To pray: Instrument of God´s peace

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.


O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.


For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

Saint Francis of Assisi

Related links:
The greatest wealth

Biblical quotes that every catholic should read: Jeremiah

God is stronger in His power of atraction than any disorder, depression or anguish that we could suffer. For those who love the Lord, the fire never puts out although we try to smother it.
This is what the prophet says:

You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped; 
you were too strong for me, and you triumphed. 
All the day I am an object of laughter; 
everyone mocks me.


Whenever I speak, I must cry out, violence and outrage is my message; 
The word of the LORD has brought me derision and reproach all the day.


I say to myself, I will not mention him, 
I will speak in his name no more. 
But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; 
I grow weary holding it in, 
I cannot endure it.

Jeremiah 20:7-9

Arrows in the quiver (III): Love in little things

I must notice Jesus, because He loved perfectly.


Yes, but day in day out, I pay attention to the things I do and I wonder if I do them for love.


I think that my mission as a christian is to do great things,behave bravely,and carry out important tasks.


But Jesus asks something much easier for me,first love TODAY and the rest will come later.


And that is what great saints did.


Love in everyday things, in each little detail, in our daily chores:
When I clear the table after having eaten,
when I photocopy something for someone at the office,
when I give way to someone who is in a hurry, when I am driving,
when I am in a lift and ask the person who is with me what floor he or she is going and I push the button for him or her,
when I don´t gossip when someone invites me to do so,
when I switch on the washing machine at home.

Without love nothing, with love everything.

Love and do what you like

Saint Augustine

Related links:
Arrows (IV):... to the end of the world
The beautiful paths of God
O Lord, you duped me...

The beautiful paths of God

There is no easy path, but with the company of God every path is beautiful.

 Blessed Karl Leisner

These are the words of a german priest, Karl Leisner. His life is an example of what our lives should be. He lived for God´s love and in His love. He became a priest in a prisoner camp, Dachau, during WWII, and he only celebrated the Holy Mass once in his life, because he died almost immediately after being released. He was only thirty.


But his life was so rich, so full of God that our beloved blessed Pope John Paul II, proclaimed him blessed in 1996.


As he said our way in this world never lacks of sufferings, problems, deceptions, doubts, but if we think that God is on our side, that He loves us as if each of us  were the only ones in the world and that He cares and provides for us, how different our lives could be!


Let´s abandon ourselves in His divine hands and our journey will  be really beautiful.


Related links:
Schoenstatt: Karl Leisner
Ask and you will receive.
Jesus, have mercy on me

What does love look like?

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. 

Saint Augustine 

Ask and you will receive

Most High, glorious God,

enlighten the darkness of my heart 

and give me

true faith, 

certain hope, 

and perfect charity,

sense and knowledge, Lord, 

that I may carry out Your holy and true command. Amen.

 
Saint Francis of Assisi

 This is one of my favourite prayer. When I repeat it, I feel I am asking God for all that is important to my life. 
When I am lost, when I don´t know what to do, I ask God to bring light to my heart.
When I feel that my faith is weak, that I have doubts, I ask Him to grant me a true, strong faith.
When I am sad, dissapointed, and dissilussioned with myself and with the ways the world are taking, I ask God a certain hope.
And when I see how selfish, in all ways, I can be, I ask He, who is allmighty, to give me a perfect charity.
But about all I ask  for that Knowledge that allows me to fulfill all that God is asking me to do.


Related links:
What does love look like?

The greatest wealth

The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved. 

Love begins by taking care of the closest ones - the ones at home. 

Mother Theresa of Calcutta

In our world, we care a lot about  material wealth. We want better jobs to earn more money  to be able to send our children to the best schools and universities, to have a better house, a better car or to enhance our social relations.
 But we often forget the greatest of wealth, that which none can buy but it´s within our  hand reach: Love.
There is no more powerful force than. love. Everything is possible when you love and are loved.
Nevertheless to love is sometimes difficult, because it means sacrifice,dedication, giving up my own confort to seek out that of the other, to accept the others as they really are, not what we want them to be, and this is not always easy.
 But we are never richer than when we love and feel loved. It is the greatest joy.
 And as Mother Theresa said, let´s begin with those who are closer to us, our own family, those we share our lives with. And from there , the whole humankind will be our limit.

The reward

You will teach to fly, but they will not fly your flight.
you will teach to dream, but they will not dream your dream.
You will teach to live, but they will not live you life.
Nevertheless in each flight, each dream, each life,
the sign of the taught way will last forever.

Mother Theresa of Calcutta.

An interesting  reflection about the mission of parents, teachers and catechists.

In spanish:

Enseñarás a volar, pero no volarán tu vuelo.

Enseñarás a soñar, pero no soñarán tu sueño.

Enseñarás a vivir pero no vivirán tu vida.

Sin embargo, en cada vuelo, en cada sueño,

en cada vida perdurará la huella del camino enseñado.

Arrows in the quiver (I)

Lord, I am weak, I become lost in my fears and weaknesses.


If You don´t hold me, I don´t know what will become of me.I often forget Your Mercy and I think that I can "win" my salvation that I can get it on my own.


But the merit and the mercy are Yours alone, nothing more, nothing less.


I only have to let myself be guided by your Grace,
but I am reluctant to do so, and I don´t even know why.

Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me

Related links:
My will or Your will?
The pencil of God
Arrows (II): My will or Your will?

Christian life according to a saint

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it. 

Life is beauty, admire it. 

Life is bliss, taste it.

Life is a dream, realize it. 

Life is a challenge, meet it. 

Life is a duty, complete it. 

Life is a game, play it. 

Life is a promise, fulfill it. 

Life is sorrow, overcome it. 

Life is a song, sing it. 

Life is a struggle, accept it. 

Life is a tragedy, confront it. 

Life is an adventure, dare it.

Life is luck, make it.

Life is too precious, do not destroy it.

Life is life, fight for it.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

I think that there is no better way to say what life must be for a christian and that nobody has said it more beautifully.

Principios Católicos in English

Some of these articles you are reading or are about to read, are translations from those you can find in our blog called "Principios Católicos".
 It is written in Spanish, but if you can get by in it, you can have more information, videos and downloads in that page.
We  hope that we can be of any help to you  in your way to Christ.


Related links:
Principios Católicos, en español
Arrows in the quiver (I): 'My' own salvation
The reward

The pencil of God...

I am like a little pencil in the hand of God. 
That is all. 
He does the thinking. 
He does the writing. 
The pencil has nothing to do with it.
The pencil has only to be allowed to be used.

Mother Theresa of Calcutta

Related links:

Life is ...

The greatest wealth

You will teach...

Arrows in the quiver (II): My will...

My will is to fulfill your word, Lord.
But I can´t often get it right.
I want to do the things as You do, but I don´t trust the way You do them.
I haven´t thought about your plans on me and I should have started there.
I have built my own salvation plan instead.
And, what if is it not exactly what you have planned for me?
Why don´t I let myself be carried away by your will?

Lord, don´t let me do my will but Yours

Related links:

Arrows (I): I am lost

Arrows (III): Loving daily...

Christian life