Lent means spring - time for Spring Housecleaning of our souls! 40 days in the desert - Babies' First Ashes!

Oldest daughter Ruth Ida Rose with her 3 1/2 month old son, Thomas, with his first ashes!  They shared mass and Ash Wednesday services with his 4 older siblings at the Catholic School this morning.  His 2 oldest siblings - his Godparents, Simon and Mary, will have to go with dad this evening.  

How this grandma's heart prays that for every year of his life and the lives of our other 21 grandchildren will have a Lent - 40 days in the desert coming closer to Jesus with the help of His Bride, The Church... each year of their lives!  

2 1/2month old Regina Maria and her first ashes this morning with her mom, Nancy.  More than likely they shared mass with her 5 older siblings at the Catholic School also this morning.  How we love our Catholic Schools in helping share the Faith in our domestic Church/family and yes, Catholic Home School for our military family.  

I am waiting till this afternoon to get my Maggie with her first ashes - they go to mass at noon - 2p our time, so she will be added here later. 

Now soon to be 10 month old Maggie in Washington.  She rubbed hers off on mommy's jacket but I can still see them my sweet little girl with her first ashes!

Fr Denny and Deacon Ken blesesing the ashes at 7a mass with hubby and John!

It was wonderful to walk into mass at 7a and find John there to share mass with his father and I.  Not only that, but Father Denny asked for help in distributing the ashes and John stepped forward.  I often think how John was so prayed for and the miracle that others recognize in his healing from brain cancer 13 years ago.  He is left with obvious unsteady gait due to ataxia, yet he always steps forward when asked to serve in any way he can!  He truly found his Faith through brain cancer!

John and Deacon Ken distributing ashes this morning.  "Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return."  

Thanks John for answering the call to serve - your witness to finding your LOVE for Jesus, Mary, the Saints and The Church is without a doubt witnessed by all!  

Hair gone due to whole brain radiation 13 years ago.  How we pray for healthy brain for his lifetime now with wonderful wife and 2 little ones!

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

John's Spirit Juice video to promote his story and message - the story continues now with wife and children!  

A smile for mom as we head into the desert for 40 days - we are sinful and we need Jesus our Savior and his unconditional forgiveness and Mercy!

My Most Cherished Cross with his Cross of ashes 

Keeping his vigil of the cows in the barn that are due to calf - we are spoiled and blessed by Cow TV!  We have 11 calves and they were only due to start calving right now.  Many prayers and constant work by the farmers, Pat and Paul and time to time Ruth, Rose, David, Simon, Mary, Luke, and Joy!  Rose and Joy bottle feed calves as needed, Simon beds with nice clean soft bedding as needed, Mary will help with bedding too, but now is a goat farmer with the help of David, who feeds his baby goat and 4 other bottle goats, Luke is called upon as needed, too.  

As funny as it seems... when Pat needs help outside and Paul is gone, he would rather I watch Tom and Farmer Ruth help him.  She moves faster and is a more willing and able helper for sure.  Tom and I get by for a few hours.  

With my dad, Hallel, and our Marriage Sacrament 43 1/2 years ago behind me... Lent begins this year with this wonderful gift from our Community of The Lamb on our parents' weekend.  The fathers started making and then some Little Sisters finished them overnight.

"Wounded, I will never cease to love."  is strongly in my heart, mind and soul after sharing a weekend with Our Little Sisters and our Little Brothers and 5 other couples that are parents of Little Sisters and  a new Little Brother Postulant, who grew up a few block away in the neighborhood.

With Our family picture from a month ago - all 33 of us, even Hallel added to make it complete!  With a family there are wounds that come with sharing our lives together in our domestic Church/family!  The motto of the Lamb reminds us to die to self and lovingly forgive the wounds we receive.  

In Fr Denny's homily this morning he began telling us that Lent means Spring, and then that we are called during Lent to "do spring housecleaning on our souls/our spiritual lives."  We need to turn away from sin and embrace The Gospel with prayer, fasting and giving.

St Therese our family and the Lamb.

3 years ago with Dad on his 94th birthday which was Ash Wednesday that year - March 6, 2019. How I would love to go and spend some time with my dad and mom in the cemetery on Sunday, but the weather is looking like "March is the snowiest month of the year" as my weather man husband the farmer Pat likes to remind me.

I am sorely missing my parents as anniversaries are here and ahead - last time seeing my mom before she died in a day on March 16th, and then dad coming here on April 16th to live for the last 6 months of his life on hospice on the farm.  

Pondering this morning with the occasion of 3 of my new grandchildren receiving their first ashes at months old!  Nothing more wonderful than sharing our Faith as a family!!!  Pondering that they will be able to say when they are 94 - that is their 94th year of having the Cross of ashes to remind them of the work of Lent that lies ahead.  For my father, who came into The Church at age 47 , he can only recall 48 years of Lent!  And I, who entered the church at age 20... 50 years of ashes and counting!  While my hubby can claim 67 years of the cross of ashes!  Well, last year they sprinkled them on the top of our heads due to covid!!!!  So glad we have our human touch with placing the cross on our foreheads!  A year off made me yearn for that!  

Once again I am on my knees in my inner chapel that each and every one of my children, children in law and now 22 grandchildren will hold onto their faith and make it deeply and powerfully their own!  

Oh daddy!  How I miss you, and yet through your wonderful prayer books I still have you walking with me! 

This is answering the powerful message Nancy spreads about bringing your kids along to your hour of Adoration!
From Nancy...

https://catholicsprouts.com/adoration 

Hey there-

Maybe you’ve noticed that I’ve gotten a little heavy-handed with the “BRING YOUR FAMILY TO ADORATION” message I’ve been preaching lately. Maybe you’re on board, or maybe you’re thinking “yeah right” every time an email or Instagram Post from me pops up.

If that’s the case, I just want you to know that I get it. Bringing the kids to adoration is intimidating.

The funny thing about the internet is that you aren’t ever able to see someone else entirely. Perhaps my little life and my family and my faith seem above average to you. Perhaps also you assume that I joyfully chose to keep a Holy Hour and that, even though it’s hard, I never hesitate to spend that time with Jesus.

If you thought either of these things you are most definitely wrong. We are, without a doubt, average on all points, and I did not choose to keep a weekly Holy Hour.

My sister made me do it.

Here is our Adoration Story.

This is the beautiful chapel of the Little Sisters of the Lamb in Kansas City, Kansas (go visit if you can). And yes, that is Jesus up on the altar.

My sister is a fully-professed member of this community (meaning she is a nun), and through the grace of God three years ago she was sent to the community’s monastery in Kansans City. At the time, we happened to be living just outside of Kansas City. And so, without asking me, my sister signed me up for a weekly Holy Hour.

I remember when she told me she said something like, “I think it will be so beautiful! To have the kids there, playing before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.”

I told her she was crazy. Nun or not, she was still my little sister, and on this point, she was being just stupid. My kids were crazy. Some of them are downright wild! Before this, I had “stopped by” adoration a few times with the kids, but that was it.

A whole hour, every week? Um, no. Impossible.

But the thing about nuns, especially when they are your sister, is that they can be really pushy.

She forced me to give try it, and if it really was impossible, she told me, they would find someone else to cover the hour. To make matters worse, Bill, my husband, was on my sister’s side. “It’ll be an opportunity to see your sister each week,” he reminded me, “and it could be really good for the kids.”

Easy for him to say, I told him. He isn’t going to be the one wrestling the kids in there for an hour each week.

But I submitted, and I went.

That first Wednesday at 9:30am I showed up with a huge bag of coloring books, crayons, picture books, a wooden nativity set, a knot of rosaries, 300 peg dolls, snacks and water bottles. I dropped everything in a heap on the floor and knelt down as the kids settled in. “What are we supposed to do?” they asked me. I pointed to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and said, “Say hi to Jesus.”

And that’s where it all started. We all looked up at Jesus and said “Hi”. And then the silence came in around us, for just a second.

I remember following the gaze of my little Bernadette, four at the time, as she looked at Jesus up on the altar. It was incredible to see her seeing Jesus there in the Blessed Sacrament. For a second I was transfixed. Then the baby pushed her way up onto my lap, the big bag of stuff got dumped out, and someone slipped and fell.

That first hour we spent with Jesus passed like every hour since.

I kneel as kids moved in and out of my arms. I encourage them to kneel too, to speak quietly, to talk to Jesus in their minds. They did these things, for a while. Sometimes they color or draw a picture for Jesus. Sometimes the older ones write a note to Him. There is usually a tussle or argument over something, on a number of occasions we have actually broken things, I’ve had to deal with all sorts of behavior issues while in the chapel, but, in the end, we always come back to Jesus. Before we leave we spend the last minute kneeling together saying thank you to Jesus, regardless of how the hour went.

Making it through that first hour was a victory. Not going to lie, I was WAITING for the next adorer to show up–and I still wait anxiously!--but I walked out, even that first day, knowing that we had done something special.

Keeping a Holy Hour with little kids is HARD, but it is also very special. Maybe the fact that it is hard is what makes it so special? I’m not sure, but I do know that taking my crew to Adoration is the most special thing I have done as a mother.

Needless to say, I kept the hour.

The next week I showed up with WAY LESS STUFF and no snack. I also laid down some ground rules before we walked in. There were still issues, and we were all ready to leave when the next adorer showed up, but once again we made it, and it was special.

I wish I could say more than that–that it was special–but I’m not sure what else there is to say.

That hour–full of kids and noise and mess–was a gift. A gift to a God that has already given me everything. We were there for Him. It is a joy to know that I was able to give Him something, imperfect and small, but a gift nonetheless.

And because God is so good, He has poured gifts on me in return.

I am still such an imperfect Mom, but I find it easier to pray for my children and to see God in them. I am still such an imperfect wife, but even when I fail him in so many ways, I know I can give my husband the gift of prayer each week as I kneel before the Blessed Sacrament. And, I am still such an imperfect daughter of the Most High God, but spending time with Him each week has reminded me of His faithfulness, His mercy and His determination to be close to me.

In short, that hour with the Lord as my children fall in and out of prayer has changed me utterly and completely.

Because of my own experiences, I believe so strongly that adoration is for everyone, even families with little ones. Bring the crabby, wild kids. Bring the nursing babies and moody big kids. Bring them all and give the Lord an hour.

He doesn’t ask us to be perfect before we come. He will work on us while we are there.

your sister in the small things,

Nancy

Wow!  Thanks Nancy for the wonderful reminder of how we can have this intimate time with Jesus in deep prayer even with kids!  My hubby reminded me that Jesus is there in the tabernacle even when there is not actual adoration going on.  Yes, come away to the mountain alone and spend time with Jesus!  We are so blessed in The Church to recognize Jesus in the breaking of the Bread/Body!  Also Jesus in The Word!

The Lamb shows us how to forgive and give without counting the cost.  

May we share our Faith with JOY in our domestic Church/family - open to LIFE and raising LIGHTS!

LOVE!  Peace fills me as I take up my beads each day.

We are marked with The Cross this day and forward.

Oh, Lord, hear our prayers!  

I had to go and find dad's Lenten prayer book today.  Walking through these 40 days with dad and mom.

An old stray Tom cat , Cally, has become a part time house cat, and he follows me around to be petted.  It took me all spring and summer and step by step he came to experience being loved and cared for for the first time in his life.  When it got cold - his gratitude for a warm soft place to come and be fed and petted won him totally over.  I didn't realize that I am such a cat person.  Look what I am learning in retirement?!?

A powerful message today from Pope Benedict XVI about the Truth - black and white/sufferings and Joys and the danger and lies of relativism/gray "tossed here and there, carried about by every wind of doctrine."  How I love that we have The True Church and I LOVE, love, LOVE it all with no reservations!  Thank you, Jesus!  Bless-bless, Barbara

"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

Danielle Rose 

Kutless - take me in to the Holy of Holies

Ginny Owens - If you want me to

 

"I have given up everything to follow you." Hallel/She now has 173 sisters, 36 brothers, a dozen houses in 6 lands.../Birdie and gummies

Little Sister Stella with her parents and Little Sister Olivianna a week ago on our parents' weekend in Kansas City, Kansas.  It was a powerful weekend of sharing the sacrifice we are called to make for our daughter's call to religious life.  

The Gospel today is a huge coming to LIFE of Truth for me of the Lord indeed answering this message in a most powerful way in the life of our daughter, who left all behind - in many ways including her family!  In other words the Gospel coming to LIFE!

Gospel Mk 10:28-31

Peter began to say to Jesus,
“We have given up everything and followed you.”
Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you,
there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or lands
for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel
who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:
houses and brothers and sisters
and mothers and children and lands,
with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.
But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

A picture taken off of a screen as we were watching some pictures of our daughters and their lives throughout the world. Our daughter, who is the 2nd American Little Sister, is living in Saint Pierre, France this year.  She is in charge of her small group living in one of the communities.  Their work is building and one night a week Hallel spends taking care of a Little Sister, who needs help to the bathroom and cares during the night.

Yes, Hallel left all behind including daily time with her family or even communication with her family.  Yet, I look at all she has gained just as the Lord promised - "100 times more in this present age!"  Including her sisters and brothers from our family - she now has 173 sisters, and 36 brothers, she has at least 12 Monasteries/Homes complete with chapel of daily worship in 6 different lands!  Wow!  That is 100 times more in my book!  

As far as mothers and children - I know that Hallel loves to spend time with families everywhere they have lived including when she lived in Kansas City at the same time Naney lived there - "my kids are a magnet for me to get to see Susan/Hallel."   Of course Mother Mary, Little Sister Marie - their foundress, who is still living and very loving towards her "children" - Little Sisters and Brothers!

My special sister/friend, Pat's sister RaTerra, is joining me at 70 today although with a leap year birthday it always feels a bit confusing.  Through her friendship at the U of M - I later met her brother Patrick and as a city girl came to the farm 43 1/2 years ago!  

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

7 years ago with Pat's mom on hospice in her home!

John called me to remind me to turn the calendar to March today.  LOVE it Bobbi!!!  Even added my sister, Mary, whose birthday is St Patrick's Day!  She died of cancer at age 28 after finding her dairy farmer Gerry and having her baby girl, Audrey!  Oh, Bobbi, you sure know how to pull my heart strings!  

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

Some time with my namesake, Birdie Barbara, while her brother went to check out his cough with his dad.  A little thumb sucker just like her 4 Verly Aunts before her.

 A year ago memory of Simon and Mary leading singing at mass - sharing the gift of their voices to the Lord!  Sing to the LORD a new song,
            for he has done wondrous deeds;  Psalm 98 from mass today!

Two years ago on Leap Year... 6 of the 10 siblings at a family funeral.

4 of my sibs using the gift of their voices singing at the funeral!  

Pat and I stopped at my parents' assisted living after with flowers and food.  Mom was so good that day and this picture of her happened to be a treasure as we lost her 2 weeks later.  She fell before breakfast and broke her hip and went to be with Jesus and Mary by 5p!  

Dementia was becoming an issue, but this day she was bright and wonderful and left Pat and I with such a fond last memory of mom and dad happily together in their new home - The Lodge of New Hope!

Birdie time!

"Bobbi curled her hair this morning and put a cute sweater on her."  Yes!!!

Grandma got carried away and spoiled her with fruit snacks - "gummies!"

Who can resist those begging eyes and her sweet voice with so many words?  "More gummies please?"

Lined up on the window sill... 

Chewing on one...

I love you gummy!!!  You make me smile inside and out!

Oh no, they are all gone!

Grandma will spoil me and give me some more!   Yeah!!!!

Riding on the semi with cows on board.

Daddy!!!!!

It is now afternoon, and I am needing to finish this for today.  It has been my JOY to recall how the Lord has blessed Hallel and her family with 100 times more than we could have ever had if we had not sacrificed with Hallel's "Yes."  to her LOVE/Jesus Christ!  When we do see her and get real hugs - they are so sweet after the time apart.  Now with Lent starting tomorrow we are asked to not communicate with her and fast from letters or phone calls.   Lent is such a powerful time and that fasting just adds to our sacrifice and embracing of our Cross as it becomes The Tree of LIFE!

Jesus, we love you and long to come closer to you over these 40 days.  May we die to self so that your Holy Spirit may dwell in us and we may become more your hands and feet.  May we give without counting the cost.  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen and Hallelujah

When Pat's mother was on hospice and close to death - she had her family gather around her bed at night repeat this together!  LOVE!

Nancy 2 years ago - it will be interesting so see if we get our crosses on our forehead this year - last year they just sprinkled ashes on the top of our heads in Pennsylvania.

How I hope we get our cross this year - I will keep you posted tomorrow!

Nancy 3 years ago with baby George at 2 weeks back at work on Catholic Sprouts podcast.  Now baby Regina will be 3 months in a couple weeks!  Open to LIFE and raising LIGHTS!

Catholic Sprouts 

I need to look these up...

YES!!!

4 years ago - this girl is 5 now! JoJo - Josesphine Francis

Time in my chapel on wheels following Pat to get his tractor fixed, and now we already picked it up again - "It was a quick fix."  I got most of my rosary said and we shared morning prayer together.  It was a good time to share with hubby - My Most Cherished Cross!

Dad today in morning prayer!  The verse that brought all 13 into The Church!  LOVE!

Dad 2 years ago today!  A month and a half later he came to live his last 6 months on the farm on hospice!  I was allowed to share in his religious life sharing morning and evening prayer and 3p rosary and chaplet on the porch!  I now have his prayer books and he liberally marked them to continue to share with me his JOY and LOVE for Jesus, Mary and The Church!  Bless-bless, Barbara and the 48 today... 33 here and 15 in heaven including mom and dad!!!

Funeral flowers for Our Lady in mom and dad's place 2 years ago!  Now she is in my home!

Danielle Rose 

 

Zach Williams