Zum Neujahr

To be conscious about something is to be aware of it. Lord help me to remember that You gave me life. Thank you for the gift of life. Teach me to slow down, to be still and enjoy the pleasures created for me.
To be aware of the beauty that surrounds me. The marvel of mountains, the calmness of lakes, the fragility of a flower petal. I need to remember that all these things come from you.

Reinhold Neibuhr-1926

GOD, grant me the serenity
to accept the things
I cannot change,
Courage to change the
things I can, and the
wisdom to know the difference.

Living ONE DAY AT A TIME;

Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardship as the
pathway to peace.
Taking, as He did, this

sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it.
Trusting that He will make

all things right if I
surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy

in this life, and supremely
happy with Him forever in
the next. Amen

Love, laughter, caring and sharing.

Psalms 128: 1 - 5

1 Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways!
2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
4 Lo, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD.
5 The LORD bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life!

-- St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Epesius 19:

Mary's viginity and giving birth, and even the Lord's death escaped the notice of the prince of this world; these three mysteries worthy of proclamation were accomplished in God's silence.



Read more: http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/inspiration.htm#29#ixzz1hvZKGx7c

“The Holy Spirit was upon him.” (Luke 2:25)

Does the way God works ever surprise you? If not, read this pas­sage more closely. No doubt, Simeon was surprised when he came to the Temple that day, saw Jesus, and was filled with the Holy Spirit. It was the unexpected fulfill­ment of a long-awaited prophecy that he would not die until he saw the Messiah. We might be a bit sur­prised too if we realize that Simeon became a “Spirit-filled” believer while Jesus was still an infant, well before the Holy Spirit was poured out on the apostles at Pentecost.

Simeon certainly wasn’t the only figure in the New Testament who was touched by the Spirit outside of normal channels. Cornelius, a centurion from Rome, was an up­right and God-fearing man who had not been baptized nor heard the complete gospel, yet the Spirit fell on him and he began to praise God and speak in tongues (Acts 10:44-46)! There are dozens of Old Testament figures as well whom the Spirit used powerfully: Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samson, David, and Daniel, not to mention the prophets—all before the Spirit was poured out on Pentecost!

God is not bound by our lim­ited expectations or by our opinion of how he should act. It can be easy to fall into a trap of thinking that he works only in certain ways, or only for those who are spiritually “ma­ture.” Often, however, he is waiting for us to admit our weakness and to cry out: “I can’t do it, Lord!” before he will move. Humility is the key, for it is only when we are weak that we are open to his strength. It is only when we see our need that we are able to surrender to his Spirit.

Christmas Day may have passed, but God still wants to bless us— maybe even surprise us with an unexpected outpouring of the Holy Spirit. What do you really need? Maybe you know someone with a serious illness who needs healing. Maybe you’ve been praying for years that a relative would give his or her heart to the Lord. Or maybe you are hoping for victory over a sinful area that keeps tripping you up. Don’t box God in. Instead, expect the un­expected—just as Simeon did.

“Holy Spirit, thank you for showing me your love. I give you my whole heart, and I believe that you can move any mountain in my life!”

1 John 2:3-11; Psalm 96:1-3,5-6