Moses points to Christ/Tom cat time - eyes and ears/The Passover Lamb of God comes forth from Moses - +JMJ+

Tom and my cat, Neumann, the other night.  It was getting late so Tom laid down with grandma in her bed and the kitty was playing with his toes under the blanket.  He was so excited and happy and giggled very loudly as his feet moved back and forth under the blankets and the cat pounced on them.

It struck me that "Tom cat" could describe the two of them and their antics at grandma's house.  Neumann is a fixed male, but he is a male cat and Tom is a playful 2 year old boy - so Tom and Cat!

Grandma took too many pictures but that is just grandma with 2 cuties - a squealing boy and a soft furry cat. 

A couple days ago I was thrilled to see my dad's verse as the Entrance Antiphon.  Dad was led into The Catholic Church 53 years ago while reading this verse at an Ignatian Retreat at the Cenacle Convent!  He was a Protestant Minister at the time.

My mother had a devotion to Our Lady, so she could only find a home in the Church. So when dad told her he was coming into The Church - she was overjoyed to be coming HOME!  I was the oldest of 11 children and so all 13 of us entered The Catholic Church as we received our First Communion together at Midnight Christmas Eve Mass at The Cenacle Convent in 1971!  Each day since has been a pearl of great price!  

Family Soul Story - Choose Life!: The amazing story of the 13 becoming Catholic!  

Fr Tony preaching two days ago and again today.  He has shared that he is now on Hospice and has been told that he only has 3 months to live unless a miracle happens.  We continue to pray for him, and his example of Trust is very powerful for our Church Community!  

A year ago - Ruth holding baby Lucy at mass.  She turned 1 on January 11th a month ago, and has started to walk now.

Joy with baby Lucy a year ago.  WE love LIFE!  

I found the Gospel today from John 5 filled with so much!  Jesus shares that there is a lot showing us that he is The Christ!  This verse especially intrigues me - If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me. 47But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?"

Looking into this was powerful and really ties the OT to the NT!  Starting in Genesis written by Moses - “And I will put enmity

Between you and the woman,

And between your seed and her seed;

He shall bruise you on the head,

And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

(Genesis 3:15)

This passage prophesies the coming purpose of the Messiah. He would come to lay down His own life to put the enmity of the curse to death.

Tom does not talk much yet, but he is very interested in eyes and ears and says those words when he points to the cat's face.

They like to spend time together, and pointing to the cat is helping Tom to learn to speak words. He calls his precious blanket "Gee" we figure as a shortened Blankee into Kee pronounced Gee.

Ears - the cat just lies there with no complaints as he is used as a lesson in body language.

Another powerful message from the OT by Moses in Exodus - the Passover Lamb!

The firstborn being killed in Egypt, and the ongoing redemption of all the firstborn in the sons of Israel, pointed to the only begotten Son of God who would lay down His own life willingly as the Lamb of God.

Jesus is the Lamb of God sacrificed for us to be redeemed from our sins and allowing us to share in Heaven forever with Jesus, Mary, the Saints and our family there to welcome us.

Eyes - ears...

14 month old Lucy looking so big and special on a bike in this wonderful weather!

Numbers 21 is about the bronze serpent that lifted up on a pole for those bitten by poisonous serpents can look and be healed...

As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. (John 3:14–15)

John's 3 children all smiling and happy on our wonderful spring like weather. Hubby says that in a couple weeks they are talking about a couple inches of snow. Time will tell.

Now a very powerful example of a father sacrificing his only son - Abraham and Isaac!

Genesis 22:14

That the Christ would suffer and die, only to rise again was proclaimed in type by the narrative of Abraham and Isaac. The author of Hebrews explains:

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “IN ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE CALLED.” He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type. (Hebrews 11:17–19)

In Genesis 22, we see Abraham’s faith that God would provide. God provided. However, Abraham expected a lamb and received a ram. The expectation of God's provision of a lamb is fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist immediately recognized this when he saw Jesus:

The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

God provided for Abraham and Isaac. This provision served as an example more than 1600 years before Jesus was born, crucified, and risen from the dead. God chose this emotionally charged and difficult test to exemplify the seriousness of sin and the heaviness of the price that would be paid to redeem a people to Himself. That would be accomplished only by the death of God’s beloved Son.

Those who use this passage of Scripture to claim that God was cruel in using such a drastic test in the life of Abraham and Isaac fail to understand that this passage really emphasizes the love of a God. Although God stopped the hand of Abraham and ensured Isaac's safety, He was willing to offer His own beloved Son for the salvation of His enemies.

Genesis 3:15 proclaimed that the victory would come through the suffering and death of the promised seed. Genesis 22 proclaimed that the promised seed would be received back from death as a type of the resurrection of Christ.

What Does Moses Say About Christ? Jesus Revealed in the OT — The Exalted Christ

Paul and Joy out the other day.  Hubby reports that we now have 45 calves on the ground.  4 sets of twins so far.  How we love that warm dry winter!  

Joy will be 7 in a few weeks and she loves to help with the bottle calves.  She is a farm girl through and through, and usually picks the eggs every day when the weather gets nice.

St Pio is wonderful and has much to teach us about how we are to embrace our Most Cherished Cross and bear the wounds of Christ as we drag our Cross and follow Jesus!  

Forgiveness sets us free!  

LOVE!  

Tom and cat = Tomcat!  

I love lilacs so I absolutely LOVE this painting!  

Baby kitties a year ago with Birdie Barbara and Joy!  There are already baby kittens this spring, but the mother cat hid them in the hay shed.  More are on the way with another very pregnant tame mother cat.  We love our kittens on the farm!  Neumann is a fall kitten from last year's batch.  

Grandma and Lucy a year ago now.

Pope Benedict yesterday...  My mother read this every day for 10 years, and now I am on my 4th year.  It keeps me close to her.  It looks like Pope Francis has been our pope for 11 years now.  

St JPII loves Our Lady and her Rosary prayer!  He gave us the Luminous Mysteries which shares with us his life - Baptism, Wedding at Cana, Proclamation of the Kingdom - Sermon on the Mount, Transfiguration, and Institution of the Eucharist.  

There is much pain out there to get the attention of the world!  Babies killed in the womb, people saying that God made a mistake and they need to change gender, broken marriages that hurt children and couples, turning away from God and His Church to pursue selfishness desires and pursuits.  So painful and wounds for so many!  

Jesus, may we die to self so that your Holy Spirit may dwell in us and we may love and serve you without counting the cost.  By your wounds we are healed.  Jesus, we trust in you.  Bless-bless, Barbara and the 33 plus many little sisters and little brothers.

 “Deepen your love daily for the Eucharist.”

St Louis Guanella

 

Via Crucis - Fugel

"Jesus is more cruelly treated

by bad Christians than by the Jews.

In Jerusalem He was condemned only once,

but in the Blessed Sacrament,

He is condemned everyday

and in thousands of places, and by

an appalling number of unjust judges.

 

And yet Jesus allows Himself to be

insulted, despised, condemned:

He still continues His sacramental life

in order to show us that His love for us

is without condition or reserve,

that it is greater than our ingratitude."

St. Peter Julian Eymard

"Stations of the Cross"

____________________________

 

Novena to St Joseph - Day 5

 

Pray - Fast - Give

Goodness of God

Danny Gokey

Danielle Rose