Private Vows in The Laity/Spirituality

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HE CAN FLY AT LAST

My little bird can fly (I didn't see his first flight) - an adult bird is still feeding him (been outside watching) - but I did see him fly a very short distance from one branch to another.  I think it is him anyway.  I think the learning lesson now is probably learning how to feed himself in the wild.  The very best part of it all and what I can be really sure about is that he is now beyond the reach of any neighbourhood cats jumping my side fence at night....he has returned to the wild and his rightful home.  Deo Gratius.

Thanksgiving in order and thank you for prayer for him.

[Guest]

Buddie is in Strife

Had an emergency with Buddie, my little Maltese Cross 9yr old, late this afternoon.  He started coughing continuously.  Long story short, my brother came to my rescue and we took Buddie to a Saturday consulting vet.  It cost $100 for the consult and another $80 for medication.  If the cough should persist, it means that Buddie really does need an XRay ($400) as his heart might be enlarged and if it is, it will continue to enlarge and eventually press against his trachea meaning he will not be able to breathe.   With dogs, the vet has told me, an enlarged heart can be stopped enlarging with medication (cost $130 month).

My brother paid the $180 for the emergency vet and has said I can pay back when I can.  He is such a support to me as are my sons, but I loathe to let my sons know that I struggle over finances.  Hopefully my finances should look much healthier at the end of November after my son's marriage in May and my uninhibited spending and entirely deliberately and knowingly. 

It was worth every penny and more!

My brother laughed, choking on his coffee, when I told him I loathe letting my sons know I struggle.  "So I don't matter then?"

"Nope!" I replied laughing too.  (My two brothers incidentally, are not stuck for two-bob as we say here in Aussieland - both retired early)

Went to Vigil Mass tonight.  After coming home and a quiet coffee and prayerful thought, I have made up my mind that I will follow through with the XRay if the coughing does not stop and if it is an enlarged heart, I will pay the $130 month to stop the enlarging.  But it will empty out my bank account completely every month.  Already, I have bread and butter days every so often to reduce my grocery costs.  Buddie just could have other health problems as well, but it is a case of one step at a time and go with the unfoldings.  Certainly, I know my brother and his wife (great gal!) will help me out financially, but for me it is only ever a loan - and to date, Deo Gratius, I have paid back anything I might have borrowed.  The truly wonderful and entirely generous thing about my brothers and their lending me money, is if a week comes up and I can't give them anything, it's fine by them.  Channels of God's Graces, His Generosity, Care and Concern........but it is their free will keeping those channels open well and truly.

A prayer if you read this would really be appreciated.  I love my little buddy pal, Buddie.  He demonstrates his Maltese cross love for me, he is faithful, obedient.....and great little watchdog in that during the night, if he hears a strange noise he does not recognise, he barks and wakes me up and I can check Bethany out to make sure all is ok.  I love the little guy to pieces and it's a case of vv!  My darling cat, Missie, is a darling too and I love her to pieces too, even though she can be a right handful! Intelligent and lightening almost on her feet.  I had the devil of a time keeping her inside while my little bird was ground-bound and not able to fly.  Once Missie can identify a "no go zone", she knows well her next target.  She is self willed, defiant, no respecter of rules ........ and I thought only opposites will attract!

Thanks heaps for a prayer for Buddie!

______________

More to write of the past couple of days, but not in the mood right now - but I will at some stage unless I forget.  Not unusual.  

I feel better now having raved on and got it all out. Another of God's Gracious Gifts to me is that I can type fast enough to keep up even with a bipolar mind racing and getting in on the act.

 It is night here at almost 9pm and my 'demons' are sticking their boots in again.

Deo Gratius.

Our Lady of Mercy (feast day today - see cappie's great homily in Open Mic), please pray for us History of Today's Feast

St Francis of Assisi, please pray for Buddie

Sacred Heart of Jesus, we place our trust in Thee, no matter what befalls nor dark the hour might be. Amen

 

Anglican Ordinariate Priest

We had a wonderful experience tonight at Vigil Mass concelebrated with our pp and an Anglican Ordinariate priest - married with three children, grandchildren, and ordained a Catholic priest a year ago.  No time to write about it now, it just appears here as a memory jog for me to write about tonight's Mass in full ..... I hope I will remember, that is.

Be at Peace wherever you might be in your 24hours.

Prayer for any and all who might suffer in any way whatsoever.

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Daily Reflection - St Vincent de Paul Society

24th September 2016

 

“Let us endeavor to grow more and more in the confidence

that in whatever state we are placed by God we shall be secure,

although we may think that we would be better off somewhere else.”

– St. Vincent de Paul

[Guest]

INFALLIBLE SIGN OF GOD'S FRIENDSHIP

http://dailygospel.org/main.php?language=AM&module=commentary&localdate=20160924&id=4253

Commentary of the day
Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), Dominican theologian, Doctor of the Church
Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians, 6

 

Our sign of glory : the Son of Man delivered into the hands of men

       “As for me,” says Saint Paul, “may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” And Saint Augustine observes: “See how, where those who are wise in this world believed shame to lie, the apostle Paul finds riches; what seemed folly to them was wisdom and a sign of glory to him” (1Cor 1:17f.).

 Now everyone assumes distinction from what seems important in their own eyes. People who think themselves great because of their riches, glory in their goods. People who see no glory but in Jesus Christ, set their glory only in Jesus. Of these was the apostle Paul, who said: “I live, yet no longer I, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2,20). This is why he does not boast in anything except Christ and, above all, the cross of Christ. For every motive one could possibly have is brought together in this.
 There are people who vaunt their friendship with the great and powerful; Paul needs nothing but Christ's cross to disclose the unmistakable sign of God's friendship. “God proves his love for us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). No, nothing manifests God's love for us so much as the death of Christ. “Oh inimitable testimony of love!” exclaims Saint Gregory: “To redeem the slave you delivered up the Son.” 

[Guest]

AFTER HOURS VET - LOST PURSE

On our emergency visit to the vet on Saturday My previous post HERE, the vet told me that 20heart beats per minute was bad, while less than 20 was ok.  I had to wait until Buddie was completely relaxed and asleep to count his heartbeats.  His 20 count was far less than 60seconds.  This means that a heart problem, apparently, is unlikely.  Very good news - Deo Gratius.

 Then later on Saturday at Vigil Mass and Holy Communion, it was one of those times when The Mass and Holy Communion is personally a very special experience - or not my most common or the usual type of experience.  It was a special experience to receive the host, bread to appearances, and in a very special sort of way to know it was Jesus truly present in the most unlikely of species.  Next day, walking over to the shops I was still reflecting on my Vigil Mass experience (what I could recapture of it) and it came home to me again that most often Jesus comes to us in the very ordinary even the most unlikely.

In the course of doing my shopping on the Sunday, next day after Vigil Mass (Monday 26th Sept. here now - 8.53pm) with my mind more on the Saturday Vigil Mass experience, rather than on what I was about, I realised that I had left my purse on a seat and walked off not realising I was without my purse. I walked quite a way to my next planned shopping venue, when I realised suddenly my purse was gone and where I had left it.  I hurried back to the seat praying, and my purse was indeed gone.  I called in at Coles quite nearby to enquire if my purse had been handed in.  Someone had actually handed my purse in(but had not left their details).    What followed the recovery of my purse was that I was much warmed and Joyful with thanksgiving to God for His beautiful world and all the wonderful people who inhabit it.  The trigger was a very ordinary, not at all unusual, type of event in my life: 'lost' - or at times truly lost -  my purse again.

There was much more than the above, but in Charity for any reader I deleted it.   Not only that, but I was having trouble on a re-read understanding what on earth I was on about.

Writing is my way of sorting out my thoughts into what I always hope is a logical sequence...........and......again........   I can almost hear the words of my friend again "I know what you mean, but no one else will"

(I still have to write about our temporary replacement priest in the Anglican Ordinariate, I know)

Deo Gratius.

 

[Guest]

Storms and Floods

Haven't forgotten this thread. 

Still recovering from the storms with more cleaning-up still to be done -  more rain on the way tomorrow (Sunday) and Monday.  But all in all, I got off very lightly indeed.  People and land north of Adelaide are really suffering even now with rivers overflowing banks.  Homes and crops destroyed ....... and more rain to come.

Our Lady, Queen of Mercy, please pray for them

 

Edited October 1, 2016 by BarbaraTherese

[CountrySteve21]

8 hours ago, BarbaraTherese said:

Storms and Floods

Haven't forgotten this thread. 

Still recovering from the storms with more cleaning-up still to be done -  more rain on the way tomorrow (Sunday) and Monday.  But all in all, I got off very lightly indeed.  People and land north of Adelaide are really suffering even now with rivers overflowing banks.  Homes and crops destroyed ....... and more rain to come.

Our Lady, Queen of Mercy, please pray for them

 

I will remember you in my Rosary intentions.

[Guest]

24 minutes ago, CountrySteve21 said:

I will remember you in my Rosary intentions.

Thank you, Steve

[Guest]

PRAYER

Vincent's Quote of the Day (St Vincent de Paul Society)

  Quote of the Day - October 1 2016

 

We pray well when we remain in the presence of God,

with no exertion

of the understanding or will (IV:385).

NOTHING BUT.....

[Guest]

THE GREAT COMMANDMENT

 

Quote

 

God desires to be our neighbor, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

 " Since the divine nature is far superior and above our human nature, the command by which we are to love God is distinct from our love of our neighbour.

He shows mercy to us because of His own goodness, while we show mercy to one another because of God's Goodness

He (God) has compassion on us so that we may enjoy Him completely,

while we have compassion on another that we may completely enjoy Him (God)."

(excerpt from CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 33)

 

 

[Guest]

NOTHING WILL or CAN HAPPEN

 

Vincent's Quote of the Day - St Vincent de Paul society

Quote of the Day – October 5

 

"All our trust must be in God

and we must rest assured that nothing will happen to us that God does not allow" (IV:393).

CHIT CHAT

Much happening but until tomorrow afternoon, I have a load of ironing to complete for my client.  Also, today the plumber called to put in a drain at the side of Bethany.  It flooded during our storms and always does flood in heavy rain carrying bark everywhere.  I daresay there will be a big clean up after and so I have not as yet attempted to clean that side since the storms and won't until the plumber is finished.

Also, I have been active in a couple of other threads.

I have been making brief notes of what has been happening here over the last week or so and when I can, I will be posting more details.  

Deo Gratius.

[Guest]

MORE CHITTY CHAT

Since the storms, I have developed a cold and it seems to be going around.  I am running a bit of temperature and feel drained most of the time, tired and worn out with little to account for it.  Hence, I am now taking it easy until the cold passes - but still have to finish the ironing by tomorrow.  The days have gone from cold to very warm - still windy, but no rain and heaps of sunshine.  Temperature today is 28F or 82.4F.  During the recent cold weather and storms the temperature hovered around 14C or 57.2F.

The plumber has finished but there is a big mess to be cleaned up.  We are going to need to install something or other to prevent bark being carried into the drain (which plumber has installed) and blocking it when it rains.  My brothers will call in the next couple of days to see what we can do.  At this stage, I am thinking of rocks and gravel to keep the bark away from the drain.  This should allow rain water to flow into the drain while holding the bark back.  But I will be guided by their advice - they are the experts in home and garden matters.

Got the quote from the vet to have Buddies' teeth cleaned, $321 plus any dental work that might need doing.  This will see me on more bread and butter days until mid 2017.  There is a plus side - involuntary penances are the best.

[Guest]

 

"DELIVER US FROM EVIL"

St Teresa of Avila

The Way of Perfection, by Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

 

Treats of these last words of the Paternoster: "Sed libera nos a malo. Amen." "But deliver us from evil. Amen."

 

By the word "Amen," as it comes at the end of every prayer, I understand that the Lord is begging that we may be delivered from all evil for ever. It is useless, sisters, for us to think that, for so long as we live, we can be free from numerous temptations and imperfections and even sins; for it is said that whosoever thinks himself to be without sin deceives himself, and that is true. But if we try to banish bodily ills and trials -- and who is without very many and various trials of such kinds? -- is it not right that we should ask to be delivered from sin?

Still, let us realize that what we are asking here -- this deliverance from all evil -- seems an impossibility, whether we are thinking of bodily ills, as I have said, or of imperfections and faults in God's service. I am referring, not to the saints, who, as Saint Paul said, can do all things in Christ but to sinners like myself. When I find myself trammelled by weakness, lukewarmness, lack of mortification and many other things, I realize that I must beg for help from the Lord.

- Chapter 42

DO I IGNORE THE HOLY SPIRIT     https://zenit.org/articles/popes-morning-homily-ask-yourself-do-i-ignore-sadden-the-holy-spirit/ Pope Francis warned against Christian mediocrity, lukewarmness, and rigidity, during his morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta today, and has called for faithful to embrace the Spirit to help the Church go forward, reported Vatican Radio. The Jesuit Pontiff drew his inspiration from the readings of the day which speak of the Holy Spirit, the “great gift of the Father” and “the protagonist of this ‘going forward’ of the Church.” Without the Spirit, Francis warned, the Church would be “shut up within itself” and “fearful.” 3 Attitudes In this morning’s homily, the Pope pointed out three attitudes that faithful can have with regard to the Spirit. The first attitude, the Pontiff stressed, is the belief that one can be justified through the Law, and not by Jesus, “who makes sense of the Law,” those, he specified, who Saint Paul rebuked in the Galatians. The Pope pointed out that these people were “too rigid,” and are the same kind of people who attack Jesus and who the Lord called “hypocrites.” “And this attachment to the Law ignores the Holy Spirit. It does not grant that the redemption of Christ goes forward with the Holy Spirit. It ignores that: there is only the Law. It is true that there are the Commandments and we have to follow the Commandments; but always through the grace of this great gift that the Father has given us, His Son, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. And so the Law is understood.” “But don’t reduce the Spirit and the Son to the Law,” Francis warned, noting, “This was the problem of these people: they ignored the Holy Spirit, and they did not know to go forward. Closed, closed in precepts: we have to do this, we have to do that. At times, it can happen that we fall into this temptation.” Bewitching With Ideas The Doctors of the Law, the Pope went on to say, “bewitch with ideas.” “Because ideologies bewitch; and so Paul begins here: ‘O stupid Galatians, who has bewitched you?’ Those who preach with ideologies: It’s absolutely just! They bewitch: It’s all clear. But look, the revelation is not clear, eh? The revelation of God is discovered more and more each day, it is always on a journey.” “Is it clear?” he asked. “Yes! It is crystal clear! It is Him, but we have to discover it along the way. And those who believe they have the whole truth in their hands are not [just] ignorant. Paul says more: [you are] ‘stupid’, because you have allowed yourselves to be bewitched.” The second attitude, the Pope said, is grieving the Holy Spirit. He explained that this happens “when we do not allow Him to inspire us, to lead us forward in the Christian life,” when “we don’t let Him tell us, not with the theology of the Law, but with the liberty of the Spirit, what we should do.” When this happens, the Pope suggested, we “become lukewarm,” fall into “Christian mediocrity,” because the Holy Spirit  can no longer perform great works in us. The third attitude, Francis said, on the other hand, is what we should embrace, namely “opening ourselves to the Holy Spirit, and let the Spirit carry us forward. That’s what the Apostles did, [with] the courage of the day of Pentecost. They lost their fear and opened themselves to the Holy Spirit.” In order to understand and welcome the words of Jesus, the Pope said, “it is necessary to open oneself to the power of the Holy Spirit.” When someone opens oneself to the Holy Spirit, the Pope said, “it is like a sail boat that allows itself to be moved by the wind and goes forward, forward, forward, and never stops.” The Pope stressed that this occurs when we pray that we might be open to the Holy Spirit, and then encouraged faithful today to ask themselves some questions: ‘Do I ignore the Holy Spirit? And do I know that if I go to Sunday Mass, if I do this, if I do that, is it enough?’ Second, ‘Is my life a kind of half a life, lukewarm, that saddens the Holy Spirit, and doesn’t allow that power in me to carry me forward, to be open?’ Or finally, ‘Is my life a continual prayer to open myself to the Holy Spirit, so that He can carry me forward with the joy of the Gospel and make me understand the teaching of Jesus, the true doctrine, that does not bewitch, that does not make us stupid, but the true [teaching]?’ Asking these questions, the Pope explained, helps us understand where our weaknesses are, “those things that sadden Him; and it carries us forward, and also carrying forward the Name of Jesus to others and teaching the path of salvation.” Pope Francis concluded, praying, “May the Lord give us this grace: to open ourselves to the Holy Spirit, so that we will not become stupid, bewitched men and women who grieve the Holy Spirit.”

[Guest]

CHITTY CHAT

I think I might have the flu.  Body aching a bit, headache, slight temperature - thankfully I had the flu injection.  It is not bad enough to put me in bed, just to drag my feet around a bit.

I got the ironing finished and my client has advised she will pick it up tomorrow - she has visitors this afternoon and tonight.  The vet has given me an excellent quote for Buddie and his teeth.  Basic cleaning and polish with necessary medication $321.  I rang the vet today to find out roughly how much it will cost for any other necessary dental treatment.  The vet has quoted me: No charge for the work done, only around $50 extra for any medications needed - pain killers, anti-biotics.  So I can't complain for sure.  The vet has been very kind and thoughtful indeed outstandingly so, beyond any call of duty.  What I have done is cancelled my own dental treatment this month until January 2017.  I have also decided that Christmas presents and celebration here in Bethany is out for this year.  Both cancelling my own dental work and lightening the financial load at Christmas, and if nothing else calls on finances other than the normal, I should be able to pretty well cover Buddie's dental costs.  But as I said, it will be a bread and butter days time for me.  It means not buying what I would like, rather only what I need and can afford..........and yes, days here and there only bread and butter.  It is no drama, I have done it before in the past.  When I consider what some people in our world have to live on daily, I will be living like a queen and eating outstandingly well.

Edited October 7, 2016 by BarbaraTherese

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We pray...