I have Ruth's 2 youngest here today while Ruth is off with her dad to a cow-calf meeting. It was so great to see them drive off together! Pat with his farmer, Ruth, and how he loves to share his passion for cows and calves with Ruth and hubby, Paul! And the fact that they have 6 children now on the farm and growing up to share in the life called "family farm" is the best! Joy has the wonderful life of a farmkid ahead of her, and if she takes after her mom and dad she will want that same life for herself and her family someday, too!
I have some time now to write later than usual... Joy sat up to the table in a booster seat and fed herself lunch and is now taking her nap in my play pen... it sure is nice that she is a finger sucker and can put herself to sleep. Luke is hot tubbing all by himself for the first time ever! Grandma can share here between Luke asking me to come and see what he is doing with cups and water....
Yes, even by my hot tub I have her to meditate upon, and she is in my home everywhere because in Truth she and her Son dwell in the heart of our domestic Church/home/family! The first reading today from I Kings
“Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth?
If the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you,
how much less this temple which I have built! I Kings 8
Yes! God does dwell on earth, and we need to start welcoming and His mother given to us at the foot of the Cross into our homes! Into our hearts/our inner chapel/temple, and daily they walk with us through our constant prayers without ceasing! They appreciate the smallness of our lives as we humbly turn to them knowing that without them we are nothing and that Jesus is in control of our lives and our families and our homes and our ups and downs and all that makes up our lives!
And a family that puts Jesus first and His Bride, The Church, to help them get to heaven forever with Jesus and Mary and all the saints ( St Paul Miki and Companions today!). There we find a small slice of heaven here on earth!
The house is peaceful as Joy sleeps and Luke is cozy in bed looking at books. I always loved this part of my day with little ones. All 4 of my girls were thumb suckers with blankets, so after lunch they would love to lie down and take their quiet nap time, and it was heaven for me and their hard working farmer dad. Pat could come home during the winter for a nap too some days and so this time of day is a special memory for me with 2 quiet little ones here!
Now that I have my quiet retirement home here... after lunch I usually have my rosary time and that can turn into a nap, too!
"May your eyes watch night and day over this temple,
the place where you have decreed you shall be honored;
may you heed the prayer which I, your servant, offer in this place.
...Listen from your heavenly dwelling and grant pardon.”
I Kings 8 continues from the first reading today!
Yes, Jesus does this for us and we can find peace, joy, love, patience, kindness, gentleness and all the fruits of the Spirit in our homes if we keep him first and spend our days in prayer! I love to turn to him with the help and comfort of His Mother, Mary Queen of heaven and earth! She comes close to me through her rosary prayer!
5 year old Rose, 10 month old Joy and dad share play time with "The Body and Blood of Jesus."
The Psalm echoes the wonder of our spending our days and nights with Jesus as he dwells in our hearts and our homes! We find him in The Word each day and Sacraments we are able to share in during our week. He comes to us in our times of prayer throughout our day!
R. (2) How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and my flesh
cry out for the living God.
Psalm 84
So true!!! Each night I read the readings for the next day with great excitement and JOY! Come Holy Spirit and show us the LIGHT eternal in your Word and may we then become Christ knocking on the door of all those in our lives!
Jesus, how we love to share our daily lives with you! You reach out and touch us with your healing and your Truth which will set us free from all the lies of the world! We are filled with so much gratitude for The Church which gives us direction down the narrow path carrying/dragging our Most Cherished Cross! May we give without counting the cost and find a small slice of heaven in our domestic Church/home. Thank you for this peaceful time of prayer. Jesus, we trust in you. Amen and Hallelujah
I wonder how many selfies there are with Jesus? I was alone in the Adoration chapel and just had to... He is the love of my life after all!!! A true picture of weak lowly me, and that which gives me LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT! Bless-bless, Barbara Mary Luke
Jesus, I trust in you.
#SaintoftheDay St. Paul Miki (1562–1597) and his twenty-five companions, known as the Martyrs of Nagasaki, were crucified for the faith in Nagasaki, Japan, in 1597. A Japanese layman of great nobility and wealth, Paul was converted to Christianity by St. Francis Xavier. Although the Christian missionaries did not meet with opposition initially, the Japanese rulers eventually launched a brutal camp...aign to wipe out its progress. The twenty-six men were forced to march 600 miles to meet their death in Nagasaki. The group included Franciscan and Jesuit missionaries and Japanese converts. They were repeatedly offered freedom if they would renounce Christianity; they all declined. When the march ended the martyrs were tied to crosses. They prayed and sang while Paul Miki preached the Gospel in a loud voice. The martyrs were then stabbed to death while they hung on their crosses. The crowd who witnessed the testimony of Paul Miki and his companions would immortalize his words and use them to further spread Christianity in Japan. Their collective feast day is February 6th.
These are words spoken by St. Paul Miki as he was being put to death for his faith. He continued to preach while he was being martyred.
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