the universe] to the other, and orders all things well." Only the Latin says "suaviter," softening the brutal edge we might assign to the word "might."
Think of this in the context of the exclamation that the townspeople made after one of Jesus' miracles: "Everything he does is beautiful!"
It is fitting, it is apt, it is lovely: suaviter.

In this week before Thanksgiving, "fortiter et suaviter" can also be a principle for discernment. This is how God acts: not with brusque power, but with tender and uncompromising vision.

The saints, especially St. John of the Cross, tell us that we need to have our attention very finely tuned in order to discern God's doings, because he does them "suaviter." That is why it is such a good idea to make a review of the day before retiring at night, creating space for us to begin to notice those subtle "movements" (as St. Ignatius called them) that indicate that the Lord is passing by. We may be amazed at how much we've been missing!