"Be vigilant; guard your mind
against negative thoughts."
The Holy Buddha
Saturday, September 23, 2017
WHO ARE THE BLESSED?
"Blessed are the merciful:
for they shall obtain mercy."
The Gospel according to
Saint Matthew
SECRET OF HEALTH
"The secret of health for both mind
and body is not to mourn for the past,
not to worry about the future,
or not to anticipate troubles,
but to live the present moment
wisely and earnestly."
The Holy Buddha
THE HOLY BUDDHA
"We are formed and molded by our thoughts.
Those whose minds are shaped by
selfless thoughts give joy when they speak
or act. Joy follows them like a shadow
that never leaves them."
The Holy Buddha
Friday, September 22, 2017
DESECRATION
"In women's bodies the 'temple of God'
has been continually desecrated
with crimes that range from the
womb to the tomb."
'Mary in our search for Fullness of Life', p 216
1 Corinthians 3:16
16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?
Edited by Fr R.K. Samy. 'Mary in our search for Fullness of Life'. 2006. NBCLC, Bangalore.
QUARRELS
'Mr. Winston Churchill said a wise thing,
"If we open a quarrel between the past and the present, we shall find that we have lost the future." '
William Barclay, Gospel of Matthew, page 132
Barclay, William. The Daily Study Bible, Gospel of Matthew, Vol 1: CH. 1-10. Revised Edition. 1981.
Saint Andrew Press: Scotland.
Thursday, September 21, 2017
ELIJAH'S MANTLE AND THEREAFTER
Elisha takes Elijah's mantle and performs a miracle [2 Kings 2:13-14].
The same mantle that marked the beginning of Elisha's ministry with Elijah now marks the transition to his continuing ministry.
The mantle of power which fell on Jesus at the Jordan,
passes on to believers
who are to carry on His work.
Has His mantle fallen on to you?
2 Kings 2
Elijah Taken Up to Heaven
2 When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind,Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel.”
But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
3 The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?”
“Yes, I know,” Elisha replied, “so be quiet.”
4 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, Elisha; the Lord has sent me to Jericho.”
And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho.
5 The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?”
“Yes, I know,” he replied, “so be quiet.”
6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.”
And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them walked on.
7 Fifty men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”
“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.
10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”
11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.
13 Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.
15 The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, “The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. 16 “Look,” they said, “we your servants have fifty able men. Let them go and look for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has picked him up and set him down on some mountain or in some valley.”
“No,” Elisha replied, “do not send them.”
17 But they persisted until he was too embarrassed to refuse. So he said, “Send them.” And they sent fifty men, who searched for three days but did not find him. 18 When they returned to Elisha, who was staying in Jericho, he said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?”
Healing of the Water
19 The people of the city said to Elisha, “Look, our lord, this town is well situated, as you can see, but the water is bad and the land is unproductive.”
20 “Bring me a new bowl,” he said, “and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him.
21 Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt into it, saying, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.’” 22 And the water has remained pure to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken.
THE LORD
"The Lord is the seed of creativity in every being. ...
This God-seed within us will grow into a God-tree
or love and service if we nurture it carefully."
Meister Eckhart
SEED OF GOD
"The seed of God is in us. Given an intelligent
and hard-working farmer, it will thrive and
grow up to God, whose seed it is; and
accordingly its fruits will be God-nature.
Pear seed grow into pear trees, nut seeds
into nut trees, and God seed into God."
Meister Eckhart
OUTSIDE OF THE VEIL
"All this talk and turmoil and noise and
movement and desire is outside of the veil;
within the veil is silence and calm and rest."
Bayazid Al-Bistami
HOW SWEET IT IS
"How sweet it is to love, and to be dissolved,
and as it were to bathe myself in thy love."
Thomas A Kempis
SEARCHING
"Where are you searching for me, friend?
Look! Here am I right within you.
Not in temple, not in mosque,
Not in Kaaba, nor Kailas,
But here right within you am I."
Kabir
HAPPINESS
The happiest of people
Don't necessarily have the best of everything,
Thy just make the most
of everything that comes their way.
VEDIC PRAYER
"May all beings be happy, May all be healthy,
May people have the well-being of all in mind,
May nobody suffer in any way."
Vedic Prayer
ALWAYS THINK
Always put yourself in others' shoes:
If you feel that it hurts you,
It probably hurts the other person too.
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
CHRISTMAS CAROL
CHRISTMAS CAROL
Mary sang like falling snow
and loved like violins
at the wedding of love and sorrow
in Bethlehem.
Angels crashed bewildered skies
and stars blazed into hymns,
but Mary looked in Jesus' eyes
in Bethlehem.
The night got down upon its knees,
the moon with wonder dimmed
when Mary laid her Jesus down
in Bethlehem.
Back in the bright and noisy inn,
the keeper's head was grim
for Mary's face burned in his heart
in Bethlehem.
And all love has a wound in it,
but joy with tears can limn
since the wedding of love and sorrow
in Bethlehem.
Mother M Francis PCC
Friar. December 1957
Used with permission
From 'A Silence full of bells'
From 'A Silence full of bells'
CAUSE OF OUR JOY
CAUSE OF OUR JOY
(Concerning Seven other Sorrows)
They said: "He has a devil!" Jesus - whom you
had known announced by angel, had heard sung
by sky-flung host of angels on that night
in Bethlehem, and would hear told by angels:
"Risen! He is risen. Not here, He!"
It was the crushed grape of your heart
first ran our wine of joy.
Or when familiar brow of hill grew furrowed
to knolls of anguish that men should lay claim
on nature's loyal innocence to cast Him
over and down, lest sound of truth be heard
by townsmen of Him, traitorous cousinry,
It was the crushed grape of your heart
first ran our wine of joy.
Counted over and over in your loving
were twelve, a dozen in solicitude
of you for them; food, sandals, lodging rest.
before the Supper was not intuition
already, Mother, yours? One shall betray Him.
It was the crushed grape of your heart
first ran our wine of joy.
What sword of sorrow pierced your listening love,
to hear Him cry: "I thirst" who once had nursed Him
with substance of yourself? What now to give
save substance of your willing of your Cross-stand
improvident but for love's partnering.
It was the crushed grape of your heart
first ran our wine of joy.
"Let Him come down! He cannot save himself!"
How cruel drumbeats on your memory,
O Mother of many liftings to your breast
a Child too small to save himself from falling,
grown now to cross's hoisting past your arms.
It was the crushed grape of your heart
first ran our wine of joy.
That was the whole world's weeping face laid in your
Pieta'-ed lap when Peter's face went down
into your lap of mercy and you were
first made Queen of Confessors to first pope
needing your healing hand on memory.
It was the crushed grape of your heart
first ran our wine of joy.
We search our joy and find its price too high.
Wine without treading down's the drink we seek,
and all in vain unless you teach us, Mother:
It was the crushed grape of your heart
first ran our wine of joy.
Mother M Francis PCC
Summon Spirit's Cry. San Fancisco:Ignatius Press.
(c) 1996. Mother M Francis PCC. All rights reserved.
Used with permission
From 'A Silence full of bells'
From 'A Silence full of bells'
CAUSE OF OUR JOY
CAUSE OF OUR JOY
When thou mad'st God a flesh to wear
and gave Him two small eyes to see
earth-craft He did some aeons back,
thou madest laughter, too, Marie.
Our mirth grew strong within thy womb
along with that small Saviour sweet,
and all our songs were born that night
a little God lay at thy feet.
Sorrow we had full-plenteous
without thee, and we found the way
of lonely pain with never need
for thy dear hand to beck or stay;
But singing and laughter only came
when thou agreedst to queen the earth
and heavens too, with mothering
alike our Saviour and our mirth.
Cause of our music and our glee,
Lady, our joy glows all from thee!
Mother of all felicity
that ever wast or shall e'er be.
Mother M Frances PCC
Cord. January 1956
Used with permission
From 'A Silence full of bells'
ANNUNCIATION
ANNUNCIATION
Swifter than jet-cleaved air is ribboned, love flies
by flawless automatics of the heart
back to this hour, girl, and angel, curving
wings of its own against her lifted face.
Here is the home of ours and of ages
toward which time groped, and flowing eternities.
Ever will love return and close this hour,
warm on its starkest cry and brightest song.
Haven and hangar built by God for hostel
on the macadam bleakness of whatever
threatens or comes, love praises best this hour
with petals of silence strewn along its lintel.
Mother M Francis PCC
Spirit. 1962-63
Used with permission
From 'A Silence full of bells'
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