This beautiful picture greeted me on the page dedicated to Blessed John Paul II - soon to be Saint! I love the gift of these never before seen pictures of my total hero for LIFE, Family, and marriage! The whole package became a beautiful wonderful glorious masterpiece thanks to the Pope for the first 27 years of our marriage! He was our marriage in the form of a man to me! Well, to see this picture of the young pope sweetly blessing little new babies in a nursery in Rome is so right! He is the one who tells us to be open to LIFE to have siblings in life rather than things! He taught our personal worth and value through The Theology of the Body, and the Truth about couples embracing being Total, Faithful, and Fruitful!
Today at mass Pat and I were so excited and overjoyed to share our little miracle with all those that had prayed so hard for his healing! It gave us so much JOY to have a family come over and ask to meet the little miracle... the mother held him in his arms and gave him a big hug and praised God for His love and healing! How I am feeling that right now also... as I have just had the loving eyes of Jesus look upon me in the confessional and tell me that He loves and forgives me for my sinfulness! I had a burning sin that I had told no one about and it was so needed to tell the priest/Jesus about it and to have that LOVE/Forgiveness flow over and around me! It was well worth the trek through the snow down snowy roads and into the Church with others gathered to know that we are sinful yet LOVED and forgiven!
Thank YOU, LORD, for your loving kindness and care for us! We are so filled with gratitude! Today I heard someone say that they thought that it was OK to leave little ones at home as they didn't get anything out of Church anyways. "NO! I totally disagree with that! I think that from the first week it is very important to attend mass as a family!" The little ones show the world that there is a new LIFE in the family and that is a very important thing to share so that all can witness the openness to LIFE - the LOVE that new LIFE is surrounded by and the way we live that out is to share Mass as a joyful loving family! Coming together to receive Jesus is the Most important time we spend together all week! It should be done together and with great anticipation and JOY. Attending mass together as a family should include dressing up in finery to show the Lord respect and honor the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, God in the flesh! It is like entering the royal court of the Lord and you would not do that in a sweatshirt and blue jeans! To have them all at mas with us this morning from Great-Grandma on down was such a gift! And to have our big miracle John at 6'4" and our little miracle Patrick at much smaller... we were so thankful and happy to share this time of celebration of the coming together of Heaven and earth!
Oh, little Luke is getting to know his cousin, Therese! What a wonderful sign that LIFE is a gift he is, and that we are called to raise LIGHTS to the world! Our grandchildren are content and at home in Church each Sunday! That will be a place to find comfort and LOVE in their lifetimes and they will come here to find what is the Way, the Truth, and the LIFE!
This 3rd Sunday of Advent is such a special day of Celebration! Nancy with her two are on their way down here to spend the week of the 3 sisters along with all of our grandchildren! Now the true celebration begins - an early Christmas. Now I am praying for Nancy to arrive here safely with her two little ones on these snowy roads! We will then have Sunday supper over here tonight! What a loud and crazy house that will be with 10 little ones! I am looking forward to the full house of Family on the Farm sharing our Faith that we value highest in our lives!
Rolls after mass in the newly remodeled Church basement - the two toddlers in high chairs, and the two Davids at their own table! Sharing the name David has become a special bond between these two high energy boys!
Jesus, so much this day that is filling me with great happiness and excitement to know that our family is centered on YOU and your wonderful glorious Bride, The Church! The gifts of the Sacraments are filling me to the brim with all that I need for this journey of LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT! I am eternally grateful that the Holy Spirit has been alive and well in our marriage thanks to Blessed John Paul II as well as the Truth being evident to my husband and my head! He always promoted our going to church each week as a family, and if we were blessed with a new baby to take along - all the better! I have heard so often over the years that when we carried that blue bundle/John into Church after 4 girls that there was almost a cheer that went up throughout the Church! One mother shared that he daughter had been gone away for a while and had happened to be in Church that Sunday - "She poked me and smiled - look mom they finally got a boy!" And I wish that we could have had one more, so that the world didn't think that we had our boy so we finally quit. No! We had 3 more after John that are in Heaven waiting to be united with us and holding us up in prayer! There is so much peace knowing that all the babies I was supposed to have are either here with us on earth or in Heaven praying and looking for the day that we will be united with them! Jesus, we trust in YOU. Amen and Hallelujah
Patrick looking at the Holy Family
Giving them "gentle love!"
Bless-bless, Barbara Luke
Psalm 149 a Hallel Psalm from Mass today
'The Lord God keeps faith forever,
seeks justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets captives free.
Lord, come and save us.
The Lord gives sight to the blind;
the Lord raises up those who were bowed down.
The Lord loves the just;
the Lord protects strangers.
Lord, come and save us."
The two miracles sharing the JOY of family sharing the most important time we spend all week with our LORD, Jesus Christ! Then we carry HIM forth into our lives and share His LIGHT in the world!
The Reason for the Season!
Third Day - Cry to Jesus
http://www.anygivensundayproject.com/mobile-previous-weeks/155-dec-15-2013-third-sunday-of-advent.html A wonderful meditation on the 3rd Sunday of Advent by Danielle Rose - in it I discovered that she married since coming out of the convent - as she discerned out.
Danielle Rose - the Saint that is just me
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