The Feast of the Epiphany-The end of the Christmas Season

I attended Mass on the Vigil of the Epiphany.  Fr. Richard was the celebrant.  Below are my words summarizing his excellent homily.

 Father Richard compared and contrasted the search for the Child Jesus by the Magi and Herod. He remarked that the Magi went where the Lord led them and their reward was to be able to worship the Child Jesus as gentiles. 

Herod, on the other hand, was seeking the Child Jesus to hold on to his earthly power. He feared the Child and sought to keep his power by doing it his way and not God's way. 

Father Richard reminded  us that when we follow God's way, listen to Him, give Him all we are, and Trust Him, we will grow closer to God. 

The trick is to follow the Way of the Lord. What God wants us to do is not easy. It is, often, not what we want to do, but in the end, His way should be our way.

Thanks, Padre!  Your words are most appreciated and loved!

The year, the month, the day doesn't matter, the souls need our prayers

Amidst the old tombstones I walk,
Lichen infecting the stones,
Moss covering names, and
Grass covered markers with names erased
Because they are so old.
They lay here silent.
Their bodies decomposing in the grave.
Dust to dust.
No one moves,
No one speaks,
Only the living who walk these well trod paths.
We live beyond this world,
But we are still near.
Pray!  Pray! Pray for us buried here.

Monuments, markers,
Unmarked graves,
What's left of our lives,
Our stories untold.
No one remembers.
Life has past,
Eternity is where I rest.
I walk inside these walls.
Purgatory!
Pray for me.
Only you can help me now.
I suffer.

Do you hear my whispers?
I beg your prayers.
Never have I suffered before.
I cannot help myself.
Pray!  More than in life,
I need you!
Pray for me!
Pray for us!
When I ran these paths, I didn't hear.
I didn't listen when I lived,
Now, I know.
Pray!
We are grateful.

Message from Our Lady of Medjugorje to Mirana Soldo on December 2, 2017

Our Lady's message to Mirjana Soldo of December 2nd, 2016
 

Dear children, my motherly heart is crying as I am looking at what my children are doing. Sins are multiplying, the purity of soul is all the less important; my Son is being forgotten - honored all the less; and my children are being persecuted. That is why, you my children, apostles of my love, with soul and heart invoke the name of my Son. He will have the words of light for you. He manifests Himself to you, He breaks the bread with you and gives you the words of love so that you may transform them into merciful acts and, thus, be witnesses of truth. That is why, my children, do not be afraid. Permit my Son to be in you. He will make use of you to care for the wounded and to convert lost souls. Therefore, my children, return to the prayer of the Rosary. Pray it with feelings of goodness, sacrifice and mercy. Pray, not only with words, but with merciful acts. Pray with love for all people. My Son, by His sacrifice, exalted love. Therefore, live with Him so that you may have strength and hope; that you may have the love which is life and which leads to eternal life. Through God's love, I am also with you, and will lead you with motherly love. Thank you.
 

Mirjana said that Our Lady was very sad.

Worth Repeating: Looking Forward to 2014

Lord, 
Knowing that nothing good is accomplished without Your Love and Your Help, I ask You to bless us, to bless me, as we look forward to the year 2014.  Father, You are the God of all creation.  It was a gift of Your Love, that Jesus came to earth as a tiny babe.  As a Man, Jesus would come to save our world from sin.  Holy Spirit, You were sent to us by  the Father and Jesus to guide us in our earthly sojourn.  You fill us with Your gifts and graces that will lead us to the Father, the Son, and to You, Mighty Spirit of God who live and reign forever and ever.  Amen.

Praise be to You, Mighty God and Father.
Praise be to You, Jesus, the Son of God and our brother.
Praise be to You, Holy Spirit, giver of gifts and graces, Counselor.

In 2014, I ask for these graces.

I ask for the gift of reverence for Jesus in the Eucharist.  I ask this for me and for all.  I ask that we learn to adore and worship Jesus as He should be worshiped.  He is Our King of Kings!  The great High Priest.

 The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock! Exalted be God, my savior! Psalm 18:47

"You who fear the LORD, give praise! All descendants of Jacob, give honor; show reverence, all descendants of Israel!" Psalm 22:24

All who sleep in the earth will bow low before God; All who have gone down into the dust will kneel in homage. Psalm 22:30

Give to the LORD the glory due God's name. Bow down before the LORD'S holy splendor! Psalm 29:2

I ask for the gift of prayer. 

“Beloved, pray for us.”  1Thessalonians 5: 25

“Rejoice always,  pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-17


I ask for the gift of a closer relationship with our God!

“O God, you are my God, I seek you,
    my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
    as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1


I ask for the gift of kindness, not only to others, but to myself.

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32

“In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.”  Matthew 7:12
I ask for the gift of patience, not only to others, but to myself.

“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;  it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3: 12-14

I ask for the gift of love, not only for others, but for myself.

“Love never ends.” 1 Corinthians 13: 9

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12

I ask that I learn to be less, and, You, Sweetest Lord, be more.

“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. “ Jeremiah 29:11

I ask for the gift of selflessness.

“But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.”  Luke 6:35

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.” John 15: 12-14


I ask for the gift of trust in You.

“My soul clings to you;
    your right hand upholds me.” Psalm 63: 8

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths.”  Proverbs 3: 5-6

Thank You, Father.  Thank You, brother Jesus.  Thank You, Holy Spirit.

Amen.

My Word for 2017

I had knee replacement surgery on 

November 14th of last year.

I expected to have some pain, but I felt that by Christmas,

I'd be up and going at my usual pace.

Because of my very slow and painful recovery with any complications,

I have only been able to attend Mass at Christmas,

and that was with great difficulty and pain.

At least I got to go then, right?

Sometimes, it's hard to be grateful for our blessings,

especially when they aren't the blessings we would like to receive!

Back to the story.

So, when I attended Mass at Christmas, I picked up a calendar and

brought it home.

Our parish has a large Hispanic population.

I am also Hispanic, but English is my first language. (I can barely speak Spanish, though, I wish I could.)

Of course, the calendars and books  were laid out for both cultures and free for taking.

I picked up my calendar and drove home feeling very sorry for myself.

The calendar sat on my desk without being opened for two days.

At this point I was down in the proverbial dumps.

Time to get to work.

I picked up my gift and realized that I had picked up the Spanish version of the calendar!

I had to chuckle because I realized that God was clearly telling me to let it go.

It's His Will,

not mine.

Yes, I was in pain and very frustrated, but, there were things I needed to learn and He was bringing me to

Him

and to the truths of His Love.

TRUST ME.

TRUST ME.

I had to laugh.

Of course.  I've had a difficult time with trust.

I put the calendar in my "to go" bag so that when I could go back to Church, I will remember to take the calendar and exchange it for an English version.

It's going to be a long time before I can attend daily Mass again.

It's going to be a bit more time before I can regularly attend Sunday Mass.

For now, I'm relaxing.

This is in God's Hands, not mine.

TRUST.

My word for 2017.

TRUST!

 

 

It's Still Christmas

If you wonder why the hymns at 

Mass yesterday were Christmas,

well,

it's because the Church's 

Christmas doesn't end until the

Feast of the Epiphany.

This year,

the date is 

Friday, January 6, 2017.

That is when our Christmas season ends.

The four weeks preceding Christmas is called Advent

because we are preparing for the birth of Jesus.

When Christmas arrives, 

we celebrate His birth.

So, if you didn't feel that you had much time to celebrate Christmas,

REJOICE!

It's still Christmas!

“Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.”
--Saint Maximilian Kolbe
 

 

2017!

At the End of the Old Year, a New Beginning for Me...

As 2016 wanes and 2017 begins,

the time has come to choose a new patron saint for the year,

actually,

to have the saint choose you.

Jennifer Fulweiler

developed and posted a

Saint's Name Generator

online

which makes this an easy task to accomplish.

Use the link.

Click on the button.

No need to enter your personal information.

Simply click that button

and

follow the directions.

It takes less than one minute.

Last year,

the saint who chose me was

St. Mary of Cleophas.

She was one of the women who stayed with Jesus 

as He hung on the cross and died.

This year,

the saint who chose me was St. Brigid of Ireland.  I'm going to enjoy getting to know her.

After your saint chooses you,

add your saint's name in the comments section using the hashtag

#saintname 

followed by your saint's name.

#saintnameStBrigidofIreland.

As the year wanes, the new year brings uncertainty.

Trust that God will send you the perfect saint to help you through the year.

Ending the Week With Thanksgiving and Praise

From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace."

John 1: 16 

1) The Falls were beautiful.  The weather was cool and crisp.  It was a nice walk.

2) Fred, the cat, has allowed me to cuddle with him, especially when he jumps up on my mouse pad and purrs.

3) Getting ready for knee surgery on Monday.  That's a good thing.

"Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!I will praise the Lord as long as I live;    I will sing praises to my God all my life long."
Psalm 146:1-2

A Blog Post Can Remind Again: Please pray for the Souls in Purgatory

Eternal Father,

we offer You the most Precious Blood of Your Divine Son,

Jesus,

in union with all of the Masses said throughout the world today,

in reparation for sins, 

for the Holy Souls in Purgatory,

for sinners everywhere,

for sinners in the Universal Church,

those within my own home,

and

within my family.

Amen.

A Blog Post Can be Meditative

At the end of the day,

He's still there,

waiting for us,

ready to cover us in 

His Most Precious Blood

poured out of His Body

for love of us.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

John 3:16

Aren't Animals Amazing?

Aren't animals amazing? They live in the moment, without fear or anxiety, and even though this election has been the most turbulent and dramatic one that I can remember in all of my life, they are both sleeping peacefully, passing gassssssss, and wondering when their next meal will be served to them by me, one of their humans who has been awake since a jolt at 3:30 AM from my phone telling me that we have a new president elect.

Dear God, make me more like these creatures you have entrusted to my care. Open my eyes to learn to trust in You, and You alone.
Give me humility so that I might learn to submit to Your Most Holy Will. Help me to see the hurt and pain of those who so incredibly committed themselves to the other candidate so that I might be a source of Your Mercy and Kindness. Lord, help me to be a source of Your Love for all. Amen.

A Blog Post Can Be a Reminder to Vote and a Prayer

A Blog Post Can Be a Reminder to Pray: Join me in prayer this week

My Prayer Intentions for the Week

Sunday:  Peace in our World.                All the souls in Purgatory.

Monday: That we might become instruments of peace. 
The souls of those dearest to us.

Tuesday:  Peace in our Country
The souls of peacemakers in Purgatory.

Wednesday: Peace in the hearts of those who do not yet know God's love.
The souls of those who did not know God's love on earth.

 

Thursday: Peace in our families.
The souls of our family members who are still in Purgatory.

Friday: Peace in our hearts and souls.
The souls of those who have no one to pray for them.

Saturday: Peace in our Church communities
The souls of our priests and our consecrated religious women who gave their lives to God.

A Blog Post Can Be a Reminder

A Blog Post Can Be: Ending the Week in Thanksgiving and Praise

From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace."

John 1: 16 

1) The election is only a few days away.  We need to pray for our country.

2) The weather here has been amazing!

Our highs are in the 50's, 60's, 

and 70's.

3) We are encouraged to pray for the souls in Purgatory.  I am very happy that so many souls are completing their time in Purgatory with our help.

 

 

 

 

"Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!I will praise the Lord as long as I live;    I will sing praises to my God all my life long."
Psalm 146:1-2

A Blog Post Can Be a List: 10 Reasons to Pray for Peace

1) We live in a very troubled world.

2) There is very little peace.

3) The election of our leaders has brought out the worst in many people.

4) Nations are warring against nations.

5) Personal peace is absent in many people.

6) What which is wrong has become that which is right, and the soul is at war with itself.

7) The loss of God in our world has deprived us of the peace only He can give.

8) Many people do not yet know the love of God.  

9) Abortion has destroyed our peace whether we realize it or not.

10) Our Lady has asked up to pray for peace. 

A Blog Post Can be Worth Repeating: No Rose Without A Thorn: An Exercise in Imaginative Prayer

Have you ever reached into a bush to cut a rose and found yourself clutched by a thorn.

Ouch!

We sought to capture the beauty of a rose in our hands and found the pain of the thorn.

I had to smile at this thought.

Suddenly, I heard waves hitting the shore, and I smelt the salt of the lake and the fish that were caught and being hauled to the shore.

In the distance, men were working on a boat, mending nets and cleaning fish.

They talked among themselves.

In the distance they saw a man walking towards them.

They knew Him and greeted Him with joy.

Jesus smiled and greeted them.

"God bless you.  I hope your catch was good."  Simon answered, "More than enough for the week!"

Simon and his brother looked at each other.  Their father heard the exchange and came over from the boat.  He was ready to yell and keep them working, then Jesus smiled at him.

He said to his sons, "Come.  Follow Me, and I'll make you fishers of men."

Simon and his brother looked at each other.  They dropped the nets they were holding leaving their father at the edge of the lake staring at them.

They left with the Master who said to them.

"Come.  We're going to a wedding first."  He knew what they were thinking as they walked.  "You can bathe in the waters before we reach the wedding."

They simply nodded and followed Jesus.

Jesus began to teach them.  He started to tell them about the Love of the Father for them.  They only looked at each other.  They knew they had to follow Him

They had no idea of how long it took to reach the wedding.  They were enraptured with what Jesus said, but they were also confused.  Jesus was telling them to love their enemies.

Simon quipped, "I think our father is upset.  Do we have to love him when he's upset?"

Jesus smiled.  "What do you think?"

The wedding feast was going on when they arrived.  The food smelled amazing, and they were all hungry.  The Mother of Jesus greeted them at the wedding.  She had them sit down in a quiet place, away from the crowd, so they could eat.  She brought them bread, grapes, cheese, olives and some water.  There was no wine. 

Simon saw a glint in the eye of Jesus as Mary came over to Him.  She said to Jesus, "They have no wine."  Jesus smiled in spite of himself.  "What am i supposed to do, Woman?  My time has not yet come."

Simon gasped slightly at this.  He wasn't sure he'd have had the courage to say this to his mother.

Mary just smiled and turned to the waiters.  She said, "Do whatever He tells you."

Jesus smiled and shook His head slightly.  They realized He could not say no to His Mother.

The air was hot, and they were wishing for some wine.  They could only watch in awe as the servants worked hard to fill the six huge jars with water.  When they finished, they returned to Jesus.  He smiled at His Mother.  He looked at Simon and his brother.

Quietly Jesus said, "Take the wine to the head waiter to taste. "  Then Jesus reached out to His mother.  She held His hand.  "Thank You," she whispered quietly.

There was a bit of stirring as the head waiter pulled the groom back to the area where Jesus was.

He was scolding the groom.  "Most people serve the good wine at the start of the party, but you have saved the best for last."  The groom simply didn't know what to say.  He tasted the wine, and he smiled.  Then he ran back to the party.  The waiter had had enough.  He had the servants take the jars to the guests and begin to serve them.

Mary brought Jesus and His friends some wine.  Simon almost choked because he had never tasted such good wine.

The servants, knowing what had happened, came back to Jesus and began to worship Him.

Jesus blessed the servants, and He sent them to serve the guests.  He cautioned them to be quiet about what they had seen.

Simon could not believe what he had seen, but he knew his life would be forever tied into the life of Jesus.

A Blog Post Can be Another Reminder to Pray for the Dead

In November, the Church reminds us to pray for the dead.

Most of us know someone who has died,

if not, 

think of all the people who die in wars, car crashes, airplane accidents, acts of terrorism.

Each one of us will die.

We can only hope that someone will pray for us when we die.

When we stand before the Throne of God for judgment,

our time of merit has ended.

We now live in eternity.

Heaven

Hell

Purgatory.

These are where we will live when we die

Purgatory is God's gift to His Children.

In Purgatory, we know that, one day, we will be with God.

We know that hell cannot touch us, and that when our souls are purified,

we will join the other saints in heaven.

Even if we are not canonized, we are saints when we enter heaven.

We need to pray for souls daily so that hell will not be their destiny.

Oh, My Jesus, forgive us our sins.  Save us from the Fires of hell.  Lead all souls to heaven,

especially those who are in most need of Thy Mercy.

 The angel at Fatima taught the children this prayer:

My God, I adore, I hope, and I love You!

I beg pardon for those who do not believe, nor adore, nor hope, nor love You.

These prayers help to save the souls of the living.

Purgatory, though painful, is a place of love and joy.

Praying for the souls helps to release them from their sufferings.

Pray daily.

Offer Masses for the souls.

Pray the St. Gertrude Prayer. 

It's said to release 1,000 souls everytime it's prayed.

Oh, My God, I offer you the Most Precious Blood of Your Divine Son Jesus, 

in union with all of the Masses said throughout the world, 

in reparation for sins,

for the Holy Souls in Purgatory,

for sinners everywhere,

sinners in the universal Church,

those within my own home,

and

within my family.

Amen.

All Praise and Honor be to the Precious Blood of Jesus, for it wrought our salvation and our redemption.

Amen.

A Blog Can Be a Celebration of A Special Feast Day: All Saints Day

God is good.

We have our saints in heaven, 

and

today we celebrate all the saints in heaven,

both the 

named 

and

unnamed saints!

Did you know that

if

you go to heaven,

YOU

ARE

A 

SAINT?

You might not be 

cannonized,

but you are a saint in heaven.

So, today, let us praise God and thank Him for His gifts to us of both 

Purgatory,

which will purify us so that we can become a saint,

and 

Heaven,

where we will be a saint.

Happy All Saints Day!