Do You Count Your Blessings?

Hi everyone,

I've been thinking about all the blessings I've been given by God.  I think that all too often, we sit and feel sorry for ourselves about what we don't have.  I believe everyone feels this way from time to time.  But, feeling this way will only depress you and it certainly doesn't improve your disposition.

What can we do to stop feeling this way?  That's so simple:  count our blessings.

You woke up this morning.
You had something to eat today.
You had clothes to wear.
You had a coat to put on when you went out.
You had a job to go to.
You have a family, no matter how small.
You have a vehicle even if it is old.
You have God directing you always.

What more do we need?  To be happy, one may say.  Happiness comes from within, not from exterior things.  Oh sure, wearing something new to work one day, driving an updated car again, having steak for dinner, makes us happy.  But, those things aren't everlasting happiness.

Peace and contentment only comes from God and from within ourselves.  If you're one of these folks who's always wanting more, try stopping those thoughts and start saying 'thank you, Lord' for all the many small things He's blessed you with.

Another way to feel happy is to start with one 'holy moment' each day and from there go to two, three or more 'holy moments' each day.  Doing something small for someone else, brings you inner happiness.  Especially if it's done anonymously.  As you pass a stranger on the sidewalk who looks troubled, try smiling at them and saying, 'hello' or 'good morning to them.  It just may be what they need to hear to save them from committing suicide that day.  We just never know, now do we?

Have a good evening and stay safe.
Susan

Tuesday's Mercy Minutes...

Mercy |  Chaplet  |  Feast of Mercy   |  Petition  |  Book Shop

Singing of the Lenten Lamentations During the singing of the Lenten Lamentations, I am so taken up with His Passion that I cannot withhold my tears. I would like to hide somewhere in order to give myself freely to the sorrow which flows from the consideration of His Passion. MARCH 12, 2019 "Force yourself, if necessary, always to forgive those who offend you, from the very first moment. For the greatest injury or offense you can suffer from them is nothing compared to what God has forgiven you."  — St. Josemaria Escriva

Monday's Mercy minutes...

Mercy |  Chaplet  |  Feast of Mercy   |  Petition  |  Book Shop

St. Faustina's Small practices for Lent Small practices for Lent. Although I wish and desire to do so, I cannot practice big mortifications as before, because I am under the strict surveillance of the doctor. But I can practice little things: first - sleep without a pillow; keep myself a little hungry; every day, with my arms outstretched, say the chaplet which the Lord taught me; occasionally, with arms outstretched, for an indefinite period of time pray informally. Intention: to beg divine mercy for poor sinners, and for priests, the power to bring sinful hearts to repentance.

Sunday's Mercy Minutes...

Mercy |  Chaplet  |  Feast of Mercy   |  Petition  |  Book Shop

The grace of true conversion during this Lent (Jesus speaks to St. Faustina) On the First Friday of the month, before Communion, I saw a large ciborium filled with sacred hosts. A hand placed the ciborium in front of me, and I took it in my hands. There were a thousand living hosts inside. Then I heard a voice, "These are hosts which have been received by the souls for whom you have obtained the grace of true conversion during this Lent". That was a week before Good Friday. I spent the day in great interior recollection, emptying myself for the sake of souls. MARCH 10, 2019 "In tribulation immediately draw near to God with confidence, and you will receive strength, enlightenment, and instruction." — St. John of the Cross

Saturday's Mercy Minutes...

Mercy |  Chaplet  |  Feast of Mercy   |  Petition  |  Book Shop

St. Faustina's Lenten Prayer Intentions for Poor Sinners At the beginning of Lent, I also asked to have the subject of my particular examen changed, and I was told to do everything with the pure intention of reparation for poor sinners. This keeps me in continual union with God, and this intention perfects my actions, because everything I do is done for immortal souls. All hardships and fatigue are as nothing when I think that they reconcile sinful souls with God. MARCH 9, 2019 "Realize it, my brethren; —every one who breathes, high and low, educated and ignorant, young and old, man and woman, has a mission, has a work. We are not sent into this world for nothing; we are not born at random; . . . God sees every one of us; He creates every soul, He lodges it in the body, one by one, for a purpose. He needs, He deigns to need, every one of us. He has an end for each of us; we are all equal in His sight, and we are placed in our different ranks and stations, not to get what we can out of them for ourselves, but to labor in them for Him. As Christ has His work, we too have ours; as He rejoiced to do His work, we must rejoice in ours also." — Blessed John Henry Newman

Mercy |  Chaplet  |  Feast of Mercy   |  Petition  |  Book Shop

St. Faustina writes about her Lenten experiences Now, during this Lent, I often experience the Passion of the Lord Jesus in my own body. I experience deeply in my heart all that Jesus suffered, although no exterior sign betrays these sufferings of mine. Only my confessor knows about them MARCH 8, 2019 "Happiness can only be achieved by looking inward and learning to enjoy whatever life has, and this requires transforming greed into gratitude."  — St. John Chrysostom

Thursday's Mercy Minutes...

Mercy |  Chaplet  |  Feast of Mercy   |  Petition  |  Book Shop

St. Faustina's Lenten practices I recall that I have received most light during adoration which I made lying prostrate before the Blessed Sacrament for half an hour every day throughout Lent. During that time, I came to know myself and God more profoundly. And yet, even though I had the superiors' permission to do so, I encountered many obstacles to praying in such a way. Let the soul be aware that, in order to pray and persevere in prayer, one must arm oneself with patience and cope bravely with exterior and interior difficulties. The interior difficulties are discouragement, dryness, heaviness of spirit and temptations. The exterior difficulties are human respect and time; one must observe the time set apart for prayer. This has been my personal experience because, when I did not pray at the time assigned for prayer, later on I could not do it because of my duties; or if I did manage to do so, this was only with great difficulty, because my thoughts kept wandering off to my duties. I also experienced this difficulty: when a soul has prayed well and left prayer in a state of profound interior recollection, others resist its recollection; and so, the soul must be patient to persevere in prayer. It often happened to me that when my soul was more deeply immersed in God, and I had derived greater fruit from prayer, and God's presence accompanied me during the day, and at work there was more recollection and greater precision and effort at my duty, this was precisely when I received the most rebukes for being negligent in my duty and indifferent to everything; because less recollected souls want others to be like them, for they are a constant source of remorse to them.

MARCH 7, 2019

"I know well that the greater and more beautiful the work is, the more terrible will be the storms that rage against it." — St. Faustina