Humphry Davy

“Life is made up, not of great sacrifices or duties,

but of little things, in which smiles, and kindnesses,

and small obligations, given habitually,

are what win and preserve the heart

and secure comfort.”

~ Humphry Davy

Love and Kindness

Pope John XXIII

Consult not your fears but your hopes and dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but what is still possible for you to do. See everything; overlook a great deal; correct a little.

~ Pope John XXIII

St. Francis of Assisi

"And just as He appeared before the holy Apostles in true flesh, so now He has us see Him in the Sacred Bread. Looking at Him with the eyes of their flesh, they saw only His Flesh, but regarding Him with the eyes of the spirit, they believed that He was God. In like manner, as we see bread and wine with our bodily eyes, let us see and believe firmly that it is His Most Holy Body and Blood, True and Living."

For in this way our Lord is ever present among those who believe in him, according to what He said: "Behold, I am with you all days even to the consummation of the world." (Mt. 28, 20)

St. Basil

Do not measure your loss by itself; if you do, it will seem intolerable; but if you will take all human affairs into account you will find that some comfort is to be derived from them. Many a man curses the rain that falls upon his head, and knows not that it brings abundance to drive away the hunger. Not the power to remember, but its very opposite, the power to forget, is a necessary condition for our existence.

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

If I were to sum up today's readings in one line it would be, God does not accept excuses. God particularly does not accept the excuses of people He calls who try to find a myriad of reasons not to follow. Our readings today give us some very concrete examples. When Elijah called Elisha by throwing his cloak over him, Elisha's first response was, “Please, let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, and I will follow you” (1 Kings 19: 20). Elijah's quick retort is, "GO BACK!" Elisha did go back but he also offered his animals as a sacrifice, destroyed his farming equipment, left his family and followed Elijah.

In today's gospel, Luke 9:51-62, St. Luke tells us about three people who have the opportunity to follow Jesus on his way to Jerusalem. Person 1 offers to follow Jesus wherever he goes. To this person Jesus says, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head” (Luke 9:58). A twenty-first century interpretation could be, “Great, follow me, and I promise you will be homeless, possibly hungry and very uncomfortable the whole time you are with me.” We do not know what Person 1 decided to do. Maybe they did follow Jesus. Maybe they did not. No matter what their decision, it was an informed decision. Jesus approached Person 2 and said, "Follow me." Person 2 responds, with an excuse, "(Lord,) let me go first and bury my father" (vs. 59). Jesus says, "Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God" (vs. 60). Jesus could say to us, get your priorities straight. The kingdom comes first. We do not know what decision Person 2 made either. Person 3 says to Jesus, yes, I will follow you, "but first let me say farewell to my family at home" (vs. 61). Jesus responds, "No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God" (vs. 62). Following Jesus demands total commitment. Jesus leaves it to Person 3 to make a decision.

Is Jesus being mean or too demanding? Elijah seems so much more understanding. The message here is that there always will be obstacles and challenges to deter us from seeking the kingdom of God. St. Paul sums it up in today's second reading from Galatians 5:1,13-18. He reminds us that Christ “set us free” from fear, sin, cultural expectations and anything that holds us back, ties us down, or enslaves us. Christ calls us to spiritual freedom in the kingdom. How we respond to his call and how we use our spiritual freedom is up to us. No excuses accepted.

You call us, O God, to follow where Jesus has gone before,

without compromise or condition

and without counting the cost.

Give us strength to fulfill our commitment,

but keep us gentle and patient

toward those who choose other ways.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God for ever and ever.

AMEN.

Pope Paul VI

 

Week Without God

Cup of Coffee

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. The conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain-looking, some expensive, and some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

After all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: “If you noticed, all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

“Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases, it's just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups. And then began eyeing each other's cups.

“Now consider this: Life is the coffee; and the jobs, money, and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us.”

God brews the coffee, not the cups. Enjoy your coffee​!

Change

Everything in life changes you in some way, even the smallest things. If you do not accept these changes, you do not accept yourself. For through these changes life brings new and greater things to you, making you wiser as time progresses. To avoid these changes is a loss. You only live your life once. Do not waste a minute avoiding things. Let them come to you, and learn from them. There is always tomorrow.

Everyday God gives us a “Do-Over”!!!

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Today we celebrate the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi, one of the oldest feasts of the Church. The first thought that usually comes to mind when we consider the Body and Blood of Christ is the Eucharist. And this is right. The Eucharist is the greatest of our seven sacraments. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that, “the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch.” (CCC 1324).

Another important aspect of Corpus Christi is community. When we receive the Eucharist and when Christ becomes part of us, we are united as Church. “Those who receive the Eucharist are united more closely to Christ. Through it Christ unites them to all the faithful in one body - the Church. Communion renews, strengthens, and deepens this incorporation into the Church, already achieved by Baptism. In Baptism we have been called to form but one body. The Eucharist fulfills this call” (CCC 1396).

Individually each one of us is united to Christ through the Eucharist. God is present in the bread and wine we receive and God is present in each one of us. When we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, Christ becomes part of us. In John 6:51,54,56 Jesus said “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live forever; . . . he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and . . . abides in me, and I in him.”

And, finally, Eucharist means thanksgiving. In thanksgiving for the loving sacrifice Jesus made for us, consider saying the following novena prayer for Corpus Christi found in Catholic Culture (www.catholicculture.org):

O Lord Jesus Christ,

You who have given us

Your precious Body and Blood

to be our meat and drink,

grant that through frequent reception

of You in the Holy Eucharis

I may be strengthened in mind and body

to do Your holy will.

Amen.

Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, have mercy on us.

 

Prayer for Protection

 

Write Another Way

Henry L. Mencken said it first: "For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong." Several 7-Eleven stores learned the truth of that statement.

According to a New York Times article, a number of the convenience stores had a problem with teenagers hanging out in their parking lots at all hours of the day and night. Not that they didn't like kids. But the teens were noisy. Customers had to walk around them to get into the stores. And they left discarded wrappers, cigarette butts and paper cups on the grounds.

Managers tried various methods to solve the problem. They asked the young people to move elsewhere. They asked them to pick up their trash. They even spoke to the police, but nothing worked.

Each solution was simple, neat, and ineffective.

Finally, one manager came up with an unusual idea to dissuade the teenagers from loitering in front of the stores. He suggested that all the shops start piping easy-listening music into the parking lots. Immediately, the young people stopped hanging around. (Maybe his tactic was ruthless, but it worked!)

Sometimes we need a good answer. Again and again we butt up against the same old problem, whether it is relational, professional or personal. It seems that whatever we try is not working.

Perhaps you need to approach your persistent problem with a new way of thinking. The Spanish poet Juan Ramón Jiménez said, "If they give you ruled paper, write the other way." Is it time to exercise more creativity in your pursuit for the "right" answer?

I believe that humanity's best ideas have not yet been thought of. And the best solution for your problem may likewise be waiting to be conceived. It just might happen when you turn the paper sideways and write the other way!

Building Wisely

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer of his plans to leave the house-building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but they would get by. He needed to retire.

The contractor was sorry to hear his good worker was leaving and asked him to build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and he used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to leave such a dedicated career.

When the carpenter finished the work, the employer came to inspect the house. Then he handed the carpenter the key to the front door.

“This is your house,” said the employer, “It is my gift to you.”

The carpenter was shocked. If only he had known he was building his own house, he would have done it differently.

So it is with us. We build our lives one day at a time, often putting less than our best effort into the building. Then with a shock we realize that we have to live in the house we built. If we could do it over, we would do it much differently. But we can’t go back.

You are the carpenter. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board or erect a wall. “Life is a do it yourself project,” Someone once said. Your attitudes and choices you make today, build the “house” you live in tomorrow. Build wisely.

Without

 

The Eucharist

The Eucharist

My life was like a little box

The insides were all I could see

The walls were covered with mirrors

So all that I could ever see was me

Then I met you in the Eucharist

And you taught me something new

The mirrors turned into windows

Now I was able to see

A world I never knew​

Proven Ways to Get Along with Others

1. Before you say anything to anyone, ask yourself 3 things:
     ♦ Is it true?
     ♦ Is it kind?
     ♦ Is it necessary?
2. Make promises sparingly and keep them faithfully.
3. Never miss the opportunity to compliment or say something encouraging to someone.
4. Refuse to talk negatively about others; don't gossip and don't listen to gossip.
5. Have a forgiving view of people. Believe that most people are doing the best they can.
6. Keep an open mind; discuss, but don't argue. (It is possible to disagree without being disagreeable.)
7. Forget about counting to 10. Count to 1,000 before doing or saying anything that could make matters worse.
8. Let your virtues speak for themselves.
9. If someone criticizes you, see if there is any truth to what he is saying. If so, make changes. If there is no truth to the criticism, ignore it and live so that no one will believe the negative remark.
10. Cultivate your sense of humor; laughter is the shortest distance between two people.
11. Do not seek so much to be consoled, as to console; do not seek so much to be understood, as to understand; do not seek so much to be loved as to love​.

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Today we celebrate The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. This feast is more than a celebration of dogma. The Doctrine of the Holy Trinity forms the core belief of our faith in which we proclaim the unity between God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Before the Trinity became doctrine, it was the experience of the Christian community. The Trinity is not just a puzzle for theologians. As Christians we experience God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We experience God as parent, as father/mother who created us, loved us and never abandoned us and as a parent who so loved the world that he gave his Son for us. We also experience God as Son, as Word made flesh, as one of us, Jesus Christ, the human face of God. Jesus spoke to us of the Father’s love and proved it by his obedience. He told us that he wouldn’t leave us orphans, but will send the Spirit to be with us always. We experience God as Holy Spirit dwelling with us, making a home with us, making us Church and giving us spiritual gifts. The Spirit allows us to cry out confidently, Abba, Father.

Understanding the Holy Trinity also explains why we come together to pray and why we sacrifice ourselves for others. The lesson of the Holy Trinity is that we are always in relationships with each other, and we are to love and help each other. Scripture tells us that we are made in the image of God. If we believe this then by our very nature, we are active participants in Trinitarian life. How we demonstrate our Trinitarian nature is up to each of us individually. St Paul tells us clearly in the second reading today from Romans 5:1-5 (New Jerusalem Bible), when we are confident in our faith, “we are at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; it is through him by faith that we have been admitted into God’s favor in which we are living, and look forward exultantly to God’s glory.”

Of course, in our world today our faith is challenged all the time. Holding on to that peace with God is a daily struggle. St Paul assures us that if we face our challenges with the same confidence we have in our faith, then we develop endurance, proven character and hope. But the most tangible sign of a Trinitarian life is one in which we love as God loves, unconditionally without expecting love in return. Love like this requires the wisdom and power of the Father, the compassion of the Son and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And so, we pray:

Our One God,

you wanted to be a communion of three persons

so that you could share your one love;

you made yourself one of us in Jesus, your Son,

so that you could draw us into that love.

Give us the grace to respond to your goodness

through the Spirit poured out into our hearts.

Fill us with joy and wonder for you

and inspire us to love our brothers and sisters,

to share with them and to be one with them,

because you have loved us first

in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Amen

Will You be Ready?

Abraham Lincoln once said, "I will prepare, and some day my chance will come." When his chance came, he was ready.

During his seminary years, one priest-in-training sported a T-shirt that never failed to bring chuckles. Across the front was emblazoned: "Expectant Father." His chance came and he, too, was ready!

When your chance comes, will you be ready?

Hockey superstar Wayne Gretzky was always ready. He broke almost every record imaginable and is known as the greatest hockey player of all time.

Gretzky is not particularly big for his sport -- he stands at 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs in at 170 pounds. He never skated particularly fast, his shot was not high-powered, and he often placed dead last on regular strength tests administered to his team. So what made "The Great One" so great? He was ready.

Gretzky attributes his stardom to practice and preparation. He practiced stick handling in the off-season with a tennis ball, as the ball was harder to control than a puck. In practice he innovated. He practiced bouncing the puck off the sideboards to his teammates until that technique became a regular part of his play. Then he worked on bouncing the puck off the net! He became so accomplished at these maneuvers that he sometimes said, "People say there's only six men on the ice, but really, if you use the angle of deflection of the board, there's seven. If you count the net, that's eight. From the opening face-off, I always figure we have 'em eight-on-six."

What made "The Great One" so great? Gretzky was always the best prepared member of his team. He was ready.

It's been said, "If you want your ship to come in, you must build a dock." When your chance comes, will you be ready.

God's Wings

After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park, forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno's damage. One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick. When he gently struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother's wings.

The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise. She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon her babies. Then the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her small body, the mother had remained steadfast...because she had been willing to die, so those under the cover of her wings would live.

He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge.

Psalm 91:4​

Houses

I walk in and out of many worlds. - Joy Harjo, Creek/Cherokee

In my mind are many dwellings. Each of the dwellings we create ourselves:

the house of anger,
the house of despair,
the house of self-pity,
the house of indifference,
the house of negative,
the house of positive,
the house of hope,
the house of joy,
the house of peace,
the house of enthusiasm,
the house of cooperation,
the house of giving.

Each of these houses we visit each day. We can stay in any house for as long as we want. We can leave these mental houses any time we wish. We create the dwelling, we stay in the dwelling, and we leave the dwelling whenever we wish. We can create new rooms, new houses. Whenever we enter these dwellings, this becomes our world until we leave for another. What world will we live in today?

Creator, no one can determine which dwelling I choose to enter. No one has the power to do so, only me. Let me choose wisely today.

Elder's Meditation of the Day

May You Always Feel Loved

May you find serenity and tranquility
in a world you may not always understand.

May the pain you have known
and the conflict you have experienced
give you the strength to walk through life
facing each new situation with courage and optimism.

Always know that there are those
whose love and understanding will always be there,
even when you feel most alone.

May a kind word,
a reassuring touch,
and a warm smile
be yours every day of your life,
and may you give these gifts
as well as receive them.

May the teachings of those you admire
become part of you,
so that you may call upon them.

Remember, those whose lives you have touched
and who have touched yours
are always a part of you,
even if the encounters were less than you would have wished.
It is the content of the encounter
that is more important than its form.

May you not become too concerned with material matters,
but instead place immeasurable value
on the goodness in your heart.
Find time in each day to see beauty and love
in the world around you.

Realize that what you feel you lack in one regard
you may be more than compensated for in another.
What you feel you lack in the present
may become one of your strengths in the future.
May you see your future as one filled with promise and possibility.
Learn to view everything as a worthwhile experience.

May you find enough inner strength
to determine your own worth by yourself,
and not be dependent
on another's judgment of your accomplishments.

May you always feel loved.

May God's Blessings Abound in your life!

~ Sandra Sturtz Hauss

Crayons

David Wallechinsky in "The Complete Book Of The Olympics" (Penguin Books, 1984) gives us a story that is worth retelling.

It is 1936. American Jesse Owens seems sure to win the long-jump competition in the Olympic games. The previous year he had jumped 26 feet, 8 1/4 inches -- a record that will stand for 25 years.

As he walks to the long-jump pit, however, Owens sees a tall, blue-eyed, blond German taking practice jumps in the 26-foot range. Owens feels nervous. He is acutely aware of the Nazis’ desire to prove “Aryan superiority.” And as a black son of a sharecropper, he knows what it is like to be made to feel inferior.

On his first jump, Owens inadvertently leaps from several inches beyond the takeoff board. Rattled, he fouls on his second attempt, too. One more foul and he will be eliminated.

At this point, the tall German introduces himself as Luz Long. “You should be able to qualify with your eyes closed!” he says to Owens, referring to his upcoming two jumps.

For the next few moments, the African American and the white Nazi chat together. Then Long makes a suggestion. Since the qualifying distance is only 23 feet, 5 1/2 inches, why not make a mark several inches before the takeoff board and jump from there, just to play it safe? Owens does and qualifies easily.

In the finals, Owens sets an Olympic record and earns the second of four gold medals. But who is the first person to congratulate him? Luz Long - in full view of Adolf Hitler.

Owens never again sees Long, who is later killed in World War II. “You could melt down all the medals and cups I have,” Owens later writes, “and they wouldn't be a plating on the 24-carat friendship I felt for Luz Long.”

Perhaps unknowingly, Luz Long taught the world a valuable lesson.

Someone else put it like this: “We can learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors. But they all have to learn to live in the same box.”

Thomas Merton

We are living in a world that is absolutely transparent and God is shining through it all the time. This is not a fable or a nice story. It is true. If we abandon ourselves to God and forget ourselves, we see it sometimes and we see it maybe frequently. God shows God's self everywhere in everything. In people and in things and in nature and in events - it becomes very obvious that God is everywhere and in everything and we cannot be without God. It is impossible. The only thing is that we don't see it.

~ Thomas Merton

Feast of Pentecost

Today is the Feast of Pentecost, the birthday of the church. It was on the first Pentecost that the infant church was launched on its course and took on its missionary role. Scripture tells us that while the apostles were at prayer with Mary in the upper room, suddenly there was a roaring wind and the Holy Spirit descended on them in the form of tongues of fire and gave these timid and frightened people the courage to rush into the street and fearlessly preach the word of God to friend and foe alike. The Spirit of the Lord which was poured out and transformed the apostles from a fearful group to courageous people announcing the Good News about the mighty acts of God, was not a one off happening which only took place at the beginning of the church. From that time on the Holy Spirit has been a permanent presence and a tower of strength in guiding, guarding and directing the church’s course and our individual spiritual courses as well.

The action of the Spirit continues in our time and is first evident in our lives at baptism. When we are baptized, the seed of eternity is planted within our beings bringing us into a loving relationship with God, who invites us to become his adopted sons and daughters. Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit is Jesus announcing that God has breathed his life into us giving us an opportunity to share in his eternal life. Heaven has been placed within our reach but entrance into the kingdom does not happen unless we are prepared to make room for the Spirit of the living God to dwell within us.

One starting point for accepting the gift of the Holy Spirit is to increase our prayer life, which helps put us into a loving relationship with God – the Spirit came upon the apostles while they were at prayer. Without an attitude of prayerfulness, it is difficult for us to discover our own special talents and the particular role we are called to play in building the kingdom of God. Once we discover our own particular gifts there is an obligation on us to use them in building up the Body of Christ.

Come, Holy Spirit, 

 fill the Hearts of Your faithful 

 and kindle in us the Fire of Your love.

Send forth Your Spirit 

 and we shall be recreated 

 and You will renew the face of the earth.

O God, 

Who did instruct the hearts of Your faithful people 

 by the Light of Your Holy Spirit, 

 grant that by the same Spirit we may be truly wise 

 and ever rejoice in His consolation. 

 We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

 Amen.

Your Own Beauty

 

It Goes On

“In three words, I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on.” 

~Robert Frost

If we've ever dug in a garden and unearthed an ants' nest, we can recall their first reaction to our unintended destruction: they do everything possible to save their lives and supplies. The ants scurry around, moving the larvae to an underground room. Exposed contents are then relocated to unseen passages. In a matter of minutes, the ants are again safely underground and ready to resume their daily routines.

How do we react when some catastrophe or unplanned event occurs?  Do we want to crawl under a rock or are we as resilient as the ants?  Instead of moaning over postponed plans or the loss of something in our lives, we can try to be like the ants and learn how to best work with circumstances that come our way.

Life doesn't stop for us to lick wounds or add fuel to grievances. Hours pass, we grow older, nature continues. Every event is part of life's cycle. We can't run away from anything. We must meet life head-on

and adjust to its ebb and flow.

I can look at an unplanned event in my life as part of life's cycle. I need to trust that life will go on.

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