Sweet 21 month old Hector with a lamb and santa hat... obviously someone visiting was taking pictures as Maria is at work in her kitchen with a housefull for Christmas. It certainly was a wonderful gathering as the s ALL were together! A Christmas gift supreme!
This being the difficult Feast of the Holy Innocents so close to the birth of our Lord as a helpless infant... I thought this picture of innocence and sweetness was a picture of how we long to picture those gone for the Christ child in Bethlehem peacefully arrived in heaven after such a short time in this world of darkness and pain ( if we allow ourselves to envision the horror of their murderous death at the hands of those sent to kill them - all 2 years and under.
From the Office of Reading today...
From a sermon by Saint Quodvultdeus, bishop
(Sermo 2 de Symbolo: PL 40, 655)
They cannot speak, yet they bear witness to Christ
A tiny child is born, who is a great king. Wise men are led to him from afar. They come to adore one who lies in a manger and yet reigns in heaven and on earth. When they tell of one who is born a king, Herod is disturbed. To save his kingdom he resolves to kill him, though if he would have faith in the child, he himself would reign in peace in this life and for ever in the life to come.
Why are you afraid, Herod, when you hear of the birth of a king? He does not come to drive you out, but to conquer the devil. But because you do not understand this you are disturbed and in a rage, and to destroy one child whom you seek, you show your cruelty in the death of so many children.
You are not restrained by the love of weeping mothers or fathers mourning the deaths of their sons, nor by the cries and sobs of the children. You destroy those who are tiny in body because fear is destroying your heart. You imagine that if you accomplish your desire you can prolong your own life, though you are seeking to kill Life himself.
Yet your throne is threatened by the source of grace—so small, yet so great—who is lying in the manger. He is using you, all unaware of it, to work out his own purposes freeing souls from captivity to the devil. He has taken up the sons of the enemy into the ranks of God’s adopted children.
The children die for Christ, though they do not know it. The parents mourn for the death of martyrs. The child makes of those as yet unable to speak fit witnesses to himself. See the kind of kingdom that is his, coming as he did in order to be this kind of king. See how the deliverer is already working deliverance, the savior already working salvation.
But you, Herod, do not know this and are disturbed and furious. While you vent your fury against the child, you are already paying him homage, and do not know it.
How great a gift of grace is here! To what merits of their own do the children owe this kind of victory? They cannot speak, yet they bear witness to Christ. They cannot use their limbs to engage in battle, yet already they bear off the palm of victory.
Maria and and their beautiful family including our newest grandchild in the womb! So excited and so many prayers. There was a period of bleeding that got our attention and called us to prayer without ceasing! Never too many prayers for ALL LIFE!
Christmas Mass at St Maximillian Kolbe with Nancy and Bill and family!
Such a stirring altar this is... St Maximillian with his two crowns of martyrdom and purity. His feast day is on Maria's birthday, so I was called to pray for Maria and her baby in the womb here. How he loved Our Lady as he holds onto this rosary beads in the Rosary prayer!
Calling to mind the horrible time in the world history of the concentration camps where many men, women and children died! They received their crowns of glory - some at a very young age! The beauty that came from such horror!
Such a stunningly beautiful church - the Nativity window.
Our Christmas tradition to spend it with Nancy and Bill and their 5 children. It feels wonderful to have the new freedom of being able to travel to visit family with my farmer husband. New because Pat's work on the farm slows down now with harvest done and the calving still a couple months away. Also after my father living here for 6 months needing me 24/7, his "natural death" has now allowed me to be freed from his needs. Yes, I miss him so much, but on the other hand there is a certain peace and happiness at a job well done on both of our parts.
The reason for the season continues to this difficult day, yet we are reminded that our ultimate goal is heaven forever and the Holy Innocents were allowed to find that glory sooner than later. Sometimes don't we long for that to come soon?
Such a work of art! In less than 2 weeks this will happen for the Pat Verly Family - the good Lord willing! Fake plans are flying fast and furious for the first ever Verly Christmas Camp only missing our nun, who might have to appear in paper form!
Talk about sweetness and goodness and innocence... this little girl is such a wonderful baby girl!
With the passing of my parents so recently - I ponder the loss of my mother, who was having increasing issues with dementia that came to her in the form of head pressure - "I feel like I am wearing a swim cap that comes down lower and lower over my head." Her memory was very spotty - she would get off the phone and have no memory of what she had been told. For a woman, who was an intellectual giant with a Bible study of the entire Bible to her credit as well as many books and articles... this was a huge blow to her. My heart broke as I would drive away after some days with them together in their own home, and mom would stand at the door like a lost child watching me drive away. "Take me with you" she would beg me.
Here is their site where you can find all their life works - mom's religious material and dad's alcoholic chalk talks. So blessed that they did this for posterity. Mom dictated her Bible Study, so you can hear her voice there.
We are reminded over and over that we need to be childlike in our lives and journey to heaven forever!
The first reading from I John 1 is amazing today!
Beloved:
This is the message that we have heard from Jesus Christ
and proclaim to you:
God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.
If we say, “We have fellowship with him,”
while we continue to walk in darkness,
we lie and do not act in truth.
But if we walk in the light as he is in the light,
then we have fellowship with one another,
and the Blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin.
If we say, “We are without sin,”
we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just
and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.
If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar,
and his word is not in us.
My children, I am writing this to you
so that you may not commit sin.
But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous one.
He is expiation for our sins,
and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.
We are saved and beloved by Jesus! He is our LIGHT in the darkness all around us called the Culture of Death. I know that mom and dad are working tirelessly from heaven to work more perfectly in the lives of their huge family - all 130+!
Working on a project yesterday that gave me happiness pondering the Lord at work in my life! The 3 new little ones born in 2012 - Rose again, Miracle baby Patrick, and Bernadette! Also added our time in France in 2011 for Hallel's first Vows with Pat and his mom!
https://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/susan-angela-agneslittle-sister-hallel.htmlHallel's home visit with the 9 grandkids we had then. The 3 little ones from 2013 together and Hallel taking the paper Hallel out to burn... another one might have to make our family Christmas complete.
2014 - new boys... Luke, Dominic, and Romeo! All in Michigan for one of our last years. There are fake plans for getting there this next summer.. time will tell!
A special momento for me to honor the loss of both my parents in this last year. So very true is this!
Jesus, may we die to self and become like little children in our love and obedience to your will in our lives! You are in control and we give it all over to you and trust that we can die to self so that you may live in us. Jesus, we trust in you. Amen and Hallelujah
Pat with the group of boys that were all born in a year... Luke is now 7 and the other 2 are 6. They are best buddies and will be zooming around on bikes... Bless-bless, Barbara
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