Candlemas vigil of John's 35th birthday/"my eyes have seen your salvation..." /Grandkid weekend - +JMJ+

Ruth and Paul came to wish John a happy birthday in the middle of his battle against brain cancer.

John's 21sr birthday in Rochester, MN in our little yellow house.  John had just had his stem cell transplant the week before, and was recovering as his stem cell seeds had been planted in fertile soil - the Gospel the day they were returned to him was the sower and the seed - so appropriate!  

This memory came up from 14 years ago, and it just shows how far John has come - now cancer free for 14 years and a husband to Bobbi, father of 3 wonderful children, and blessing the world with his glorious light and message that our Faith is real and is what gets us down the narrow path with heaven forever as our goal!  

Yes, John prayed a half hearted prayer for Faith and in a week he had brain cancer!  Facing this battle in his life truly led him to love The Church, Mary and Jesus!  To this day and beyond.  

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

John's Spirit Juice Video

John on his birthday February 2015 - he was 26!  It looks like that year was a normal winter.  We are recalling that 1980 when Ruth was a baby it was a similar warm brown winter.

In 2015 Rose was 2 and they had cats - tonight the Lanoue bunch are coming for the weekend while mom and dad work a marriage retreat.  They are super excited to come and see the farm cat that is now my cat - I am getting him fat and spoiled, which is what I am famous for.  

I was very pleased with his hunting abilities the other night when a bat flew through the house!  Meet Neumann, who will get a lot of loving tonight from the farm grandkids joined by John's 3 too!  

Another memory from Feb 2015 - Pat's mom with Augustine holding onto her finger.  She was on hospice and lived another 10 months - she passed on Guadete Sunday - December 11, 2015!  

Gus is now 12....

John with his grandma Ann - he had just turned 26 and had been cancer free for 5 years.  

He would bring mom Communion and holy water while he prayed with her.  Such a wonderful beautiful powerful connection sharing their Catholic Faith!  

How mom loved to have her family around her in her wonderful beautiful home!  I love this about hospice... it allows the family to know that the end of life is approaching.  For mom, who wanted to stay in her home - it allowed the family to be with her 24-7!  Such a gift and a blessing!  

I have recently returned to Hospice as a volunteer Chaplin.  I love to share my Catholic Faith in this way with others.  Bringing the Eucharist, praying with them the Rosary or chaplet... such a sweet blessing to me!  

Dad praying the office with me in 2020 

An added special gift to me was to have my dad come and live with me for the last 6 months of his life on the same hospice I had worked with for 15 years as an RN!  

All of these experiences I am sharing today bring me to these words from Simeon in the Gospel today of The Presentation in the Temple which are so true for me!  

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:

“Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a light for revelation...  Luke 1

So true!  There is so much in my life where the Lord has shared with me glimpses of his plan of Salvation for me personally and for my Domestic Church/family, and The Church!  Can you tell I am working on my talk for this next TEC - Church, People of God?  

Dad and I prayed the Rosary and Divine Chaplet of Mercy each day at 3p on my beautiful porch!  He arrived in mid April and died on October 23rd.  So he witnessed an entire growing season on the farm.  

I realize that much of what I will do as a Hospice Volunteer - I did with my dad here in my "farm monastery."  Praying the office morning and evening as my dad was a Permanent Deacon for 44 years after we all came into The Catholic Church 52 years ago!  Also the wonderful prayers of The Church - rosary and chaplet!  

Family Soul Story - Choose Life!: Deacon Robert Cross - my dad on hospice in our Farm Monastery for 6 months - 4/16/20 thru 10/23/20  

Dad with the statues he was given when he moved away from Michigan.

All the needs my dad had for those 6 months were quickly dealt with.  He got to experience first hand the wonderful gift hospice is to those that are in the last months of their lives!

Pat would bring dad communion on Sundays.  

The first lady I visited for hospice asked me if I could bring her Communion.  I quickly became a Eucharistic minister and bring her Jesus each time I visit her!  So special!  

Attended a funeral yesterday and walked over to visit our grandson, Maximilian Bandzuch.  He is just a few rows away from his 2 uncles - all 3 of them died in the womb at 20 weeks!  How I prayed that my girls would not have to suffer the same losses as I.  They keep our eyes on heaven!  

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

10 years ago - John's 25th birthday - we had not traded places yet.  Ruth now has a huge patio door here and the walls are gone between the rooms!  They have the vision and do the work!  

Happy 35th birthday John!  We love you and thank God for the new John and the LIGHT you bring into the world!  

The blessing of the throats happened today at mass - this was 10 years ago - Pat blessing Mary's throat!  St Blaze pray for us!  

I had forgotten that the day before John's birthday is The Presentation of Jesus in the temple - Candlemass.  Such a beautiful feast of Faith and Family!  Very special to be the Vigil of John's birthday each year.  Jesus, bless John with many more years of sharing his LIGHT with all.  Jesus, we trust in you.  Bless-bless, Barbara and the 33 plus many little sisters and little brothers

10 years ago - Rose Again climbing the steps to church.  Too cute!  It was about this age where she got very excited..."I heard my name!  I heard my name!  Rose Again!"  It was all she wanted to be called - Rose Again from the creed.  We still give her a smile at that moment during mass, and she smiles too.  

 Feast of the Presentation of the Lord*

February  2

Today the Church celebrates the Presentation of Jesus

in the Temple at Jerusalem.  In that same spirit,

we present ourselves today to the Lord, especially

in the Mass. Present yourself to Jesus today. 
Receive His life-giving light and love.

Simeon and Anna:  Jan van 't Hoff

 

“Simeon gave back Jesus to His Mother,

he was only suffered to keep

Him for one moment.

But we are far happier than Simeon.

We may keep Him always if we will.

In Communion

He comes not only into our arms

but into our hearts.”- St John Vianney

 

This Feast is also known as Candlemas Day,

since the blessing and procession of candles

is included in today's liturgy. 

 

The symbolism of the candles is described

by Dom Prosper Guéranger, OSB, in his "Liturgical Year":

The mystery of today's ceremony has frequently been explained by liturgists, dating from the 7th century. According to Ivo of Chartres, the wax, which is formed from the juice of flowers by the bee, always considered as the emblem of virginity, signifies the virginal flesh of the Divine Infant, who diminished not, either by His conception or His birth, the spotless purity of His Blessed Mother. The same holy bishop would have us see, in the flame of our Candle, a symbol of Jesus who came to enlighten our darkness. St. Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, speaking on the same mystery, bids us consider three things in the blessed Candle: the wax, the wick, and the flame. The wax, he says, which is the production of the virginal bee, is the Flesh of our Lord; the wick, which is within, is His Soul; the flame, which burns on top, is His divinity.

 

 

The candles kept by the faithful in their homes

should be seen as a sign of Christ "the light of the world"

and an expression of faith.
_____________________

 

From the Pieta prayer book:

to pray while burning a blessed candle

in one's home during a storm:

Jesus Christ a King of Glory has come in Peace.+ God became man, + and the Word was made flesh.+ Christ was born of a Virgin.+ Christ suffered.+ Christ was crucified.+ Christ died.+ Christ rose from the dead.+ Christ ascended into Heaven.+ Christ conquers.+ Christ reigns.+ Christ commands.+ 

May Christ protect us from all storms and lightning. + Christ went through their midst in Peace, + and the Word was made Flesh.+ Christ is with us with Mary.+ Flee you enemy spirits because the Lion of the Generation of Judah, the Root David, has won.+ Holy God+ Holy Powerful God! + Holy Immortal God! + Have mercy on us. Amen.

__________________________________________

 

“Christ Himself says, ‘I am the light of the world.’ And we are the light, we ourselves, if we receive it from Him.... But how do we receive it, how do we make it shine? ...The candle tells us: by burning, and being consumed in the burning. A spark of fire, a ray of love, an inevitable immolation are celebrated over that pure, straight candle, as, pouring forth its gift of light, it exhausts itself in silent sacrifice." - Pope St Paul VI

___________________________________________

More on the Feast of the Presentation:

 

*The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord marks the time when Mary and Joseph first brought Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem. According to Mosaic Law, after a time (40 days) of waiting, Mary was to bring an offering to the priest as purification after her having given birth (Leviticus 12:2-8). Hence, this feast is also known as the Purification of the Blessed Virgin. It was also within the context of this event that the Holy Family meets Simeon and Anna, encounters which are recorded in Luke 2:22ff.
                The encounter with Simeon has given us one of the most beautiful and haunting canticles (songs) the Church has today. The words that Simeon spoke upon encountering the infant Jesus have been recited and sung through all the ages of the Church. The prayer is called the Nunc Dimittis, Latin words which comprise the first words of the prayer. Here is the complete text in English, taken from the Liturgy of the Hours:

    Lord, now you let your servant go in peace;

Your word has been fulfilled.

My eyes have seen the salvation
 You have prepared in the sight of every people, 
A light to reveal you to the nations

and the glory of your  people, Israel.   

To add to the haunting beauty of these words, the Nunc Dimittis is typically said at the office of Night Prayer, just before going to bed, when, as we lay ourselves down to rest, we also look ahead to our eternal rest. It’s a wonderful grown-up bedtime prayer! (Hat tip:  Patrick Conley)

 

Hillbilly Thomists