"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner."
I've enjoied saying this prayer sometimes hundreds of times a day. In the Eastern tradition this prayer begins vocally, then said in the mind, and eventually becomes a prayer of the heart where it is said to become "self active".
All in an effort to "pray without ceasing" 1 Thessalonians 5:17
As Jesus was approaching Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. Now hearing a crowd going by, he began to inquire what this was. They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he called out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him; and when he came near, He questioned him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And he said, “Lord, I want to regain my sight!” And Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him, glorifying God; and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God.
Mmm, sweet melodies...
Another great composition of "Lord Have Mercy" by Alexei Lvov, more information on the composer at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexei_Lvov
“I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose." (1 Corinthians 1:10)
This is the most beautiful arrangment of "The Our Father" I've ever heard, written by Nikolai Kedrov. I could listen to this a thousand times and it would never get old.
This picture puts into prespective how big the Boeing 777 engine is.. WOW , I'm 6 feet tall and I barley crest the half way point, of course I am leaning over to kiss my hunny bunny!
Cara and I had little Joel Baptized last Sunday at the 9am Mass. Lots of friends and family were in attendance, it was a great celebration!
My brother Lucas is the Godfather and my Mom is the Godmother. After Mass we had friends and family over for burgers and dogs!
Thanks Fr. Paul Beech, Mom, Lucas, Dad, Marylin, Rhonda and Keith, Ken and Lacy, Eric and Jamie, Charles and Angelica, Christy and Chris, Lori Kerr, Jack Griffin and the awesome St. Francis Xavier choir, all the kidos and everyone that made a special trip to the Mass! You are the community that will keep little Joel on the stright and narrow!
Congratulations Joel, God loves you!
Lucas put together a Baptism video check it out....
Casey Anthony was found "not guilty" of first degree murder, popular public opinion holds her guilty as charged. I haven't found myself ready to side with either.
One one hand I would like to trust the American justice system, on the other I'm cautious to cast judgment. No doubt that at some time or another people who are innocent have been charged guilty and others who are guilty have been set free. Is this one of those cases?
Watching clips of the trial on TV and seeing the public response has caused me to think of a few things...
Justice Justice is the very nature of God. God alone is the source and measure of all judgment.
Judging Christians are asked not to judge (Matt 7: 1-5).
"Human beings judge one another by their external actions. God judges them by their moral choices." C.S. Lewis
Truth
In the end all truth will be known and Gods judgment will prevail.
One: The further you progress on your Christian journey "the light gets lighter and the dark gets darker".
In other words the closer you get to God the more brilliant His glory and majesty becomes. Further the darkness of sin seems more grave than you once thought before.
Two: "If you want to progress on the spiritual journey the important thing is not to think much but to love much!" Thank you St. Teresa for your spiritual wisdom!
#1 The Strangest Way: Walking the Christian Path by Fr. Robert Barron http://www.amazon.com/Strangest-Way-Walking-Christian-Path/dp/157075408X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1309304671&sr=1-1
This book was given to me by my Spiritual Director Fr. Martin Linebach. This book has shaped the direction of my spiritual life since Dec of 2009. Fr. Robert Barron is a phenomenal writer, speaker, teacher and Priest. The book is very practical. Section three "Realizing your life is not about you" was an eye opener it put into context the much bigger reality.
Too often we compare ourselves to others. How am I doing in comparision to my neighbor or my friends? Too often other people become the measure of our sucess. In doing this we cheat ourselves out of knowing who we really are. When our eyes are always on others we miss the oppurtunity to look within ourselves and discover the beauty that lies within.
I dont think God is concerned with how we are doing compared to our neighbor, after all He probably has a diffrent plan for them anyway. Rather I think God is concerned with how we're doing with what He has given us. Am I meeting the potental that lies within?
Here is a little Jazz tune by Lizz Wright called "Open your eyes, you can fly" the thing I like about this song is the lyrical encouragment to look withn yourself. The song is not about comparing yourself to others "Don't cloud your eyes with others lies" but "Have the courage to be free".
Dont be afraid of what you will find inside. You are beautiful, after all you are made in the image of God!
"Never be afraid to love, never be afraid to just be. Catch the way and change the doubt, have the courage to be free. Don't cloud your eyes with others lies, see only what you want to see. Duplicate the simple truth, have a courage to be free."
"Open your eyes, you can fly. Open your eyes, you can fly...you can fly...you can fly....."
Thanks to my big brother for putting the video together!
Great job Luke!
Thanks for watching...
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."
O Jesus meek and humble of heart...
Deliver me from the desire to be loved,
Deliver me from the desire to be extolled,
Deliver me from the desire to be honored,
Deliver me from the desire to be respected,
Deliver me from the desire to be praised,
Deliver me from the desire to be consulted,
Deliver me from the desire to be seen,
Deliver me from the desire to be approved by others,
Deliver me from the fear of being humiliated,
Deliver me from the fear of being mocked,
Deliver me from the fear of being laughed at,
Deliver me from the fear of being cursed,
Deliver me from the fear of being forgotten,
Deliver me from the fear of being wronged,
Deliver me from the fear of being riddiculed,
Deliver me from the fear of being scorn,
Grant to me Jesus the desire that others may become holier than I,
provided I become as holy as I should.
Freedom is one of our first gifts from God. He has given us the gift of freedom that we might experience His love to the fullest.
Over the centuries people have tried to take away that freedom through slavery, oppression and tyranny.
Thankfully we live in a country that freedom is a priority. Thanks to our founding fathers and all the service men and women who have diligently served our country, we live in one of the greatest countries in the world.
It is because of this service that I have been able to enjoy my faith, my family and my country.
Thank you!
Thanks to my big brother for all his hard work making these great videos! If he keeps up the good work I'll put him on the payroll!
