Inspirational thoughts

“Swallowing words before you say them is so much better than having to eat them afterward.” Amish Proverb

“If you look for perfection, you’ll never be content.”  Leo Tolstoy

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”

—Harper Lee    Several years ago, I had a conversation with a homeless man in NYC.  He started by asking me a few questions: “Reverend, have you ever been out in the street for 3 weeks in the winter when the temperature gets in the teens?  Have you ever gone 3 weeks without showering?  Have you ever had on 4 pairs of socks, but your feet are still frozen? Have you ever had anyone offer you a cold bottle of water at 1 am in the morning on a freezing night and tell you to “stay warm”?  That is hard for me, but the hardest thing is that I am  no longer treated like a human being.  Just a few years ago, I was working finance in this town, and now I feel like a piece of garbage on the street that most people want to avoid… 

“Dead people receive more flowers than the living ones because regret is stronger than gratitude.” Anne Frank

“I’m honest and tell people right to their faces what I think, even when it’s not very flattering. I want to be honest; I think it gets you further and also makes you feel better about yourself.” Anne Frank

“The most deadly poison of our time is indifference.” St. Maximilian Kolbe
    So many empty pews at Mass, so few Confessional lines, such little Marian devotion…we need holy and committed lay people today more than ever!  We need selfless and fervent Catholics, who glow with the light of Christ and the peace of Christ!! Priests and Bishops certainly need to step up our game…but we ALL need to help rebuild our Catholic Church!

“Life is a song, sing it. Life is a struggle, accept it.” St. Mother Teresa

“I want you to be concerned about your next door neighbor. Do you know your next door neighbor?” St. Mother Teresa
    Regardless of who God put next to you, try to see some element of God’s providence working…and allow his love to reach their hearts through your kindness!!

“Anyone who ever gave you confidence, you owe them a lot.” Truman Capote
   We have all benefited from childhood mentors who made a profound impact on our character development…hopefully you have expressed your gratitude in a sincere and meaningful way for this gift.  

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.” –Helen Keller