PARADOXICAL

Fr. Dave C. uses the three questions God posed to Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis after they fell from grace to help us examine our conscience and determine where we are exactly in our 'walk with the Lord.' Have we fallen out of God's favor/grace? Are we bearing much fruit? Are we bearing fruit at all? Or are we being pruned instead? Or worse, are we being punished? These three seemingly innocuous questions can prove to have profound consequences when interpreted this way.

1. Where are you?/Why are you hiding?

2. Who told you you are naked?

3. Why did you do such a thing?

Fr. Dave says someone who's free from any guilt will answer this way:

1. I am with the Lord.

2. I am not naked. Only God can tell me if I am.

3. I love the Lord; I won't do such a thing./I only do things for the love of the Lord.

posted by Resty Odon  # 7:29 PM 0 Comments

Discerning God's will

Fr. Michael Scanlan in his book proposes five basic questions to ask when facing an important decision.

First: Does it conform to God’s law as revealed through Scripture, tradition and the teaching of the church?

Second: Does it foster personal conversion and growth in holiness?

Third: Is it consistent?

Fourth: What confirms it?

Fifth: What does your heart say?

posted by Resty Odon  # 7:26 PM 0 Comments

(txt msg)

"The road to success is not straight. There is a curve called failure, a loop called confusion, speed bumps called friends, red lights called enemies, caution lights called family. You will have flats called jobs, but if you have spare called determination, an engine called perseverance, insurance called faith, and a driver called God, you will make it to a place called success. God bless your endeavors!"

posted by Resty Odon  # 11:52 PM 0 Comments

"Be thankful that you don't have everything you desire. If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don't know something, for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times, you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations, because they give you opportunities for improvement."

posted by Resty Odon  # 7:47 PM 0 Comments

"The secret of life isn't just to live, but to have something worthwhile to live for. We only live once, but if we live right, one lifetime is enough."

posted by Resty Odon  # 7:46 PM 0 Comments

"People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out. But when darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there's light from within."

posted by Resty Odon  # 7:44 PM 0 Comments

"At times, when we can't take it anymore, we ask ourselves: 'How much worse can life get?' Then we stop, look up and say, "Much worse, if we don't have God.'

Lift everything to the Lord."

"Life is a walk of faith in the Lord. Full of surprises yet fulfilling, full of tests yet rewarding, and ful of trials yet strengthening."

posted by Resty Odon  # 7:41 PM 0 Comments

Christian servanthood goes against the logic of the world. If you want to reach the top, you have to go down. The more you go up the Christian corporate ladder, the more you go down. To be great (in the Christian sense), one must learn how to serve.

- from a priest's sermon today

posted by Resty Odon  # 8:28 PM 0 Comments

WHAT WILL MATTER?

ready or not, some day
it will all come to an end
there will be no more surprises
no minutes, hours, or days

all the things you collected
whether treasured or forgotten
will pass on to someone else
your wealth, fame, and temporal power
will shrivel to irrelevance

it will not matter what you owned
or what you were owed
your grudges, resentments, frustrations
and jealousies will finally disappear
so, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans
and to-do lists will expire

the wins and losses
that once seemed so important
will fade away
it won't matter where you came from
or what side of the tracks you lived, at the end
it won't matter whether
you were beautiful or brilliant
even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant

so, what will matter?
how will the value of your days be measured?
what will matter is
not what you bought but what you built
not what you got, but what you gave.
not your success, but your significance
not what you learned, but what you taught

what will matter is
every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice
that enriched, empowered, or encouraged others
to emulate your example

what will matter is not your competence but your character
not how many people you knew but how many people
will feel a lasting loss when you're gone
not your memories but the memories
that live in those who loved you
living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident
it's not a matter of circumstance
but of choice to live a life that matters

as sent by eddie lacson [1537]

**
death is really nothing
it is a mere bridge
to another world
we have never seen
as beautiful or as ugly
as how we were in life

eastwind [1532]

**
the soldier says
get them by the balls
and their hearts and minds will follow
the missionary says
get their hearts and minds
and their balls will follow

excerpt from an old movie [1531]

posted by Resty Odon  # 6:59 PM 0 Comments

Safety is not found in the absence of danger but in the presence of God.

On faith and hope: The greatest sign of faith is simply believing because God said so.

More: "Christians are prisoners of hope." (Zech.) "Because of your waiting, I will increase your blessings twice."

If God asks you to put something down, it's because he wants you to pick up something much better.

If the sun shines in our soul, does it matter if it rains outside? Happiness within overlooks any sadness the outside world may bring.

This is such a lovely birthday greeting that I received lately. It's a series of beautiful similes: On your birthday, may you dance like David, be favored like Esther, lead like Joshua, be blessed like Jacob, and laugh like Sarah.

As we try to fully live our faith, we will be tried in many painful ways. Pray not for an easy life but that we may survive even the worst in this life.

God always answers our prayers. Either He changes the circumstances or He supplies sufficient power to overcome them.

He who is filled with love is filled with God himself. St. Augustine.

What if God has an answering machine? "For thanksgiving, press 1..." What is the machine tells you, "Sorry, all angels are busy now." Thanks God He personally listens and answers our prayers.

Sometimes we must be hurt in order to grow, we must fail in order to know, we must lose in order to gain, because some lessons are best learned through pain.

posted by Resty Odon  # 6:59 PM 0 Comments