Friday, February 1, 2019

FEBRUARY EVER AFTER

“Ever after” is a word the younger generations may not even know.
“. . . and they lived happily ever after”  is a fairytale ending to a story that may have begun with “Once upon a time . . . “  

Sweet words that conger up whimsey . . .  fluffy clouds of fanciful images.
February seems to be filled with fluff and whimsy, hearts and flowers.
After all, mid-month we celebrate the life of St. Valentine.

We need a little ‘ever after’ this month as the Polar Vortex sweeps through our country and sends some states into a deep freeze that may take most of the winter to thaw.
And so we begin this month with words from both scripture and sage, wise and wild, hearty and harsh, sweet for those suffering, hope-filled for the hopeless.
Each day is serendipity.
EnJOY, digest,
 learn, let go, 
hope, dream, 
breathe deep.
Let’s indulge in ‘ever after.’

February 1 

"In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.”  1 John 4:10-12

I just received news that this blog site, run by Google, will be shut down.  So, I'm going to find another blog site to publish my thoughts and quotes.  However, until that time, I will continue adding daily quotes.

2-2  “Love to be real, it must cost - it must hurt - it must empty us of self." Mother Teresa


2-3  “What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.”  Augustine


2-4  “It is not hard to obey when we love the one whom we obey."  Ignatius of Loyola


2-5  “Where there is no obedience there is no virtue, where there is no virtue there is no good, where there is no good there is no love, where there is no love, there is no God, and where there is no God there is no Paradise.”   Padre Pio of Pietrecina

2-6  “Jesus said love one another.  He did not say love the whole world.”  Mother Teresa


2-7  Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.   John 14:1-3

2-8  If you judge people, you have no time to love them.  Teresa of Kolkata


2-9  “There are two loves, the love of God and the love of the world. If the love of the world takes possession of you, there is no way for the love of God to enter into you. Let the love of the world take the second place, and let the love of God dwell in you. Let the better love take over.”   Augustine


2-10  "Never give up prayer, and should you find dryness and difficulty, persevere in it for this very reason. God often desires to see what love your soul has, and love is not tried by ease and satisfaction.”   John of the Cross

2-11  "I am sent not only to love God but to make Him loved. It is not enough for me to love God, if my neighbor does not love Him.”   St. Vincent de Paul

2-12 They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.  John 14:21


2-13  "There are two loves: the love of God and the love of the world. If the love of the world takes possession of you, there is no way for the love of God to enter into you. Let the love of the world take the second place, and let the love of God dwell in you. Let the better love take over.”   Augustine

2-14  St. Valentine of Rome (c. 270) was a priest who lived in Rome during the reign of Emperor Claudius II.   Little is known of his life with certainty, except that he ministered to Christians who were persecuted and imprisoned for their faith, and died a martyr.  One account has it that the emperor banned all marriages and engagements in Rome, believing this was the reason Roman men were unwilling to serve in the army. Valentine defied this unjust decree and continued to
perform marriages for lovers in secret. He was arrested, and while in prison he restored sight to his jailer's blind daughter, causing the jailer and his entire extended household, forty-six people in total, to immediately convert to Christianity. Upon hearing this, Claudius ordered Valentine's execution. St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, whom he had befriended, and signed it "From Your Valentine." He was beheaded on February 14th. St. Valentine is the patron of many causes including bee keepers, betrothed and engaged couples, lovers, love, happy marriages, and young people.


2-15  “Perhaps we do not know what love is, nor does this greatly surprise me. Love does not consist in great sweetness of devotion, but in a fervent determination to strive to please God in all things, in avoiding, as far as possible, all that would offend Him, and in praying for the increase of the glory and honor of His Son and for the growth of the Church.  Teresa of Avila  The Interior Castle

2-16  If you want to love like Jesus, you’ve got to…
become more mind-full and less detached
become more approachable and less exclusive
become more grace-full and less judgmental
become more bold and less fearful
become more self-giving and less self-absorbed 

Love Like That by Les Parrott

2-17  “Truth sees God, and wisdom contemplates God, and from these two comes a third, a holy and wonderful delight in God, who is love.”  Juliana of Norwich

2-18  "On the whole, God's love for us is a much safer subject to think about than our love for Him.
Nobody can always have devout feelings: and even if we could, feelings are not what God principally cares about.
     Christian Love, either towards God or towards man, is an affair of the will. If we try to do His will, we are obeying the commandment, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God.'  He will give us feelings of love if He pleases.
   We cannot create them for ourselves, and we must not demand them as a right.
    But the great thing to remember is that, though our feelings come and go, His love for us does not.
     It is not wearied by our sins, or our indifference; and, therefore, it is quite relentless in its determination that we shall be cured of those sins, at whatever cost to us, at whatever cost to Him." C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity


2-19  "What made the holy apostles and martyrs endure
fierce agony and bitter torments, except faith, and especially faith in the resurrection? 

What is it that today makes true followers of Christ cast luxuries aside, leave pleasures behind, and endure difficulties and pain? It is living faith that expresses itself through love . . . It is because of faith that we exchange the present for the future.”   Pope Benedict XIV, excerpt from Witness of the Saints

2-20  "Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.” I John 4:7-8

2-21  “There are two loves, the love of God and the love of the world. If the love of the world takes possession of you, there is no way for the love of God to enter into you. Let the love of the world take the second place, and let the love of God dwell in you. Let the better love take over.”  Augustine

2-22 Always speak through your heart; not through your exceptions, or your frustrations, or your provocations, or even your lips.  Always let every word you speak come through your heart.  Ann Voskamp 


2-23  “It’s impossible,” said pride.  It’s risky,” said experience.  “It’s pointless,” said reason.  “Let’s do it anyway,” said the heart.   Author unknown

2-24  “ If you judge people, you have no time to love them.  Teresa of Kolkata

2-25  “What does love look like?  It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy.  It has eyes to see misery and want.  It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men.  That is what love looks like.”  Augustine.

2-26  “To love God is something greater than to know Him." Thomas Aquinas

2-27  "If the heart wanders or is distracted, bring it back to the point quite gently and replace it tenderly in its Master's presence. And even if you did nothing during the whole of your hour but bring your heart back and place it again in Our Lord's presence, though it went away every time you brought it back, your hour would be very well employed.”   St. Francis de Sales


2-28 "Love takes up where knowledge leaves off." 
Thomas Aquinas