Monday Morning Prayer Request Blog VIII

“After this manner therefore pray... ‘Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.’” Matthew 6:9-13

Welcome in! Our Monday Morning Prayer Request Blog is dedicated to pray for those dear to the heart of Jesus - the homeless, the poor, the abandoned, the crushed, and forgotten. Also, we pray for ourselves and all the "poor, suffering and homeless" in our lives.

Who do you know that is crushed, broken, lost, abandoned or hurting? Come, post as many prayer requests as you wish for yourself or others - first names or initials only. Your prayer requests will be printed and presented each day this week at one hour Adoration for the Lord‘s consideration, great mercy and compassion.

Pass it on! Let your family and friends know that even though we are often too busy for much prayer, take a minute here to post prayers; someone will daily pray for each and every request. Please return next Monday or any time this week and post new prayer requests.

Here is how to post a prayer request:
1. Click on COMMENT at the bottom of this post.
2. Click the circle Anonymous at the bottom of the page.
3. Type your prayer request in the box at the top of the page.
4. Use your first name or initials at the end of what you wrote.
5. Visually check your spelling (no spell check)
6. Fill in the wavy letters in the security box.
7. Click on publish and send it heaven’s door.
8. Have faith - about the size of a grain of a mustard seed.

Return tomorrow for the Tuesday Morning Praise Blog! Give thanks to God for His mercy and compassion and for answering prayers for all the "poor" in our lives!
______

VOTE - Scroll down & vote in the polls.
COMMENT - Daily insights, prayers, thanksgiving & praise.
SUBSCRIBE! -Top, right column.
POST - Your location below at People of Mercy & Compassion Map.
INVITE - Friends and family to Subscribe!
http://www.homelessinamerica.blogspot.com

Turn and Follow! Part II

Continued from yesterday …

In Luke 18:18 ff., God confirms once again that His communication is simple, clear and direct. If we are to turn and follow Him, just like the 747 pilots, it is our responsibility to receive correct communication and yield to the authority of God speaking to our lives. Jesus calls us to turn from our selfish and unmerciful ways and to follow Him. He calls us to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, give water to the thirsty, visit the prisoner, care for the outcast, to visit the sick, forgive the unforgivable, and care for the suffering within our communities.

But, back to our story. Who were the 747 pilots that got a lot of communication dead wrong? On March 27, 1977, on the Island of Tenerife, Pan Am Flight 1736, under the command of Captain Victor Grubbs, he was told to turn and follow on to an active foggy runway, and exit at C3. In error, he missed exit C3 and remained on the runway longer than expected. Exit C4 was still 100 meters away. At the same time, KLM Airlines Flight 4805, under the command of Captain Jacob van Zanten was told to turn and follow on to an active runway, stop and hold for takeoff. The complete instructions failed to reach Captain Jacob van Zenten. The Captain failed to communicate with the Tower before starting his engine rotation.

Today, Jesus speaks to each one of us with a clear and distinct message that we can trust. He stands in the control tower of heaven and calls out to each of us to find what it means in our own hearts to - “Sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, come follow me.” Are we listening to the cries of the poor around us? Are we responding as Jesus commands? Have you checked in with God today before starting your engines?
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Turn and Follow! Part I

On Luke 18:18-22
“God has created human beings with the ability to follow Him.” Karl Rahner

"And a ruler asked him, 'Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?' And Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call me good? No, one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and your mother.' And he said, 'All these things I have observed from my youth.'And when Jesus heard it, he said to him, 'One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.'"

In this past season of Lent, the Scripture readings, like the one above, present us with a reoccurring theme, that we are made by God to take up our crosses and then turn and follow God. In the Luke chapter 18 Gospel reading, Jesus tells the rich young ruler to, “Sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; come [or turn from where you are] and follow me.” But what does it mean to, “turn and follow?” I would like to illustrate one possible meaning by recalling the final seconds of a radio transmission of two 747 pilots (March 27, 1977, on the Island of Tenerife) who were told to “turn and follow” but got the messages all mixed up. However, before we push back from the gate on an ill-fated flight, please stow all your carryons underneath the seat in front of you, place your tray tables in their full upright and locked positions, fasten your seat belts and prepare for takeoff!

TOWER: Pan Am Clipper, take active runway, then turn and follow to exit C3 holding area. Wait for further instructions. I will call you.

Pan Am: Copy. We're taxiing down the runway now, Clipper 1, 7, 3, 6, out.

TOWER: KLM, 4, 8, 0, 5 turn and follow to end of active runway.

KLM CAPTAIN: Copy. KLM, 4, 8, 0, 5, out.

TOWER: KLM, STOP and HOLD. Wait for further instructions. (The communication is transmitted clearly, however it arrives as a shrill noise in KLM cockpit. The stop and hold message was not understood by the KLM crew, they continue on to the runway while Pan Am prepares for takeoff on the same runway.

TOWER: Roger, Pan Am 1, 7, 3, 6. Report when clear of the runway.

Pan Am: Copy. OK, we'll report when we’re clear of the runway.

TOWER: Thank you.

KLM FLT ENGR: Is Pan Am not clear then of the runway?

KLM CAPTAIN: What do you think?

KLM FLT ENGR: Ah… Yup?

KLM FLT ENGR: Is he not clear of the runway that Pan American?

KLM CAPTAIN: Ah… Yes. I think so. (KLM begins engine rotation)

Pan Am Captain: Sees the headlights of KLM landing gear rapidly approaching at 700 meters.

CRASH & END TRANSMISSION

A series of errors, failed communication, foggy weather, wrong turns and unyielding to authority resulted in a catastrophic aviation failure and tremendous loss of life. In the airline business, it has become known as the crash of two 747 that now holds the record for the highest number of fatalities of any single accident in aviation history.

But just like the 747s and the pilots in our story, we too are built to be in communication and to turn and follow instructions. We are built to be in communication with God every moment of the day. God calls us to make correct turns and to follow him. And, just like the rich young ruler in today’s Gospel story, he calls us to have a preferential care for the poor. That is how he defines “follow me.” Jesus says, “Sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, come, or ‘turn and follow’ me.” To be continued tomorrow …
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http://www.homelessinamerica.blogspot.com/

"True Poverty" & a NEW Feature

Much of the time, because we see darkly as a result of sin, we fail to perceive the real poverty of our human existence. True poverty is not what the homeless and the poor experience. Actually, they are rich because their wills are crushed - abandoned and so they are automatically predisposed to the eternal wealth of knowing God. However, Thomas À Kempis makes a description of true poverty in his work, The Imitation of Christ, Book Four, Chapter 7, section 2. In an easy-to-read paraphrase Thomas laments...

“Sigh and grieve that you are still so carnal and worldly and so unmortified from your passions for the world and the flesh. Your heart so full of evil desires, so unguarded in your outward senses; so often entangled with many vain pursuits. So much inclined to things exterior; so negligent of the interior spirit. So prone to laughter and indulgence; so hard to come by tears and regrets. So inclined to relaxation, and to the pleasures of the flesh; so sluggish in soberness and fervor. So curious to hear gossip and news and to see fine things; so remiss to embrace humility and putting your self last. So covetous to possess much; so sparing in giving, so close in retaining. So inconsiderate in talking; so unobservant of silence. So disordered in thy manners; so overeager in your actions. So immoderate in food; so deaf to the Word of God. So ready for repose; so slow to labor. So wakeful to hear idle tales; so drowsy at prayer and at Mass. So hasty to finish devotions; so wandering in attention. So negligent in reciting the Liturgy of the Hours… So quickly distracted; so seldom fully recollected. So suddenly moved to anger; so apt to take offense at others. So prone to judge; so severe in being merciful. So joyful in prosperity; so weak when adversity strikes you. So often proposing many good things; and bringing so little to effect.” By: Thomas À Kempis

A NEW Feature
The People of Mercy and Compassion Map

Today, HIA begins to officially invite bloggers to participate in a new daily feature: The Homeless In America People of Mercy and Compassion Map. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and post your geographical location on the chart. Over days, weeks and months we will begin to discover how far and wide across the globe that there are people of mercy and compassion in pursuit of triumph over all types of poverty conditions. Take a moment and plot your city's location on the map.
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POST - Your location below at People of Mercy & Compassion Map.
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http://www.homelessinamerica.blogspot.com/

Tuesday Morning Thanksgiving and Praise Blog V

Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Psalm 150:6

Welcome in! Our Tuesday Morning Thanksgiving & Praise Blog is dedicated to give thanks and praise to the Lord for all the mighty works he is doing for all of us who are praying for the “poor”, abandoned and crushed in our lives - including ourselves. Peruse yesterday's Monday Morning Prayer Request Blog and one can get a strong sense of the needs out there. No doubt, God is moving and hearing our prayers!

What has God been doing in your life this past week, month, day, year and in this past minute? What prayers has he answered? What is Jesus doing in your life? How can we ever say “thank you” enough? Post a “thank you” blog to the Lord that gets mailed direct to heaven’s door. Whatever you write will be printed and presented each day at one hour Adoration for the rest of the week!

Pass it on! Let others know that even though we are often too busy, we’re never to busy to say “thank you” for all he has done for us. Come back next Tuesday or any time in the week to post new prayers of thanksgiving and praise. Return Monday or any day and post your intentions at Monday Morning Prayer Request Blog.

Here is how to post thanksgiving and praise:
1. Click on COMMENT at the bottom of this post.
2. Click the circle Anonymous at the bottom of the page.
3. Type your thanksgiving and praise in the box at the top.
4. Use your first name or initials at the end of what you wrote.
5. Visually check your spelling (no spell check)
6. Fill in the wavy letters in the security box.
7. Click on publish and send it to heaven’s door.
8. Giving thanksgiving and praise is the sign of a humble heart!
______

VOTE - Scroll down & vote in the polls.
COMMENT - Daily insights, prayers, thanksgiving & praise.
SUBSCRIBE! -Top, right column.
POST - Your location below at People of Mercy & Compassion Map.
INVITE - Friends and family to Subscribe!
http://www.homelessinamerica.blogspot.com

Monday Morning Prayer Request Blog VII

Is any among you suffering? Let him pray.

Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise. James 5.13

Welcome in! Our Monday Morning Prayer Request Blog is dedicated to pray for those dear to the heart of Jesus - the homeless, the poor, the abandoned, the crushed, and forgotten. Also, we pray for ourselves and all the "poor, suffering and homeless" in our lives.

Who do you know that is crushed, broken, lost, abandoned or hurting? Come, post as many prayer requests as you wish for yourself or others - first names or initials only. Your prayer requests will be printed and presented each day this week at one hour Adoration for the Lord‘s consideration, great mercy and compassion.

Pass it on! Let your family and friends know that even though we are often too busy for much prayer, take a minute here to post prayers; someone will daily pray for each and every request. Please return next Monday or any time this week and post new prayer requests.

Here is how to post a prayer request:
1. Click on COMMENT at the bottom of this post.
2. Click the circle Anonymous at the bottom of the page.
3. Type your prayer request in the box at the top of the page.
4. Use your first name or initials at the end of what you wrote.
5. Visually check your spelling (no spell check)
6. Fill in the wavy letters in the security box.
7. Click on publish and send it heaven’s door.
8. Have faith - about the size of a grain of a mustard seed.

Return tomorrow for the Tuesday Morning Praise Blog! Give thanks to God for His mercy and compassion and for answering prayers for all the "poor" in our lives!
______

VOTE - Scroll down & vote in the polls.
COMMENT - Daily insights, prayers, thanksgiving & praise.
SUBSCRIBE! -Top, right column.
POST - Your location below at People of Mercy & Compassion Map.
INVITE - Friends and family to Subscribe!
http://www.homelessinamerica.blogspot.com

Fr. Morgan’s Corner: Cell Phone vs. Bible

Extreme poverty exists in many forms, ranging from being homeless or terminally ill to being a workaholic, alcoholic or drug addict. But thanks be to God, he hears the voice of the poor when we cry out! Of recent times, we can now add “cell phone addiction” to our list of poverty conditions. Today, Father Morgan asks, “I wonder what would happen if we treat our Bible like we treat our cell phones?”

What if we carried it around in our pocket or purse all day?

What if we turned back to get it if we forgot it?

What if we flipped through it several times a day?

What if we used it to get messages from the Text?

What if we treated it like we could not live without it?

What if we gave it to kids as a gift?

What if we used it as we traveled?

What if we upgraded it to get the latest version?

This is something to make you go...hmmm…where is my Bible?

Oh, and one more thing, unlike our cell phone, we don’t ever have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill!
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COMMENT - Daily insights, prayers, thanksgiving & praise.
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http://www.homelessinamerica.blogspot.com/

“Sleepy Sidewalks” Reserved for Los Angeles Homeless

Not long ago, Kenneth Johnson, 29, lived in a West Los Angeles condominium with his wife and three children and earned $4,000 a month as a forklift operator. Now he is unemployed and divorced, and beds down each night on a grimy sidewalk in downtown’s 50-square-block Skid Row. Mr. Johnson made his way to Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles because of the ease in finding food, shelter and services there ranging from the Midnight Mission and Union Rescue Mission to Home Boy Industries and many others.

Since last October, there has been good news for Los Angeles homeless people and recently shared with us while passing out food and spiritual supplies on the streets in downtown. Homeless men and women are now allowed to sleep on sidewalks from 9PM until 6AM as long as they are not blocking doorways or driveways. Once the city of LA builds 1,250 housing units for the homeless they will again be able to enforce a 1968 ordinance banning sleeping on sidewalks. There are an estimated 73,000 to 93,000 homeless on the streets of LA depending on the report you peruse. Thus, 73, 000 homeless (using the lower of the two) will still be subject to tickets and arrests, if and when those 1,250 units are built.

For those unfamiliar with the issue, on October 10, 2007, a court found the city of Los Angeles guilty of cruel and unusual punishment, because people without homes can not be expected to walk 24 hours a day. The city of LA appealed the decision and this news is how the case was settled. For now, the homeless in LA have one less thing to worry about when they lay their heads down to sleep. The police can not wake them up to give them a ticket or tell them to find someplace else to sleep. For the time being, Los Angeles homeless can sleep a bit easier, if only they are able to get up and move on before 6AM without an alarm clock to wake them.
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The Buzz About Busy Pastors

Regarding Busy Pastors, (see Wednesday, March 26, 2008) Lizzy asked – “Isn't there some middle ground here with this question?” The Rev. C.P. wrote: “Most of us as pastors either are doing this or it is part of the local parish community actions....so I find the question being written with a bias in place... I find an integration of both liturgies and direct service/ministry as part of my 24 years as a priest in three different settings....”

On the other hand, Rene wrote, “Thanks for keeping me abreast with this important ministry--this is how we make the Incarnation a living and present reality!” Anonymous makes a point by saying, “It may not be the most palatable of questions, but the feedback and insights that others are having is prompting a great discussion. It seems as though serving the poor is less about the question. It’s also less about talk and like Nike we are called to ‘just do it.’ One can only imagine how happy our actions in this regard please the Lord.”

Lastly, Ileana and Sr. A. share similar thoughts, so the wrap-up comes from Sr. A. putting it all together, “…Each one us has a particular role while still on this earthly journey, as God had destined for us to function in His vineyard. Some have leadership role while others have the discipleship role. Like the different parts of our body; a hand cannot act as the head or the feet to be the mouth... There are many ways for us to be able to help the poor. Prayers, almsgiving, visitations are some of them. All corporal works of mercy should be done out of one’s generosity of time, treasure and talent…”
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Tuesday Morning Thanksgiving and Praise Blog IV

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Hebrews 13:15

Welcome in! Our Tuesday Morning Thanksgiving & Praise Blog is dedicated to give thanks and praise to the Lord for all the mighty works he is doing for all of us who are praying for the “poor”, abandoned and crushed in our lives - including ourselves. Check out each week's Monday Morning Prayer Request Blog and one can get a strong sense of the needs out there. No doubt, God is moving and hearing our prayers!

What has God been doing in your life this past week, month, day, year and in this past minute? What prayers has he answered? What is Jesus doing in your life? How can we ever say “thank you” enough? Post a “thank you” blog to the Lord that gets mailed direct to heaven’s door. Whatever you write will be printed and presented each day at one hour Adoration for the rest of the week!

Pass it on! Let others know that even though we are often too busy, we’re never to busy to say “thank you” for all he has done for us. Return next Tuesday or any time this week and post new prayers of thanksgiving and praise.

Here is how to post thanksgiving and praise:
1. Click on COMMENT at the bottom of this post.
2. Click the circle Anonymous at the bottom of the page.
3. Type your thanksgiving and praise in the box at the top.
4. Use your first name or initials at the end of what you wrote.
5. Visually check your spelling (no spell check)
6. Fill in the wavy letters in the security box.
7. Click on publish and send it to heaven’s door.
8. Giving thanksgiving and praise is the sign of a humble heart!
______

VOTE -Scroll down & vote in the polls.

SUBSCRIBE! -Top, right column.

POST - Prayers, Mondays - Praise, Tuesdays.

INVITE - Friends and family to Subscribe!
http://www.homelessinamerica.blogspot.com/