Looking through the fence at the new calf...
And the new baby calf is very cute with a very protective mother standing watch over the little guy... she made sure that nothing...neither dog nor little kid got close to her baby bull! But we sure enjoyed looking at him through the fence, and the kids backed up when she charged at the dogs... when they went on the other side of the fence. Morning prayer was once again a wonderful time in the sun... clear blue skies over the golden landscape with not a bit of snow! Maria just called from Texas for the 3rd time to tell us that they are getting snow, when we have none! Kind of crazy! Today is the feast of the Lord's Baptism, and the reflecting on life giving water, when we are in the middle of many months without moisture. I was thrilled to see that one of the options for the first reading today is the scripture my dad was reading when the Holy Spirit spoke to him through the Word, and told him to leave his Protestant ministry and become Catholic - Isaiah 55: 1-2! But it goes even further to Isaiah 55: 1-11, and it is good to go forward and see how amazing it is as it proceeds on...Invitation to the Thirsty
1 “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.
4 See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a ruler and commander of the peoples.
5 Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations you do not know will come running to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.”
6 Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."
Reflecting on verse 10 this morning as we think about water and how the earth and especially from our farming perspective and needing the moisture for our crops...all 1,000 acres of it! Pat continues to thank God for the brown and warm winter, but usually closely following is a prayer for moisture in the spring... to get us out of this drought, and allowing us to have a bountiful crop. In our baptism we are looking to Christ on this day at the very beginning of His coming out of the "hidden years" - the first 30 of his life - and entering the 3 years of ministry and Proclamation of the Kingdom of God! It was pretty crazy mind blowing for John the Baptist and all the people gathered at the Jordon River... "It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordon by John. On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, 'You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.'" Mark 1: 7-11 For some of the people there I would think that it was pretty much a sure thing that this was the Messiah - the Son of God! Fall on your knees and worship, and follow wherever he would lead you! We too see HIM right in front of us when the priest holds up the HOST - JESUS..."Behold the Lamb of God, behold HIM who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb" And our new responce; "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." I would think that some came forward to him after he came out of the Jordon, and witnessed the Sign from God with the Spirit in the form of a dove and His Voice from Heaven... and probably said these very words to HIM! YES! Would be His unhesitant answer to all of us, that come humbly to HIM to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit!
My dad and a young John blessing our cabin in Michigan with Holy Water... It is so wonderful to be able to remind ourselves of our Baptism every time we enter a Catholic Church, and the beauty of Holy Water to bless things and places to set them apart for a good and holy use... We even had water from the miraculous springs at Lourdes blessed and prayed over by Fr Jean Claude in France... such a bounty of spiritual blessings we are given! I appologize for the bouncy and not flowing journey I am leading you on today. Too much to share I guess, or feeling the Christmas tree calling me to be put away as Epiphany is now marked the end of Christmas! A sad thought indeed, yet now each day will be a blessing as we enter Ordinary time, and we journey with HIM each day of our day to day life! We are blessed with the Saints of the day as they become our friends, and guide us in our call to Holiness, and as my son-in-law and daughter, Joseph and Maria said at the end of their Christmas letter...."Let us be saints, together - to be anything less is not to have lived."
Lord Jesus, we are filled with wonder at the beginning of your ministry - entering the waters of Baptism to show us how to approach your Father..."Jesus goes to the Baptist as a beggar because the Mystery is mercy. Jesus surrenders to mercy by submitting himself to baptism in order to invite us to share in his relationship with the Father announced from the heavens. The Lord Jesus lowers himself in his baptism and, as Nothingness, acknowledges his Father so that we will never hesitate to do the same." see http://www.magnifcat.com/ Lord, we need to be humble, and "see" with faith that we need you... in order for us to become something in this world! The ability to love as you loved, serve as you served, suffer as you suffered, live and you lived, heal as you healed... all the ways that we are called to bring your Kingdom here on earth! May we start within our domestic Church - our families - to see the fruits of your Spirit as it comes to give us your Truth, Life, and Way! Jesus, we fall on our knees before you... recognizing that you are the Son of God! We need your unconditional love and forgiveness to fill us with the healing of your MERCY! "For the sake of the sorrowful passion - have mercy on us and on the whole world." Jesus, we trust in you. Amen and Halleluia
Bless-bless, Barb"God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the Lord,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
Give thanks to the Lord, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
Sing praise to the Lord for his glorious achievement;
let this be known througout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O City of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation."
Responsorial psalm from Isaiah 12
"In Jesus Christ we see that God comes to meet us. In Christian baptism, instituted by Christ, we do not only act with the desire to be cleansed through the prayer to obtain forgiveness. In baptism God himself acts, Jesus acts through the Holy Spirit. In Christian baptism the fire of the Holy Spirit is present. God acts, not only us. God is present here today... Baptism will remain through life a gift of God, who has set his seal on our souls. But it will then be our cooperation, the availability of our freedom to say that 'yes' which makes divine action effective."
Pope Benedict XVI
Yes, Lord! I am yours! Use me!
One big "family hug" - brought together by water - Lake Michigan about 6 years ago... Maria just out of the Monastery after discerning for 5 months with the amazing prayerful Poor Clares!
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