“Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible, and suddenly you are doing

the impossible.” (St. Francis of Assisi)

Ory "I go to die and you to live; but which of us goes to the better lot is known to none but God" (Plato, Apology,
42).

Force is all-conquering, but its victories are short-lived. Abraham Lincoln

You may deceive all the people part of the time, and part of the people all
the time, but not all the people all the time. Abraham Lincoln

I never had a policy; I have just tried to do my very best each and every day. Abraham
Lincoln

I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends. Abraham Lincoln

In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. Abraham
Lincoln

I'm a slow walker, but I never walk back. Abraham Lincoln

Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it;
the tree is the real thing. Abraham Lincoln

Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.
Abraham Lincoln

The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of
government in the next. Abraham Lincoln

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him
power. Abraham Lincoln

The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time. Abraham Lincoln

Peace is not just the absence of conflicts or tensions. If that’s your idea of peace, then go to the
cemetery. Peace is also the presence of justice and respect for people’s rights. Anonymous
 “Oh Lord, grant me the grace to accept the people I cannot change. The courage to change the
one I can and the wisdom to know its me.”

"You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you." St. Augustine

"Let me love you, my Lord and my God, and see myself as I really am — a pilgrim in this world,
a Christian called to respect and love all whose lives I touch, those in authority over me or those
under my authority, my friends and my enemies.  Help me to conquer anger with gentleness,
greed by generosity, apathy by fervor.  Help me to forget myself and reach out towards others." 
(Prayer attributed to Clement XI of Rome)

Do you have a big problem? Remember that God is bigger than your
problem.
 
“We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are
called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Phillips Brooks once said, “Pray the largest prayers. You cannot think a
prayer so large that God, in answering it, will not wish you had made it
larger.”     

As the German theologian Reinhold Niebuhr puts it in a prayer which, by the way, is my favorite:

"God, grant me SERENITY to accept the things I cannot change; COURAGE to change the things I can change; and
WISDOM to know the difference between both."

Worry is the interest you pay on borrowed trouble.

God the Father is “God-forus.” For with His love, as St. Paul wrote, who can
be against us? God the Son is “God-with-us.” Jesus is Emmanuel. The Holy Spirit is
“Godin-us.” We are dwelling places of the Holy Spirit. St. Paul said that we are
temples of the Holy Spirit. Without Him, it is not possible to call Jesus “Lord” and
only with Him in our hearts can we cry out, “Abba, Father!”

Saint Augustine says the Lord loves each of us as if there were only one of us to love.

“The true measure of love is love without measure.” (St. Francis de Sales)
 "You can’t spell success, without U."

Augustine, in his commentary on this passage, reminds us that prayer and faith go together: “Where
faith fails, prayer perishes.  For who prays for that in which he does not believe? ..

Winston Churchill observed, we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.

Be careful of your thoughts, they become your words. Be careful of your words,
they become your actions. Be careful of your actions, they become your habits.
Be careful of your habits, they become your character. Be careful of your
character, they become you!

There is enough in the world for everyone’s need but not for everyone’s greed

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are
called according to His purpose. – Romans 8:28

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isa. 41:10)

“God gave us things to use and people to love, and not things to love and
people to use.”

Indeed, men are not equal in talent; but men can be equal in effort.

"What you are is God’s gift to you; what you become is your gift to God."

In Jesus’ story, the only weapon the widow had against the judge’s injustice was persistence. That’s a virtue all of
us should have. It took Winston Churchill three years to get through the eighth grade, because he couldn’t pass
English — of all things! Ironically, he was asked many years later to give the commencement address at Oxford
University. His now famous speech consisted of only three words: "Never give up!"

It’s always easy to give in to rationalization, especially the one that says that "what little talent I have will never be
missed." In 1645, one vote gave Oliver Cromwell control of England; in 1776, one vote gave the United States the
English language instead of German; in 1845, one vote brought Texas into the Union; in 1868, one vote saved
President Andrew Johnson from impeachment; in 1875, one vote changed France from a monarchy into a republic;
in 1923, one vote gave Adolf Hitler leadership of the Nazi party; in 1941, just weeks before Pearl Harbor was
attacked, one vote saved Selective Service.

To paraphrase a poet (Michael Quoist, Breath of Life): If each note of music were to say "one note does not make a
symphony," there would be no symphony; if each word were to say, "one word does not make a book," there
would be no book; if each brick were to say, "one brick does not make a wall," there would be no house; if each
seed were to say, "one grain does not make a field of corn," there would be no harvest; if each of us were to say,
"one act of love cannot save mankind," there would never be justice and peace on earth. To have an impact, you
must get involved. No one is impressed with the won-lost record of the referee.

“Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serve You as I should, to give

and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for
rest, to labor and ask not for reward; save, that of knowing that I do Your most holy will.”
(Prayer for Generosity attributed to St. Ignatius of Loyola)
 

Panic is the first-born of fear. Fear is the sister of distrust. Distrust is the
enemy of faith in God.

Time is a non-renewable resource. To realize the value of a month, ask a mother who has given birth to a
premature baby. To realize the value of an hour, ask two lovers who are waiting to meet again. To realize the
value of a second, ask a person who has survived an incident. To realize the value of a millisecond, ask an Olympic
silver medalist.

To illustrate the nature of optimism, and its difference from pessimism, there’s an old story of two children, one a
pessimist and the other an optimist. A researcher placed them alone in separate rooms. The pessimist was placed
in a colorful room full of imaginative toys. The optimist was put in a room filled with horse manure. The pessimist
child played in the room for a while, but soon came to the door asking to leave because the toys were boring. The
young optimist likewise came to the door — but, rather than asking to leave, asked for a shovel. The researcher, of
course, asked why the shovel. The optimist child replied, "With all this manure, I know there must be a pony here
somewhere!"

Hope, on the other hand, usually implies some ground, often reasonably good ground, for one’s looking up. It
there-fore typically, but not invariably, suggests confidence, in which there’s no self-deception and which is the
result of a realistic consideration of the possibilities.

The spirit of today’s Gospel is that we have hope. Whereas optimism is the belief that things are going to get
better, hope is the belief that together we can make them better. Hope makes today possible and tomorrow
attractive, or at least less threatening. Hope makes death bearable. Hope is the mainstay of our energy

Mother Teresa said: “The greatest destroyer of peace is abortion because if

a mother can kill her own child, what is left for me not to kill you and you to
kill me? There is nothing between.”

Bison are made in such a way that their natural inclination is to look down; the
design of their necks makes it difficult for them to look up. In contrast, giraffes are
designed in a way that makes looking up easy; the way their necks were made
makes it difficult for them to look down. Two creatures created by the same God
but with distinctively different body parts and purposes. Giraffes eat leaves from
branches above. Bison eat grass from the field below. God provides food for both
and neither has to become like the other to eat.

“One who asks is a fool for five minutes. One who does not is a fool
forever.”

“When we share the little of what we have, that’s charity. When we give out
what we have in excess, that’s justice.”

According to a Jewish legend, when God was about to create man, he consulted the angels that stood about his
throne.

"Create him not," said the angel of Justice. "For he will commit all kinds of wickedness against his fellowman; he will
be hard and cruel and dishonest and unrighteous."

The angel of Truth said, "Create him not for he will be false and deceitful to his brothers and sisters and even to you."

***

Then the angel of Mercy stepped forward and said, "Our heavenly Father, create him, for when he sins and turns
from the path of right and truth and holiness, I'll take him tenderly by the hand and speak loving words to him and
then lead him back to you."

And God, following the counsel of the angel of Mercy, created man

Daily Bible Reflections

for March 25, 2009

Dear wen,

His light is shining on you this Wednesday.

Praying for you,

Bo Sanchez
 March TODAY'S READINGS:
25 Wednesday DIDACHE | COMPANION | SABBATH
DIDACHE
 

Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

 
MISSION POSSIBlE
 
“For nothing will be impossible with God.” – Luke 1:37
 
Have you ever felt that God was too busy and that you’re too insignificant
for Him to even think about you?
I did. Until I heard this beautiful exposition about the Exodus. Moses
and the Israelites were in the desert. They needed to eat and feeding two
or three million people would require 1,500 tons of food each day. Hauling
that much food would require two freight trains at least a mile long each.
To cook all that food, they’d need 4,000 tons of wood for fire. Add a
few more freight trains just for one day. And to think that they were 40
years in transit!
Oh, and don’t forget the water. They’d need 11,000 gallons each day
just for drinking and washing dishes.
So do you think Moses had this all figured out before they left Egypt?
I don’t think so.
But Moses believed God. And God took care of all these things for
him and his people.
Now do you still think God has any problem taking care of all your
needs? Annette Abad-Flores

Think about this: God expects us to do the natural. Then He will supply the
supernatural. In extreme cases, God may demand that we do the ridiculous, then He
will supply the  miraculous.
 

Never doubt in the dark what God has shown you in the light.

All sunshine and no rain make a desert.

Jesuit Fr. Luis Bermejo wrote, “Hell is not a case of a death sentence
executed by God, but a suicide perpetrated by man.”
People put in our paths are not disturbances to our work. They are our “work.” Our work
to love. Who is my “work” today?

Lord, shape my life as only You can,

Guiding each day by Your loving plan;

Take what You need and give what You will;

My life is Yours to use and to fill. — Branon

“We can do no great things; only small things with great love.” (Mother Teresa)

Plan as though you’ll be living for a century; live as though you’ll be leaving today.    

“Don’t trust in your ability to follow God — trust in His ability to lead you.” (Anonymous)

Say this every day: “Today, I will make others remember God.”

Sunset in one land is sunrise in another.

Learn from your failures, or you will fail to learn.

Nathan C. Schaeffer would say: “At the close of life, the question will not be
how much have you got, but how much have you given. Not how much
have you won, but how much have you done. Not how much have you
saved, but how much have you sacrificed. Not how much were you
honored, but how much have you served

Pascal wrote a remarkable prayer that can help each believer in facing the tasks of life. He
prayed: “Lord, help me to do great things as though they were little, since I do them with Your
power; and little things as though they were great, since I do them in Your name.”

Jesus lived, loved, and died for wealthy people too. But by befriending those who had been
demon-possessed, lepers, fishermen, and even despised tax collectors, the teacher from Nazareth
showed that no one is too poor, too sinful, or too insignificant to be His friend
“From cradle to grave, man will never outgrow the need for affirmation.” (William James)

“He will always make you rich enough to be generous at all times, so that many will
thank God for your gifts.” – 2 Corinthians 9:11
 
This applies to all of us, minister or not. As Blessed Mother Teresa of
Calcutta said, “God does not call us to be successful but to be faithful.” It is
not a call to mediocrity but to fidelity to be good, applause or no applause.
Let us end by reflecting once more on these lines attributed also to
Mother Teresa. It is called “anyway.” “People are often unreasonable,
irrational and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be
kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some
genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you. Be honest
and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.
Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy
anyway.
The good you do today will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have and it will never be enough. Give your best
anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.” Fr. Joel O. Jason

When business dips and sales are few, O Lord, sustain me. When the BIR
comes and finds non-existent income, O Lord, defend me. When strategies
and ideas run dry, O Lord, inspire me. When opportunities knock and the
risk is scary, O Lord, encourage me. When money is scarce and the SSS
and Philhealth checks need to be signed, O Lord, empower me. When you
finally bless us with abundance and loyal employees need a raise, O Lord,
remind me.
Martin Luther King Jr. said it best and most memorably:
 
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to
destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar,  but you cannot murder
the lie, nor establish the truth.  Through violence you may murder the hater,  but you do not murder hate.  In fact,
violence merely increases hate.  So it goes.  Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper
darkness to a night already devoid of stars."

We judge on peripherals, He discerns the potentials.

“Sic transit gloria mundi!” (“Fame is fleeting!” or, literally, “So passes away the glory of the world!”)

Stephen Grellet, puts it, “I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do
or any kindness I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I
shall not pass this way again.

Lorenzo Tañada: “When all else is taken away from you, what will remain is
character.”

William Hersey David points out, “Reputation is what you

are supposed to be; character is what you are. Reputation
is a photograph; character is the face. Reputation comes
over one from without; character grows up from within.
Reputation is what you have when you come to a
community; character is what you have when you go
away. Reputation is made in a moment; character is built
in a lifetime. Reputation grows like a mushroom; character
lasts like eternity. Reputation makes one rich or poor;
character makes one happy or miserable. Reputation is
what men say about you on your tombstone; character is
what angels say about you before the throne of God!”
The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the
outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ
would take the slums out of people, and then they would take
themselves out of the slums. (Ezra Taft Benson)

Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add but

when there is nothing left to take away. (Antoine de Saint-
Exupery)

“To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to
another one bag, each according to his ability.” – Matthew 25:15
 

Why did God give more talents to some and less to

others? Why is Sam on centerstage and I’m just in the
backroom? Why is Tim the lead-role type and I’m just the
sidekick?
       This could have been the questions of David, the
forgotten son of Jessie, until the Goliath episode unfolded.
It could have been Gideon’s until the angel pushed him
out of hiding to vanquish the Midianites. It could have
been Simon’s, until Jesus called him Peter to be the head
of the Church. The list goes on.
       You don’t need what others have to fulfill your destiny.
You have what you need. When God created you, He
matched you with your world. He decided what your
purpose would be.
       If you need to be taller, you would have been taller.
Quit despising what you have. Stop complaining about
what you don’t have. You are fearfully and wonderfully
made.
       I’m anointed to be me and you are anointed to be you.
Nobody can beat me at being me. Combine your natural
and God’s super “powers”, and together you can do the
supernatural.
       Then, my friend, you’ll overcome, and will accomplish
more than you ever thought possible. Jon Escoto
(faithatworkjon@gmail.com)
 

Reflection: What are your complaints to God regarding your

physical features, gifts and talents? Turn them into praise.
 

Father, let me discover the beauty of the way You created me.
May I thank You more for it, and may I fulfill Your purpose. Amen.
 

St. Margaret of Scotland, pray for us.