I am Catholic because of God's love, The Eucharist, Jesus-God's Word/John 6 for April the month of The Holy Eucharist

How I love this huge picture window in John and Bobbi's home!  The light and the height is perfect for little soon to be 1 year old Birdie to stand up and have the light up her face!  Mom spoiled me with her bibs and little dog ears!  Yes, I went a bit overboard but in a good way!

So much my style - the button fell off when mom was dressing her so... safety pin to the rescue!  LOVE!

She had the sweetest smile for grandma in the baby cradle with her bare toes and her soft pink blanket under her.

Now with her soft dolly while big brother was up in his room taking his nap... just grandma, Birdie and baby dolly time!  

For all the pictures I take - it is almost like watching a movie of her every move!

Kissing her baby doll...

And a hug, too!

This filled me with so much excitement on this Saturday morning! Pat was looking over my shoulder as I scrolled through Facebook and discovered that my facebook is to promote The Catholic Faith!  Many groups I am a member of that ask for prayers, Catholic decor, sharing about the Gospel for today.  This was especially powerful and I shared it and it has begun quite a response and others sharing this Truth!  

Friends, we come today to the end of the extraordinary sixth chapter of John’s Gospel. He has told his listeners, “Unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you do not have life within you.”

We hear that “many of Jesus’ disciples . . . said, ‘This saying is hard; who can accept it?’” Knowing their murmuring, Jesus says, “Does this shock you?” Now, if his words were meant in a symbolic sense, they wouldn’t have had this explosive, shocking effect on his listeners. Given every opportunity to clarify his meaning along symbolic lines, Jesus does nothing of the kind.

What follows from these words of the Lord is one of the saddest moments in the New Testament: the Scripture tells us that many of his followers abandoned him.

But when Jesus asks whether his disciples will leave too, Peter speaks for the Twelve: “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

The Church, down through the ages to the present day, has stood with Peter. Jesus is not one interesting teacher among many; he is the only one, the one with the words of eternal life—indeed, he is the Holy One of God. And he comes to us through the Flesh and Blood of the Eucharist.  Bishop Robert Barron

This compounded my excitement at reading his powerful reminder of how we are look to the One with the words of eternal life!  "He comes to us through the Flesh and Blood of the Eucharist"

My sweet Birdie Barbara - namesake of mine!

Bishop Barron is responding to the Gospel today at the end of John 6!  As he points out - Jesus is given every opportunity to say that he is only speaking that his Body and Blood is a symbol, but he doesn't say that!  As a result many leave him because of how hard this is to understand and to do!  Being filled this day with so much amazing Truth - my heart aches for those that have turned their back to the table of the Lord!  The Eucharist there to feed us every day of this journey!

Many of the disciples of Jesus who were listening said,
“This saying is hard; who can accept it?”
Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this,
he said to them, “Does this shock you?
What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?
It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail.
The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.
But there are some of you who do not believe.”  John 6:60-69

A memory from 8 years ago of the 3 that are now 8 together!  Rose in the middle will be 9 a week from today.  Her Godmother, Nancy, is here with her 4 youngest while hubby, Bill, and oldest Gus are in PA for the First Holy Communion of Maddox.  

Nancy has plans to do a pizza party for Rose tonight as "she is reminding me a lot that I am her Godmother and her birthday is in a week."  Her older sister, Mary had her birthday on Monday and it was quietly celebrated with her family.  The difference of maturity?  Also personalities.

Rose and Bernadette spent the night together last night.  There is an extra bed in Rose and Joy's room and it is called Berna's bed and Ruth jokes that when her and Gus come down here - they become Lanoues!  LOVE the closeness of the kids and the cousins!  There looks to be a new group on the horizon and we are praying and excited!

Praying for Fr Denny with 7 Sisters... I had the huge beautiful peaceful silent Church to myself for the entire hour!  Rarely does that happen and the peace permeated my heart, mind and soul!  The remnants of Easter in this 3rd week of Easter - a few fading lily blossoms and the white clothes of The Resurrection of LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT!

I love to sit close to Our Lady of Guadalupe at the foot of The Cross!  The Sorrowful mysteries speak of the faith journey we are called upon to take up our Cross and drag it after Jesus down the narrow path as we die to self so that Jesus may use our hands and feet and voice to share his Truth!

Little 2 year old George is here!  I am excited to go over and see how he and Jude and Birdie are getting along.  Nancy said that he was hooting with JOY when he looked out the window and realized that he was on the farm!  Nancy had to get over to see the baby goats - how she loves her goats - Nanny Goat is her nick name!

A picture of Susan/Hallel at one - reminds me so much of little Birdie!

So much like my girls and boy!  We call her a Verly Girl and so she is!

The month of April is traditionally dedicated to devotion to Jesus in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. The Catholic Church teaches that the Blessed Sacrament is the real and living presence of Christ—His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—received into our souls with every reception of Holy Communion.
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​Our Eucharistic Lord is the source and summit of our Christian life, the ultimate proof of His infinite love for us!  

As I read this - it struck me that we just went through the entire chapter of John 6 starting with feeding the 5,000 and then getting into the Truth about the Eucharist, and how we are called upon to receive Jesus' Body and Blood!  Such LOVE poured out for us!  We are blessed beyond measure!

Snuggly George with his grandpa  - Chief broken wing!

Jesus, we are overwhelmed by your unconditional LOVE and forgiveness!  May we return it to all those around us in your Domestic Church/family!  Family is very close to the most important part of our life - Faith!  and then we add to that Farm which is a way of life!  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen and Hallelujah

Add to this day of blessings with this from mom and Pope Benedict XVI!  When we are told to get out of the pew because Jesus is not there... we are fortified with the Truth of Jesus loving us through his Word, Body and Blood!  We are renewed from the root up... more and more dying to self so that He lives in us!  Bless-bless, Barbara

Mom had this folded in her daily prayer book by Pope Benedict XVI, and it gave her so much comfort and support when her Church was attacked.  I know that she is working hard from heaven to reveal this Truth to those that doubt!  Praying more perfectly from heaven now with dad at her side!  

St. Gianna knew well that the Devil never takes pause from his sieges, and she sought to be on guard against the distractions of our age that make sin seem innocent. In fact, she mourned at the vileness of sin, saying, “I want to fear mortal sin as if it were a snake. And I repeat again, it is better to die a thousand times than to offend the Lord.”

St. Gianna Novena Day 3 at https://www.catholicaction.org/st_gianna_novena_day_3

Yes, morals and values are trampled underfoot and those that stand by Faith in God and His Church are looked down upon and sneered at!  The litany of humility comes to mind and may we take it to heart!

The Litany of Humility - Danielle Rose

Danielle Rose 

Tauren Wells