Spiritual Reflections and Prayers

Living a faith-filled life in the world we live in can be challenging. We hope to provide you with spiritual nourishment and encouragement through the Reflections and Prayers on this page.

A New Years Message

This Year God gives You…
12 Month of Happiness,
52 Weeks of Fun,
365 Days Success,
8760 Hours Good Health,
52600 Minutes Good Luck,
3153600 Seconds of Joy

If you want 1 year of wisdom, talk to a wise person.
If you want 10 years of wisdom, go to college.
If you want 100 years of wisdom, read history.
If you want 1000 years of wisdom, grow your faith.

In the New Year…
May His presence be the source of your joy (Psalm 16:11);
May His promise be the confidence of your faith (1 John 5:14);
May His power be the boldness of your witness (Acts 1:8);
May His purity be the motivation of your heart (Psalm 86:11);
May His praise be the focus of your love (Psalm 86:12).

He who brings an offering of praise and thanksgiving honors and glorifies Me; and he who orders his way aright [who prepares the way that I may show him], to him I will demonstrate the salvation of God. Psalm 50:23 AMP

— Devotional by Roy Lessin, from his blog Meet Me In The Meadow.

A Thought to Ponder from The Little Friar

What ever happened to the Apostolate? When I was in formation, many, many years ago, one of the occasions that gave us new life was our Apostolate. For years, we were locked up in our friaries and monasteries, praying and studying, looking for the day when we could go out and touch people’s lives. Then came Vatican Council II and the “doors were open” and with that the sisters, brothers, and students went into the local communities to teach and work in the local parishes. How great that was for us, to spread the Gospel of Christ in our creative ways. So many people’s lives were touched and the message of love centered in Christ was preached by the way we lived our lives. It was our way of being “missionaries” without getting on a boat to a far-off land. There are just as many people who need to hear the “Good News” today. Do you have an Apostolate? It isn’t just for the priests, sisters and brothers, it is for all the Baptized. What can you do to better people’s lives in the name of Christ and his Church? Get away from the old way of looking at the Church; if you don’t touch someone, an elderly lonely person, a child who needs one on one help with studies, a married couple who needs your prayers, who will help them? As the Preface IV of the mass states: “You have no need of our praise, yet our desire to thank you is itself your gift…” Thank Jesus in the poor, and broken, the “least” of his sisters and brothers.

Thanksgiving Hymn: Bless This House

Bless this house O Lord, we pray
Make it safe by night and day…

Bless these walls so firm and stout,
Keeping want and trouble out . . .

Bless the roof and chimneys tall,
Let thy peace lie overall . . .

Bless this door that it may prove,
Ever open, To joy and love . . .

Bless these windows shining bright,
Letting in God’s Heavenly light,
Bless the hearth, the painting there,
With smoke ascending like a prayer!

Bless the folk who dwell within,
Keep them pure and free from sin . . .

Bless us all that we may be,
Fit O Lord to dwell with thee . . .

Bless us all that one day we may dwell,
O Lord! With Thee!

Words and Music by Helen Taylor and May H. Morgan ( a.k.a. Brahe ), 1927

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Prayer: The One Minute Prayer

Father, I ask you to bless my friends reading this right now. I am asking You to minister to their spirit at this very moment.
Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self-doubting, release a renewed confidence in Your ability to work through them. Where there is tiredness or exhaustion, I ask You to give them understanding, guidance, and strength as they learn submission to Your leading.
Where there is spiritual stagnation, I ask You to renew them by revealing Your nearness, and by drawing them into greater intimacy with You.
Where there is fear, reveal Your love, and release to them Your courage.
Where there is a sin blocking them, reveal it, and break its hold over my friend’s life.
Bless their finances, give them greater vision, and raise up leaders and friends to support and encourage them.
Give each of them discernment to recognize the evil forces around them, and reveal to them the power they have in You to defeat it.
I ask You to do these things in Jesus’ name.
Have a great day!!!

Author: unknown

Plant three rows of peas:
Peace of mind
Peace of heart
Peace of soul.

Plant four rows of squash:
Squash gossip
Squash indifference
Squash grumbling
Squash selfishness.

Plant four rows of lettuce:
Lettuce be faithful
Lettuce be kind
Lettuce be happy
Lettuce really love one another.

No garden should be without turnips:
Turnip for service when needed
Turnip to help one another
Turnip the music and dance.

Water freely with patience and Cultivate with love.
Your garden is abundant, because you reap what you sow.

To conclude our garden we must have thyme:
Thyme for fun
Thyme for rest
Thyme for ourselves.

Pretty nice garden, don’t you think?