Holy is His Name

"The Mighty One has done great things for me, and Holy is His Name."
 Luke 1: 49

 Mary, the Mother of God, spoke these words as she and her elderly, pregnant cousin praised God for the magnificent gifts God had given them in their children.  Not in ordinary circumstances, for Mary had been told by an angel that she would be the Mother of God, if she chose to accept The Father's invitation to bear His Son.  Mary in all humility only asked, 

"How can this be since I do not know man?
Luke1:34 

After being assured by an angel that 

"Nothing is impossible for God." 
Luke 1:37

Mary replied::  

 “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
Luke 1: 38 

Out of the ordinary, yet quiet and not so ordinary.  No one, except for God the Father and Elizabeth, knew that Mary carried the Son of God in her womb.  This great act of God went unnoticed by those around Mary.  To her family and friends, Mary was a young woman, engaged to a man of faith, named Joseph.  No one suspected anything beyond that, although there was some gossip about Mary's pregnancy.

Joseph and Mary were ordinary citizens in their village. When Mary left her home to live in Joseph's home, Mary became a wife.  As a wife and mother,  Mary made bread for her husband.  Mary wove the cloth that would become the robe of the King of Kings and her husband.  Mary prepared meals for her family.  Mary joined the other women in rejoicing in her pregnancy.  Mary heard the stories of other women who had given birth.  She heard the stories of their babies kicking inside of them. Mary smiled and laughed with the other women in her town as the Holy Child within her grew.

Mary gained weight and began to waddle as she walked.  Her belly grew to accommodate the King of King's and no one suspected.   So ordinary.  The season changed.  The fetus, or "little one," the Son of God, was protected and nurtured by Mother Mary, and no one in the village knew.

The conception of the Son of God, although out of the ordinary for Mary, was ordinary in the eyes of the world.   Mary protected her unborn Son.  She carried Him for 9 months in her body and gave birth to Him away from home.  Yet, His birth was so ordinary and human.  

Mary praised God and blessed Him.  Holy is His Name. 

The Unexpected Meeting

Of course, summers are hot. It's easy to leave a house without cooling or one which has a broken air conditioner, and seek solace at the mall, or a restaurant, or even a church. 

This happened to me. Rather than go to a crowded mall or restaurant to escape the heat, I drove to church to sit in the cool, silent darkness. I thought there might be others there with the same idea, but I was alone, at this moment, except for the tabernacle which houses my Jesus, the Son of God, who once told His disciples that He had no place to lay His head.

 I love being alone in church, just me and God. There are no distractions, only the quiet hum of the air conditioner as it kept the heated air outside from invading the silence of the church. I sat, alone, at the back. I felt the Spirit of God stirring my heart. I sat without speaking. I sat without praying. I felt peace.

As I looked at the Tabernacle, I heard a noise to the left of me, when someone else entered the dark and quiet church. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him genuflect and kneel before the Lord. He was dressed in his work clothes. I felt a little uneasy. My parish is located in the downtown area of our city.   There would be no one to help if he became aggressive, but nothing did. In the silence of the church, I began to relax again. Two souls who never spoke with each other sat in church and prayed. In the quiet of this meeting, God opened Himself to us in the ways each of us needed. Quietly, without a word, my fellow traveler left quietly. I was alone in the cool church.

Why did this happen? I don't know.
What does it mean? I don't know.
Did this meeting impact the world? I don't know.
Is there more to this meeting? I don't know.

I just know that the meeting happened on a hot summer's day.

Pope John Paul the Second

Message to the World from Our Lady of Medjugorie, September 25, 2014, Be Like Stars

"Dear children! Also today I call you to be like the stars, which by their light give light and beauty to others so they may rejoice. Little children, also you be the radiance, beauty, joy and peace - and especially prayer - for all those who are far from my love and the love of my Son Jesus. Little children, witness your faith and prayer in joy, in the joy of faith that is in your hearts; and pray for peace, which is a precious gift from God. Thank you for having responded to my call."

7 QT's This Week - Days, Weeks, Months and Years

--- 1 ---

 This week was about art.  

I have been working on items for an art show in December.

I'd like to introduce you to 

Chesterton.

I kind of like him!

I hope that he goes to a loving home when he gets to the show.

Still a ways to go, though before the show. 

---2---

 

For the last 3 years, I have joined a charm exchange hosted by Jenifer Cameron of Glass Addictions.

  We each send in 11 charms.  We receive 10 back in exchange for the ones we sent to Jennifer.

The extra charm is auctioned off to support 

Beads of Courage, which helps children who are ill,  tell their stories using beads.  

My charms are ready to send into Jennifer. 

The theme this year is 

SOAR.  

I hope they like them!

  --- 3 ---

 It's been so nice to be able to attend daily Mass again.

I had not idea how much I missed it.

Thank you, Jesus, for this gift.

When I miss Mass during the week,

I offer it up and ask to receive the Eucharist 

spiritually.  It's such a gift!

  

--- 4 ---

I made this dragonfly cane today.

It has to sit until tomorrow before I reduce it.

(It's made from polymer clay.)

It has to sit so that all of the clay is the same temperature.

Right now, this cane is the size of my hand.

When I finish reducing it tomorrow,

I will have different sizes of cane from a 50 cent piece to the size of a penny.

I can hardly wait to see it when I cut it open.

I think I'm going to like it!

 

 

--- 5 ---

 This is the tree in front of my home.

My neighbors across the street moved today.  

As a result, there was a discussion among us in the neighborhood about how long we have lived in the neighborhood.

The neighbors who moved had lived there 20 years.

The people next to them have lived in their home, 30 years.

My husband, children, and I moved into this house on October 20 just after my 40th birthday.

Next month, I will be 66!

It's hard to believe that we have lived here for 26 years!

I have lived in this home longer than I lived in the home in which I grew up!

I am amazed at this!

--- 6 ---

My beautiful therapy dog,

former racer,

Pixie Marie

will be 10 years old next month.

Our birthdays are only days apart!

 --- 7 ---

 Here's what true life is all about.

Love the unlovable.

It's all about love!

Have a blessed weekend.

Enjoy your family.

Smile!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

30 Word Thursday:: Psalm 1: 3

"They are like trees
    planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
    and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper."

Psalm 1: 3

A Quandry When Trying to Live the Beatitudes

You don't see this often in smaller towns.  Look closely at this picture, and you'll see a man at an exit of a highway, holding a sign and asking for money.  You often see the same person at the same location many days in a row.  Depending on the person, you might see a very expensive bike in the bushes.  Once in a while, you might see small children with them.  For me, it's a very difficult call.  Do I stop and give them some money or not?

There are those who brag that they make a great living begging.  There are those who have no other alternative than to beg.  How do you know the difference?  I don't.  I know there is great poverty in this world, both spiritually and financially.  How do I know?

Then he looked up at his disciples and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,
    for yours is the kingdom of God. 
“Blessed are you who are hungry now,
    for you will be filled.
“Blessed are you who weep now,
    for you will laugh. 
“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man.  
Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
 
Luke. 6: 20-23




Did Jesus mean, I don't have to make the decision, that I should just stop and give?
Did Jesus mean that, in serving, I have to decide in a split second to give or not?
Did Jesus mean, let him take care of this?

I don't know.  If I can help, I want to help.

What would you do?  I'm really stuck on this one.

The Call To Serve those with Cancer

Like Jesus became the servant the night of the Last Supper, we, too, must serve. Of course,  the first way to serve is through prayer.  St. Peregrine is the patron saint of those suffering from cancer.  To learn more about Peregrine, and why he is the patron saint of those suffering from cancer, click
                                                     HERE.

A good prayer to use when praying for the intercession of St. Peregrine, is this:

O great St. Peregrine, you have been called "The Mighty", "The Wonder Worker" because
of the numerous miracles which you obtained from God for those who have turned to you in
their need. For so many years, you bore in your own flesh this cancerous disease that destroys
the very fiber of our being.

You turned to God when the power of human beings could do no more, and you were favored
with the vision of Jesus coming down from His cross to heal your affliction. I now ask God to
heal these sick persons whom I entrust to you:

(here mention their names)

Aided by your powerful intercession, I shall sing with Mary a hymn of gratitude
to God for His great goodness and mercy. Amen.

However, the laborers are need in the field. 

There are ways to serve, using our talents.

"Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.  Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen."

1 Peter 4:10-11 

For Those Who Sew::

Port pillows - directions

http://www.regionshospital.com/ucm/groups/public/@hp/@public/@rgns/@cont/@volunteer/documents/webcontent/cntrb_041641.pdf
 

Sewn chemo caps
http://www.headhuggers.org/patterns/spatt01.htm

 

"I am not capable of doing big things, but I want to do everything, even the smallest things, for the greater glory of God."
- Saint Dominic Savio

 

For Those Who Knit or Crochet

Chemo Caps

Crochet:: Click HERE

Loom Knitting, Knitting, and Crochet

Click HERE

More Crochet

Click HERE

"Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak."
-Saint Anthony of Padua
 

"All the science of the Saints is included in these two things: To do, and to suffer. And whoever had done these two things best, has made himself most saintly."
-Saint Francis de Sales

“Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.” Mother Theresa