Bread of Life

Prayer...

Prayer is, in the strictest sense, a humble religious petition of man to God to seek divine benevolence and benefits he needs for life, both temporal and eternal. It is a conversation with God, either by accepted prayer forms, or from the heart. Consider these words as if God were speaking them to His children...

"It is not necessary my child, to know much in order to please me much; it is enough that you love me fervently. Speak here to me then, as you would speak to your most intimate friend, to your mother, to your brother."

~God your Father~

He Gave His Only Son

"Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

John 21:29

Quotes to Live By

There should be less talk. A preaching point is not a meeting point.

The dying, the cripple, the mental, the unwanted, the unloved-- they are Jesus in disguise.

In the West there is loneliness, which I call the leprosy of the West. In many ways it is worse than our poor in Calcutta. (Commonweal, Dec 19, 1997)

It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.

The poor give us much more than we give them. They're such strong people, living day to day with no food. and they never curse, never complain. We don't have to give them pity or sympathy. We have so much to learn from them.

I see God in every human being. When I wash the leper's wounds, I feel I am nursing the Lord himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?

I do not pray for success. I ask for faithfulness.

Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go.

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

~Mother Teresa~

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Am I My Brother's (or Sisters's) Keeper?

by Deacon Mike Caldwell

We were reading in Second Macabees today about one Jew who saw another Jew sin gravely. It was a bad sin in the Jewish religion to eat forbidden meat. The second Jew was being forced to do this by the king who wanted to gain their allegence by using force. So, the first Jew killed him for disobeying God's commandment.

...It was a bad sin in Jewish religion

...to eat forbidden meat.

On the one hand, it is good to tell your brother that he is sinning gravely. After all, if you can stop him from sinning you will save him for eternity. However, to kill him is not the way to change his ways. It reminds me of the abortion doctor who was killed recently by a Christian who wanted him to stop sinning. Yes, we want him to stop sinning but Jesus would not want us to change behavior through the use of murder.

If you saw your sister walking into danger - like walking into oncoming traffic - you would be wise to warn her. Just the same way, we would appreciate someone telling us that we are in danger of spiritual death by sinning gravely. However, you have to find a way to warn her using compassion and love. You also have to be selective in how you tell your sister. If you tell me everyday how I have sinned, I will stop listening to you. After all, judgement is the Lord's, not ours.

After all, judgement is the Lord's ...

...not ours.

I would suggest that a good way to warn your brothers and sisters about their sin would be to first look at your own sin. Once you have "fixed" your sinful way on three sins, you can help your brother and sister with one of theirs. But again, you have to do it with love and compassion.

URLVD

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