Mary speaks the Truth - Humility and Poverty!

So fun to have the 3 toddlers together again!  They all had red eye and it is corrected to make their brown eyes blue... it is better than red, I guess.

Each day when doing Evening Prayer, which is usually night time just before bed, we say The Magnificat/Mary's prayer when she is greeted by Elizabeth in the Visitation.  The words always strike me as being 100% humility and poverty!  It speaks over and over about how these are beloved and cared for by God!  The proud - not so good... just the opposite to the point of them being torn down from their thrones and left poor and humble! So harsh????  No, it is their salvation in that it allowing them to become poor and lowly and humble!

 Maria with her two nephews in her arms! 

I see the struggles of pride!  I see that it makes you angry and hateful towards others, and so judgmental of the pride that they notice in others!  I see how money is such an instrument for divisions and angers and finger pointing among people and a lot of times families.  It really reveals so powerfully to me that humility and poverty are a blessing - yes, a hard blessing, but a blessing just the same!

 We love our sweet chubby solid Luke! 

I am today praying so hard for a hard dose of humility to hit me, and yes, I tremble to think of much it is going to hurt me.  But what does it hurt?  My pride!  May it die and never recover! 

 The perfect picture of humility and poverty!

Christ, who awaits the entrusting of ourselves to him, teaches us with his whole life the attitude of total self-entrusting.  He came to us as a Child, an infant, who on his own can do absolutely nothing and is totally dependent on the care of adults.  Jesus, therefore, from the moment of coming into this world, appears before us stripped of everything.  Why did he choose such nakedness?

If  Christ had come on the earth with his power, if he had annihilated the Roman occupation by force and enforced justice within society, if he had eliminated evil by coercion, would it have been easier for you to entrust yourself to him?  It is more likely that you would have been afraid of him... You cannot fear the defenseless Jesus who comes to us in his powerlessness... He humbled himself so much, stripped himself of everything, and became so defenseless, thus making it easier for you to adhere to him and entrust yourself to him... Our true and authentic denudation is our way to imitate Jesus.  Father Tadeusz Dajczer (2009)

 Praying morning prayer with my dad.. a true example to me of humble and poor.

How often in this move I am in the midst of do I say; "Hallel left home with just a backpack of possessions!  There is something very wrong with this picture."  I just read about a little boy planning his birthday - he is one of 9 siblings - "I want to give to the poor on my birthday." 

 So blessed to have 4 of my 5 with their spouses together sharing over this past weekend!


One of my TEC friends from FB just put this on to share this beautiful tradition with her young family of 5... "One of the best choices we made years ago was to keep it simple and focused. If just three gifts was enough for baby Jesus than just three gifts is enough for us too. One want, one wear, one need. Prepare your hearts!"  Andrea Gibbs

I shared with my sister that I do not give gifts at Christmas other than a special heartfelt card to my grandkids, and paying for our kids and grandkids to go to Christmas Camp.  My Christmas is sharing time with family!

 A family rosary each morning with the added delight of the little ones learning the importance of humble prayer for our domestic Church/family and The Church!

 Dominic and Romeo sharing a piece of bread with each other. 

 John will admit to you that his brain cancer/ataxia/some chemo and radiation brain has given him a huge dose of humility!  He will also admit that even though it is frustrating and hard that it is a good thing and has led him to fall at the feet of Jesus and gain Faith in Jesus and his Bride, The Church. Sharing this far and wide is what he longs to do with every beat of his heart and every breath that he takes!

John has quite a few speaking engagements coming up, and promotes his message far and wide!
http://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/johns-cancer-stories.html

 Ruth and her look-alike little Rose working on a snow globe - our project for this year at the craft table!

I can tell that humility is starting to cause me to look at the world differently!  I sense prideful statements and thinking and it really makes me shrink inside with fear for that person.  It makes me sad for them and makes me want to help them to look at it as Christ would! 

 My sweet grandson, Patrick, and his baby brother, Romeo with our model of humility and poverty!
http://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/the-story-of-little-lamb-grandson.html

I had better make this quick...my internet keeps going off!

Therese's snow globe with Mary and the Lamb!

Mary's snowglobe for her great-grandma Anna on hospice - her Guardian angel!

He loves his big sister!

Great-grandpa and Therese time over cards.

David with the beat and his great uncles with their music and Sam his cousin too!

Amazing snow globes from CCC 2015!

Jesus, I long to come closer to you with each day of my life... keep me humble and poor and hungry always for you.  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen and Hallelujah

Bless-bless, Barbara Luke

Gospel, Luke 1:46-56

⁴⁶ And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
⁴⁷ and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour;
⁴⁸ because he has looked upon the humiliation of his servant. Yes, from now onwards all generations will call me blessed,
⁴⁹ for the Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name,
⁵⁰ and his faithful love extends age after age to those who fear him.
⁵¹ He has used the power of his arm, he has routed the arrogant of heart.
⁵² He has pulled down princes from their thrones and raised high the lowly.
⁵³ He has filled the starving with good things, sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴ He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his faithful love
⁵⁵ -according to the promise he made to our ancestors -- of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.
⁵⁶ Mary stayed with her some three months and then went home
What can I say - the best is the Gospel for today!