A week from our trip to Rochester... May 5,2010..."I am the vine, you are the branches." Jn 15:1-8... May we bear fruit in your Sonshine and rain!

Morning prayer this morning was all about the "living waters"... I was not surprised to see that the scripture for that theme was Isaiah 55:1, which is the verse that my dad was reading while on the Ignation retreat at the Cencacle convent in 1971 which moved him to hear the Lord calling him to become Catholic along with his entire family! A few days ago John (my 21 year old son, who is home with us for the last year as together we have faced his cancer) and I took a "sick day" and spent some time watching the copy of the show, Journey Home. It was the show in Feb of 07... so already 3 years ago my dad flew to Alabama and was on this show that is led by a Protestant minister, Marcus Grodi, who converted to the Catholic Church, and the show specifically for those that have converted from anything imaginable to Catholic! WE have seen Jewish people, Mormons and a wide variety of facinating stories on the show! John was very impressed by how my dad launched into his personal story and call to the Catholic Church and then to becoming a deacon in the Church!

My dad speaks often of my mother and it is very heart warming and touching to me to hear how he gives her so much credit in his journey and speaks so lovingly of her waiting for him to come to the Church with not a whole lot of hope that it ever could happen! John's comment after watching it was that "if grandma felt like it was the right thing for her... she should have just done it on her own!" And my dad mentions many times in the interview that my mom was getting pulled by many in her life to just go ahead and become Catholic without my dad! But she had been enlightened in her life as to the headship of a husband over his wife and that she is to look to him as her head to move in certain directions! I totally see from my perspective that my mom waiting the way she did in prayer and hope... that the Lord used that to work in my dad and as a result he did come to the Church and in the right order... I always give my dad so much credit for our amazing spiritual journey, but I am starting to see that it is truly my mom that I need to thank. Her patience and waiting in prayer for my dad to be led into the Church... allowed the door to be opened in all 13 of us to join together on the Christmas Midnight mass at the convent! If she had charged ahead on her own... it could have made my dad truly put on the brakes and it would have robbed him of his manly strength and wisdom in the way that the Lord was able to speak to his heart and soul when he read these words: "All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; Come without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk!" Isaiah 55:1

Such a powerful example to me and to all women of the right way to approach our husbands in marriage... humbly, quietly and in prayer. If we see something that we feel is the right way... it says a lot about not charging ahead without the support and yes... OK from our husbands... My mother has adopted this as her main message in life - The headship of the husband over his wife as the proper order in the marriage! In writing this I realize that I have a long way to go in this area... But I also see so clearly that for my family and the way the Lord worked with all 13 of us almost 40 years ago.... that it was a very hard thing for my mom to do, but truly the WAY!

I know for a fact that if you ask my mother...she would tell you that she really didn't have a lot of hope that dad would come to the Church. After all he wasn't just an ordinary man... he was a "man of the cloth" - a minister in a Protestant Church! But really when you look at the conversion stories that are out there these days that are touching people's lives - a lot of them involve just these people... the ones that are studying their faith deeply and through the Church Fathers and the Scriptures they are drawn into the true Church! If you have a chance get your hands on a copy of Scott Hahn's conversion story! Amazing and so instumental in the conversion of many! I would also gladly share the copies I have of my dad's story also.

Jesus, we as women know that we have a special calling in life. We are more caring and nurturing... we carry and nurture the life that grows within us... help us to go inside ourselves to that prayerful humble place where we can lift up our husbands and families to you and serve them and care for them as we look to your wonderful mother as a beautiful example to us... Yet, this image of her armed for battle with all the armor also reminds us that we are to fight for truth in our families and world! You are the vine that gives us the nutrition and lifegiving water so that we can reach out and grow in branches that surround our families with love and protection! Have you ever seen grape vines? They twine and "embrace" all in their paths! Jesus and wonderful Mother of God, Mary most Holy... Pray for us! Amen and Halleluia! Bless-bless, Barb

Attendind daily mass with newborn, Therese - Maria and Joe continue to receive him daily into marriage and familly!

 

I had shared the other week when Therese was here with her parents and had gotten up and gone to 7:15a mass with her dad while they visited us here in Marshall... it took me back to this time a few days after her birth in March of 08... I snapped this picture of Maria and Joe at the Easter Vigil at Nativity church in St Paul. It struck me that Therese had attended daily mass with her parents always while in the womb and that would not change wow that she was here... and for many with a new little one... the last thing that they would ever consider. But Maria found that the baby being close to her in the snugglie worked out great and so now they continued on where they had left off... not missing a beat, and revealing the deep value that they have for the Eucharist to be a daily part of their lives! Now with two it continues... When I visit my parents in Manistique I would watch a mother with 7 stairstep kids come into daily mass with all of them from the oldest that holds the baby and they all are very comfortable at mass and seem "at home". I have no doubt that as Maria and Joe's family grows.... it will be similar with them! Such a powerful witness of family centered with our Lord and His Life giving food and Love! Such a wonderul blessing and truth!

Tuesday May 4,2010.... "Peace I leave with you , my peace I give to you.... Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid." Jn14:27-31

Once again we are reminded by our Lord not to worry or be troubled or afraid! I once heard in a homily by an order priest from Peru that the Bible tells us 350 times not to be afraid! That is for every day of the year! That covers it! And that is so important for us to remember but also very hard to maintain from one day to the next much less one hour to the next much less one minute to the next! How we need to embrace this attitude of trust in our Loving and Forgiving Lord being right there at our sides and yes even carrying us at the weakest points... I conintue to love the picture of the Good Shepherd carrying the small trusting lamb in his arms... the lamb that was caught in the brambles alone and without his mother... the lamb who got seperated from the flock and felt the wolf breathing down it's neck or saw it circling around it ready to pounce... the lamb that maybe even has an injury from being lost and alone facing the hardships... the lamb that maybe even gave up it's life and is covered in blood as our savior did for us... yet now sits upon the throne of heaven and earth and gives us lifegiving body and blood of the sacrifice! All this is true of all of us and our walks of faith and finding that faith, but mostly that we have the way to salvation through our allowing ourselves to trust and follow the lamb that took away the sins of the world!

I am a turmoil of emotions today after some occurances yesterday that reminds me of the "lies" that are out there leading people onto a path of confusion and unhappiness. Young women that are totally unaware of the sanctity of marriage and family... "living together" and having children and coming and going out of relationships and these children are all a part of this disfunction... the family is in ruin and that is so sad to know and so hard to just sit and listen to them as they speak without thought that it is anything but a normal state. The parents that have taken the sacrament of marriage as the first step and then to be open to family that the Lord gives to them and to love them and nurture them within the domestic Church... each family is called to be that for their families... I will never forget the time that a woman said to me that she was very disappointed in the Catholic Church where she took her kids for religious education, because they didn't seem to learn or value anything that they were taught there. She felt that they were failing with her kids! I said to her that the true place to start and to truly teach your kids must be in the home and that is the most important place to nurture it and to allow it to take root! Her responce: "My husband and I aren't very good at that."

What does it take? We are not absolute role models here, but some of the things that we did was to gather for sure at Lent and Advent as a family in the evenings and pray together and read the Bible and lives of the saints together. We would sing songs that the kids loved like "Jesus loves me" or some Protestant songs that I remembered from when i was young.... I think that the kids favorite was the lives of the saints...They began to have favorites that they would ask for and cheer for! John had a thing about St Rita, who asked to suffer like Christ and got a thorn from his crown in the middle of her forehead... I think this was due to the fact that his Godmother was Aunt Rita, but it was very fun to see how he would yell..."Read St Rita!" We had a childrens' Saint Book with pictures and short and interesting stories. Another favorite was St Maria Goretti... She died at 14 fighting off the sexual advances of a hired man on their family farm... a hard one to read, but so important for young people to know how valuable their purity is! The thing about sharing the lives of the saints as a family and more especially with your young children is that they model for us how nothing is impossible with faith and how we can overcome and carry all of the crosses handed to us as long as we know that the Lord is with us and in control of our lives. The closeness of our family and our united force when it comes to our faith is in large part the fact that we had crosses as a family sharing the losses of numerous pregnancies, and also we knew in our hearts that many suffer and with God all will work out in the end.

I spent a couple hours working at Birthright last night and brought a new leaflet that caught my eyes home to read over before bed... RU-486: The deadly abortion drug... How many women and unborn babies will die? is on the front.... It speaks in hard terms of this drug combination that is given women to "If you are pregnant just take this pill, have the abortion in the privacy of your own home." Is what the abortion industry tells women.... First a woman takes a drug that blocks the flow of progesterone receptors in the uterine lining and cuts off the support for the developing unborn child...."Thus the unborn baby is starved to death." The woman now takes a drug to cause the contractions needed to expell the unborn baby's body. It is reporting that not only is the child killed in the womb but women have died.... "The process can take several days; the results can be severe - sometimes deadly- for the woman and always deadly for the unborn baby."

It speaks of a young girl, Holly, who was 7 weeks pregnant and ended up dying from a massive infection after trying to deliver the dead baby over many days and in excruciating pain....MCCL and the National Right to Life Committee are supporting "Holly's Law" that will suspend all usage of RU-486 in the US. So now if you see anything like this you will know about it and aware of the emergency need we have to get this out of circulation and the lies that the abortion industry wants women to believe that it is "quick and easy"... it is horrific!

So now you know that extent of the deep sadness that is filling my heart and mind and soul today... but we are reminded not to be afraid or troubled... Jesus, it is hard sometimes to let go and let God. We do know that we have responsibilities however to inform people of the Truth and the WAy and the Life! Use us to promote life in our families and our surrounding world! Use us to your honor and glory! Jesus we trust in You! Amen and Halleluia! Bless-bless, Barb

More in honor of lilacs - since the hedge around our house - there have been many lilac pictures over the years including graduation and engagement and just "Barb loves her lilac" pictures! Also a wonderful one that arrived in the mail yesterday that I thought I would scan showing a mother instructing her child at a young age to embrace spiritual reading... the amazing thing about me is that my girls did that for me... when Maria entered the Monastery for those 5 months back in 04... She left spiritual reading throughout the house... I grazed from one to another and continue to be fed by my children... after two studying Catholic Studies at ST Thomas - I would highly encourage parnents to check out this amazing college course for your children! - My girls are teaching me!

A few more explanations of my pictures that just kind of popped in there - the baby kitties and the view of the still life at our cememtary here in Marshall of the scene at the cross - I won first place with this picture a few years ago at the County fair - and finally one of John and Simon taken at Easter 5 years ago when Simon was 6 months and he and John had bowties on - too cute to resist!

Monday of a new page in my life - the fifth week of Easter - the feast day of St James and Phillip... two of my brothers.

Once again quickly and briefly as I am now off early to orrientation for a new job at a nearby nursing home... My head is spinning as the Lord is directing me in a new direction... I am in need of your prayers and support... The doors open... I walk through trusting that the Lord has a new use for me and that I will be a better person in all of this.

The first communion yesterday was amazing! I wish that I had looked ahead and noticed that it was to be St James and Phillip's feast day today as I was with my brother, James and his 5 children yesterday and it would have been cool to wish him a special feast day today... I also have a brother, Phillip... so special prayers for those two men in my life today!

John went along with me for the trip and the sharing of the day with my Godson, Danny. We were so touched by the beauty and well thought out and planned mass celebrating this so important step in the young people's lives. Fr had the children stand and face us and answer questions that he and their teacher taught them. My Godson, Daniel, stood faced us and said that Jesus gave us the Eucharist to bring us closer to Him and to bring us to heaven with Him. John and I both felt that we learned something from what they shared and definitely made us love and appreciate the gift that we are given each time and how very special each one of these children knew in their hearts and minds that this was Jesus here to save them from sin and death! It was a beautiful mass in a very beautiful church... which allowed our souls to sore to the heavens with Jesus, Mary and His Saints - today we remember the Apostles - ST James and Phillip! Pray for us all you HOly men and women of God!

Jesus, use each of us to your honor and glory as we go forward into our lives of work and service. Jesus we trust in You! Amen and Halleluia! Bless-bless, BArb

5th Sunday of Easter - May 2,2010 - "I give you a new commandment; love one another." Jn 13

We are off to our Godson, Danny's, first communion... How very exciting and life changing for him. My first communion was when I was 20 years old at Christmas eve midnight mass at the Cenacle in Wayzata,Mn. At that time my 10 brothers and sisters and both parents also received Jesus....body, blood, soul and divinty at the same time. I was forever changed and had a deep hunger for my Lord on all levels of my life and continue to to this day! I pray for Danny and my other 4 Godchildren every day and have even added another extra decade of the rosary for each of them each day... a few months ago... my sister was sharing with me a huge change for the better in her daughter's life.. who happens to be my oldest Goddaughter... I was overjoyed to hear the news as I had about 6 months before that started taking very seriously praying for my God children by doing this special prayer for them every day! I could see the answer to my prayers!

With the time limitation today - I think that Blessed Teresa of Calcutta addresses "Love one another" as no one else can:

"The less we have, the
more we give. Seems absurd,
but it's the logic of love"....

True love causes pain.
Jesus, in order to give us the proof of his
love, died on the cross.
A mother in order to give birth to her baby,
has to suffer.
If you really love one another, you will not
be able to avoid making sacrifices.

The poor do not need our condescending
attitude or our pity. They only need our love
and our tenderness.

To me, Jesus is the Life I want to live, the
Light I want to reflect, the Way to the Father,
The Love I want to express, The Joy I want to
share, the Peace I want to sow around me.
Jesus is everything to me.

If faith is scarce, it is because there is too
much selfishness in the world, too much
egoism. Faith, in order to be authentic, has to
be generous and giving.
Love and faith go hand in hand...

God has created us so we do small things
with great love, I believe in that great love.
that comes, or should come from our heart,
should start at home: with my family, my
neighbors acorss the street, those right next
door. and this love should then reach
everyone."

Jesus we love you with all that is within us to give - May the wellspring of your love come into us through your amazing sacraments given to us to give us the source of love to carry forth into our lives and to all those around us - especially to those closest to us - Our families! Jesus we trust in You! Amen and Halleluia! Bless-bless, Barb

Some pictures taken having fun with the grandkids with lilacs and baby kitties... so fun!

Happy May Day! May 1st, 2010 First Saturday of the 4th week of Easter - Joseph the worker feast day!

Happy Feast day to all Josephs today including my son in law and his son... St Joseph is also my husband, Pat's, patron saint! So a big day of celebration and as Father Paul said a mass today; " It is a big day of celebration of work, that I am sure will be happening in many places." I found that an interesting idea... I myself struggle a bit with work I must admit. I am not a very willing worker as I see some around me that are truly devoted and seem to love to serve and to work! I am deeply humbled by those people and they convict me to be better at it and just more willing to put myself in those "jobs" that need to be done. Help me Lord!

I found it quite powerful to find myself in the confessional with Father this morning... I had recently asked him to write a reference for me for a job I applied at at a nursing home in the area... I had also gotten the job, but not too many hours to start with. I was able to tell Fr that I had gotten the job and that it is a bit intimidating for me in that it will be big days on my feet and I am for the most part not really used to that ( maybe days when i am canning all day). It was also special for me to share this with Fr as he is the hardest worker of most people that I know. He does it all and seems to thrive from rolling up his sleeves and pitching in wherever needed. Such a powerful lesson to me, and I asked him to pray for me on this new venture in my life.... I have told people that the way this all happened and the doors opened for me to get this job... it is like subconsciously I am trying to say to myself that I am done with cancer! I want to fill my life up with other things... no more cancer with my 21 year old son! That chapter is done!

There was one part of the glorious mystery rosary that we shared after mass that really is rolling around in my head and heart... It was the final mystery - Mary is crowned Queen of heaven and earth! It was speaking about how there is no doubt that Mary is both our Spiritual Mother and the Mother of God, but that she is also our Queen... in that she leads all the believing and the saints in battle against all that attacks us in this world! I love to picture that especially after what we have encountered over the last year.... I recently read an article by a woman that had just returned to the Church when her daughter received her first communion... she spoke of when she was in Catholic school and had had St Joan or Arc for her patron saint and was so thrilled to be able to dress in armor and sword where the other girls... only got to wear long boring dresses. It is pretty cool to think of Mary dressed for battle and leading us forward with courage and determination! I have never really pictured her that way, but she is the reason for our salvation coming into the world and conquering sin and death... so she certainly has the weapons and the armor to win the fight along with an army of saints at her side and her Son is leading them all forward! Onward Christian Soldiers!

Jesus so much today to give us the courage and strength to go forward. Both of your parents were chosen for you to be born and raised in the wonderful "domestic Church" that they provided for you to grow in for those 33 years! WE look to both of them standing with you in glory today... May they help us as we strive to be good workers and good families... Jesus, Mary and Joseph pray for us! May we be families that are made in the image of your wonderful holy family. Amen and Halleluia! Bless-bless, Barb

The lilacs and apple blossoms are blooming even in the chilly wind that is blowing them around today... I came across some special ones of newborn Mary and her mom and family when she was just a few weeks old... enjoy...