Book Recommendation and Quote! : )

I have been reading a book that was recommended to me by a friend from the Seminary Camp I attended this year, and I want to recommend it to you! The book is entitled " I Believe in Love" by Pe're Jean du Coeur de Jesus O'Elbee. This book was specifically written for someone on a retreat, and for someone learning how to better understand God's love for us! To conclude this post I would like to end with some of my favorite quotes from this book! Thank you!

" If you have loved like this, you must love in return, give love for love. I have loved you, you must love. These are the words of Christ to us. " I have given you my heart without reserve; I have put no limit on my love, you must put no limit on yours."

" Oh how beautiful it is, how encouraging, that the weaker we are, and the more we feel our weakness, the more this power of Jesus, if we are united to Him, is ours!"

" I assure you, we are bathed in love and mercy. We each have a Father, a Brother, a Spouse of our Soul, Center and King of our impotence, like that of our little children, with an inexpressible gentleness watching over us like the apple of His eye, who said, " I will have mercy not sacrifice, for I have not come to call the just, but sinners!"

Jesus takes all of our worries away!

I occasionally altar serve at daily mass on Fridays. I love being able to help the priest and be close to the Blessed Sacrament. I am usually very calm and focused during mass, but today for some reason, I constantly worried about everything during mass. I worried if I had put enough hosts in the bowl for communion, and if I had put enough wine into the pitcher. I was beginning to panic. Then during communion, as my lips touched the cup full of Jesus' blood, I was filled with instant calm! I realized that Jesus was taking all of my troubles and worries away from me! Jesus calms the storms in our lives, and fills us with peace! Thanks be to God!

Prayer for Private Bowe Bergdahl

The American Military yesterday condemned the Taliban for releasing a propaganda video that showed a captured soldier pleading for US troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan. The Pentagon named the private as Bowe Bergdahl 23, from Idaho. A 28 minute video of Private Bergdahl was posted on the Internet, showing the soldier in good health, but saying he was scared and was missing his family. It is believed to be the first time in two years that a US serviceman has been captured in either Iraq or Afghanistan.

The Taliban said the video was dated July 14, although it is impossible to verify the date. The military in Afghanistan has been distributing leaflets calling for the return of the private, who said he was picked up by the Taliban after falling behind while on patrol. Last week, Mawlavi Sangin, a Taliban commander in the Piktika province, the southeastern area where Bowe went missing on June 30th, said " we are holding the soldier and would kill him if the US applied pressure to find him. Afghani and US troops have been searching for Bowe for two weeks and offering a reward for help. Locals have told them that the Taliban was planning to smuggle the soldier across the border into Pakistan, but ruled that out because of US missile strikes and Pakistani bombing attacks against military targets in the area.

" I'm scared. I'm scared I won't be able to go home. It is very unnerving to be a prisoner," Private Bergdahl says in the video. He is dressed in loose Afghan clothing, appearing with a shaved head and a light beard, drinking tea and eating-but he is clearly being directed what to say. " I have a girlfriend who is hoping to marry. I have my grandparents. I have a very,very good family back home in America," he says, and then a voice off camera prompts " miss them". The soldier then continues: " And I miss them everyday that I'm gone. I miss them and I am afraid that I might never see them again and that I'll never be able to tell them I love them again. I'll never be able to hug them." Later the voice prompts " Any message to your people?" Private Bergdahl then adds: " Yes. To my fellow Americans who have loved ones over here who know what it's like to miss them: you have the power to make our Government bring them home. Please, Please bring us home so that we can be back where we belong and not over here, wasting our time, and our lives. It is America who has that power."

Private Bergdahl's Father, Bob Bergdahl said yesterday: " We hope and pray for our son's safe return to his comrades and then to our family, and we appreciate all the support and expressions of sympathy shown to us by our family members, our friends and others across the nation."

Because of this article, I decided that it would be necessary to post this prayer that I wrote, asking for God to watch over Private Bergdahl and that he his released and returned home safe and sound.


Please pray this with me-


Lord,

Watch over your servant Bowe. May he feel Your loving presence during these dark times. Help him to grow in faith and trust in You. Help him to know that he is not alone because You are right beside him. Father, please return Private Bowe to his home safe and sound so that he may continue to do your will and give you glory forever and ever. Amen

Please feel free to include an Our Father, Hail Mary and a Glory be shortly after reciting this prayer.


Thank you

Another Favorite Song and lyrics! :)

Here's another great song that I decided to post again by the band Lifehouse! This song is called Storm! I decided to post the lyrics to this song just because I think they really portray to us and our lives. In our lives we face many hardships, trails, sufferings and struggles which can also be called "storms" in our spiritual life. During these we must remember that the one that we should turn to for help and guidance is God! I think that this song is pointing out just that! It is pointing out that we need to put our complete trust in God during our "storms" because He is our comfort, our strength and our help! God is always with us! I hope you enjoy this song as much as I do! Thanks again! :)

Storm


How long have I been in this storm?
So overwhelmed by the ocean's shapeless form
Water's getting harder to tread
With these waves crashing over my head

If I could just see you
Everything would be all right
If I could see you
This darkness would turn to light

And I will walk on water
And you will catch me if I fall
And I will get lost into your eyes
And everything will be all right
And everything will be all right

I know you didn't bring me out here to drown
So why am I ten feet under and upside down
Barely surviving has become my purpose
Because I'm so used to living underneath the surface

If I could just see you
Everything would be all right
If I could see you
This darkness would turn to light

And I will walk on water
And you will catch me if I fall
And I will get lost into your eyes
And everything will be all right
And everything will be all right

Favorite Song and lyrics :)

I want to share with you, the lyrics of one of my favorite songs by a band called Lifehouse. The song is entitled Everything! These lyrics are very special to me because they help me realize who the center of my life should be, who is God! God should mean "everything" to us! Although the song may have many different view points, I still like to think of it as a song of praise to God! So I hope you enjoy these lyrics and hopefully check out the band for yourself! Thanks!:)

Everything


Find me here
And speak to me
I want to feel You
I need to hear You
You are the light
That's leading me
To the place
Where I find peace again

You are the strength
That keeps me walking
You are the hope
That keeps me trusting
You are the life
To my soul
You are my purpose
You're everything

And how can I stand here with You
And not be moved by You
Would You tell me how could it be
Any better than this
(Ahh Yeahhh)

You calm the storms
And You give me rest
You hold me in your hands
You won't let me fall
You steal my heart
And You take my breath away
Would You take me in
Would You take me deeper, now

And how can I stand here with You
And not be moved by You
Would You tell me how could it be
Any better than this

And how can I stand here with You
And not be moved by You
Would You tell me how could it be
Any better than this

Cause you're all I want
You're all I need
You're everything, everything
You're all I want
You're all I need
You're everything, everything
You're all I want
You're all I need
You're everything, everything
You're all I want
You're all I need
Everything, everything...

When how can I stand here with You
And not be moved by You
Would you tell me how could it be
Any better than this

Oh And how can I stand here with You
And not be moved by You
Would You tell me how could it be
Any better any better than this

And how can I stand here with You
And not be moved by You
Would You tell me how could it be
Any better than this

Would You tell me how could it be
Any better than this....

Reflection on the Holy Gospel according to Matthew

" If you wish to be perfect go and sell all that you have and then come and follow me."

This is a great verse from the Holy Gospel of Matthew because it teaches us about the importance of charity and giving things up. It teaches us the importance of freely giving to those less fortunate, and to steer away from things of this world and instead turn to Christ. Not only is this exerpt from Matthew talking about giving away the objects of this world that we tightly hold on to, but it is also saying that we need to freely give up ourselves and the way we live.

This verse preached to us by Matthew teaches us how to find out what we truly need in our lives, and that the only way we can discover what we need, which is Christ alone, is by giving up of evil ways. Our lives are so dark, evil, dirty, full of guilt, and sometimes very far from Christ's love. Though this is true, we sometimes forget God's love and how he wants our hearts that are dark, so that He can make them light, joyful, happy, and full of love and zeal for him. God wants us to give up ourselves, our past, and all of our wrong doings. Sometimes we are so full of guilt that we feel that our pasts are too full of evil for us to still be considered God's children.

We must not let our guilt fill us up because God loves us unconditionally! He does not care how much wrong we have done to him in the past! He does not care about our deepest darkest sins that we are often so ashamed of, because He has already conquered our guilt, our sin, our doubts through His Son's dying and rising. We must realize that our sin is already forgiven, and that God will always love us. However we must be willing to come to him and ask of his mercy. God wants us to come to Him so that He may cleanse us from our sins.

And so as this reflection is coming to a close, I wish to share with you a series of lyrics from a song which is so fitting for this reflection on this Gospel verse. The band is a Christian band called Tenth Avenue North and the song is entitled Beloved. Keep in my that this lyric is written from God's perspective.

" Love of my life, look deep in my eyes, there you will find what you need, give Me your life, the lust and the lies, the past your afraid I might see, you've been running away from Me! Your My beloved, lover I'm yours, death shall not part us, its you I died for, for better or worse, forever we'll be, our love it unites us, it binds you to Me, it's a mystery. Love of My life, look deep in My eyes, there you will find what you need, I'm the Giver of Life, I'll clothe you in whine, My immaculate bride you will be, Oh come running home to Me!"

For God longs for us and for our dirty, dark, evil souls to come to Him so that He so that he can make us clean and give us new life!

The Crosses that we bear

To each and everyone of us, God has given a cross. He has given us a cross so that while we carry it, we may become like Christ! God gives us a cross so that we become like Christ because we suffer and throughout it all we will continue to have and grow in faith in God and trust in Him that everything will be all right! We notice this in Jesus! Jesus, while suffering and crying in the Garden cowering in fear while praying to the Father, realized instantly that God would be with Him and that God would never leave His side! We must have the same attitude! We must never think that God is abandoning us and is punishing us by giving us a cross, but I think we should rejoice and be glad because God wants us to grow in trust, faith, and hope in Him! He is giving us an opportunity to suffer just like Christ did although we do not face the same cross that He bore in order to demolish man's sin!

Another thing that we should remember is that God would never give us a cross that He knew we couldn't handle! We may sometimes think that God is giving us the hardest cross to bear of all! However, God is giving us very easy crosses compared to Jesus'. We must believe that our Father is giving each and everyone one of us a cross that He knows we can carry for however long he wants! We must not be afraid, sad, and full of misery and depression, but we should be glad that we like Christ, are also carrying a cross that we can overcome just like Christ overcame His Cross when he rose from the dead! So indeed God does what He knows we can handle! Indeed Father knows best!

OOOH!........... AAAH! (A Favorite from my Archives)

I can't think of a better way to spend Independence day than with the ones you love, while watching an amazing display of fireworks! To me, Independence day is a great chance to celebrate our country's becoming it's own nation, and also gives us a chance to reflect on the many blessings that God has given us throughout the years, following the great signing of the Declaration of Independence.

I think that we have a lot to learn from our founding fathers too! Just as they stood up for their beliefs and rights, we should do the same! Although we are not standing up to King George, we are standing up to someone even more difficult to defeat! We are fighting off the devil who is constantly trying to "rule" over our lives and forget our belief in God, just as the colonists fought off King George!

Throughout the revolution one thing was clear. Despite all of the hardships, trials, struggles and disappointments, the Americans still continued to fight and to not give up and eventually purchased for us our freedom! This is also how we should be in battle against the devil! We should remember to finish the race and never give up and trust in God! We should also remember that no matter what, God is always with us and he never will make us fight alone! He will give us the victory!

A blessed Independence Day Everyone! :)

Computers are confusing!

This week for me has been a trying one! The main reason for this is because the computer had a really bad connection! This was terrible because my family practically "thrives" on the computer! My whole family had to wait for this day to come so our "beloved" computer would be good as new! We were very anxious and apprehensive to see what the news would be and if it would cost, but with a lot of prayers we finally discovered the problem! Our tree in our backyard was wrapping around the electrical wire! I must say that it feels great to finally be back on the computer after a very long 5 days! This week taught me that I must have a great deal of patience dealing with anything in life! I must have faith and hope and trust in the Lord that everything will be alright! I am so glad that He has decided to answer my prayer! Thanks be to God!