May
07
2009
The Lord will bless his people with peace.
Oh, what a comfort! Oh, what a joy! To know that we God’s people will be blessed with peace. And how do we cash in on this offer — by truly Heart, Mind, Soul and Body becoming “his people”! We do this with our thought words and actions. We do this by the way we treat others. We do this by the way we remember God.
Yes, the Lord will bless us with peace,but first we must deserve it and be blessed by taking up the challenge to be his people!
Peace be with you,
Ann
Ps 29:1a and 2, 3ac-4, 3b and 9c-10
Feb
22
2009
Dear Friends and Readers,
I have decided to suspend updating this Blog — TrueQuotes.
I will be putting my efforts into my other Blog: God Family Crafts
It is my hope that you will visit God Family Crafts often, and also, that you will make plentiful use of the archives here at TrueQuotes.
Please check back from time-to-time and see if I have posted any special notices, and…
in the mean time - see you at God Family Crafts.
Peace be with you,
Ann
Feb
18
2009
To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
(from Ps 116)
When God asks for a sacrifice, we most likely think of something difficult, something we must give up, or something that will cause us a feeling of loss. We see sacrifice as negative.
But today’s scripture reading talks about a “sacrifice of praise”. How beautiful! How positive! What an opportunity!
How does this praise become a sacrifice. For a moment or an hour or even a day, we step outside ourselves. We remove ourselves from our selfishness and we give all our attention to the Lord God. In giving Him this attention we focus on His goodness. We praise Him for goodness. I praise Him for His generosity, for His kindness, for His everlasting love.
An then the lines begin to blur and we realize that we praise Him because He is Love, He is All Goodness. Can we praise God without also thanking Him? No, so we thank him for his gifts and goodness to us.
To You Lord, I offer this time, these words, this work — as my sacrifice of Praise. I also praise you Lord for all the generous gifts you have given me, for all your kindness and care. I see now, Lord that your sacrifice for us, was also a sacrifice of praise to God the Father, and that you have done this willingly, and that your Sacrifice on the cross is Positive. It fills each of your people with the joy of salvation and with the desire to offer You a sacrifice of praise!
Feb
15
2009
I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.
– Ps. 32
Where can you go to help when there seems to be no help? To the Lord. Even if we do not get an answer to our immedicate need, we can be reminded of the Joy of our Salvation! Salvation is available to each and every one of us, and this very fact should bring us consolation.
Who else might we turn to? In time of trouble we might turn to our parents, to our children, to other family members, and of course, to our spouse. Sometimes these people have things to offer us — advice, consolation - but often the problems are bigger (or seems bigger) than their help. The place we can get God-sized help for Big troubles is with God the Lord.
His ever-present Love and help, His ever-present promise of salvation can bring us joy. Indeed, should bring us joy. Let us resolve to bring out troubles to Him, that He might fill us with the renewed JOY of our salvation.
Peace be with you.
Jan
14
2009
“Pray without ceasing.”
The life of a mother is sometimes a very creative way of praying. I’m sure you will agree!
- Lord Jesus, may everything glorify You!
- Whew! thank you Lord that that glass of milk didn’t spill.
- Our Father who art in Heaven….
- How am I supposed to handle this, God?
- They’re late getting home … please protect them Jesus.
- I’m going to get my [heavenly] reward for this, right? (not sure if that is really a prayer
- Lord God, your creation is wonderful
- Thank you God for giving me this opportunity to lift someone up
- Forgive me Lord.
- Thank you Lord for forgivng me
- God, give me strength
- Jesus I love you!
- Help me keep my patience, Lord
- “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost…”
- Non-traditional prayer: changing a diaper, getting breakfast and lunch for a child, reading a book aloud when you’d rather be sewing
- Help me Lord to get rid of some of this junk so I can spend more time and attention on you.
- Bless us O Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive, from thy bounty through Christ our Lord. Amen.
- By observing the wonder of a child developing, and knowing it comes from God.
- By spending wholesome time with family
- By attending Holy Mass, or making a visit to the Eucharist
- By teaching a child about God
Jan
13
2009
Lying is done with words and also with silence.
– Adrienne Rich
How true, how true! The sin of omission, it is sometimes called. But that covers many things including our resposibilities. But to omit to tell the whole story…lying. To omit to correct a wrong impression given by another…hmmm, lying. To be silent when great wrongs are being committed, when the truth should be known…lying.
Rich has tapped into a dangerous area of our communication - the silence when there is need to talk. Silence when there is need to speak. Silence when there is a need for words.
To be silent when the truth needs to be told is…lying.
Jan
06
2009
If you consider what are called the virtues in mankind, you will find their growth is assisted by education and cultivation.
–Xenophon
Virtues are placed in our hearts and consciences by nature, by our very creation we are endowed with natural law in our hearts. As we grow, our consciences guide us to the greater good for mankind and for the world around us.
Education is a part of this important process. For as we become aware of and reflective upon the virtues, this goodness within ourselves, we can enrich these qualities by learning more, but practicing, by noting the importance of such goodness to all involved.
If virtue is pleasing to the Almighty, then growth by education and cultivation of these is that much more pleasing. The only pitfall we must avoid is to place education above virtue - for then we have missed the point.
Jan
03
2009
If men would consider not so much wherein they differ, as wherein they agree, there would be far less of uncharitableness and angry feelings.
Joseph Addison
What do you want? If you were to dig into the depths of your heart, I believe you would find what many others find in their own hearts: a wish for peace and an end to suffering due to war, safety and loving treatment for all children. enough food and other essentials for all people, a desire for all to know the peace afforded by our Creator for all mankind.
Addison points out that if we focus on our areas of agreement we could live and exist in much harmony. If we were in harmony, many of our difference might also fade away.
Our human nature tends us toward the disagreements. If we put on our Godly nature, we could so much easier fulfill the charitable nature for which we were created.
Dec
30
2008
Dove: The symbol of Hope
The past is a source of knowledge, and the future is a source of hope. Love of the past implies faith in the future.
– Stephen Ambrose
When you state it that way, Mr. Ambrose, it explains a lot. We all know that we need to learn from the past. And I suppose we could even view the fact that the future, and the fact that there is a future at all, gives us hope. But to put the two together, shows that we do indeed have hope and even faith in the future.
Of course, what do we need to succeed? We need a path clearly laid out — knowledge, and a belief that there is time to live it out and right spirit to live it out properly — hope.
Today I know that tomorrow, God willing, I will get out of bed. I have something to live for, something that I learned about in the past 50 years of my life. I know that God has given us another day, and that must be a good thing. I have knowledge and I have hope.
May you as well.
Dec
27
2008
Courage is of no value unless accompanied by justice; yet if all men became just, there would be no need for courage.
–Agesilaus the Second
(Swan is symbol for Courage, Balance is symbol for justice)
What a complex lot we are as human beings. This king of Sparta, a Greek City-state known for its austerity and military dedication, spoke of courage that was expected of his soldiers. Yet, be spoke too of justice. The difficulty arises in the individual perception of justice. As king of Sparta, he surely must have thought the Athenians unjust, therefore he expected his warriors to have courage and fight against them.
Courage was one of the hallmarks of the Spartan soldier. One wonders if justice was one of the goals of the Spartan king.
At any rate, when this quote is applied to our ouwn lives today, it speaks a relevant truth. If we as individuals have courage to speak out for what we believe in, then this courage is commendable. But it must be done in justice and kindness. If true justice exists, we would not even need this courage to speak our truth.
