Terry's Home

Rite of Election

2011-05-16T10:02:00.000-05:00

The Doctrine of Truth

2011-05-16T09:57:00.002-05:00

“If men used as much care in uprooting vices and implanting virtues as they do in discussing problems, there would not be so much evil and scandal in the world, or such laxity in religious organizations. On the day of judgment, surely, we shall not be asked what we have read but what we have done; not how well we have spoken but how well we have lived.”

Rite of Election

2011-05-12T11:55:00.000-05:00

From the treatise Against Heresies by Saint Irenaeus, bishop

2011-05-12T11:50:00.000-05:00

If our flesh is not saved, then the Lord has not redeemed us with his blood, the eucharistic chalice does not make us sharers in his blood, and the bread we break does not make us sharers in his body. There can be no blood without veins, flesh and the rest of the human substance, and this the Word of God actually became: it was with his own blood that he redeemed us. As the Apostle says: In him, through his blood, we have been redeemed, our sins have been forgiven.

We are his members and we are nourished by creatures, which is his gift to us, for it is he who causes the sun to rise and the rain to fall. He declared that the chalice, which comes from his creation, was his blood, and he makes it the nourishment of our blood. He affirmed that the bread, which comes from his creation, was his body, and he makes it the nourishment of our body. When the chalice we mix and the bread we bake receive the word of God, the eucharistic elements become the body and blood of Christ, by which our bodies live and grow. How then can it be said that flesh belonging to the Lord’s own body and nourished by his body and blood is incapable of receiving God’s gift of eternal life? Saint Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians that we are members of his body, of his flesh and bones. He is not speaking of some spiritual and incorporeal kind of man, for spirits do not have flesh and bones. He is speaking of a real human body composed of flesh, sinews and bones, nourished by the chalice of Christ’s blood and receiving growth from the bread which is his body.

The slip of a vine planted in the ground bears fruit at the proper time. The grain of wheat falls into the ground and decays only to be raised up again and multiplied by the Spirit of God who sustains all things. The Wisdom of God places these things at the service of man and when they receive God’s word they become the eucharist, which is the body and blood of Christ. In the same way our bodies, which have been nourished by the eucharist, will be buried in the earth and will decay, but they will rise again at the appointed time, for the Word of God will raise them up to the glory of God the Father. Then the Father will clothe our mortal nature in immortality and freely endow our corruptible nature with incorruptibility, for God’s power is shown most perfectly in weakness.

2011-05-12T11:47:00.000-05:00

He (Jesus) said to them, "Does this shock you?"

2010-12-22T21:58:00.000-06:00

The Jews murmured about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven," and they said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, 'I have come down from heaven'?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Stop murmuring among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets: 'They shall all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us (his) flesh to eat?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever." These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Then many of his disciples who were listening said, "This saying is hard; who can accept it Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, "Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe." Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him. And he said, "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father." As a result of this, many (of) his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?" Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."

"I am the bread of life"

2010-12-22T21:34:00.001-06:00

Angels Fly

2010-12-22T21:30:00.004-06:00

"Angels fly because they take themselves lightly."

2010-12-22T21:22:00.000-06:00

We should strive for our faith to be all God intends it to be...

2010-11-20T21:47:00.002-06:00

"In our generation the Christian Faith finds itself in a much deeper crisis than at any other time in the past. In this situation it is no solution to shut our eyes in fear in the face of pressing problems, or to simply pass over them. If faith is to survive this age, then it must be lived, and above all, lived in this age. And this is possible only if a manifestation of faith is shown to have value for our present day, by growing to knowledge and fulfillment." —Pope Benedict XVI

2010-11-20T21:32:00.000-06:00

Mercy and Grace

2010-11-20T21:22:00.003-06:00

Mercy is not getting what I do deserve and Grace is getting what I could never deserve...it's a pure gift...Mercy and Grace are pivitol to who we are and our deepest needs.
Fr. Ed Sylvia 11/05/07

2010-11-20T21:18:00.000-06:00

The Grace of the Lord has been Adbundant...

2010-09-12T09:15:00.003-05:00

I am grateful to him who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord, .....I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and arrogant, but I have been mercifully treated .... Indeed, the grace of our Lord has been abundant, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.... Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of these I am the foremost. But for that reason I was mercifully treated, so that in me, as the foremost, Christ Jesus might display all his patience as an example for those who would come to believe in him for everlasting life...Amen

2010-09-12T09:07:00.001-05:00

"I Thirst"

2010-05-18T22:15:00.004-05:00

God thirsts that we may thirst for Him... St Augustine

The Samaritan woman said to him, "How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?" (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." (The woman) said to him, "Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:9-14

Jesus stood up and exclaimed, "Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as scripture says: 'Rivers of living water will flow from within him.'" He said this in reference to the Spirit that those who came to believe in him were to receive. John 7:37-39

Be amazed at this, O heavens, and shudder with sheer horror, says the LORD. Two evils have my people done: they have forsaken me, the source of living waters; They have dug themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that hold no water. Jeremiah 2:12-13

O God, you are my God-- for you I long! For you my body yearns; for you my soul thirsts, Like a land parched, lifeless, and without water. So I look to you in the sanctuary to see your power and glory. For your love is better than life; my lips offer you worship! Palsm 63:1-4

After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I thirst." John 19:28

"So I look to you in the sanctuary to see your power and glory"

2010-05-18T22:10:00.002-05:00

THIS IS MY FRIEND

2010-05-05T19:16:00.004-05:00

From an old manuscript.

Let me tell you how I made His acquaintance.
I had heard much of Him, but took no heed.
He sent daily gifts and presents, but I never thanked Him.
He often seemed to want my friendship, but I remained cold.
I was homeless, and wretched, and starving and in peril every hour; and He offered me shelter and comfort and food and safety; but I was ungrateful still.
At last He crossed my path and with tears in His eyes He besought me saying, Come and abide with me.

Let me tell you how he treats me now.
He supplies all my wants.
He gives me more than I dare ask.
He anticipates my every need.He begs me to ask for more.
He never reminds me of my past ingratitude.
He never rebukes me for my past follies.

Let me tell you further what I think of Him.
He is as good as He is great.
His love is as ardent as it is true.
He is as lavish of His promises as He is faithful in keeping them.
He is as jealous of my love as He is deserving of it.I am in all things His debtor, but He bids me call Him Friend.

Easter Vigil 2010

2010-05-05T19:09:00.000-05:00

Ah, Holy Jesus, How Hast Thou Offended

2010-03-27T23:56:00.003-05:00

Ah, holy Jesus, how hast Thou offended,
That man to judge Thee hath in hate pretended?
By foes derided, by Thine own rejected,
O most afflicted.

Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon Thee?
Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone Thee.
’Twas I, Lord, Jesus, I it was denied Thee!
I crucified Thee.

Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered;
The slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered;
For man’s atonement, while he nothing heedeth,
God intercedeth.

For me, kind Jesus, was Thy incarnation,
Thy mortal sorrow, and Thy life’s oblation;
Thy death of anguish and Thy bitter passion,
For my salvation.

Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay Thee,
I do adore Thee, and will ever pray Thee,
Think on Thy pity and Thy love unswerving,
Not my deserving.

Johann Heerman, 1630

2010-03-27T23:54:00.000-05:00

2010-01-18T12:03:00.002-06:00

A pen does not know what it is going to write.
In the same way, when God takes someone into His hands
in order to begin some work of God in the Church,
that person does not know what he or she will have to do.
He or she is an instrument.
And generally all God’s instruments are characterized
by this quality: littleness, weakness….
“... so that no human being might boast in the presence of God."

And while the instrument moves in the hands of God,
He forms it with thousands and thousands of painful
and joyful devices.
In this way He makes it more and more suited
to the task it must carry out,
and it can say with competence: I am nothing, God is everything.

Chiara Lubich

2010-01-11T10:21:00.001-06:00

Monotony

2010-01-11T09:31:00.006-06:00

O life so dull and monotonous, how many treasures you contain! When I look at everything with the eyes of faith, no two hours are alike, and the dullness and monotony disappear. The grace which is given me in this hour will not be repeated in the next. It may be given me again, but it will not be the same grace. Time goes on, never to return again. Whatever is enclosed in it will never change; it seals with a seal for eternity.

The diary of Saint Sister Faustina

2009-12-19T18:50:00.003-06:00

He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world

2009-12-08T22:55:00.005-06:00

Brothers and sisters: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved.

In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ. Eph 1:3-6, 11-12

Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; break into song; sing praise.

2009-12-08T22:47:00.003-06:00

Fiat

2009-12-08T22:38:00.002-06:00

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. Lk 1:26-38

2009-12-08T22:09:00.001-06:00

The Covenant with Noah

2009-12-08T21:45:00.003-06:00

And God said: "This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come, of the covenant between me and you and every living creature with you: I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth, and the bow appears in the clouds, I will recall the covenant I have made between me and you and all living beings, so that the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all mortal beings. As the bow appears in the clouds, I will see it and recall the everlasting covenant that I have established between God and all living beings--all mortal creatures that are on earth." God told Noah: "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all mortal creatures that are on earth." Genesis 9:12-16

Golden Field and a Covenant

2009-12-08T11:44:00.002-06:00

Wisdom of God

2009-10-14T14:56:00.004-05:00

"What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man conceived,
what God has prepared for those who
love him" 1 Corinthians 2:9

2009-10-14T14:53:00.003-05:00

Wounded Love

2009-10-08T16:00:00.002-05:00

The Lord makes the soul desire Him vehemently by certain delicate means the soul itself does not understand. They proceed from very deep within the interior part of the soul. For often when a person is distracted and even forgetful of God, His majesty will awaken it. His action is as quick as a falling comet. And as clearly as it hears a thunderclap, even though no sound is heard, the soul understands that it was called by God. It feels that it is wounded in the most exquisite way. It knows clearly that the wound is something precious and it would never want to be cured. The wound satisfies it much more than the delightful and painless absorption of the prayer of quiet, a whisper so penetrating that the soul cannot help but hear it.

St. Teresa of Avila

Even Though No Sound Is Heard

2009-10-08T15:51:00.004-05:00

This Jesus Challenges Me

2009-09-23T13:56:00.002-05:00

"I use force, and He says, Forgive.
I am afraid, and He says, Take heart.
I doubt, and He says, Trust.
I feel anxious, and He says, Be calm.
I desire to be left alone, and He says, Come, follow me.
I make my plans, and He says, Let's go this way.
I want security, and He says to me, You will be persecuted for my sake.
I want to live, and He says, Give your life.
I believe I am a good person, and He says, That's not enough.
I want to be in charge, to give the commands, and He says, Serve, obey.
I want to understand, and He says, Believe.
I want clarity, and He speaks to me in Parables.
I want poetry, and He speaks of Realities.
I want tranquility, and He wants me To be disturbed.
I think of revenge, and He says, Turn the other cheek.
I speak of peace, and He says, I have come to bring a sword.
I want to hide, and He says, Let your light shine.
I seek out the first place, and He says, Sit in the last place.
I want to be seen, and He says, Pray in secret.
I want to hang on, and He says, Let go.
I want to win, and He says, Surrender.
No, I don't understand this Jesus. He provokes me. He confounds me. Like many of His disciples I, too, think I would like to follow a different teacher; one who would be more clear, and who would ask less of me. But it is as true for me as it was for Peter. When Jesus asked the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?" Simon Peter answered, "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life."

Vision

2009-09-23T13:45:00.006-05:00

The Supremacy of Christ

2009-08-18T21:25:00.008-05:00

"It's not just what God has done in Christ, that's absolutely amazing, but listen to what St Paul tells us in Colossians 1:25, 'that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God'. He wants us to know the word of God in it's fullness. That is, 'the mystery which has been hidden for the past ages and generations but now made manifest to his saints'. This is a truth that Abraham didnt know. This is a truth that all the prophets didnt know. There is a mystery hidden for all the ages that has been revealed to us, the Christians, and this is what it is. It's 'Christ in you, the hope of glory.' Christ in us, is the hope of glory. Not what Christ did in history, but what he continues to do in history, through us. It changes the way we live, because it changes who we are. We are no longer ourselves, we are Christians, we are now new creations in Christ. The person who hopes lives differently. We live differently because we understand the end. We can see it by God's grace. We see it in the Apostle's in their lives and the saints. They were transformed by the vision of hope because they knew the Lord was larger than death." That Jesus Christ had conquered death and was going to bring them home to glory.

Easter Vigil 2009

2009-08-18T21:13:00.001-05:00

Be Thou My Vision

2009-08-09T15:47:00.004-05:00

Be Thou my vision, oh Lord of my heart

Nought be all else to me, save that Thy art

Thou my best thought in the day and the night

Waking or sleeping, Thou presence my light

Riches I need not, nor man's empty praise

Thou mine inheritance through all of my days

Thou and Thou only though first in my heart

High king of heaven my treasure Thou art

In The Light

2009-08-09T15:39:00.002-05:00

Perserverence

2009-07-21T02:04:00.001-05:00

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence; it will have great recompense. You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised. "For, after just a brief moment, he who is to come shall come; he shall not delay. But my just one shall live by faith, and if he draws back I take no pleasure in him." We are not among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and will possess life.

Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament

2009-07-21T01:44:00.001-05:00

Are You Wrestling with God's Will?

2009-07-11T14:44:00.013-05:00

A reading from this weeks scripture. "In the course of that night, however, Jacob arose, took his two wives, with the two maidservants and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. After he had taken them across the stream and had brought over all his possessions, Jacob was left there alone. Then some man wrestled with him until the break of dawn. When the man saw that he could not prevail over him, he struck Jacob's hip at its socket, so that the hip socket was wrenched as they wrestled. The man then said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go until you bless me." "What is your name?" the man asked. He answered, "Jacob." Then the man said, "You shall no longer be spoken of as Jacob, but as Israel, because you have contended with divine and human beings and have prevailed." Jacob then asked him, "Do tell me your name, please." He answered, "Why should you want to know my name?" With that, he bade him farewell. Jacob named the place Peniel, "Because I have seen God face to face," he said, "yet my life has been spared." At sunrise, as he left Penuel, Jacob limped along because of his hip. That is why, to this day, the Israelites do not eat the sciatic muscle that is on the hip socket, inasmuch as Jacob's hip socket was struck at the sciatic muscle."
Genesis 32:23-33

This scripture has special meaning for me because Jacob is setting out on a new course in his life. Crossing a river at night is one of the most difficult of tasks. Then he appears to be separated from his family and wrestles with what appears to be an angel, but it is really a mystery to whom or what he wrestles with. Jacob does overcome the angel in the struggle but he is left with a limp. A deep scare, a battle wound which stays with him the rest of his life as if to remind him of his struggle. He is also given a new name, Isreal, which means, one who struggles with God.

While set out and about on life's journey have you felt that tug or struggle between your will and God's will? I know it's something I think more and more about these days. Sometimes it takes a "wrenching" to get our attention. We may even carry the scare for the rest of our lives to remind us of our struggles. I dont believe that God directly punishes us by inflicting pain or injury on us. But I do believe God allows things to happen or occur in order to bring us around or he may use us for a higher purpose.

"He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him." John 3:36

A path along the Way at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament. The 10 Commandments and the Beatitudes.

2009-07-11T14:38:00.004-05:00

2 Cor 12:7-10

2009-07-05T07:44:00.001-05:00

Brothers and sisters:That I, Paul, might not become too elated,because of the abundance of the revelations,a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan,to beat me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me,but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,for power is made perfect in weakness." I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults,hardships, persecutions, and constraints,for the sake of Christ;for when I am weak, then I am strong.

2009-07-05T07:38:00.002-05:00

Transformation

2009-03-23T11:45:00.005-05:00

The closer we are to God the more clearly we see how far we are from holiness. The challenge of humility is that the minute you think "I am so humble" you aren't.

Along The Way

2009-03-23T11:33:00.001-05:00

John 3:14-21

2009-03-22T09:34:00.001-05:00

Jesus said to Nicodemus: "Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the lightand does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

Conversion of Heart

2009-03-21T21:23:00.003-05:00

The human heart is heavy and hardened. God must give man a new heart. Conversion is first of all a work of the grace of God who makes our hearts return to him: "Restore us to thyself, O LORD, that we may be restored!" God gives us the strength to begin anew. It is in discovering the greatness of God's love that our heart is shaken by the horror and weight of sin and begins to fear offending God by sin and being separated from him. The human heart is converted by looking upon him whom our sins have pierced:

Let us fix our eyes on Christ's blood and understand how precious it is to his Father, for, poured out for our salvation, it has brought to the whole world the grace of repentance.

Heavy Heart

2009-03-21T21:19:00.004-05:00

Near the Kingdom of God

2009-03-20T10:00:00.000-05:00

The word "love" has taken a beating in recent times. We see and hear it everywhere: in the titles of TV series, on postage stamps, even on protest signs. The more we see and hear the word, the more trivial love seems. But when Jesus reminds us, "You shall love the Lord your God", love becomes mysterious and challanging. To fall in love with someone - or even better, to grow in love for someone - is a long process. It involves two people getting to know each other. They begin to reveal to each other what means most to them, secrets they have kept; they are eager to spend time together; they give each other gifts and come to learn what most pleases the other. Now: how do we fall in love with God? How do we grow in love for God? Can we love the Lord our God? Jesus assures us that we can, but it doesn't happen in an instant, with a few words or a few gestures. Loving God is the work of a lifetime: spending time in prayer and meditation; listening for the still small voice; learning to live as God wills, by justice and charity; contemplating the gifts we recieve, the gifts that we easily take for granted. Only then do we grow near to the kingdom of God.

All Aboard!

2009-03-19T11:04:00.000-05:00

The Division

2009-03-19T10:43:00.000-05:00

God rose up the prophet Elijah and said stop sitting on the fence. If the Lord is God then serve Him. If Baal and the false gods are god then serve them [1 Kg 18:21]. But make up your minds. Get on either one side or the other. Elijah speaking the word of the Lord insisted there be a great division. And when Jesus Christ came into the world, as the Gospel of John tells us, this was the verdict, this was the judgment, and this was the separation. That the light came into the world but the people loved darkness. So you have two sides. I have not come to bring peace, the Lord Jesus said, but division. And he said that division would run right through the family [Matthew 10:34]. The letter to the Hebrews says the division that the word of God brings runs right through the center of our own hearts. The word of God is sharper than a two edged sword dividing the human heart because either we serve the Lord or we don’t [Hebrew 4:12]. So then we come to Matthew 25:31, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate”. You can’t be lukewarm. You can’t have it both ways with God. It just doesn’t work. Have we failed to respond to the word of God?

Glory on the Plaza

2009-03-19T10:40:00.000-05:00

2009-02-08T13:56:00.000-06:00

Job spoke, saying: Is not man's life on earth a drudgery? Are not his days those of hirelings? He is a slave who longs for the shade, a hireling who waits for his wages. So I have been assigned months of misery, and troubled nights have been allotted to me. If in bed I say, "When shall I arise? "then the night drags on; I am filled with restlessness until the dawn. My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle; they come to an end without hope. Remember that my life is like the wind; I shall not see happiness again.
Job 7:1-4, 6-7

Brothers and sisters: If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast, for an obligation has been imposed on me, and woe to me if I do not preach it! If I do so willingly, I have a recompense, but if unwillingly, then I have been entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my recompense? That, when I preach, I offer the gospel free of charge so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.
Although I am free in regard to all, I have made myself a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible. To the weak I became weak, to win over the weak. I have become all things to all, to save at least some. All this I do for the sake of the gospel, so that I too may have a share in it.
1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-23

On leaving the synagogue Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John. Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. They immediately told him about her. He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them.
When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons. The whole town was gathered at the door. He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons, not permitting them to speak because they knew him. Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. Simon and those who were with him pursued him and on finding him said, "Everyone is looking for you. "He told them, "Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come. "So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.
Mark 1:29-39

Are you also looking for Jesus? He is here with you already. Open your heart and you will find Him. Don't be afraid to believe, to love, and to trust in the Lord. It is The Way. Jesus knew you before you were conceived. Do you know him? Do you understand? Pause, stand back, and see the big picture. Humble yourself and you will find The Way. What are you waiting for? Don't miss the opportunity!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:1-4

2009-02-08T13:50:00.000-06:00

John 12: 44-50

2009-02-08T00:02:00.000-06:00

And Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And he who sees me sees him who sent me. I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If any one hears my sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects me and does not receive my sayings has a judge; the word that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority; the Father who sent me has himself given me commandment what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has bidden me."

2009-02-07T13:03:00.001-06:00

2008-10-26T10:19:00.000-05:00

EX 22:20-26

Thus says the LORD:
"You shall not molest or oppress an alien,
for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.
You shall not wrong any widow or orphan.
If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me,
I will surely hear their cry.
My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword;
then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans.

"If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people,
you shall not act like an extortioner toward him by demanding interest from him.
If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge,
you shall return it to him before sunset;
for this cloak of his is the only covering he has for his body.
What else has he to sleep in?
If he cries out to me, I will hear him; for I am compassionate."

My Final Out

2008-09-26T14:18:00.000-05:00

I had my final out today so I had to go to Ft Leavenworth for an hour or so this morning.

After I signed my paperwork for my DD214, (paperwork that shows my service) I got my flag, Army sticker, and lapel pin.

So now I am on terminal leave until December. I've been on permissive TDY for the past month. During that time I finished painting the last side of my house and completed all the VA medical appointments. Well I didn't paint the stucco on parts of the front facade but other than that I pretty much finished up the entire outside house.

I also refinished my back deck, painted my kitchen walls just for fun. I repaired part of my kitchen wood floor under the fridge where it warped three years ago when the fridge leaked. I patched three holes in my walls that have been there for a few years where I ran computer, TV, and stereo cable. I cleared out and seeded about 40 sqr ft of brush in my back yard to extend it out some more. And I repainted my lawn furniture.

It took me more than a month to do all that but I also relaxed a lot too :-)

Psalm 62

2008-06-25T21:17:00.000-05:00

I was watching an episode of "More Reflections with Father Leo Clifford" on EWTN. He recited part of Psalm 62. Thought I would share it.

"My soul, be at rest in God alone,
from whom comes my hope.
God alone is my rock and my salvation,
my secure height; I shall not fall.
My safety and glory are with God,
my strong rock and refuge.
Trust God at all times, my people!
Pour out your hearts to God our refuge!"

Frankfurt

2008-06-25T12:49:00.000-05:00

Exiting the Haufbahnhof in Frankfurt

2008-06-25T12:47:00.000-05:00

Portable Shoe Shine

2008-06-25T12:45:00.000-05:00

Negotiating the HaufBahnhof in Frankfurt

2008-06-25T12:42:00.000-05:00

Pieta

2008-06-25T12:40:00.000-05:00

Blessed Mary Inside Church on the Rhine

2008-06-25T12:37:00.000-05:00

Inside Church on the Rhine

2008-06-25T12:34:00.000-05:00

Orchard over the Rhine

2008-06-25T12:33:00.000-05:00

Train on the Rhine

2008-06-25T12:32:00.000-05:00

Crucifix by the Rhine

2008-06-25T12:29:00.000-05:00

House on the Rhine

2008-06-25T12:26:00.000-05:00

Boarding the Rhine

2008-06-25T12:24:00.000-05:00

Rhine River Cruise

2008-06-25T12:22:00.000-05:00

Boppard City Center 5

2008-06-25T12:20:00.002-05:00

Boppard City Center 4

2008-06-25T12:20:00.001-05:00

Boppard City Center 3

2008-06-25T12:18:00.000-05:00

Boppard City Sqaure 2

2008-06-25T12:13:00.000-05:00

Boppard City Square

2008-06-25T12:11:00.000-05:00

Purple Flowers on Boppard Side Street

2008-06-25T12:09:00.001-05:00

Christmas Balls in Boppard Germany

2008-06-25T12:08:00.000-05:00

Rest Stop Over the Rhine at Boppard

2008-06-25T12:03:00.000-05:00

German Town

2008-06-25T11:58:00.000-05:00

Catholic Church along the Rhine River

2008-06-25T11:54:00.000-05:00

Cathedral along the Rhine - Saint Joseph

2008-05-25T17:33:00.000-05:00

Cathedral along the Rhine - Crucifix - another perspective

2008-05-25T17:31:00.000-05:00

Cathedral along the Rhine - Crucifix

2008-05-25T17:26:00.000-05:00

Cathedral along the Rhine - Virgin Mary with Jesus

2008-05-25T17:23:00.000-05:00

Over the Autobahn

2008-05-25T17:21:00.000-05:00

Ramstein Cafe

2008-05-10T15:39:00.000-05:00

Ramstein Cathedral and House of Ivy

2008-05-10T15:38:00.000-05:00

Ramstein Town2

2008-05-10T15:36:00.000-05:00

Ramstein Town

2008-05-10T15:35:00.000-05:00

Ramstein Cathedral

2008-05-10T15:32:00.000-05:00

Heidelberg Bridge

2008-05-05T14:49:00.000-05:00

Down by the river in Heidelberg

2008-05-05T14:47:00.000-05:00

Man on street in Heidelberg

2008-05-05T14:45:00.000-05:00

Inside Catholic Church in Heidelberg

2008-05-05T14:42:00.000-05:00