How I love to be able to do this for them... my obsession in life is pictures since having my hunky husband and babies along with baby animals... I was hooked!!! They kept thanking me and I felt like I should be thanking them!!! Ruth's nice camera helps a lot, too!
Our Lady of Guadalupe over their shoulder... the Patroness of LIFE as she is pregnant with Jesus as the black ribbon around her waist symbolizes in the Mayan culture... she appeared to Juan Diego and led to millions coming into the Catholic Church and leaving a culture of death and embracing LIFE!!!
At morning prayer this morning John and I prayed for families and for the Lord and Our Lady to guide and direct their paths according to the plan he has for them! John always prays for his brother-in-laws and how they are open to life and raising lights and having Christ and His Bride, The Church in the heart of their domestic Church/family! He lifted up his future family and trusts in HIM!
Bobbi shared that this is the anniversary of their first date, and she came to mass in Marshall due to the confirmation going on in Ghent. John and Pat saw her there, and John was led to get together to catch up as they had been classmates through all of their 13 years of school! John came home from that first time together saying that it was "good" and they decided to get together again, and again and again and again and... 9 months later he asked her if she would marry him!
John has prayed for his dad and I most every time we pray together. Living here with us for the last couple years has given him a front row seat to our ups and downs. "That mom and dad can love each other even when they don't want to." is the common prayer and it really is truth. It is a reminder that living this motto of The Community of the Lamb - "Wounded, I will not cease to love." So hard to live out but we are helped by these words from Jesus to us in the Gospel today;
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." Luke 6:36
"Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;"
It is so important to forgive in our lives, but mostly with those the closest to us in our domestic Church/family! That is the best gift we can give is our unconditional love and forgiveness! We are all weak and are sinners, and living with us is hard, but we must me meek and humble of heart and forgive as we have been forgiven and give the Gift of LOVE!
It is special to have the Lenten somber décor for this pictures. The Cross has been such a big part of the years apart and finding each other. For John they have included college with no faith, cancer, finishing college with new found faith, job, seminary for a year, in and out of jobs, living alone in depression, fear of dementia due to whole brain radiation, a new bill of health/no dementia, the new John who burns to share his story, finding a job working with youth and speech coach, finding Bobbi when the time was according to His plan and right!
That's St Luke up there looking over John's shoulder... my patron Saint from my confirmation as a 20 year old entering the Church with my family of 13! Why St Luke? I was a nursing student and he is a physician and in his Gospel we have all things Mary, and women, The Prodigal Son, the Good Samaritan, and Mary Magdeline washing his feet with her tears and wiping them with her hair... Also amazing Acts of the Apostles and St Paul's conversion there as well as The Holy Spirit at work in the New Church!!! Come Holy Spirit!
http://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/the-amazing-story-of-13-becoming.html
My dad became a Permanent Deacon in the Catholic Church in 1976 with the first ordination of Deacons in the ArchDiocese! Baptizing John in 1989. He married me and baptized all my kids!
I just checked with my parents and will not be going there this week. My heart is with them and they are in my prayers without ceasing... every beat of my heart and each breath that I take..."Jesus, Jesus, Jesus...!"
"Lord, great and awesome God,
you who keep your merciful covenant toward those who love you
and observe your commandments!" Daniel 9 - the first reading from mass today
Spelling out what we must do to dwell in his mercy... Yes, it is hard to observe His Commandments/Laws/Teachings and to keep all that separates us from sin... most especially those "small sins" that are so interwoven in our lives. It is so important and a reminder to us that we need to get into the habit of frequent reconciliation and when we are forgiven often we are aware of how we have been shown mercy and in turn want to give that back!
My father on the altar of the Church in Colman, SD where he was a deacon/administrator for 3 years! LOVE this, and it was such a gift to have them just 90 miles from my door to theirs!
Jesus, I need you and am happily weak to turn to you always. I cannot forgive without your help to die to self so that you may live and work through me. Reading a wonderful book given me by Bobbi at Christmas, The Way of Trust and Love with the inscription inside the cover; "The loveliest masterpiece of the Heart of God is the heart of a mother." St Therese Mary, you are in our hearts and where you are the Holy Spirit will rush in and overshadow you and bring us to Christ!!! Jesus, we trust in you. Amen
"More kisses please!" One thing John is... humble and has no pride when he begs for more loving gestures... bottomless pit! Bless-bless, Barbara Mary Luke
It helps to remember this when we are tempted to judge someone!
February is devoted to the Holy Family.
"Sufferings gladly borne for others
convert more people than sermons."
– St. Thérèse de Lisieux
THE CHRISTOPHER PRAYER
Father, grant that I may be a bearer of Christ Jesus, Your Son.
Allow me to warm the often cold,
impersonal scene of modern life with Your burning love. ...
Strengthen me by Your Holy Spirit
to carry out my mission of changing the world
or some definite part of it for the better.
Despite my lamentable failures,
bring home to me that my advantages
are Your blessings to be shared with others.
Make me more energetic in setting right
what I find wrong with the world instead of complaining about it.
Nourish in me a practical desire to build up
rather than tear down,
to reconcile instead of polarize,
to go out on a limb rather than crave security.
Never let me forget that it is far better to light one candle
than to curse the darkness,
and to join my light, one day, with Yours. Amen.
Father, grant that I may be a bearer of Christ Jesus, Your Son.
Allow me to warm the often cold,
impersonal scene of modern life with Your burning love. ...
Strengthen me by Your Holy Spirit
to carry out my mission of changing the world
or some definite part of it for the better.
Despite my lamentable failures,
bring home to me that my advantages
are Your blessings to be shared with others.
Make me more energetic in setting right
what I find wrong with the world instead of complaining about it.
Nourish in me a practical desire to build up
rather than tear down,
to reconcile instead of polarize,
to go out on a limb rather than crave security.
Never let me forget that it is far better to light one candle
than to curse the darkness,
and to join my light, one day, with Yours. Amen.
Danielle Rose - If I touch him
Lauren Daigle - come alive
Lauren Daigle - Trust in you
A few more from Maria's blog... I miss them and love to see them. How about you?
No comments:
Post a Comment