I can't get enough of this wonderful Thanksgiving picture of our family gathered together. This morning we rose and prayed together before John headed out to the Cities and his job, making it an empty nest around here once again. Advent is in the air, and it reminds us to pray more together and make time for prayer and preparing for Jesus to come into our hearts more and more! I am longing for reconciliation to really start Advent with a clean heart, mind and soul. With first Saturday mass this weekend with rosary and reconciliation - I am going to be there with a well prepared confession and washed clean get off to a new start.
Today's Gospel has the words that we repeat each time in the mass now - "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof. But only say the word and my soul shall be healed." Actually he says "my servant" and it is the centurion, who comes to Jesus asking for healing for his servant - "at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully." This morning my attention was drawn to the state of this servant, and felt that this could easily describe our own state of sin... "paralyzed, suffering dreadfully." Once again reminding us that we are not worthy yet he sees our Faith in HIM, and honors it from even if we keep Him at arms length with our selfishness and sinfulness.
There is much coming to the surface with the beginning of Advent! I want to get to reconciliation and begin anew. I want to share time in prayer more with my family, which with our empty nest, once again, with my husband. It stirs me deeply as I recall how Advent would always call our family around the Advent wreath to pray, sing, read the Word and have family prayer time! Now the picture is different with just the two of us, but we are still being called to "prepare our hearts for Jesus."
Farmwife/city girl come to the farm in 1978
In the 90s
Complete in my heart!
Jesus, Advent is such a wonderful gift to us as we die more and more to self so that you may live in us! We praise and thank you for all the opportunities we have to clear away the darkness and allow your LIGHT to enter this world. Bring healing to the suffering servant paralyzed by illness of sin and death... our own inner selves. May we come more and more into your presence and live your Kingdom come here on earth in our domestic Church/family. Jesus, we trust in YOU. Amen and Hallelujah
Bless-bless, Barbara Luke
with John about 1993 or so
"We say to our Lord in this first week of Advent, 'Show me your ways; teach me your paths.' This doesn't mean to point them out as to a tourist, who might say, 'Isn't that lovely?' but to show me your ways that I may follow them, and teach me your paths that I may follow them. This is the itinerary for Advent. Don't sit at the window and rock and wait for the Redeemer to come. Walk down these ways, and follow these paths. It is a time of action... If we meet him at midnight mass with our little works of darkness still around us snugly as a shawl, then he will be disappointed, because he is desiring to find us ready; he is desiring to find those hearts emptied of our pet affections, our worldliness; he is desiring to find us stripped of our works of darkness; he is desiring to find us full of love and gentleness and eagerness to be his. So let us not disappoint him; let us not meet him with hearts full of our own little desires." Mother Mary Francis (2006)
Mother Mary Francis is a Poor Clare nun, whose writings were hugely wonderful for me to understand the depth and beauty of a contemplative life when Maria entered the Poor Clares on Jan 1, 2004 and lived there for 4 months discerning a call to religious life!
Patrick and Romeo - soon they will be in our arms!!! So excited!
Mary did you know?
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