THE MUSIC OF YOUR LIFE

THE MUSIC OF YOUR LIFE EVERY Sunday morning When we woke up When we were growing up MY sisters and I Would wake up To my dad Playing the HI-FI We would awaken to Andy Williams-Dean Martin-Theresa Brewer- Perry Como-Bobby Vinton And any of a myriad Of other performers THE MUSIC OF OUR LIFE Along with that We would awaken to the smell Of bacon-sausage-eggs-pancakes- And of course-coffee and orange juice What a GREAT FAMILY LIFE My sisters and I had From my dad and mom Beautiful memories-FAMILY MEMORIES Memories that have lasted A LIFE TIME ALL because we had a family BUILT UPON LOVE “On the aspens of that land We hung up our harps” Psalm 137:2 In today's readings We read about the Israelites In exile in Babylon They are also In deep mourning They ask themselves- “HOW can we sing The songs of the Lord While in a foreign land?” Psalm 137:4 BUT the truth is We have to make THE MUSIC OF OUR LIFE Wherever we are Wherever we live My father is 15 years And 1500 miles removed from me And this world And his music Is as ALIVE in me today As it was 40 years ago THE MUSIC OF GOD THE MUSIC OF LIFE The music of love and Jesus LIVE in my soul “I will sing And make music To the Lord” Psalm 27:6 “SHOUT for joy To the Lord All the earth BURST into jubilant song And music” Psalm 98:4 But I do UNDERSTAND How the Israelites Felt at that time The death of a loved one The loss of a job A bad health diagnosis I STILL REMEMBER The day my dad died October 13th, 2000 I REMEMBER the piper Playing-”OH DANNY BOY” And I remember a line From a Don McLean song ( “Bye-bye-Miss American Pie- THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED”) But the truth is In me-the music will NEVER DIE The music of my dad and mom's life LIVE ON IN ME In my sisters- And in their four beautiful grandchildren The Israelites Don't wallow in their hopelessness Amid dire circumstances The cling to their FAITH And I will cling to mine As my father and mother TAUGHT ME TOO I will MAKE THE MUSIC OF MY LIFE This day And every day Just like it was 1970 ALL over again And I HOPE YOU WILL TOO Robert P. Wallman 9-29-15

THE ANGELS ARE OUR FRIENDS

THE ANGELS ARE OUR FRIENDS TODAY we celebrate The feast of the ANGELS Those mighty creatures Who PROTECT US and lead us To God THE ANGELS are our friends “Michael and his angels BATTLED against the dragon” Revelation 12:7 “For he will command HIS ANGELS concerning you To GUARD you In all your ways” Psalm 91:11 There was Michael Who commanded God's legions of angels And cast Satan Out from heaven “But even the archangel Michael When he was disputing With the devil About the body Of Moses Did not himself dare To condemn him for slander But said, 'THE LORD rebuke you!'” Jude :9 Then we have Gabriel Who brought Mary THE GOOD NEWS About the coming Of our Savior “In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy God sent the angel-Gabriel To Nazareth-a town in Galilee To a virgin PLEDGED to be married To a man named-Joseph- A descendant of David The virgin's name was Mary- The angel went to her And said 'GREETINGS-you Who are highly favored THE LORD IS WITH YOU'” Luke 1:26-28 And finally We have Raphael Who HEALED Tobit And delivered his daughter-in-law From a demon Let us NEVER FORGET The angels and their history In the development Of mankind And that they are OUR FRIENDS And our PROTECTORS They do great and holy works In God's name And finally Let us never forget The human angels THE FAMILY MEMBERS-the friends- And even the strangers That have HELPED US On our way (Of whom I have had many) AN ANGEL is defined as, “A spiritual being That serves especially As a MESSENGER from God Or as a GUARDIAN Of human beings” What a wonderful day That it is To CELEBRATE These holy creatures of God And to ACKNOWLEDGE OUR family-friends-and strangers That have helped us ALONG the way HOW BLESSED we are To call these ANGELS OUR FRIENDS Robert P. Wallman 9-28-15 Ps TODAY is the feats day of the ANGELS-SAINTS Michael-Gabriel-and Raphael INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Monsignor Stephen J. Rossetti

WE ARE NEVER HELPLESS WHEN WE HAVE GOD IN OUR LIVES

WE ARE NEVER HELPLESS WHEN WE HAVE GOD IN OUR LIVES One thing That I have come to learn And realize in this life Is that We are NEVER HELPLESS When we have God LIVING in our hearts For even when we come To the end of our own power When we can do nothing On our own God can STILL DO Amazing things in our life In fact That is WHEN God CREATES his greatest miracles In Luke 9 Jesus tells us The most amazing thing “Jesus-KNOWING their thoughts Took a little child And had him stand before him Then he said to them, 'WHOEVER welcomes this little child In my name Welcomes me; And whoever welcomes me Welcomes the one who sent me For it is the one Who is least among you all Who is the GREATEST'” Luke 9:47-48 What is it That makes a child “The least among all of you?” CHILDREN are a lot of Great things They are funny-they are smart- And they are joyful In many ways They are the BEST of us They are innocent And often without expectation But children-especially young children Can be HELPLESS and dependent They are often vulnerable To harm from adults But that is WHEN God can create the greatest miracles In us WHEN we come To the end of our own power And we are dependent on God's “Power BELONGS to you God” Psalm 62:11 “You God-are awesome In your sanctuary The God of Israel Gives POWER and strength To his people” Psalm 68:35 We are NEVER helpless When we have God in our lives THE POWER of God Can OVERCOME ALL ALL of Jesus' miracles Were dependent on GOD'S POWER As can be seen As the POWER OF GOD In the death of his own Son The power of God The power of Jesus The power of LOVE CAN AND DOES overcome all It's HUMBLING to recognize How HELPLESS we can be Even in certain situations As adults Particularly in death and illness In finances and in relationship After relationship “ARISE-Lord-lift up your hand- O God Do not forget the helpless” Psalm 10:12 For when we come To ACCEPT ourselves and others In our weakness Rather than strength We welcome Jesus And we can see God In his greatest power THE POWER to create a miracle In us And in our very lives Robert P. Wallman 9-27-15 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Eva Tushnet

WHAT IS TRUTH? ALL TRUTH IS FROM GOD

WHAT IS TRUTH?- ALL TRUTH IS FROM GOD In the 18th chapter Of Saint John's GOSPEL We run into a discourse Between Jesus and Pontius Pilate Pilate says to Jesus, “'You are a king-then!' Jesus answered, 'You say that I am a king In fact-the reason I was born And came into the world Is to testify to the TRUTH Everyone on the side Of truth Listens to me' 'What is truth?' retorted Pilate” John 18:37-38 What a GREAT question- IF you talk to 100 people You might get 100 versions Of the truth But there is ONLY ONE REAL TRUTH The TRUTH OF GOD As reflected through the LIFE of Jesus And HIS HOLY SPIRIT The WISDOM of God The wisdom of love The wisdom of OBJECTIVE TRUTH Of what really is RIGHT AND WRONG “Would that the Lord Might BESTOW his SPIRIT On them” Numbers 11:29 ALL real truth COMES from God And all real OBJECTIVE truth Is the same For all of us WHEN I was kid Playing sports (baseball-basketball-football-etc.) If there was A really close call The kids would stop the game And say-”WHATEVER Bob says” Because my friends KNEW I wouldn't lie Even if it went AGAINST my own team And God-our Jesus- CANNOT-and would not ever lie “BECAUSE God wanted to make The unchanging nature of his purpose Very clear To the heirs Of what was promised He confirmed it WITH AN OATH God did this so that By two unchangeable things In which it is IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD TO LIE We who have fled To take HOLD of the hope Set before us May be GREATLY ENCOURAGED” Hebrews 6:17-18 I suggest to you That there is ONLY ONE Real objective truth In this world And this truth Comes in the form of PURE LOVE OF GOD In the PURE LIFE Of OUR LORD and Savior Jesus Christ Saint Thomas Aquinas once wrote: “ALL TRUTH By whomever expressed Comes from the Holy Spirit” And we hear that truth- EVERYWHERE In the supermarket On the street God and Jesus LIVE In the HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD And that truth is: Plain and simply that GOD LOVES YOU! MAY we ALL find that HOLY SPIRIT- That WISDOM AND TRUTH LIVING INSIDE each one of us Robert P. Wallman 9-26-15 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Monsignor Stephen J. Rossetti

THE REALITY OF GOD AND LIFE

THE REALITY OF GOD AND LIFE Dealing with reality Can be harsh It can include DEALING with illness-death- Bankruptcy-and failed relationship After failed relationship But life can be HAPPY too For life brings us God-life FAMILIES-friends-and relationship After relationship FRIENDSHIP after friendship NEVER GIVE UP on life For you NEVER KNOW what life Will bring And it can ALWAYS Bring us NEW HOPE I wonder IF the disciples heard Jesus When he said: “PAY attention to what I am telling you The SON OF MAN Is to be handed Over to men” Luke 9:44 Many of us Dislike hearing messages That CONFLICT With how we think things should be They(the disciples) ignored him WHEN he tried To tell them The bad things That were going to happen to him They couldn't even believe it When it happened- But they FOUND HOPE- In the REMAINDER of Jesus' story The RESURRECTION OF HIS LIFE And HOPE for the world “Put your HOPE In God For I will yet PRAISE HIM My Savior and my God” Psalm 42:5 “Be JOYFUL in HOPE- Patient in affliction- FAITHFUL in prayer” Romans 12:12 LIKE US-the disciples Didn't want to hear The message That suffering is PART of the journey But like us- I don't know if they could see That their lives would CHANGE THE WORLD THE REALITY OF GOD AND LIFE Changed the world I firmly believe That for whatever REASONS We may be suffering If we LIVE with HOPE And UNITE our lives with God and Jesus WE can and WILL change the world too The reality of GOD & LIFE Is also living with love-kindness- And forgiveness That is what CHANGES the world GOD'S LOVE “My heart is CHANGED Within me All my compassion Is aroused” Hosea 11:5 We may NOT be able To change our suffering In this world But we can CHANGE our hearts Toward God TOWARDS love-life-kindness- And forgiveness And if enough of us Do that We really can CHANGE THIS WORLD For that is THE REALITY OF GOD AND LIFE Robert P. Wallman 9-25-15 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Teri Mifek

SEEING THE LIGHT

SEEING THE LIGHT There is So much darkness So much evil In this world It is a WONDER IF any of us Can see the LIGHT But we can If we keep our eyes FOCUSED on the Lord “Send forth your light And your fidelity They shall Lead me on........” Psalm 43:3 If we are in total darkness Like in a cave or coal mine We can STILL see the light If we turn a lantern on And it is the same way In life WHEN we are in total darkness When we see the light Of GOD'S LOVE We can move forward MOVE FORWARD In God's love In God's light In God's forgiveness Seeing the light THE LIGHT OF GOD'S LOVE Sometimes We have to experience The total lack of something BEFORE we appreciate How much we depend on it We have been living In total darkness for so long It is refreshing When we see an ORIGINAL And someone in authority And living HUMBLY- Like Pope Francis The LIGHT OF GOD'S LOVE Seeing the light of God In Pope Francis- “You Lord KEEP my lamp burning My God- Turns my darkness Into light” Psalm 18:28 “LIGHT-in a messenger's eyes Brings JOY to the heart And good news Gives HEALTH to the bones” Proverbs 15:30 Like the sun GOD'S LIGHT is always there But we can put ourselves In a position WHERE the sun Doesn't penetrate our hearts WHERE GOD'S LOVE Doesn't penetrate our hearts This is WHY It is so REFRESHING To see Pope Francis In the world right now A true original OF GOD'S LOVE AND MERCY In this year of MERCY For all SEE the light OF GOD'S LOVE AND MERCY In the world right now Don't let it be blocked By rage-by jealousy-by resentment LIGHT and darkness Like everything in this world IS A CHOICE “The eye Is the lamp Of the body If your eyes Are healthy Your whole body WILL SEE THE LIGHT” Matthew 6:22 Wake up And see the light THE LIGHT OF GOD'S LOVE FOR YOU Robert P. Wallman 9-24-15 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Teri Mifek

THE THOUGHTS AND WAYS OF THE LORD

THE THOUGHTS AND WAYS OF THE LORD ONE of the most true sayings Of all the bible Comes out of the BOOK OF ISAIAH “For my thoughts Are not your thoughts NEITHER are your ways-my ways Declares the Lord” Isaiah 55:8 For example WHEN I was younger I thought IF I prayed A certain way It would be answered In a certain way GOD THINKS DIFFERENTLY There is NO DOUBT about that I prayed for LIFE- “To live for my family-friends-and ALL people everywhere” And I never dreamed God would answer my prayers SO LITERALLY I prayed to live FOR OTHERS To help others along the way And I am glad that I did But I have to admit To be in situations WHERE you are unable To help yourself To be DEPENDENT On everyone else-IS DIFFICULT My ways ARE NOT YOUR WAYS Says the Lord “I will INSTRUCT you And teach you In the way you should go I will COUNSEL YOU With my loving eye on you” Psalm 32:8 Let us EXAMINE Some teachings of the Lord Some teachings of Jesus Jesus gives us The first two commandments “Jesus replied: 'LOVE the Lord your God With all your heart With all your soul And all your mind' This is the first And greatest commandment And the second IS like it 'LOVE your neighbor As yourself ALL the law And the prophets HANG on these two commandments'” Matthew 22:37-40 My ways are NOT Your ways Says the Lord The thoughts and ways Of the Lord are different And they REVOLVE around LOVE-and FORGIVENESS-and KINDNESS THE INTANGIBLE QUALITIES OF GOD Or TRY loving your enemies As the Lord taught (and did) “But to you who are listening I say: 'LOVE YOUR ENEMIES Do good to those who hate you BLESS THOSE who curse you- PRAY for those who mistreat you'” Luke 6:27-28 Or TRY FORGIVING SOME ONE Who hurts you in the same way OVER and over and over again “Jesus answered: 'I tell you NOT seven times- But seventy-seven times'” Matthew 18:22 Or TRY living the BEATITUDES That begin in Matthew 5:3 “BLESSED are the POOR IN SPIRIT For theirs is The KINGDOM OF HEAVEN ….....” YES-the thoughts and the ways Of the Lord are different And I WISH I could say that I have ALWAYS lived up to them But I TRY And that is the BEST-I think That anyone of us can do IN JESUS' NAME Robert P. Wallman 9-23-15

TRUST IN GOD'S POWER=NOT YOUR OWN

TRUST IN GOD'S POWER= NOT YOUR OWN We NEED to learn Through the course of our journey Through life To TRUST in God's POWER NOT our own For it is his power That will make a success Out of our life LONG after we leave this world “He summoned the twelve And gave them power........” Luke 9:1 I wonder what the twelve Must have felt WHEN Jesus summoned them-and- “SENT them to Proclaim the KINGDOM OF GOD- And to HEAL the sick” Luke 9:2 Kind of like That first day on the job WHEN your boss First leaves you on your own But this was NOT Just any job Their job Was a job to CHANGE THE WORLD WERE they suddenly Feeling inadequate or fearful The way we sometimes feel On that first day on the job Did they question WHETHER they were fully prepared For the journey ahead However-I think-while they felt Some of these things They TRUSTED in GOD'S POWER= Jesus' power=NOT their own “But you will RECEIVE POWER When the HOLY SPIRIT Comes on you And you will be my witnesses In Jerusalem And in all Judea and Samaria And to the ENDS OF THE EARTH” Acts 1:8 And in Luke 9:6-it says- “So they set out And went from village to village PROCLAIMING the GOOD NEWS And HEALING people everywhere” Luke 9:6 And they performed Miracle after miracle As we read in ACTS By TRUSTING IN THE POWER OF GOD And in JESUS' POWER God's power-Jesus' power GIVES us the ability too- To TRANSFORM our own lives And make a difference In the lives of others-as well BY proclaiming and TRUSTING In the good news of the Lord “Those who know your name TRUST in you For you-Lord- Have never forsaken those Who seek you” Luke 9:6 “Paul and Barnabas appointed elders For them in each church And with PRAYER and fasting Committed them to the Lord In whom They had put their trust” Acts 14:23 WHEN I first embarked On this journey through life To FIND GOD within myself And some TRACE of God In all other people- I FELT INADEQUATE But over the years I have seen GOD'S POWER Within me-and in others- Through the HOLY SPIRIT And I came to REALIZE I am not out there All alone As I am sure the apostles Of yesteryear did We ALL just need to TRUST IN THE POWER OF GOD Robert P. Wallman 9-22-15 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Sr. Joyce Rupp, O.S. M.

THE FAMILY OF GOD IS LOVE

THE FAMILY OF GOD IS LOVE In 1979 The Pittsburgh Pirates Had their last championship Baseball team And their slogan was: “WE ARE FAMILY” As instituted by the star And the leader of the team The late great Willie Stargell On paper They may not have been Been the best team But they won Because they played as ONE ONE TEAM=ONE FAMILY It is the same way With the FAMILY OF GOD ANY group of people UNITED BY LOVE Is greater than The sum of its parts “Jesus said to them in reply, 'My mother and my brothers Are those Who hear the WORD OF GOD And act on it'” Luke 8:21 LOVE UNIFIES US Hate divides us I have had THE GREATEST FAMILY The greatest parents The greatest sisters And the most beautiful of nieces As well as The greatest extended family And friends Because we were UNIFIED BY LOVE We all PULLED for one another That is what Jesus Tells us that we have to do PULL for one another IN LOVE Pull for our brothers and sisters In this world Regardless of denomination The FAMILY OF GOD IS ONE The FAMILY OF GOD IS UNITED Regardless of denomination Under love-peace-kindness- And forgiveness “How GOOD and pleasant it is When God's people LIVE TOGETHER in UNITY” Psalm 133:1 And Jesus said: “I have given them The glory that you gave me That they may be ONE As we are ONE I in them And you in me So that they may be Brought to COMPLETE UNITY” John 17:22-23 IMAGINE the POWER of the CHURCH In this world IF we all operated together AS ONE Under the power of GOD UNDER THE POWER OF LOVE The FAMILY OF GOD IS ONE ALL of those Who HEAR the Lord's WORD And follow it=ARE FAMILY We are ALL to be UNDER GOD-not separated Like the Pittsburgh Pirates-in 1979- WE can be greater- Than the SUM of our parts IF we operate as ONE Dear Lord= We PRAY BLESS our families And BLESS OUR CHURCH And make us all ONE Under the power of GOD Under the power of LOVE For the family of God IS ONE Robert P. Wallman 9-21-15 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Melanie Rigney

THE WORD OF THE DAY=GOD'S NATURE IS LOVE

THE WORD OF THE DAY- GOD'S NATURE IS LOVE How do you define God? INDEFINABLE-of course But God's nature is LOVE Let us call that The word of the day “Day pours out The word to day- And night to night Imparts knowledge” Psalm 19:3 What word IS on your heart And mind today What knowledge Does God impart on your day Of course-we know that GOD IS LOVE And his nature is DIVINE “For since The creation of the world God's INVISIBLE qualities- His eternal power And DIVINE NATURE Has been clearly seen Being understood From what has been made So that people Are without excuse” Romans 1:20 “His DIVINE NATURE Has given us Everything we need For a godly life Through our knowledge of him Who calls us By his own glory and goodness” 2 Peter 1:3 The PSALMS Often use nature To refer To some aspect of his DIVINITY We see the stars' brilliance At night And this HELPS US to recognize Our own smallness We see God In the dazzling yellow sun And we see God In every other aspect of nature The blue ocean-the green grass- The yellow dandelions-the red roses- The brown autumn leaves-and white snow ALL of which brings us To the WORD of the day Which is LOVE What a PRECIOUS GIFT A NEW DAY of life is And it all comes from God The AUTHOR of life and love “But I TRUST In your UNFAILING LOVE My heart rejoices In your salvation” Psalm 13:5 “Do not withhold your mercy From me MAY your love and faithfulness ALWAYS PROTECT ME” Psalm 40:11 Dear Lord-we PRAY Help us to turn Our hearts-minds-and souls To you in HOPE AND GRATITUDE And help us To ALWAYS REMEMBER The WORD OF THE DAY LOVE By LOVING YOU dear Lord With ALL of our heart And loving our neighbor As ourselves In Jesus' name Robert P. Wallman 9-21-15 Ps Today is the feast of Saint Matthew-one of the ORIGINAL apostles and the writer of one of the Four gospels INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Sr. Joyce Rupp, O.S.M.

CALLED TO BE SERVANTS OF GOD=AND SERVANTS OF OTHERS

CALLED TO BE SERVANTS OF GOD AND SERVANTS OF OTHERS Picture this: Jesus and his disciples Are walking along together As they often did And Jesus tells them He is going to be arrested And put to death “The SON of Man Is to be handed over to men- And they will kill him........” Mark 9:31 IMAGINE=if one of your friends Told you this- How you would respond- MAYBE with care and concern For him or her But his friends-his disciples Aren't ready to deal with that Just yet So they start arguing About which of them Is the greatest And Jesus-NOT to be put off Says: What are you arguing about On he road?” Mark 9:33 After Jesus hears It is about Who wants to be greatest- He says-the most amazing thing- To the 12 “ANYONE who wants To be first MUST be the very last And the SERVANT of all” Mark 9:35 In this me first= #1 at all costs=world That we live in WHO wants to be #1 now Who wants to be a servant-YET- A servant of all “Let your face SHINE on your servant SAVE ME In your unfailing love” Psalm 31:16 And HE CAN Ask us to be a servant Of all Because he did that very thing HIMSELF “In your relationships With one another Have the same mindset As Jesus …..... Rather he made himself nothing By taking the very nature Of a servant” 2 Philippians 5 & 7 If he can do it WHY can't we? Maybe we don't Want to be No.1 As badly as we think What makes this teaching SO DIFFICULT Is it applies today In the same way It applied to the Apostles Of yesteryear Maybe we too-in today's world Are wondering Which one of us is greater Maybe we CHRISTIANS Need to talk about HUMILITY In the same way ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS DOES Humility doesn't mean We are terrible people It simply means “I am BLESSED and gifted In some ways And flawed in others I CAN accept myself And I can ACCEPT YOU WITHOUT feeling superior or inferior” Or maybe IF you are like me And trying to be A TRUE CHRISTIAN In the model of Christ You can be A SERVANT OF GOD And a servant to ALL OTHERS Robert P. Wallman 9-19-15 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Fr. Martin Pable, O.F.M. Cap.

THE CHALLENGE OF LIFE-AND THE STRENGTH TO PERSEVERE

THE CHALLENGE OF LIFE- AND THE STRENGTH TO PERSEVERE Let us face it LIFE throws all kinds Of challenges at us Some are expected- And some are totally unexpected The surprise health diagnosis The unexpected job loss A surprise death or birth- WITHIN our own family We have to be STRONG Just to survive- And we have to PERSEVERE Through it all On our journey through life In Luke chapter 8 Jesus tells us HOW difficult it is To grow strong roots And reach spiritual maturity “As for the seed That fell among thorns They are the ones Who have heard But as They go along They are choked by the anxieties And riches and pleasures of life And they fail to produce MATURE FRUIT” Luke 8:14 Don't let the WORD of God Get choked off In you Don't let disappointment Or anxiety Or the PLEASURES of life Take you away From the Word of God Let your roots Attach themselves to God Attach themselves To Jesus And not only will you persevere But you will thrive And PRODUCE much fruit For GOD'S WORD IS ALIVE “IF the part of the dough Offered as firstfruits Is holy Then the whole batch is holy If the root is holy So are the branches” Romans 11:16 “By their FRUIT You will recognize them …..... Likewise-every good tree Bears good fruit But a bad tree Bears bad fruit” Matthew 7:16-17 I have been feeling Some anxiety lately Due to health- And to a couple other personal matters ANXIETY can be A great ENEMY OF FAITH It is when We are under attack That we really NEED OUR FAITH It is then That we need to dig deep And attache our faith to God And attach our faith To Jesus That is how we PERSEVERE During difficult times That is how We fight off the CHALLENGE To our faith “Consider it PURE JOY My brothers and sisters WHENEVER you face trials Of many kinds Because you know That the testing Of your faith PRODUCES PERSEVERANCE Let perseverance Finish its work So that you May be mature-and complete NOT lacking anything” James 1:3-4 We will EXPERIENCE Abundant times in life Some happy-some difficult Dear Lord-what we PRAY for most And what we know YOU WILL PROVIDE IS THE STRENGTH TO PERSEVERE Robert P. Wallman 9-18-15 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Jessica Mesman Griffith

LIVING THE AUTHENTIC LIFE

LIVING THE AUTHENTIC LIFE Do you live An authentic life By that I mean Are your words-actions- And prayers along the same lines Or are you hypocritical Like so many of us are today Authentic means “To be real or genuine” (NOT copied or false) By my account Jesus Christ Was the most authentic man Who ever lived He was BORN in the spirit He lived and died In the spirit And WHEN he Left this world He left his SPIRIT OF LOVE behind For all of us His spirit of love His spirit of forgiveness And his spirit of kindness “Jesus journeyed From one town and village To another Preaching and proclaiming The GOOD NEWS Of the KINGDOM of God” Luke 8:1 For a Christian follower A life only makes sense If it is in The footsteps of Jesus LIVING love and kindness Acting love and forgiveness And praying for others And wishing them LOVE AND HAPPINESS And forgiving them IF they have offended you In some way WITH Jesus-there is Not only purpose But meaning and direction UNCONDITIONAL LOVE-unlimited compassion- And living with real hope and true peace And if you are living these things You are living an AUTHENTIC LIFE Just like Jesus “The REALITY-however- Is found in Christ” Colossians 2:17 “For my flesh is REAL food And my blood is real drink Whoever eats my flesh And drinks my blood REMAINS in me And I in them” John 6:55-56 With Jesus We have the LOVE Of God Present and available to us Jesus guides us Through life Jesus shows us How to live He teaches us HOW to serve one another And he gives us THE GREAT COMMISSION To follow him And SPREAD the Word Of God To anyone and everyone Who is ready to hear it “Then Jesus came to them And said, 'ALL authority in heaven And on earth Has been given to me THEREFORE Go and make disciples Of all nations Baptizing them In the name of the Father And of the Son And of the Holy SPIRIT And teaching them To obey everything I have commanded you And SURELY I am with you ALWAYS To the very end Of the age'” Matthew 28:18-20 I can think of NO greater life Than DISCIPLESHIP to Jesus And being his companion And FRIEND As we travel Through life For this is The way to LIVING AN AUTHENTIC LIFE FOLLOWING the ONE TRUE/ And most authentic life That ever lived=IN JESUS CHRIST Robert P. Wallman 9-17-15 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Fr. John Dear

BE AWARE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD

BE AWARE TO THE PRESENCE OF GOD God lives DEEP within us His PRESENCE Is deep withing ourselves Some times He comes out of our Very darkness For God IS all light and love And NOT even darkness Can drowned him out “Great are the works Of the Lord Exquisite in all Their delights” Psalm 111:2 He(God) is also present In the people and things Outside of ourselves And we would be wise To be alert to this To be AWAKE TO THE PRESENCE OF GOD “Let all of creation REJOICE before the Lord” Psalm 96:13 ALL OF CREATION Has something of God's creation In it For that very reason We should TREASURE our earth And pay attention to its beauty The spring flowers The autumn leaves The summery dew of the green grass And even the cod cold days Of winter “You make known To me The path of life You fill me With joy IN YOUR PRESENCE With eternal pleasures At your right hand” Psalm 16:11 UNFORTUNATELY though We don't always take the time To notice the goodness Of what God has made HOW OFTEN We don't see the goodness Of other people Or the GOODNESS OF GOD In the world “Taste and see That the Lord is GOOD” Psalm 34:8 “For the Lord is GOOD And his love ENDURES FOREVER His faithfulness continues Through all generations” Psalm 100:5 Don't make this mistake Of MISSING God's presence In your life How much we miss When we don't notice The goodness of the people And the environment around us How much we miss When we don't notice- -God's presence That shines through In everything he has made Dear Lord-WE PRAY Help keep us from Sleepwalking through life And always help us BE AWARE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD IN OUR LIVES In Jesus' name-amen Robert P. Wallman 9-15-15 INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Father Keneth Grabner, C.S.C.

LIVING WITH INTEGRITY AND LIVING WITH GOD IN YOUR HEART

LIVING WITH INTEGRITY AND LIVING WITH GOD IN YOUR HEART It is Not an easy thing To LIVE WITH INTEGRITY In this world INTEGRITY is defined As, “the quality of Being honest and Having strong moral principals; moral uprightness” (“He is known to be a man of integrity”) CAN they say that About you In today's world? If they/IF WE can Say that about you In today's world I applaud you My brother or sister in Christ For it is not such An easy thing To be that-IN TODAY'S WORLD A world in moral decay A man where FEW keep a written contract Let alone keep their word “I will PERSEVERE In the way of integrity When will you Come to me? I will walk With the blameless of heart Within my house” Psalm 101:2 Living with integrity Living with God In my heart IF I am living honestly If I am living with integrity It is a daily decision EVEN MORE-it is a Momentary decision Each and every time For if I am less than moral In small things HOW can I expect to be moral When bigger decisions come along “His master replied, 'WELL DONE good and faithful servant You have been faithful With a few things I will put you In charge of many things Come and share YOUR MASTER'S HAPPINESS'” Matthew 25:21 or 23 “Guard my life For I am FAITHFUL to you SAVE your servant Who trusts in you” Psalm 86:2 I hold myself To HIGH moral standards And I do my BEST To live a life of integrity And I keep you Lord In my heart And I do my best To always love you And to love others I see SIGNS OF TEMPTATION And I do my best To turn the other way Seeing spiritual darkness And sin in this world REMINDS me to slow down And to seek the ONE Who is the SOURCE OF LIGHT AND HOPE In today's world It reminds me/us To TRY even harder To live a life FILLED WITH INTEGRITY “Because of my integrity You uphold me And set me IN YOUR PRESENCE FOREVER” Psalm 41:12 “The integrity Of the upright GUIDES them But the unfaithful are destroyed By their duplicity” Proverbs 11:3 Dear Lord=in this morally Bankrupt world That we live in HELP US ALWAYS To LIVE WITH INTEGRITY And LIVE WITH GOD AND LOVE In our hearts Robert P. Wallman 9-14-15 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE Lisa M. Hendey

THE DEPTH OF LOVE GOD HAS FOR YOU

THE DEPTH OF LOVE GOD HAS FOR YOU Do you ever stop And think How much God Really loves you He loves you So much That he GAVE UP His only SON for you “For God So LOVED the world That he gave His one and only Son That whoever BELIEVES In him Shall NOT perish But have eternal life” John 3:16 Probably one of The most talked about Scriptural passages of the bible And he did not Give up his Son To condemn the world But he gave up his Son To SAVE the world Because he loves you (and me) “For God did not send His Son Into the world To condemn the world But that the world Might be saved Through him” John 3:17 The cross REVEALS THE DEPTH OF LOVE That God and Jesus Has for you- For me-for us Jesus FORGAVE us From the cross His instrument of death Jesus said, “Father forgive them For they do not know What they are doing” Luke 23:34 And Jesus' FORGIVENESS EXTENDS to us today And because none of us Really know what we Are doing We need to extend That forgiveness TO EACH OTHER “If you forgive other people When they sin Against you Your heavenly father Will forgive you” Matthew 6:14 The DEPHTH OF LOVE God has for you- For me-for us It is hard To UNDERSTAND Such a depth of LOVE But God is love And this is what The cross reveals to us “GREATER LOVE Has no one than this To lay down ONE'S LIFE For one's friends” John 15:13 And that is what we are- To Jesus-HIS FRIENDS (Each and every one of us) And he gave up His life For all of us IF LOVE is The NATURE of God And it is It will constantly SHINE on us No matter what we do Don't ever Close your eyes To the shining power Of God's love It will TRANSFORM YOU If you let it Dear Lord-the cross REVEALS the depth of LOVE You have for us And may I/may WE GIVE OUR LOVE to others For all-are our friends Robert P. Wallman 9-13-15 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Father Kenneth Grabner, C.S.C.

GOD IS MY REFUGE AND MY SALVATION

GOD IS MY REFUGE AND MY SALVATION Did you ever look At life styles From the past And wonder HOW people survived The old WEST For instance Or years and years ago WHEN the wild animals Roamed the earth Life was indeed dangerous “Keep me-O God-for in you I take REFUGE” Psalm 16:1 But then I stop and think That the world is NO LESS Dangerous today I become disheartened About where the world Is heading today The lying-the deceit- The violence of people In today's world The lack of integrity The lack of honesty In today's world (And I could go on and on) “TASTE and see That the Lord Is good BLESSED is the one Who takes REFUGE in him” Psalm 34:8 “EVERY WORD of God Is flawless He is a shield To those Who take refuge in him” Proverbs 30:5 God is MY REFUGE AND MY SALVATION WHO do you run to In times of trouble In this world For me IT'S GOD And then my FAMILY We live In a world WHERE morality-charitable acts- And faith and ethical behavior Seem to be in SHORT SUPPLY We live In a world WHERE terrorists-villainous characters- Greed-and dishonesty MAKE all the headlines BUT we live In a world WHERE we have God We live in a world Where we have each other And we live In a world Where we still have THE BIBLE And because of ALL of this We still have HOPE “Heaven and earth Will pass away But my words WILL NEVER PASS AWAY” Matthew 24:35 And these stories From Scripture LIFT ME UP And give me HOPE Noah found REFUGE Because of his faith Job PERSEVERED IN FAITH UNTIL his health and livelihood Were restored Their SALVATION Was in the Lord The SAME As yours and mine are Salvation means to be SAVED Or protected from harm Or being saved From a dire situation Who-BUT GOD-can do this For us God and his Son Jesus Christ “And ALL PEOPLE Will see GOD'S SALVATION” Luke 3:6 (As written in the book of Isaiah) Simple but TRUE GOD IS MY REFUGE- AND MY SALVATION Robert P. Wallman 9-11-15 Ps INSPIRED by an article in Living Faith Magazine by Deborah Meister

THE GREAT CHALLENGE OF FOLLOWING THE GOLDEN RULE

THE GREAT CHALLENGE OF FOLLOWING THE GOLDEN RULE Do you TREAT others The same way That they treat you? MOST TIMES On an every day basis It is NOT that difficult “Do to others As you would have them Do to you” Luke 6:3 In other words Treat other people The way That you want to be treated Again-as a general rule Not that difficult But what about WHEN someone insults you Or ignores you Do you continue To go out of your way For that person Or do you trade insults With them Or ignore them Just the same As they do to you THE GOLDEN RULE Is not quite so easy To follow now is it But Jesus asks So much MORE of us He tells us That we must LOVE Our enemies And to offer Our other cheek If someone strikes us Really Lord- OUTSIDE of you- Can a mere mortal Like us-do it “But to you Who are listening I say: 'LOVE YOUR ENEMIES Do good To those who hate you BLESS those Who curse you PRAY for those Who mistreat you IF someone slaps you On one cheek Turn to them The other side also If someone Takes your coat Do not withheld Your shirt from them GIVE to everyone Who asks you And if anyone Takes what belongs to you Do not demand it back DO TO OTHERS As you would have them Do to you” Luke 6:27-31 This is The GREAT CHALLENGE Of truly living THE GOLDEN RULE And it takes A true true Christian To do this IF anyone really can Really Lord- Can anyone do this? “With man This is impossible But with God ALL things are possible” Matthew 19:26 “'IF you can,?' Said Jesus 'Everything is possible For one who BELIEVES'” Mark 9:23 I have my yoke TIED to Christ's And while I do slip up From time-to-time I do try and live By ALL of Jesus' teachings How about you? The great challenge Of Christianity Is to live A life BASED ON LOVE AND MERCY Toward others This is Jesus' GOLDEN RULE And we have no options But to live by it To the very best Of our ability Robert P. Wallman 9-9-15 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Paul Pennick

KEEPING YOUR COMMITMENTS AND PROMISES TO GOD AND OTHERS

KEEPING OUR COMMITMENTS AND PROMISES TO GOD AND TO OTHERS Have you ever made A commitment or promise To God Or a commitment or PROMISE To another human being Maybe in a marriage- Perhaps Well-if you have And you have done Your BEST To keep that promise Or commitment Your life is A BLESSING IN ACTION “EVERY DAY Will I bless you........” Psalm 145:2 Well As most of you know I made a deathbed promise- Commitment-or my own PERSONAL COVENANT To God “TO LIVE For my family-friends- And ALL people- EVERYWHERE” And you know What happened? WHEN I got to be In my 30's I PRAYED to God To RELEASE me From my promise That I needed a woman And family of my own And the Lord said “NO” (A promise is a promise) “May your UNFAILING LOVE Come to me Lord Your salvation According to your promise” Psalm 119:41 “My comfort In my suffering is this Your promise PRESERVES my life” Psalm 119:50 And a few years later I rededicated my life TO LOVING God And LIVING for others And I have Never looked back And my life is At least-I HOPE A BLESSING IN ACTION For others “Blessings CROWN the head Of the righteous” Proverbs 10:6 And I am indeed A BLESSED human being In this world-for oh So many reasons But today We CELEBRATE Another great man Another great Saint- Peter Claver A man whose parents WORRIED about Peter's inability To make up his mind About his future Peter vacillated About entering the Jesuits But eventually He was sent to- Cartagena, Columbia One of the principal ports Of the sea trade And he never looked back And his life Became a BLESSING IN ACTION For others As yours can As mine can IF we keep our commitments And promises to God and to others MAY we follow Our example of Jesus- Of Peter And may they HELP US KEEP our commitments and promises As we turn our lives Into BLESSINGS in action For others Robert P. Wallman 9-8-15 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Sister Bridget Haase, O.S.U.

LIFE IS A LABOR OF LOVE

LIFE IS A LABOR OF LOVE Life is a labor Of love For ALL of us We CREATE The life that we want Because we BELIEVE IN LOVE We believe In what We are doing NO MATTER how difficult For love- LOVING GOD- And loving others Makes all The difference in this world “For this I labor And struggle In accordance With the exercise Of Christ's power WORKING WITHIN ME” Colossians 1:29 WE MUST REMEMBER That this world Was CHANGED For the better-once Through the PERFECT LOVE Of our Lord-Jesus Christ And his Mother Mary And today-we CELEBRATE Mary's birthday And her courage To say “YES” to the ANGEL “'I am the LORD'S SERVANT,' Mary answered, 'May your word to me BE FULFILLED' Then the angel left her” Luke 1:38 For Mary Life truly was A LABOR OF LOVE As she carried Her son Jesus For nine months Her love The love between The two of them=Jesus and Mary Jesus' PERFECT LOVE- And God and the Holy Spirit Changed the world I too-MAYBE you too Want to change The world again THROUGH LOVE But we must remember Our love-our work Our HOPE come from GOD ALONE “YES-my soul Find rest in God My hope Comes from him TRULY-he is My rock and salvation He is my fortress I will NOT Be shaken” Psalm 62:5-6 There are Many trials and tribulations In life But indeed We CAN go on We must go on For our lives Are a labor of love For God-for others And for ourselves So like Mary- Like-OUR PERFECT REDEEMER-Jesus We continue To move forward As we sense Christ's POWER Working within us Let us create The world we Want to live in A world BASED On loving God And loving others (Even above ourselves) For life is A LABOR OF LOVE Dear Lord- LET IT BE Robert P. Wallman 9-7-15 Ps INSPIRED by an article in Living Faith Magazine by Sister Melanie Svoboda, S.N.D.

DON'T FORGET TO REST

WITNESS 5-9-13 DON’T FORGET TO REST We work hard We play hard Sometimes it seems We don’t have a minute For ourselves Sometimes-we need to Take a step back-AND REST Just let our bodies recharge And our minds and our hearts And our souls For EVEN God did “So God BLESSED the seventh day And made it holy Because on it He rested from ALL the work He had done in CREATION” Genesis 2:3 DON’T FORGET TO REST Rest is a BLESSING It allows our body-mind-and soul A chance to recharge Sometimes we can urge ourselves To do one more thing COMPLETE one more task And it leads to another And before you know it WE ARE DRAINED Take the time to rest Whether it be The Sabbath day Like the Lord suggested Or even just a minute here-a day there Or a day or two there “Remember the Sabbath day By KEEPING it holy Six days you shall labor And do ALL your work But the seventh day IS a Sabbath day to the Lord your God” Exodus 20:8-10 (*It doesn’t have to be a Saturday or a Sunday) Or even just some hours To put your MIND at REST And meditate on the AWARENESS OF GOD’S PRESENCE In your life It does not matter As long as We do it-in some fashion Dear Lord-we pray That we NEVER FORGET you And that we take a day Or a few hours each day To step back And think about what’s important In life GOD-and FAMILY-and FAITH For REST is a BLESSING To help us KEEP our priorities in order We pray That we work AS you worked And that we-like you DON’T FORGET TO REST Robert P. Wallman 4-5-13 Ps WITNESS 5-9-13 “Come to me-all you who are weary-and burdened-and I will give you REST Take my yoke upon you-and learn from me-for I am meek and humble in heart And you will find REST for your souls- For my yoke is easy and my burden is LIGHT” Matthew 11:28-30 8-29-14 12-10-14 9-7-15=LABOR DAY

COMMISSIONED BY Jesus-COMMISSIONED BY God

COMMISSIONED BY JESUS-COMMISSIONED BY GOD We all have a CALLING In life For some-it is to be A priest-a pastor- Or some other type of profession Within the church I too Feel like I have a calling TO WORK FOR GOD Though NOT within the confines Of any one specific church Nevertheless I don't feel like my calling Is of any less importance For IF any one of us BRING ONE person to God Or strengthens one person's faith Our work Is NOT in vain “Jesus said to Simon 'Do not be afraid From now on You will be catching men' When they brought Their boats to the shore They left everything And followed him” Luke 15:11 Peter was commissioned By God and Jesus To catch souls For the kingdom of God We too are commissioned And as we allow God's love to seep DEEP into our hearts He will overwhelm us With his love And we will hear HIS CALL OF DISCIPLESHIP “As a prisoner For the Lord Then I urge you To LIVE a life WORTHY of the calling You have received” Ephesians 4:1 What could be better Than being called by GOD? I would bet The ORIGINAL APOSTLES Would give their lives To God and Jesus As I would do What I do 1,000 times over again GOD'S SPIRIT intercedes For us And empowers us TO PROCLAIM the gospel Of God And the gospel Of our Lord Jesus Christ The gospel of LOVE The gospel of KINDNESS And the gospel Of FORGIVENESS “Therefore-my brothers and sisters Make every effort To CONFIRM your calling And election” 2 Peter 1:10 EVERY CHRISTIAN In this world Has been called by God Has been called by Christ Has been called By the CHURCH It is just a matter Of saying YES And letting our LOVE FLOW out of our hearts Like Peter- I would forsake everything FOR GOD Like Peter I would forsake everything FOR JESUS And like Peter I first FAILED HIM OVER AND OVER AGAIN In Matthew28 Jesus gives us THE GREAT COMMISSION “Then Jesus- Came to them and said, 'ALL AUTHORITY In heaven and on earth Has been given to me Therefore go and make disciples Of all nations Baptizing them In the name of the Father And of the Son And of the Holy Spirit And teaching them to obey Everything I commanded you And surely I am with you- ALWAYS- To the very end Of the age” Matthew 28:18-20 Dear Lord-I HUMBLY ACCEPT your invitation For there is NO GREATER HONOR Than to be a SERVANT of God And to “CATCH” souls For his kingdom I HOPE you will ACCEPT too Robert P. Wallman 9-2-15 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Leo Zachettin

SHAPING OUR WORLD VIEW

SHAPING OUR WORLD VIEW What shapes your view Of the world? Is it the world And what it tells us is important? Or Is it God-Jesus And their teachings And the bible? The world Tries to sell us products With a beautiful woman Or a handsome man Hawking their products They tell you IF you buy their product Your life will be A success And you may attract A woman or a man That looks like them The world sells us beauty- Material possessions-health and science But God tells us IT really is what is INSIDE That counts That we ALL MATTER NO MATTER what we look like No matter How much money we have And no matter What our health status is I CHOOSE To BELIEVE IN GOD In what he is TEACHING And that is what I have found to be TRUE IN LIFE “I WILL thank you ALWAYS For what you have done And PROCLAIM THE GOODNESS Of your name BEFORE your faithful ones” Psalm 52:11 God SAVED my life Over and over again BEGINNING over 38 years ago I have been BLESSED to RECEIVE a lifetime With my mother and father- and my sisters-relatives-and friends I will NEVER FORGET That and the fact That GOD CREATED the world And Jesus CONQUERED the world That is WHY GOD'S WORD -NOT the marketing geniuses WILL FOREVER SHAPE My view of the world “He rules the world In RIGHTEOUSNESS And judges the peoples With equity” Psalm 9:8 “I was formed Long ages ago At the very beginning WHEN the world Came to be” Proverbs 8:23 IF I live As the world Tells me to live I will NEVER be satisfied I can NEVER get enough But Jesus-God's SON Conquered the world And ALL the evil in it Could not kill him “I have told you These things So that in me You may have PEACE In this world You will have trouble But TAKE HEART I have OVERCOME The world” John 16:33 And HE told us: “I am THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD Whoever follows me Will NEVER walk in darkness But will have THE LIGHT OF LIFE” John 8:12 I will LIVE IN GRATITUDE ALL the days of my life Dear Lord-IN YOUR LOVE- I AM CONTENT Robert P. Wallman 9-1-15 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Amy Welborn