We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

Prayer Circle Intentions

Date: Thursday, August 1, 2002
Time: All Day

Remember to pray for the intentions of our Prayer Circle, and the intentions in Our Lady's Cyberspace Chapel. Please also
pray for the priests and seminarians posted to the following file folder:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ourlady-announce/files/Adopt-A-Priest/

- Thank you.

CHAPEL: http://home1.gte.net/lrodrigu/welcome.htm

URL to the LITURGY OF THE HOURS: http://www.liturgyhours.org/

Our CALENDAR GUIDE for the LITURGY OF THE HOURS gives all of the readings for the DIVINE OFFICE through the year 2010:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ourlady-announce/files/Liturgy%20of%20the%20Hours%20Calendar

Check out our "BOOKMARKS" for Literary URL's of interest:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ourlady-announce/links/

Go to "FILES" for GENERAL GUIDELINES for the DIVINE OFFICE/LITURGY OF THE HOURS, and other items of interest:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ourlady-announce/files/

THE POSITIVE POWER OF JOY
by Dr. Charles F. Stanley

Contrary to secular thought, "joy" and "happiness" stand in stark contrast. Perhaps no one realized this more than nineteenth-century Chicago lawyer Horacio Spafford. Spafford took a fierce financial blow when his real estate holdings were mostly destroyed in the Chicago fire of 1871. Just a short time earlier, he had suffered the loss of his only son. Desperately needing a rest, Spafford and his family planned a vacation to Europe.

Detained by business, Spafford sent his wife and four daughters ahead of him. During their voyage, however, their ship crashed and sank into the ocean depths. Upon safely reaching shore, Mrs. Spafford wired the somber news, "Saved alone." The Spaffords' four daughters, like their son, were now lost. En route to joining his grieving wife, Spafford's ship crossed over the exact patch of water where his children had been lost. There, Spafford penned the words to a soulful hymn that has since become an enduring source of comfort, It is Well with My Soul.

At this time, Spafford was certainly not happy. He was suffering as a grieving father. However, his hardship did not overshadow his faith in God and joy in Christ Jesus. Happiness is determined by circumstances, but true joy is a gift from God at all times. If you are reeling from life's pain, bring your suffering to the Cross. There, God will turn your sorrow into dancing (Psalm 30:11).

"Thus, when someone desires to suffer, it is not merely a pious reminder of the suffering of the Lord. Voluntary expiatory suffering is what truly and really unites one to the Lord intimately. When it arises, it comes from an already existing relationship with Christ. For, by nature, a person flees from suffering. And the mania for suffering caused by a perverse lust for pain differs completely from the desire to suffer in expiation. Such lust is not a spiritual striving, but a sensory longing, no better than other sensory desires, in fact worse, because it is contrary to nature. Only someone whose spiritual eyes have been opened to the supernatural correlations of worldly events can desire suffering in expiation, and this is only possible for people in whom the spirit of Christ dwells, who as members are given life by the Head, receive his power, his meaning, and his direction. Conversely, works of expiation bind one closer to Christ, as every community that works together on one task becomes more and more closely knit and as the limbs of a body, working together organically, continually become more strongly one."
- St. Edith Stein

******************

from a_son_of_Carmel

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In the King James Bible, the word Peace is found in 506 verses and the word Love is found in 643.

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Peace and love?

Bible – 20 verses
Koran – 0 verses
Tanakh – 6 verses
Confucian – 0 verses

Sin and Forgiveness?
Bible – 57 verses
Koran – 8 verses
Tanakh – 26 verses
Confucian – 0 verses

Heaven and Man?
Bible – 97 verses
Koran – 17 verses
Tanakh – 39 verses
Confucian – 37 verses

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JUST CALL UPON HIM

The boy walked along the ocean shore . . . trying not to stray. He looked up to his father saying, "Dad, I want to play."

His father looked upon him, with love showing in his eyes. "Do what you want to, my son . . . but do not leave my side."

"I would never leave you Daddy, I love you way too much."

But the boy took a step away, out of his father's range of touch. He walked through the surf, the waves tickling one toe. "If I take one more step in . . ." he thought, "Father will never know."

His father called out to him, "Son, to me remain true!" The boy thought with glee . . . "At the moment I don't need you!"

His father felt a sadness, but he held his tongue. Sometimes lessons need to be learned . . . even when so young. The boy stepped out a little further . . . the water covering his waist. His father spoke with urgency . . . his father spoke with haste.

"My son, come back to me," he said, "The day is almost done!" "Not yet, Dad," the boy yelled, "I'm having too much fun!" But the boy did not have his father's insight so he could not yet tell, The tide was coming in fast . . . there would be no time to yell.

"Father!" he tried to scream, as the water covered his head. "I need you now, Daddy!" was what the boy had said. And in a single instant his father was by his side. "I thought you left me, Daddy . . . I thought you went to hide."

The father looked upon his son . . . a tear streaming down his cheek. The boy looked upon his father . . . and cried the sobs of the meek.

"I would never leave you son . . . for I love you just the same." "I was only waiting . . . for you to call upon my name."

--

Author Unknown

"...The Lord is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the Law. But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought Him, and He was found by them." (2 Chronicles 15:2-4)

I'M SORRY
by Melanie Schurr

As an adolescent, I had a difficult time saying " I'm sorry," most likely because it was never taught to me how important these two little words are. Thanks to a good friend, I later learned this most valuable lesson, and applied it whenever I inadvertently hurt a loved one's feelings with an insensitive comment, an unkind deed, or a major screw-up.

The profound affect this seemingly insignificant phrase can have as it touches the heart of another is something worth, not only exploring, but teaching our children.

The words, "I'm sorry," can erase years of pent up bitterness, and act as a soothing balm to the injured heart of the person who needs to hear these words. The phrase, "I'm sorry," is not something we do just for the "other person," but we do it for ourselves, and for God, so that we do not carry negative emotional and spiritual baggage that may cause us to harbor guilt, bitterness, resentment, or strained friend and family ties. These few words spoken in less than a few seconds, show the person we have injured, whether purposely or not, that the pain they are experiencing, is important to us, and it is our desire to help lessen that heavy load.

Saying, "I'm sorry," is a gift of love and personal responsibility because it enables us to come face to face with our mistakes, as well as validates the other persons pain. To fail to acknowledge the hurt of another human being is similar to walking by the scene of an accident and doing nothing while a fellow man suffers. There is no difference to God if we ignore a man bleeding and dying in the street, or turn our nose up at the emotional hurts of another human being.

Of the many lessons the Bible teaches, the practice of repentance is stressed. While God forgives those who seek His mercy, He does not offer forgiveness to those who refuse to admit their sins or attempt to hide the true contents of their heart from our Heavenly Father's ever-watchful eye. God cannot forgive the unrepentant, and if we do not forgive others, God will not forgive us.

Today, as you ponder this lesson, won't you consider open corners in your own life that could benefit from the healing words of "I'm sorry?" This includes things we may have done against our fellow man, as well as to God. As our heavenly Father, God is rich with mercy to those who set pride aside and humbly approach Him, but unless we reach out and take hold of His always extended hand, we will forever carry our sinful burdens like a heavy bag of bricks that sets upon our back to weight us emotionally down, and rob us of our spiritual salvation.

Lessen your load. Call on Christ today.

************

Forwarded by a son_of_Carmel

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People are often unreasonable, illogical

and self-centered,

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you

of selfish, ulterior motives.

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some

false friends and some true enemies.

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may

cheat you.

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spent years building someone

may destroy overnight.

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they

may be jealous.

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will

forget tomorrow.

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it

may never be enough.

Give the world the best you have anyway...

- Mother Theresa

Carved into the wall of her

Home for children in Calcutta

mailto:lrodrigu@verizon.net

Another day. Another prayer for peace. As the World Youth Day closes, I am again reminded to renew the spirit of prayer and to continue praying for the youth of the world.
mailto:lrodrigu@verizon.net

Welcome to my blog, the Interior Castle. I hope to bring to this site news of the Carmelite Order, Catholic writing, and other items of interest.
mailto:lrodrigu@verizon.net