"grace and Truth came through Jesus Christ." John 1

My sweet little rosary girl in the making - 13month old Bernadette!  I say in the making, because that spot is already filled beautifully by a dear daughter/friend, Liz!  She is the original rosary girl, and is absolutely a delight to me, and a great LIGHT in this world!   I think of her today for some special reasons... mostly because she has such a beautiful LOVE for Our Lady and her most amazing prayer - The Rosary!  She is so devoted to her and her prayer and ability to bring us to her Son, Jesus Christ, that she makes hundreds of rosaries by hand and then walks throughout our town and gifts them to all that she and her two daughters meet!  Her stories are many, and I have the JOY of hearing of them down through the years!  Stories of finding that powerful real LIFE-LINE by holding onto these beads as a person goes into surgery or faces other trials on their journies!  In the midst of John's journey she gifted him with a personal rosary that represented all the prayers he was surrounded with as he faced brain cancer and found healing and Faith!  John always will cherish this physical sign of his prayer warriors, and has it close at hand as his journey continues!  As Mary said "Yes" to bringing Christ into the world through the incarnation, so she continues to bring us to her Son to find LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT!

Maria's aunt Angela on a visit to the Poor Clares before Maria entered on New Years Day 2004!

The other reason I am thinking of my rosary girl, Liz, today along with my daughter, Maria, is that tomorrow marks the 10th anniversary of Maria entering the Poor Clare Monastery on the feast of the Solemnity of Mary!  The roots of my rosary girl's call to the Catholic Church and her devotion to Mary and her rosary starts with her being drawn to religious sisters on the internet!  This is what began her embracing whole heartedly the Truth she found in the Catholic Church!  In listening to her heart she found the grace to embrace that Truth, and she with her daughters became evangelists of the beautiful message - we have a Mother in Heaven, who longs to take us to her Son!   No matter who she encounters - she lovingly and without judgment shares that message of unconditional LOVE and forgiveness!

!0 years ago tomorrow - Maria kneeling on the outside of the enclosure for a blessing before she went behind to begin her 5 months of discernment!  It was a powerful time for her as she embraced her Most Cherished Cross and decided that she was not called to be a Poor Clare!  Her Cross then took the form of Joseph, and she found LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT as a wife and mother to a now Lt in the army! 

Jesus with your Mother - now our Spiritual Mother of Heaven and earth- we are so blessed with the Grace to live a holy LIFE on our path to sainthood, and armed with the Truth that will set us free to love and serve those in our domestic Church/family in this journey of LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT!  This message is proclaimed loud and clear by St John the Evangelist in the Gospel from the beginning of his Gospel today -

1" In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

² The same was in the beginning with God.
³ All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
⁴ In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
⁵ And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."  The Word is LOVE/God, and in HIM was LIFE; and the LIFE was the LIGHT...!  It gives me great JOY to read these words of the evangelist of LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT!  Jesus, we trust in YOU.   Amen and Hallelujah

Bless-bless, Barbara Luke
"God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in HIM might not perish but might have eternal LIFE."  John 3:16

The Poor Clares have a cloistered life of prayer for the needs of the world.  We have called upon them to lift up our needs over the last 10 years - a year ago when Maria and her son, Patrick, were looking at death we called them for prayers!  Today they are both healed!  The world needs Prayer!!!!  It is our LOVE communication with our Lord and Savior!  Praise HIM!  Today in morning prayer we are asked to spend this last day of the year in rejoicing song/praise/thanksgiving "for the extraordinary gift of our salvation in Jesus Christ."  see www.magnificat.com

A grand Hallel Psalm - 108

"My heart is ready, O God;

I will sing, sing your praises.

Awake my soul;

awake lyre and harp.

I will awake the dawn.

 

I will thank you, Lord, among the peoples,

among the nations I will praise you,

for your love reaches to the heavens

and your truth to the skies. 

O God, arise above the heavens;

and your glory shine on earth!"

With tears in our eyes as we see Maria behind the enclosure for the first time!   So powerful!   January 1st, 2004! 

Danielle Rose - the Saint that is just me

Found this on FB from a friend - too good not to share here - St Pio, pray for us!

Danielle Rose - Mary's heart