Pat and I are so impressed with how good Jude is at mass each week. "They are used to being there and it is normal for them to be quiet and good." from my husband the wise!
With Advent comes the hooded cape, which many put over their heads in prayer and rest! There is much today in the first reading and the Psalm about that inner temple where we are united in prayer with Jesus through The Holy Spirit in our hearts, minds and souls!
I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Because of my relatives and friends
I will say, "Peace be within you!"
Because of the house of the LORD, our God,
I will pray for your good.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Psalm 122
I find such a deep place of peace and prayer inside myself when I am gifted with these great periods of deep prayer and Adoration!
So honored and privileged to be able to share in the life of prayer and dishes and so much more with my daughter and her amazing life as a nun! I discerned a call myself, and was reminded a few years back that I have my nun now because of that call to discern a life as a bride of Christ!
https://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/the-amazing-story-of-13-becoming.html
Today the Gospel is the most wonderful story of the Centurion with the suffering servant in his home... His words to Jesus when he says that he will come and heal him is very familiar and makes me smile with great JOY!
The centurion said in reply,
"Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed...." Matthew 8
I don't think I have ever shared this story with Hallel, so she is probably not smiling like I am as she spends great time today "chewing/Maundicating" this Gospel. Some years back when Rose was about 3 or 4 she was asking her mom where her name was in the mass... as the year before Rose had recognized her name - "rose again" in the Creed and found that to be so wonderful to the point that we still call her Rose Again and look at her when we say this in the Creed! "I know mom...'I am not worthy to have you enter under my Ruth!' "
My dad points out to me the beauty of the words from the Collect each day as mass begins and today is a beautiful example of this...
Collect
Keep us alert, we pray, O Lord our God,
as we await the advent of Christ your Son,
so that, when he comes and knocks,
he may find us watchful in prayer
and exultant in his praise.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
as we await the advent of Christ your Son,
so that, when he comes and knocks,
he may find us watchful in prayer
and exultant in his praise.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
I read this today about the meaning of Advent and it is powerful indeed to recognize that Jesus is always with us!
"As we are searching for God, the good news is that God is searching for us. Better yet, He has found us. The great question is not whether
we have found God but whether we have found ourselves being found by God.
God is not lost. We were, or, as the case may be, we are. ...
Here is what St. Paul says: “It is full time now for you to wake from sleep.” He is telling us to wake up the gift already given. This season of the Church’s calendar is called Advent, which means “coming”. Christ came, Christ comes, Christ will come again. There is no time–past, present,
or future–in which Jesus the Christ is not God with us. He was with you yesterday, is with you today, and will be with you tomorrow.
So we are invited to give up our searching and let ourselves be found by the One who wants to be with us, and to have us with Him, forever."
Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, God With Us
Jesus, we are called to love and to serve you with all that we do each new day. May we die to self so that you may live in us and we may become your hands and feet. How we love that you come to us always and we are never far from your LOVE! May we follow you down the narrow path as we carry/drag our Most Cherished Cross finding LOVE/LIFE/LIGHT with you forever in heaven with Mary, the Saints and Angels! Jesus, we trust in you. Amen and Hallelujah
Sharing again this amazing letter Susan/Hallel sent to Nancy on the occasion of her engagement to Bill!
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
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel by King and Country
Happy Feast Day
Saint Bibiana (Viviana, Vivian or Vibiana)
Died: 363
Feastday: December 2
Patronage: single women, epileptics, hangovers, headaches, insanity, mental illness, torture victims
Saint Bibiana was a virgin and martyr who suffered persecution under Apronianus, Governor of Rome. After Bibiana’s parents were martyred she and her sister, Demetria, were left to suffer in poverty. Demetria died after confessing her faith, but Bibiana was left to endure greater suffering. She was sent to a woman of ill repute who in vain endeavored to seduce her and have her renounce her faith. When this failed Bibiana was then tied to a pillar and beaten with scourges until she died.
Brick House in the City
Did you know that Fred Rogers & Henri Nouwen were dear friends and pen pals? Knowing the work and philosophy of these two men, it is easy to see how they are truly kindred spirits and how they influenced one another’s work.
In this letter they share write feeling hurt – specifically church hurt. Henri went on to say - “I read the article you sent me and can very well understand how much that must have hurt you. It must be really painful to be confronted with a total misunderstanding of your mission and your spiritual intentions. It is these little persecutions within the church that hurt the most. I simply hope you are not too surprised by them. They come and will keep coming precisely when you do something significant for the Kingdom.
It has always struck me that the real pain comes often from the people whom we expected real support. It was Jesus’ experience and the experience of all the great visionaries in the Church, and it continues to be the experience of many who are committed to Jesus.”
I wanted to specifically share with you all this letter, because I know I have felt this pain before, and I am guessing many of you have too. It brought me so much solace to know that two of my heroes have been there before, felt those feelings, and still loved their neighbors in such radical ways.
Henri & Fred, intercede for us.
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