Today being the feast of St Philip Neri - a shout out to my brother Philip on this his feastday- it was pointed out that this man would win over hearts with his sense of humor and sharing his faith with JOY! I have seen over the years that a large part of the reason that our kids are all united with us on our Faith journey is because my husband shared mass with them each week and at prayer time at home with joy and enthusiasm... for here dwells The Truth!
As I stopped, and was disappointed to find my brother's house dark and empty in Glencoe last night on our way home from Gus's Birthday in the Cities.. I mentally tallied how many of my 9 siblings here with me and two in heaven, I had seen over this last week... 5 of them plus 2 sister-in-laws and a brother-in-law!
Of course, I was with my parents for 3 days, and that is where I encountered so many of my family. Combined with that was a trip up to see "the farm" where I had spent the summers of my early Catholic/nursing years. I even lived there for an entire summer and did my student nursing months working at the hospital in St Croix Falls, WI!
So many emotions filling me up as I came into an intense time of returning to my roots... the lines get blurred as being in the midst of the Family Pat and I have formed and continues to form - Nancy just informed us that she is expecting #4! To get such a huge dose of my extended family which was my original family, and I lift each one up and place them in the monstrance with Jesus each week... I see the prayers being answered! Attending mass with my brother, Phillip, whose feast day is today, was a totally amazing gift and answer to prayer and traveling back from a small slice of heaven/Pentecost Mass in Stillwater... the sharing centered around our sister, Mary, who died from lymphoma at age 28 in 1986!
Mom shared that at Mary's death bed she had told her to go to heaven and be with her brother, Lincoln! "Look for Lincoln, Mary, she looks just like Phil." So powerful to be traveling through the beautiful hilly green countryside between Stillwater and St Croix Falls - river valley- with my brother, Philip, and touching Mary, who was just after him in age, and his twin brother, Lincoln, who died just 2 days after they were born premature, in Heaven! We had just shared the reception of Jesus into us in His Body and Blood at the feast of the Holy Spirit coming into the world through The Church together, and now we touched Heaven through our family there watching over us and praying for us and depending on us for prayers for them!
We arrived back at my parents to find a message from my sister, Paula, that they were going to decorate Mary's grave in Somerset, WI, and asking if we would want to join them. My parents are slowing down now, due to dad's being more weak and short of breath awaiting his heart valve replacement in two days, so they declined. Otherwise, I would have seen another sister and her family - pictured in the rain with the decorated and remembered grave of my sweet sister, Mary!
I think you are seeing the tidal wave of Family that is flowing all over and around me, and so interwoven with the JOY of sharing our Faith and seeing prayers answered so powerfully and beautifully. With these two near misses of seeing siblings - I am up to 7 of the nine and that is such an amazing happening out of the blue!
I was heading up to see my parents after Nancy left for home - thinking I would probably spend just 24 hours with them. I left there 3 days later filled and overwhelmed by it all!
Let us think of Mary, for she is that unspeakable Virgin, that glorious Lady, who conceived and brought forth, without detriment to her virginity, him whom the width of the heavens cannot contain within them... When God infuses extraordinary sweetnesses into the soul, a man ought to prepare for some tribulations or temptations.
I feel much as though I was gifted with a Spiritual retreat, and actually each day in The Church is this for me. But being able to sit at the feet of my parents and bask in their LIGHT is a step above and into a small slice of heaven in their peace-filled, faith-filled home. To have so many siblings stop in or call in and share with me was amazing!
This sharing is so much and so deep and so filled with extraordinary sweetnesses! I keep taking deep sighs as the tidal wave of family takes me under and covers me with the cool and refreshing waters of LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT! Sharing that I had gotten my first hug from Hallel in a year and a half and how precious and glorious it is when you have to wait that long for her physical presence in my life..."That must be so hard." Well, it is, but with her spiritual presence always there in her prayers for her family - that is what truly counts and that is where we gain our strength and the words of today's Gospel spring to Truth! 28 Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!"1
29 "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel
30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much2 in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields--and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come,3 eternal life.4
31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first."5
How we see this happen in our lives with Hallel, O Lord!
Happy Feast day Philip! Next time I want to be barely there and you fully... First ever selfie for Phil is a bit off!
Trust in Jesus- Third Day
We do trust in YOU, my Jesus!
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