PRAY

Let me be reassured that your birth is a sign of your great love for me, and desire to be close to me. Help me to trust that you know and care how I am feeling today and that you are with me. May I be for others a sign of your loving presence in this world.

THINK

What would you say to Gabriel if he were to deliver his message “God is with you” to you in your kitchen today?

PRAY

Lord, You have given us this world to cherish and to enjoy. Help us to be awake to the beauty in our surroundings however ordinary they might first appear. Help us to be awake to the moments of joy and beauty that present themselves this week.

THINK

Who are the messengers – the Godsends – in your life at present? What do they teach you about God’s care for you?

THINK

How are you spending your time and money this week? What do your choices reveal about who you really are?

We Are All Meant To Shine

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Marianne Williamson

Kids In Church

3-year-old Reese :   
"Our Father, Who does art in heaven,  
Harold is His name.   Amen." 

What happens in heaven

I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels. My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said,
"This Is the Receiving Section.
Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are Received."
I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world.

Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section. The angel then said to me,
"This is the Packaging and Delivery Section.
Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them."
I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth.

Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the Door of a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel was Seated there, idly doing nothing.
"This is the Acknowledgment Section,"
My angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed "How Is it that there is no work going on here?" I asked. "So sad," the angel sighed. "After people receive the blessings that they asked. For, very few send back acknowledgments ." "'How does one acknowledge God's blessings?" I asked. "Simple," the angel answered. Just say, Thank you, Lord."

"What blessings should they acknowledge?" I asked.

"If you have food in the refrigerator,
clothes on your back,
a roof overhead and
a place to sleep
you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank,
in your wallet, and
spare change in a dish,
you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy .

And if you get this on your own computer,
you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity.

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness
you are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day .

If you have never experienced the fear in battle,
the loneliness of imprisonment,
the agony of torture,
or the pangs of starvation
you are ahead of 700 million people in the world.

If you can attend a church without the fear of harassment,
arrest, torture or death
you are envied by, and more blessed than three billion people in the world .

If your parents are still alive and still married ... you are very rare.

If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you're unique to all those in doubt and despair.

A Meditation by Cardinal Newman

God has created me
to do him some definite service;
He has committed some work to me
which He has not committed to another.
I have my mission -
I may never know it in this life,
but I shall be told of it in the next.

I am a link in a chain,
a bond of connection between persons.
He has not created me for naught,
I shall do good,
I shall do his work.
I shall be an angel of peace,
a preacher of truth
in my own place
while not intending it -
if I do but keep
His Commandments.

Therefore, I will trust Him.
Whatever, wherever I am,
I can never be thrown away.
If I am in sickness,
my sickness may serve Him;
in perplexity,
my perplexity may serve Him;
if I am in sorry,
my sorrow may serve Him.
He does nothing in vain.
He knows what He is about.
He may take away my friends.
He may throw me among strangers.
He may make me feel desolate,
make my spirits sink,
hide my future from me -
still He knows
what He is about.

Reflections of a parent

I gave you life,
but cannot live for you.
I can give you directions,
but I cannot be there to lead you.
I can take you to church,
but I cannot make you believe.
I can teach you right from wrong,
but I cannot always decide for you.
I can buy you beautiful clothes,
but I cannot make you beautiful inside.
I can offer you advice,
but I cannot accept it for you.
I can give you love,
but I cannot force it upon you.
I can teach you to share,
but I cannot make you unselfish.
I can teach you to respect,
but I cannot force you to show honour.
I can advise you about friends,
but I cannot choose them for you.
I can tell you about alcohol and drugs,
but I cannot say ‘No’ for you.
I can tell you about lofty goals,
but I can’t achieve them for you.
I can teach you about kindness,
but I can’t force you to be gracious.
I can pray for you,
but I cannot make you walk with God.
I can tell how to live,
but I cannot give you eternal life.
I can love you with unconditional love
all my life…

Children Learn What They Live

Children Learn what they live
if children live with criticism, they learn to condemn
if children live with praise, they learn appreciation
if children live with hostility, they learn to fight
if children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect
if children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive
if children live with security,
they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them
if children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves
if children live with encouragement, they learn confidence
if children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy
if children live with approval, they learn to like themselves
if children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy
if children live with sharing, they learn generosity
if children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty
if children live with acceptance, they learn to love
if children live with tolerance, they learn patience
if children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal
if children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness
if children live with fairness, they learn justice
if children live with friendliness,
they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.

Prayer to St Oliver Plunkett

Glorious Martyr, Oliver, who willingly
gave your life for your faith,
help us also to be strong in faith.

May we be loyal like you
to the See of Peter.
By your intercession and example
may all hatred and bitterness
be banished from the hearts
of Irish men and women.

May the peace of Christ reign
in our hearts,
as it did in your heart,
even at the moment of your death.

Pray for us and Ireland. Amen.

Eagles

Isaiah 40:28-31

The eagle is a symbol used many times in Scripture, in fact, it is mentioned 38 times throughout the Bible. We can learn some important lessons from this majestic creation of God. Eagles have a wing span of 2 meters and are around 90 cm. tall. The eagle mates for life and use the same nest for life. This nest is built in a safe place, often on the ledge of a sharp cliff. It is built to last and the largest nest reported is 9 ½ feet wide and 20 feet deep.

When the babies are born, both parents assume responsibility for their care. They are gentle parents, sitting on the eggs for one month. The parents bring food up to the nest and feed them small pieces of meat. Within 45 days they can weigh nearly 40 times their birth weight. At three months they get special feathers for flying and a new learning experience begins. The mother eagle flies into the nest and begins to thrash around causing a great commotion. Eventually one of the babies will fall out of the nest and begin heading for the earth below. Never having used his wings before, he's not really sure what to do, but does do lots of flapping while heading straight down! Just before the baby hits the ground, the mother eagle flies underneath in order to 'catch' the baby on her powerful wings and she flies him safely back to the nest. This continues on day after day until all the babies learn to fly.

There are two verses in scripture that actually mention this routine of the eagle. In Deuteronomy 32:10,11 Moses reminds the children of Israel how God cared for them and guarded them just "like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions." Again in Exodus 19:4 God says that "He will carry the children of Israel on eagles' wings".

We can get very comfortable in our 'nest'. Perhaps that could be our way of doing things, our way of thinking, our opinions, our way of living life. Then when God comes and 'stirs up our nest' we get upset. We don't always identify this as a growing experience. Sometimes if we were really honest, we really don't want to grow. We get very complacent and satisfied with where we are and any interruptions are viewed as negative. But God wants us to fly - to become all that He intends us to become. He never stirs up our nest without good reason!

The eagle can see a rabbit two miles away. It can soar up to two miles above the ground and can fly at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour. They have a separate eyelid which slides across the eye sideways in order to keep the eye clean and free from dust as they fly. Their bones are hollow and therefore light of frame. Their frame has cross ribs like steel bars in sky scrapers. The eagle has 7000 feathers. The back feathers are as long as the head feathers. Their beak is black until age of 3 years and then turns golden.

When eagles are about 30 years old they go through a renewal process. They find a secret place high in the mountains and begin to claw at their face and tear out the feathers that have been damaged over the years. As a result, it bleeds badly. But this is necessary for the eagle in order to renew its strength. If it did not do this it would not be able to live to its normal 60 years of age.

Psalms 103:5 says "who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles." A time of renewal is necessary for every child of God. A time when we get rid of what is weighing us down, holding us back, aging us spiritually. A time to give up the sinful habits, to give in to the Holy Spirit in whatever way He is convicting us. We need to do this even to the point of renewal with pain! Some things we hold on to so tightly that to let go, actually causes us pain. But in order to have the long, powerful, useful spiritual life that God plans for us, we need to do that. It will renew our spiritual youthfulness.

When the eagle is free to soar in God's creation, they are the cleanest of birds. They were created to be free and to soar to great heights. They were not meant to remain close to the earth in the lowlands. They were created to soar. When eagles are held in captivity, they become one of the dirtiest birds.

God has created us to remain pure and holy and conformed to his image. Don't allow the freedom we are to experience in Him, to be compromised by spending too much time in worldly thinking, activities, mindsets. Remain clean!

Eagles do not fly like other birds, they don't flap their wings but rather soar. Flapping their wings would use incredible amounts of their own strength and endurance and they would require so much more food as fuel if they didn't soar. Instead they sit on a high ledge and wait for the right wind currents to come. When the time is right, they take off and soar upward. Effortlessly, because they have waited for the right time. There is a special 'up going' wind, that they ride as it circles higher and higher toward the sky.

What a lesson for God's children to learn. How often do we waste strength by jumping out too soon and 'flapping our wings', instead of waiting for God's timing. Waiting is not a popular concept in these days of instant everything! But when we wait on the Lord - wait for His timing - wait for His answers - wait for His direction, then we can soar to new heights and fly to new places.

"Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles: they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint."

by Linda Ozirney