Your prayers are making a difference in the healing of MaryAnn’s arm and hip. The pain in her hip is all but gone and she can now move about more easily on her own. We didn’t expect this to clear up so fast.

At the doctor’s office, this past Wednesday, we were told that the arm should heal without surgery. We will know for sure after next week’s visit to the doctor.

Please keep her in prayer that things continue as they have to now. Obviously your prayers are very effective.

She certainly thanks you for your prayers, cards, calls and emails. We’re thankful that her injury is a temporary situation and will eventually heal.

MaryAnn decided that if she must have some discomfort and inconvenience, she will offer it up for the return of all of our prodigals. To that end, she has the bookmark with the prayer of St. Gertrude tucked into her sling and repeats it every chance she has. She has asked me to put a copy in this update so any of you who want can join her in this prayer.

Thanks for Carole O’Hara for this week’s WORDS OF HOPE and GOD’S WORD FOR US. If you have some thoughts you’d like to share, please send them to maryann@marianmantle.com and I’ll use them in the next few issues. It would really be a help to me.

Peace,

Bob

PRAYER OF ST. GERTRUDE

Eternal Father, I offer You the most Precious Blood of Your Divine Son, Jesus Christ, in union with the Masses said today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family.   Amen.

(Our Lord told Saint Gertrude that this prayer would release 1,000 souls from Purgatory each time it is said. The prayer was later extended to include living sinners as well.

Approval and Recommendation signed by M. Cardinal Pahiarca, Lisbon, Portugal March 4, 1936. The extension was not included in the approval and recommendation.)

Dear MaryAnn,

For the person whose children are saying terrible things about the Church, maybe this would be a good thing to say to them.  When our Lord picked the people to be His apostles, He picked ordinary men.  The Church is still made up of ordinary people who make mistakes as they did then.  But the most important thing about the Church is what we get from the Eucharist.  It helps us have the grace and the strength to see beyond others faults and our own and concentrate on what the Lord is giving us at each Mass, Himself and His grace to follow in His footsteps.  We can only change one person and that is ourselves.  May His grace grant her the peace to not be hurt by what her children say and keep on praying for that grace to overflow to their lives also.   ~Vickie

Indeed God's word is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword.  It penetrates and divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the reflections and thoughts of the heart.  Nothing is concealed from him; all lies bare and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.

Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold first to our profession of faith.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet never sinned.  So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and favor and to find help in time of need.  ~Hebrews 4:11-16

From THE LITTLE RECOGNIZED SECRET OF SUCCESS - by Dale Carnegie

When Mark Twain was asked the reason for his success, he replied: "I was born excited."

William Lyons Phelps, one of the most popular teachers in the history of Yale wrote a book entitled:  THE EXCITEMENT OF TEACHING.  On page 21 of that book he said; "With me, teaching is more than an art or an occupation.  It is a passion.  I love to teach as a painter loves to paint, as a singer loves to sing, as a poet loves to write.  Before I get out of bed in the morning, I think with ardent delight of my first group of students.

One of the chief reasons for success in life is the ability to maintain a daily interest in one's work, to have a chronic enthusiasm; to regard each day as important."

Let us be enthusiastic in our prayer life, in our love for God and for our loved ones and others we pray for.  Our enthusiasm will generate faith and faith will generate success.  Get excited about your prayer life and expect answers.