Family support in faith matters....

The family is where it all matters, and where we grow and develope into who we are to others...One of the most delightful experiences I had on the retreat this last weekend was a young mother, who came up to me with such a smile of delight on her face as she exclaimed.."Wait til I tell my daughter that I went to confession!  She is preparing to make her first reconcilliation, and now I can tell her that it is really great and I just did it too!"  When I asked her if it has been a number of years..."Oh, yes!"  We hugged to celebrate this huge and amazing step she had taken... she looked to be floating on air after the relief of forgiveness...

And to know that now she would be able to support whole heartedly her daughter's experience of forgiveness and the wonder of the sacrament of reconcilliation... and hopefully they can together support and encourage each other to partake of the healing and deeper walk with our Lord that frequent reconcilliation allows us...

Reconcilliation is such an amazing sacrament that we are gifted with the ability to sit down with the representative of Christ here on earth - the priest - and tell him our sins... the things of omission as well as the things that we do that come between us and our Lord!  Then to hear that human voice speak the words; "I absolve you of your sins - go in peace."  "The words of absolution recited over you will renew your inner peace. St. Paul assures us that "whoever is in Christ is a new creation....and all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:17-18). The Sacrament of Reconciliation can set you free."  Reconcilliation by Ellen Fonizzi

I have daughters that have gone to reconcilliation weekly or every other week... I have found when I go more often that I don't have to confess the same things that I ususally confess every few months... instead I can dig deeper!

Tonight our kids that we teach confirmation to had a large recocilliation in the chapel.. we were impressed that every one of the kids went... I sat and said my rosary and tried to control the talking going on... my prayers were to the Blessed Mother that she would lead them to her loving Son... reaching out to them with total love and forgiveness with His nailscarred hands!

Jesus, how we love to have all the distractions out of the way... so that the love can flow upon us and over us and we can actually feel free to accept it and worthy of your love!   May we foster this in our families... this embracing of your sacraments of Truth and Love and Life and Joy and Peace!  Come Holy Spirit... be our guest!  May our homes be swept clean and filled with the beauty of YOU! 

Just to let all those praying for John's summer intern job... the Lord closed the door and said "no."  We were all pretty down yesterday, but today is a new day and we know that the Lord merely has a different and better plan for John.  Jesus, we trust in you!  We know that you love John and have healed him and given him a new normal... we know that his life is to be very powerful and filled with YOU!  Amen and Halleluia!

Bless-bless, Barb

Hallel Psalm - Psalm 150- the psalm from mass today

Praise the Lord in his sactuary,

praise him in the firmament of his strength.

Praise him for his mighty deeds,

praise him for his sovereign majesty.

Praise him with the blast of trumpet,

praise him with lyre and harp,

praise him with timbel and dance,

praise him with strings and pipe.

Praise him with sounding cymbals,

praise him with clanging cymbals.

Let everything that has breath

praise the Lord!  Halleluia.

Holy, holy, holy Lord, mighty God!"