The Pat and Barb Verly family and their 5 children, in laws and grandkids along with many prayer warriors have been drawn together by John's cancer... sharing daily for 8 months started this blog- Family Soul Story - Our faith, family, farm and now our cancer journey called HEALING have colored and deepened our world. WE continue to share and depend on the support of our prayer warrior community, that has lowered us into the Lord's presence for His healing!
http://www.catholicgentleman.net/2015/06/satan-hates-the-family-heres-why/ I have to say something and I found this short article to be very precise and really helped me to find that confidence in The Truth! I am speaking about the legalization of same sex marriage in all 50 states which happened a few days ago. It saddens me to no end to see all those celebrating this event... as one of my co-workers said today - "there are no morals anymore."
I do feel that Satan is attacking the family and this article points that out so eloquently!
"The family is the earthly image and icon of Trinitarian love. The communion of love between husband and wife is designed to be fruitful, to bring forth life. In a very real sense, married love creates. This is why marriage carries the dignity of a sacrament—because it is a holy image of the Trinity.
Only God can truly create. Satan cannot. And Satan hates this fact. He is sterile in every sense of the word. He hates the Trinity because he envies its life giving and creative power, and he hates the family because it mirrors the Trinity.
And what better way to mock and warp the life-giving love of the Holy Trinity than to attempt to redefine marriage as something that cannot bring forth life? To redefine it as something inverted and sterile, like Satan himself? This is what homosexual “marriage” really is: Satan’s mockery of the family, and thus of the Trinity." Sam Guzman
“Our commandress, the Immaculate, refuge of sinners, is also the vanquisher of the hellish serpent.” – St. Maximilian Kolbe Mary, I turn to you each day. The Holy Family is my model of FAMILY and Faith!
Daughter, Maria, with her 4! She also has 2 in heaven - "Mom, when we get to heaven we are going to have to have a big van for all those kids!" Therese understands LIFE!!! Bless-bless, Barb
The most humble ones I know are my Hallel and her Community of the Lamb! This comes to mind today with the Gospel root of our Communion response - Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed. These are the words of the centurion in the Gospel today - Matthew 8 except he says "servant" instead of my soul, but aren't we all His servant? Yes!
Hallel with her arms full from Dominic.
I can look at Susan/Hallel and see how embracing poverty and depending on divine providence to care for them... going out to beg for their food and representing Christ knocking on the door of the poor. The first time she went on a mission with the Community in the summer heat in Kansas City... she said that it was the hardest thing she had ever done, but yet it touched her very deeply and profoundly. It must have because a year later, when they opened their house in Kansas City, she flew to France to enter - Sept 11, 2008!
I know that I am not worthy, and that Jesus filling me with his Spirit is how I can find true happiness and a small slice of heaven here on earth. It seems quite contrary to die to self and become humble in order to truly find yourself and your path and your ability to serve others without counting the cost!
Jesus, help me this day as I serve those at the nursing home. May I truly humbly serve. I fail miserably in my domestic Church/home, but I ask forgiveness and try again knowing that I have been shown your Mercy and now need to return that to those closest to me. May all that we need to accomplish these days at home allow us to leave for some family vacation and enjoy our close family time! Safe travels for Ruth and Paul and their 5 as they start out today. Jesus, we trust in you. Amen and Hallelujah
Bless-bless, Barbara Luke
Hallel called us on the phone as we were leaving the strawberry patch... John, Ruth and I got to hear her voice and catch up on each other's lives. She sounded happy and it is good to be able to share with her from time to time. She is always with me in my heart, mind and soul. We know of her constant prayers as they are contemplative/in prayer throughout the day with mass and adoration and mendicating/chewing The Word!
their lamps are lit!
The Bridesmaids with their lamps lit for the coming of their Bridegroom! The Word comes to LIFE!
John bringing home a load of bales - the sun's out after a brief shower.
Parked in the yard...
Puddles and bales don't usually go together. We are wrapping things up around here, so we can head to Michigan! Praying for safe travels for all and a wonderful close family time on the inland sea! Jesus, we trust in you. Bless-bless, Barb
How wonderful to have mom out to her farm last night. In the background is the farm where these 4 lived and grew up, and where Ed and Rita now live. It was a special small gathering of Verlys and visiting relatives from Detroit.
In keeping with the Gospel from Matthew 8 - the healing/cleansing of the leper... morning prayer focused on the reading from Matthew 12 in which the unclean spirit is cast out and wanders looking for a home to dwell in - "I will return to my home from which I came." But upon returning, it finds it empty, swept clean, and put in order. Then it goes and brings back with itself seven more spirits more evil than itself, and they move in and dwell there; and the last condition of that person is worse than the first.
John sharing his story of Faith found through brain cancer with Marie. He had just shared with her that one day we counted all the images of Jesus and Mary in our family room/kitchen, and discovered that there are close to 50 of each - recently I added a wonderful painting of the Good Shepherd that I found in a second hand store by my mother's house. John had just shared his "growing up in a Catholic bubble" piece of his story. Quite true visually as they are surrounded by symbols of what dwells in our hearts, minds and souls!
It struck me this day of the beautiful story of cleansing/healing... The leper's life was a wound. Yet something greater than the unspeakable misery he faced every day moved him to fall in homage before Jesus. For all his life he had been waiting to meet someone who would make him clean. No degree of disease could lessen his expectation or diminish his conviction. When we live with the leper's certainty, the Lord touches us, cleanses us, and invites us, "Walk in my presence and be blameless." see www.magnificat.com
Once we find Christ in our lives and we leave the old messed up self behind - we need to fill our new fresh self with good daily! We long to dwell on our Lord and His Bride, The Church, is there to help us get to heaven and in order to do that we need to fill our rooms with all that is holy and good! We each day ponder His Word and I love to do this with the readings for each day - read all over the world, and preached about and mendicated/chewed as we become Christ and be his hands and feet in the world - most especially in our domestic Church/family! Along with The Word, are the Saints for each day, and those that are special to us - for me is St Luke, my confirmation Saint, St John Paul II, and on and on and on and on. I am so in love with the Saints, and they help me so much. I am currently praying with my mother to St Rita - the Saint of impossible cases!
Another one of this special moment we will all cherish!
There is also Mary the Queen of the Saints and so important to me to keep that cleansed soul filled with all that is LIGHT/LIFE/LOVE/Jesus and His Bride, The Church. Her rosary prayer fills all the cracks and crevices of each day with wonder and JOY in the midst of the craziness of my LIFE. PRAYER is what leaves and sent of incense in my cleansed soul and keeps me always in His Presence as though I have constant adoration going on in my soul and heart!
So blessed by the best hour of my week!
Jesus, may we know that the more impossible it is the more you love to come and touch us! Abraham and Sarah had to wait until they were 100 and 90 to have a child! This was important to show that truly You are in control in the storms of our lives and all the rest too! You cleanse us from our sins in the confessional and we are wounded and sick as we walk in and come out clean and whole and healed and given unconditional LOVE and forgiveness! We then long to be Yours in all ways and are filled each day with so much we are overwhelmed by your LOVE and Mercy and carry that forth into our domestic Church/family. May it bring healing into our families and our marriages! Jesus, we trust in you. Amen and Hallelujah
The corn field is lush after some wonderful rains...
I stepped out there to see how high it was yesterday when I was mowing - shoulder high, for sure, on the 4th of July. Bless-bless, Barbara Luke
Mom showing her appreciation for her care-giver, RaTerra.
She a good one to ponder her wisdom - an intention from morning prayer which puzzled me and made me pause - Your wisdom is a difficult virtue:- make our hearts wise. Protect and guide your people, Lord. It is true that we are nothing without Him to give us the wisdom of The Holy Spirit!'
I can see this and St Augustine is always good for words of wisdom!
David was the top picker last year, and probably this year, too! I am so late today due to a big day of strawberries - 57 pounds picked and now a lot of jam later...
Notice Rose's berry juice chin behind her bucket. She was a pretty good picker this year, though!
With our trip to Michigan just days away the Gospel today about the house built on sand seems to be very appropriate. Sometimes we just have to do that when you want to have a house on the shores of Lake Michigan or another large body of water - inland sea or ocean that has wonderful sugar sand all around where you want to build. It is called placing your Trust in Jesus, and using the best modern technology to build a solid home that will withstand the storms of LIFE!
A large picking crew and probably only 1 1/2 year old Luke didn't contribute to the 11 buckets we picked!
All the pails filled to the top!
This year we picked the first picking - the King berries! They filled up our pails quickly!
Yes, we still need to build our lives on the rock - Jesus and His Bride, The Church! The shifting sands of this world are not a solid base for us as we share His LIGHT with all those around us - most especially those in our domestic Church/family. When working with kids and teaching them the work ethic - it is always a teaching moment. These kids are cheerful and willing workers!
Luke with his mommy was sweet and cute! He ate quite a few...
Almost all the pails filled in just an hour with lots of good help!
Luke showing that all the berries he picked are in his tummy... Elmo's happy too!
That's a lot of jam!!
The traditional strawberry pose - I would get Nancy to do this quite a few birthdays!
The workers at the sink!
Enough for strawberry short cake for dessert for the workers, and some of the many jars of freezer jam we made today.
Jesus, there are times that we need to go ahead and do things trusting in you to protect and save us. Yet, we also need to fasten our Faith on the Truth and share it without counting the cost. Jesus, we trust in you. Amen and Hallelujah
Ruth and I always fill the pots to the top with no more room for any more to fit! We did it once again! Bless-bless, Barbara Luke
Pat's mom with niece, Pat, at the shelter for a Verly gathering. I just couldn't imagine her not there - the queen bee! As we pulled up there she was!!!!
Her daughter, RaTerra, makes things happen for mom!
So nice to have her there to share her love and caring with Family.
The North Verlys - because they grew up on North Hwy 59 about 4 miles out, and Mom's family grew up on South 59 about that far out. Yes, 7 showed up from their side and just 4 from the South Verlys! It was a good gathering full of visiting and laughter!
Mom arrives and she is the hit of the night! Bless-bless, Barb
