The more we suffer... the more JOY we find at the end of it!

Since the arrival of our little precious miracle boy, Luke, I have been yearning to update my painting of Hallel with the grandkids.  All have grown larger,and the three babies are now walking.  It was hard not to add Nancy's in the womb, but I have a plan to add it on this summer still.  I so loved putting blue aprons on all the girls as they so love to help out side by side at the sink doing dishes after a meal!  The little girls haven't helped yet, but I have no doubt that they will.  I do recall now that the boys helped out too, and I recall little Dave trying to find an apron he could use , but he had to have on his tractor shirt along with little farmboy, Augustine!  Yesterday, as I was still in the sketching stage I suddenly thought that I would add John with his beloved Little Sister Hallel.  Lately I have felt for John's loneliness as he lives an hour and a half away and doesn't have friends yet of family close by.  I know how important that is for him, and mostly I know how much he looks up to his sister,Susan/Hallel, and misses her!   Now when I sit in my prayer space and gaze upon my family as I pray the 5 decades of the day for each of them and their needs...

I have John and Sue there along with all the LIFE we have been blessed with!  St Agnes is actually inside the chapel - Lumen Christi - but I wanted to have her there and she was Hallel's Saint that she took at confirmation, so I placed her outside for now.  When we were there in September for the dedication of the Little Monastery... They had this precious statue outside for the mass with the Archbishop, and he did a blessing over it at that time.  I just feel better having John and Hallel together as I know that it is a spiritual fact - they are supporting each other in LOVE and in Prayer!  I also know that although Hallel misses out on our family as we gather without her... that she lifts us up in prayer, and that is the best of closeness to her as well as blessings as a result of her pleas to her spouse as she kneels before Him in Adoration and Mass every day!  Having her prayers and those of her Community of the Lamb were huge for John and continue to this day for all our needs as a family. As soon as we know of a new LIFE coming for one of our families - we call Hallel and her Community immediately to get their joyful prayer support going!  You can only imagine how huge those have been for Ruth with her last 3 children after being told no more!  Also how we called France and Kansas City in the middle of the night for Patrick, when he was without oxygen in the womb for 20 minutes at birth - born dead!   I can think of no more powerful prayers, and each of these instances we have found healing/miracles!  Much suffering also comes with these terrifying times, but I can see with eyes of "faith" that if life were all a bed of roses we would get pretty sick of the smell, and bored with it all!  The beauty of suffering is that it makes the good times that much more wonderful!

The first reading from Isaiah 40 and the Gospel today - Matthew 11 are amazing!  Matthew 11:28-30 is the Word of LIFE from Christ - "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."  This is a verbal picture of what The Most Cherished Cross is for us!  If we embrace this we find LIFE.  I have shared that I call my Patrick Gerard - My Most Cherished Cross!  Ever since this amazing letter arrived from little Sister Hallel on the occasion of Nancy's engagement to Billy!

"Nancy, Look I am writing you a letter... aren't you impressed? Well, you better be because both you and I know how often this happens. I am writing to tell you now extremely excited I am about your engagement to Bill. I have to admit, when I got the news I wasn't really shocked but that night as it sunk in during adoration and the next day during mass I was so happy. My heart overflowed with joy for you. How beautiful to know that you have found your... most cherished cross. While I have never had the experience of being married, from what I hear is that he will truly be your cross. But not your cross as human eyes look at it, as a thing to run away from, as a thing of torture but rather as that which is truly the tree of life. It is only when clinging to the cross that one can truly live, it is the source of all life and of all love. Your marriage to Bill will be this, not something to run away from when it gets hard and when it hurts, but something to hold tight to, especially when it hurts because it is in this that you will find life and love. Know that it is through your marriage that Jesus wants to show you his great love for you and also that the best example that you can give to the world of Christ's love is a marriage lived in truth. So, in other words, know that I am so happy for you and that I love you a whole lot. Know that you are in my prayers during this crazy time of wedding planning; that you may not go crazy but rather learn to love each other better and that you may both have great joy and great peace. Remember to pray for me too! God Bless, Your little Sister Hallel"

I cannot share this enough!  "It is only when clinging to the Cross that one my truly live, it is the source of all LIFE and LOVE."  Yes, you just read it, but this is all we need!

 The previous painting with 3 babies - now they are 3 toddlers, and they will be running around the house together tomorrow night!  We are going up to pick up Maria and her 3 tomorrow and bringing them down to the farm for a week of family craziness! 

Jesus, as we take your yoke upon our shoulders and learn from you... may we too be meek and humble of heart... finding that embracing our Most Cherished Cross brings us the greatness of LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT on our journey with YOU!  Any pain and suffering that comes with that is what makes the JOY that much more wonderful!  Without the pain in life we would not find happiness - if life truly were a bed of roses we would be bored and tired of it all - we would be lost in a world of selfishness and darkness and the LIGHT would be dulled with it's continual presence!  As we walk down the narrow path the LIGHT is radiant and reveals to us the Way, the Truth and the LIFE - You, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior of the world with your Bride, The Church, giving us all we need each day of our journey with YOU!  Your yoke is truly easy, and your  burden LIGHT!"   Jesus, we trust in YOU.  Amen and Hallelujah

Bless-bless, Barbara Luke with Patrick the day he came home from the hospital after 2 1/2 weeks in NICU and thousands of answered prayers for healing... a miracle in my arms!  If you are interested in the story of Patrick - I have dedicated a page to the story

http://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/the-story-of-little-lamb-grandson.html

The grand Hallel - highest Praise Psalm 103 from mass today - read the whole world over!

Bless the Lord, O my soul;

and all my being, bless his holy name.

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits.

O bless the Lord, my soul!

 

He pardons all your iniquities,

he heals all your ills.

He redeems your life from destruction,

he crowns you with kindness and compassion.

O Bless the Lord, my soul!

 

Merciful and gracious is the Lord,

slow to anger and abounding in kindness.

Not according to our sins does he deal with us,

nor does he requite us according to our crimes.

O bless the Lord, my soul!

Praying for Patrick to Our Lady, St Michael, and the prayers of little children - So powerful!  We stormed heaven for Patrick!  And we were heard!

The reading from Isaiah has this verse - "they will soar as with eagles' wings; they shall run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint."  Here is the song Eagles' Wings!

 

Here is the actual song with the words from Isaiah

A picture from Maria's blog today of a visit they had from St Nicholas last Friday on Dec 6th - his feastday!  Notice their shoes are off for him to fill with treats!