Peace In Our Hearts Always, a new prayer group for cancer patients and anyone with a serious illness. They will meet every week in Metairie, Kenner and the Westbank.
Metairie Chapter Every Thursday from 7 pm to 8 pm at St. Clement of Rome (Richland & W. Esplanade in Metairie, LA) in the Parish Center
Westbank Chapter Every Friday at 6 pm in the Mary’s Helpers Chapel - 4512 Seventh St., Marrero, LA.
Kenner Chapter Thursdays at 10 am at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church - 1912 Short Street - The New Rectory
This group is also open to caregivers or family and friends of the sick. Please join us as we pray, share, and open our hearts to God's divine mercy and embrace the love that Our Mother, Mary, wishes to impart on each of us. For more information, please contact Madeleine at
or 504-452-5217 or Carol 504-832-0057; or contact Mimi at
or 504-849-2570 or Gayle at
or 504-348-7729.
HOPE Jesus, all of our hope is placed in You. In the midst of a world that looks hopeless we have Your love. We ask for the grace to see beyond the pain of this life, and to know if we place our hope and trust in You we cannot be disappointed. You suffered and died for us so that we can be with You forever. You alone give us reason to look to the future with joy. St. Paul tells us to hope for what we do not see and to wait with endurance. You know that can be hard for us to do, strengthen us my God. Help us to always look to the future with eyes that can see past this life, to the life we will share with You forever. In Jesus` name we pray . Amen
FAITH My God we ask You for the gift of faith. Help us to understand without a doubt, that You can do all things. Sometimes we feel like we are up against a wall, and it looks like there is no way out of the problems we find ourselves in. When the Israelites found themselves surrounded by the Pharaoh and his army it looked impossible for them to escape. Let us see that You are with us just as much as You were with them. There is no problem too great for you to handle, and if we place ourselves into Your hands we have nothing to fear. Please give us the faith of a child that knows if necessary, our Father can even part a Sea to save us. In Jesus` name we pray. Amen.
TRUST Jesus, This life is hard, seems each new day brings a new problem. At times it feels like darkness is closing in. Help us to see when we feel afraid it is because we have taken our eyes off of You. You are always by our side, and You will lead and guide us, if we allow You to. As Peter held Your hand and stepped out onto the water he was putting total trust in You. He was at peace and he was in amazement, defying even the laws of nature. But then he took his eyes off of You, and he began to sink. The same thing happens to us. If we put our lives into Your hands, and keep our eyes fixed on You, all things are possible. But like Peter if we look at the size of the waves and our circumstances we too begin to sink. Help us to remember when that happens to reach up for You hand and like Peter to ask for Your help. Please lead us day by day, and help us in our weaknesses. Hold our hands as we walk through this life, until the day we will be with You forever. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
COURAGE Jesus, Having an illness, or watching someone we love going through one is a cross. You asked us to pick up our crosses daily and follow after You. Lord, You alone know our hearts, our strengths and our weaknesses. Help us to see that even if there are things in this life that bring us worry and fear, You never leave us. Let that really enter into our hearts. Courage is not the absence of fear. It is going forward in spite of fear. Saint Paul told us to keep our eyes on the prize, help us to see beyond the pain. Teach us to keep our eyes fixed on You, and Your love. And let us truly understand Your words, “ I am the way, the truth, and the life.” In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen
Peace in Our Hearts Always My Lord Jesus, I love you so very much! I want to love you as you love me. I truly have nothing to give you but my love, everything belongs to You. I realize when I pray I am usually asking for a favor, seldom do I give praise to You. Lord, purify my heart, give me the grace to always seek your will above my own. Help me to trust You, and know your will is always best. I ask for peace in my heart, that no matter what storms I have to endure in this life, I will understand there is a reason for everything You allow. And to know one day I will be happy with You forever. In Jesus’ name, Amen
PRAYER FOR HEALING My Lord Jesus, We ask for the grace to truly know You. We want to really understand how much You love us, and how much You desire our love. You call to us each day in the quiet of our hearts, but most times we do not recognize Your voice. You are always trying to draw us to You, but so many times we pull away. Lord you are the Divine Physician and many times in the Bible You healed the people that asked for Your help. Today we ask for Your healing touch. We ask You to look deep within us, and heal us in the way that You choose. We ask You to increase our trust in You so that as we face these trials, we will grow closer to You, and never turn away from Your loving hand. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Madeleine's Meditations for the Sick
August 28, 2010 The Peace of God Philippians Chapter 4 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! 5 Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. 6 Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. 7 Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you.
There is so much wisdom in these verses! First, that we should always rejoice in the Lord. The word always means just that, in everything. Because God loves us so much, we can trust in Him to do whats best for us. That does not mean things will always go as we would like them to. If we truly want His will, not ours to be done, and we place ourselves into His hands, all will be well. God loves us so deeply, we cannot even begin to grasp it. When we read the sufferings Our Lord endured for us, we know that God loves us more than any human could. Our love, at times is flawed, many times it depends on actions. Jesus loved the people that beat Him and crucified Him. He also loves us even though it was really our sins that caused Him so much pain. We can trust Him to want what is best for us, even though sometimes what is best may be painful.
The next verse is important too, we should be kind to one another, as Paul reminds us the Lord is near. He sees all, hears every whisper.
Then he tells us not to have any anxiety at all, to ask Our Father for what we need,and then to thank Him. The thanksgiving is important. We are thanking Him in advance for doing what is best for us. Again, that does not mean we will always get what we ask for.Sometimes just like little children we ask for the wrong things.
Then he tells us that the peace that surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and mind. There it is. If we are living God`s will, we will have peace. That is what this prayer group is based on. I found in the beginning of my illness, that when we pray as Jesus did, " Father not my will but Yours be done", God gives us a tremendous peace that really surpasses understanding. In my own life I find that peace is a gauge to see if I am doing His will. If I become anxious, or worried I will stop what I am doing and pray. Anxiety, worry and fear never come from God.
Then St Paul tells us to think about good things. In this world that is hard sometimes. But if we look closely we will find many good things to think about. God`s hand is at work each day in our lives. That in itself is such a good thing!
He then tells us to keep doing what we have been taught. God has made it easy for us, He gave us His Commandments.If we read the Gospels, Jesus gave us so much help in knowing how to follow the narrow road. Our job in this life is to listen to Him and follow Him. He will lead us to Himself.
August 17, 2010 The Cross Tonight I attended the presentation on the Shroud of Turin given by Mr. Jack Sacco. I am convinced that the shroud was the burial cloth of Our Lord. I believe He left this as a visual reminder of His suffering and death. A reminder of His love. The shroud shows all the wounds that we know Jesus suffered. Mr Sacco said the scourging was actually worse than in the movie "The Passion". I remember having to close my eyes, because that scene was so brutal. The shroud shows over 120 deep gashes in Our Lord's back. The whip had metal or stone on the ends. It acted like a hook, with each blow, it would tear His skin. The usual amount of strikes were 39. A person would die just from a scourging, loss of blood, internal injuries... We have to keep in mind, although Jesus is God, He allowed Himself to be human. He felt every bit of the pain. He allowed the people He had created to strip Him of His clothes, tie Him to a pillar and beat Him close to death. With our limited understanding of love, we can't even begin to understand. How many of us would continue to love someone that treated us that way? But He does.
After the scourging they wove the crown of thorns. We were told it was more like a helmet. The thorns were very large and once they placed it, they beat it to make it go deep into His sacred head. They then placed the tunic on His bleeding, torn, bruised shoulders and back. All these things can be seen by studying the shroud.
We were told a cross would weigh 600 lbs, Jesus carried the cross beam. From the shroud they determined Jesus weighed about 175 lbs, a cross beam was about 150 lbs. Mr Sacco said Jesus fell many times, not just three. The walk to Calvary was 600 yards, about six football fields. I can't help but wonder what thoughts He had. The very people he was dying for were torturing Him. And He had to look into the eyes of those closest to Him. Mary is the first to come to my mind. In every way during her life she submitted to God's will, but how her own heart was pierced! This was her God too, but also her child. The son she held when He was sick, or laughed with as He took His first steps. Now she had to watch Him walk to His death.
When Jesus made it to that hill, He willingly stretched out His arms. The nails were placed into His wrist and feet. The pain He felt when they stood that cross upright!.There was over 250 lbs of pressure on His arms. As He hung on that cross, it was almost impossible to exhale. He had to push Himself up with His feet for a few seconds to be able to let out a breath. This went on for three hours. Before Our Lord took His last breath, He asked Our Father to forgive us.
After Jesus was taken down from the cross, He was laid on the shroud and it was placed over Him.They can tell the shroud was around Him for 36 hrs.
He gave us the shroud not only as a testimony of His love, but also a hope for us. We all have crosses to carry in this life, but just like Jesus, one day, if we follow Him, we too will be resurrected. One day we will have bodies that will never be sick,or feel pain. But more important than that, we can spend all eternity with someone that loves us so much more than we can ever understand. We can spend forever loving and praising Him.
August 12, 2010 God's Gifts God gives us so many gifts each day! I've realized that so many times I do not notice them. As I write this, I am flying home from Houston. I am amused at the shapes of the clouds. I just saw one that looks so much like an elephant! Seeing it made me smile. I remember when I was a child, I would lay on the grass and watch the clouds go by. Boats, dogs, birds, so many things. I also remember the day I left Medjugorje in 1987. Our bus had a flat tire so we had to sit and wait for our driver to change it. God gave all of us on that bus a farewell miracle. Someone pointed to the sky and said " Look!", I looked up and there was a large cross in the sky. A few seconds later, that disappeared and we saw one shaped like Our Lady. That one faded and we saw one in the shape of Our Lord with His hands extended. I should explain these did not act like regular clouds.They were just suddenly there, then gone. We all saw the same thing at the same time. When it was over we all became very quiet, we knew we had just been touched by Almighty God. If we pay attention to our surroundings we'll see He touches us everyday. So many miracles if we will just notice them, a baby s smile, a butterfly, a flower, I could go on and on. When we pray we should thank Him for all He sends, even the clouds.
July 25, 2010 God wants to Comfort Us I love Our Blessed Mother so very much. She brought me back to Jesus many years ago through Medjugorje. In fact I know in my heart she placed it in my heart to start this prayer group. She is a loving Mother and just as she brought Jesus into the world over 2000 yrs ago, she now wants to bring us back to Him. The morning I woke up feeling I needed to start a prayer group, I started to cry. I felt they were her tears, I was feeling her sadness. We are God`s children, and we also belong to her in a special way. Her only motive in all that she does is love, love of us but most of all love of God. She does not ever want us to feel lost or confused. Over the centuries her message to us has always been that God loves us so very much. She always gives us the tools to grow closer to God and to learn to trust Him. She never sinned, but she knew how it felt to be human. I remember as a child whenever I was sick, it made me feel better just to know my Mom was there. Ever since I became aware of our Mother Mary`s love, I turn to her in the same way that I did as a child toward my earthly Mother. It comforts me to know she is at my side. When you are feeling sick or lonely know that she is right beside you. Call to her, she wants to bring God`s love to you and His Peace.
July 18, 2010 Our God of Love It gives me so much comfort to know my Father watches over me every moment of my life. He walks with me through the valleys, He holds my hand when I am sick, He is with me on the mountaintops when I am happy. He is with you too, always, even when you can not feel Him there. When I am not feeling well I think of Jesus, He allowed Himself to be human, He became one of us in everyway except sin. There were times He suffered too. He felt hunger, sickness, loneliness, all the things you and I feel. He became angry, he cried at times too. He came to us in such a humble way, not even having a room to be born in. Whenever you feel life is not fair look closely at the life He lived, and He is God. He is with us every step of our lives, He wants to spend eternity with us. He loves us.
Do you remember as a child we were told to offer up our sufferings? We can really do that. Suffering has value, we should not waste it. Our Lady has said many times offering up our sacrifices and pain can convert others. If you say the morning offering each day you are offering all to God:
Morning Offering O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all my relatives and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father.
Amen.
July 12, 2010 Five Stones Do you remember the story of David and Goliath? The Israelites and Philistines were at war. The Israelites were God’s chosen people, but the Philistines had a man that was 9 feet tall in their army named Goliath. For 40 days he taunted them saying if they could find a man that could kill him in battle, the Philistines would surrender and be the servants to the Israelites. But if he killed the man that challenged him, the Israelites would have to surrender. Everyone was afraid of him because of his size, and boldness, except little David. David was a shepherd boy and his father sent him to bring some food to his older brothers, who were in the army and see how they were. When David reached his brothers Goliath was shouting and daring the Israelites to have someone fight him. Picture that, a 9 foot giant of a man that had been a warrior since he was a child asking for a fight. David was the only one brave enough to take the dare. David had never been in battle, in fact he would not even wear the armor. All he had were 5 smooth stones and a sling shot but he was not afraid because he knew God was with him. He said "The LORD that saved and delivered me out of the claws of the lion and out of the claws of the bear will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine named Goliath.” He trusted God, he knew that by himself he would not stand a chance. But the key is he was not alone, and he knew that.
Do you ever feel you are facing a giant? Maybe it’s illness, finances, family problems, or maybe all of those. Our Blessed Mother gave us 5 stones to defeat the Goliaths in our lives. They are; 1. Prayer of the Rosary, prayer with the heart 2. The Eucharist 3. The Bible 4. Fasting 5. Monthly confession.
The 1st stone, the Rosary is so powerful! When reciting it, you are meditating on the life of Jesus. Many years ago that is what started my conversion back to Our Lord. Try to say it daily. The 2nd stone, the Eucharist is Jesus Himself! We can receive Him daily if we choose! Our God comes to us under the appearance of bread and wine, that is such a gift. The 3rd stone, The Bible. How can we know God if we do not read His word? God wants you to know Him, not to feel like He is far away from you. To love someone you have to know them. The 4th stone, fasting. Our Lady recommends fasting on Wednesdays And Fridays on bread and water if you are well. If you are sick you should find other ways to fast. You could give up something you enjoy on those days and offer that to God. The 5th stone, monthly confession. I’m afraid many Catholics have gotten away from this. Confession is a Sacrament, given to us by Our Lord Himself. It is not optional. Saint Paul said to receive Our Lord unworthily will bring condemnation. If you have not been to Confession in awhile, move this to the top of the list.
We are so Blessed to have a Mother that loves us so much! Please read her messages and I promise you she will lead you straight to her son, Jesus. David said, " I will lie down and sleep in peace, for Thou alone, O Lord, hast established me in hope." Let these be your words too.
July 9, 2010 “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” We always think of the word poor as meaning a bad thing, poor health, poor in finances, poor memory… but Jesus said Blessed are those who are poor in spirit. I believe when He said this He is referring to humble people. As much as God loves us and we are His children, we have to always remember that we are creatures. We were created from the very dirt of the earth. We depend on Him for our every breath. Satan`s big fall came because he wanted to be equal with God, but he too is only a creature. God wants us to use all the gifts He has given to us, our intelligence, our physical ability, our artistic ability etc. But we must always remember these are all gifts from Him. It came to my mind awhile back that if a car could think, and began to compare itself to other cars it might start to feel proud. It might be faster, or shinier, or maybe even have better gas mileage J. But in truth the car has nothing to be proud of, the one that built the car does. If the owner would not maintain the car, it would soon fall apart.
This world teaches us to be proud, it tells us that nothing we do is a sin. It tries to make us believe we are equal to God and we may do as we please. Humble is looked at as a bad thing, but Jesus always went against what the world teaches, He still does. God loves us so very much, but we always need to keep in mind He is God, we are not.
July 5, 2010 Finding God in the Darkness When I was a child, the darkness was a very scary thing to me. Seems I always had one of those little nightlights. The darkness represented the unknown. Sickness can be like that. So can watching a loved one go through it. I remember having tears stream down my cheeks as they set up my first chemo treatment. Darkness, the unknown. I have learned since that day, that I still have a light to chase away fear. I think that what Jesus means when He says He is the light of the world. This life is full of unknowns isn’t it? At times so much darkness, but God never changes. We can count on Him to be there and on His love. Wherever we are, He is there. Even if you are in the darkest valley, He is walking next to you, many times He carries you. To find Him in the darkness, all we have to do is reach out our hand to Him. If you are hurting and afraid, call to Him. He does not want us to struggle alone in the dark. All we have to do is ask, and He will be there. That is more comforting than any nightlight. :).
June 25, 2010 Romans 8:28 “For we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.”
What a loving Father we have! This is such a wonderful promise. It means that as long as I love God, and try my best to live according to the purpose He created me to do, ALL things will be for my good. The word “all” means just that. It does not mean I will like everything that happens in my life, but it means even the things that appeared to be bad will be for my good. As I try each day to walk closer with the Lord, I can see what He is saying. Cancer by itself is a horrible thing, but God has shown me the many ways it has brought me closer to Him. When we are hurting sometimes we pull away from God. The further we get from Him the more pain we feel. If we can go to Him even if we do not understand the reasons why things are like they are, we will feel His love and receive His peace. We will never in this life understand how deep God`s love is for us, if we did we would never question Him. He wants us to spend eternity with Him, think of that, forever and ever! I feel that whatever pain I have in this life will be nothing compared to living in His love forever. Jesus told us we would have to carry crosses in this life. He went before us to save us and to give us an example of how to carry our crosses. Father not my will but Yours be done… In that sentence is the secret of peace in this life. You may find that really hard to say, but I promise you He really wants what is best for you. Find an Adoration Chapel and go sit with our Lord. Whenever I am hurting I look at a crucifix, Jesus understands pain. He loves you so much He truly would have died just for you. I will pray for you, that each day will bring you closer to the Lord. I'll ask you to keep me in your prayers too, that I never lose sight of the goal.
June 25, 2010 The Eyes of Faith Have you ever see a child the night before Christmas? Their little eyes shine with happiness and expectation. Even though all they see under the tree is a tree skirt, they know in the morning there will be all sorts of surprises for them. They may believe it is Santa that will make all of this happen, but we know it is their parents love. God wants us to look beyond the “empty trees” in our lives, and to know He wants to fill them with good things for us, His children. I also remember raising my own sons. that there were times they asked me for things that I knew would not be good or sometimes even safe for them to have. When that happened I would substitute a better gift for the one they thought they wanted. Isn`t that what our Father does at times? We think we know what we need so we ask God for what we think is good. When He does not give them to us we think He is not answering our prayers. We start to think He doesn`t hear us, or worse we may think He does not care. So many times people say they ask and ask but God will not answer their prayer. Anyone of us that are parents know that no is an answer too. Wait is also an answer. The secret to having peace in this life is to trust our Heavenly Father. To understand that we cannot see our future but He can, and His goal is to take us down the road that will bring us safely home to Him. Isn`t that really our goal too? We just have to understand that He knows that the only way is the narrow, sometimes painful road. The road we would never choose on our own. But in the end it is the road that brings us closer to Him.
June 19, 2010 Happy Fathers Day! Happy Fathers Day God! Thank You for loving me and calling me Your child. Thank You loving me enough to always do what is best for me, even when it does not make you very popular. Thank You for never leaving my side, even on those dark days when I do not feel Your presence. Thank You for all the many gifts You give to me each day, and for forgiving me when I do not notice them. Thank you for all the people You have placed in my life, even those I do not care for because even they will help me to grow. Most of all Daddy, thank You for the gift of life You have given to me, the life now, and the life I will share with You for all eternity.
May 23, 2010 For I know well the plans I have for you... Before I became ill to be honest I had not really noticed this scripture. Jeremiah 29:11. Right before I was diagnosed with cancer it seemed to be everywhere, on pens, cards that were given to me, books I would read, just everywhere. Not only that but the words seemed to jump out at me, it became “my scripture”. During times of pain or confusion I would recite it out loud. I have come to realize this scripture belongs to all followers of Jesus. It Begins, “ For I know well the plans I have in mind for you” says the Lord, “Plans for your welfare,not for woe! Plans to give you a future full of hope.” When our Father created each one of us He had a plan in mind for our lives, He still does. I do not know about you but I know there have been many times I have gotten off track of what He made me to be. This life is full of distractions, we can lose sight of what is important. I have come to realize before my cancer I had become lukewarm. On days off from work my focus was on “relaxing”. I no longer went to daily Mass, even when I could have. I am not saying that Our Lord does not want us to rest, but He does want to be the center of our lives. We are the center of His life, we are His focus. He gave up His very life for us, and I think when He looks at what this world has become, He weeps. “For I know well...” The good news is no matter how far we have strayed from the plans God has for us, we can turn back. This world has been very effective in confusing us about what sin is. It has convinced us that if something makes you “happy”, then it is ok. I have lived long enough to know in the end, even if we try to convince ourselves the sky is green, it is still blue. I have also learned that even if we convince ourselves that the way we are living is ok, we will never have true peace living outside the will of God.
Our Mothers Love - May 17, 2010 Mary Our Mother has never grown tired of calling us back to her son. I am looking back at her messages and I am touched by her love. She never gives up on us, she repeats over and over again the ways we can come back to God. She points out that this life is passing and that we should look toward the eternal things...
Message of March 25, 2008"Dear children! I call you to work on your personal conversion. You are still far from meeting with God in your heart. Therefore, spend all the more time in prayer and Adoration of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, for Him to change you and to put into your hearts a living faith and a desire for eternal life. Everything is passing, little children, only God is not passing. I am with you and I encourage you with love. Thank you for having responded to my call." She calls us back to reading God`s word...
Message of January 25, 2006"Dear children! Also today I call you to be carriers of the Gospel in your families. Do not forget, little children, to read Sacred Scripture. Put it in a visible place and witness with your life that you believe and live the Word of God. I am close to you with my love and intercede before my Son for each of you. Thank you for having responded to my call." She reminds us to pray, and to turn away from sin...
Message of January 25, 2002"Dear children! At this time while you are still looking back to the past year I call you, little children, to look deeply into your heart and to decide to be closer to God and to prayer. Little children, you are still attached to earthly things and little to spiritual life. May my call today also be an encouragement to you to decide for God and for daily conversion. You cannot be converted, little children, if you do not abandon sins and do not decide for love towards God and neighbor. Thank you for having responded to my call." She ask us to attend daily Mass and reminds us that satan is a real enemy. She gives us a blueprint of how to grow closer to God... Prayer, fasting, daily Mass...
Message of January 25, 1998"Dear children! Today again I call all of you to prayer. Only with prayer, dear children, will your heart change, become better, and be more sensitive to the Word of God. Little children, do not permit satan to pull you apart and to do with you what he wants. I call you to be responsible and determined and to consecrate each day to God in prayer. May Holy Mass, little children, not be a habit for you, but life. By living Holy Mass each day, you will feel the need for holiness and you will grow in holiness. I am close to you and intercede before God for each of you, so that He may give you strength to change your heart. Thank you for having responded to my call." She always speaks of conversion of heart...
Message of September 25, 1998"Dear children! Today, I call you to become my witnesses by living the faith of your fathers. Little children, you seek signs and messages and do not see that, with every morning sunrise, God calls you to convert and to return to the way of truth and salvation. You speak much, little children, but you work little on your conversion. That is why, convert and start to live my messages, not with your words but with your life. In this way, little children, you will have the strength to decide for the true conversion of the heart. Thank you for having responded to my call."
Lovingly she repeats herself over and over again, because we do not live her messages. I was sitting in the Chapel at Mary`s helpers yesterday. There is a painting of Our Lady looking up to God, in the background were the 3 Crosses on the hill of Calvary. I was thinking how much trust she had in God. Her only son was dying in front of her eyes and even though she accepted it as God`s will, we can`t begin to understand how her heart was being torn to shreds. She has so much to teach us, but we do not listen. The good news is it is not yet too late. I invite you to look back over the years of messages and open your heart to her, let her love you.
He Never Changes - May 10, 2010 St Paul said Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. I was thinking today what good news that is for us. Not only does it mean that everything He said still applies to us today, but it also means he is just as active in our lives as He was in all the lives He touched over 2000 yrs ago. Have you ever thought that you wished you would have been alive when He walked the earth? I have wished that many times, but as I was thinking of this sentence in the Bible I realized I am. We truly have Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament, and He is also present in us and others. He did not make these statements lightly, Jesus meant every word He said. As humans we tend to rely on sight, and feelings, we forget that we are limited. If you have any doubt He is present in the bread and wine ask Him to let you know that He is there. Pray also to be able to see Him in others, and in yourself. What would say to Him if He were sitting next to you now? Would you ask Him questions, ask Him to help a loved one or maybe you would just tell Him how you are feeling. Jesus sits and waits for you to speak to Him , you can speak to Him at any time or anywhere. Know that He hears you. Sometimes if we do not get what we are asking for, we think that means He does not hear us. Sometimes it means we are asking for the wrong things, other times He might say to wait. And yes many times He says yes. Pray for Him to open your heart to trust Him completely. How would you feel tomorrow if on TV they said Jesus was at your Church in the flesh. I have no doubt there would be traffic jams and people pushing to try to get into the Church. He is there, and He waits for you.
Our Father’s Love - May 7, 2010 When we were children we often did not understand why we could not have our way. So many times things just did not make sense to us. I can remember after Hurricane Betsy the truck coming around to give Tetanus shots. I ran to the closet to hide, thinking my Mom would help me escape the pain of that shot. Imagine my surprise when she took me by the hand and brought me to the truck and stood there while they gave the shot to me. In my mind this made no sense! I was sure there was no way that I needed that shot, I thought she was being unreasonable. Many years later I brought my son in for a checkup, when the doctor checked his records he saw it was time for the flu shot. When the doctor left the room to give the nurse the order my little one stood with his arms braced up against the door and called for me to come help him hold the door so that she could not enter. I’ll never forgot the look on his young face as I proceeded to gently pull him away from the door so that the nurse could enter and give him the dreaded shot. He was so upset with me, just as I had been with my own Mother many years before. I knew he was thinking, “I thought she loved me, but she allowed me to be hurt.” He was so angry he did not speak to me after it was over except to tell me of the terrible pain he was feeling because I allowed it. Nothing I said brought him comfort, he only understood he was hurting, and I allowed it to happen. My heart hurt for him. I think sometimes that God’s heart hurts for us. He loves us so much. But for reasons we do not understand there are times He must allow us to suffer. Somehow, in ways we do not understand now these pains will be for our good. No matter what pains you and I are going through, there is a reason. Our Father in Heaven loves us so much more than we could ever understand. Even if you are in the darkest valley you have ever experienced, know that He is with you. Call to Him, He loves you. Trust Him even if it makes no sense to you. When Jesus died on that cross I’m sure it looked to His followers that all was lost. What sense could possible be made of His suffering and dying? It seemed to them that everything they had worked for was over. Made no sense - until Easter. Suddenly the pain had meaning. I promise you, that is how it will be when our lives here are over. We will see that our loving Father has been there every step of the way, and has only allowed our pain because it was for our good. Trust Him! He loves you!
You belong to Me - May 3, 2010 I was thinking today, if God would have asked me 2 ½ years ago if I would like to have cancer, no doubt I would have said no. If He came to me today and said” Madeleine would you like to go back in time? You would pick up where you left off, you would not even know you had been sick. Everything would be as it was.” I realize that I would now say no to that. When we experience suffering we have 2 choices. We can become bitter and become angry at God or we can draw closer to Him. There are many things we will not understand in the life, but I have learned to trust Him and love Him so much more than before my illness. He has shown me how trustworthy He is. He loves us so very much! He loves us enough that sometimes He says no to one of our prayers. Only He knows the future, and He hand picks what is needed for us to make it safely home to Him. I would not trade the love He has for me or the love I feel for Him for anything, not even health. Recently, sitting in the Adoration Chapel I felt Him say in my heart “ You belong to Me.” That was not just meant for me, He is saying that to you too. Take a few minutes to sit down and talk to Him. Speak to Him as you would a friend. Tell Him if you are afraid, or lonely. Ask Him to let you know He is near to you ( He always is). God speaks to all of us daily, we just have to listen and trust Him, He will do the rest. Madeleine
April 27, 2010 My God, In our daily life we have so many decisions, we start to think we are in control. When we become sick, or a loved one becomes ill we realize that we truly do not have control at all. If we understand You, we will see that is a blessing. You alone know our future, we cannot see beyond this moment. Just like the good shepherd, Your eyes are always on us. You want each one of us to make it safely home to You. There are many dangers in this life, and like little sheep we are not always aware of what they are. Father, we trust You, and we ask You to take complete control of our lives. Remind us each day to offer all to You. Always guide us along the right path, the narrow road that leads us to You. Help us to know right from wrong, and never to sin against You. Place a love for Your word in our hearts, so that we will really know You. We ask to learn to love You, as You love us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
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