Aquarius has recommended I post a link to the retreats at Loyola Press. This one is entitled, "You Are a Living Stone." Thank you, Aquarius! These are lovely, just three or so minutes each. They sure help one to keep reverence in strength, peace of spirit and joy of soul.  I have bookmarked this wonderful place and hope to visit every day!


You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ.

1 Peter 2:5


"Here I am, Lord.  Set me in the place you want me to be and grant me the courage to do your will."

You Are A Living Stone, a 3 minute retreat, by Loyola Press
Retreat Home Directory

Thank you, Katy!  Your story provides an awesome post on Easter! 

Light at the End of His Days 





( I never liked that there was a lot of arguing about faith and/or works amongst us all...)-- God knows what is in our hearts, and who can argue with His love, mercy, decrees, and justice?!  [I would like to share] a story about doing works when one can. It is the story about the Angry boy and the Hammer and Nails. You can find the story by simply googling those words. Here is one version:

Once upon a time there was a little boy who was talented, creative, handsome, and extremely bright. A natural leader. The kind of person everyone would normally have wanted on their team or project. But he was also self-centered and had a very bad temper. When he got angry, he usually said, and often did, some very hurtful things. In fact, he seemed to have little regard for those around him. Even friends. So, naturally, he had few. “But,” he told himself, “that just shows how stupid most people are!”

As he grew, his parents became concerned about this personality flaw, and pondered long and hard about what they should do. Finally, the father had an idea. And he struck a bargain with his son. He gave him a bag of nails, and a BIG hammer. “Whenever you lose your temper,” he told the boy, “I want you to really let it out. Just take a nail and drive it into the oak boards of that old fence out back. Hit that nail as hard as you can!”

Of course, those weathered oak boards in that old fence were almost as tough as iron, and the hammer was mighty heavy, so it wasn’t nearly as easy as it first sounded. Nevertheless, by the end of the first day, the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence (That was one angry young man!). Gradually, over a period of weeks, the number dwindled down. Holding his temper proved to be easier than driving nails into the fence! Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He felt mighty proud as he told his parents about that accomplishment.

“As a sign of your success,” his father responded, “you get to PULL OUT one nail. In fact, you can do that each day that you don’t lose your temper even once.”

Well, many weeks passed. Finally one day the young boy was able to report proudly that all the nails were gone.

At that point, the father asked his son to walk out back with him and take one more good look at the fence. “You have done well, my son,” he said. “But I want you to notice the holes that are left. No matter what happens from now on, this fence will never be the same. Saying or doing hurtful things in anger produces the same kind of result. There will always be a scar. It won’t matter how many times you say you’re sorry, or how many years pass, the scar will still beimages there. And a verbal wound is as bad as a physical one. People are much more valuable than an old fence. They make us smile. They help us succeed. Some will even become friends who share our joys, and support us through bad times. And, if they trust us, they will also open their hearts to us. That means we need to treat everyone with love and respect. We need to prevent as many of those scars as we can.”


...and the reason i post this is, Christ, by his passion and death, in fact acts as our Repairer and provides expiation for all of us sinners. I think if we ever got that through our heads--that Jesus had to suffer to repair the damage by OUR SINS---we would have a horror of sin that would keep us holy...

Blessed Easter, all.