Here is Snowball in my face, and I thought a good picture to describe "peculiarly his own" - the thought that kind of grabbed ahold today in morning prayer shared with Pat. It is so true of us, and our crazy journey of FAITH... as we keep turning back to HIM in his unconditional LOVE for us... no matter what! Peculiar is very much us!! We know that we LOVE our Lord, and want to give our all to HIM, and then we take it back in a moment's temptation. I am feeling my weaknesses so much these Lenten days. I vowed to myself that I would not do this or that, or do better by giving of myself to others with a cheerful attitude... then the reality of my failures stare me in the face. I see how glaringly much I fail, yet that is when I truly see that I need Jesus. I am a weak mess, and that is when I turn to Jesus! I will always remember complaining to Hallel about my sad state of being weak after I had my hip replaced. "Mom, that is when we turn to Jesus." May I always be peculiarly your own, O Lord, and that means that I need to be weak and lowly! Humble me, Lord!
The little ones around us show are the ways that the Lord teaches us - People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Mark10:13-15 What is He saying here? He is telling us that we need to Trust, and when we fall down to allow Him to pick us up in His arms and carry us. When He carries us - then we get to where He wants us to go. What do peculiar people do instead? - they take off in their own direction, and end up in a big heap, when they fall and hurt themselves, and hurt their loving and forgiving God! With my weakened state of failure this Lent... I am sensing this so graphically in myself. The Lord even dealt with me in my dreams last night, and I never dream or remember them. He is getting to me, when He can!
Lord, YOU came to help me by personally dying for me so that I could follow after YOU, carrying my Most Cherished Cross. I am weak, and that is when I turn to YOU. Help me, Lord! I need to become more Yours, and deny myself. Forgive me and although I am "peculiarly yours"... thank you for taking me back into your arms over and over again! I want to give you all my heart and all my soul, as you desire. May I look to your Mother, Mary Most Holy, as a true example of what I need to be as a woman of Yours! She is a true example of a humble vessel of LOVE and service to You and the entire world - as she bears YOU to the world, and loves YOU with a sacrificial LOVE! Through embracing your Cross, as she stood at the foot and watched YOU die a most horrific death... she found LIFE and LOVE! YOU rose from death, and appeared to her first of all! There is no doubt that YOU came to your faithful Mother of God, and embraced her with your nailscarred resurrected hands. May we know that we are embraced each time we turn back to YOU. May we carry that knowledge and LOVE of YOU into our domestic Church/family. Jesus, we trust in you. Amen and Halleluia
Patrick and Bernadette love their fingers, and Jesus loves them!!!
Bless-bless, Barb
"But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes the sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust... So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:43-48 The Gospel for today
“May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.”
― Thérèse de Lisieux
“Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.”
― Thérèse de Lisieux
Maria says that Patrick rolls over only when they aren't looking at him - humble boy that he is!
“For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.”
― Thérèse de Lisieux
It just seems right to take to heart the "small way" of St Therese this day. We are weak and humbly need YOU, O Lord!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Oj0AlnCDpE A cool version of the litany of Humility - watch the words, and pray them!!! So hard, but so important to become totally HIS!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_Lsdl76UVM Matt Maher speaking of the Litany of humility - Wow!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk_3WNdG5cA Now his song, Every Little Prison
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