During naptime...or maybe when the other cousins are here for lunch... Maria has plans to secretly put some candy in their shoes to commemorate the feast of ST Nicholas - Santa Claus! WE will have a family lunch after some snow pictures as they are all arriving in snow clothes... Now grandpa is reading toTherese from her Bible that mom and she just found in their boxes in the basement... He is reading to her the Gospel for today!
Today is the Gospel from Luke where friends lower the paralytic into the presence of Jesus to have his sins forgiven/be healed.... How we love that reading as we have just experienced that to the max with all those that lowered us into His presence - the prayer warriors who we feel are shoulder to shoulder with us in the battle against cancer over the last year...
We received this wonderful drawing from the Little Sisters in Kansas City soon after we had discovered John's cancer... this totally expressed how we felt peace in knowing that we were in the hands and prayers of our friends and lowered to Him! We are forever touched and healed!
I had looked at my scanned pictures for this one of John being lowered before Christ... I discovered other "snow pictures" from Pat's family, my family and our family... you can tell that I have snow pictures on my brain with having grandkids here in their colorful snow clothes shortly...
From the Gospel today - Luke 5: 17-26 "And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed ; they were trying to bring him in and set him in his presence." How often do we do this with those that we love? We yearn for them to know of the "presence" of Christ and be healed of those fears and hurts that are paralyzing them in their lives!
"But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles into the middle in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, 'As for you , your sins are forgiven.' " This reminds us that we should not give up... no matter what crowds us from his presence... we need to continually put our paralyzing needs and friends and family before him! Persevere!
"Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply,'What are you thinking in your hearts? Which is easier to say,'Your sins are forgiven', or to say,'Rise up and walk?' But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins' - he said to the one who was paralyzed, 'I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher and go home.'" We all know that until we rid ourselves from the bondage of our sins in confession that we are paralyzed in the knowledge of our weakness and smallness and our illness... what we don't know and remember is that the Lord comes to us and carries us in those times of humility and weakness!
"He stood up immediately before them, picked up what he had been laying on, and went home, glorifying God." We hear so often that John's healing is a miracle that so many were a part of! A young girl in our confirmation class remembered the mass where John was prayed over with the relic of Venerable Solanus Casey and annointed...."I started praying for him every day after that, and now I found out that his cancer is gone!" Her prayer became real and powerful at that point for she had lowered John into the presence of Christ.... and he had been healed!
"Then astonishment siezed them all and they glorified God, and, struck with awe, they said,'We have seen incredible things today,' " Just the other day on caringbridge a special friend wrote: "I believe we have witnessed a miracle in John's healing, life changing for all who joined him on the journey. Thank you Jesus for allowing us to see this." I know that John and his family feel this way, so it is wonderful to hear it from our friends/ prayer warriors!
St Nicholas is a wonderful kind and caring man, who was a bishop in the 300s... he was wonderful and loving towards the needs of children while alive and after his death... He is wonderful to keep in mind to put those children in our family in his presence that are in special need... finding themselves in difficult situations in their families...Here is more about the true and special Santa Clause... intercede for those little ones that need you!
Thanksgiving many moons ago... probably in 1975 or so....
Now for St Nicholas..."One story tells of a poor man with three daughters. In those days a young woman's father had to offer prospective husbands something of value—a dowry. The larger the dowry, the better the chance that a young woman would find a good husband. Without a dowry, a woman was unlikely to marry. This poor man's daughters, without dowries, were therefore destined to be sold into slavery. Mysteriously, on three different occasions, a bag of gold appeared in their home-providing the needed dowries. The bags of gold, tossed through an open window, are said to have landed in stockings or shoes left before the fire to dry. This led to the custom of children hanging stockings or putting out shoes, eagerly awaiting gifts from Saint Nicholas. Sometimes the story is told with gold balls instead of bags of gold. That is why three gold balls, sometimes represented as oranges, are one of the symbols for St. Nicholas. And so St. Nicholas is a gift-giver." see
http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=38
Another story about ST Nicholas interceding after his death..."One of the oldest stories showing St. Nicholas as a protector of children takes place long after his death. The townspeople of Myra were celebrating the good saint on the eve of his feast day when a band of Arab pirates from Crete came into the district. They stole treasures from the Church of Saint Nicholas to take away as booty. As they were leaving town, they snatched a young boy, Basilios, to make into a slave. The emir, or ruler, selected Basilios to be his personal cupbearer, as not knowing the language, Basilios would not understand what the king said to those around him. So, for the next year Basilios waited on the king, bringing his wine in a beautiful golden cup. For Basilios' parents, devastated at the loss of their only child, the year passed slowly, filled with grief. As the next St. Nicholas' feast day approached, Basilios' mother would not join in the festivity, as it was now a day of tragedy. However, she was persuaded to have a simple observance at home—with quiet prayers for Basilios' safekeeping. Meanwhile, as Basilios was fulfilling his tasks serving the emir, he was suddenly whisked up and away. St. Nicholas appeared to the terrified boy, blessed him, and set him down at his home back in Myra. Imagine the joy and wonderment when Basilios amazingly appeared before his parents, still holding the king's golden cup. This is the first story told of St. Nicholas protecting children—which became his primary role in the West."
Yes, that is me with my dad... a bit evident that I was the first precious child by all the photos of me... Now I am heading out to capture some snowball pictures with the grandkids! Jesus, thank you for all the special parts of each day! Your Gospel and amazing readings that are there to teach us with the mass that is celebrated throughout the world at every single Catholic Church! Now that is universal and we can all together be blessed by your holy Word - your Healing Presence among us and be fed by your heavenly Food - the Eucharist - your true Body and Blood!
"The compassion of Jesus is the compassion of forgiveness. Many people were locked in guilt, feelings of unworthiness, broken hearts and spirits, fearful of God.... Jesus came to reveal the forgiving face of God, a God yearning to reveal love and communion... To forgive is to call back and to reveal that the person is loved, cherished, and full of worth;
"to forgive is to liberate from the broken, crushed self-image, from feelings of guilt. Forgiveness is to refind the kiss of peace, the kiss of the covenant, and then to celebrate unity." Jean Vanier "Forgiveness implies an understanding of our own poverty, wretchedness, brokenness, and sin; it implies too an openness to receive the hand and words of love." Thank you, Lord, for our smallness and in that smallness the willingness to be lowered into your presence by our friends... and as a result of the forgiveness of our sins - our healing... we all "glorified God, and struck with awe, they said,'WE have seen incredible things today!" WE are all forever changed and healed and will continue to persevere in lowering our friends into your healing presence! Amen and Halleluia!
Bless-bless, Barb
"They will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak, Say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God... he comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,the ears of the deaf be cleared; Then will the lame leap like a stag, and the tongue of the mute will sing." Isaiah 35: 1-10 The first reading from Mass today! Too amazing! Jesus, we trust in you!
Maria and the kids helped me put up the tree before I had to leave and work at Birthright tonight... as Maria said as I was leaving... "Grandma's going to save lives." When little Therese asked why grandma is leaving. 
Maria showed me how much my working for Birthright had affected her after all of these years...I have volunteered for Birthright since my first year of marriage... 32 years!... as soon as she was at college... she worked for prolife! She carried a crisis pregnancy phone for the last few years and I heard her in the midst of life... take a call and calmly talk to a girl that was in crisis and have her come in for an ultrasound at the center where she worked in St Paul! For these women to "see" that there truly is a baby in there is the best way to help them to carry them to term... The truth of life is brought to LIGHT!
Life is so precious and there is no more wonderful way this time of year to celebrate the fact that our God loved us so much that He took on the amazing life and love of a small helpless human child...than to look upon these little sweet children that the Lord has blessed Maria and Joseph with! Thank you Lord! Jesus, we trust in you! Amen and Halleluia!
