Fill your cleaned out soul with Faith!

 How wonderful to have mom out to her farm last night.  In the background is the farm where these 4 lived and grew up, and where Ed and Rita now live.  It was a special small gathering of Verlys and visiting relatives from Detroit.

In keeping with the Gospel from Matthew 8 - the healing/cleansing of the leper... morning prayer focused on the reading from Matthew 12 in which the unclean spirit is cast out and wanders looking for a home to dwell in - "I will return to my home from which I came."  But upon returning, it finds it empty, swept clean, and put in order.  Then it goes and brings back with itself seven more spirits more evil than itself, and they move in and dwell there; and the last condition of that person is worse than the first.

John sharing his story of Faith found through brain cancer with Marie.  He had just shared with her that one day we counted all the images of Jesus and Mary in our family room/kitchen, and discovered that there are close to 50 of each - recently I added a wonderful painting of the Good Shepherd that I found in a second hand store by my mother's house.  John had just shared his "growing up in a Catholic bubble" piece of his story.  Quite true visually as they are surrounded by symbols of what dwells in our hearts, minds and souls! 

It struck me this day of the beautiful story of cleansing/healing... The leper's life was a wound.  Yet something greater than the unspeakable misery he faced every day moved him to fall in homage before Jesus.  For all his life he had been waiting to meet someone who would make him clean.  No degree of disease could lessen his expectation or diminish his conviction.  When we live with the leper's certainty, the Lord touches us, cleanses us, and invites us, "Walk in my presence and be blameless."  see www.magnificat.com

 Once we find Christ in our lives and we leave the old messed up self behind - we need to fill our new fresh self with good daily!   We long to dwell on our Lord and His Bride, The Church, is there to help us get to heaven and in order to do that we need to fill our rooms with all that is holy and good!  We each day ponder His Word and I love to do this with the readings for each day - read all over the world, and preached about and mendicated/chewed as we become Christ and be his hands and feet in the world - most especially in our domestic Church/family!   Along with The Word, are the Saints for each day, and those that are special to us - for me is St Luke, my confirmation Saint, St John Paul II, and on and on and on and on.  I am so in love with the Saints, and they help me so much.  I am currently praying with my mother to St Rita - the Saint of impossible cases!

Another one of this special moment we will all cherish!

There is also Mary the Queen of the Saints and so important to me to keep that cleansed soul filled with all that is LIGHT/LIFE/LOVE/Jesus and His Bride, The Church.  Her rosary prayer fills all the cracks and crevices of each day with wonder and JOY in the midst of the craziness of my LIFE.  PRAYER is what leaves and sent of incense in my cleansed soul and keeps me always in His Presence as though I have constant adoration going on in my soul and heart!

  So blessed by the best hour of my week! 

Jesus, may we know that the more impossible it is the more you love to come and touch us!  Abraham and Sarah had to wait until they were 100 and 90 to have a child!  This was important to show that truly You are in control in the storms of our lives and all the rest too!  You cleanse us from our sins in the confessional and we are wounded and sick as we walk in and come out clean and whole and healed and given unconditional LOVE and forgiveness!  We then long to be Yours in all ways and are filled each day with so much we are overwhelmed by your LOVE  and Mercy and carry that forth into our domestic Church/family.  May it bring healing into our families and our marriages!  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen and Hallelujah

 The corn field is lush after some wonderful rains...

 I stepped out there to see how high it was yesterday when I was mowing - shoulder high, for sure, on the 4th of July.  Bless-bless, Barbara Luke

Mom showing her appreciation for her care-giver, RaTerra.

She a good one to ponder her wisdom - an intention from morning prayer which puzzled me and made me pause - Your wisdom is a difficult virtue:- make our hearts wise.  Protect and guide your people, Lord. It is true that we are nothing without Him to give us the wisdom of The Holy Spirit!'

I can see this and St Augustine is always good for words of wisdom!

Casting Crowns - If we are his body

Danielle Rose - the Saint that is just me

Newsboys - We Believe