Posting here the first-of-a-series inspirational readings that I got from my daily morning perk-uppers just before work ... From varied sources , but mostly from the Holy Book . So, I can get to it from anywhere in the world .... 'going on a five-year 'wanderjahr' in Europe and the Holy Land' that I am .....
R: Blessed the man who greatly delights in the Lord’s commands.
1 Blessed the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commands. 2 His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed. (R) 3 Wealth and riches shall be in his house; his generosity shall endure forever. 4 Light shines through the darkness for the upright; he is gracious and merciful and just. (R) 5 Well for the man who is gracious and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice; 6 he shall never be moved; the just man shall be in everlasting remembrance. (R)
Sirach 13:23-25
Wealth is good when there is no sin; but poverty is evil by the
standards of the proud. The heart of a man changes his countenance, either for good or for evil. The sign of a good heart is a cheerful countenance …..
Dr. Nathaniel Branden, the father of the concept of self-esteem, has an expanded two-fold definition.
He defines self-esteem as:
1- Confidence in our ability to think and in our ability to cope with the basic challenges of life; and
2- Confidence in our right to be successful and happy, the feelings of being worthy, deserving, entitled to assert our needs and wants, achieve our values and enjoy the fruits of our efforts.
Character - honesty, integrity, genuineness (you walk your talk), strength in your decision making, honor, living by an upright set of principles
Optimism - You'll live as if each day is a gift, your mind will open to benefits of achievement, you'll believe that things will work out.
Accomplishment orientation - you are now a conscientious, hard worker, that you do your share, and take care to do things right, that you seek out and take advantage of available opportunities. The more things that you are good at and the more challenging goals you reach, the more opportunities you have to feel good about yourself.
Joy - you take extreme pleasure in your accomplishments, that you feel a deep sense of peace in doing your best in all situations, that your successes motivate you to keep going, that you are comfortable with being recognized for what you achieve in life.
you are happy to be alive, that you live with enthusiasm, that you are adventurous.
Mistakes, setbacks, challenges and "problems" - Yours won't faze you, you shrink them down, learn every shred you can from each one and go forward undeterred even more determined and more skillful than before; you don't judge yourself by impossible standards, you just do your best, and happily live as an imperfect being. You'll instinctively see problems and challenges as opportunities to learn, grow and get ahead, and that no matter how hopeless others may feel, you stay optimistic.
Feb. 14, 2008
Psalm 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8
R: Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
1 I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth; in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise; 2 I will worship at your holy temple and give thanks to your name. (R) Because of your kindness and your truth; for you have made great above all things your name and your promise. 3 When I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me. (R) 7 Your right hand saves me. 8 The LORD will complete what he has done for me; your kindness, O LORD, endures forever; forsake not the work of your hands. (R)
Feb.08, 2008
Here are 6 strategies on how you can be a blessing-magnet, and be positive in a negative world:
1. Feel the love. Receive the love from the people around you, no matter how small or imperfect. Celebrate every little gesture of love you receive. Make it a big thing! And you’ll discover that you’ll receive more and more love.
2. Be grateful. Give thanks for every small blessing you receive. Before going to sleep, count at least 5 blessings you received on that day. Be grateful even for the bad things, knowing there’s a blessing inside. Gratitude attracts more blessings to come your way and learn how to trust God more.
3. Trust. Yes, do all you possibly can! But at the end of the day, stop worrying. Surrender and trust God instead. Believe that the best is yet to come.
4. Have a vision. When you have a detailed, graphic, exciting vision burning in your heart, you can’t help but be positive. And here’s my true-to-life experience: That powerful vision in your imagination will attract all the blessings you need to fulfill that vision. You’ll be surprised. The blessings will just come, rolling down at your feet, begging that you receive them.
5. Love yourself. Be deliberate in loving yourself. Respect yourself. Don’t belittle yourself, don’t limit yourself, and don’t call yourself derogatory names. Meet your needs. Aggressively care for yourself. When you do, others will respect you, love you, and meet your needs as well.
6. Love others. Whatever love you give, you receive it back multiplied. So wake up each morning because you want to love. Make love the purpose of your life. When you make love the reason for every thing that you do, even if there are dark storm clouds around you, the sun will always shine in your heart.
May your dreams come true,
Feb. 07, 2008
You will find the will of God in your life by looking at your heart’s deepest desire ---- Message from PIBJ Feb. 06, 2008
Disturb us, O Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the waters of life; Having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity. And in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new Heaven to dim.” - from Sir Francis Drake’s prayer
Pontiff: Christmas a Feast of Restored Creation
Midnight Mass Homily Has Ecological Theme
VATICAN CITY, DEC. 24, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Using an image from St. Gregory of Nyssa, Benedict XVI said today that the stable in Bethlehem represents our "ill-treated world," polluted especially due to the abuse of energy and its exploitation.
During his homily at Christmas Midnight Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, the Pope spoke of St. Gregory of Nyssa's interpretation of the stable in which Christ was born.
The Holy Father referred to John 1:14 -- "He pitched his tent among us" -- and commented: "Gregory applies this passage about the tent to the tent of our body, which has become worn out and weak, exposed everywhere to pain and suffering. And he applies it to the whole universe, torn and disfigured by sin. Wha t would he say if he could see the state of the world today, through the abuse of energy and its selfish and reckless exploitation?
"Thus, according to Gregory's vision, the stable in the Christmas message represents the ill-treated world. What Christ rebuilds is no ordinary palace. He came to restore beauty and dignity to creation, to the universe: This is what began at Christmas and makes the angels rejoice. The earth is restored to good order by virtue of the fact that it is opened up to God, it obtains its true light anew, and in the harmony between human will and divine will, in the unification of height and depth, it regains its beauty and dignity. Thus Christmas is a feast of restored creation."
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