EVERY DAY PRAYER

Dear Lord, I thank You for this day,
I thank You for my being able to see

and to hear this morning.
I'm blessed because 
You are a forgiving God and
an understanding God.
You have done so much for me and 
You keep on blessing me.
Forgive me this day for everything 
I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to you.
I ask now for Your forgiveness. 
Please keep me safe
from all danger and harm.
Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude.
Let me make the best of each and every day
to clear my mind so that I can hear from You...
Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things.

Let me not whine and whimper over things 
I have no control over. 
And give me the best response when 
I'm pushed beyond my limits.
I know that when I can't pray, 
You listen to my heart.
Continue to use me to do Your will.
Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others.
Keep me strong that I may help the weak...
Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others. 
I pray for those that are lost and can't find their way. 
I pray for those that are misjudged and misunderstood.
I pray for those who don't know You intimately.
I pray for those that don't believe.
But I thank You that I believe that God changes people and God changes things.
I pray for all my brothers and sisters, for each and every family member in their households.
I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes; that they are out of debt and all their needs are met.
I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than God.
Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight…
I pray that these words be received into the hearts of every eye that sees it in Jesus ' name. 
God, I love you and I need you, Come into my heart, please...
Amen

Fr. Tomas Del Valle-Reyes

Descubriendo el Siglo 21/Discovering 21 Century

P.O. BOX 1170

New York, NY  10018

Tel- 212-24-4778

www.descubriendoelsiglo21.com/

www.discovering21century.com

The Apostle John

The Apostle John, Faith full Servant of God What did you see While Exiled on Patmos?
From The Book of Revelations
ON A LONELY island far from his friends and his homeland sat an old man. 
This old man was a Jew. In his younger days he had been a fisherman, and his home had been near the Sea of Galilee.
 But one morning he had left his fishing-net to follow a dear friend, and always from that time he had tried to please this friend.
The time came not long afterwards when this friend went away, to heaven; but never again did the young man return to his humble toil by the seaside. 
Hereafter he became a preacher of the gospel, for his friend was Jesus.
 He was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus.
This old man was John. He was now on the lonely island because a wicked ruler had sent him there as a prisoner. But John was not unhappy, although he was often lonely. He knew the time would soon come when death would take him out of this world of trouble. Then he could go to be with Jesus, his beloved master of the Lord. How he longed for that time to come!
One day while John was on the island he sat thinking about God. He remembered how the Christians always met together to worship on that day, which they called the Lord's day, because Jesus had risen from the grave on the first day of the week.
While he thought about these things, presently he heard behind him a voice like a trumpet-blast, speaking. This voice said, "I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: what you see write in a book and send to the seven churches which are in Asia."


John turned about to see who was standing behind him and speaking with such a mighty voice. And when he had turned he saw seven golden candlesticks and among them one standing who looked like Jesus. But never before, not even on the mountain-side when Jesus talked with Moses and Elijah, had John seen his master look like this.
Now he was dressed in a long garment which reached his feet. About his chest was a girdle of gold, and in his right had were seven stars. The face of Jesus shone like the noonday sun, his eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet shone like polished brass. When he spoke his voice sounded like the rushing of a mighty torrent of water.
John fell down at the feet of Jesus as if he were dead. Then he felt a touch, and looking up he saw Jesus bending over him and saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the same one who was crucified, and who died, but not I am alive forevermore. Write the things that you see and hear and the things which shall be hereafter."
Jesus then told John that the seven stars he saw were the churches, and to these seven churches John should write letters. And Jesus told John what he should write in each letter. One of these letters he intended for the church at Ephesus, where Paul had preached the gospel during his missionary labors.

John faithfully wrote these letters; and they were kept safely, and finally copied in other books. Today we have each one of them written in the Book of Revelation, which is the last book of our Bible.
After John had written these letters he had a vision of the throne of God in heaven. He saw a door open in heaven and he heard the voice like a trumpet calling him to come up and enter the door. When he had entered he saw the great throne of God and around this throne sat twenty-four old men dressed in white and wearing crowns of gold. Other heavenly beings were round about, and all were worshiping the one who sat on the throne.
While John was looking on this wonderful sight he noticed in the hands of God a sealed book.
And a strong angel cried out with a mighty voice, "Who is able to break the seals and to open the book?"
Then a search began in heaven, but no one was found who was worthy to take the book, break the seven seals, and open it to see what was written inside. John wept when he saw that no one could do this. He longed to know what was written in the book of God.
While he wept one of the old men who sat near the throne spoke to him and said, "Do not weep, for, see, the Lion of the tribe of Judah has been able to take the book and open it."

John looked quickly and saw one who looked like a lamb. He knew it was Jesus, who had been killed like the lambs at Passover, and whom John the Baptist had called the Lamb of God. This one came to the throne and took the book.
The heavenly beings who stood around the throne now rejoiced greatly, and fell down to worship before the Lamb who had taken the book right from the right hand of God. They sang a new song, praising this one who took the book because he had given his own life to redeem them from sin and make them pure, that they might enter heaven.
When the Lamb of God opened the book, John saw the strange things that were in it. These things he wrote down, that others might read them and know what he had seen.
Afterwards John saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old earth on which he lived seemed to pass away out of sight. Then, in the clouds he saw the great city of God coming down to dwell in the new earth. And he heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, "Behold, God's house is with men and he shall dwell with them. They shall be his people and he himself shall be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from the eyes of his people. Never again shall they weep for sorrow, never again shall they cry for pain, because sorrow, pain, and death shall be taken away from them."
And John saw the beautiful city of God, far more beautiful than anything he had ever seen on earth. And he saw there is no need of the sun to shine as light for the people of God, because God himself is their light. No shadows of night ever darken that beautiful place, for night does not come in heaven.
John saw that people from every nation of earth dwelt in that city, people whose sins had been forgiven because they believed in Jesus. He saw that nothing unclean or impure entered that city, and only those were admitted whose names were written in heaven's book.
Through the city John saw a pure river of crystal water flowing, and along the banks of that river he saw the tree of life, on which fruit was always ripe. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
When John saw all these things he fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to him. But the angel picked him up and said, 'Do not worship me, for I am just a servant. Worship God. And blessed are they who obey his commands, for they shall be able to enter the gates of the beautiful city, and to eat of the fruit that grows on the tree of life by the banks of the river."

Jesus then said to John, "I have sent my angel to tell you these things in the churches. And whoever wishes may come and drink of the water of life freely, for the invitation is to all men. But only those who hear and obey the words of God may share the blessings of the heavenly city. Any one who tries to add more words to the book of God shall be punished, and any one who tries to take away any part from that book shall have his own part taken away from the book of life, and from the holy city."
Then Jesus said, "Surely I come quickly."
John, the aged prisoner, replied, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus."
All those who love God and whose hearts have been made pure by the blood of Jesus feel, just as John did, the desire for the coming of the Lord.

Descubriendo el Siglo 21

Discovering 21century

Fr Tomás Del Valle-Reyes

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

(212) 244 4778

www.descubriendoelsiglo21.com/

A Piece Of Cake

Sometimes we wonder, "What did I do to deserve this," or
"Why did God have to do this to me."

 Here is a wonderful explanation!
A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is
 going wrong she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke
up with her and her best friend is moving away.
Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks
her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, "Absolutely, Mom, I love your cake."

"Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers.
"Yuck" says her daughter.
"How about a couple raw eggs?" 
"Gross, Mom!" "Would you like some flour then? 
Or maybe baking soda?" 
"Mom, those are all yucky!"
To which the mother replies:
"Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves.
But when they are put together in the right way,
they make a wonderfully delicious cake!
Life works the same way.
Many times we wonder why God would let us go through such bad and difficult times.
But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order,
they always work for good!
We just have to trust Him and, eventually,
they will all make something wonderful!
God is crazy about you.
He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning.
Whenever you want to talk,
He'll listen.
He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.
~ Author Unknown ~

Fr. Tomas Del Valle-Reyes

Descubriendo el Siglo 21/Discovering 21 Century

P.O.BOX 1170

New York, nY  10018

Tel- 212-24-4778

www.descubriendoelsiglo21.com/

http://radiosiglo21.blogspot.com/  Programa de Radio “La Tertulia”

FORGIVENESS

Three years ago, a friend said something to me that hurt very deeply.  
I was speechless. 
I could not believe she could say that and mean it. 
When I had no response, she said, "I love you and don't want to see you hurt." 
My thought was, 'if you love me, how could you say such a terrible thing about someone I love dearly'.  
But I was still speechless and just couldn't respond.
Days and weeks passed and it still bothered me.
I prayed about it a lot and I thought I had forgiven her, but I couldn't forget. 
Weeks and months went by. 
I didn't dwell on this, but occasionally after my prayers at bedtime, I would think about it and couldn't seem to clear this from my thoughts. 
Therefore, I would have a restless night.
Two years passed and I began to doubt that I had forgiven her.
I decided I would talk to her about it and tell her how much her words had hurt. Before I could talk to her, I wanted to think about what I would say that wouldn't hurt her.
(I'm not really sure she would even remember what she had said to me.)
I prayed about this and asked God to give me the right words to say. After four days of praying about this, I began thinking God wasn't listening to me.
Then suddenly it became clear. God had heard and had answered my prayers. The answer was to say NOTHING. JUST FORGIVE. 
I did -- and a sense of peace came to me. I have had no more restless nights over this.
We all do and say things at time that hurt someone. 
We need forgiveness and we need to be able to forgive. Let us all pray for those who hurt us and ask God to give us the Grace to forgive them. 
Forgiving them gives us relief from our hurt. When we can truly forgive, it allows healing to take place in our spiritual lives.
God knows He has to forgive us a lot.

Descubriendo el Siglo 21

Discovering 21century

Fr Tomás Del Valle-Reyes

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

(212) 244 4778

www.descubriendoelsiglo21.com/

THE DARK CANDLE

A man had a little daughter--an only and much beloved child. He lived only for her, she was his life. So when she became ill and her illness resisted the efforts of the best obtainable physicians, he became like a man possessed, moving heaven and earth to bring about her restoration to health.
His best efforts proved fruitless, however, and the child died.
The father was totally irreconcilable. 
He became a bitter recluse, shutting himself away from his many friends, refusing every activity that might restore his poise and bring him back to his normal self.
Then one night he had a dream. He was in heaven and witnessing a grand pageant of all the little child angels. They were marching in an apparently endless line past the Great White Throne.
Every white-robed, angelic tot carried a candle. He noticed, however, that one child's candle was not lit. Then he saw that the child with the dark candle was his own little girl.
Rushing towards her, while the pageant faltered, he seized her in his arms, caressed her tenderly, and asked, "How that is your candle is the only one not lit?" "Father, they often relight it, but your tears always put it out again," she said. Just then he awoke from from his dream.
The lesson was crystal clear, and it's effects were immediate. From that hour on he was no longer a recluse, but mingled freely and cheerfully with his former friends and associates.
No longer would his little darling's candle be extinguished by his useless tears.

Fr. Tomas Del Valle-Reyes

Discovering 21 Century /Descubriendo el siglo 21

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

212.244-4778

Today, just today...

I woke up this morning and knew that today,
The sun would not be shining
and the clouds would be gray..

As I stepped outside,
Rain fell upon my head.
My car wouldn't start
so I walked to school instead.
I forgot all of my assignments
I failed all of my tests..
I dropped my head in disgust
and asked the Lord for one request.

'Lord, why is it that

things won't go my way?'
He gently replied,
'Dear child it is because
you didn't thank me yesterday.
I woke you up and enabled
you to see the sun again.

I gave you shelter,
protected your family, and even let
you make a new friend.
I blessed you far
greater than I ever had before.
But you were too busy
to thank me once more..
You didn't feel sick
because I maintained your health.
You had money in your pocket
because I maintained your wealth.
You had shoes on you feet
and clothes to wear, too.
You had plenty of food to eat,
and what did you do?
You ignored me and went
about your tasks.
But when you wanted something
you never hesitated to ask.
I was there when you needed me
and that wasn't too long ago.
But when things started going your way,
it was me you did not know..
As if that weren't enough,
I provided our favorite luxuries.

This was something I didn't have
to do-they weren't even necessities.
And when it was time to get on your
knees and show your gratitude,
You decided that after such a
fulfilling day, you weren't in the mood.
So I decided to
give you just a little test.
To show you how it would feel
to stop being blessed.'
I began to realize what
the Lord was saying.
And when I got home, I fell
to my knees and started praying.
He said, 'My child, you have
learned and you know I do forgive.
But remember to remember this day
as long as you shall live.
I love filling your life with joy,
and your pain I'll alleviate it.
But just a simple thank you
would show how much you
appreciate it.'
Pass this on to everyone
you pray the Lord will bless.
There are no catches or
rules just this simple test.
How many people to send it to is all in your hands
Have a blessed day from me to you .

Descubriendo el Siglo 21

Discovering 21century

Fr Tomás Del Valle-Reyes

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

(212) 244 4778

www.descubriendoelsiglo21.com/

Joy in my heart

Gracious God, I feel such joy in my heart this day.
Somehow the sun seems brighter, the air clearer, the colors more alive.
It is as if the shadows that have kept me in the forgotten places of life have been swept away.
I pray that your grace will protect my joy so that I taste and smell it with full attention.
When the mighty feelings begin to wane, I pray that joy’s scent will remain, so that no darkness will ever be so black that I cease to believe in the light.
I ask this for the sake of your love.
Amen.

Descubriendo el Siglo 21

Discovering 21century

Fr Tomás Del Valle-Reyes

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

(212) 244 4778

www.descubriendoelsiglo21.com/