St Paul of the Cross
From time to time remind yourself of your lowliness of heart and renew your dedication to the Lord; visit him frequently in the eucharist and unite yourself with him in spirit; in this way you will keep the fire of love burning on the altar of your heart.
We should be the first to share the unhappiness of others, to take upon ourselves the sorrows of others, and to unite ourselves with all the suffering peoples of the world.
Always remain faithful to God and genuinely accept whatever he wishes.
St.PaulPaul Francis Daneii, born at Ovada, Genoa, Italy, 3 January, 1694; died in Rome, 18 October, 1775.
His parents, Luke Danei and Anna Maria Massari, were exemplary Catholics. From his earliest years the crucifix was his book, and the Crucified his model. Paul received his early education from a priest who kept a school for boys, in Cremolino, Lombardy. He made great progress in study and virtue; spent much time in prayer, heard daily Mass, frequently received the Sacraments, faithfully attended to his school duties, and gave his spare time to reading good books and visiting the churches, where he spent much time before the Blessed Sacrament, to which he had an ardent devotion. At the age of fifteen he left school and returned to his home at Castellazzo, and from this time his life was full of trials. In early manhood he renounced the offer of an honourable marriage; also a good inheritance left him by an uncle who was a priest. He kept for himself only the priest's Breviary.
Inflamed with a desire for God's glory he formed the idea of instituting a religious order in honour of the Passion. Vested in a black tunic by the Bishop of Alessandria, his director, bearing the emblem of our Lord's Passion, barefooted, and bareheaded, he retired to a narrow cell where he drew up the Rules of the new congregation according to the plan made known to him in a vision, which he relates in the introduction to the original copy of the Rules. For the account of his ordination to the priesthood, of the foundation of the Congregation of the Passion, and the approbation of the Rules, see PASSIONISTS. After the approbation of the Rules and the institute the first general chapter was held at the Retreat of the Presentation on Mount Argentaro on 10 April, 1747. At this chapter, St. Paul, against his wishes, was unanimously elected first superior general, which office he held until the day of his death. In all virtues and in the observance of regular discipline, he became a model to his companions. "Although continually occupied with the cares of governing his religious society, and of founding everywhere new houses for it, yet he never left off preaching the word of God, burning as he did with a wondrous desire for the salvation of souls" (Brief of Pius IX for St. Paul's Beatification, 1 Oct., 1852). Sacred missions were instituted and numerous conversions were made. He was untiring in his Apostolic labours and never, even to his last hour, remitted anything of his austere manner of life, finally succumbing to a severe illness, worn out as much by his austerities as by old age.
Among the distinguished associates of St. Paul in the formation and extension of the congregation were: John Baptist, his younger brother and constant companion from childhood, who shared all his labours and sufferings and equaled him in the practice of virtue; Father Mark Aurelius (Pastorelli), Father Thomas Struzzieri (subsequently Bishop of Amelia and afterwards of Todi), and Father Fulgentius of Jesus, all remarkable for learning, piety, and missionary zeal; Venerable Strambi, Bishop of Macerata and Tolentino, his biographer. Constant personal union with the Cross and Passion of our Lord was the prominent feature of St. Paul's sanctity. But devotion to the Passion did not stand alone, for he carried to a heroic degree all the other virtues of a Christian life. Numerous miracles, besides those special ones brought forward at his beatification and canonization, attested the favour he enjoyed with God. Miracles of grace abounded, as witnessed in the conversion of sinners seemingly hardened and hopeless. For fifty years he prayed for the conversion of England, and left the devotion as a legacy to his sons. The body of St. Paul lies in the Basilica of SS. John and Paul, Rome. He was beatified on 1 October, 1852, and canonized on 29 June, 1867. His feast occurs on 28 April. [Editor's note: It was later transferred to 19 October.] The fame of his sanctity, which had spread far and wide in Italy during his life, increased after his death and spread into all countries. Great devotion to him is practiced by the faithful wherever Passionists are established.
飽而知人饑,溫而知人寒
Proverbs 22:9
A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.
THE INTERVIEW WITH GOD
I dreamed I had an interview with God.
“So you would like to interview me?” God asked.
“If you have the time” I said. God smiled.
“My time is eternity.”
“What questions do you have in mind for me?”
“What surprises you most about humankind?”God answered...
“That they get bored with childhood,they rush to grow up, and then long to be children again.”
“That they lose their health to make money...and then lose their money to restore their health.”
“That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live in neither
the present nor the future.”
“That they live as if they will never die, and die as though they had never lived.”
God’s hand took mine and we were silent for a while.And then I asked...
“As a parent, what are some of life’s lessons you want your children to learn?”
“To learn they cannot make anyone love them. All they can do is let themselves be loved.”
“To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others.”
“To learn to forgiveby practicing forgiveness.”
“To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in those they love, and
it can take many years to heal them.”
“To learn that a rich person is not one who has the most,but is one who needs the least.”
“To learn that there are people who love them dearly, but simply have not yet learned how to
express or show their feelings.”
“To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it differently.”
“To learn that it is not enough that they forgive one another, but they must also forgive themselves.”
"Thank you for your time," I said humbly. "Is there anything else you would like your children to know?"
God smiled and said, “Just know that I am here... always.”
http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com/windowmovie.html
A prayer for Mercy
O Lord,
show your mercy to me
and gladden my heart.
I am like the man on the way to Jericho
who was overtaken by robbers,
wounded,and left for dead:
O Good Samaritan, come to my aid.
I am like the sheep that went astray:
O Good Shepherd,seek me out and
bring me homein accord with your will.
Let me dwell in your houseall the days of my life
and praise you forever and ever.
--
Saint Jerome, 342 - 420
And the story behind:
http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=1104
Julius Caesar Quotes
Men willingly believe what they wish.http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/julius_caesar.html======================================Isaiah 43:18-25 (New International Version)
18 "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?I am making a way in the desertand streams in the wasteland.
======================================* Note:We're sometimes so dumb, to choose to believe on "what we wish" to come true.
Simple Prayers
At times a prayer during illness may be only a brief word or cry, because our minds and hearts can manage nothing more.
God can hear even a simple cry.
Lord, I believe in you.
Lord, I love you.
Lord, save me.
Lord, increase my faith.
Glory to the Father,and to the Son,and to the Holy Spirit.
Jesus, gentle and humble of heart,make my heart like yours.
My God, I love you above all things.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
Pray for us, Holy Mother of God,that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Lord, I hope in you.
Lord, hear me.
Lord have mercy on me.
My Lord and my God.
Lord Jesus Christ,Son of the living God,have mercy on me.
Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
Stay with us, Lord.
Mother of Sorrows, pray for us.
My Jesus, I thank youfor having died on the Cross for me.
Saints of God, come to my aid.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,assist me in my last hour.
The Purpose of the Desert
By Os Hillman
Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her.
Hosea 2:14
If you have an important message to convey to someone, what is the best means of getting the message through? Have you ever tried to talk with someone who was so busy you could not get him to hear you? Distractions prevent us from giving our undivided attention to the messenger. So too, God has His way of taking us aside to get our undivided attention. For Paul, it was Arabia for three years; for Moses, it was 40 years in the desert; for Joseph, it was 13 years in Egypt; for David, it was many years of fleeing from King Saul.
God knows the stubborn human heart. He knows that if He is to accomplish His deepest work, He must take us into the desert in order to give us the privilege to be used in His Kingdom. In the desert God changes us and removes things that hinder us. He forces us to draw deep upon His grace. The desert is only a season in our life. When He has accomplished what He wants in our lives in the desert, He will bring us out. He has given us a mission to fulfill that can only be fulfilled after we have spent adequate time in preparation in the desert. Fear not the desert, for it is there you will hear God's voice like never before. It is here you become His bride. It is here you will have the idols of your life removed. It is here you begin to experience the reality of a living God like never before. Someone once said, "God uses enlarged trials to produce enlarged saints so He can put them in enlarged places!"
He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me (2 Samuel 22:20).
Our Daily Bread
"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." Ephesians 4: 2-6
http://www.rbc.org/odb/odb-10-03-06.shtml
"On May 2, 2003, my daughter Melissa's high school paid her a great honor by dedicating its new athletic field in her memory. At the ceremony to mark the opening of the Melissa Branon Memorial Softball Field, the school unveiled a stone marker to remind future generations of the girl who wore number 11.
On that marker is etched: "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love" (Eph. 4:2 NIV)—a verse Melissa had marked in her Bible.
So often in life, the words humble and gentle don't seem to belong. Instead, the words pride and harshness mark the way success is measured. Yet Melissa and her friends were able to compete successfully in high school athletics without displaying either of those characteristics.
One of Melissa's teammates wrote of her: "The way you never backed down, always kept going, and never gave up totally inspired me." That's how she and her teammates played for God's glory—without arrogance.
Competition, handled properly, can have its place in our lives. But we should always remember to be humble and gentle in everything we do. We must reflect the characteristics of a Christlike life.
True greatness does not come to those
Who strive for worldly fame;
It lies instead with those who choose
To serve in Jesus' name. —D. De Haan
Be humble and you will not stumble.
