"it is not the will of your Heavenly Father that one of these litte ones be lost." Matt 18

Luke is my poster child for sweet and loving and innocent and joyful and humble and "little one" and weak and lowly and needing of a mother's and father's love and care and all things small today.  In the Gospel today Jesus takes a child and places it in the midst of the disciples, when they ask him "Who will be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?"  He didn't place before them a great and wealthy and successful and wise and earth-changing with greatness or even with great feats of giving and caring for the needs of the world... but a child, who is small and helpless and needy and part of that need is to be cared for and to be taught the Truth about Faith in their domestic Church/family with JOY!  He warns that a child is not to be misled or mistreated and isn't that the most heart rending horrible news to hear that a child has been harmed in any way by parents or those caring for them?  So unthinkable and sad to know that this is happening to any little one!  This morning in prayer with Pat and John the knowledge that many women will be considering the killing of the innocent life in their womb this day.  "Lord, please show them that it is a life and protect all life this day... end he horror of abortion!"  The other day my grandkids found the soft rubber 12 week baby I have here from Minnesota Citizens Concerned for LIFE.  "Grandma is this the size of the babies that are killed in the womb?"  "Yes, usually this is the age that they are killed.  But the mothers don't always know that it is a baby with a brain, a heart beating, and arms, legs, eyes, and ears.  They think that it is a lump of tissue and don't know that it is a baby/a LIFE.  They are lied to and misled." 

Bathed in the LIGHT!  All LIFE is a gift to be protected and cherished at all cost! 
I am awaiting the arrival of Ruth's 2 youngest, as she needs to take the others back to school shopping.  I have a good old fashioned "adventure" in mind.
"We are only dust, but beloved dust."  From morning prayer this morning
How do we get so confused in what we strive for in this life?  To have everything as we want it, or to make life easy and comfortable, to have accomplished greatness or acquired money or things, to limit our family to the perfect 2 so that they can have life lavished on them and can have everything "I never had growing up in a family of 10 kids." I had one person tell me.  That person totally missed what was important - siblings and not things or being spoiled!  It seems that Jesus finds the indulging of those few children people have these days as a form of leading them astray!  What happened to the call we each have to be humble and small like a little child?  As John prayed today - "Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to have brain cancer, and finding You and Your Church."  John will say long and loud that he was humbled to the point of Faith by brain cancer, and all he longs to do is share that far and wide.  He now has a job selling trucks here in town and can answer calls to share his story and Faith whenever that works in the evenings and weekends!

Luke is not enjoying Sesame Street, so we need to head out on an adventure soon... it will probably start with putting clothes on the line and going down to get the mail. 
Jesus, you show us that the path to follow and way we are to be... why is so contrary to what we strive for and long for?  We need to die to selfishness and ask you to show us our path!  Please help us to protect all LIFE and to be open to LIFE! 
Jesus, may we take up our Most Cherished Cross and follow you down the path laid out for us!  Protect all LIFE now and forever!  Jesus, we trust in YOU.  Amen and Hallelujah

Bless-bless, Barbara Luke the Crazy-Catholic!

"Only the truly humble shall be exalted, says the Blessed Virgin.  The haughty, proud, the presumptuous shall be brought low and sunk to the lowest deep.  Let us then humble ourselves, not serving God negligently, but striving to employ vigorously all our strength to acquire true humility  of heart and submission."  St Jane Frances de Chantal (1641), pray for us on this your feast day!

Third Day - trust in Jesus