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September 1, 2014
Marian Shrine E-Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 5
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You may be good at what you do. Indeed, you may be better than most, but without the help of others you will never be as good as you could be.
You will never reach your highest potential without a good adviser. It's impossible.
Why would a world-class tennis player need a coach, especially one who is not as good on the court as he or she is? André Agassi answered the question this way: 'Tennis requires subtle adjustments crucial to winning and my coach, Gill, is the best at making them. The older I get, the more valuable he becomes.' Why is that? Because age and experience don't necessarily make you better; often they just deepen the rut you're in.
In our spiritual life, as in sports, you never reach the point where you don't need good input. Yet many of us operate under the misguided assumption that because we lead, we don't need to be led. We make the mistake of measuring ourselves against others instead of our own God-given potential and in the end we never become what we could have been.
Self-evaluation is important, but the evaluation of others is crucial. A good coach measures your performance against your strengths, not somebody else's. That's because he or she knows what you're capable of and they will push you to your limit. And by the way, good coaches are constantly on the scene observing, not back at the office waiting for a report. That's because they are personally invested in your success; a win for you is a win for them.
Ruth needed Naomi and Timothy needed Paul. Who advises you? Who do you have guiding your in your spiritual journey? God Bless you. In Mary Help of Christian, I remain, Fr. Jim McKenna SDB Director |
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Saint of the Day
St. Simeon the Stylite
As a thirteen-year-old shepherd of Sisan, Turkey, Simeon heard a Gospel reading of the Beatitudes that greatly affected him. Entering a nearly monastery, he learned all the Psalms by heart and began to manifest the extraordinary spirit of self-denial that was to become a hallmark of his spirituality. Thereafter Simeon lived as a hermit. In the year 423 he imposed on himself the unusual mortification of living atop a pillar only a few feet in diameter and about ten feet high. Later a much taller pillar over sixty-five feet high was built for him. The local bishops and abbots tested his virtue by commanding him to come down from the pillar, a command they immediately rescinded after the hermit demonstrated his humble willingness to obey them. One bishop even brought him Holy Communion. Simeon devoted himself to prayer, but also gave exhortations twice daily to those who gathered around the pillar to hear him. His words won the conversion of pagans in the audience. Simeon would urge his listeners to pray for the salvation of souls. Following his mother's death, he offered particularly fervent prayers for her.
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 Pebble in the shoe
By Jim Fannin
Everyone has had a pebble in his or her shoe. You may have one or two now. It's the small, nagging thoughts that eventually weigh you down. Some pebbles have been hidden, undetected for years. Others push, prod, and make their presence felt every day. Each pebble intrudes into the lives of the unsuspecting. At different times in life the pebbles arrive. Although they are small and mostly undetected, they represent many unresolved thoughts, images and experiences. Some are pebbles of doubt. They form from a single thought that occurred years, months or weeks before. Some pebbles are lodged only in your business shoes. Some reside in your house slippers that you tuck under your bed. Some pebbles find their way into your golf shoes while others form in the shoes worn while you parent. Unfortunately, some pebbles travel in all your shoes regardless of where you walk or run.
Some pebbles are of fear. Others are created from guilt, rejection or shame. Maybe not today, but they eventually arrive unannounced and usually at the most inappropriate time. What challenges do they present?
To run the marathon race of life at your most efficient speed, you must be free of embarrassment, guilt, rejection, fear, envy, jealousy, anger, impatience, frustration and worry. All can be lodged in any shoe, from a pair of loafers worn by a city dweller in Manhattan, to a pair of boots on a farm in Montana. These intangible pebbles are crippling. They destroy relationships. They contribute to overeating and gaining unhealthy weight. They coax us into drugs, alcohol and other addictions. They destroy families and alienate friends. They thwart the potential of our children and physically snuff extra years from our life. These are the pebbles in the shoe.
The pebble can cause you to quit or perform with complete indifference. It can help instigate a fight or add disrespectful silence to an otherwise dynamic relationship. Even the desire for fame, fortune or power can turn into a pebble in your shoe if left undetected. Most pebbles stir up the past, cloud the future and keep the present to a blink of the eye. Like a garden that's been freshly tilled, a pebble can reappear without warning or detection. Prevention and removal are your only options for simplicity, balance and abundance. |
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 Laughter the best medicine
here's a sampling of some of the whackiest Irish anecdotes I came across. Have a sampling! The Errand Mc Quillon walked into a bar and ordered martini after martini, each time removing the olives and placing them in a jar. When the jar was filled with olives and all the drinks consumed, the Irish man started to leave. "S'cuse me", said a customer, who was puzzled over what McQuillan had done, "what was that all about?" "Nothin' , said the Irish man , "me wife just sent me out for a jar of olives!" ********************* ************************** The Lost Luggage An Irish man arrived at J.F.K. Airport and wandered around the terminal with tears streaming down his cheeks. An airline employee asked him if he was already homesick.. "No," replied the Irish man . "I've lost all me luggage!" "How'd that happen?" "The cork fell out!" said the Irish man .. *********************************************** Water to Wine An Irish priest is driving down to New York and gets stopped for speeding. The state trooper smells alcohol on the priest's breath and then sees an empty wine bottle on the floor of the car. He says, "Sir, have you been drinking?" "Just water," says the priest. The trooper says, "Then why do I smell wine?" The priest looks at the bottle and says, "Good Lord! He's done it again!" |
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 THE DEVOTION OF
THE THREE HAIL MARYS
The devotion of the THREE HAIL MARYS is a very simple yet most efficacious devotion.
Everyday, recite Three Hail Marys, adding the invocation: "O Mary, My Mother, keep me from mortal sin." Many people recite the Three Hail Marys as part of their morning and night prayers. To practice this devotion in time of danger, stress, special need or temptation, is a sure means to obtain Our Lady's help.
My belated thanks to Our Lady for my nephews success in their examination through the recitation of the 3 Hail Marys. Effie, NC
My husband who works on the rigs in Muscat was scheduled to leave the following morning. The day before he realised that his passport was missing. He telephoned me to tell me of the situation. I immediately began to pray the 3 Hail Marys fervently interceding with our Blessed Mother. Later that same day he called to say he had found the passport.
We are most grateful to Our Lady for her help. Mrs. Caroline Moore, PA
My sincere and heartfelt thanks to Mother Mary, Don Bosco, for the gift of a beautiful baby boy to my son and daughter-in-law. Thank you also for blessing my daughter-in-law with a normal safe delivery and for bringing home my grandchild (who was prematurely born) in
good health from the Neonatal ICU after just 3 weeks although the doctors had said he would be there much longer. Lavinia Mendes, CT
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In Closing
Dear devotees of Our Lady and Don Bosco,
If you have received a miracle through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother, we would like to hear from you. Email us at MaryShrine@aol.com.
Bookstore hours: Monday - Saturday - 10 am to 5 pm, Sundays: 12 - 4 pm
Weekday Masses: 12 noon. Confessions on weekdays begin at 11.30 am.
Sunday Masses: 11 am and 12.30 pm
Other activities: Retreats, Summer Camp, Rent Lomagno Hall, Rent Banquet Hall, Eucharistic Adoration, Friday night Lenten Dinners, 50/50 raffle, 350 club, Rosary Madonna Statue.
MEMORIES
Remember a Loved One: Engrave plaques on Wall of Memories, adopt a Tree, Engrave blocks on Walk of Honor, All Souls, All year Candle lighting, Holiday (Christmas and Easter), Flowers, Schedule a Mass, Bell Chimes.
MASS INTENTIONS
To offer a mass intention, please write to
Fr. Jim McKenna SDB
174 Filors Lane,
Stony Point, NY 10980
mckennasdb@yahoo.com.
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Help!!!
We need a new furnace!!! Our ministry is only possible with your help. Visit our website: www.marianshrine.org to donate.
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