Why Lourdes water? Mary is the love of our lives and we are reassured of this not being overboard thanks to this from St Maximilian Kolbe! "We cannot love Mary too much. We can never love her more than Jesus did."
Mary came so powerfully into John's journey with our visits to her grotto and miraculous spring of healing waters in Lourdes, France! So it was very powerful and precious to pour some on his hands and he place it on his head this morning before he left for a day of marriage prep with his sweet fiancé... Bobbi!
A week ago they attended the first day of engagement encounter and came home very excited and happy by it all! John knew all the presenters after his years of work with the Church and year in seminary! Bishop Levoir was the first presenter and stood in front of John and Bobbi and spoke to them! I am sure he was thrilled for John after his year of helping him discern that the seminary might not be for him but to trust that if it was he would eventually know. He assured him that he didn't need to rush, and that he himself had a late call.
Jobs, and sharing his ministry called healed of brain cancer and finding faith, and prayers about his future over those 3 years... now the plan is coming into focus and John prayed with great joy and confidence today at Bobbi coming into his life a year ago, when dad pointed her out at mass. "You should get together with Bobbi. She's a nice girl." Yes, they had been classmates for 13 years, but it took a lots of time and ups and downs to find each other and see God's plan for them!
He said to them,
“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” Mark 6
I am so in love with my Church and all that it does to help these young couples as they start out in life together. John was very excited about last week and also today, and said that the afternoon was about "sex." "You mean about natural family planning and saving yourself for marriage?" "Yes." So foreign in our country and world, but the truth that will build up a marriage and help it to face the struggles which bombard us. The Church has it all there for us to help us go down the narrow path carrying/dragging our Most Cherished Cross!
http://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/my-most-cherished-cross-patrick-gerard.html
Pat and I 39 years ago on August 3.1978!
I have shared from the rooftops my story of being open to life and raising lights!!!
Tears were flowing today when Bobbi wrote to me these words! "Thanks to your 'yes' to life." Yes, if I had embraced the world view of having the 2 children so that I could have my time and not overpopulate the world and since life is not valued anyways with abortion accepted and encouraged... I would not have had John here to marry Bobbi, to share his light through his ministry, to work with kids as a para, to serve in The Church as a Eucharistic minister or working with youth, to show the world the power of prayer, to be a brother to his 4 sisters here on earth and his 7 siblings in heaven, to be a Godfather to David, Josephine, Joy and Anna, to pray with any and all to return the LOVE he was so generously given by Jesus through brain cancer! His LIFE has made a huge impact on this world and my "yes" to all life I was given is the bottom line!!!
29 years ago today... we thought we were having our 5th girl!!! Surprise of all surprises!!!
"You had those 4 girls with ribbons in their hair and then you had that boy!!!" We heard this so many times over the years! There was an audible gasp when we walked in church with the blue bundle!
We also heard this over and over..."You had your boy, so you quit." NO!!! We had 2 stillborn sons after John and a 3 1/2 month miscarriage! How I prayed that we could have one more living child to show the world the true meaning of being open to life, but instead I have to tell them the truth, and sometimes that is more than I can do.... believe it or not!
My wonderful parents on my wedding day! They modeled for me being open to life as I am the oldest of 11 children! And all 13 of us came into The Church! Thanks mom and dad for everything!
http://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/the-amazing-story-of-13-becoming.html
It seems like a good place to share this wisdom to Nancy on the occasion of her engagement almost 8 years ago from her nun sister, Hallel!
Nancy was engaged to Bill Bandzuch on April 10, 2010... We are all so happy for her as she has waited long for her Catholic man to come into her life. She had stood by her values and as a result it was especially sweet and special when she joyfully accepted Bill's proposal! We all gathered in Maria and Joe's back yard to help them celebrate that afternoon minus her sister in KC... Little Sister Hallel. We called her and she spoke to each one of us and even her neice and nephews !
A month later Nancy found this letter from her sister in the mailbox. It was mother's day and she called me to read it to me over the phone. I was blown away and at first thought how crazy it was that a young girl,who had answered the call to remain chaste and be a little sister had so much insight into marriage! But when I realized that she is now the "bride of Christ" it now makes all the sense in the world! I would like to once again share this powerful and wise letter here...
" Nancy, Look I am writing you a letter... aren't you impressed? Well, you better be because both you and I know how often this happens. I am writing to tell you now extremely excited I am about your engagement to Bill. I have to admit, when I got the news I wasn't really shocked but that night as it sunk in during adoration and the next day during mass I was so happy. My heart overflowed with joy for you. How beautiful to know that you have found your... most cherished cross. While I have never had the experience of being married, from what I hear is that he will truly be your cross. But not your cross as human eyes look at it, as a thing to run away from, as a thing of torture but rather as that which is truly the tree of life. It is only when clinging to the cross that one can truly live, it is the source of all life and of all love. Your marriage to Bill will be this, not something to run away from when it gets hard and when it hurts, but something to hold tight to, especially when it hurts because it is in this that you will find life and love. Know that it is through your marriage that Jesus wants to show you his great love for you and also that the best example that you can give to the world of Christ's love is a marriage lived in truth. So, in other words, know that I am so happy for you and that I love you a whole lot. Know that you are in my prayers during this crazy time of wedding planning; that you may not go crazy but rather learn to love each other better and that you may both have great joy and great peace. Remember to pray for me too! God Bless, Your little Sister Hallel"
Some more from the Gospel today...
When Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them,
for they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and he began to teach them many things.
Jesus loves us with his all and if we are yearning and asking of him to show us the way and the Truth and the LIFE/himself... he will certainly be moved with pity and teach us many things! This day was overflowing with so much!! As you can see this pouring forth fired by the passion of knowing his LOVE for me and his mysterious plan which includes him touching and healing and ministering to me and my family! J
esus, I am yours now and forever, and long to die to self so that you may live in me! May your Truth shine forth in the darkness! Jesus, we trust in you. Amen and Hallelujah
He called me away to a deserted place to rest for a while, and it was the best hours of my week!!!
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