Lord, Hear Our Prayer

The internet is a formidable force for bringing the comfort and consolation and hope of the Lord to all of us. It can be an incredibily powerful medium for community. There is an unfathomable resource for prayer here. We have on the 'net the privilege of praying for people and of being witness to the miracles brought forth when fervent, faith-filled people pray for one another.

Let's be that community of hope and faith for one another.

How about this idea? What if I pop in here every weekend, share Sunday's gospel and talk a wee bit about how we can live it and pray it in our homes? And then you tell me how we can pray for you that week? Deal?

{And please, do return and let us know how prayer is bearing fruit.}

Gospel 

Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

At that time, John said to Jesus,
"Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name,
and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us."
Jesus replied, "Do not prevent him.
There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name
who can at the same time speak ill of me.
For whoever is not against us is for us.
Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink
because you belong to Christ, 
amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.

"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,
it would be better for him if a great millstone
were put around his neck
and he were thrown into the sea.
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.
It is better for you to enter into life maimed
than with two hands to go into Gehenna,
into the unquenchable fire.
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off.
It is better for you to enter into life crippled
than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna.
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.
Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye
than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna,
where 'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'"

Think

"We should go even beyond doing what is required in order to avoid scandal."

~St. Basil the Great

"But I'm here among you to prevent something far worse for you. While those who give scandal are guilty of the spiritual equivalent of murder, those who take scandal — who allow scandals to destroy their faith — are guilty of spiritual suicide."

  ~St. Francis de Sales

Pray

Dear Lord, There is scandal in the world--everywhere I look. There is sin in our homes, in our churches, in our social networks. Sin abounds, even among the people of God. Strengthen my faith today, Lord. Let me see that You are present, even when we are not perfect. Prevent me from committing spiritual suicide, from allowing my faults and the imperfections of the people of God to distract me from the perfection of your Son. God, please grant me grace, the grace not to get in the way of the abundant mercy You want to shower on me.

Act

Examine your conscience in light of the quotes above. Do you give scandal? Even little scandals: "harmless" gossip, judgments that are calumnous, a missed opportunity to share Christ with genuine encouragement? Takes those millstones from your neck. Apologize sincerely, if necessary. 

Find someone who is hurting, who is doubting, because of the scandalous behavior of others. Be kind and gentle towards her. Do a little suicide prevention.

Jottings from Our Time with "A" along the Alphabet Path

~Apple Prints~

~Painting A~    

~Chalkboard  and Sandpaper~

   

~Wooden A~   

~ Sculpting A~

    Sculpted with lavender play-doh.

~An Apple Poem~ 

 

~Wool Fleece Angels~

    Tutorial here.

~Fleece A~

~The Annunciation~

Playset available from St. Luke's Brush.

 ~Apple Picking~

 Much more here.

~Apple Crisp~

Recipe here.

~Apple Pie

 

Recipe here.

Detailed lesson plans and lots of book suggestions here.

Lord, Hear Our Prayer

The internet is a formidable force for bringing the comfort and consolation and hope of the Lord to all of us. It can be an incredibily powerful medium for community. There is an unfathomable resource for prayer here. We have on the 'net the privilege of praying for people and of being witness to the miracles brought forth when fervent, faith-filled people pray for one another.

Let's be that community of hope and faith for one another.

How about this idea? What if I pop in here every weekend, share Sunday's gospel and talk a wee bit about how we can live it and pray it in our homes? And then you tell me how we can pray for you that week? Deal?

{And please, do return and let us know how prayer is bearing fruit.}

Gospel 

Mark 7:31-37

Again Jesus left the district of Tyre
and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,
into the district of the Decapolis.
And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment
and begged him to lay his hand on him.
He took him off by himself away from the crowd.
He put his finger into the man's ears
and, spitting, touched his tongue;
then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,
"Ephphatha!"-- that is, "Be opened!" --
And immediately the man's ears were opened,
his speech impediment was removed,
and he spoke plainly.
He ordered them not to tell anyone.
But the more he ordered them not to, 
the more they proclaimed it.
They were exceedingly astonished and they said,
"He has done all things well.
He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."

Think

“Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that have received--only what you have given.” ~St. Francis of Assisi

Pray

“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love,
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” 

~St. Francis of Assisi

Act

Have you ever noticed how Christ brought great miracles of healing out of the messiness of life? He used spittle and mud to heal. We spend a lot of time with the messy. Mom bloggers are quick to chronicle all the spit and poop and vomit...This week, don't miss the miracles that are in those messes.

Calendar Craziness

Are you-- like me --struggling to make all those calendar items work as the school year begins? I'm thinking that adding something might be even more important than deleting. Read more here please: Family Time-Management Simplified.

(Hmmm. Can't wait to see what this looks like after I fill in the weekends...)

Lord, Hear Our Prayer

Gospel 

John 6:60-69

Many of Jesus' disciples who were listening said,
"This saying is hard; who can accept it?"
Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this,
he said to them, "Does this shock you?
What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending
to where he was before?
It is the spirit that gives life,
while the flesh is of no avail.
The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.
But there are some of you who do not believe."
Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe
and the one who would betray him.
And he said,
"For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me
unless it is granted him by my Father."

As a result of this,
many of his disciples returned to their former way of life
and no longer accompanied him.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?"
Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe
and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."

Think

"We must, each of us, be willing to sacrifice our own will, even at a heavy cost. There is no need to sacrifice one’s health or money or to undergo privations, penances, or extraordinary fasts. The sacrifice that is needed is the sacrifice of the will. Each of us must be equally prepared to preach or to cook, to teach or to sweep, to catechize or to pray, to supervise or to obey. Such an attitude shall obtain God’s blessing on us because then we shall be true, faithful disciples and servants. As Samuel said to Saul, “Does the Lord desire holocausts and victims and not rather that the Voice the Lord should be obeyed? For obedience is better than sacrifices and to hearken rather than to offer the fat of rams.” We are therefore to hearken and generously follow our superior’s voice, for he represents God and the call of duty. Thus we shall achieve the purpose of our vocation, earn many merits, and save our own souls and those of others."

- Don Bosco

Pray

Dear Lord, 

Help me to know your will. Give me the grace and strength to follow it. Please keep me from being distracted or dissuaded.

Act

What is it He calls you to do? To preach or to cook, to teach or to sweep, to catechize or to pray, to supervise or to obey? Whatever it is, do it cheerfully and with your whole heart.