Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Lent begins anew... ROCKS and homemade ashes on a quiet day of prayer/Call from Hallel/Rend your hearts - +JMJ

My heart continues to swell with so much happiness and JOY as I look into the eyes of my son, John, and see so much LOVE and gratitude to our Lord and Lady for his being blessed with his 3rd child, Lucy Marie! 

Rarely does John take off his glasses as he struggles with double vision due to the whole brain radiation that damaged the muscles on the side of his eyes.  He has very heavy glasses that have a grid to help him to see straight.  It was terrifying when some years ago his double vision returned as it was the first symptom we had of his brain cancer.  Now it is just due to the treatment and procedures he endured to become cancer free now for 14 years. 

His healing came from The Church combined with medical!  The prayers of hundreds of prayer warriors, anointing of the sick 4 times, 3 trips to Lourdes and bathing in the healing waters of the miraculous spring that came forth when St Bernadette dug in the mud as Our Lady requested.  St JPII and Blessed Solanus Casey relics to pray over John...  We are given so very much in The Catholic Church - the True Church!  

Family Soul Story - Choose Life!: John's cancer stories 

A video John traveled to Chicago to be made by Spirit Juice!  The story continues now with wife and 3 children!  

Lucy baptized on Saturday night at 5p mass - a full church!  With the storm here these last few days - I am so grateful that we were able to have our 3 day Together Encounter Christ retreat as well as Pat and I able to go to Marshall and back to New Ulm in the middle of our retreat for this most amazing glorious Sacrament of Baptism!  
Today Lucy is 6 weeks old!  Newly baptized Saturday evening with a sweet Baptism Lamb.  Welcome to The Church sweet gift of LIFE, Lucy Marie!  
Grandpa Pat holding his 23rd newly Baptized grandchild, Lucy Marie.  We share our Faith as a Family and the motto we live by is "open to LIFE and raising LIGHTS!"

Family Soul Story - Choose Life!: Our marriage stories - "The world needs LIGHTS!" 

Fr Denny before mass on Die Day in which we had a day of Lent - coming to recognize those ways that we turn away or have walls up between us and our unconditionally loving and forgiving Lord.  We lay those sins and weaknesses at the foot of the Cross in the Confessional and hear the words of Absolution -God, the Father of mercies,
through the death and resurrection of his Son
has reconciled the world to himself
and poured out the Holy Spiritfor the forgiveness of sins;
through the ministry of the Church may God grant you pardon and peace,
and I absolve you from your sins
in the name of the Father, + and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.

On this stormy cold Ash Wednesday looking like we will not be able to make to mass today and get our ashes to remind us that we are dust and to dust we will return as we go forth into our 40 days ahead...  My inner temple is filled with so very much as we are entering our 4th day of our retreat as we carry forth what we received during our 3 days with Jesus!  

A mountain of laundry and Tom kept me busy and company my first day back as my 4th day begins with a trip with hubby to take an open cow to slaughter with visiting all the trip there and back - about half an hour both ways - about all the blessings we received in our retreat with a Sacrament for Lucy in the midst of it!  
Tom with my camera taking some selfies before he got quiet and needed his nap.  I am so blessed to have him in my life, and needing me while mom and dad are busy with huge projects making our community better with upgrading an apartment building right across from our church.  I can not get enough of seeing our wonderful church out the new windows!  
He took many... 
Snowed in... it is hard to think that we cannot begin Lent with Ash Wednesday.  Fr Shawn reminded us...

Contrary to public belief, Ash Wednesday is NOT a Holy Day of obligation. Use common sense when deciding whether to go out or not tomorrow. There’s no “make-up” day for Ash Wednesday. Lent will still come whether you get ashes or not.

Well, maybe I am out of line and a little on the nutty side, but I decided to make my own ashes from these dry blessed palm branches from Passion Sunday last year...
I put them in a metal bowl so that I could burn the pieces to make the ashes.
Burning the palm branch was a bit more challenging than I thought
Ashes!!!!  
Used Holy Water to bless them further.
And Lourdes water that we have here after our many times in France and Lourdes.  I then read the prayers of blessing that Father would pray over the ashes before they are administered.  I know that I am not able to bless as a priest, but it was a gift to read the words.

O God, who are moved by acts of humility and respond with forgiveness to works of penance., lend your merciful ear to our prayers and in your kindness pour out the grace of your + blessing on your servants who are marked with these ashes, that, as they follow the Lenten observances, they may be worthy to come with minds made pure to celebrate the Paschal Mystery of your Son. Through Christ our Lord.  Amen

My Lenten reminder is from the many rocks that I have throughout my home.  I love rocks!  

These are from around our farm - I have discovered that there are fossils in the farmyard.  After many years of collecting fossils in Michigan I can recognize a layer type coral - stomataporide when I see it.  I used rocks for the 40 days in the desert as nothing can grow on them and with sand they are what we find in the desert especially in The Holy Land where Jesus walked.  Of course, prayers for my family always in my heart, mind and soul.  This is already outdated as we have now added Lucy Marie!  
Wearing my homemade ashes with my rock Lenten reminder on this Ash Wednesday 2023.  The snow has arrived! 
The beginning of Lent truly hit home when I had to go and find my dad's prayer of The Church for Lent and Easter.  I am so blessed by dad leaving these behind for me after he lived with me for the last 6 months of his life on the same hospice that I had worked for 20 years.  Such a blessing to also have him share his Deaconate with me - a Deacon in The Catholic Church for 44 years.  We shared morning prayer and evening prayer along with the chaplet and rosary on my porch every day at 3p.  
Family Soul Story - Choose Life!: The amazing story of the 13 becoming Catholic! 

Now that Lent has begun I cannot communicate with my nun.  They ask us to fast from calling or writing them as we all are giving up for these 40 days.  I was overjoyed to get a phone call from my nun yesterday from Prairie Star Ranch - Prairie Star Ranch - Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas (archkck.org)  I could hear the wind blowing as she was sitting outside talking to me on their cell phone on a 55 degree day.  

She wanted to hear about the Baptism of Lucy and the TEC retreat we all had just returned from.  She shared with me about their powerful time with the Cardinal from France that spent 11 days with them.  They were spending some days of prayer at the ranch.  They make their own meals and bring all their own cooking supplies and dishes.  "It is a lot to get together, but worth it for us to have a retreat to begin Lent."  
United in Jesus, Mary, the Saints and The Church.  I sent her some quick pictures yesterday while I still could of the Baptism and a cute one of her sweet boy, Thomas.  She has a special spot in her heart for #7 farm kid, Thomas Robert, who is truly a sign of New LIFE for our farm family including grandpa and grandma.
The heart rock that was found on a rock pile at the farm over 30 years ago.  It would be by my statue of Mary outside, but now it resides in my curio cupboard.  It needs to be in Lenten display along with Pat and I on our wedding day, the Lamb and Our Lady.  "Wounded, I will never cease to love."  The motto of Hallel's Community of the Lamb, and the way we need to live out our marriage Sacrament and family life.  
Another heart rock gifted to me by my military grandkids - they found it in the woods while they were playing at Fort Lewis Base in Tacoma, WA where they lived for about 4 years.  Behind is a prehistoric grinding tool we found while picking rocks with some migrant workers.  One said something in Spanish and tossed it to my husband.  I use it on Easter Sunday as the stone rolled away from the tomb, but it can just be a rock for now.

Behind is a trilobite fossil from Michigan, as well as a rock I found in Michigan that is shaped like the lower peninsula.  Michigan is a big part of my growing up as we lived there for 15 years.  
Another outdated picture of our 34 taken just 2 months ago at my family Christmas - CCC - Cross Christmas Camp.  Yes, we need a new family picture already to add our newest member #23 grandchild, Lucy.  
Now 44 1/2 years later - we began our Ash Wednesday 2023 with sharing Morning prayer and discussing what we can share together doing during these 40 days.  We listened to Fr Mike Schmitz talk about some things we can consider for Lent...

I found that the idea of writing an uplifting letter each of the 40 days would be good for me with my love of writing... we will see how that goes.  We decided that we will continue to do Catechism in a year and less TV and more spiritual reading.  Lent is a great time to get closer to Our Lord!  
So grateful for LENT to help me to get rid of distractions.
Mardi gras at my brother, Dan's and wife, Angela's home in St Paul!  Pat and I celebrated with pork tenderloin with all the trimmings.  Today eggs...
Granddaughter, Mary, in Boston at Harvard last week for Speech!  I was born in Boston 71 years ago and lived there while my dad completed seminary as a Protestant minister.  
A picture taken in the calving barn this cold snowy morning - we have 7 baby calves and only one of them is a bull - we have 6 heifers.  The important thing is that they all are healthy and doing well.  Many prayers for calving coming up in a few weeks - 150+ cows yet to calf.
This meditation by Servant of God Catherine De Hueck Doherty was so great this morning to begin Lent with...
"we are dust that is going to be eternal..."
We have our head on the chest of Jesus at the Last supper and hear the heartbeat of God. "When you hear the heartbeats of God you change."
If it weren't Ash Wednesday it would be The Chair of Peter today - giving more meaning yet to all my rocks!  St Peter the Rock upon which The Church is built.  
Pope Benedict XVI writing about it in such a powerful way as usual in the book of daily meditations that my mother left behind for me.  Thanks, mom.  
Another clear bell ringing for me today came from dad's man, Brother Victor, as he speaks about our Baptism and later renewed at Confirmation (we have our 16 year old granddaughter's Confirmation on Sunday March 5th - another Sacrament that will be trumping our gathering for our small reunion of TEC)  "The Holy Spirit makes His presence felt in every segment of our lives."
A great time of JOY as we celebrate the LIGHT of LIFE as she receives the Holy Spirit in her inner temple.  It was so powerful to see the church full of people 350+ come forward for Eucharist after the glorious Baptism Sacrament was performed in their presence... they would receive Jesus and then gaze upon sweet Ludy asleep in her dad's arms with smiles of welcome .  The smell of Chrism all around them.  So beautiful is The Church - beauty is such a sign of LOVE/LIFE/LIGHT!  

Jesus, how we are overjoyed by all that we are given to help us as we stagger down the narrow path carrying/dragging our Most Cherished Cross.  May we die to self so that you may live in us.  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen 
My hero of LIFE and family now a Saint in heaven and interceding to end the horror of taking innocent LIFE in the womb!  He along with St Mother Teresa of Calcutta and St Gianna Molle - such powerful work from heaven to end abortion!  How I pray with them!!!  Bless-bless, Barbara and the 34 with my TEC Family and The Family of the Lamb with hundreds of Little Brothers and Little Sisters.  We are a force of Truth! 
"Jesus, I give You my whole heart and my whole will. 
They once rebelled against You,
but now I dedicate them completely to You…
Receive me, and make me faithful until death.”
 St. Alphonsus Liguori
____________________________
 
ASH WEDNESDAY*


 
"Give me, good Lord,
a full faith and a fervent charity,
a love of You, good Lord, incomparably above the love
of myself; and that I love nothing that displeases You
but everything for the sake of You.
 
 
Take from me, good Lord, this lukewarm -- 
or rather cold-hearted -- way of meditation and
this dullness in praying to You.  And give me warmth,
delight, and life in thinking of You.
 
 
And give me grace to long for Your holy Sacraments,
and specifically to rejoice in the presence of Your
Blessed  Body, sweet Savior Christ, in the holy Sacrament
of the altar, and duly to thank You for Your precious
visitation through it; and at that high Memorial,
may I have grace to remember and consider
Your most bitter passion with tender compassion."
 
St. Thomas More
________________________________
 
 
 
*ASH WEDNESDAY is solemnly observed by the Church to mark the beginning of the forty days of penance in the Lenten season. The faithful who attends the Mass on this day will be marked on the forehead with a CROSS of ASHES as a sign of conversion, penance, fasting and human mortality.  

Ash Wednesday in Iraq. DoD Photo (Spc Daniel Schneider)
 
 
 
 
And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him;
and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. - Ecclesiastes 4:12
 
 
During Lent, we are called to prayer, fasting and almsgiving. They are the "three-fold cord" spoken of in Ecclesiastes 4:12. Satan will not prevail against us if we follow Christ's call to use this three-fold cord as a basis for our Christian walk.

"Act, and God will act. " -  St Joan of Arc

 
 
Prayer is good when accompanied
by fasting, almsgiving, and righteousness.
A little with righteousness is better than much with wrongdoing.
It is better to give alms than to treasure up gold. - Tobit 12:8

 
"Dear brothers and sisters, may the Holy Spirit inspire
and sustain us this Lent in our ascent with Jesus,
so that we may experience his divine splendour and thus,
confirmed in faith, persevere in our journey together wth him,
glory of his people and light of the nations." - Pope Francis
 
_______________________________
Let us pray - one for the other -
for perseverance, fidelity and conversion
in this Lenten season!

The song from our retreat weekend... Will Morrison - Reckless love
The acoustic Version 

Danielle Rose - the Saint that is just me
The song I used for my talk - Church, People of God
That church includes those in heaven - the saints and we all are called to be saints too!  
Beautiful things - Michael Gungor 
A great song from the weekend





A Mother's song - The Crucifixion - get some Kleenexes 

Danielle Rose 






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