Last night and this morning as I read the Gospel from St John - I suddenly put myself in the place of Jesus and looked around at all those who "picked up rocks to stone Jesus." I have allowed myself to imagine the horror and brutality of being stoned... especially when I have considered the woman taken in adultery, and it is so hard to imagine experiencing the pain leading to death as the rocks hit your head and body! Over and over - relentlessly attacked by those, who feel they are righteously justified to bring down judgment upon the head of one, who has sinned against the law and the prophets! Yes, according to the law the woman was to be stoned, and a man claiming to be God also. But... Jesus changed all that! He, who truly is the Son of God, showed how we are called to forgive. Sending the woman back healed and forgiven into her LIFE through the Sacraments and become a new LIGHT for all to see! Her road will not be wide and easy - she is now called to take up her Most Cherished Cross and follow after HIM - "sin no more."
Today Jesus facing those with hatred and righteous indignation in their eyes and hearts - points out to those wanting to kill him how we need to look at His Works to know that He is truly God! John and I had the most wonderful trip for an hour and a half on our way to work our TEC retreat a week ago! John started quizzing himself to name all the 20 decades of the rosary in the joyful, luminous, sorrowful , and glorious mysteries. We then talked about how the luminous answered a need for us to have that time of his life covered with the rosary and before they were instituted by Blessed JP II we all thought they made perfect sense!
Little Snowman needed some help finding the teat... it was pretty cute how he sat on Paul's lap for a while as he got the taste of his momma's milk for the first time - YUM!
John and I got to thinking about all the wonderful "works" Jesus did while He was here on the earth that we love to ponder and find the proof of His LOVE and infinite Mercy if we are only humble in the sight of the Lord! I was raving in JOY as John came up with 3 new mysteries for the Rosary! Imagine praying and meditating on these! The first one we came up with was the Healing mysteries and they would include... the paralytic, the woman bleeding for 12 years, the blind man, the lepers, and the child possessed by evil spirits - there are many more and others could be better, but this is what we thought would cover the range. Then we came up with the Miraculous Mysteries or the Miracles He performed! The feeding of the 5,000, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, the calming of the sea, the walking on the water, casting the nets to catch a boatload of fish! Finally we thought there would have to be also the Mystery of Forgiveness - the woman washing his feet with her tears and drying them with her hair, the man crucified with Jesus that asks for forgiveness, St Peter after he denied Jesus, St Thomas after he doubted Jesus raised from the dead, the many times Jesus heals and first says to them - "Your sins are forgiven - be healed!" Are you all filled with the awe and JOY that would abound at meditating on these scenes of the Life of Christ? This is exactly what Jesus is pointing out to these righteously angry men ready to stone him today..."If I do not perform my Father's works, do not believe me: but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father."
Praise HIM! God's not dead - He is really alive!
Mary watching her dad help little Snowman nurse on his mom, Snowball!
I just signed on to receive videos from Fr Barron as he is over in Rome for the Cannonization of my hero - soon to be Saint John Paul II! http://wordfromrome.com/
I have no doubt that Saint John Paul II was there with me shouting with JOY and marveling at our conversation about expanding our glorious Rosary by 3 more decades! Going about sharing this with the world sounds a bit daunting and impossible, but who knows? With Saint JPII in my corner it just might take wing and fly! It would make a mystery for each day of the week with the 3 new ones and yes... I am open to anyone offering others that might work better or be more meaningful to meditate upon... these were just what we came up with as we traveled towards our 3 day TEC retreat... and we are still filled with such a gift of JOY and forgiveness from that time! Once again - God's not dead - He is alive and well, and walking with us on our journey if only we humbly ask for forgiveness and healing... and to be used without counting the cost. We too are facing those holding rocks to stone us, but we need to hold fast to the Truth and share it at every opportunity!
Little Snowman sucking on Mary's finger... he will grow fast and well nursing on his mom!
Jesus, we are so filled with the wonder of Your Truth that sets us free from fear and allows us to be open in sharing your LIGHT with all we encounter. May we without hesitation share with those closest to us in our domestic Church/family. It seems that those we are the closest to are the ones that we treat the worst, and that is just so wrong. May we break down the barriers and hurts we hold onto, and forgive, and give without counting the cost - "Wounded, I will not cease to LOVE." May we carry that in our actions and heart this day, O Lord. We are overwhelmed by all the "works" you performed in the Father's name - they fill us with such amazement and trust in YOU no matter what we are facing. Those works continue to be there in our journeys to this day - we look at John, Patrick, the miracle babies of Ruth and now Maria, my journey with all 12 in my family into your Church... your fingerprint is upon my LIFE - I am unworthy and fall on my knees asking to always be weak and need YOU, my wonderful glorious humble Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world! Jesus, I trust in YOU. Amen and Hallelujah
Touching new life - long awaited and grateful he is here healthy!
Bless-bless, Barbara Luke
"I love you, O Lord, my strength,
O Lord, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
My God, my rock, my refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the Lord, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies."
Psalm 18 from mass today!
God's not dead with scenes from Narnia - Newsboys
Two of Ruth's miracle babies - basking in their love for each other and the wonderful world they are called to be in and be LIGHTS!
I know you are with my wonderful Saint - how we share the LOVE for our Church and The Rosary, and Our Lady of heaven and earth, and Family/Domestic Church, and the true calling of Marriage and sexuality in marriage, and on and on! You filled my first 28 years of marriage with Truth and now you share my JOY in the Truth that comes with each day in this True Church! I am so blessed by you, Saint John Paul II... forgive me for going ahead 2 weeks to your Sainthood, but I am overwhelmed by the Truth!
Finally I would like to announce a webpage my parents, after 3 years of hard work, have opened for those seeking the Truth of The Church... they have pooled their years of work to give us -
http://www.catholicdiagramteacher.com/ Jesus, we place this in your hands and Trust!
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