God's Plan:  Embroidering Your Life ... 

When I was little, my mother used to sew a great deal. I would sit at her knee and look up from the floor and ask what she was doing. She informed me that she was embroidering.   As from the underside I watched her work within the boundaries of the little round hoop that she held in her hand, I complained to her that it sure looked messy from where I sat.  She would smile at me, look down and gently say, "Child, you go about your playing for a while, and when I am finished with my embroidering, I will put you on my knee and let you see it from my side."

I would wonder why she was using some dark threads along with the bright ones and why they seemed so jumbled from my view. A few minutes would pass and then I would hear Mother's voice say, "Child, come and sit on my knee."  This I did, only to be surprised and thrilled to see a beautiful flower, or a sunset. I could not believe it, because from underneath it looked so messy.

Then Mother would say to me, "My child, from underneath it did look messy and jumbled, but you did not realize that there was a plan on the top. It was a design. I was only following it. Now look at it from my side and you will see what I was doing."

Many times through the years I have looked up to heaven and said, "Father, what are You doing?" He has answered, "I am embroidering your life."  I say, "But it looks like a mess to me. It seems so jumbled. The threads seem so dark. Why can't they all be bright?" The Father seems to tell me, "'My child, you go about your business of doing My business, and one day I will bring you to Heaven and put you on My knee and you will see the plan from My side."

Divine Broadcast ... written by Anne Marx from Hartsdale, New York, friend of Msgr. Joe

God speaks to us every hour
if we dial to tune him in.
God sends His words from a tower
beaming long rays through the din
of daily commercials that batter
our minds too relentlessly --
God chooses programs that matter
in the quest for veracity.
He broadcasts in any weather
transmitting both far and near;
whenever we worship together,
the signals come loud and clear.
He needs but one amplifyer
heart-anchored in you and me
to reach deep for ever higher
divine fidelity.

15 Questions God Wont Ask ...

1. God won't ask what kind of car you drove, but will ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation.
2. God won't ask the square footage of your house, but will ask how many people you welcomed into it.
3. God won't ask about the fancy clothes you had in your closet, but will ask how many of those clothes helped the needy.
4. God won't ask about your social status, but will ask what kind of class you displayed.
5. God won't ask how many material possessions you had, but will ask if they dictated your life.
6. God won't ask what your highest salary was, but will ask if you compromised your character to obtain that salary.
7. God won't ask how much overtime you worked, but will ask if you worked overtime for your family and loved ones.
8. God won't ask how many promotions you received, but will ask how you promoted others.
9. God won't ask what your job title was, but will ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.
10. God won't ask what you did to help yourself, but will ask what you did to help others.
11. God won't ask how many friends you had, but will ask how many people to whom you were a true friend.
12. God won't ask what you did to protect your rights, but will ask what you did to protect the rights of others.
13. God won't ask in what neighbourhood you lived, but will ask how you treated your neighbours.
14. God won't ask about the colour of your skin, but will ask about the content of your character.
15. God won't ask how many times your deeds matched your words, but will ask how many time

Letter From Jesus ...  

When no one is there for you and you think no one cares
when the whole world walks out on you and you think you're alone
I'll be there

When the one you care about the most could care less about you
when the one you gave your heart to throws it in your face
I'll be there

When the person you trusted betrays you
when the person you share all your memories with can't even remember your birthday
I'll be there

When all you need is a friend to listen to you whine
when all you need is someone to catch your tears
I'll be there

When your heart hurts so bad you can't even breathe
when you just want to crawl up and die
I'll be there

When you start to cry after hearing that sad song
when the tears just won't stop falling down
I'll be there

So you see I'll be there until the end 
this is a promise I can make
if you ever need me just give me a call and...
I'll be there

Signed:
Eternal Love
Jesus, your brother

On Being Christian ...

One of the most neglected aspects of Christian life is its active dimension. We are baptized and share the life of the risen Lord in order to continue the work that he has begun here on earth. We are not in the church so much to get something out of it as to put something into it! We will never save our souls by concentrating only on ourselves. Rather, this will be a by-product of our being a source of life and salvation for others.

Daily Bread ...

Lord, deliver us this day, from all evil, from all falls, from all accidents, and especially from old hurts that are still sitting there, somewhere dwelling within us like stale bread, becoming moldy in the back of our bread box. Instead, Lord, move us this day to do surprising acts of kindness: to let another get ahead of us, to compliment the uncomplimented, to listen to the unlistened to, and especially to share You, our Sacred Bread, hopefully an ongoing dwelling within us after our communion with you each Sunday morning. (Andrew Costello)

Daily Prayer ...

Dear Lord, so far today I've done all right. I haven't gossiped, haven't lost my temper, haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or over-indulgent. I'm really glad about that. But, in a few minutes, God, I'm going to get out of bed. And from then on I'm probably going to need a lot more help. Thank you in Jesus' name. Amen. - Author unknown.

Taking Pictures ...

Lord, I tend to spend my time sitting in the dark, developing my negatives. Call me out of this dark room of myself. Call me out into the brightness of Your own wonderful light. Instead of picturing others with my narrow, tiny focus, help me to see them at their best, to be positive, to "Smile!" as I see the wedding of light and colour in the smiles on a thousand other faces. (Andrew Costello)

Lovely Lady Dressed in Blue ...

Lovely lady dressed in blue Teach me how to pray! God was just your little Boy, Tell me what to say! Did you lift Him up, sometimes, Gently on your knee? Did you sing to Him the way Mother does to me? Did you hold His hand at night? Did you ever try telling stories of the world? Oh! And did He cry? Do you really think He cares If I tell Him things...Little things that happen? And do the Angel’s wings make a noise? And can He hear me if I speak low? Does He understand me now? Tell me - for you know. Lovely lady dressed in blue teach me how to pray! God was just your little Boy and you know the way.

Making a Difference Today ...

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of another day. Help me to dare to be different today, not at the expense of others, but because what we do today will make a difference in the lives of those we serve this day. Help me to work hard, to care, to listen, to reach out, to be honest, to look people in the eye, to smile to everyone I meet today, so that at the end of this day I'll be able to say that I made a difference. I made life better on this planet. (Andrew Costello)

Mary The Mirror ...

Mary, you are one of life's great mirrors. Remind me to look into your eyes and see the ways and truth of my life. Life's ways - life's announcements: Good news, bad news, journeys from town to town, twists and turns, swords and surprises, birth to death, acceptance and rejection, Bethlehem and back to Nazareth, Cana to Calvary, love and betrayal, the Joyful, Sorrowful and the Glorious mysteries of life. Life's ways - life's choices: Saying, "Yes" or "No." Saying "Yes!" to Life. Saying "Yes!" to the Lord. Saying, "Be it done to me according to your word." Mary, you are once of life's great mirrors. Remind me to look into your eyes and see Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. (Andrew Costello)

Reverence ...

Present at the Eucharist as the people of God, we share an awesome task. We the baptized are the ones God has chosen to be a royal priesthood. At Eucharist, the task of the whole people is priestly. We give thanks to God and offer the perfect sacrifice, the Body and Blood of Christ, together with ourselves. It is not the presider alone who makes this offering - it is all of us. Consequently, attention to our duty is critical for a meaningful celebration of the Eucharist. The church asks us to act with reverence - for the Eucharist, for our role in it and for the community. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal says the faithful 'should endeavour to make (their role) clear by their deep sense of reverence for God and their charity toward all who share with them in the celebration. Reverence and charity may take different forms. Entering the church, we greet those with whom we will celebrate this Mass. We sign ourselves with water that recalls our priestly mission. We bow to the altar where our thanksgiving will be made or we genuflect to the tabernacle if it is central in the sanctuary. We sing the songs. We make the responses. We listen to God's word. We pray all the prayers, even those spoken by the presider alone. We share the Eucharist in faith. At times our actions may threaten the task we perform. When we needlessly attend to other matters or neglect the songs and silences and prayers, we make it difficult for ourselves and for others to carry the reverence and charity needed for our task. Mass is not like watching a band perform music; it's like playing an instrument in the band. Sometimes you play with everyone else; sometimes you rest; sometimes you solo. But we all make the music. It requires attention and teamwork. To carry out our priestly mission we practice reverence for God and charity for one another. If someone else's idea of reverence conflicts with yours, practice charity. It helps us fulfill our awesome task. - Modern Liturgy/1998

Think About It ...

Isn’t it funny how $10.00 looks so big when we take it to church.....and so small when we take it to the store? Isn’t it funny how big 60 minutes are when serving God, but how small when we are fishing, or playing golf or basketball? Isn’t it funny how laborious it is to read a chapter in the Bible, but how easy to read 200 to 300 pages of a novel? Isn’t it funny how we believe what a person or newspaper says, but question what the Bible says? Isn’t it funny how we can’t think of anything to say when we pray, but don’t have any trouble gossiping about someone? Isn’t it funny how we need 2 or 3 weeks to fit a church event into our schedule, but have no problem adjusting for a social event at the last minute. Isn’t it funny how we get thrilled when a football game goes into extra-overtime, but complain when a sermon is longer that we expected. Isn’t it funny how people scramble to get a front seat at any game, but scramble to get a back seat at Church? Isn’t it funny how difficult it is to share the gospel with others, but how simple it is to just sit and talk about the game. Isn’t it funny how everyone wants to go to heaven, provided they don’t have to believe....think.....say.....or do anything??

What Jesus Is

• To the artist, He is the one altogether lovely. (Song of Solomon 5:15)
• To the architect, He is the chief cornerstone. (1 Peter 2:6)
• To the astronomer, He is the sun of righteousness. (Malachi 4:2)
• To the baker, He is the bread of life. (John 6:35)
• To the banker, He is the hidden treasure. (Matthew 13:44)
• To the builder, He is the sure foundation. (Isaiah 26:16)
• To the carpenter, He is the door. (John 10:7)
• To the doctor, He is the great physician. (Jeremiah 8:22)
• To the educator, He is the great teacher. (John 3:2)
• To the engineer, He is the new and living way. (Hebrews 10:20)
• To the farmer, he is the sower and Lord of harvest. (Luke 10:2)
• To the florist, He is the rose of Sharon. (Song of Solomon 2:1)
• To the geologist, He is the rock of ages. (1 Corinthians 10:4)
• To the horticulturist, He is the true vine. (John 15:1)
• To the judge, He is the only righteous judge of man. (2 Timothy 4:8)
• To the juror, He is the faithful and true witness. (Revelation 3:14)
• To the jeweler, He is the pearl of great price. (Matthew 13:46)
• To the lawyer, He is counselor, lawgiver, and true advocate. (Isaiah 9:6)
• To the newspaper man, He is tidings of great joy. (Luke 2:10)
• To the oculist, He is the light of the eyes. (Proverbs 29:13)
• To the philanthropist, He is the unspeakable gift. (2 Corinthians 1:24)
• To the philosopher, He is the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:24)
• To the preacher, He is the Word of God. (Revelation 19:13)
• To the sculptor, He is the living stone. (1 Peter 2:4)
• To the servant, He is the good master. (Matthew 23:8-10)
• To the statesman, He is the desire of all nations. (Haggai 2:7)
• To the student, He is the incarnate truth. (1 John 5:6)
• To the theologian, He is the author and finisher of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2)
• To the toiler, He is the giver of rest. (Matthew 11:28)
• To the sinner, He is the Lamb of God who takes the sin away. (John 1:29)
• To the Christian, He is the Son of the Living God, the Saviour, the Redeemer, and the Loving Lord.

Ten Good Reasons to Raise Your Kids Christian

1. So they'll have some rules to reject when they're teenagers.
2. So they'll have some rules to reconsider when they have kids of their own.
3. So they'll have values to cherish for the rest of their lives.
4. So they'll have something to hang on to when times are bad.
5. So they'll have at least a raggedy Good News Bible somewhere in their house or apartment that they can read for wisdom when they're older and interested.
6. So they'll come to know that every person wears the face of Christ in a different way, even those who seem to be enemies.
7. So they'll have an experience of faith in community.
8. So they'll know that Christmas is about the gift of love in their hearts.
9. So they'll know about Jesus' death and resurrection and understand that life is more than suffering.
10. So they'll know that heaven begins on the spot where they're standing and that they are here for God and that God is with them always.

Computer Psalm 23

The Lord is my programmer; I shall not crash. He installed his software on the hard disk of my heart; all of His commands are user-friendly. His directory guides me to the right choices for His name's sake. Even though I scroll through the problems of life, I will fear no bugs, for He is my backup. His password protects me. He prepares a menu before me in the presence of my enemies. His help is only a keystroke away. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and my file will be merged with His and saved forever.  Amen.