Minute Meditations

[grazie7y]

Kingdom of Heaven    

Jesus walked among people who were diseased, smelly and sweaty and assured them that, even in poverty, mourning or persecution, they were “blessed”â€"the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

[hofelina]

True Presence of Christ

Only in the Eucharist is Christ really present in body and blood, soul and divinity, and only there do we meet Christ completely.

[hofelina]

The Ultimate Sacrifice    

Jesus was not just going to be a teacher or a leader: He was going to be a sacrifice. In fact, he was going to be the sacrifice, the end of all sacrifices, the one that would finally defeat sin.

[hofelina]

Forgive Our Trespasses

I always try to remember that for every person driving me crazy, there may be two others that I am driving crazy. Ouch!

[hofelina]

There is, of course, a difference between an honest reason or misunderstanding and an excuse. We know the difference. So does God. If we make excuses, are we fooling him? No. Only ourselves.

[Bambi]

Repentace come late and it guides us to follow the right path! Natural incidents happened and I feel ...i come closer to him.

[hofelina]

Accepting Imperfections    

I turn to God not so much for forgiveness but for the power to accept humbly the reality about my imperfect self. I turn to him for the grace to give myself the forgiveness which he gives freely.

[hofelina]

God Hung Among Thieves    

To be a member of the Church is to carry the mantle of both the worst sin and the finest heroism of soul…because the Church always looks exactly as it looked at the original crucifixion, God hung among thieves. -Richard Rohr

[hofelina]

We are in this!    

We are not merely students of God’s work in the past, nor are we spectators of this dynamic movement from the outside. Quite the contrary: We intimately participate in God’s saving plan. In a very real sense, we are standing in the “stream” of salvation history.

[hofelina]

The Ancient Truth

The bible takes the guesswork out of how we can please God. The Bible expresses the ancient truth that all of life is under the authority of God’s Word: family life, worship, and social institutions.

[hofelina]

Everlasting Kingdom    

In Jesus God’s covenant oath is fulfilled. As the Son of David who reigns in heaven, Jesus transfers the kingdom to the heavenly Jerusalem. His kingdom is truly an everlasting kingdom!

[hofelina]

Foretaste of Heaven    

As we offer ourselves to God in the Eucharist, we receive a foretaste of heaven. Wherever the King is, there is the kingdom; and wherever the Eucharist is, there is the King!

[hofelina]

Radical Spirituality    

Because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, we are all God’s children through baptism. This is radical spirituality: God invites his creation into unfathomable intimacy.

[hofelina]

Our Mother's Help    

Marian devotion is not just another task that needs to be checked off on the day’s “to do” list; rather it is an opportunity to realize you have a mother who is waiting for you to get to know her son more and longs to assist you in doing so.

[hofelina]

God is Patient    

As you give yourself more and more to the love of God, you will manifest his life through your specific existence, amid your circumstances and struggles. He isn’t giving up on you, and that should be reason enough to celebrate!

[hofelina]

Self-Patience    

Be patient with everyone, but above all with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfection but instantly set about remedying themâ€"every day begin the task anew. â€"St. Francis de Sales

[hofelina]

Serving One Another

We have a very high calling and we must acknowledge it and move forward, one foot in front of the other each day, serving one another in our families and also setting an example for the world.

[hofelina]

Family Prayer Time    

We need to make the time for a peaceful occasion at dinner to gather together to pray, communicate, and eat—nourishing our bodies and our souls while resting in Our Lord’s peace.   
.

[hofelina]

Holy Spirit, Inspire Me    

Love of God, consume me. Along the true road, lead me. Mary, my good mother, look down upon me. With Jesus, bless me. From all evil, all illusion, all danger, preserve me.

[hofelina]

Lingering Thoughts

When a bad thought crosses my mind, if it remains in spite of me, I am not responsible for it. For it to be a sin that must be confessed, it must have voluntarily lingered there.

[hofelina]

The Best Prayer    

I always remember that a short prayer from the bottom of one’s heart, if one can do no better, is the most pleasing to God.

[hofelina]

Eternal Rest    

We will lie down for such a long time after death that it is worthwhile to keep standing while we are alive. Let us work now; one day we will rest.

[hofelina]

Eternally Present    

Thank You, Lord, for always being there for me. I know with certainty there were times when you carried me, when through your strength I got through the dark times in my life.

[hofelina]

Image of God

We are made in the image and likeness of God and God expects us to act accordingly. When we act selfishly, we distort our original goodness.

[hofelina]

Despite Everything


I can sit for hours and know everything and bear everything and grow stronger in the bearing of it, and at the same time feel sure that life is beautiful and worth living and meaningful. Despite everything. â€"Etty Hillesum

[hofelina]

Transformation of Heart    

Jesus’ tomb was a place of transformation. Once opened, the tomb allowed the sunlight in and the Son’s light out. That’s how it is with our hearts when God breathes life into us.

[hofelina]

When Bad Things Happen    

Tough times can be God’s way of shaking me free from the false gods and worldly ways that I’m hanging on to. He’s rattling me for my own good, so that I’ll be left with the unshakeableâ€"God, the beginning and end of my life.

[hofelina]

Instruments of Peace    

Be vulnerable before God and take the risk of peacemaking, the mystics tell us, and then God can use us as instruments of God’s peaceâ€"in ways we never dreamed possible.

[hofelina]

God’s Invitation    

Every moment offers us God’s invitation to live in God’s own peace. Wherever we are, we can reject violence and war and take up the exciting journey by proclaiming God’s reign of peace here on earth.

[hofelina]

Love and Serve Other

The inner life of peace means acting from a deep conviction about who we are, that each one of us is a beloved child of God, a human being called to love and serve other human beings.

[hofelina]

Heal Those Around You

Pray and fast for those in need. Touch the marginalized and oppressed with your compassionate love. Expel the demons of violence and death, and help others live in the Holy Spirit of love and peace.

[hofelina]

Jesus, Sanctify Me    

Jesus, Risen One, may your soul invade my whole being and make me holy. Set me free of sin and fill me with the holiness that fills your own soul.

[hofelina]

Christ, Inebriate Me

You have redeemed me, Jesus, by your blood shed upon the cross. Your burning love is so overwhelming that one feels intoxicated by the intensity of your care.

[hofelina]

Christ, Wash Me    

Yes, Jesus, let the water flowing from your side cleanse me, as did the life-giving water which flowed over me at baptism. This saving stream never stops flowing through meâ€"unless I separate myself from your love.

[hofelina]

Christ, Strengthen Me    

It is your power and mercy that saves me and gives me strength, and not my own. Help me to stay united with you and your passion, which reveals your saving love for me and all your people.

[fdaray]

To God be the glory...., Amen.

[hofelina]

Hold Us Close To You    

Keep reminding me that the best part of prayer is not so much in gaining information about you, O Jesus, as it is in growing into a closer love union with you

[hofelina]

Becoming Disciples    

Discipleship is both the beginning and the end of evangelization. In order for us to be effective messengers of the Good News, we first have to be sure of what we believe.

[magbalantay]

   A SURE CURE FOR TROUBLED HEARTS

  ....." WORRY DOES NOT EMPTY TOMORROW OF IT'S SORROW. IT EMPTIES TODAY OF ITS STRENGTH."

[Lorenzo]

Ang Ginoo naa nimo. Ang Ginoo naa pood nako.

[hofelina]

Befriending People    

Prayer is an absolutely necessary foundation for effective evangelization, but eventually you have to get out of your prayer chair and move! After becoming disciples ourselves, we begin to practice this second step of evangelization by reaching out and befriending people.

[magbalantay]

GOD'S PEACE PLAN

     ".......God takes life's broken pieces and gives us unbroken peace."

[Lorenzo]

GOD'S PEACE PLAN

     ".......God takes life's broken pieces and gives us unbroken peace."

What a very nice quote, Magbalantay.

[magbalantay]

Thanks Lorenz

"......... If what they are saying about you is true, mend your ways.
               If it isn't, forget it.
                  Go on and serve the Lord!"

[Lorenzo]

Thanks Lorenz

"......... If what they are saying about you is true, mend your ways.
               If it isn't, forget it.
                  Go on and serve the Lord!"

Aha! I like this one , too!

[Lorenzo]

"Kinsa gud way sala? Kita tanan naay sala. Pasayloa kami, Ginoo, sa among sala...."

[hofelina]

Proclaiming the Gospel    

The best gift you have to offer may not be your theological knowledge but yourself. You are your best ammunition in terms of proclaiming the gospel. People can argue with your theology; they cannot argue with your personal experience.

[hofelina]

Ongoing Conversion    

The goal of evangelization is ongoing conversion. We ourselves, of course, cannot convert anyoneâ€"even ourselves. Only the Holy Spirit can change the hearts and minds of people.

[hofelina]

Conduit of Peace    

God, we desire to be your presence to the least among us and to know your presence in them as we work through you to bring justice and peace to this world in desperate need.

[hofelina]

God in our Midst    

The spirit of God reminds us daily of our responsibility to care for the poor and those less fortunate because they are the special presence of God in our midst.

[hofelina]

Love is the only Solution

We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community.

[magbalantay]

 CAUSE AND EFFECT

     We do all want to progress. But if we're on the wrong side of the road, progress means doing an about turn and walking back to the right road. In this case, those who wants to turn back the soonest is the most progressive.....

       "....... for success is not a destination, but a journey "

[hofelina]

Love is the only Solution    

We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community.

[magbalantay]

" To know the will of God is the greatest knowledge......

...........To do the will of God is the greatest achievement! "

[Lorenzo]

" To know the will of God is the greatest knowledge......

...........To do the will of God is the greatest achievement! "

That was very beautifully worded, Magbalantay. Thank You.

[hofelina]

Get Involved    

We must do more than look at Jesus as though we were staring at a masterpiece in a museum. This spectator attitude requires no involvement, no openness to receiving the love that is an absolute necessity for our personal growth.

[magbalantay]

 
       TIME IS RUNNING OUT

   "..........Time stands still for no man.
 
          .......You can earn more money but when time is spent, it is gone!"

[hofelina]

Keys to Self-Worth    

Dependence on and involvement with othersâ€"Jesus as well as other peopleâ€"are the real keys to achieving the correct sense of self-worth, a self-image that makes the heart sing.

[hofelina]

Accepting His Gifts    

As the perfect combination of idealist and realist, Jesus knew he could save us if we accepted his gifts of reconciliation, forgiveness, a second chance to start over, and the hope for eternal life and joy.

[hofelina]

Imitation of Christ    

The life of Jesus is a picture-perfect illustration of the true self in action. Through the imitation of Christ, the grace of God, and a dialogue of dependence with each other, we can nourish and mature the true self we have received.

[hofelina]

Deepest Human Desire    

Saint Augustine wrote that the deepest human desire is to look upon one who looks back in love. This is the gift God gives us from the beginning, but little by little, in increments and in longing. The gift will be fulfilled perfectly in heaven.

[hofelina]

Sharing in the Nature of God    

We share in the nature of God when we struggle to make our homes happy homes, when we make sacrifices for the good of others, even and perhaps especially when the others really get on our nerves.

[hofelina]

Redeem the World    

We are baptized into Christ, and in Christ our actions, too, become redemptive. By our ordinary lives, poured out in love in imitation of the Trinity, we can redeem the world.

[hofelina]

God is Love    

God has power, but he can reveal himself without it, for it is not of his essence. However, God can never reveal himself without love, because Love is what God is.

[hofelina]

God, Make Me Humble    

In a sense idolatry is at the core of every sin. I prefer my own designs to the design of God; I view my own way of seeing or acting or reacting as better than his. I act as if I know the needs of my heart better than my heart’s creator. Grace pierces through this illusion.

[hofelina]

Jesus’ Great Mercy    

Christ died and rose so that sin and accusation would never have the last word. I rejoice that mercy and redemption are possible for every repentant sinner who comes to Christ, because this means it is possible for me!

[hofelina]

Our Humble Creator

God certainly has power, which we can see in creation and in his miracle. However, God can show himself without power, as he did by becoming an infant and ultimately by dying on the cross.

[hofelina]

Prayer for Humility    

Lord, keep me truly humble in whatever measure of success this day may bring. And grant, in all things, whether failure or success, that I might find you, and finding you, find all that I can ever ask or hope for.

[hofelina]

Live to the Fullest    

Lord, let me live this day with all the wonder and amazement of a new-born child; the trust that welcomes all I meet, expects of them only the best, and grants them the benefit of every possible doubt.

[hofelina]

Trust in God    

O Heart of love, I put all my trust in you; for I fear all things from my own weakness, but I hope for all things from your goodness.

[hofelina]

Called Together    

When we form a Christian community, we come together not because of similar experiences, knowledge, problems, color, or sex, but because we have been called together by the same Lord.

[hofelina]

Sharing Grief and Joy    

Those who are gathered together in community are witnesses to the compassionate Lord. By the way they are able to carry each other’s burdens and share each other’s joys, they testify to God’s presence in our world.

[hofelina]

Set Us Free    

Spirit of new life, forgive us and break down the prison walls of our selfishness, that we might be open to your love and open for the service of your world, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

[hofelina]

Prayer to Saint Clare    

Saint Clare whose name means light, illumine our minds with knowledge and our hearts with love. May we who are dedicated to your name also imitate your steadfast faith in serving our Creator forever. We ask this through Jesus, our Brother. Amen.

[hofelina]

Overcoming Sin

If we resist sin out of love for God, he can make a magnificent dwelling in our soul. This requires effort and sacrifice, working diligently to recognize our sins and praying for grace to overcome them. It involves striving to give up our sins even while we are still attached to them.

[hofelina]

Developing Virtue    

True love is not satisfied with simply overcoming problems. True love goes further, offering “unnecessary” expressions of devotion. We want to do more than just avoid evil: We want to cultivate goodness.

[hofelina]

Our Father Knows Best    

We sometimes fight God when troubles arise, presuming that we know better than he does. It’s much more fruitful to humbly accept what is happening, trusting that God knows what he’s doing even if we don’t.

[hofelina]

The Choice to Love    

Love is at the root of our surrender. Jesus loved us enough to die for us, and he gave everything to be in a loving relationship with us. But he will not force us to love him in return. That would not be love.

[hofelina]

Open our Hearts    

Jesus’ summary of the law includes not only the command to love God with everything but also a second commandâ€"to love our neighbor as ourselves.

[hofelina]

Generosity of Self    

Whether we are poor or rich or somewhere in between, we honor the Lord with all he has placed in our care. We open our hands to the poor and share the joy of generous Christian giving.

[hofelina]

Finding Peace    

If we do not find our peace in the Lord, we can become bitter or resentful. With Jesus, reconciliation and healing can happen.

[hofelina]

Lead with Love

We lead with love, not criticism. We need to be more interested in understanding others than in being understood

[hofelina]

Journey of Love    

It is by means of this journey of awareness of self-with-God and the God-in-others that we can better learn to love and be loved and more completely realize our desire to be with God in all the places where our lives take us.

[hofelina]

Fall into Jesus

Most of us make poor judgments at times. But, while we might be embarrassed to think that Jesus was there with us when we were doing our worst, at the same time it might reassure us that he will be there when we need him the most.

[hofelina]

God is Ever Present    

It’s hard to lose friends because we are not made to be alone, or to be saved alone. This becomes clearer when we realize how God is present, not just in other people, but in so much of what we experience.

[hofelina]

Living God’s Will    

Living according to God’s desire calls upon us to see God more and more in our daily lives, to do so as part of community and, like David, Peter, and all the apostles, to choose to act on the holy desires this nurtures inside of us.

[hofelina]

Everyday Fascinations

Rainbows and whatever fascinations are unique to you are reminders to be attentive to the things we take for granted and the everyday fascinations they might hold.

[hofelina]

Epitome of Love

Because of the Incarnation we are able to see what the love of God truly looks like. Mary brings us love and helps us understand love. She is the place where heaven touches earth.

[Lorenzo]

Favored by God    


Mary was favored by God more than all of creation in that she was chosen to mother, love, and collaborate with the mission of her Son as he did the Father’s will in the love of the Holy Spirit.

[hofelina]

Favored by God    

Mary was favored by God more than all of creation in that she was chosen to mother, love, and collaborate with the mission of her Son as he did the Father’s will in the love of the Holy Spirit.

[hofelina]

Our Mother Mary    

The relationship Mary has with the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity is greater than any human being has ever experienced. She is the icon for those following Christ, and her maternity extends to those who are his body.

[hofelina]

Lead Us to Jesus    

Mary does not seek attention; she does not want followers of Christ to see her as the focal point of devotion. She is the mother who wishes to lead us to a deeper intimacy with her son. God has given her to usâ€"in order to protect, proclaim, and love usâ€"and she does so perfectly.

[hofelina]

United With God    

Normally when two Catholics exchange these vows, they do so in the context of Eucharist. All that marriage says about God’s love and desire to be one with us, Eucharist says in an even more all-embracing way.

[hofelina]

God is Always Faithful

Out of love God created us and all that is. Whether we are faithful or faithless, God is faithful; whether we wander away in sin or remain in the embrace of love, God is always there and is ever ready to embrace us.

[hofelina]

Blessed Be the Ordinary!    

Resist the inclination to be down on yourself because you think you don’t measure up to some other worldly or unrealistic ideal. If ordinary family life was good enough for the Son of God to spend most of his earthly life in, it’s good enough for you.

[hofelina]

Open Your Hearts    

God loves you and wants to help you more than you know. Be consciously open to God’s loving presence in your family life and struggles.

[hofelina]

Image of God    

Having been created in the image and likeness of God, unlike trees or flowers or fire or the moon, we are most fully human when we love, forgive and work toward peace. To be violent, vengeful or selfish is to be un-human!

[hofelina]

Kingdom of God    

In a world that organizes its thoughts and responses according to the logic of violence and the possible, the Good News of Jesus Christ is communicated in the poetics of the Kingdom of God, which is an expression of the impossible experience of love, forgiveness and peace.

[hofelina]

Outstanding Selflessness    

Mother Teresa could not cure the world of poverty and hunger, yet she could feed and love the child in her arms. And that amounted to an outstanding selflessness that impacted the world!

[hofelina]

Divine Intervention    

Human life can be considered the intersection of our personal thoughts and deeds with the mysterious workings of Divine Providence. Together these two elements form our existence.