The Riches From Above

The Riches From Above

The riches coming from above
are worth their weight in gold,
for joy and peace and faith and love
are things that can't be sold.

For everybody has a gift
of mind and heart and soul,
a gift that gives us all a lift
and makes our spirits whole.

For fame and fortune, wealth and power,
do not contentment bring -
they last a short and fleeting hour
and are a passing thing.

And all the goods that dollars buy
will into dust decay,
but good that comes from God on high
will never pass away.

Alvin Finkelstein

Rainbows

Rainbows

Some folks I know have narrow views
Of life that close them in.
And they continually await
Misfortune to begin.
They never see the sunshine,
But they always find the rain.
They've frowned so much they can't recall
How laughter sounds again.

Instead of seeing each new day
A bright and shining thing,
They face the dawn and wonder what
New sorrow it will bring.
They squeeze out every ounce of joy,
Within the hearts of those
Who seek to cheer their lonely lives,
Why? Only heaven knows.

They put a price on everything,
And say that "nothing's free",
And end up being miserable
As anyone can be.
They haven't learned the secret
That life is more than just
Accumulating lots of things,
That fall apart with rust.

For life is more than gathering
What someday we must leave.
Each one of us needs principles
In which we can believe.
It's not so much the getting,
If we don't know how to share.
For only love can turn the rain
... To rainbows, everywhere.

Grace E. Easley

Life Is Worth Living

Life Is Worth Living

Life is worth living
Wherever you are,
Deep down in a dungeon
Or high on a star.

Life is worth living;
It all has a plan
When God knows you're giving
The best that you can.

The saint and the sinner,
The great and the small,
We all are God's children
And He loves us all.

So pray when you're happy
And pray when you're blue,
For life is worth living
When God lives with you.

Nick Kenny

True Love vs the Hollywood Type

True Love vs the Hollywood Type

1 Corinthians 13:4-7,13 NIV
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

THE LUCK OF THE IRISH - - - HEAVEN KNOWS WE NEED IT

THE LUCK OF THE IRISH - - - HEAVEN KNOWS WE NEED IT

An Old Irish Blessing

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

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Irish Marriage Blessing

May God be with you and bless you.
May you see your children's children.
May you be poor in misfortunes
and rich in blessings.
May you know nothing but happiness
from this day forward.

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A Wish for a Friend

Wishing you a rainbow
For sunlight after showers—
Miles and miles of Irish smiles
For golden happy hours—
Shamrocks at your doorway
For luck and laughter too,
And a host of friends that never ends
Each day your whole life through!

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An Irish Prayer

May God give you...
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.

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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 chimney tall,
Let thy peace lie over all.
Bless the doors that they may prove
Ever open to joy and love.
Bless the windows shining bright,
Letting in God's heavenly light.
Bless the hearth a-blazing there,
With smoke ascending like a prayer.
Bless the people here within...
Keep them pure and free from sin.
Bless us all, that one day, we
May be fit, O lord, to dwell with Thee.

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In Time of Sorrow...

May you see God's light on the path ahead
When the road you walk is dark.
May you always hear,
Even in your hour of sorrow,
The gentle singing of the lark.
When times are hard may hardness
Never turn your heart to stone,
May you always remember
when the shadows fall—
You do not walk alone.

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From Saint Patrick's Breastplate

Christ be with me
Christ before me
Christ behind me
Christ in me
Christ beneath me
Christ above me
Christ on my right
Christ on my left
Christ where I lie
Christ where I sit
Christ where I arise
Christ in the heart of every man
who thinks of me
Christ in the mouth of every man
who speaks of me
Christ in every eye that sees me
Christ in every ear that hears me
Salvation is of the Lord.

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Said during thunder and lightning...

O Lord, be between us and harm and protect us from the harm of the world.

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Said in the morning when rising...

Christ be with me,
be after me,
be before me,
and be at my right and left hand.
May everything I do be for Christ.

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An Old Irish Blessing

May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!

Condos or Mansions (or Efficiencies?)

Condos or Mansions (or Efficiencies?)

John 14:1-3 NIV
1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

John 14:1-3 KJV
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

We'll Find Rest in Christ

We'll Find Rest in Christ

Matthew 11:28-30 NIV
28" Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

St. Padre Pio, Divine Mercy and the Earthquake in Haiti

http://www.spiritofmedjugorje.org/feb2010.htm

St. Padre Pio, Divine Mercy and the Earthquake in Haiti

By June Klins

I have a fire in my heart for the salvation of souls. So, years ago, when a friend told me that a priest had shared with her a type of prayer he called "anticipatory prayer,” my interest was piqued. My friend told me that anticipatory prayer means that you can pray for good results for something after it has already happened, because for God there is no time, and He knew you were going to pray! Fr. John Corapi spoke about this at a conference I attended a few years ago, when someone asked a question about praying for a person who had committed suicide. Since Fr. Corapi was given, by Pope John Paul II, the title "apostolic teacher" -- meaning he speaks with the authority of the apostles -- this confirmed for me what I had heard earlier about anticipatory prayer.

Recently I was reading the book, The Holy Souls," by Fr. Alessio Parente, OFM, Cap. Father Parente chronicles St. Padre Pio's relationship with the dead. In Chapter 46. St. Padre Pio spoke about praying for the happy death of a young girl who had already died. St. Pio said, "For the Lord, the past does not exist; the future does not exist. Everything is an eternal present. Those prayers had already been taken into account. And so I repeat that even now I can pray for the happy death of my great grandfather!"
Fr. Parente commented at the end of this chapter, "There is a very important moral to be learned here, and it is that we should always pray for the deceased, even those who have died many years ago, because for God there is neither a past nor a future, but all is the eternal present."
After I read this, I began praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet (a powerful prayer that Jesus told St. Faustina to pray for the dying) for all of my great grandparents, and then began working on my great-great grandparents. I have a list and check it off after I pray for each person. (I had already had Gregorian Masses said for all my grandparents years ago.)
One morning two weeks after the earthquake in Haiti, I felt very driven to share this, so we can all pray for the salvation of those who died in Haiti. I have been doing that every day since the earthquake. If we all do that every day for a month, and pass this along to others, we should be able to cover everyone. And then maybe we can do the same for the victims of the tsunami and other natural disasters….

“This is good, and pleases God our Savior, Who wants all men to be saved …” (1 Timothy 2:3-4)

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Christ Jesus, before ascending into heaven, You promised to send the Holy Spirit to Your apostles and disciples.
Grant that the same Spirit may perfect in our lives the work of Your grace and love. Grant us

the Spirit of Fear Of The Lord that we may be filled with a loving reverence toward You;

the Spirit of Piety that we may find peace and fulfillment in the service of God while serving others;

the Spirit of Fortitude that we may bear our cross with You and, with courage, overcome the obstacles that interfere with our salvation;

the Spirit of Knowledge that we may know You and know ourselves and grow in holiness;

the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten our minds with the light of Your truth;

the Spirit of Counsel that we may choose the surest way of doing Your will, seeking first the Kingdom;

the Spirit of Wisdom that we may aspire to the things that last forever;

Teach us to be Your faithful disciples and animate us in every way with Your Spirit. Amen

Prayer to the Infant Jesus of Prague

Prayer to the Infant Jesus of Prague
for Obtaining and Preserving Temporal Goods

O Divine Infant! source of all good, the goodness of Your Heart is infinite , and the bounty of Your little hand is immeasurable.

Like a river, You pour forth Your gifts over thirsty mankind, and fill us with blessings in time and in eternity.

If You do not preserve our temporal goods, our industry will be useless and in vain.

Almighty Infant, lift Your little hand and bless my temporal possessions; take them under Your powerful protection, and keep them from misfortune and loss.

Give me the necessary grace to use my temporal goods according to Your will, to employ myself usefully after Your pleasure, and to give joy to my neighbor through love of You, that I may lay up treasure in heaven, where no thief can enter, nor moth nor rust destroy. Amen.