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The Power of Words 11-02-2008 |
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A traveling missionary visited a village where, in a large house, a young girl lay seriously ill. The young girl’s parents begged the missionary to come visit her. The missionary came, knelt at the young girl’s bed, took her by the hand and quietly prayed with her.
“Now this young girl will begin to recover,” the priest said quietly to her parents.
The girl’s uncle observed these events unfold. He was skeptical of such spiritual matters and didn’t understand the notion of prayer. As the priest was leaving he pulled him aside and said, “How can a few words make my little niece better? I think you had better get out of this house now!”
To the uncle’s surprise, the priest turned to him and in a blazing fury said, “You ignorant fool!”
The uncle, taken aback, was offended by the rude outburst of the cleric. Rage started to fill him, as his fist shook, sweat began to pour from his brow, he wanted to swing and clobber the missionary. Suddenly though, the missionary’s face broke into a slight smirk and then into a broad grin.
Speaking up the priest said, “When my few words can turn you from completely composed to a man so full of rage that you’d want to strike me, why do you doubt that my few words spoken to God, who loves this child more than you know, could not make her well again? Remember my son, words have power. How each of us uses them determines what effect they will have.”
We all can learn a lesson from this missionary priest’s example. Do you believe in the power of words? Are you aware daily of how the power of words spoken in prayer truly affect our lives? If you asked someone close to you about the nature of the words you use daily, would they say you are a positive or negative person? Words have an effect in our lives folks – they’re very powerful.
Have a great week! Remember, go vote!
Love, Fr. Bill
On Thursday evening November 6th at 7:30 p.m., we’ll have an Evening Prayer service to honor parishioners who have died this past year. If, you have lost someone, even if they’re not a parishioner here, please join us as we pray for our deceased family and friends.
An important message for voters in Michigan
His Eminence Adam Cardinal Maida, Archbishop of Detroit, recently sent a letter to all registered Catholic parishioners in the State of Michigan regarding Proposal 2 – Unregulated Embryo Destruction. He states, “Each weekend in our liturgy, in our Profession of Faith, we proclaim the Holy Spirit as “the Lord and Giver of Life.” At that moment we affirm a truth that must permeate all aspects of our lives as Christians. Even more, it is a vision and light that we must proclaim within a society seemingly indifferent to the sanctity of human life. For that reason, we, the Roman Catholic Bishops of Michigan, urge Catholics and all people of good will to vote no on Proposal 2.” For more information, please check out the Archdiocese’s website – www.archdioceseofdetroit.org
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