Tuesday, January 21, 2014

St Agnes, our wonderful companion on the journey

St Agnes is honored this winter day with her feast day.  Her name means Lamb and she is always pictured holding the lamb in her arms - a symbol of her sacrificing her life for the love of her Bridegroom, Jesus Christ!  This picture is of the little lamb, Patrick, who also showed many praying for him what it looks like to be the innocent and spotless lamb, placed on the cross in the womb as he died there due to lack of oxygen in a traumatic birth, was born dead, and was brought back to a unsure future/the sickest baby in NICU!  His story has a happy ending as he is now 15 months old and totally healed!  In the dark van this morning as we drove towards Rocherster - Pat, John and I for John's postponed due to a storm in Dec one year appointment... we used the glow of our cell phones to share the office for St Agnes!  Starting with Psalm 63 - "My soul is thirsting for you.  My body pines for you like a dry weary land without water.  So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory." 
The Cross and the lamb!
The story of St Agnes - by the way she is Hallel's special patron saint she took at confirmation, and has become very important to me!  I have learned that  she is a needed and very important saint to call upon at the "house of prostitution" this world has become with the horror and degradation and temptation and sin just a mouse click away with pornography.  Soft porn is also a part of our everyday lives on TV and internet and immodest clothing and suggestive and foul language and images in magazines as we wait in the check out lane at the stores- everywhere!  Why am I going on and on about this?  Because young beautiful rich St Agnes was pursued by men for her hand in marriage.  She refused as she had found the love of her life and given herself to Jesus!  To try to break her down - they placed her in a house of prostitution.  The only man that attempted to touch her was struck blind and she left there totally untouched and pure!  It can be possible, and we need to ask the intercession of this saint, who can help our youth stay pure in the midst of being put in a house of prostitution by our world of darkness and sin!
Maria's older two children in front of the tabernacle praying for their brother in ST Patrick's Cathedral just blocks from where their new brother was in NICU.  Maria and Joseph take very seriously raising lights and protecting their children from influences of the wrong kind.  They have no TV in their home and they do a Catholic homeschool program.  Maria takes the kids to daily mass and they share prayer in their home.  Lately I have become more and more upset with the shows on TV.  Why waste all that precious time?   I should just get a pile of wonderful Catholic reading and go to bed at night with thoughts of the amazing Truths I have just taken into my heart, mind and soul and not toss and turn with the crap that I watched instead!  There is also all the relativismn that filters in to confuse the distinct black and white - right and wrong that is the Truth!  It is a gray and misled world out there, and we need to be a light set upon a lampstand for all to see the TRUTH!

Today we get to bring to the farm Nancy's two little ones for a few days on the farm.  Precious life fills us with purity and sweetness and the innocence of the Lamb.  Today we are in Rochester after a battle to get here - not due to the weather but due to a horrible accident that made us leave the highway and find a way winding here.  We know we will only get good news, but it is just nice to have the MRI done and get the results from the doctors before we leave.  It looks like the MRI will be done at the end of the day, and the doctors will have to call John with the results tomorrow...
Jesus, with St Agnes, your bride at your feet this day, we put all that this day holds in your hands and trust.  Please be with all those affected by the accident and the detour.  May we be always recognizing the Truth and resisting the allurement of all that is impure and evil.  May we pick up our Most Cherished Cross and follow after YOU.  Jesus, we trust in YOU.  Amen and Hallelujah
Bless-bless, Barb
May we follow the motto of the Community of the Lamb this day and always -"Wounded, I will not cease to LOVE."  Even if that would results in our death - truly you ask us to die to self so that YOU, O Lord, can dwell within us.  Come Holy Spirit!
Matthew West - Forgiveness

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