Today is the Saturday feastday devoted to Mary, so morning prayer was geared to her. A reflection on her keeping the Word of God in two ways: "by reflecting on it often adn by living it with the utmost fidelity. Her obedience brought her to the dark afternoon at Calvary and to the bright JOY of Easter." see www.magnificat.com The psalm following this reflection - Psalm 119 started with these amazing words, and they totally describe the purity and sinlessness of Mary - "How shall the young remain sinless? By obeying your Word." I know that my children are not sinless by any stretch of the imagination, but after writing at great length about their stories of LIFE and how they have taken the dark of Calvary - the Cross, and embraced it's dying to self and found the Bright JOY of Easter - the LIGHT! I also know that they have found the Truth in Christ and His Bride, The Church. They have followed the teachings of the Church and obeyed all that it holds out to us as Truth! We are not shopping cart Catholics, who pick and choose what we believe. We Trust and know the Truth is there in all that they teach and promote - the goal of The Church is to get us to Heaven, so why would we question or doubt or blatantly not follow the laws of the Church? There is no reason good enough, plus I have no trouble seeing the Truth and Right in all that The Church believes. It is the Church of LIFE and gives us LIFE in the Sacraments and Word of God! We look to our Spiritual Mother always as she shows us how to better be that rich soil..."they are the ones who, when they have heard the Word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance." I look at Ruth, Maria, and myself and our struggles to be open to LIFE... it takes patience and perseverance to suffer through the waiting for the next one, or having that loss and not throwing our hands up and saying that it is too hard to go through! We are getting our large families with some in heaven and some here, or with years of healing between them and then comes that surprise!
We will double in size from this picture taken at Maria's wedding in this year! Life is a gift that gives for a lifetime and beyond into eternal LIFE!
Another verse from Psalm 119 - "I treasure your promise in my heart lest I sin against you." We love Jesus and his beautiful Bride, The Church, so much that it pains us terribly when we sin, and we long to confess our sins and to regain that place of closeness with HIM!
Jesus, we truly know that we are not of the world, but chosen out of the world. We know that we are yours alone and we long to always deny self and find our close walk with YOU! Your Word is Spirit and LIGHT to us, O Lord! We find your Truth ever there to teach us and guide us. May we take time with each day to love and to follow after YOU in that inner place of your Holy Dwelling within us. May we look to your Mother's example of embracing the seed of Faith and bearing fruit through perseverance! Jesus, we trust in YOU. Amen and Halleluia
Bless-bless, Barb
Hallel taking the paper Hallel out to the burn barrel - she is no more standing around in the house. We have replaced her with real memories together. I have decided that I will now devote a page to just Hallel and her community. So with that I will probably spend some time on that today.
No comments:
Post a Comment