Philippians 1: 3-4

It is good to sit in your presence,
to sigh a breath of relief,
to hear the birds chirping
above the sound of the traffic,
to sense your nearness,
to have the edginess within touched and softened,
to listen for your voice
speaking deep within my soul,
longing to give direction to this new day--
if only a word.

Every muscle relaxes as I sit still in this chair,
the tension in my hands seeps out through my fingertips,
the tightness in my shoulders releases
as my head bows.
I look like I'm praying or sleeping
as I am soaking You in.

The Word has been planted today--
the universal Word--from the Mass readings.
You shall reap what you sow, and
God longs to supply plenty. 2 Cor 9: 6-10
The psalm response proclaims,
Blessed are those who lend to those in need. Ps 112
Plenty are they in our lives.
And the Gospel--the Good News--says,
We must die to self to have eternal life. Jn 12: 24-26

Speak, O Lord, your servant and friend is listening.
I am so excited to be with you,
so excited to wait for you to speak.
What will you say today?
One word--one song--from you--Eternal One--
will satisfy me,
and I will run and skip and jump for joy!

O, Divine Musician, how you love to drop songs
into my heart,
and I hear it now from Philippians 1.
"I thank my God each time I think of you,
and when I pray for you, I pray with joy."

So for all who have asked for prayer,
and all who need prayer,
I thank my God as I remember you and pray with joy.

Love & prayers,

Sheila

Just For Today

My dear friends,

One of my dearest heavenly friends is St. Therese of Lisieux. She inspires me day after day, especially with her simple desire to love.

She speaks of a profound truth in the following poem. If I can "just for today"...LOVE...both the receiving and the giving of...because she understood by divine grace, that is who she is and that is who we are...LOVE. And love is present...it is now, not tomorrow.

"My Song for Today" by St. Therese:

My life is but an instant, a passing hour.
My life is but a day that escapes and flies away.
O my God! You know that to love you on earth,
I only have today!

Oh, I love you, Jesus! My soul yearns for you.
For just one day remain my sweet support.
Come reign in my heart, give me your smile,
Just for today!

Lord, what does it matter if the future is gloomy?
To pray for tomorrow, oh no, I cannot!...
Keep my heart pure, cover me with your shadow,
Just for today.

If I think about tomorrow, I fear my fickleness.
I feel sadness and worry rising up in my heart.
But I'm willing, my God, to accept trial and suffering,
Just for today.

O Divine Pilot! whose hand guides me.
I'm soon to see you on the eternal shore.
Guide my little boat over the stormy waves in peace,
Just for today.

Ah! Lord, let me hide in your Face.
There I'll no longer hear the world's vain noise.
Give me your love, keep me in your grace,
Just for today.

Near your divine Heart, I forget all passing things.
I no longer dread the fears of the night.
Ah! Jesus, give me a place in your Heart,
Just for today.

Deign to unite me to you, Holy and sacred Vine,
And my weak branch will give you its fruit,
And I'll be able to offer you a cluster of golden grapes,
Lord, from today on.

I've just this fleeting day to form
This cluster of love, whose seeds are souls.
Ah! give me, Jesus, the fire of an Apostle,
Just for today.

O Immaculate Virgin! You are my Sweet Star
Giving Jesus to me and uniting me to Him.
O Mother! Let me rest under your veil,
Just for today.

My Holy Guardian Angel, cover me with your wing.
With your fire light the road that I'm taking.
Come direct my steps... help me, I call upon you,
Just for today.

Lord, I want to see you without veils, without clouds,
But still exiled, far from you, I languish.
May your lovable face not be hidden from me,
Just for today.

Soon I'll fly away to speak your praises
When the day without sunset will dawn on my soul.
Then I'll sing on the Angels' lyre,
The Eternal Today!...

And so I say "just for today," my friends, love,

Sheila

Firm Purpose

A nation of firm purpose
you keep in peace;
in peace, for its trust in you.   Is 26: 3

Let us be a people, O Lord, who seek your promise to Solomon:
a people who humble themselves and pray,
a people who seek your presence,
a people who turn from our evil ways,
that You may hear us from heaven,
and pardon our sins,
and revive our land. 2 Chron 7: 14

Let this be our firm purpose that we may inherit your promise of peace.

I am blessed in the city.

I am blessed in the field.

I am blessed in my down sitting.

I am blessed in my uprising.

I am blessed socially, physically, mentally, psychologically.

I am blessed relationally, interpersonally and physiologically.

I am blessed. Every part of my life is blessed.

I speak to my government that they would come into divine alignment 
and that they would lead morally and ethically.

I speak that our business is successful,

that we are increasing and there is no decrease.

I speak into my day and I download prosperity into my day,

success into my day.

I speak over those that I love - I speak prosperity and success.

I speak into my home, that my home is a haven of shalom.

I speak into my loved ones. I speak that their lives will come back into alignment.

I decree and declare that wealth and riches are in our home.

I speak into my mind peace, into my heart courage;

I speak into my feet that there are paths I can walk on

to overcome every obstacle.

I am the head and not the tail.
I am first and not last. I am above and not beneath.
I am loved by God, I am chosen by God, I am protected by God.

Today shall come into direct alignment with the plans and purposes of God.

Every good and every perfect gift is of God.

TODAY is my gift, therefore it will begin perfectly and it will end well.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

based on Deuteronomy Chapter 28
Thank you, precious Erin, for sharing this with me.

Thanksgiving Prayer After Holy Mass

Lord, Father all-powerful and ever-living God,

I thank You for even though I am a sinner,

your unprofitable servant, not because of my worth

but in the kindness of your mercy,

You have fed me with the Precious Body and

Blood of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

I pray that this Holy Communion

may not bring me condemnation and punishment

but forgiveness and salvation.

May it be a helmet of faith and a shield of good will. 

May it purify me from evil ways

and put an end to my evil passions.

May it bring me charity and patience,

humility and obedience, and

growth in the power to do good.

May it be my strong defense against all my enemies,

visible and invisible, 

and the perfect calming of all my evil impulses,

bodily and spiritual.

May it unite me more closely to you, the One true God,

and lead me safely through death

to everlasting happiness with You.

And I pray that You will lead me, a sinner,

to the banquet where you,

with Your Son and Holy Spirit, are true and perfect light,

total fulfillment, ever-lasting joy, without end,

and perfect happiness to your saints.

Grant this through Christ our Lord, AMEN.

written by St. Thomas Aquinas

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Read more: http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/prayers/AQUINAS.htm#ixzz2CLUlMFLI

On Silence

I have known silence since my early 20's which has been several decades now. Silence has been my friend. She is like Sophia--Lady Wisdom--to me and I love and long to spend time with her.

I had a profound experience of silence which happened last May in the midst of my father's final days here on earth. Only a few weeks before he passed away, I was showered with grace-filled moments of silence where the Divine Physician spoke from his heart and whispered secrets to mine. And the story goes like this...

He ambled feebly down the hallway,
I turned and to my surprise he was by my side.
I had come to be with Kathryn, my mother,
his beloved spouse of nearly 61 years.

Together we slowly walked down another hall toward her room--
He pushing his walker, me--slightly touching his shoulder.

She, Kathryn, lie waiting in her bed, unaware of the great communion about to happen.
He was now ambling over to her bedside,
Reaching out to take her hand.
I, standing on the other side of the bed, watching...
All done in silence.

He had no need to utter a word, yet
the words were written for me in invisible script.
In silence I strangely understood
This would be the last time I would witness their profound love--
Of the two being together on this earth.

Silently, I weep, as I thought of that reality which became true.
The beauty of what I was beholding between them
felt like more than I could bear.

For almost half an hour, he stood silently.
I asked him if he wanted a seat.
He wanted only--
only to be hovering over her was enough--
holding her hand without words, and yet,
a hundred "I love yous" he communicated.

When he was ready to go, I walked with him, quite silently,
back down the hallway to his room.
We had been lifted to a realm where language was transcended.
I knew the true love I had witnessed.
He knew too!
That was enough.

Only two and a half days later,
after falling and breaking his hip,
his final journey of passing into eternal silence began.

One week later,
yet another trauma--a major brain bleed,
He could never utter a word distinctly again.

And yet, that same hand held mine now--
Our hands--those of all my siblings--in that hospital room,
And it communicated a depth of words
No language could adequately do justice.

His eyes as they gazed deeply into ours,
Spoke every unspoken word to his children,
of the last sixty years that he and our mother's love
had generated.

In that silence we found grace, we found gift,
And we were able to love him
More than ever before.
Each stroke of his face, each touch of his body,
Reassured him and us of a love that will never die--
A love that will be forever!

The Ear of My Heart

In the Prologue of his Rule,
St. Benedict speaks of this.

I have read and reread it,

pondering, ruminating over it,

and asking for an understanding heart

of what it means in my life.

How do I listen with the ear of my heart?

Have you ever noticed when you pray for another

person how helpful it is to look at their face
because you can read what's in their heart better?
That's the same with the Lord.

Somehow we need to come face to face with Christ.
I once heard this: "Face means person. We need His Face
with our face because His face opens us to understand
His heart." I thought "Wow!" and did some more ruminating.

What I have heard time and time again

before the Eucharistic Face of Jesus

are the two great commandments:

"You shall love the Lord your God

with your whole heart,

with your whole soul,

and with all your mind." Mt 22: 37  Mk 12:30

"You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Mt 22: 38

Our hearts are a place of love,

and when we are asked to listen

with the "ear of our hearts" we are being asked

to have a heart of self-giving love. 

"One can not find God

through the senses or intelligence,"

said a wise priest to me once;...

"even Moses in taking off his sandals

represented the taking off of

his senses and intelligence"

...and he continued,

"Joseph after hearing that Mary was with child

suspended these qualities as well."

"If we follow this instruction of St. Benedict,"

the wise one continued--

listening with the ear of the heart,

"we will be configured to the heart of Christ."

O glory, isn't that what we want?

image by Wes Allen

I will hear what the Lord God has to say,
a voice that speaks of peace,
peace for his people and his friends
and those who turn to him in their hearts.  Ps 85: 8

Lord, teach me to listen with the ear of my heart.*

*image found on: www.TheEarsofYourHeart,com