"This is John..."

What a day and what a morning!!!  We awoke early to attend daily mass and adoration and to discover that it is one of John's feastdays, as it is now St John, the evangelist's special day!  As the Entrance Antiphon says today..."This is John, who reclined on the Lord's breast at supper, the blessed Apostle, to whom celestial secrets were revealed and who spread the words of life through all the world."  We all know that he was one that Jesus loved as a special friend, and it is quite evident to us that John is feeling a ever closer and closer knowledge and LOVE of Jesus and his Bride, the Church!  "St John is the Evangelist of the Incarnation.  He proclaims the glory of the Word coming forth from God to take on human flesh and dwell in our midst."  If you take some time to read his Gospel it is spectacularly beautiful to read the LOVE he shares for Jesus - the Word made flesh!!!

Such a blessing to have my son here with us for this Christmas time... he keeps reminding me that it is now Christmas and no longer Advent.  We lit the votive/Christmas wreath for morning prayer, not the Advent wreath any longer.  But I do love to light it, and enjoy it for the Christmastime we have now until the Epiphany!  It does truly become my Christmas wreath... filled with the warmth and LIGHT of our newborn King of Kings and Lord of Lords... a humble helpless baby, showing us how to love and serve our Lord with total selfless LOVE!

For John, up at Seminary, there is prayer morning and night - at night it is in a chapel just across the hall from his room.  They gather there, and sing night prayer.... I had the joy of listening while John sang in the empty Church in Minneota yesterday.  So beautiful, and there is just something about the song which allows our deepest feelings to come to the surface for our God.  John says that it is a part of his time spent asking the Lord to show him HIS path and Way for John to follow.  He is struggling with the studies, but has been encouraged by many that mention those great saint/priests that were less than smart when it comes to the studies, but are gifted in other powerful ways... He mentioned that the patron saint of priests, St John Vianney was one such person.  Another John that gives John guidance and encouragement on his journey called Call/Faith gained from cancer healing!  This morning in prayer shared together - he thanked God for his cancer, and all that it meant to him in the new and faith-filled John we now have with us.  Wow! 

One thing that John and I love to share is hymns to begin and end prayer!  We had a wonderful morning with Paul and his children, and Nancy and Bill and their two, along with great-grandma Anna on Christmas Eve morning... We shared morning prayer led by John from the office, and we did sing quite a bit with the kids! 

Simon and his siblings led some beautiful singing, and we ended with Away in a Manger sung to two different melodies.  This morning John and I sang all 5 verses of

O Little Town of Bethlehem

"How silently, how silently,

The wondrous Gift is given;

So God imparts to human hearts

the blessings of his heaven.

No ear may hear his coming,

but in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive him still,

the dear Lord enters in.

O holy Child of Bethlehem,

decend to us, we pray;

Cast out our sin, and enter in,

be born in us today.

We hear the Christmas angels

the great glad tidings tell;

O come to us, abide with us,

Our Lord Emmanuel!"

That pretty much says it all for this feastday of John, who was the best friend of Jesus - his beloved Disciple!  Now through the Spirit we are all able to come to him even more closely!!!

Thank you, Jesus, for loving us in such a personal way.  Your love knows no bounds, and is without end and totally absolutely forgiving and unconditional.   We are so humbled by how unworthy we are - we ask forgiveness, and are forgiven and within no time at all we are making a mess of things again.  We are human and weak, yet you came to tranform our humanness with your LIFE and LOVE, which entered the world through Our Lady's YES!  We are filled with the Holy Spirit, and we are YOURS, O Lord!  St John, your beloved Disciple, shows us the beauty of Your incarnation as The Word of God became Man.  We fall at your feet with all the angels,Saints including St John the Evangelist!  Your Mother stands at your side interceding for us, as we ask for YOU to give us LIFE, LOVE and that we may be LIGHTS in our world.  Break the spell of darkness, and bring the Truth into the LIGHT for all to see, most especially those in our domestic Church/family.  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen and Halleluia

Bless-bless, Barb

"O God, you filled St John with Love for your Word and for Jesus Christ, your Word made flesh.  Through his intercession, may the Word fill the hearts of all your people, so that we may proclaim the Gospel by the love we bear for one another, through the same Christ our Lord.  Amen."

Closing prayer for morning prayer - see www.magnificat.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5npOxjWOhUI  A Mother's Song by Danielle Rose!