Reading the Gospel - "John is his name." with my John

After John's sharing of his cancer/healing story at our family Christmas - the room was full and the laughter and tears were shared!  After a conversation with my mother this morning and going over some of the big events of the weekend.  Of course, for me, it was the amazing chance John had to share his story and gratitude with his huge extended family!  He knows that much of the prayer support he had came from this huge group of family that was started over 60 years ago when my parents met and married at Kalamazoo College!  My dad had just spent 3 years in the /signal core and through the GI bill got a college education that he had no plans to pursue when he left high school.  He totally expected to be a blue collar laborer for the rest of his life - much like his dad before him.  But he shared with us recently that he had boarded a ship in Marseille, France - where our daughter, Little Sister Hallel is now living and starting a little monastery of the Lamb there!  I find this most amazing - the direct result of my father's journey is now building a Little Monastery of the Lamb where daily mass and adoration and prayer and living life devoid of all that will separate them from Christ in a vow of poverty, chastity and obedience!  Too crazy amazing for words to heap upon this experience of rejoining John on his journey through the sharing in his talk!  Continuing with the story of my dad.  He boarded that ship and spent weeks traveling down around the end of Africa, and then up through the Panama Canal until they finally reached the Philippines just as the war was ending.  "I was on guard duty during the night in the Philippines when the Lord told me that I should be a minister, and then the GI bill allowed me to go to college and the one that opened up was Kalamazoo where I met your mother, and the rest is history!"  And what history that is!  Here is it is... http://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/the-amazing-story-of-13-becoming.html

A gentle moment on Sunday in front of the spectacular view that has become Cross Christmas Camp for the last 3 years!  Camp Wapogasset in Amery, WI has become the beautiful setting for our huge family gathering!

This is the result of my parents meeting - divine providence at Kalamazoo College about 65 years ago.  The college education given my dad after he received the call in the service... a minister for all my years of school and then being led into the Catholic Church - all 13 of us - by Our Lady and St Ignatius of Loyola!  But you can read it all on the page I dedicated to our conversion!  Well, it has been quite an amazing blessed time, and Pat and I are reliving so much of it over and over.  We both agree that it was a very wonderful time, and how we feel that we connected with so many more this year with the larger group spending the first night with the die hards.  Yet, I am going to promote that leaving on Saturday night - there is so much missed out on as we gather for a leisurely breakfast supreme, prayer and visiting in the beautiful view of the lake and the gloriously winter scene! 

This is what greeted us for our last breakfast - so wonderful as we share how the time has passed much too fast.  As Joe said -"Sunday morning was so relaxed with the rosary, enjoyable visiting, and sharing.  It was one of my favorite parts!" 

Lord, YOU too gave us a John and we felt that John is his name!  He was so excited and touched to have the opportunity to share his story of finding Faith with his family this weekend.  I am still so filled with gratitude to my parents and those that make this weekend possible with all the work they do before and after.  I also am so grateful that it worked out for my daughter, Maria, from Texas and her family were here for primo family time on the farm for over a week and then to share Christmas Camp this year!  So wonderful!  These last few days before Christmas will be extra specially peaceful and glorious due to this family time that is sending me forth filled with great Praise and /thanksgiving!  Jesus, we trust in YOU.  Amen and Hallelujah

The Reason for the Season - Baby Jesus!!!!

Bless-bless, Barbara Luke

"If I had a day with Jesus, I would go to Mass with Him and I would stay there praying for a very long time."  Therese Marie, 5 years old, from her book - If I Had A Day With Jesus - her gift to grandma and grandpa for Christmas!

"If I had a day with Jesus, I would go to the park with Him and play with Him.  And I would say, "Jesus, I want to do the monkey bars with you."  I would say, "Jesus I want you to go first, so I can see you do them, then I'll go."  Then I would gather some holy cards with Jesus so we can give them to the poor."  more of the story by T

I think you know that I cried a bucket over this!

Therese, little birthday David, and Aunt Angela!

T with Mary and baby Jesus!

Therese with Santa!

My beautiful mother Sunday morning!  2nd hand sweater? with matching earings!

Gathered in prayer -such a precious gift!  Dad gave us small teachings throughout our shared time of worship and prayer!  This morning he mentioned the angelus, and how that is a way to get through some sleepless nights of worry! 

 

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.  Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.          Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.  Hail Mary . . .  And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.  Hail Mary . . .  Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray:  Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.  "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)   "Blessed are you among women,  and blessed is the fruit of your womb" (Lk 1:42).    Totally biblical is the Hail Mary!!! Bernadette with mom and dad joined in the sharing! The mass we shared in town with my parents - 4th Sunday of Advent could not have been better celebrated!   I need to end this but there is so much!!!! We shared LOVE and it will carry us through until next time we gather together physically in reality - until then we share on the phone and in closeness of the Spirit.  Hallel is with us in this sense - knowing that she is lifting us up on prayer each day and placing us in the monstrance with Jesus each day!  I told my brother Phil, along with his twin Lincoln, who died two days after they were born - "Phil, my gift to you is placing you in the monstrance with Jesus each week."  So true and the best hour I spend each week!  To think that Hallel has that every day!  She truly is blessed by being called and answering Yes! to being his bride!  Now I must go! I will end with one of the graduation pics I was able to take for my nephew Alex yesterday!  Third Day - God of Wonders - it was so fun to have Joe singing at camp for the entertainment of his nephews - big Dave was enthralled by it! I did do a movie that I will try to add here too! Joseph singing is a JOY to us!  I begged him to sing - "Hail Mary" but he didn't have the music with him... maybe next time! Simon singing so beautifully for those gathered for Sunday morning breakfast - A partridge in a  pear tree!  Don't worry - he only sang one verse up to 5!  I cut it off just before he sang - 5 golden rings like a bell was his young 9 year old voice!  Sorry I missed getting  it on here.  Now I promise I will end this for today!  LIFE is good, and LOVE is a gift we receive from every child - most especially the child Jesus!  And LIGHT comes to us as we raise those little ones in the Faith!