Marian Prayer: A Prayer to Begin a New Day

Dear Lord, this day stretches out before me like a quiet ocean, calm and clean and potent with possibility as I sing out the words of Mary, "My soul Magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior." Help me to make the most of the beauty and opportunity within this day. I offer it to You through the following affirmations, confident that if I live what they contain I will have lived the day well.
I believe the Lord loves and remains with me at all times.
I believe the Lord provides for my earthly needs.
I believe the Lord cannot fail in anything He undertakes.
I believe I play a unique, important role in the Lord's plan.
I believe the Lord guides me to know His will.
I believe the Lord gives me all the strength I need in times of difficulty.
I believe good will come from all the situations I meet today.
I love all in and of the world and beyond; nothing can harm me.
I develop my talents, resources, and abilities to their best use.
I turn over to the Lord whatever I cannot changes and set realistic goals to change whatever I can.
I structure my day to include a balance of work, play, rest, and spiritual development.
I strive to live this day humbly, resisting the urge to belittle others or compare myself to them. realizing the presence of God within us all.

- from Marian Prayer Book (emphasis added)

In Remembrance: B. Michael Caudill

Mike Caudill, my boss and mentor, passed away on Friday, December 21, 2007. You may read the obituaries to find out about his long fight printed in both the Richmond Register and at Kentucky.com.

Mike was the superintendent of Madison County Schools and was the one who hired me in my current position. He was of great support to me both professionally and personally, and I'm sure I'm not the only principal, teacher, custodian, kitchen manager, etc. to say so. He was there for everyone on his staff. But mostly, he was there for the students of Madison County, especially the ones he dubbed, "Mike's Kids", the at-risk poulation needing the most help. The kids I serve in my Alternative Program.

I went to his visitation this evening. There must have been 700 people there, in just the first hour. He meant alot to many people. We were lucky to have known him.

In his visitation card, a small simple prayer is printed from A Gentle Thunder. It goes:

You want to make a difference in your world?
Live a holy life:

1. Be faithful to your spouse.
2. Be the one at the office (or school) who refuses to cheat.
3. Be the neighbor who acts neighborly.
4. Be the employee who does the work and doesn't complain.
5. Pay your bills.
6. Doyour part and enjoy life.
7. Don't speak one message and live another.
8. People are watching the way act more than they are listening to what we say.
   

Rest in peace, Mr. Caudill.

From My Inbox: Twelve Days of Christmas

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality, which the children could remember.

• The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
• Two turtledoves were the Old and New Testaments.
• Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love. The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.
• The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
• The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
• Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit - wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord.
• The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
• Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.
• The ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments.
• The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
• The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

I received this as a mass email, so I'm sure if it's accurate or not. Either way, it's kinda neat.

November 23 - Augustine Day by Day

Christ Instructs Us in Silence
Enter into your heart, as the Prophet Isaiah says. And, if you have faith you will find Christ there. There He speaks to you.
I, the preacher, must raise my voice when I speak to you. But Christ instructs you more effectively in silence.
Sermon 102, 2

Prayer: O God, do not be silent to me, but speak the truth in my heart, for it is only truth You speak. Let me enter into the secret chamber of my heart and sing to You songs of love, which are largely sighs: my attempts to express what cannot be expressed.
Confessions 12, 16

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day Prayer

Father, all of Creation rightly owes you thanks and praise.

Your justice, love and mercy abound.

We thank You this day for all that you have given us:

For the Passion and Death of Your Divine Son, we thank You Father;

Through the Cross, He redeemed the world.

For the Church, we thank You Father;

It is our beacon for salvation.

For the martyrs and saints who give testimony to Your Son, we thank You Father;

Their witness to your Son is our inheritance.

For our loved ones and friends who have died and gone before us, we thank You Father;

Their love abides with us forever.

For loving spouses, we thank You Father;

Together we seek You.

For the gift of children, we thank You Father;

They are Your precious gifts to us and the world.

For the gift of our families, loved ones and good friends, we thank You Father;

Through them we see the reflection of Your Son.

For jobs, our homes and all that we have, we thank You Father;

Give us only that which we need, as we seek Your Kingdom.

We thank You through Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

prayer by The Holy Spirit

November 22 - Augustine Day by Day

Pine for the Homeland
Now let us hear, bothers and sisters, let us hear and sing. Let us pine for the city where we are citizens. By pining, we are already there. We have already cast our hope, like an anchor, on that coast.
I sing of somewhere else, not of here; for I sing with my heart, not my flesh. The citizens of Babylon hear the sounds of the flesh; the founder of Jerusalem hears the tune of the heart.
Commentary on Psalm 64, 3

Prayer: Lord, lets us make our home again in You and thus avoid being lost. Long ago we left it - for what is our home but Your Eternity, which does not disappear because we have deserted it!
Confessions 4, 16

November 21 - Augustine Day by Day

Father and Judge
Really, what profit is there in temporal good health and in the ties of blood if we willingly spurn the eternal inheritance of Christ? And this opinion is not mine.
It comes from the words of the Almighty God Himself: whoever rejects Him in this world as Father will find Him in the next as Judge!.
Letter 52, 4

Prayer: O Lord, our God, let our mouths not speak of vanities. Make us happy in You, for we will not lose You if we have clung to You, nor shall we go lost. Make us happy in You.
Sermon 113, 6

November 20 - Augustine Day by Day

Captivity and Liberation
We must also know first our captivity, then our liberation: we must know Babylon and Jerusalem. These were two cities recorded in the Bible.
They were founded to symbolize those two "cities" that began in the far past and will continue to the end of time.
Commentary on Psalm 64:1-2

Prayer: Lord, while I move and bear this body, I pray tha i may be pure, generous, just, and prudent. May I be a perfect lover and knower of Your Wisdom. Finally, may I be worthy of Your Dwelling Place and live in Your most blessed Kingdom.
Soliloquies 1, 1

Continued Recovery

Thank you for all the prayers for Bob and his family. We went to visit him at the nursing home this evening and he seemed much more alert and cognizant than yesterday.

We went to the dining hall for dinner and he ate OK, but about 30 minutes into it, the entertainment arrived. Several people (obviously from an evangelical church) had a guitar, mandolin, banjo and several vocalists. The sang hymns and took requests. Most all was Bluegrass.

Bob cried throughout alot of the songs, which was good for him. Some reminded him of years passed with his parents, and some were just very emotional to hear. All songs were centered on Christ and His suffering and love. I don't really care for Bluegrass hymns, but all in all it was good this evening.

Things are looking up.

Thanks for the prayers.

Continued Prayers....

Lord, I offer You the following intentions:

• For Sue and her continued recuperation.
• For Bob and his continued recuperation.
• For Kathy and Gail and their continued strength and belief that You will handle things.
• For Travis and his struggle with what You want him to do.
• For my students and their families and their everyday struggles.
• For my staff and their strength and devotion to our students every single day.
• For all the soldiers and their families in their time of sacrifice for our country and opportunity to serve and praise You.

For all of these and others You know are in my heart, I pray to You: Hear my Prayers

November 17 - Augustine Day by Day

Friendship is Godlike
Particularly when I am worn out by the upsets of the world, I cast myself without reservation on the love of those who are especially close to me.
I know I can safely entrust my thoughts and considerations to those who are aflame with Christian loveand have become faithful friends to me. For I am entrusting them not to another human, but to God in Whom they dwell and by Whom they are who they are.
Letter 73, 3

Prayer: Lord, with your help we have one what You commanded. Reward us as You promised.
Sermon 31, 6

Lord Hear Our Prayers

For SM - a productive and quick recovery from shoulder and arm surgery.
For BR - continued improvement from drug interaction.
For KN and GR - strength to handle everyday situations and decisions.

Catholic Video: Fishers of Men Accident Scene

This week our diocese had a "pulpit swap". This is when all the priests in the diocese swap with one another and during the homily, include their vocation story. We had Father Mark from the Cathedral of Christ the King in Lexington.

I found the following video at LoveToBeCatholic.com which was inspired by a vocation story.

Catholic "YouTube"

Check out this video sharing site with a Catholic theme - LoveToBeCatholic.

The following video illustrates what All Souls Day means:

Getting Back Into It

Wow. I’ve really neglected my blog, haven’t I?

I upgraded to the new version of Blogger and now my third party editor, w.bloggar, won’t work. Frustrating.

So I have downloaded BlogJet and trying it out for 30 days.

Colbert, Fr. Martin and Mother Teresa

Hilarious commentary I saw last night based on the TIME article "Mother Teresa's Crisis of Faith". A bit irreverent, but funny nonetheless.

In Memory of Maxine B.

From and email I received today:

Maxine, peacefully passed away through the night. She fought the good fight, but ultimately she let Our Lord lift her up to His arms. There is no doubt in my mind that she is happily with Him now. Thanks for your prayers and I ask that you continue those prayers for Jim and their family.

Eternal rest grant unto Maxine O Lord,
And let perpetual Light shine upon her.
May her soul
And the souls of all the faithful departed
Through the mercy of God
Rest in peace.
Amen.

Please Pray For...

Please pray for my great-aunt, Maxine B. who is suffering with emphysema. She was a teacher and a nurse. A very good person. I have very fond memories of visiting her farm in Indiana on Thanksgiving when I was little.

Hospice has been called in. Family has been visiting regularly. She's is in God's hands now.

(on a separate note) - I plan to post more regularly from now on. Please check back daily if you choose. Much went on in the last six months. Trying to sort everything out.

God Bless -

Darren

On Vacation

On vacation from May 29 - June 7th. Check out daily logs and pics at Norton, News, Notes 'n' Nonsense.

St. Patrick's Day Video

With St. Paddy's Day coming up, I thought I'd post a little video from one of the kids' Veggie Tales DVD. It's pretty funny, fairly informative on the basics of St. Patrick's life, and pretty entertaining. Let me know what you think.