I can't believe the posts below are my words....well, my thoughts on others' words mostly. I can't believe I'm the same person that wrote those things 4-5 years ago. I don't feel like it a lot of the time.
What has happened to me?
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Monday, May 1, 2006
From the Catechism
27 The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Friday, March 10, 2006
Anger...
From today's Gospel reading:
How many times do I get angry at things that don't matter? Like people in rush hour traffic...or traffic in general. I get mad at my kids when they don't act like I want them to act. Sometimes, it's hard to remmber..."they're just kids".
Lord, today I ask for your help and guidance.
Calm my mind. Let peace settle in my soul.
Help me to never think ill of another for doing something
that isn't important in the grand scheme of things.
Grant me patience.
Let me be slow to anger, especially with the ones I love most...my family.
Give me the the strength to make the small sacrifices that I must,
so that anyone I come in contact with will not be hurt by anything I say or do.
Help me to see YOU in everyone,
and to realize that through my anger and insults,
that those are the kinds of things that put you on the Cross.
Help me to be a better neighbor and friend.
Amen
“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment,
and whoever says to his brother, Raqa,
will be answerable to the Sanhedrin,
and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
How many times do I get angry at things that don't matter? Like people in rush hour traffic...or traffic in general. I get mad at my kids when they don't act like I want them to act. Sometimes, it's hard to remmber..."they're just kids".
Lord, today I ask for your help and guidance.
Calm my mind. Let peace settle in my soul.
Help me to never think ill of another for doing something
that isn't important in the grand scheme of things.
Grant me patience.
Let me be slow to anger, especially with the ones I love most...my family.
Give me the the strength to make the small sacrifices that I must,
so that anyone I come in contact with will not be hurt by anything I say or do.
Help me to see YOU in everyone,
and to realize that through my anger and insults,
that those are the kinds of things that put you on the Cross.
Help me to be a better neighbor and friend.
Amen
Wednesday, March 8, 2006
Focus
Why, O Lord, is it so hard for me
to keep my heart directed toward you?
Why does my mind wander off in so many directions,
and why does my heart desire
the things that lead me astray?
Let me sense your presence in the midst of my turmoil.
Take my tired body,
my confused mind,
and my restless soul into your arms
and give me rest, simple quiet rest.
-- Henri Nouwen
to keep my heart directed toward you?
Why does my mind wander off in so many directions,
and why does my heart desire
the things that lead me astray?
Let me sense your presence in the midst of my turmoil.
Take my tired body,
my confused mind,
and my restless soul into your arms
and give me rest, simple quiet rest.
-- Henri Nouwen
Tuesday, March 7, 2006
Listening...
I'm listening to a CD I got from Catholicity.com last year. It's a recording of Father Larry Richards and his CD entitled "Confession". Really good stuff. Makes you really think about sin.
Relating back to Genesis, Father Larry explains how sin was created.
Genesis, Chapter 3:
1 Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the LORD God had made. The serpent asked the woman, "Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?"
2 The woman answered the serpent: "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden;
3 it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, 'You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.'"
...She had Full Knowledge...God said "NO"...If God said, "You will die", then you WILL DIE.
The first thing Satan does, is he instills doubt. "God said that? That's not true."
4 But the serpent said to the woman: "You certainly will not die!
5 No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is bad."
The serpent, Satan, is "The Father of Lies". Orginial Sin = I become God and determine what is right and wrong.
God doesn't ask us what we think is right and wrong. GOD SAID NO!
6 The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
Good - Doing something God created as good, but doing it outside of the boundaries he set.
Pleasurable - if it wasn't pleasurable, I wouldn't do it.
Desire - there's a desire inside of me that wants it.
Sin has nothing to do with hurting another person. The only thing wrong with sin is GOD SAID NO, and we say YES.
The Center of all sin is I.
Wow. I've got some changes to make. What's sad, is this is not the first time I've realized it.
I'm also realizing that most of the time I don't put God first. I put work, play, family, money, "toys" at the top of my "gotta have" list. I think the top of my "gotta have" list should be "An eternal spot in Heaven". There's only one way that's going to happen. God's gotta be first. I'm going to do my best to change my stance. Stop worrying about ME so much, but what's right for God. If I do right by him, I can do no wrong by anyone else. I might even do more RIGHT by everyone else.
Lord, Have Mercy on me...a sinner.
Relating back to Genesis, Father Larry explains how sin was created.
Genesis, Chapter 3:
1 Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the LORD God had made. The serpent asked the woman, "Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?"
2 The woman answered the serpent: "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden;
3 it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, 'You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.'"
...She had Full Knowledge...God said "NO"...If God said, "You will die", then you WILL DIE.
The first thing Satan does, is he instills doubt. "God said that? That's not true."
4 But the serpent said to the woman: "You certainly will not die!
5 No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is bad."
The serpent, Satan, is "The Father of Lies". Orginial Sin = I become God and determine what is right and wrong.
God doesn't ask us what we think is right and wrong. GOD SAID NO!
6 The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
Good - Doing something God created as good, but doing it outside of the boundaries he set.
Pleasurable - if it wasn't pleasurable, I wouldn't do it.
Desire - there's a desire inside of me that wants it.
Sin has nothing to do with hurting another person. The only thing wrong with sin is GOD SAID NO, and we say YES.
The Center of all sin is I.
Wow. I've got some changes to make. What's sad, is this is not the first time I've realized it.
I'm also realizing that most of the time I don't put God first. I put work, play, family, money, "toys" at the top of my "gotta have" list. I think the top of my "gotta have" list should be "An eternal spot in Heaven". There's only one way that's going to happen. God's gotta be first. I'm going to do my best to change my stance. Stop worrying about ME so much, but what's right for God. If I do right by him, I can do no wrong by anyone else. I might even do more RIGHT by everyone else.
Lord, Have Mercy on me...a sinner.
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