Joyful Service!

11 Sunday Sep 2022

Posted by Leanevdp in Be Cheerful/Helps to Happiness, Spiritual Tidbits

Joy! It is such an important ingredient when raising a family! There will be something (terribly) missing and your children may be tempted to jump ship….if there is no joy. Why would they want what you have….your religion, your way of life…..if you don’t have joy? It’s something worth praying for and striving for! Father Considine may help us today!

Rev. Daniel Considine, S.J., 1950’s

St. Paul says, ‘Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice.'( 1 Phil. iv. 4.).

If we want to serve God, joy should be not only an element; it should be the staple of our life.

Our difficulties are so great, our enemies so many, that unless we are supported by joy, we shan’t do what God wants us to do. It is a point of great consequence.

There is a sort of impression that in the service of God there ought to be a certain sobriety, an earnestness-yes, sadness, which makes the distinction between the service of the world, and the service of God; and that those who serve God must expect more tribulation and uneasiness of mind. Entirely false.

St. Paul, speaking under the dictation of the Holy Spirit, says, ‘Rejoice, again I say, rejoice.’ If we think the ideal of a religious person is to be sad, it is quite wrong; it is the direct opposite to the truth.

We are never so much fitted to cope with the difficulties of the spiritual life as when we are in joy. Often, when difficulties are to follow, God strengthens souls by an extra dose of joy. He expands the heart, and fills us with more faith and hope and love, and so makes us ready to overcome our enemies.

Read carefully the Acts of the Apostles: no one can read them without being struck by the spirit of buoyancy and exaltation that fills and pervades them; one might almost call it high spirits.

The Apostles carried their lives in their hands; they were scourged, and came forth from their severe flogging full of joy, rejoicing they were found worthy to suffer for Our Lord. We certainly then can’t be doing wrong in making our lives lives of joy.

This matter bears on our daily life. Is this our view? We are so apt to think others have so much to make their lives happy. ‘They ought to rejoice.’ The question remains: does God mean ME to rejoice in Him? Don’t evade the difficulty by saying, ‘Oh, it’s some sort of spiritual joy which I don’t understand: ordinary joy I can’t feel.’

‘What is meant if not real joy, real happiness, and if you don’t feel the service of God produces this, there is something wrong with you.

It is a very common error-that God sends us trials for their own sake. Looking on pain and trouble as good things is not a sound view. It does us harm by making us think God takes pleasure in seeing us suffer.

The greatest possible happiness to be got out of life is in the service of God. God doesn’t like to see us cry, even though it is good for us. It pains God for me to suffer pain- that is a lovable and TRUE view of God. To think of the Passion as God heaping torments on His Son is Jansenist.

Taking our lives as they are, and being happy in them, is a true way to perfection.

Very few crosses are DIRECTLY sent by God. God permits them, but they come from someone, or something else, or from ourselves- being disappointed in something we had aimed at. We should cut down our estimate of what God really sends us very considerably.

What does He want of me? He wants you to take your life as it is, bearing your trials and disappointments as quietly as you can. Empty lamenting over things not being as they ought to be, must be eschewed.

The way to make things better is not to be doleful, but happy and cheerful. ‘Your joy no man shall take from you . . .’ (I John xvi. 22).

Our life is as it is: in that I am to find the material for serving God. Supposing even my trials are my own fault really-the results of my own actions staring me in the face.

If I can’t put it to rights, let me be sorry for what is wrong and go on cheerfully. Start afresh. The service of God is from hour to hour and from day to day. If things are going contrary, it is a pity to be thinking we have great crosses and trials, and bemoaning ourselves: the way to do work for God is to be full of happiness. . . . No heart was ever so tender as the Heart of Our Lord; He couldn’t see a person weep without wanting to stop their tears.

Then how am I to account for my life being so full of misery?-Is it all as I think? If the fault is in me, it is hard to put it all on God.

You don’t think your temper, for instance, comes down straight from God? God respects our free will. Should we like to be milksops in God’s service? One of Our Lord’s favored servants prayed to Him to take away certain faults of temper in her Superior. ‘Not at all,’ Our Lord answered her, ‘they are very good for you, and for her too. She is so sorry for them. I love her all the more.’

We need not be dissatisfied because we have no special trial; bearing with our wretched bodies and souls is the staple of our service to God. ‘Traffic till I come.’ (Luke xix.13). Bear the cross and all your difficulties well – don’t make much of them.

We ought to be ashamed to run like children with a hurt finger for sympathy and consolation in every little trouble. God loves His own as the apple of His eye. Bear all then in love and patience for His sake.

We must get out of our heads the idea that we can only be religious by being miserable. If you will think of God as difficult and unapproachable, – if you are afraid of Him, and think He is high and haughty, and far away from you, you won’t love Him.

One of the ruses of the devil, whenever we fall short of the highest standard, is to tell us: ‘You art not one of those chosen souls who are called to love God.’

You must think of Him as one who knows our poor craven natures. He knows it all seems flat and monotonous, and that you feel weary of well-doing. It will all pass: Our Lord hasn’t abandoned you.

Hold on – it will all come right again. When we are unfaithful, to believe that Our Lord will give us up, that is utterly false. We can never love Our Lord as we should, if we think He remembers things against us. Remember the way He behaved towards His Apostles.

No one likes to be taken for granted. In any human relationship a little sign of appreciation goes a long way. Life does not have to be a hard pull uphill all the time. To know that someone, especially the one we love, values our efforts sends us off with our heads in the clouds. The wife who is wise enough to show her husband appreciation for all his efforts will keep his heart fixed upon her. – The Wife Desired, Fr. Leo Kinsella

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Dutch Artist: Nicolaas van der Waay, 1936

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Like a Breath of Fresh Air & New Podcast ~ Avoid Nagging

14 Tuesday Jun 2022

Posted by Leanevdp in Attitude, Be Cheerful/Helps to Happiness, Loving Wife, Podcasts - Finer Femininity, Power of Words

≈ 6 Comments

Painting by Edwin Georgi, 1950’s

It is always good to be reminded of the courtesy and respect we owe to those nearest and dearest to us!

100 Ways To Love Your Husband by Lisa Jacobson

It all began in a cafe, like so many of the meaningful moments in my life. He and I were sitting together over a grande latte in the newly-opened coffee shop at the Green Hills Mall when my dear friend Susan walked in.

My face lit up as soon as I spotted her. She and I had only known each other for a short time, but we’d made an immediate connection the minute we met…Soul-sisters.

Our young family had recently moved to Nashville and I’d felt rather alone up until then. Being with her was like a breath of fresh air to me.

So I shot her my sunniest smile, “Hey, girlfriend! C’mon over!”

A big hug before both of us began bubbling over with all the latest news. I complimented her on her new dress. I told her how much I liked the way she was wearing her hair. I thanked her for the book she’d lent me and emphasized how glad I was to see her!

At some point, I noticed how subdued my husband had become. I waited until she’d left us, then asked him what was up. Something was clearly on his mind. I could tell that much.

He said it so softly, I barely heard him. “I wish you’d do that for me.”

“Okay, I don’t mean to be difficult… but do what??”

“Light up with a sweet smile. Speak kindly and say nice things.”

No further explanation was needed. I knew EXACTLY what he was talking about. And he was right. I was all smiles for Susan. Saved my grumpies for him. Rarely bothered with the niceties anymore. Not particularly gracious or polite.

In all honesty? I didn’t offer too much of this kind of thing to my husband. He was supposed to love me “just the way I was”. No frills or syrup for him.

But how hurtful for him to see me put on my “sweet face” for everyone else—everyone except the man to whom I’d pledged my lifelong love. Here I was handing out the big smiles and warm compliments to my new friend….and dribbling out the tired frowns and whiny complaints to him. There’s something not quite right about that.

Now don’t feel badly if you’re cringing. I was cringing too. Somewhat sickened, really….Definitely convicted.

So, girlfriend, that’s what got me thinking…. If we’re putting on our brightest smiles for our sisters… If we’re saving our warmest words for our friends…. If we’re sharing our kindest thoughts with the girls….

Then we might want to consider how hard it must be for him to watch. Maybe he doesn’t mention it, but my guess is that he’d appreciate some of that warmth and kindness shown to him too.

So even if he’s around most every day, why not light up when he walks in the room? Tell him how handsome he’s looking today…. How glad you are to see him. A big hug and maybe a bit more. Put on your sweet face and say nice things.

Be like a breath of fresh air to him.

Be a kind wife.

“Home should not be just a place. Rather, it must be THE place. All else should be ‘outside.’ Home should be the center of activities and interests. It was built for births, courtship, marriage, and death. It is maintained so that children might grow, trained by precept and example – so that they will develop spiritually, mentally, and emotionally, just as they do physically.”
– Fr. Lawrence G. Lovasik. The Catholic Family Handbook

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Dear Young Lady, You are at a very important crossroad in your life. In the next short while your vocation will be settled and you will roll up your sleeves and fulfill God’s will in that role. This will, ultimately, be your means to happiness in this life and in the next.

The decisions you make in this short interim before that will greatly affect your whole life.

While you are waiting for God to manifest His will to you, you want to increase your inner happiness right where you are at, not waiting to be happy AFTER you find your vocation!

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This will help you to work on that inner happiness that needs to be developed even before you find your vocation. Now is the time to improve your life!

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One Little Secret of a Happy Life – Tidbits from Fr. Lasance

21 Thursday Jan 2021

Posted by Leanevdp in Attitude, Be Cheerful/Helps to Happiness, Spiritual Tidbits

≈ 1 Comment

Tidbits from Father Lasance:

From My Prayer Book

DON’T WORRY

Nowadays we hear and read frequently about “Don’t-Worry Clubs.” Membership in one of these clubs of optimists may be a requirement, but it is not a necessity to a practical Catholic; for there can be no doubt that the best “Don’t-Worry Club” in the world is the Catholic Church, because she directs members to lead a pure and holy life, to do their duty, to rejoice in the Lord always, and to preserve their peace of soul by a simple, childlike confidence in the providence of Our Father in heaven, in accordance with the words of Saint Paul: “We know that to them that love God all things work together unto good” (Rom. Viii. 28).

“Happy is the man,” says the dear St. Francis de Sales, “who does not worry, nor grieve himself, about anything in this world, but leads a holy life, without any inordinate attachment, and abandons himself cheerfully to the will of God.”

St. Francis de Sales, knowing that all the accidents of life, without exception, happen by the order of Providence, reposed in Him with the greatest tranquility, like a child on the bosom of its mother.

This gentle Saint was filled with so great a confidence in God that in the midst of the greatest disasters nothing could disturb his peace of his soul. “I cannot but be persuaded,” he often said, “that he who believes in an infinite Providence, which extends even to the lowest worm, must expect good from all that happens to him.”

In the same spirit, St. Vincent de Paul exhorts us: “Let us place our confidence in God and establish ourselves in an entire dependence on Him. Then fear not what men may say or do against us, all will turn to our advantage.

Yes, if all the earth should rise up against us, nothing will happen but as God pleases, in whom we have established our hopes.”

Says the author of the “Spiritual Combat”: “Nothing is impossible to God, since His power is infinite. Nothing is difficult to God, since His wisdom is equally infinite. God desires our good with an infinite desire, since His goodness is without limit. What could be more capable of inspiring us with great confidence in Him?”

“Have confidence” (Mark vi. 50). “Let your care be to possess your soul in peace and tranquility; let no accident be to you a cause of ill humor.

ONE LITTLE SECRET OF A HAPPY LIFE

One secret of a sweet and happy Christian life is learning to live by the day. It is the long stretches that tire us. We think of life as a whole, running on for us. We cannot carry this load until we are three score and ten. We cannot fight this battle continually for half a century.

But really there are no long stretches. Life does not come to us all at one time; it comes only a day at a time. Even tomorrow is never ours until it becomes today, and we have nothing whatever to do with it but to pass down to it a fair and good inheritance in today’s work well done, and today’s life well lived.

It is a blessed secret this, of living by the day. Anyone can carry his burden, however heavy, till nightfall. Anyone can do his work, however hard, for one day. Anyone can live sweetly, patiently, lovingly, purely, until the sun goes down. And this is all life ever means to us – just one little day.

“Do today’s duty; fight today’s temptations, and do not weaken or distract yourself by looking forward to things you cannot see, and could not understand if you saw them.”

God gives us nights to shut down upon our little days. We cannot see beyond. Short horizons make life easier and give us one of the blessed secrets of brave, true, holy living.

True beauty comes from within. If that beauty is lacking, no exercise program, eating plan, or wardrobe update can put it there. No interior decorating scheme can give it to me. “The unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit… is of great worth in God’s sight.” 1 Peter 3:4 – Emilie Barnes.

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Be Indulgent, Be of Good Cheer! – My Prayer Book, Fr. Lasance

25 Sunday Oct 2020

Posted by Leanevdp in Attitude, Be Cheerful/Helps to Happiness, FF Tidbits, Spiritual Tidbits

≈ 1 Comment

Two very important lessons to heed in these tidbits from Father Lasance:

Painting by Alfredo Rodriguez

From My Prayer Book

There is a word which can not be said too often to every Christian whom God has destined to live, converse, and labor in the society of his fellow-creatures: Be indulgent. Yes, be indulgent; it is necessary for others, and it is necessary for your own sake.

Forget the little troubles that others may cause you; keep up no resentment for the inconsiderate or unfavorable words that may have been said about you; excuse the mistakes and awkward blunders of which you are the victim; always make out good intentions for those who have done you any wrong by imprudent acts of speeches; in a word, smile at everything, show a pleasant face on all occasions, maintain an inexhaustible fund of goodness, patience, and gentleness.

Thus you will be at peace with all your brethren; your love for them will suffer no alteration, and their love for you will increase day by day. But above all, you will practice in an excellent manner Christian charity, which is impossible without this toleration and indulgence at every instant. -Russell, The Art of Being Happy

❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀

Let us take heed of the habits, tastes, and even the little hobbies of those around us, in order not to cross them in anything, especially our superiors and our kinsfolk.

There are a thousand minute details of manner and conduct, insignificant in themselves no doubt, but to which some, especially old people and nervous people, attach so much importance that a slight negligence with regard to one of these little points puts them in bad humor for a whole day.

There is question, for instance, of shutting a door, of making a little too much noise going upstairs, of being punctual to some appointment, of playing one game rather than another, of listening to a story that we have heard a hundred times before.

A thoughtless or overbearing person will despise such petty matters as mere trifles, and, in despising them, will spoil all the comfort of some one perhaps to whom he owes gratitude and respect.

A more pliant and more amiable Christian will, for virtue’s sake, submit to what is required of him, his fellow-creatures; and he will himself enjoy that sweet satisfaction which charity secures for us when it is joined to humility.

❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀

Be of Good Cheer!

“Be of good cheer!” “Be of good heart!” “Have confidence!” “Fear ye not!” So said Our Lord on various occasions.

And the Apostle admonishes us not to be anxious about our affairs, but to trust in the loving kindness of God, “Casting all your care upon Him; for He hath care of you” (1 Peter v.7).

Don’t brood over what is past; forget it!

Be not too eager and anxious in the present.

Do your best; leave the rest to God, your good Father in heaven; keep your peace.

Don’t worry about the future. What is the use of doing so? When you see trouble, blessing may really be in store for you. Hope for the best. Accept what happens philosophically. Always act with a pure intention and with deliberation.

The author of “The Art of Being Happy” says:

“A great secret for preserving peace of heart is to do nothing with over eagerness, but to act always calmly without trouble or disquiet. We are not asked to do much, but to do well.

At the Last Day God will not examine if we have performed a multitude of works, but if we have sanctified our souls in doing them. Now the means of sanctifying ourselves is to do everything for God and to do perfectly whatever we have to do.

The works that have as their motive vanity or selfishness make us neither better nor happier, and we shall receive no reward for them.”

Cultivate a cheerful temper. Says the Wise Man in the Book Proverbs: “A joyful mind maketh age flourish: a sorrowful spirit drieth up the bones” (Prov. xvii.22).

Look at the bright side of things.

“Two men looked out through their prison bars;

The one saw mud, and the other stars.” – Stevenson

“A poet,” writes Father Russell, “was gazing one day at a beautiful rose-tree, ‘What a pity’, said he, ‘that these roses have thorns!’

A man who was passing by said to him: ‘Let us rather thank our good God for having allowed these thorns to have roses.’

Ah! how ought we also to thank Him for so many joys that He grants to us in spite of our sins, instead of complaining about the slight troubles that He sends us!”

“The soul of one who loves God always swims in joy, always keeps holiday, and is always in a mood for singing.”
-St. John of the Cross

As Sr. Lucia of Fatima said this is a time of diabolical disorientation. We find an amazing type or image of this in the life of St. John of the Cross. To conquer this inversion, as St. John did, we must remain firm and steadfast in our faith and employ the power of the Most Holy Trinity in casting the devil out of our lives. This is always done through the making of the Sign of the Cross.

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Cheer Up!

28 Tuesday Jul 2020

Posted by Leanevdp in Be Cheerful/Helps to Happiness, FF Tidbits

≈ 1 Comment

From a little pamphlet by Reverend Bruno Hagspiel, S.V.D., Divine Word Missionary, 1950’s

DEFINITION FOR A DICTIONARY OF GOOD CHEER:

PESSIMIST: One who turns out the light to see how dark it is.

THE OPTIMIST: We’re always glad when he drops in

—the pilgrim with the cheerful grin,

who won’t admit that grief and sin are in possession;

there are so many here below,

who coax their briny tears to flow,

and talk forevermore of woe, with no digression!

The man who takes the cheerful view

has friends to burn, and then a few;

they like to hear his glad halloo, and loud ki-yoodle;

they like to hear him blithely swear

that things are right side up with care;

they like to hear upon the air, his cock-a-doodle.

The Long Felt Want he amply fills;

he is a tonic for the ills

that can’t be reached with liver pills, or porous plasters;

he helps to make the desert bloom:

he plants the grouches in the tomb;

he’s here to dissipate the gloom of life’s disasters! WALT MASON

The pessimist looked out at the street.

Raining again. It had been going on for hours.

He held his head and moaned.

“Do you think it will ever stop raining?” he asked.

The optimist smiled.

“It always has,” he replied.

Face the sunshine. You will find that the shadows always fall behind you.

God helps those who help themselves.

But the optimist applies this knowledge: he believes that God will help him only if he makes every effort to help himself.

“Twixt the optimist and the pessimist

the difference is droll;

The optimist sees the doughnut,

while the pessimist sees the hole.

DISCOURAGED?

On May 6, 1896, the first successful flight of a heavier-than-air machine was made. Dr. Stephen Langley was the inventor. Most people and a vast number of scientists remained skeptical, especially since the first official plane commissioned by the Government (in 1898) from Dr. Langley met with an accident in launching on December 8, 1903, and failed to fly but fell into the Potomac River instead.

Langley, wounded by the scorn of scientists and the neglect of the public, died of a broken heart on February 27, 1906. Only a few days after his unsuccessful attempt, on December 17, 1903, Wilbur Wright made the first flight with the Wright airplane.

In 1914 the old Langley airplane was taken from the Smithsonian Institution, and with Mr. Curtis in the pilot’s seat, was flown, SUC-CESSFULLY, over Lake Keuka..

If only Dr. Langley had kept on trying longer. . . .

What indeed does not the word cheerfulness imply? It means a contented spirit; it means a pure heart; it means a kind, loving disposition; it means humility and charity; it means a generous appreciation of others, and a modest opinion of self. -THACKERAY

THE OPTIMIST’S CREED

Promise yourself —

to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind;

to talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet;

to make all your friends feel that there is something in them;

to look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true;

to think only of the best; to work only for the best; and to expect only the best;

to be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own;

to forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future;

to wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile;

to give so much time to improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others;

to be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble. ~CHRISTIAN D. LARSON

TWO SIDES OF IT

At the time of the Johnstown flood, Hank and Dave were neighbors. Hank saw the waters rising and climbed out on the roof and lit his pipe calmly. Dave launched his boat and was about to leave the house when he saw Hank on the roof.

“How be yeh?” he cried.

Hank reflected a moment, removed the pipe long enough to spit, and replied: “Not bad, considerin’.”

“All my fowls been washed away,” groaned Dave; “how about your’n?”

“Mine, too,” said Hank; “but they wasn’t much and the ducks kin swim.”

Dave took up his oars and started to pull away. “I see the water’s up to your windows already,” he warned as he left.

“Oh well,” smiled Hank, as he nudged the chimney on top of the roof more comfortably, “them winders needed washing anyway.”

Physicists tell us that there is a saturation point — for instance, a sponge can hold just so much water and no more. Put one more drop of water into the sponge and another drop will form and separate itself from the sponge. The sponge has reached its saturation point.

In pleasure and pain alike there is such a critical moment also.

There comes a moment of tedium in every pleasure which must be survived lest the pleasure perish.

First comes the fear of death — followed by the joy of battle; first comes the shock of the icy water, then the cheery glow that floods the bather; first comes the moment of abnegation, then the ecstasy of martyrdom.

This “instant of potential surrender,” as Chesterton calls it, is what gives life its piquancy, as salt makes a dish palatable.

Do not therefore allow yourself to linger on the gross and displeasing moments which accost you in life: else the further acquaintance of life itself will be for you an endless misery.

WE DON’T WANT THEM!

Keep your troubles to yourself,

put them on an upper shelf;

far away as they may be,

where no eye but God’s can see.

Other people have their share

of affliction, pain and care;

why should you, though sorely tried,

burden them with yours beside?

Give of treasures you possess

loving care and tenderness,

cheerful smiles or sordid pelf,

but KEEP YOUR TROUBLES TO YOURSELF!

~J. POLLARD

It pays to have an eye on the future, but not too much so. . . . You can easily take such good care of the future that you will find it “ain’t there” when you arrive.

People who look too far ahead for opportunities to solve their troubles remind me of little Willie, who was invited to a birthday of a pal.

The cake, candy, nuts, fruit, were all just grand, and Willie did his share in putting them where they would do the most good.

“Won’t you have some more, Willie?” asked the hostess smilingly.

“No, thank you,” replied Willie, “I’m full.” He seemed well satisfied with himself.

“Well then,” went on the lady, “put some fruit and cookies in your pocket to eat on the way home.”

Again appeared that air of smiling satisfaction. “No, ma’am, thank you,” replied Willie, “they’re full too.”

Before harvest must come a storm of rain.

Before a tree takes root, the kernel must rot to pieces to liberate the seed.

In the immortal words of Francis Thompson:

“Nothing begins and nothing ends,

that is not paid with moan;

for we are born in other’s pain

and perish in our own.”

An optimist and a pessimist looked at some roses.

“What a pity,” sighed the pessimist, “that next to the roses are the thorns — and such large and sharp thorns too!”

The optimist smiled quietly. “Thank God for this wonder,” said he, “that He has so marvelously arranged everything in nature that next to the thorns He has placed the roses, the queen of all flowers.”

When a man tells his troubles to another he usually exaggerates them so they really sound bad. After a while he believes them himself . . . and then they ARE bad.

A man in charge of an aquarium divided a small tank into two sections with some plate glass, and in one section put small minnows, and in the other a healthy black bass of the vicious “small mouth” variety.

For three days the bass kept charging into the glass partition to get at the minnows. At the end of that time, he desisted from further efforts, and surrendered to pessimism, melancholy and a sore head.

The keeper then removed the partition and the minnows of course swam all around the bass. But he paid no attention to them.

HE WAS CONVINCED THAT BUSINESS WAS BAD!

Death is the only thing that comes to the man who waits. If you want success, work for it. Don’t wait for it.

It is not even wise (not to mention Christian) to be knocking all the time. Only a woodpecker can engage in constant knocking and get along all right. And he lives on grubs and insects.

THE PESSIMIST

Nothing to do but work,

nothing to eat but food,

nothing to wear but clothes

to keep from going nude.

Nothing to breathe but air,

quick as a flash ’tis gone,

nowhere to fall but off,

nowhere to stand but on.

Nothing to sing but songs,

as well! alas! alack

nowhere to go but out,

nowhere to come but back.

Nothing to see but sights,

nothing to quench but thirst,

nothing to have but what we’ve got,

thus through life we are cursed.

Nothing to strike but a gait,

everything moves that goes,

nothing at all but common sense

can ever withstand these woes.

Few things are more important in a home than its conversation, and yet there are few things to which less thought is given. The power to communicate good which lies in the tongue—is simply incalculable. It can impart knowledge; utter words which will shine like lamps in darkened hearts; speak kindly sentences which will comfort sorrow or cheer despondency; breathe out thoughts which will arouse and quicken heedless souls; even whisper the secret of life giving energy to spirits that are dead. -J.R. Miller

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The entire collection of twelve Books of Saints St. Joseph Picture Books, packaged in a handsome and sturdy slipcase….

Treasury of Novenas contains over 40 popular Novenas specifically arranged in accord with the Liturgical Year on the Feasts of Jesus, Mary, and many favorite Saints. By acclaimed author Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik, S.V.D., this book has a rich, gold-stamped brown Dura-Lux cover and is an excellent collection of Novenas for private devotion.

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Cheerfulness – Fr. Lovasik & New Podcast

29 Wednesday Jan 2020

Posted by Leanevdp in Be Cheerful/Helps to Happiness, Kindness, Podcasts - Finer Femininity, Virtues

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From Kindness – The Bloom of Charity, Fr. Lovasik

Cheerfulness and kindness go hand in hand. Cultivate the spirit of cheerfulness from a supernatural motive. This means self-restraint, self-control for the love of God and your neighbor.

Take care not to lose your temper; for nobody wants it. Keep a smile on your face and a kind word on your tongue all day long towards your superiors, equals, and inferiors. You will make others happy, and find happiness yourself in giving joy and comfort to others.

A smile, like a yawn, is infectious. Smile and you will receive a smile in return, but if you should meet a churl, who gives you a frown for a smile, well, with a gracious word to him, take your departure; let this not disturb you. Your Guardian Angel has recorded your good deed, and your kindness will receive a heavenly reward. Continue reading →

Joyful Service!

01 Sunday Sep 2019

Posted by Leanevdp in Be Cheerful/Helps to Happiness, Spiritual Tidbits

≈ 3 Comments