Memorial Day

Monday, May 26, 2014, was Memorial Day.  The day we in the United States of America set aside to honor and remember those women and men who have served or died in the service of our country.  I enlisted in the United States Army in August of 1960.  Why did I volunteer?  That is the question.  I volunteered because I firmly believed that I owed my country and the women and men who had served before me.  I was repaying a debt that I had occurred because of what these women and men had done to secure my freedoms.  Our Constitution would just be beautiful words written on paper if it had not been won by the blood of the generations of Americans before me.  I was no hero, I performed do extraordinary acts of valor.  I was a radar operator in an air defense battery.  So do not thank me for my service, instead thank those  who served and are serving today for the peace you enjoy, for all the freedoms we have in this great country, for you have these freedoms and peace because women and men have served in our armed forces and have bled and suffered to secure them and continue to bleed and suffer today.  So, I ask one thing, when the picnics, parades and ceremonies are over remember and say a prayer for those individuals who have served and are serving our country today.

Dear Lord, please keep those who serve in our armed forces in Your loving arms, watch over them and their families.  Amen

Getting Old

Dear Lord I thank you for all the blessing you have given me.  The older I get the more I appreciate what you have done for me.  But, the older I get the more people whom I love are called home, my Nonna, my dad, my mom , my sweet Lorraine and now it seems you are calling my brother Joe home.  I pray for a peaceful transition for him.  Please wrap his family in Your loving arms, comfort them as only You can.  In Jesus the Christ name I pray.

New Years Eve

New Years Eve has been a special time in my life.  Why? On New Years Eve 1961 I proposed to Lorraine Anne Gailey, I had only met her in October but I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.  I proposed and she accepted; we were married July 7, 1962.  What a life we had together; there were ups and downs but mostly ups.  We had and raised a child together.
We saw 49 New Years Eves together, always kissing at midnight.
 December 31, 2010 was the last New Years Eve we spent together, God called my sweet Lorraine home March 15, 2011, the saddest day of my life.  Since then I have lived one day at a time, missing her every minute.

A Message from Pope Francis to the Americas.

MESSAGE TO THE AMERICAS
FOR THE FEAST OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

Tomorrow is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of the Americas. I would like to greet all my brothers and sisters on that continent, and I do so thinking of the Virgin of Tepeyac.
When Our Lady appeared to Saint Juan Diego, her face was that of a woman of mixed blood, a mestiza, and her garments bore many symbols of the native culture. Like Jesus, Mary is close to all her sons and daughters; as a concerned mother, she accompanies them on their way through life. She shares all the joys and hopes, the sorrows and troubles of God’s People, which is made up of men and women of every race and nation.
When the image of the Virgin appeared on the tilma of Juan Diego, it was the prophecy of an embrace: Mary’s embrace of all the peoples of the vast expanses of America – the peoples who already lived there, and those who were yet to come. Mary’s embrace showed what America – North and South – is called to be: a land where different peoples come together; a land prepared to accept human life at every stage, from the mother’s womb to old age; a land which welcomes immigrants, and the poor and the marginalized, in every age. A land of generosity.
That is the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and it is also my message, the message of the Church. I ask all the people of the Americas to open wide their arms, like the Virgin, with love and tenderness.
I pray for all of you, dear brothers and sisters, and I ask you to pray for me! May the joy of the Gospel always abide in your hearts. May the Lord bless you, and may Our Lady be ever at your side.

EVANGELII GAUDIUM OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS

No to an economy of exclusion
53. Just as the commandment “Thou shalt not kill” sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say “thou shalt not” to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills. How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points? This is a case of exclusion. Can we continue to stand by when food is thrown away while people are starving? This is a case of inequality. Today everything comes under the laws of competition and the survival of the fittest, where the powerful feed upon the powerless. As a consequence, masses of people find themselves excluded and marginalized: without work, without possibilities, without any means of escape.
Human beings are themselves considered consumer goods to be used and then discarded. We have created a “throw away” culture which is now spreading. It is no longer simply about exploitation and oppression, but something new. Exclusion ultimately has to do with what it means to be a part of the society in which we live; those excluded are no longer society’s underside or its fringes or its disenfranchised – they are no longer even a part of it. The excluded are not the “exploited” but the outcast, the “leftovers”.
54. In this context, some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting. To sustain a lifestyle which excludes others, or to sustain enthusiasm for that selfish ideal, a globalization of indifference has developed. Almost without being aware of it, we end up being incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor, weeping for other people’s pain, and feeling a need to help them, as though all this were someone else’s responsibility and not our own. The culture of prosperity deadens us; we are thrilled if the market offers us something new to purchase. In the meantime all those lives stunted for lack of opportunity seem a mere spectacle; they fail to move us.

God's Grace

1 Peter 5:10-11 ©

You will have to suffer only for a little while: the God of all grace who called you to eternal glory in Christ will see that all is well again: he will confirm, strengthen and support you. His power lasts for ever and ever. Amen

 

51 years

Yesterday, July 7, 2013 was the 51st anniversary of my wedding to the love of my life, Lorraine.  It is hard to believe that she has been gone almost three years.  I miss her so, I know that she is in a better place surrounded by the love of our eternal Father.  May her soul and the souls of the departed rest in peace.

1 Peter 5:5-7 ©

Wrap yourselves in humility to be servants of each other, because God refuses the proud and will always favour the humble. Bow down, then, before the power of God now, and he will raise you up on the appointed day; unload all your worries on to him, since he is looking after you.

 

Peter said almost two thousand years ago; be humble, unload your worries on the Lord for He always is looking after us.  Our Lord Jesus told us not to worry to believe in the goodness of our God.

 

This day when I let the world close in around me let me remember Peter's word and trust in the Lord for he is looking after me. 

Rome: Pope Francis has attacked the ''dictatorship'' of the global financial system and warned that the ''cult of money'' is making life a misery for millions.
He said free market capitalism had created a ''tyranny'' and that people were being judged purely by their ability to consume goods.
Money should be made to ''serve'' people, not to ''rule'' them, he said on Thursday, calling for a more ethical banking system and curbs on financial speculation. Countries should impose more control over their economies and not allow ''absolute autonomy'', in order to provide ''for the common good''.

The gap between rich and poor was growing and the ''joy of life'' was diminishing in many developed countries, the Pope said. ''While the income of a minority is increasing exponentially, that of the majority is crumbling,'' said the pontiff who, as archbishop of Buenos Aires, visited slums, opted to lived in a modest flat rather than an opulent church residence and went to work by bus. In poorer countries, people's lives were becoming ''undignified'' and marked by violence and desperation, he said.


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/pope-blames-tyranny-of-capitalism-for-making-people-miserable-20130517-2jru9.html#ixzz2Tejccstv

Hebrews 5:8-10

Christ, although he was the Son, learnt to obey through suffering; but having been made perfect, he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation and was acclaimed by God with the title of high priest of the order of Melchizedek.

Choose Life

Death surrounds us always, choose God and life.

Why do you seek my Son
nailed to a cross of wood?
He has torn Himself free.
Seek Him among my children,
His brothers and sisters.

1 Peter 5:8-9

Be calm and vigilant, because your enemy the devil is prowling round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to eat. Stand up to him, strong in faith.

I have been going through a time of darkness, a time of self pity.  The evil-one, the great deceiver is calling to me.  I must be strong and as St. Peter said, "Stand up to him, strong in faith."

Lord this I ask of You strength your Holy Spirit in me.

Consume me with your Love, fill me with your Holy Spirit. 

Give me the strength to do battle with the great deceiver.

Strength my resolve, increase my faith.

1 John 3:14-18

"Whoever does not love remains in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him. The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.  If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him?  Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth."

Love is the key; we must love ourselves before we can love others but our love of others must be greater than our love of self.  Jesus showed us the way; for he loved us all and He gave up His life nailed to a cross for our salvation.  As He died He asked forgiveness for those who nailed Him to the cross.

        Lord this day fill me with your love.

        Without your love I am nothing.

        Fill me with your love so that I can

        love others.

        Not just my friends and family but 

        those who would cause me harm.

        For it is easy to love those who

        love us.

        I pray that you give me the

       strength to love those who hate

        me.

        

[Philippians 2:2-4 ©]

Be united in your convictions and united in your love, with a common purpose and a common mind. There must be no competition among you, no conceit; but everybody is to be self-effacing. Always consider the other person to be better than yourself, so that nobody thinks of his own interests first but everybody thinks of other people’s interests instead.

What a wonderful world this would be if we could do what Paul tells us to do, what he learned from our Lord Jesus Christ.  Be united in love, have a common purpose, do away with conceit, learn to cooperate instead of compete, consider the other person putting his or her interest first.  I wish I could be as Paul instructs me, but all too often I think of me first, last and always.  I  puff myself up with my own importance, what I fool I am. 

Lord, this day show me the Way.

Remove all self pity and pride-fullness from me,

Let me remember to put others before myself.

Deflate my ego, humble me O'Lord.

Let me see You in all the people 

I meet and see today.

Strengthen and renew me this day.

I pray,

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!

What Did Jesus Do?

A while back; a wrist band with the initials "WWJD" was very popular. It was to remind us when we acted to think first, " What Would Jesus Do." I believe we should now focus on "WDJD" or "What Did Jesus Do." Maybe we should focus on "What Jesus Did Not Do." He did not call down an army of angels to destroy His persecutors; instead He did say,"Father forgive them..." He told us to feed the hungry, cloth the naked, help the oppressed. I can see a world where people help one another, love one another and look for Jesus in one another. All we have to do is forget about material things and focus on "What Did Jesus Do."  He died on the Cross to save the whole world; you and me.  Lord I pray:

Fill me with your love so that I might love.

Cleanse me of my sins.
 Help me to forget about gaining more things and to remember others
 who are in need.

When I am full remind me of those who are hungry.

When I am warm remind me of those who are cold.

When I have a home remind me of those who are homeless.

When I am angry at someone teach me to forgive.

Lord teach me to look for you in my brothers and sister.
And let me always remember what You did.
                                                                                                Amen

Open Your Eyes

Look around, what do you see? Everywhere I look I see God’s handy work; His creative hand is all around us. We just have to open our eyes to Him. Look for Him; He is with us always.
Lord open my eyes!
So that I might see you;
In the sunrise and sunset
In the birds of the air, in all God's creation
But most of all in my brothers and sister.

Almost 68

Tomorrow I will be 68 years old. Not many years to me but many to others. In fact the older I get the older old becomes. My life has been a gift from God. My talents whatever they are have been given to me.

O Lord you created all; You have been with me always; You knew me even before I was born. You are there to guide me but only if I listen, guide but never force. You have always given me the ability to choose; my free will. Hopefully, I have used this ability well.

I pray Lord that You strengthen Your Spirit in me,
Show me the path that You want me to follow.
In all things I accept Your will my Lord.

Joy

I look out on my back yard and see God in all His majesty - the glory of His creation. Birds, flowers, butterflies, grass speak of His wonders. Flowers give beauty to the eye and nectar to the butterflies and humming birds; a grape vine that gives shade and coolness plus the harvest of it fruit. What joy is life!

Your will be done oh Lord,
I stand before you in prayer,
Respecting your power and might,
You who knew me before I was born,
Grant my petitions on behalf of my friends and family,
But, in all things I accept You will.

We are all called to take up our cross and follow Jesus; to give our lives to Him, to follow Him. Jesus the Christ came into this world to offer each of us salvation. He did this by carrying and dying on His cross. While nailed to His cross of wood; He did not condemn His executioners, He forgave them.
"When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.
Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." "[Luke 23:33-34]

We who are called to follow Him can do no less if we are to be forgiven we must forgive.

Peace

Peace, I pray for peace in this world. How much could we do together as brothers and sisters? Maybe, I should pray for the end of hatred and greed for without hatred and greed the world would be better. As I prayed for peace I realized that the only true peace is in accepting God’s will and love.

I watch humming birds come to the feeder in my garden; I have seen at least four but they spend more time chasing each other away than they do feeding. These birds remind me of humans too busy fighting and killing to see if they shared with each other there would be no want.

My faith in God gives me peace, a peace I have never known before. I have accepted God’s will and say, “Let it be done.” Everything I have I owe to God, therefore everything I have belongs to God and I should use the gifts He has given me to serve.

I cry out oh Lord,
Hear my prayer,
Show me the way,
What must I do to serve You?

Strengthen me my God,
Send your Spirit to guide me,
I hear you call,
“Come follow me.”