How great are the gifts of God? How great is His Mercy? How great is the gift of faith?! May all the world come to know Him and the reign of His Mercy.
Category Archives: Christian
Easter Gift in Song
St_Joseph_Catholic_Church_Choir-The_Jesus_Gift
The Jesus Gift
Shall I gather emeralds
Shall I bring Him gold
Shall I shower diamonds
White hard, bright cold
Shall I spangle jewels
Like stars above
Give Him laughter
Bring peace filled laughter
Offer him warm laughter and loveShall we gather emeralds
Shall we bring Him gold
Shall we shower diamonds
White hard, bright cold
Shall we spangle jewels
Like stars above
Give him laughter
Bring peace filled laughter
Offer him warm laughter and loveSimplest of gifts
Gentlest of hearts
Kindness He’ll use as He leads
So give him these gifts
Hand Him your heart
Honor His birth and you’ll need noEmeralds nor rubies
Silver nor gold
Neither bright diamonds
White hard, bright cold
Spangle not rich jewels
Like stars above
You’ll have laughter
Sweet peace filled laughter
Simple warm laughter and loveSimple warm laughter and love
Simple warm laughter and love
Lyrics by Gilbert M. Martin (1941
Easter “Praises of God”
Praises of God
- You are encircling Love.
- You are abiding strength
- You are the constant “Hound of Heaven”
- You are my Spouse, my Love.
- You are my All-in-All.
- You are my surrounding Presence.
- You are the joy of my life.
- You are my dearest Friend.
- You are my “nudger” when I am weak.
- You are my encouraging companion.
- You fill my life with purpose and meaning.
- You are gentle, caring and compassionate.
- Your are beauty, sweet unction for my soul.
- You are impregnating Presence filling all life.
- You are my precious guide and protector.
- You are my Counselor, my Lover, My Friend.
- You are Wisdom, Truth and Peace.
- You are so human and so divine.
- You are mystery, urging us on.
- You draw us to Your Father and give us Your Life-giving Spirit.
- You keep showing us Your Mother to also honor and love.
- You are filled with amazing surprises.
- You mend our broken hearts, mind and body.
- You are water for the thirsty.
- You are bread for the hungry.
- Your are Creator, Redeemer, Risen Lord.
- You enflesh us with Your image and likeness, Your very life-giving breath.
- You are healing when we humbly acknowledge our brokenness.
- You are forgiving when we fail.
- You sense our needs before we know them.
- You are the hand that holds us close to Your Heart.
- You are the Indwelling Presence that makes us special.
- You are the Light that illumines our darkness.
- You are peace for longing, agonizing hearts.
- You are the flower that perfumes our life.
- Your are the smile that brings acceptance.
- You are the most precious friend that we cannot so without.
Amen! Amen!
by Sister La Donna Pinkelman, OSF Sylvania, Ohio
Happy Easter! In Appreciation “Take & Eat”
Happy Easter Everyone!
This glorious morning, we will celebrate the Mass of Easter. After hearing the sermons and summonings of Lent, after fulfilling our “Easter Duty,”and after a week of holy preparation and solemn Liturgies, Easter is splendidly here. It is Jesus , Who has been at the center of our preparation. Jesus, the Christ, our Lord!
Throughout this time,who else has enabled us to fulfill the mandate of Christ, “Take and eat!” Who is it that have heard our confessions and blessed us in His Name, and in His Person? It is those upon whom He breathed His peace, empowered to forgive and sent forth with His authority, His holy priests, ministering His holy sacraments.
Thank you holy Fathers, faithful Fathers, faith-filled Fathers! It is into your care that Jesus entrusted His flock. We. a flawed People, yet a royal priesthood, a kingly, and prophetic People, thank you, our flawed in your humanity, and yet gloriously appointed and anointed Priesthood. Happy, holy Easter, dear Fathers. May you be forever blessed!
Why I Remain Catholic
Today, On Good Friday, Here’s Why I Remain Catholic
Though the ill aspects of the Catholic Church have recently been highlighted in the news, commentator Elizabeth Scalia says the good aspects have never gotten enough attention.
Published: April 02, 2010
by Elizabeth Scalia
Elizabeth Scalia is a contributing writer to First Things Magazine as the blogger known as The Anchoress.
The question has come my way several times in the past week: “How do you maintain your faith in light of news stories that bring light to the dark places that exist within your church?”
When have darkness and light been anything but co-existent? How do we recognize either without the other?
I remain within, and love, the Catholic Church because it is a church that has lived and wrestled within the mystery of the shadow lands ever since an innocent man was arrested, sentenced and crucified, while the keeper of “the keys” denied him, and his first priests ran away. Through 2,000 imperfect — sometimes glorious, sometimes heinous — years, the church has contemplated and manifested the truth that dark and light, innocence and guilt, justice and injustice all share a kinship, one that waves back and forth like wind-stirred wheat in a field, churning toward something — as yet — unknowable.
The darkness within my church is real, and it has too often gone unaddressed. The light within my church is also real, and has too often gone unappreciated. A small minority has sinned, gravely, against too many. Another minority has assisted or saved the lives of millions.
But then, my country is the most generous and compassionate nation on Earth; it is also the only country that has ever deployed nuclear weapons of mass destruction.
My government is founded upon a singular appreciation of personal liberty; some of those founders owned slaves.
My family was known for its neighborliness and its work ethic; its patriarch was a serial child molester.
Read the complete essay here.
Surprise – Sin Abounds!
It should be no surprise; Sin abounds! The human race is awash with, riddles with, mired in and drowning under, Sin. It is our natural state of being without a Savior. From the day we are born, leaving Eden, so to speak, we become the star of our universe, maybe, more like a Black Hole. We can’t help trying to draw all things to ourselves. With myiads of rationalizations and excuses to suit our ages and pretensions, the event horizon is approached and we are doomed. Sin in its rational disguises is irrational and drives us like a madman. It is the Dark, clouding out the true Sun.
The real surprise in life is that where sin abounds grace abounds all the more! It can be stated that God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. Romans 5:20.
Our Savior comes still today to save us. Being “churched” does not perfect us; God does, in His own time. If we open our hearts in repentance, Jesus gives us His forgiveness and cancels the debt against us. Perfect comes later, sometimes, much later.
The euphemistic blessing, “May you live in interesting times.” is said to be the least severe of three curses, the others being:
- “May you come to the attention of those in authority.”
“May you find what you are looking for.”
Fortunately, for us, the Living, we live in glorious times. Sin abounds and we are saved! God for His part has done the work, we need but claim the Victory. The offer is always at hand in nail-pierced hands. Grace abounds all the more! Alleluia!
Must Read: Why I Remain A Catholic
by Elizabeth Scalia The Anchoress
Be Holy! 