What GOD can do!

A poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store.

She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries. She softly explained that her husband was unable to work, they had seven children and they needed food.

John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store.

Visualizing the family needs, she said: "Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can." John told her he could not give her credit, as she did not have a charge account at his store.

Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the conversation between the two. The customer walked forward and told the grocer that he would stand good for
whatever she needed for her family.

The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, "Do you have a grocery list?" Louise replied, "Yes sir." "O.K." he said, "put your grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries."

Louise, hesitated a moment with a bowed head, then she reached into her purse, took out a piece of paper, and scribbled something. She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed.

The eyes of the grocer and the customer showed the amazement they felt when the scales went down and stayed down. The grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, "I can't believe it." The customer smiled and the grocer started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales.

The scale did not balance. So he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more. The grocer stood there in utter disgust. Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement.

It was not a grocery list. It was a prayer which said:

"Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands". The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and stood in stunned silence. Louise thanked him and left the store.

The customer handed a fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said, "It was worth every penny of it." Only God Knows how much a prayer weighs.

Thought of the Day

WHEN HOPE NOURISHES YOUR LIFE,

YOUR SYSTEM RENEW ITS STRENGTH

JUST LIKE A WATER POURED ON A

FAINTED PLANT.

The Lord says,

"But I will bless the person who puts his trust in me.

He is like a tree growing near a stream and sending out roots to the water.

It is not afraid when the hot weather comes, because its leaves stay green;

it has no worries when there is no rain; it keeps on bearing fruit."

Jeremiah 17:7

Real and authentic discovery of God brings joy. It is the joy of being in love and of staying in love with the one who never changes. We may let go of other loves then - even of people who keep us from the love of God. We are committed only to the treasure in the field, the love of God and the love of people who bring us to God. Our concern is to bring alive the gospel of Jesus in the world. We pray that others may find the treasure through us.

Rejoice! This is the Lord's Day.

Today sunday is the Lord's Day. (July 27, 2008)

Psalm 122
I rejoice when they said to me
Let us go unto the house of the LORD.

I rejoice specially on Sundays for this the time when as a member of the community of believers, I worship God. I rejoice because I know I'm not alone in worshiping Him and giving praise to the almighty, and I also know that He looks upon me with joy!

Friend, do you rejoice when you go to mass? or are you burdened because you have to go to mass again?

Todays Gospel is from Matthew 13:44-52.

It likens the Kingdom of Heaven to a pearl of great price...

Matthew 13:44-52 44 Jesus said to his disciples: “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. 46 When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it. 47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. 48 When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. 49 Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. 51 “Do you understand all these things?” They answered, “Yes.” 52 And he replied, “Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.” (From the New American Bible)

Happy Lord's Day!

Analogy of GOD

This is one of the best explanation of why God allows pain and suffering that I have seen. It's an explanation other people will understand.

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they talked about so many things and various subjects.

When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: "I don't believe that God exists."

"Why do you say that?" asked the customer. "Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine loving a God who would allow all of these things."

The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt.

The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist."

"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber. "I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!"

"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside.."

"Ah, but barbers DO exist! What happens is, people do not come to me."

"Exactly!", affirmed the customer.
"That's the point! God, too, DOES exist!
What happens, is, people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING!

"Do not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps if you're not willing to move your feet."

Thought of the Day

OBSTACLES ARE THOSE FRIGHTFUL THINGS

YOU SEE WHEN YOU TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THE GOAL.



And he (Jesus) said, Come.

And when Peter was come down out off the ship,

he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid;

and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand,

and caught him...."How little faith you have!

He exclaimed .."Why did you falter"?...

Mathew 14:29-31



When we work for the Lord we stop worrying about clothing, money, shelter. We are concerned but not anxious. It is difficult to take this literally but it asks us to be open-minded and open-hearted in the following of Christ. We are to be people for whom this relationship is a priority in life and that nothing else should sour it or come before it. All love, all friendships, all we are, all we have and all we do are in the love of Christ and to him all can be given.