At beginning of meeting, Entrance Antiphon from today's Mass - "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; whom should I dread? When those who do evil draw near, they stumble and fall."
Prophecy - "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say, rejoice."
Scripture Reading Rev 4:8-11 - "Each of the four living creatures had six wings and eyes all over, inside and out. Day and night without pause, they sing: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, he who was, and who is, and who is to come.' Whenever these creatures give glory and honor and praise to the One seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before the One seated on the throne and worship him, who lives forever and ever. They throw down their crowns before the throne, and sing: 'O Lord, our God, you are worthy to receive glory and honor and power, for you have created all things; by your will they came to be and were made.'"
Scripture Reading Psalm 118:5-6 - "In my distress I called to the Lord; he answered me and set me free. The Lord is with me, I will not be afraid; what can anyone do to me?"
Prophecy - "I know my people, that you are in distress about what you're seeing in the world. I know, my people. I know your hearts. My people, I urge you to look and remember all the ways that I have worked in everything that you see that is in darkness, how I have brought everything into the light. My people, I urge you to remember how I have answered so many of your prayers. I want you to rejoice as you look at all that has happened before. Do not be discouraged. Do not be discouraged. Continue to have your eyes on me. Continue to sing songs. Continue to praise me and see what else is in store for you and all my people."
Scripture Reading Psalm 95:1-5 - "O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord, let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving. Let us shout joyfully to him with psalms for the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods, in whose hand are the depths of the earth, the peaks of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for it was he who made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
Scripture Reading Isaiah 24:1-6 - "Lo, the Lord empties the land and lays it waste; he turns it upside down, scattering the inhabitants; layman and priest alike, servant and master, the maid as her mistress, the buyer as the seller, the lender as the borrower, the creditor as the debtor. The earth is utterly laid waste, utterly stripped, for the Lord has decreed this thing. The earth mourns and fades; the world languishes and fades; both heaven and earth languish. The earth is polluted because of its inhabitants, who have transgressed laws, violated statutes, broken the ancient covenant. Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants pay for their guilt; therefore they who dwell on earth turn pale, and few men are left."
Excerpt taken from a book - "Tolerate nothing that dulls the perception of my presence. Cut off, purge out, plead the blood of Christ, use every avenue available to you to rid your soul of sin. Never be satisfied with half measures. Never be deterred by satisfaction with the progress already achieved. Know that this is only the beginning. Holiness is arrived by no low road. The road of holiness is narrow and steep and exceedingly lonely. There is no other road. It is the way the Master went. Shall not his servant dread it still?
Prophecy - "My people, I am calling you to holiness. I am calling you on this steep and narrow path. It is the way that I have gone. There, you will find me. Look in no other direction. Keep your eyes focused on me and follow me. I will give you the grace to go through every trial that you must go through. I have prepared you myself. I have chosen you. I have called you before you were born. My little ones, trust me. I will take care of you. I will look after all your needs. Come, follow me."
Prophecy - "My children, without the sun and without the rain, there would be no produce. Without the sun and without the rain, life could not grow. My children, yes, there is darkness in the world, but there is also light and tonight I am calling each one of you to pursue this light for it is in this light that you will find a great treasure, a treasure both in heaven and on earth, a treasure where my love reigns and sustains. My children, yes, life is hard but my Spirit lives within you and with my Spirit I will bestow upon you all the gifts that are needed for you to persevere, for you to come to know me more fully, and for you to be able to live life at its fullest."
Confirmation/Prophecy - "There is a light in the darkness and that light is our hope, our joy. That light is Jesus."
Anxious For Nothing by Max Lucado. Jesus battled with anxiety in the Garden of Gethsemane. He entrusted his fears to his heavenly Father and completed his mission with faith and he will help us do likewise. St. Paul tells us in Philippians 4:4-8 - "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say: rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things."
Psalm 37:8 - "Do not fret, it only causes harm."
Sometimes, God's healing will include the help of therapy and/or medication. In Philippians 4:4-8, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Be anxious for nothing," etc., implies an ongoing state. It's a life of perpetual anxiety that the Apostle Paul is walking us away from. The presence of anxiety is unavoidable but the prison of anxiety is optional.
Acronym: CALM - C - Celebrate God's goodness. Phil 4:4 - "Rejoice always." Don't meditate on the mess, meditate on your Master. Psalm 121 - "I will lift up my eyes unto the hills from whence comes my help." Our help comes from the Lord. Choose where we look. Nothing is going to pass through us that doesn't pass through the him first. A - Ask God for help. Phil 4:6 - "Let your request be made known to him." Psalm 50:15 - "Call on me in the day of trouble." Engage in promise-based prayer. Find a promise in Scripture and make a prayer out of it. The path to peace is paved with prayer. L - Leave your concerns with God and let him take charge. Say: I hereby resign as ruler of the Universe. Anxiety refuses to share the heart with gratitude. Count your blessings. When thanksgiving walks in, anxiety walks out. The more grateful the heart, the less anxious the soul. M - Meditate on good things. Phil 4:8. Don't let negative anxious thoughts take over your mind. ANT - anxious negative thoughts. Life gives lemons. We don't have to suck on them. Make lemonade.
Leslie shared two answers to prayer. Someone needed to buy a house and another person who wanted a job and got it. God is good!
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