A Prayer and the Beautiful Scene

"Lord, grant me grace throughout this day
To walk the straight and narrow way,
To do whatever in Thy sight
Is good and perfect, just and right."

-Huisman.

The only way is the straight and narrow way.

the beautiful white sand beach in Bohol Beach Club, in the island of Bohol, Philippines. This was taken during my vacation last February 2010.

Prayers for the people of Japan

I received this prayer and would like to share it to everyone. Let us continue to pray for the people of Japan and other places and countries that are hit by natural calamities and war. Peace to all! God bless us all!

THIS WONDERFUL PRAYER WAS PASSED ON TO US SO WE ARE PASSING IT ON. EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS!

Lord, I just want to say THANK YOU,
Because this morning I woke up and knew where my children were.

Because this morning my home was still standing,
Because this morning I am not crying
Because my spouse, my child, my brother or sister, my parent does not need to be buried
or to be pulled out from underneath a pile of concrete,
Because this morning I was able to drink a glass of water,
Because this morning I was able to turn on the light,
Because this morning I was able to take a shower,
Because this morning I was not planning a funeral,

But most of all I thank you this morning because I still have life and a voice to cry out for the people of Japan .
Lord I cry out to you, the One that makes the impossible, possible,
The One that turns darkness in to light,
I cry out that You give those mothers strength,

That You give them peace that surpasses all understanding,
That You may open the streets so that help can come,
That You may provide doctors, nurses, food, water, and all that they need in a blink of an eye.

For all those that have lost family members, give them peace, give them hope, give them courage to continue to go on!
Protect the children and shield them with your power.
I pray all this in the name of Jesus!!!

To all our blogger and email friends, please continue to forward this so that we can pray together for the people in Japan.

Viola Flower and the Prayer

"Lord, help us to redeem the time
You give us everyday-
To take opportunity
To follow and obey."

-Sper

a very beautiful macro of Viola flower in our garden. I am trying to remember the other names of this flower...now I got it. It is also called pansies and Stiefmütterchen in German. Can't wait to see them again this coming spring time. This image was taken last summer 2010.

Prayer of Gratitude

Thank you Lord
for all the blessings and the graces.
For all the good things in life.
For all the trials and predicaments
that keep us strong and determined.

Thank you Lord
most especially for the gift of life
and all the gifts of nature.
In everything, Thank you so much!
Amen.

-Ruby Benz

the tulips in our garden taken last Spring time 2010.

Pink Flower and a Prayer

"Lord, sometimes we cannot see your abundance
because of the obstacles and tragedies of life.
Show yourself to us.
Be present today."

-Steve Givens

an unknown flower in our garden. any idea what is the name of this beautiful pink flower? Thanks in advance.

Nice Words To Share

These are very nice words that were forwarded in my inbox. Thanks to Kyregma for this one. Keep reading below! Have a blessed day!

LET US BE FOCUSED ON THE THINGS THAT MATTER

One of the first tactics of the devil is to try to distract us from the things that should be the foci of our life. If he can achieve this goal, he will have succeeded in neutralizing our impact in bringing the Gospel to others. This means that the Church’s mission will be blunted and bringing back humanity to its proper place of submission to the will of God will be delayed.

There is an urgency to proclaim the Gospel and to proclaim it in truth without any accretions that take away from its power to save. The Gospel stands in judgment over the world and its various cultures. The Gospel does not have to adapt its truths to the cultures in which it is being proclaimed. It must be proclaimed in truth and all that is in a particular culture that is not in conformity to that truth must go. Yes, we adapt the manner of proclaiming the Gospel to the individual culture, but never the content of the Gospel.

Sociologists, anthropologists and many others will defend the primacy of culture over and against the Gospel, but they are wrong. The truth of the Gospel is not open to debate; it is not open to alteration in the name of cultural sensitivity. If we fail to be clear about the truth of the Gospel when we proclaim it, we do a disservice to those who hear it and we become at least partially responsible for their errors. I’m sure none of us want to be responsible for the errors of others so we had better heed the call to both live and proclaim the Gospel faithfully in response to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Yes, we must always seek to understand different cultures, but we must also be willing to call to conversion various aspects of the cultures in which we work. Otherwise, we will condemn ourselves to an exercise in futility because unless the Gospel is proclaimed in its fullness, it will not be able to establish itself in the lives of those who hear it. Our task of proclaiming the Gospel to the ends of the earth will never be completed. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

Reflection Question:
Do I tend to let slide certain culturally accepted aspects of my life even though I know they are contrary to the Gospel? If so, it is time I did something about it.

Jesus, You proclaimed the truth whether it made You popular or not. Help me to do the same and so be faithful to You.

St. Branwallader, pray for us.

Matthew 24:6

These are very wonderful and inspiring words which were forwarded to my email. Before I delete it, I would like to share it to everyone. God bless us all!

and May the Souls of the 9/11 victims rest in peace!

Matthew 24:6
=============

"And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars:

see that ye be not troubled:
for all these things must come to pass,
but the end is not yet."
Jesus (Matthew 24:6)

In the midst of it all. . .

. . .the sympathy, the terror, the anger, the confusion,
the hate, the blame, the fear, the uncertainty. . .

. . .on both sides.

See that YOU be NOT troubled,
for these things MUST come to pass.

We pray for your peace. . .

. . .in a world that so often knows it not.

~A MountainWings Original~

First published September 12, 2001.

from The Mountain:
I first wrote this the day after 9-11. I read it now and realize
that the major war for most is on a battlefront far closer to
home. It is often AT home.

As I pray each day over the MountainWings Prayer Requests, the
number of at home war prayers outnumber the prayers for loved
ones overseas in the military 50 to 1.

We pray for your peace. . .

. . .in a world that so often knows it not.

A Very Beautiful Prayer...Dear God

Oh how lovely is the morning! Good morning everyone! Noon time is not yet here that is the reason why I greet everyone a good morning! Some minutes more and 12:00 is here. I hope you are having a great start of the week. I know that I will! I have a very nice prayer to share this morning. It was forwarded in my email by Mountain wings. I don't want to delete this very wonderful prayer without sharing it to you. Sad to say the Author is unknown but the most important thing, he was able to share this very wonderful prayer to everyone!..read carefully and I hope that we are all having a very nice insight about this...This is very nice prayer of Thanksgiving and about friendship! God bless us all! have a great day!

Dear God
=======

Dear God,

I'm writing to say I'm sorry
For being angry yesterday
When you seemed to ignore my prayer
And things didn't go my way

First, my car broke down
I was very late for work
But I missed that awful accident
Was that your handiwork?

I found a house I loved
But others got there first
I was angry, then relieved
When I heard the pipes had burst!

Yesterday, I found the perfect dress
But the color was too pale
Today, I found the dress in red
Would you believe, it was on sale!

I know you're watching over me
And I'm feeling truly blest
For no matter what I pray for
You always know what's best!

I have this circle of E-mail friends,
Who mean the world to me;
Some days I "send" and "send,"
At other times, I let them be.

I am so blessed to have these friends,
With whom I've grown so close;
So this little poem I dedicate to them,
Because to me they are the "Most"!

When I see each name download,
And view the message they've sent;
I know they've thought of me that day,
And "well wishes" were their intent.

So to you, my friends, I would like to say,
Thank you for being a part;
Of all my daily contacts,
This comes right from my heart.

God bless you all is my prayer today,
I'm honored to call you "friend";
I pray the Lord will keep you safe,
Until we write again.

"Author Unknown"

My prayer and confession

I couldn't sleep last night. I was thinking of some things. Sometimes our lives are just full of trials and temptations. We are being tested how strong our faith is. I know and I believed, God is always there for me whatever comes my way.

It is my first time to be faraway from my husband for quite couple of weeks, well for quite 2 months anyway. I am missing him right now. I realized that I really love my husband and will never leave him.

It also comes to our life sometimes that we never realized something or someone that is valuable to us unless he/she/it is gone.

I am in a sin city right now. A city surrounded with lots of temptations like gambling and a lot more. You can find it here anywwhere. well, I guess some people also visit this place to fulfill their needs for flesh and earthly desire. I cannot judge these people doing things like these. Besides it is their choice in their life. It is just sad sometimes why values and morals are already forgotten and no longer remembered.

I am not perfect, but I always try to be one. I always try my best to do things that are according to my own belief and instinct to be in good moral. I am a Christian, a Catholic. I believed in God. I had been to a lot of trials, pains and temptations in life...and I know that God is always there protecting me and guiding me to the right path. He never leaves me.

I just keep on praying that God will continue to guide me in all my undertakings. That is why we are given the intellect and free will to choose between good and evil. All we just need is to use it wisely.

I hope and always pray that God will always give me and all of us the guidance and belief to do things that are according to God's will and not the earthly things.

I pray for those family who are falling apart, may God will help them realize the value of family. I also pray for all people who badly needs God's help, the poor and the dying, the sick and unemployed, all the victims of calamities and man made disasters, may God bless and protect them.

I also pray for my friends, relatives and especially my family and love ones. May God will continue to give them good health always and free from all harm and danger.

Lastly, I want to thank God for all the blessings and the graces He had given to me and my family...I am most thankful especially for the gift of life and all gifts of nature, our talents, faculties and abilities, thank you so much dear Lord for everything!!


ps...can't really think of the right title of this post...hope the one i gave fits!!

The Lord rescues those who fear Him

God is watching over us!
_____________

"Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of men and livestock in it. And I myself will be a wall of fire around it," declares the LORD, "and I will be its glory within. "

Zechariah 2:4,5 NIV
______________

As the mountains are round about Jerusalem,
so the LORD is round about his people,
from this time forth and for evermore.
Psalm 125:2 RSV
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The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear Him,
And rescues them.

O taste and see that the LORD is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
Psalm 34:7,8 NASB
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We need a Saviour because we are sinners...
And the wages of sin is death.

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
is the object of our faith; the only faith
that saves is faith in Him.

www.arcamax.com

Now this is eternal life

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

"Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.

Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

John 17:1-3 NIV
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And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.

Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I shall kiss is the man; seize him and lead him away under guard."

And when he came, he went up to him at once, and said, "Master!"

And he kissed him. And they laid hands on him and seized him.

Mark 14:43-46 RSV
________________

Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?"

Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."

Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?"

John 18:37,38a NASB
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Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him."

John 14:6,7 NASB
________________

Thanks be unto God for his amazing gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten
Son of God is the object of our faith;
the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

He died for you

He died for you

Jesus was obedient,
even to His death on the cross
________________

He was taken from prison and from judgment,
And who will declare His generation?
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.

Isaiah 53:8

And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
1 John 2:2 NKJV
________________

I was cast upon You from birth.
From My mother's womb
You have been My God.

Be not far from Me,
For trouble is near;
For there is none to help.

Many bulls have surrounded Me;
Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me.
They gape at Me with their mouths,
Like a raging and roaring lion.

I am poured out like water,
And all My bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax;
It has melted within Me.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
And My tongue clings to My jaws;
You have brought Me to the dust of death.

For dogs have surrounded Me;
The congregation of the wicked
has enclosed Me.
They pierced My hands and My feet;
I can count all My bones.
They look and stare at Me.
They divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.
But You, O LORD, do not be far from Me;
O My Strength, hasten to help Me!

Psalm 22:10-19 NKJV
________________

So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"

And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?"

And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. The place in the Scripture which he read was this:

"He was led as a sheep to the slaughter;
And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
In His humiliation His justice was taken away,
And who will declare His generation?
For His life is taken from the earth."

So the eunuch answered Philip and said, "I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?"

Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.

Acts 8:30-35 NKJV
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Thanks be unto God for his amazing gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten
Son of God is the object of our faith;
the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"

They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the King of Israel!"

Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, "Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt."

John 12:13-15 NIV

________________

So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

Luke 21:31-33 KJV

________________

Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, "Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.

John 12:27,28 NASB

________________

Thanks be unto God for his amazing gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten
Son of God is the object of our faith;
the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

true repentanCe and Conversion

Living a holy life is hard work. It is not something that comes easily to anyone. We need to ask ourselves — are we prepared for what a life of righteousness will require of us? If we are not ready to commit to the life of discipleship, then maybe we should wait before saying that we are ready to begin. The woman caught in adultery in today’s Gospel receives a truly remarkable grace in the forgiveness of her sins – but it does not come without some sort of challenge. Jesus is very clear about her responsibility – “go away and sin no more!” This is not something to take lightly. The same should be true of our intention every time we avail the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

True conversion and repentance require our commitment to do away with all the sin in our lives. This means that when we ask God’s forgiveness, we do so with the firm resolve to avoid all of those sins in the future. If we are not committed to this end, then what integrity is there to our repentance? There is none, or at least, very little. The call to live a life without sin is not an easy one. It must be possible to avoid all mortal sin (some say Therese of Lisieux managed to avoid all mortal sin). Surely the grace of God is strong enough if we surrender to it to help us avoid falling into temptation and sin?

Even if we do sin we know we can repent. This is a fantastic gift to us that comes from the depth of God’s heart. There is no doubt in my mind that God’s desire is to give us the grace to do away with sin forever. However, it seems that we are too easily and too often seduced by sin and drawn into its ugly presence. We need to pray for the grace to be drawn towards all that is good and noble, holy and perfect, rather than allow ourselves to be fooled into giving ourselves away to the lies of the devil. Let us now try to put these principles into action. Fr. Steve Tynan

Reflection Question:
What is the sin that I struggle with the most? What am I doing to try and overcome it? Do I really think that this will be enough to defeat it?

Holy Spirit, I am relying upon You to convince me of the sin in my life, and for the grace to repent of it as I struggle to grow in holiness every day. Help me to surrender everything I am to God.

St. Macarius of Jerusalem, bishop, pray for us.

The Way to Jesus’ Heart

It is common to find large billboards along roads or in front of edifices declaring that such projects have been made through the initiative of this or that politician. Such practice is not limited to government projects though. When one enters a church he cannot miss well-polished brass tags on images of saints or on pews stating who donated them. Most of us admire those people who share their riches to the church, or, to others, for that matter. We sometimes think that those people have already ‘’bought’’ their way to the people’s heart or even to heaven. Our admiration thus leads to wishful longing. So we say, “If I become Mayor, I would also make…” or, “If I become rich, I will donate…” Today’s Gospel presents a different point of view as regards winning the heart not just of men but of God. Jesus has made the road to His heart available to everybody, even to the simplest people.

Jesus outlines them so clearly: Feed the hungry. Give water to the thirsty. Clothe the naked and welcome the stranger. Do those and you’ll merit a slot in the roster of the saints. Jesus made glory attainable for all. Heaven is not a place only for those who are able to do extraordinary things on earth, like contribute large sums of money to charitable institutions or churches. Not all of us can accomplish exceptional missionary undertakings like the disciples of old. But all of us can surely measure up to the norms that Jesus presents today. He has opened up the way to heaven by simply telling us to respond with acts of charity to anyone in need. And that is the only gauge. Our capacity to respond to human need will determine if we are worthy to be counted among the elect, those to whom Jesus will say, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (Matthew 25:34).” Fr. Sandy Enhaynes

Reflection Question:

Do we know the road to the heart of Jesus?

Lord Jesus, You teach us the simple acts of charity that can make us saints some day. May You use us as Your instruments to help those in need.

St. Paschal, pray for us.

the perennial Question of sufferinG

The problem of suffering is as old as human thought. It does not take a very smart person to realize that there is something very mysterious and inexplicable why good people suffer. Perhaps it is not so much a matter of understanding why the good suffer, but working out what our individual responses to suffering will be. If you happen to be a bad person, then this is not such a big question.

Jesus is the greatest person ever to walk the earth and He suffered terribly at the hands of men. It is to His response that we will look for the basis of our own responses as His followers. Jesus, the Son of God, is without sin so there is no way we can attribute any of His suffering to any fault of His own. It thus seems that suffering has at least two sources — from ourselves and others. It is the second source that impinges upon thelife of the good person. We become aware very quickly of the fact that sin is fundamentally evil and unjust. Being unjust, sin inflicts evil consequences upon the innocent. We don’t know why this happens – only that it does and all we can do is respond to it as best we can with the grace of God available to us at the moment.

Colossians 2:4 tells us that our suffering can become redemptive in nature if we unite our trials with those of Christ. Here lies at least part of the Christian answer to suffering. The saints give witness to the desire to suffer because in suffering, they experience God conforming them to Himself. This is our ultimate goal – to become one with the Trinity. Let us not despair but strive to see in any suffering the opportunity to become more like Christ, and to contribute something of ourselves to His work of redemption. Fr. Steve Tynan

Reflection Question:

Do I always complain about my personal suffering? Did Jesus ever complain about His?

Lord Jesus, help me to grow to become more like You each day. Grant me the grace to embrace any suffering in my life, and to use it as an offering to You so that I can be conformed to Your image.

St. John of God, religious, pray for us.

adapted:Kyregma

God upholds and guides us.

The Lord is our Strength and our shield...
If the LORD delights in a man's way,
he makes his steps firm;
though he stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

Psalm 27:23,24 NIV

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"And the LORD will continually guide you,
And satisfy your desire in scorched places,
And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.

Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins;
You will raise up the age-old foundations;
And you will be called the repairer of the breach,
The restorer of the streets in which to dwell."

Isaiah 58:11,12 NASB

__________________

Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise,
and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.

For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee;
they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.

That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known
to thee this day, even to thee.

Proverbs 22:17-19 KJV

__________________

Thanks be unto God for his amazing gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten
Son of God is the object of our faith;
the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

Run after Peace and Unity of Spirit

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
for brethren to dwell together in unity!

It is like the precious ointment upon the head,
that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard:
that went down to the skirts of his garments;

As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended
upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded
the blessing, even life for evermore.

Psalm 133 KJV

__________________

Better a meal of vegetables where there is love
than a fattened calf with hatred.

A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension,
but a patient man calms a quarrel.

Proverbs 15:17,18 NIV

__________________

Thanks be unto God for his amazing gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten
Son of God is the object of our faith;
the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

Build one another up!

Let all things be done unto edifying -
build one another up!

If anyone thinks himself to be religious,
and yet does not bridle his tongue but
deceives his own heart, this man's
religion is worthless.

James 1:26 NASB

__________________

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Ephesians 4:29-32 NIV

__________________

There is one who speaks rashly
like the thrusts of a sword,

But the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Truthful lips will be established forever,
But a lying tongue is only for a moment.

Proverbs 12:18,19 NASB

_________________

Thanks be unto God for his amazing gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten
Son of God is the object of our faith;
the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

The Father Guides His Children

We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.

1 John 4:13-15 NIV

________________

Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;

Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
For the sake of Your name,
O LORD, revive me.

In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble.

Psalm 143:10,11 NASB

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But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

1 Corinthians 2:9-12 KJV

________________

Thanks be unto God for his amazing gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten
Son of God is the object of our faith;
the only faith that saves is faith in Him.