Shadows in Church

double shadows viewed,
one branch divine, one branch man?
the cross of our Lord.

pursue other shadows with me
at Shadow Shot Sunday

Each Friday in Lent,
Catholics practice a devotion
called The Stations of the Cross
or The Way of the Cross.
Each of 14 "steps"
follows Jesus'
path to Golgotha,
then concludes
with Jesus' being laid in the tomb.
For me, I find this devotion a way
to allow myself to feel more
in tune with Jesus' suffering.
He told us to pick up our cross
and follow Him.
Each of us has our own cross to bear.
If we can picture Jesus beside us with his,
perhaps that image will lighten our load.

Want to dig deeper?
Detailed description of
The Way of the Cross can be found here


I wish each of you a blessed weekend.

Prayer: Why Light Candles?

SOOC image

I edited this image to bring home
the concept of prayers needed.

Why do we Catholics light candles in church?

Being  a convert, I knew that it was the custom

 to light a candle when praying

but I had not looked into the origin

of it.  Most people I know like 

to light candles for ambiance.

But why light them in church?

I got me to the Catholic site,
A Catholic Life,
 instead of to a nunnery!
(play on words from Shakespeare's "Hamlet")
 But what spurred me to think 
about prayer and candles,
then post about it?
 There are two sites from whom I receive emails.
One site I discovered on Facebook 
when this was posted:
"Vatican announces date for 
election by cardinals."
It led me to... 
a Novena (consisting of special prayers 
or services on nine successive days) 
would be prayed for the conclave.
I  earnestly believe  in prayer 
so I joined that site in the praying.
Since our new pope has been elected,
we will now pray for him.
The other site (There Will Be Bread) that brought prayers
to my attention were the many people
who commented on praying
for the new Pope.
It isn't that I haven't been praying;
I started praying for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI 
as soon as he  announced his retirement.
Knowing that an election 
would be held to elect a new pope,
I started praying for
the Holy Spirit
to guide the Cardinals 
in their weighty decision.

How do I feel about the Cardinals' choice?  
I am not a theologian nor do I dare judge.
Here's my first reaction to 
hearing the news..."Habemus Papam!"

I had seen that a pope was elected first on Facebook.  
Immediately I turned on the TV to the news channel.  
The video of the announcement that 
"WE HAVE A POPE!" played, 
and then our new pope spoke.  
I too (as a commenter wrote) 
had tears running down my cheeks. 
Relief? Joy? I don't know for sure, but I do know 
that our society 
with which all must be had NOW!  As in...instant oats,
IMs, drive-throughs, fast foods, Smart Phones,
and on and on... 
Surely I am not the only adult
who feels that we humans
 are on wrong track with multi-tasking
and instant gratification.
  Of course, Pope Francis has a lot on his plate. 
We Americans know that only too well. 
But if one is true to one's Catholic beliefs, 
one will give our new Church leader 
(who is, after all, 
the successor to Peter)
a chance to take a breath, 
entrust himself to the Holy Spirit, 
and get on with his vocation. 
I will pray for Pope Francis, 
just as I prayed for the conclave of Cardinals,
to be guided by the Holy Spirit.

Habamus Papam: We have a Pope!

I am not the first to say this, but I join with the world saying,

"habamus papam!"

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio
formerly Archbishop of Buenos Aires.

Scenes from St. Peter's Square can be seen here.

Palettes of Diversity at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital

A few weeks ago I visited a friend who 

had knee surgery at our local hospital.

As I was walking through the 

reception area, ready to go to my car,

I glanced at the wall. I paused, 

feeding my spirit with the images 

I will share with you.  

The titles of each art piece gave

me a different slant

on our human tendency 

to categorize and put

people and conditions

into labeled, neat boxes.

Whatever disability one may have,
it is more helpful to consider
what is one's ability.

Fam'ly roots,
firmly connected
in Indiana.

Mental illness, a category
filled with fear and misunderstanding.
Apprehensive as I list Prozac as one
of my medications
on the employment
questionnaire.
News about one more person
brought vividly to our attention
that this someone had been taking Prozac
when he ...
Worried about who is allowed
to read this.  Will this cause me
not to be hired?
All these words played the worst scenarios
in my angst-ridden mind.
Yet, as I sat in the interview with Sister principal
and the sister whose slot I would fill,
a spirit of calmness came over me.
I drove home is a serene state.
Perhaps I had finally recalled my prayer to God.
"Please, God, I need a job.
I leave it up to you where I will teach."
He placed me where I was meant
to be, St. Mary School.

poverty, all black and white?
in Bible Study, we learn that the
person rich with material wealth
can be
 poverty-stricken,
lacking
in spiritual
well-being.

Entreaty to Mary

Entreaty to Mary
oh, Mother Mary, show me the path
to holiness, the one you traveled, 
so long ago.  
your faith was fervent, 
you accepted as truth  the message 
from the angel Gabriel,
and kept straight your role
of Virgin Mother of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.
be of assistance to me so I may become
more steadfast in my belief, 
to see my role of evangelizing
the Gospel to those in need,
be they family, friends or strangers.
lend your hand to me when I waver
so that I stay true to my God.
Amen 

linking to Rebecca's 
Postcards from Paradise
for the first time

 

Mary Shrine

I added the arrow to this image to point out
the exact shrine piece made by Hettienne.
Hettienne has an Etsy shop.
Visit there if you have a special devotion to Mary.
She is a talented artist.

An exquisite sacred shrine
honoring the faith
of our Blessed Mother Mary
now graces my home altar
thanks to the gifted hands
of Hettienne at "Her Grace" found here. 

Exquisite Virgin,
faith-filled, divine Madonna
guide my errant heart.

help your heart shine by visiting here

linked to Weekly Top Shot here

Macro Monday: The Last Supper

Jesus, listening
at the Passover repast,
now known as our Mass.

sepia tone

Jesus with his friends,
celebrating Passover
the night ere his death.

others' macros here