Was it Meant to be Easy?

No, it wasn't.

Being a Catholic was not meant to be easy.

St. Bernadette was told by Our Lady,

"I cannot promise you happiness in this world, only in the next."

Being close to God means being away from this world.

Daily, no hourly, no each minute,

we must choose 

to live for God 

or

to live for the world.

Easy, no, but we do have our weapons.



“Listen and let it penetrate your heart…do not be troubled or weighed down with grief. Do not fear any illness or vexation, anxiety or pain.  Am I not here who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not your fountain of life? Are you not in the folds of my mantle? In the crossing of my arms? Is there anything else you need?” (Our Lady’s words to her servant Juan Diego.)

She's already crushed the serpent's head.
She's bringing her children to her Son.

The path that leads us to God is full of thorns and brambles.
No path is ever free.
The thorns pierce our feet.
The brambles cut our feet.
The end is in sight.

Our Mother promises us safety in her arms, in her mantle.

Hail Mary,
Full of Grace,
the Lord is with You.
Blessed are You among women,
and 
Blessed is the fruit of your womb, 
Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
Pray for us sinner now
and
at the hour of death.

Amen.

5 Things I love About Adoration

1) There can be a 1000 people adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, yet, it's like you are the only one with Jesus at the time.

2) The room is silent during adoration.

In the silence, we hear the word of God in our hearts.

3) I am overwhelmed by the love of Jesus because I know that he does not leave us alone.

4) Jesus dispenses graces during the time He is adored.  His adorers never go home without Him.

5) Jesus waits for us in adoration.

Even when we are alone, we are not alone.

Ending the Week in Thanksgiving and Praise

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

John 1: 16 

1) Pixie had to have 3 canine teeth extracted, but she's doing all right.

She's pretty sore, though.  At least, she won't get sick from having infected teeth.

2) I learned this week that ordinary time is not ordinary.  Take the garden.  Even though the plants look static, like they're not moving, root growth is carried on where we can't see it.  The cells of each plant are growing and reproducing.  There is nothing ordinary about that.

Nothing.

3) Adoration is a time of great graces for the adorer.

"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

 

Why I Pray the Rosary

1) I believe the Promises of the Blessed Virgin Mary for those who pray the Rosary.

(Click HERE to learn what they are.  There are 15 Promises the 

Mother of God made to us.)

2) The praying of the Rosary involves the uses of the body and the senses.

a) You use your brain to imagine each mystery as it unfolds.

b) You use your brain to see the Mother of God and Jesus as they live each mystery.

c) Your fingers touch and move the beads.

d) You pray the words of the prayers as you touch a bead.

e) You hear the words recited.

f) You listen to each word of the prayer.

3. The Rosary is based on incidents in the Bible.  All the mysteries are taken from events in the life of Jesus as documented in Sacred Scripture.

4) The Rosary is a prayer of meditation.  As you recited the Rosary, you reflect on other things.  Your brain activity slows down.  Your breathing slows down.  Your heart rate slows down.  Rather than focus on the "breath," you focus on the lives of Jesus and Mary.

5) The Rosary has great power.  Padre Pio said, "The Rosary is the weapon for today."  We need all the weapons we have to stay spiritually safe in our world.

6) The Rosary is a devotion that can be taught and passed down to the children in a family.  This enables parents to teach the faith to their children.  By praying the Rosary with the "little ones," you take them to Jesus who wants nothing more than to interact with them.

7) The Rosary is a prayer that can be prayed daily with the family.

8) The Rosary is a short prayer around which the family can be centered.  An average Rosary, when prayed with devotion, takes about 20 minutes to pray.  That's less than 1/24 of a day in time.

9) By praying the Rosary, we walk with Mary through the life of Jesus.  Mary seeks to bring us home to Him.

10) The Rosary saves souls.

Why do you pray the Rosary?  If you don't, why not?

Worth Revisiting: Mercy in this Year of Mercy

"Blessed are the Merciful, for they will receive Mercy."

The Corporal Works of Mercy

Feed the Hungry.

Give Drink to the Thirsty.

Shelter the Homeless.

Visit the Sick.

Visit the Prisoners.

Bury the Dead.

Give Alms to the Poor.

Spiritual Works of Mercy 

 Counseling the doubtful.

Instructing the Ignorant

Admonishing the sinner.

Comforting the sorrowful.

Forgiving Injuries.

Bearing Wrongs Patiently.

Praying for the Living and Dead.

These actions are the things we do to serve with the gift of Mercy.  

So, what do we find in Mercy?

In Mercy there is:

Forgiveness

Love

Truth

Kindness

Gentleness

Compassion

Patience

Acceptance,

and, most importantly,

God.

In God's Mercy to us there is:

Kindness

Gentleness

Justice

Deliverance

and, most importantly,

Salvation!

Amen.  

Gardening, Seasons, Giving Thanks to God, and Confession

Seasons.

We are blessed with 4 of them:

spring (birth)

summer (maturation)

fall (letting go)

winter (death and burial)

This morning glory plant is 

FINALLY

beginning to climb my mailbox.

I've waited since early spring for this to happen!

The tendrils are trained, and, soon, 

I hope,

the flowers will begin.

If I am patient,

next spring the seeds from this plant will again begin to grow, and the mailbox will be pretty.

The seasons have passed.

We are now in the fullness of summer. 

When I thought I couldn't bear the cold and snow of winter,

tendrils of spring would flare out.

A warm day that made an outdoor walk palatable,

A touch of green grass poking up, taller than the late spring snows.

Then, when I thought I couldn't bear the thought of the cooler days,

they began to warm, and the garden began to sprout.

Little plants that might be weeds, grew out of the garden.

Seedlings were planted.

They rooted and took well in the soil.

Then, when I thought I couldn't bear the thought of no fresh vegetables from the garden or flowers in bloom,

Summer exploded!

Now, it's hot.  Some days it's humid, but this is summerl

Now, I'm beginning to feel that I can't stand any more of the hot and humid days,

I know that fall will be coming and the cycle will be complete.

God's designs are good.

Even through the seasons, all things work for good.

All things were created for us.

All things were created for God's Glory,

We can honor Him by offering each day to Him.

We give Him the good, the bad, and the ugly.

We can honor Him by praising Him and blessing Him for the glory of creation.

God's works are good.

It is we who screw things up,

but we have a God who loves us,

no matter what.

He is a kind, gentle and loving Father, but, we need to remember, that in His role as Father,

He is also God of Justice.

He loves us, but we must be held accountable for our transgression, our sins.

Our sins hurt and offend God.

This is when we must fall on our knees, return to the confessional, and beg forgiveness.

God is there waiting, through the gift of our priests, to forgive and help us atone for our sins. 

Come back to Me,

God asks,

but we can't do it on our own.

We must humble ourselves and enter that box where our sins will be revealed and forgiven.

"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 Your Mercy."

Amen.

Act of Contrition

Oh, my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins because I have offended You, My God, who are all good and worthy of all my love.  I firmly resolve with the help of Your grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin.

Amen.

  

After a daily examination of conscience, pray the act of contrition, go to confession, perform your penance and feel the graces from God flow into your soul.

You'll never be sorry for  righting yourself with God.

 

Thoughts from Adoration Today

As His Mother gently offered her Son to His Father,

He Who was go grievously wounded,

He Who died a gruesome death for the love of His Children,

I offer to You, dear Father,

with the heart of my 

motherhood,

No, I give you my children

that you gave to me.

I take spiritual authority over them, no matter their age or condition,

and,

You as the King of Heaven, I humbly ask that you accept my children into the 

protection and graces of Your

Son's

Sacred Heart.

As gently as His Mother returned

her Son to the You,

I commit my children through

His Mother's Immaculate Heart, 

and I ask You, Father, to love and guide them back to the home for which they were intended.

They were never mine,

but they were Your gift to me.

I cannot thank You enough for these gifts of my soul.

I ask You, Father, to forgive me where I have failed in parenting these beautiful souls.

I beg Your forgiveness, knowing that You will fill their emptiness and their wounds with Your Love and Heaing.

Jesus, through Your Mother's Immaculate Heart,
I consecrate my children to You.

Flesh of my flesh, they are.

I uplift them to the healing love You offer this world.

I ask Your Mercy on their souls.

Holy Spirit, I consecrate my children to Your 

Goodness and Love.

I ask that You infuse Your Love in my children

and 

bless them with Your Gifts.

Guide them through the storms of life.

Guide them to Jesus so that He will calm the storms and protect them from all evil.

Amen.