John with Goddaughter, Josephine, 5 years ago.
5 years ago John came along to KC! He had yet to reconnect with his Bobbi, and marry and now with 2 children! He might have been sad and wondering when it would be his turn for love and family at this point. But now he has been given such a wonderful answer to his prayers!
John's picture perfect answer to many prayers! Christmas day 2021 with Jude, 2 1/2 and Birdie 1 1/2.
The most beautiful story behind this coming together of 2 classmates 10 years later is that Bobbi was praying for John as her future husband... here's the amazing story!
After being classmates for all 13 years for them to come together 10 years after graduating is kind of special. She shared to the 300 family and friends gathered at the reception in her sweet humble way about how John Verly popped into her head and heart when they were seniors in HS as her future husband. Time and time again the same answer came to her through prayer and roses from St Therese and opening her eyes to see him right in front of her at WYD in Australia... When we consider what John experienced over those 10 years... brain cancer, seminary, girl friends, ups and downs and how disheartening it probably was and how powerful her prayers were for him!!!! Amazing!!! And how patient and trusting and prayerful and waiting and praying for John, this sweet girl was!
Praying this morning with my newest granddaughter, Regina Maria, her siblings one by one, Hallel, and always with my parents, who left behind for me their wonderful prayer books. How we all love St John, The Evangelist, and there is no doubt that my parents are rejoicing in heaven with him today!
9 year old Bernadette with her newborn sister, Regina Maria!
A sweet story from Brother Victor yesterday - their sheep barn with baby Jesus!
Out to take pictures of the snow - Ignatius, my cat, saw me and came running for the warm house!
He came a running for warmth and food and comfortable beds and couches to lay upon. He has the life of comfort. Bless-bless, Barbara and Iggy!
My last cat left... some hard losses, but he stays fat and soft and loving. He reminds me of what an otter would feel like with lots of fat under his very soft luxurious fur.
I had my hour with Jesus for the first hour of Monday - 12m-1a! This vision of LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT filled me to overflowing as I prayed for both of our families - 250+! What JOY!!!!!!
Every last word of the first reading from 1 John is a pearl of great price!
Reading I 1 Jn 1:1-4
Beloved:
What was from the beginning,
what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes,
what we looked upon
and touched with our hands
concerns the Word of life —
for the life was made visible;
we have seen it and testify to it
and proclaim to you the eternal life
that was with the Father and was made visible to us—
what we have seen and heard
we proclaim now to you,
so that you too may have fellowship with us;
for our fellowship is with the Father
and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.I John 1:1-4
Our JOY is truly complete with all we are given each day of our journey in The Church - we just celebrated our 50th Anniversary on Christmas! All 18,250 have been filled with total JOY!!!
Now 7 year old Dominic! And yes, in marriage we are called upon to offer up our hurts and our disagreements that come with dying to self in order to serve each other. Our Most Cherished Cross!
5 year old Josephine Francis...
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
We praise you, O God,
we acclaim you as Lord;
the glorious company of Apostles praise you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
We praise you, O God,
we acclaim you as Lord;
the glorious company of Apostles praise you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
It is a Hallelujah kind of day today! So very much!
St Augustine today in The Office of Readings
From tractates on the first letter of John by Saint Augustine, bishop
(Tract 1, 1. 3: PL 35, 1978, 1980)
Life itself was revealed in the flesh
Our message is the Word of life. We announce what existed from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our own eyes, what we have touched with our own hands. Who could touch the Word with his hands unless the Word was made flesh and lived among us?
Now this Word, whose flesh was so real that he could be touched by human hands, began to be flesh in the Virgin Mary’s womb; but he did not begin to exist at that moment. We know this from what John says: What existed from the beginning. Notice how John’s letter bears witness to his Gospel, which you just heard a moment ago: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God.
Someone might interpret the phrase the Word of life to mean a word about Christ, rather than Christ’s body itself which was touched by human hands. But consider what comes next: and life itself was revealed. Christ therefore is himself the Word of life.
And how was this life revealed? It existed from the beginning, but was not revealed to men, only to angels, who looked upon it and feasted upon it as their own spiritual bread. But what does Scripture say? Mankind ate the bread of angels.
Life itself was therefore revealed in the flesh. In this way what was visible to the heart alone could become visible also to the eye, and so heal men’s hearts. For the Word is visible to the heart alone, while flesh is visible to bodily eyes as well. We already possessed the means to see the flesh, but we had no means of seeing the Word. The Word was made flesh so that we could see it, to heal the part of us by which we could see the Word.
John continues: And we are witnesses and we proclaim to you that eternal life which was with the Father and has been revealed among us—one might say more simply “revealed to us.”
We proclaim to you what we have heard and seen. Make sure that you grasp the meaning of these words. The disciples saw our Lord in the flesh, face to face; they heard the words he spoke, and in turn they proclaimed the message to us. So we also have heard, although we have not seen.
Are we then less favored than those who both saw and heard? If that were so, why should John add: so that you too may have fellowship with us? They saw, and we have not seen; yet we have fellowship with them, because we and they share the same faith.
And our fellowship is with God the Father and Jesus Christ his Son. And we write this to you to make your joy complete—complete in that fellowship, in that love and in that unity.
George is a sweet big brother for the first time!
(Tract 1, 1. 3: PL 35, 1978, 1980)
Life itself was revealed in the flesh
Our message is the Word of life. We announce what existed from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our own eyes, what we have touched with our own hands. Who could touch the Word with his hands unless the Word was made flesh and lived among us?
Now this Word, whose flesh was so real that he could be touched by human hands, began to be flesh in the Virgin Mary’s womb; but he did not begin to exist at that moment. We know this from what John says: What existed from the beginning. Notice how John’s letter bears witness to his Gospel, which you just heard a moment ago: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God.
Someone might interpret the phrase the Word of life to mean a word about Christ, rather than Christ’s body itself which was touched by human hands. But consider what comes next: and life itself was revealed. Christ therefore is himself the Word of life.
And how was this life revealed? It existed from the beginning, but was not revealed to men, only to angels, who looked upon it and feasted upon it as their own spiritual bread. But what does Scripture say? Mankind ate the bread of angels.
Life itself was therefore revealed in the flesh. In this way what was visible to the heart alone could become visible also to the eye, and so heal men’s hearts. For the Word is visible to the heart alone, while flesh is visible to bodily eyes as well. We already possessed the means to see the flesh, but we had no means of seeing the Word. The Word was made flesh so that we could see it, to heal the part of us by which we could see the Word.
John continues: And we are witnesses and we proclaim to you that eternal life which was with the Father and has been revealed among us—one might say more simply “revealed to us.”
We proclaim to you what we have heard and seen. Make sure that you grasp the meaning of these words. The disciples saw our Lord in the flesh, face to face; they heard the words he spoke, and in turn they proclaimed the message to us. So we also have heard, although we have not seen.
Are we then less favored than those who both saw and heard? If that were so, why should John add: so that you too may have fellowship with us? They saw, and we have not seen; yet we have fellowship with them, because we and they share the same faith.
And our fellowship is with God the Father and Jesus Christ his Son. And we write this to you to make your joy complete—complete in that fellowship, in that love and in that unity.
And our fellowship is with God the Father and Jesus Christ his Son. And we write this to you to make your joy complete—complete in that fellowship, in that love and in that unity. - dad underlined this in his well worn Prayer of The Church!
Honoring our Salvation - we need to pray for our Pope and our Church which we love with no reservations! It is such a blessing to me to have both my parents together in heaven just 7 months apart last year! We totally shared our LOVE for Jesus, Mary and the Church! I now am given so much by them each day including their more prefect prayers for their family here on earth. We are at 140+! 
A picture of year old Barb, I found in Nancy's baby book. That round face is familiar in my kids and grandkids!
Precious Regina allowed us to experience the new born child's wonder at the time of the Birth of our Lord and Savior!
Lots of time cradled by her loving grandpa, who loves LIFE and led us to the family Truth we all share - Open to LIFE and raising LIGHTS!
Family Soul Story - Choose Life!: Our marriage stories - "The world needs LIGHTS!"
We continue with Christmas Octave and beyond. Christmas continues!
God is with us!
Farm Christmas dinner - Billy is the best cook!
Ugly Christmas sweater and home grown steak!
Birdie with grandma's rosary and she said; "Rosary" as she put it around her neck. She so resembles my girls and her namesake, Barbara.... me!
Sunday snow while we were snug in the house. Glad that the kids in Delano have snow for their new sledding tubes - all 5 of them!
Making the world white and beautiful and not too much for the famers and livestock!
Snow outside, Advent and Christmas candle by the light of the nativity and Christmas tree as we celebrated the Feast of the Holy Family. Pat reports that he likes my mother's chair! That makes me smile really big and bright!
So beautiful! The womb is a holy place indeed! How I love that we are given her to bring into our homes thanks to St John standing at the foot of the Cross with Mary! We find Peace, Joy, and LOVE when she is in our homes!
A white blanket - so beautiful and soon to be very cold. I am sure that deep bedding is being put down for all the animals.
I love to hear about how Pat and his family would "bed" their animals on Christmas eve in honor of the stable in Bethlehem! LOVE!
Joy to the world!
