"But grandma... they are wet and pokey!" The pretty "bouquet" of beautiful freshly picked radishes didn't hold the specialness to 4 year old Mary - the leaves are prickly and yes they were wet after washing off the mud after all the rain... She put on a "brave" and comical face for the camera... "OLord our God, you have replanted on our earth the garden lost in Eden, and you have sent a new Gardener to till the soil plowed with the wood of the cross. He who is both the farmer and the seed has watered the earth with his life's blood shed for our redemption. Make us grow in his likeness by the power of his word dwelling in our hearts. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen" (See
http://www.magnificat.com/ )
There goes my farmer followed by two future little farmers... all in their rubber farm boots as it has rained here for days and continues this morning... An altogether new summer is this one with bountiful rains... we seem to miss them some summers, so we are happy and encouraged..."Rain makes Grain." my farmer says with enthusiasm!
Farmer Grandpa reminds me of a dashing knight off on his steed to protect the kingdom with two happy grandchildren along to see the "work of his hands". Today the amazing scripture that says it all...."Choose Life!" I would love to have that as a subtitle for my blog as it speaks to me of all that we are to do in our lives here on this earth! As it states in Morning prayer - "Beside the river that watered the garden of Eden, God offered the first couple the choice between obedient love and self-seeking death. The choice remains ours to make today... Choose Life!" "Happy indeed is the man... whose delight is the law of the Lord...He is like a tree planted beside the flowing waters, that yeilds its fruits in due season and whose leaves never fade; and all that he does shall prosper." Psalm 1
"When God in the beginning, created man, He made him subject to his own free choice. If you choose you can keep the commandments; it is loyalty to do his will. There are set before you fire and water; to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand. Before man are life and death, whichever he chooses shall be given him." Sirach 15:14-17 Choose Life!
Today's Gospel - Matthew 5:38-42 is where He tells us to turn the other cheek. The Meditation of the day by Blessed Columba Marmion (1923) was a Belgian abbot and he reminds us why we are able and willing to trun the other cheek -
"The numerous defects that you mention prove indeed that Our Lord has cast his glance upon a very poor creature in order to heap his graces upon her, but they are not incomparible with these graces; 'He has regarded the littleness of his handmaid.' All that God does for us is the result of his mercy: 'It is our avowed miseries that draw down his compassion. We are the members of his beloved Son, and all our miseries are his. Then fear nothing but give yourself without reserve to the divine action..
"Be, above all on your guard against all deliberate actions of vanity or self esteem, for then you leave this attitude which attracts the gaze of God... because Jesus Christ very often chooses what is poor and little and miserable as the object of his bounty."
Blessed Columba continues: "Do not be astonished, do not be discouraged when you fall into a fault, but draw from the Heart of your Spouce - for all his riches are yours - the grace and virtue that are wanting to you..." I am starting to see the the whole ability of us to turn the other cheek comes from the fact that we realize our "littleness" and are humble enough as a result to give until it hurts to those that we love! Wow! Do I ever have a long way to go with this! Jesus humble me!
I was so touched yesterday by the day of worship and rest that the Sabbath is called to be for us can truly arm us for the week ahead... I have been sitting on this quote by Blessed John the XXIII, who was a recent pope..."This is the Blessed Sacrament! It may be said to contain all the splendor of creation, incarnation, and redemption, the whole life of Jesus, and to present it all to the faithful as their daily nourishment of love, prayer, and contemplation."
Dear Lord, we are so aware of the waters coming down to earth to water the land these days! It gives life to all those seeds that the farmers have planted and causes the grass to grow and feed the cows and calves, and yes the dogs as they drink right out of the hose!
May we humbly come before you... not hiding from your knowing eyes our faults and our needs... but finding the strength with your loving graces to "love one another as I love you." John 15:12
At home and at work: open our eyes to the demands of love... To God, the giver of life we pray!
Strengthen us to.........Choose Life! Amen and Halleluia Bless-bless, Barb
"But grandma... they are wet and pokey!" The pretty "bouquet" of beautiful freshly picked radishes didn't hold the specialness to 4 year old Mary - the leaves are prickly and yes they were wet after washing off the mud after all the rain... She put on a "brave" and comical face for the camera... "OLord our God, you have replanted on our earth the garden lost in Eden, and you have sent a new Gardener to till the soil plowed with the wood of the cross. He who is both the farmer and the seed has watered the earth with his life's blood shed for our redemption. Make us grow in his likeness by the power of his word dwelling in our hearts. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen" (See http://www.magnificat.com/ )
There goes my farmer followed by two future little farmers... all in their rubber farm boots as it has rained here for days and continues this morning... An altogether new summer is this one with bountiful rains... we seem to miss them some summers, so we are happy and encouraged..."Rain makes Grain." my farmer says with enthusiasm!
Farmer Grandpa reminds me of a dashing knight off on his steed to protect the kingdom with two happy grandchildren along to see the "work of his hands". Today the amazing scripture that says it all...."Choose Life!" I would love to have that as a subtitle for my blog as it speaks to me of all that we are to do in our lives here on this earth! As it states in Morning prayer - "Beside the river that watered the garden of Eden, God offered the first couple the choice between obedient love and self-seeking death. The choice remains ours to make today... Choose Life!" "Happy indeed is the man... whose delight is the law of the Lord...He is like a tree planted beside the flowing waters, that yeilds its fruits in due season and whose leaves never fade; and all that he does shall prosper." Psalm 1
"When God in the beginning, created man, He made him subject to his own free choice. If you choose you can keep the commandments; it is loyalty to do his will. There are set before you fire and water; to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand. Before man are life and death, whichever he chooses shall be given him." Sirach 15:14-17 Choose Life! 
Today's Gospel - Matthew 5:38-42 is where He tells us to turn the other cheek. The Meditation of the day by Blessed Columba Marmion (1923) was a Belgian abbot and he reminds us why we are able and willing to trun the other cheek - 
"The numerous defects that you mention prove indeed that Our Lord has cast his glance upon a very poor creature in order to heap his graces upon her, but they are not incomparible with these graces; 'He has regarded the littleness of his handmaid.' All that God does for us is the result of his mercy: 'It is our avowed miseries that draw down his compassion. We are the members of his beloved Son, and all our miseries are his. Then fear nothing but give yourself without reserve to the divine action..
"Be, above all on your guard against all deliberate actions of vanity or self esteem, for then you leave this attitude which attracts the gaze of God... because Jesus Christ very often chooses what is poor and little and miserable as the object of his bounty."
Blessed Columba continues: "Do not be astonished, do not be discouraged when you fall into a fault, but draw from the Heart of your Spouce - for all his riches are yours - the grace and virtue that are wanting to you..." I am starting to see the the whole ability of us to turn the other cheek comes from the fact that we realize our "littleness" and are humble enough as a result to give until it hurts to those that we love! Wow! Do I ever have a long way to go with this! Jesus humble me!
I was so touched yesterday by the day of worship and rest that the Sabbath is called to be for us can truly arm us for the week ahead... I have been sitting on this quote by Blessed John the XXIII, who was a recent pope..."This is the Blessed Sacrament! It may be said to contain all the splendor of creation, incarnation, and redemption, the whole life of Jesus, and to present it all to the faithful as their daily nourishment of love, prayer, and contemplation." 
Dear Lord, we are so aware of the waters coming down to earth to water the land these days! It gives life to all those seeds that the farmers have planted and causes the grass to grow and feed the cows and calves, and yes the dogs as they drink right out of the hose!
May we humbly come before you... not hiding from your knowing eyes our faults and our needs... but finding the strength with your loving graces to "love one another as I love you." John 15:12
At home and at work: open our eyes to the demands of love... To God, the giver of life we pray! 
Strengthen us to.........Choose Life! Amen and Halleluia Bless-bless, Barb
No comments:
Post a Comment