Monday, April 29, 2013

Mornings with Mary

Dear holy Mother,
open my heart to receive
the Word of Your Son. 
sooc

make your way 
to others who honor Mary
this Monday morning
on 
Radiant edit

Burst edit
This lovely statue was my mother's.
It was a gift from her sister-in-law,
it's a Hummel figurine.  Sometime or another
Mary's hand was broken off, probably by a cat
because my parents always had one
after they bought their home.
I, in turn, gave it to my daughter because
she cherishes the fact that it belonged to her grandmother. 


Sunday, April 28, 2013

Quotography: Mother Teresa Quote


 “Be faithful in small things 
because it is in them that your strength lies.”
~Mother Teresa~

In some people's lives,
baptism seems to be such
a minor event that it is
deemed not necessary.
But in the minds of believers,
it sets one on the right path to eternity.


linking to Quotography

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Farewell


This weekend, our parish bids farewell
to two people who have been
an integral part of our  spiritual lives,
Deacon Gary and his wife Carol.
Moving to help one of their 
precious daughters, we in turn,
wish them sad good-bys
and best wishes for this 
new chapter in their lives.
We will miss you.

a small gift of our
appreciation and love
we have for these two 


Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Praying for Boston Tragedy


Praying for all the injured
of the Boston Marathon
and their families
that the light of Christ
and the consoling of His Mother
bring comfort to them.

 

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Quotography: Flowers

"Consider the lilies, how they grow:
they neither toil nor spin;
but I tell you,
not even Solomon in all his glory
clothed himself like one of these."
~Luke 12:27~
New American Standard Bible

more flower quotes here

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Prayer for Pope Francis


When I received the May
issue of Magnificat,
I was pleasantly surprised
to see a prayer card
with Pope Francis
on the front and a prayer
on the back side was
included.

May God the Father,
God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit
assist Pope Francis
in his guidance of the Church.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

ABC Wednesday: Miniature

These are regular-sized daffodils. 
Below are the mini-size daffodils.
Both bring a shot of cheer to my spirit!

Miniature gems
bring renewal to my faith,
belief in rebirth.

 linking to ABC Wednesday

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Shadow Shot Sunday: Shadow on a Drawing, Update


I had not been to our local mall for quite some time.
I was pleased to see a new shop selling beautiful handmade items.
Profits go to the artist. 

Since this store is so new,
I am sorry that I don't remember its name.
I looked for it on the Muncie Mall web site, but
it's not on it. I am hoping that the store
will still be there 
when I next go to the mall.
Upon closer investigating,
I realized that the window display
was all about the horrors
of human trafficking.
More information 
can be found on this site
for Indiana.
Information for other states 
can be found here.

other shadows may be viewed here
Addendum:
I fret sometimes about my memory.
For instance, when I did the upper post,
I asked myself, "Self, why on earth
would I not capture the name of the store?"
Self had nothing to say.
Luckily, today I was searching
for a photo to go with another meme.
Behold, I found the other photos 
I took that had to do 
with human trafficking shared
by this wonderful store in our mall.
Human trafficking is an example
of how inhuman humans
can be towards each other.
Here are the photos; 
I hope they speak to your heart.





My Litany of Gratitude


My Litany of Gratitude
For every breath I take,
May I be aware of each.
For the ability to walk,
May I appreciate this gift with each step I take.
For my sight and hearing,
May I listen the Gospel and view my place in it.
For the Word of God,
May it show in my actions.
For Jesus’ dying and resurrection,
May I show my thankfulness in all that I do.
For my sins which have been forgiven,
May I venture forth with determination to do better.
For the love of family and friends,
May I return that love with awareness.

The ladies' Bible Study in my parish
are studying the spiritual book Abide
by Macrina Wiederkehr, OSB.
The author wrote the book as an invitation 
to invite the reader
to make the Word of God
one's home through the practice
of lectio divina.
The detailed explanation about this practice was 
taken from the Wikipedia site.
I pray that our blessed Mother will assist me
in making this beautiful tradition
a life-time custom for
my daily prayer life.
File:Lectio Divina .svg
In ChristianityLectio Divina (Latin for divine reading) is a traditional Benedictine practice of scriptural reading, meditation and prayer intended to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of God's Word.[1] It does not treat Scripture as texts to be studied, but as the Living Word.[2]
Traditionally Lectio Divina has 4 separate steps: readmeditatepray and contemplate. First a passage of 
Scripture is read, then its meaning is reflected upon. This is followed by prayer and contemplation on the Word of God.[3]
The focus of Lectio Divina is not a theological analysis of biblical passages but viewing them with Christ as the key to their meaning. For example, given Jesus' statement in John 14:27: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you" an analytical approach would focus on the reason for the statement during the Last Supper, the biblical context, etc. But in Lectio Divina rather than "dissecting peace", the practitioner "enters peace" and shares in the peace of Christ.[4] In Christian teachings, this form of meditative prayer leads to an increased knowledge of Christ.[5][6]
The roots of Scriptural reflection and interpretation go back to Origen in the 3rd century, after whom St. Ambrose taught them to St. Augustine.[7][8] The monastic practice of Lectio Divina was first established in the 6th century by Saint Benedict and was then formalized as a 4 step process by the Carthusian monk, Guigo II, in the 12th century.[3] In the 20th century, the constitution Dei Verbum of Pope Paul VI recommended Lectio Divina for the general public. Pope Benedict XVI emphasized the importance of Lectio Divina in the 21st century.[9]

Sister Macrina is a popular author and
is well known for her spiritual writings and retreat ministry.
More about her ministry came be found at this site.
Her books can be ordered here.


Wednesday, April 3, 2013

A Memory of My Momma and Music


 A Memory of My Momma and Music   

April 3, 2013
During my youth, my momma and I enjoyed music from her extensive record 
(meaning 78 rpm and LP [33 1/3 €] ) records.  
Some genres that she introduced to me were 
Ragtime, Blues and Big Band Era.  
However, she also had an album 
of Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite.”  
I see myself now in the living room 
of our upstairs apartment on West 10th Street.
 
As I view this scene, the 7 year old girl takes the 33 1/3 € disc 
out of the yellow-covered album 
and places it on the record player gently, 
she lays the needle gingerly on the outer edge of the record. 
Now she is raising her arms to wave them to 
the rhythm of the songs, imagining herself the conductor 
of the Boston Pops Orchestra.  
(This orchestra is a guess so many decades later.)  
She plays some of the songs so many times 
that the ridges wear away.  
Her mother never says to her, 
“Do you have to play that again?”  
One may wonder why she did not 
since the apartment is old with little insulation 
and is small for a family of four.  
At the twilight of my own life, 
I could count this mother as a model
 of encouragement for her children. 

Time moves on, and several house moves later, 
my parents now own their own home for the first time; 
it’s 1954.  
At this point and time, I  watch the mother and the 14 year old 
take turns placing records on the turn style and switching it on.  


Each time one of them guesses what the name of the song is 
as quickly as possible!  I am unaware if the two of them keep score;
they just seem to enjoy the competition.
Other times, mostly after the family-owned restaurant is closed,
the mother drives her stunning mint green Buick with a white hardtop around in the country or on the outskirts of town, listening to the radio 
and chatting their mother-and-daughter talk. 
I feel warmth in my heart, 
viewing this simple sharing of love for music, 
and the love the two have for each other.



Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Mornings with Mary: St. Bernadette

Many years ago
I took the name Bernadette,
for Confirmation.

I chose her name because
she had strong faith and courage.

Bernadette unschooled,
 was blessed (or cursed, some might say)
with the vision of our Mother.
She bore ridicule and unbelief by the local priest.
Some in the village
thought she should be put away;
they thought she was mentally ill.
She was even threatened with being arrested.

At one of her visions,
Mary told Bernadette
that she was the Immaculate Conception.
This was a term
with which Bernadette would not be familiar.
Nonetheless,
Bernadette never faltered
in her telling of what
she had seen.
More about Bernadette may be seen here.
 
The Soubirous Family.
Bernadette is circled.




                                       
                                                                                   



This image of Bernadette in her coffin is from this site.

View others' Mornings with Mary
at Rebecca's
Recuerda Mi Corazon