A cherished picture of, then, all my grandchildren and 3 married daughters in Michigan in early July. Maria has since added Romeo to the bunch! Today I am reminded of the great gift I have been given by both my children and grandchildren as they take me ever deeper into my Faith! It seems that if you share your Faith with JOY and enthusiasm within your domestic Church/family, even poorly at times... That seed planted will take root and produce beautiful fruit! Pat and I were just marveling that our weak and lowly attempts at joyfully sharing our love of the Catholic Church and Jesus by weekly mass and some family prayertime here and there - most especially at Advent and Lent - has now been carried forth much better by our children! Now I find that I am learning from them, and the wisdom they have gained by following Christ and His Bride, The Church, much better than I did at their ages!
A Halloween pose of Ruth and Paul with their 5 wonderful children.
Pat and I were just sharing this morning about the best thing we ever did - offer to watch their kids on Faith Formation night so that they can teach! How important it is for the kids to see a young couple living and sharing their faith! Last year for them to see Ruth pregnant with their 5th child, then after he was born on Nov 1st to bring him to class for the first couple months so that they could see him and hold him and see the love shared as a family open to LIFE and how that is a blessing! We get grandparent time, and can share with the kids when they ask where mommy and daddy are - "They are teaching kids about their Faith." And to say prayers with the kids before bed, and here the beauty of their prayers for others and their family as well as knowing the formula prayers. There is a sweet story of Mary a few years back spending the night with her Aunt Raterra and great-grandma reminding them about prayers before bed and leading them! Also, Mary named with great HOPE the baby girl, Joyce, in danger of being aborted -"because God will rejoice when her life is saved!"
Luke and Dominic on Bill's lap a few days ago. Three new grandsons in a years' time!
It is so powerful to hear Nancy's little ones saying their prayers at night. 3 1/2 year old Augustine says The Our Father, Hail Mary and The Glory Be with great enthusiasm with his parents!
This prayer Gus says every night with his family - to hear his sweet voice saying this with love and conviction brought tears to the eyes of Pat and I the other night when we shared prayers with them before bed!
Today in the Gospel Jesus prays to his Father about how "you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike." Luke 10 How we need to rediscover the excitement and recognition of the Truth that sets us free to die to self so that Christ may live and work through us!
Maria's family on Thanksgiving night on facetime shared! I cannot say enough about this daughter and her family! She was the 3rd daughter to attend TEC and to come home and ask me to go. The first two I could put off, and say that I was fine with my faith. But with the 3rd I could no longer say "no." My life was changed that weekend, and prayer became a real active powerful part of my life from that point forward! In time for many of the huge challenges that lay ahead for us, and also to help my marriage with shared prayer with my husband! 
I shared this last night, but it deserves to be here too! We certainly need to gain strength from this ongoing Sacrament of Marriage each day of our lives we need to rely on this God-given Grace!
I could go on and on sharing how my kids and grandkids have taken me ever deeper in my Faith. There is huge humility to be gained from them, and that is what we are asked to embrace over and over and over and over! I share often the pearls of wisdom I gain from my daughter, little Sister Hallel, and her Community of the Lamb! Also from John and his wide-eyed enthusiasm at his new found Faith through the gift of Brain cancer. Each day at prayer he thanks God for his brain cancer bringing him to discover the Truth of Jesus and His Bride, The Church! I cannot go over all today, but I have shared it all from my heart on the many pages on our marriage, John's cancer, Hallel's call, and the paths my girls and their families are taking as they follow Christ!
There is so much Truth in the description in the first reading in mass today from Isaiah 11 of the peaceful kingdom of God that can reign if only we place God first in our lives! Ruth reminded me the other day that the key to their happy loving marriage is that they do and say things that are "life-giving" one to the other! Wow! Pat and I marveled at that small way we could learn from our children to be better at our sharing!
Jesus, we are given such an amazing return from the small seeds we planted in our children. We were called to raise LIGHTS in our domestic Church/home/family and we can't say that we did a great job of this, but we did share our Faith with Joy and enthusiasm! We did share prayer and song and your Word during Advent and Lent, and hence Pat and I are making a better attempt to breath new life into our shared prayer time in the mornings and evenings by the Advent wreath. We see that we now are learning at the feet of our children and their children, being raised as LIGHTS! We are so humbled, filled with awe, and grateful for these lessons on living according to your Truth! May we find a small piece of Your Kingdom Come here on earth. Jesus, we trust in YOU, and thank you! A Grand Hallel Psalm from morning prayer this morning - Psalm 98 - Sing a new Song to the Lord for he has worked wonders... Shout to the Lord all the earth, ring out your joy.
Amen and Hallelujah
Fr Craig with 3 of the girls in Rome some years back!
We are so blessed by the beautiful Faith of so many young people in LOVE with their Lord, and His Bride, The Church!!!
Bless-bless, Barbara Luke
"Grant your Faithful the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ." prayer from the liturgy in the first week of Advent
"May no earthly undertaking hinder those who set out in haste to meet your Son."
Danielle Rose - The Saint that is just me
Litany of Humility - Danielle Rose
Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah
No comments:
Post a Comment