Honoring our Mother

The Solemnity of Mary

What an honor for the Lord to choose Mary to be the Blessed Mother of Jesus.  She became not only His mother, bringing our Savior into the world, but also at His command, became our mother.  She is the "Queen of Peace", bringing people closer to the Lord who is our salvation.  Mother Mary, Pray for Us.   

And Mary said, Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.  ~Luke 1:38  

Christmas Flash Mob

I would love to witness a flash mob like this one.  How amazing it must be to hear the Christmas songs with the acoustics of the mall. 

Mary's Intercession

Taken from Everyday Rosary Newsletter: 

New Meditation on The Wedding of Cana

"In (Mary) we find a loving mother, who is ever willing to intercede for us, so that we may be drawn into a deeper love and union with her Son. For instance, at the wedding of Cana she did not hesitate to intercede for this newly married couple at their wedding feast. 

Mary is the ultimate mother.  The mother that we all strive to be like.  She loves each of the souls her Son has sacrificed Himself for and asks us to pray for the conversion of those here on Earth.  She asks us to pray without ceasing.  She is always there to hear our intentions and we humbly ask for her intercession for our needs and the needs of the whole world.  Blessed Mother, hear our prayer. 

Fatima Prayer

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins.

Save us from the fires of hell,

lead all souls to heaven

especially those

in most need of thy mercy.

"My peace I give unto you...Let not your heart
be troubled, nor let it be afraid."
-John 15:27

 

Vivi Bene, Ama Molto, Ridi Spesso

For some reason everything seems to sound better in Italian.  Vivi Bene, Ama Molto, Ridi Spesso = Live well, love much, laugh often.  Great words to live by.  I think the Italians have a better handle on living the expression than we Americans do as well.   
Live well - Does not necessarily mean live like a King.  You don't have to have a lot of money or things to have a good life.  By living well, you are living as God intended you to, following His commands, serving Him, and pleasing Him.  You can live a very simple life and still be living well. 
Love much - We of course love our family and friends, but it's a lot harder to love those who we really don't like.  But God tells us to love everyone as He does with no restrictions. 
Laugh often - If we take things in life too seriously, we miss out on all the fun.  I'd much rather laugh than frown.  It makes you feel better, live longer, and generally be much happier.  Laugh at the pets, kids, jokes, books, TV, funny things in life.  Learn to laugh at yourself. 

The Good Shepherd

The LORD is my shepherd;

there is nothing I lack.

In green pastures he makes me lie down;

to still waters he leads me;

he restores my soul.

He guides me along right paths

for the sake of his name.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

your rod and your staff comfort me.  Psalm 23

I love this psalm.  Honestly in life, how many people can we say we can truly trust and rely on?  For most people, not many.   Of course we have our close family members and friends, but eventually at some point most people will feel let down by someone they trusted.  Not so with God.  He always provides what we need, even when we don't realize we need it.  He shows us where to go if we trust in Him and believe.  He comforts and restores us if we allow Him into our hearts.  He will leave the 99 to come seek out the lost 1 and rejoices when it is found.  He is the true Shepherd and beckons us to follow Him and rely on Him.  How amazing is that, that we can go through life leaning on Him?  We are never alone, we need only ask for His guidance and support.  He always offers His unending love.  

I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11 

The Holy Innocents

Today, the feast day of the Holy Innocents, reminds us of how destructive anger and jealousy can be.  King Herod's anger and insecurity caused him to murder many innocent children in order to attempt to kill Jesus.  As a parent, I can not imagine the pain and anguish the mother's and father's of these little ones must have felt.  We must be aware of our own insecurities and ask God to make our heart pure like the Holy Innocents so we do not let our own jealousy get the better of us.  In a world filled with gossip, hate, and greed, it is easy to get wrapped up in constantly comparing what we have to others.  We need to remind ourselves that we are blessed and the Lord provides us with what we need when we need it.  We need to keep in mind the value of  all human life, both born and unborn.  We thank God for these first little Holy martyrs and ask for their continual prayers.        

Ring that bell

We went to ring the bell for the Salvation Army this morning.  It is amazing how generous people are, dropping money in the bucket sometimes in denominations of $20.  It was such a good experience for the younger boys to not only volunteer their time and have fun wishing people a Merry Christmas, but to see how we have a responsibility to help those who are in need.     

As we were driving back from the Church this morning, we saw a huge group of geese laying in a field.  They were all laying around cleaning their feathers and seemed to enjoy each other's company.  For some reason it really touched me.  It made me think, it is not just humans that crave attention and love from another.  Everyone wants to be loved and cared about, from the brand new baby laying in her mother's arms to the older gentleman walking down the street.  It is a shame that there are people in the world, and right in our own backyard, who have no one to show them love and attention.  This is a need just as important as food and shelter.  Jesus in a special way cared for these people, the ones who were sick, unloved, and forgotten and offered them love and comfort.  May we also learn from our Teacher and do the same for our fellow man.  Merry Christmas!

His sacred name

His Holy Name

A beloved Priest one spoke about the sacred name of Jesus in one of his homilies and how we should say His name many, many times a day.  Saying the precious name of Jesus in and of itself is a prayer can relieve us of worry and doubt.  His Holy Name consoles those who are sad and unhappy just as Jesus Himself did when He was on this Earth.  For those who are sick or in pain, they only need to call on His Holy Name...Jesus.  Saying the name of Jesus can keep us from harm and the temptations of the devil.  What a small but extremely powerful prayer, JESUS. 

Angels are Among Us

The Lord sends His angels to be among us and protect us. 



Signs from up above

I attended a seminar once upon a time and the speaker said that there are small daily signs that God provides that so often times go unnoticed.  She said they are little reminders that He is here with us, watching  us, loving us, and hears our prayers.  After she mentioned this, I started observing these signs.  Oftentimes I notice them in nature.  A lone rose, that appears long past blooming time; a cardinal that lands on a branch  nearby and sings to you; very simple everyday things that we often over look because we're too wrapped up in ourselves and our lives.  She said when we slow down and stop to notice these gentle reminders from God, say a prayer or just "Good Morning Lord.  I know you are with me."  I have valued that bit of advice and have tried to take the time to notice God's daily reminders. 

The true Christmas Spirit

The last few days have been spent sorting and distributing our Parish's angel tree gifts to those in need.  I absolutely love this ministry.  Knowing children are going to have a brighter Christmas due to the generosity of strangers is such a testament of God's love.  To see the grateful faces, some with tears, some leaving saying God Bless You, makes all the work worthwhile.  It is so humbling to be part of a Parish who has so many loving parishioners. 

I'm looking forward to the upcoming Christmas Mass.  Seeing the church all decorated, hearing the Christmas music, and experiencing God's love through the Eucharist is truly a beautiful Christmas experience I wish everyone could share in.  I pray for those who are hurting and suffering, who have suffered a painful loss, are away from their families, or have fallen away from God.  I pray that they can experience a healing and peace this Christmas season, both of which is possible through God's eternal love. 

Friendships

Have you ever stopped to marvel at the number of people who have come in and out of your life?  Did they leave a mark, help make you who you are, or simply disappear? 
Often friendships can be taken for granted.  We start out with either lots of little friends or one "best friend" when we are children; some we maintain, some we lose track of over time.  We go to college or on to work and make friends with classmates or co-workers; but, some of those friendships again disintegrate over time when we graduate or move on to new positions or new companies.  Over the years I have found some of my closest and dearest friends are not necessarily the ones I saw or talked to every day.  But instead, were the ones who I could pick up the phone and call or meet for lunch after no contact for months or even years.  It's amazing how fate steps in and can rejuvenate a friendship.
I ended up in the hospital over 4 years ago to have emergency surgery to remove my appendix which apparently decided it was no longer happy in my body.  I was scared as I had never had surgery even though I had been in the hospital before for the births of 2 children.  I was about to be wheeled off to the surgery room and was saying goodbye to my husband with tears in my eyes (as if it was a major surgery and I'd die), and who would step into the room but a friend I hadn't seen in years.  We were best friends in school and spoke on and off through the years but our schedules were always opposite and it was hard to keep in touch.  I felt that God had sent her as my angel to say everything would be okay (which of course it was).  She was my little blessing.  We tried to stay in touch and she eventually moved to California.  While we are now a far distance apart, we are able to keep in touch through social media.  I value her as one of my closest and longest friends.

Hard to say good-bye

This weekend has been emotionally tough as we found out our wonderful Pastor is taking some time off and will not be returning to our Parish.  He is so special to our family as he has Baptised my two youngest children, gave the Sacrament of Reconcilation and First Holy Communion to my 2nd, has been an incredible role model and teacher to my eldest, and a spiritual counselor to my husband.  He has dedicated himself to our Parish for 7 years and has made so many positive improvements to both the physical Parish as well as it's parishioners.  My daily rosary is dedicated to his healing as I ask God to guide, bless, and protect him always.  He will be missed but never forgotten.

Bucket List

As I was deciding what speech to give next at my Toastmasters meeting, I thought about everything I wanted to do in life and what I had already acomplished.  This reminded me of the movie The Bucket List, which I loved.  So, after doing some research online, I not only finished my next speech but created my own bucket list.  Goals are more easily achieved once they are written down.  So, I'm marking one off right now by creating this blog.  One interesting thought was to not only create a bucket list of items to do but a reverse bucket list of things you have already acomplished.  It's easy to forget the wonderful goals you have already done.  This is a nice reminder of the blessings you have received in life.  So make your bucket lists and start marking those items off today!