"The kings were bringing the baby gifts of gold..." a little boy in front of the nativity at Church

They do a special thing with the 3 kings that makes the kids excited to see them reach Jesus in the stable today!  They move them slowly each week closer and closer as the travel to find the King!  Granddaughter, Mary, and I were noticing that they had reached there to mark the feast of Epiphany today, and a little boy standing next to Mary was talking very excitedly about how the kings brought the baby, laying in a manger, gifts of gold and other gifts.  As he walked away with his dad I told him - "He is the KING of kings!"  How it strikes you when you gaze upon the scene and realize the great distances and trails that these kings had to travel to come and bow down to a baby in a stable!  They truly knew the Truth and believed!   For humble new parents like Mary and Joseph to have these great and powerful and men from distant lands bowing and presenting rich gifts to HIM... how they must have felt overwhelmed, yet also reminded that there is not doubt that this tiny infant is the Son of God! 

Sweet Luke catching mommie's eye after mass today - reminds us of Mary with her new son, who was protected and loved by Mary and Joseph!

Knowing the fervent Jew/man of God, Joseph was I am sure that he had read these words from Isaiah 60 in the first reading probably as many times as we have read the Gospels!

60 Arise, ashine;

For your light has come!

And bthe glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,

And deep darkness the people;

But the Lord will arise over you,

And His glory will be seen upon you.

3 The cGentiles shall come to your light,

And kings to the brightness of your rising.

4 “Lift dup your eyes all around, and see:

They all gather together, ethey come to you;

Your sons shall come from afar,

And your daughters shall be nursed at your side.

5 Then you shall see and become radiant,

And your heart shall swell with joy;

Because fthe abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,

The wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you.

6 The multitude of camels shall cover your land,

The dromedaries of Midian and gEphah;

All those from hSheba shall come;

They shall bring igold and incense,

And they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.

It makes the scene that much more rich and beautiful to know that St Joseph and Mary had these OT readings flowing through their minds, hearts, and souls!  Truly the LIGHT has come in the midst of the darkness!!!

"Your hearts shall throb and overflow... proclaiming the praises of the Lord."   Isaiah 60

"One must arrange one's life so that everything praises God." - Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II) in 1947.  This quote really grabs me and reminds me that I need to pursue this in all facets of my LIFE.  I know that I can be negative and grumpy with those the closest to me, and that is hardly praising God in that very important place in my life.  The Holy Family is there to show us the LIGHT and how to give HIM praise in all that we do each day.  Another area I struggle with, although it is getting better, is work!  How I need to arrange my time there so that it reflects my deepest faith and may the prayers that accompany me bring me to that place of Praise under all circumstances!  Remembering the praises and glory given by the kings to their King - I need to bring that into my life more.  May I die to self so that YOU may live in me, O LORD!

Gentleman farmer.... Pat checking a frozen water tank on the way home from mass - now he is dressed as a farmer and out ahead of the freezing cold wind that is coming!  Pat was pointing out the cows standing out in the sun gathering the warmth.  "Even though it's 10 below zero they know to stand in the sunshine and gather the warmth of it on their backs."

Lord, we bask in the warmth of your LIGHT this day as we see with eyes of Faith the coming to LIFE of the prophesies of old!  Psalm 72 proclaims in mass today - "O God, with your judgment endow the King, and with your justice the King's son... the kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts; the kings of Arabia and Seba shall offer tribute.  All kings shall pay him homage, all nations shall serve him.  Lord, every nation on earth will adore you."  Psalm 72  For Hallel and her Community of the Lamb, who each week go through the entire 150 psalms - how powerful to witness before them the coming to LIFE of the words that are so familiar and comforting to them!  The Psalms have become so beautiful in expressing our journey, O Lord!  The power of sharing the 30th psalm in Evening prayer with John as we traveled to a talk he was giving a while back - it was perfectly proclaiming his Journey and now - "I might sing praises to you and not be silent.
    O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever! " Psalm 30:12  John finds that his most happy times these days is when he is allowed to not be silent, but share the healing story of finding Faith through brain cancer!  May we turn to the Psalms more and find there your Truth expressed for all places we find ourselves in this life journey!  Jesus, we trust in YOU.  Amen and Hallelujah

Bless-bless, Barbara Luke with my little precious namesake, Luke!

"They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother.  They prostrated themselves and did him homage.  They opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh."  Matthew 2 - the Gospel for today!

The picture of a face aglow - a LIGHT of Christ!  New LIFE is that without a doubt in my mind, heart, and soul!

Danielle Rose - The Saint that is just me

 \One of my all time favorite pictures of Pat and I on our first married Christmas at my parents - I call it - The Look of LOVE!  How it warms me and reminds me of the beauty of My Most Cherished Cross!