First off - Happy 2nd Anniversary to Bill and Nancy! Married on the feastday of the Doctor of Grace - St Augustine - just 2 years ago, and soon to welcome your next child. Wow! That is certainly a blessing and grace is flowing over and around you like a great ocean of LIFE and LOVE! How appropriate that your first child should be named after this amazing man - Augustine! A very powerful and beautiful man to be aware of and fill your heart and mind with the wisdom he had through and within Christ! That is why John's sisters suggested to him that he take Augustine for his confirmation saint - so Happy Feastday to you too, John! Augustine is getting to be a very important part of our lives, as well he should be! Who would not want the doctor of Grace to make a visit to our heart and minds and souls? I sure do! I need to read his Confesssions someday!
A painting I made for Augustine's first birthday...
"Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering. " St Augustine This is a tought provoking quote telling us that the wonder of the universe is nothing compared to the wonder of ourselves and our relationship with Christ and his Bride, the Church! I long to jump into the ocean of faith and float on the surface of the boyant water of LIFE and LOVE!
After dropping the two grandkids off at school ... I slipped into adoration and was filled with the wonder of this gift and grace that we are allowed to partake in twice a week now. I have shared that I considered a call to religious life as a pre and new Catholic. The sense within that I wanted to be a bride of Christ - a nun - is what made me say to my dad without hesitation - "I want to be Catholic, because I think I want to be a nun!" He gave me the choice as I was the oldest of 11, and 20 years old, when my entire family converted to the Catholic Church. My dad left his ministry as a Protestant minister, and a few years later became a permanent deacon. I did discern a call, but it was not for me... yet, I still have that longing for HIM! It is such a grace to be able to have a small piece of that life of prayer when I am able to attend mass daily, and also have those Holy Hours in the presence of Jesus in the monstrance on the altar! Sitting there in our beautiful church today - I remembered the many graces and blessings I have been given with 3 of my children considering a call to the priesthood or religious life! My time spent with Hallel's community in Kansas City and France are so amazing and unearthly angelic! Thinking of the acronym I made for the word - BEAUTY - Beyond Everlasting Angelic Unearthly Trillion Years-with-HIM! That is a way of describing how I feel His Grace all around me when I can have that quiet space in time with Jesus!
A little friend of mine...a young girl John's age is entering the convent in a few days! She is entering the order newly started in New Ulm - the Handmaids! My Susan/ Hallel lived with them in the discerment house in St Paul for a year before she left for France. I was allowed to share prayer and Adoration in their little chapel with the 4 of them some times when I would be up there visiting. The sound of their glorious voices raised in chanting prayer and song was out of this world - unearthy angelic! To "see" these young women in such an intimate sharing with the LOVE of their lives - Christ! It brought me to tears and was so very deeply personal! I went over to weep on my friend's shoulder, at the joy of knowing that she will be there with them, and that she is beginning her journey, as is John! I told her that her hug is from Hallel, as she was with them and shared many hours of prayer there in that community. I have a very special place of prayer and contemplation within... thanks to the Lord blessing me with the ability to share with my children in their call to be HIS! Although I was called to the Sacrament of Marriage - I am allowed to experience in a very deeply touching and personal way the life of a Bride of Christ. Now I look forward, with endless thanks, to be able to share with John in his journey called the discernment of His Priesthood!
This old Belgian rectory has been torn down to make room for the little Monastery the community is building in Kansas City - Soon I will go and pray in their little chapel there! Lord, I am filled with gratitude this day for all the graces that are given to those that love and follow after you. Your Church is filled with such Truth, and we rejoice as we sit at your feet on the hillside and listen to you share the light for all to see - a lighthouse on the shore! And then we have saints like St Augustine to show us how to leave the world behind and find all in you! He tells us; "What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like." Lord, may we become LOVE for you to touch the world around us - most especially those in our domestic church/family! Jesus, your ocean of grace is all around us and we are picking up the oar and paddling after you carrying our Most Cherished Cross. Jesus, we trust in you. Amen and Halleluia
Bless-bless, Barb
"Love is the beauty of the soul. " St Augustine
Beauty - Beyond Everlasting Angelic Unearthly Trillion Years-with-HIM! That sound like LOVE to me!
"If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself. " St Augustine Augustine would say that about the Church too! There is not the option of being a shopping cart Catholic - all the Truth is required as the Church is there helping us to Heaven and Eternal LIFE!
No comments:
Post a Comment