Adoration on Tuesday... I felt that I wanted to be close to my daughter, Little Sister Hallel, and a special way to do that is to sit by the 10th station of the cross - "the row in the back with the last kneeler, so no one will see me crying."... was the reason she gave me for her coming home from her year in the discernment house and sitting there day after day for her hour of meditation and mass.
I thought that it was much deeper and more spiritually motivated...as the 10th station is the epitome of humility... to be stripped in public! There is not much more humiliating than that! But no... it was so that she could weep before the Lord without being noticed!
So now I am blessed with this special little place in church, where I can look out with the eyes of Susan for those months she was here! I can warmly remember her love for Jesus that radiated from her as we would share an early Holy Hour before mass - sometimes in the pitch black in the church... all that you could see were the candles glowing... And I would look back at her as the sun would start to fill the church with more and more light, and see her looking intently at her lover, Jesus, in the tabernacle! 
I feel a joy and sadness... all at the same time rush over me as I walk past the 10th station. Thank you, Lord for the memories of her wonderful call that I could watch happen before a loving mother's eyes! Our special place is a gift of closeness!
It always is a reminder that I need to strive for humility in my life, and the Lord always rewards me with painful reminders of my littleness! Thank you Lord! I want to be small so that you can rule in my life!
Today on the feast of St Jerome... he was an amazing man who gave us the Bible's wisdom that we have today! These are his amazing thoughts;
In the Psalter there are 15 gradual canticles, the first song of assent begins with the words: "In my distress I call to the Lord, and he answers me"; the second with: "I lift up my eyes toward the mountains; whence shall my help come to me?"; the third: "I rejoiced because they said to me." The saint is always moving forward, advancing steadily and ascending to heights ever more sublime; that is the meaning of "their hearts are set upon the pilgrimage."
I just went out to help Pat load the graincart so that when Ed gets here with the semi - in short order, he can turn around loaded... there was a glitch, so now I am praying that he is safe around the belts and motors and the auger! What did the Lord tell us the other day about worry?
Always things to fix... Davey is learning from the great master of fixing!
Now to the pressing issue that happened in the Arch diocese led by our former Bishop - now Archbishop John Nienstedt.... My daughter Nancy called yesterday to tell me about a video that has been sent to every member of the archdiocese about the issue of marriage! She reported that many are being returned and one employee had asked others to send her their copy and she would make it into some art form in defiance of the stand the Church was taking... the Archbishop fired her on the spot, and rightfully so!
Nancy said that there were many being returned and if I would like one..."Yes!" I got it and watched it this morning!
So the state of marriage is not very healthy in our society, and marriage is inherently something that involves our faith. It's a commitment for life, a life-giving commitment that is open to the procreation and the raising of children.
And so the church is very concerned about the state of marriage. The church also knows that in this state, a year ago, two pieces of legislation were introduced to the legislature suggesting that the definition of marriage should be changed. And so given that climate, we intend to and have been teaching what we believe is the God-given reality of marriage. Marriage isn't something that we create as human beings. It's already a given from the work of creation by almighty God. ...
This was what the Archbishop said in an interview... and he speaks at the beginning of the video and then there are other interviews and you realize that this is not something to be taken lightly! If the legislators go ahead and make same- sex marriage equal to the marriage of a man and woman... it could take out of our hands as parents what our kids are taught about the Truth and make us into bigots if we feel that God made us as man and woman and the two of them shall become one within the marriage act! It takes out of the marriage the procreation and love of children if there are two men or two women - this is not possible!
It is sad to think that there should be such a huge uprising among Catholics about this!
And yes, they do address the issue of the homosexual and how this is not aimed at them... that we are called to love them and value them as a special creation of God! It is just to protect the sacrament of marriage and the reprecussions that could result if this is made law... first of all to the family, but secondly to the Catholic Church in all the ways that it would stand against such a law!
Think of Catholic Charities and how they would be forced in the way of adoption...Of course, the Catholic Church would feel that a child should be placed with a home with a mother and a father, but they would be called bigots and could have legal actions taken against them... if it were legalized for two men or two women to marry and that it is no different than a man and a woman!
In the video they mention that in the 1970's no fault divorce was said to be the answer to divorce being less harmful to families - instead it has made divorce a huge epidemic and we all know personally couples that just gave up too easily and walked away because they could and the damage that it has done to them, but mostly to the kids that are hurt by that!
Here's the site that I found when I googled it - http://www.catholic.org/hf/family/story.php?id=38412
I like the family story part! I guess that you can watch the video on the Knights of Columbus site... I do have it here too, if you would like to see it,or I guess that you can get your own copy by writing the archdiocese as there are many that are being returned!
Office of the Archbishop
226 Summit Ave
St Paul, Mn 55102-2197
phone: 651-291-4511
email: thielend@archspm.org
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