The Cookie Thief

A woman was waiting at an airport one night,
With several long hours before her flight.
She hunted for a book in the airport shops.
Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.

She was engrossed in her book but happened to see,
That the man sitting beside her, as bold as could be.
Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between,
Which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene.

So she munched the cookies and watched the clock,
As the gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock.
She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by,
Thinking, "If I wasn't so nice, I would blacken his eye."

With each cookie she took, he took one too,
When only one was left, she wondered what he would do.
With a smile on his face, and a nervous laugh,
He took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered her half, as he ate the other,
She snatched it from him and thought... oooh, brother.
This guy has some nerve and he's also rude,
Why he didn't even show any gratitude!

She had never known when she had been so galled,
And sighed with relief when her flight was called.
She gathered her belongings and headed to the gate,
Refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate.

She boarded the plane, and sank in her seat,
Then she sought her book, which was almost complete.
As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise,
There was her bag of cookies, in front of her eyes.

If mine are here, she moaned in despair,
The others were his, and he tried to share.
Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,
That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief.

Thank you Wendy for sharing!
Cukierski Family - Healing Mind, Body and Soul by Catholic Products

Use words if neccessary...

“Preach the gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.”

It is the spirit of St. Francis that counts...

This is a great quote, very Franciscan in its spirit, but not literally from St. Francis. The thought is his; this catchy phrasing is not in his writings or in the earliest biographies about him.

In Chapter XVII of his Rule of 1221, Francis told the friars not to preach unless they had received the proper permission to do so. Then he added, “Let all the brothers, however, preach by their deeds.”

I had been a Franciscan for 28 years—and had earned an M.A. in Franciscan studies—before I heard the “Use words if necessary” quote. That was during Msgr. Kenneth Velo’s homily at Cardinal Joseph L. Bernardin’s funeral in 1996.

About a year ago, a friend of mine used the Internet to contact some of the most eminent Franciscan scholars in the world, seeking the source of this “Use words if necessary” quote. It is clearly not in any of Francis’ writings. After a couple weeks of searching, no scholar could find this quote in a story written within 200 years of Francis’ death.

This saying and the “Peace Prayer,” which Francis certainly did not write, are easily identified with him because they so thoroughly reflect his spirit. Unfortunately, they would not have become as widespread if they had been attributed to “John Smith” or “Mary Jones.”

Exhaustive research on the origins of the “Peace Prayer of St. Francis” has led to Christian Renoux’s new book in French. This 210-page study (ISBN 2-85020-096-4) is described at www.electre.com under Les Editions Franciscaines.

An 11th-century French prayer is similar to the first part of the “Peace Prayer.” The oldest known copy of the current prayer, however, dates to 1912 in France. The prayer became more well known in other countries during World War I.

This prayer is sold all over Assisi today—but always under the title “A Simple Prayer.” Whoever linked it to St. Francis guaranteed a wide diffusion of the text. The same is true for the “Use words if necessary” quote. Both reflect St. Francis very well. 

Father Pat McCloskey, O.F.M

Miracle Everyday

The following quote from Jim Rohn reflect my belief that there are abounding Miracles which touch our lives every day. Thanks to Sr. Pat for the reflection.

I have found in life that if you want a miracle
you first need to do whatever it is you can do -
if that's to plant, then plant;
if it is to read, then read;
if it is to change, then change;
if it is to study, then study;
if it is to work, then work;
whatever you have to do.
And then you will be well on your way of doing the labor that works miracles.
Jim Rohn.

What miracle did you experience today?
A smile of a child.
A revelation of who you are.
Feet trodding a familar place.

Miracles All. Open your eyes to see.

Is It Well?

HOW IS IT WITH YOUR SOUL?

How is it with your soul?

I meet regularly with a few friends and we ask one another that
question. How is it with your soul? In other words, at the core of
your being ... what is going on?

It's a bigger question than, "How are you feeling?" It includes body,
mind and spirit -- everything.

How would you answer that question today? How is it with YOUR soul?

Are you caring for it? After all, you care for your body. Do you care
for your soul, too?

Do you FEED your soul?

I'm told that a hummingbird flaps its wings some 50-80 times a
second. It must eat constantly to work that hard. It takes tremendous
energy simply to live.

We, too, must feed our spirits if we intend to be healthy. It may
include prayer or meditation or the practice of other spiritual
disciplines. Or taking classes and reading books that not only teach,
but uplift and inspire.

These are only a few of the ways we feed our souls, but without
constant nourishment, our spirits will grow weak and listless.

Do you REST your soul?

In our multi-tasking lives, sometimes the best thing we can do is to
do nothing at all. Just to sit quietly long enough to let our souls
catch up with our bodies.

Charles Darwin said, "If I had my life to live over again, I would
have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least
once a week."

What rests your soul? Poetry? Music? Enjoying the beauty of nature?
This is a wonderful world we live in -- a world full of wonder. Can
you find ways to rest your soul?

Do you CHEER your soul?

Use one of the greatest gifts you have been given is a gift of
laughter. And it is a gift we never use enough.

A woman diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis told me how painful the
disease had become. Debra said that no drugs would touch the
devastating pain. "At times I prayed to die because I did not think I
could go on this way," she said.

"In 1996 I began seeing a doctor who gave me the most important
prescription that I ever could have received. He excused himself from
the room. I watched him walking back and forth in the hall; he seemed
to be in deep thought."

The doctor came back in with this prescription. He told Debra to get
some funny movies and to begin laughing. If she didn't feel like
laughing, then she should smile. If she didn't feel like smiling, she
should smile anyway. He said that it would increase the endorphins in
her brain to help with her pain.

She did just as he suggested. She smiled constantly. Her children
teased her about the fake smile, but she told them that it was going
to get rid of her pain.

And it did. Of course, not all of her pain is gone, but her newly
acquired habit of laughing and smiling has made it manageable. And now
Debra says that she takes only a fraction of the pills she used to
consume, and that she would feel abnormal without a smile.

Someone beautifully said, "Life is not about waiting for the storm to
pass -- it's about learning how to dance in the rain."

How is it with your soul? That may be the best question you can ever
ask yourself.

-- Steve Goodier

CELEBRATING YOU

An old story tells of an unhappy and discontented stone cutter. One day he came upon a merchant and was awe-struck by all of the marvelous goods the man had for sale. "I wish I were a merchant," said the stone cutter and, quite amazingly, his wish was granted.

Not long afterward he saw a parade pass his little shop. Spying a prince dressed in splendor such as he had never before seen, he said,"I wish I were a prince." And he became one.

But it wasn't too many days later that he stepped outside and felt the discomfort of the hot summer sun beating down upon his head. "Even a prince cannot stay cool in the sun," he said. "I wish I were the sun."This wish, too, was granted.

He was happy being the sun until, one day, a cloud came between him and the earth. "That cloud over shadows me," he said. "I wish I were a cloud." Again, his wish was granted and he was happy until he came to a mountain that he could not rise above. "This mountain is greater than I," he said. "I wish I were a mountain."

As a tall and mighty mountain he looked down upon the affairs of humans and felt that he was finally happy. But one day a stone cutter climbed up his side and chipped away at rock and there was nothing he could do about it. "That little man is more powerful than I," the mountain said. "I wish I were a stone cutter."

So the circle was completed and now the stone cutter knew that he would always be happy just being himself. He would never dress like a prince, shine like the sun nor rise as tall as a mountain, but he was happy to be who he was.

A sure way to unhappiness is to compare yourself to others. Like someone aptly said, "The grass may be greener on the other side of the fence, but it still has to be mowed." You are who you are and that is to be celebrated.

-- Steve Goodier

Why Jesus Multiplied Loaves AND fish

Singing In The Reign: Why Jesus Multiplied Loaves AND fish

My take on this is a little different. Bread is seen as the necessities of life, which we pray for in the Our Father. We pray for more than just bread in that prayer, we pray for forgiveness, deliverance, and the coming of the kingdom.

Jesus showes us that when we put our lives in His hands, through the power of His prayer, he will supply beyond our need, He will provide abundance.