Easter 2013

He lives!
Alleluia! We rejoice!
Happy and blessed Easter!

Cheerful daffodils,
bring sunshine when skies are grey,are greeters to spring.

linked to SOOC

Shadow Shot Sunday 2: Palms

Palms displayed,
for Passion Sunday,
Hosanna!

Join us in our shadow passion
at Shadow Shot Sunday 2!

Holy Week: Good Friday

Prayer to Mary of the Pieta

Dearest Mother Mary, 

who received into 

your arms the lifeless body of 

Jesus, 

embrace your other children 

who will die this day.

Obtain for them 

true repentance and pardon 

for all their sins, 

that not a drop 

of your Son’s Precious 

Blood, 

will have been shed 

in vain.

In case you have wondered 

why this Friday is called Good Friday

and never dared to ask that question,

this site gives an excellent

and nonjudgmental explanation.

Holy Week

Ready for the babe,
baptismal font and candle,
now comes Baptism.

On the vigil of Palm Sunday,
our parish was blessed
to welcome a new member
to our Christian family,
an adorable baby girl.

During the last two weeks of Lent, all statues are covered.
Christ on the cross was covered before the vigil Mass
of Palm Sunday.  For more detailed explanation, go here.

This evening I met my daughter-in-law
at her home parish church, St. Francis of Assisi. 
We like the tradition that is practiced at St. Francis;
everyone who wishes to participate
has their feet washed and
then washes another person's feet, 
the way Jesus did for his apostles.
(In my parish, the priest washes the feet of 12 men.)
The Mass on this evening has no closing;
everyone processes out quietly after Communion.
Those who wish, then stay for Benediction and Adoration. 
That's why this altar is set up in the narthex.

I wish everyone a sacred finish to Lent
and an Easter full of blessings and peace.

ABC Wednesday: K is for King

The King of Glory Comes!

He entered Jerusalem
with great lauds,
some strewing their cloaks
on the ground,
as if laying a red carpet
as some do for the VIPs.
Assuredly he was and is
a very important person,
of God, and man.
But too soon the tides
of man turned,
and he was
scourged and crucified
for each of us sinners.
Remember His gift
and be grateful.

May you have
a blessed Holy Week
and a joyous Easter,
when we will sing 
once again
"Alleluia,
He is risen!"

Please join others
and me
at ABC Wednesday

Mornings with Mary

My post is dedicated to my cousin Rosemary, who died 

unexpectedly this past Thursday, March 21, 2013 

and to her family.

The verse below was written originally

 for a friend who suffered the death of a son.

Mary, Virgin Mary, Miriam,

Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, 

Or, as she’s called by the faith of Islam, Maryam.

However you address her ,

her aid is nearby.

As has been said before,

and most likely will be again,

these times are hard.

So hard that even as adults, 

we seek our mother’s comforting touch.  

May our loving Mother

bring whatever is needed

for the peace of Christ

To dwell in your family’s hearts and home.

visit Rebecca's splendid blog for

others who share love for 

our Blessed Mother 

head over to Weekly Top Shot #76

Lenten Breakfast

The Papal Coat of Arms for Pope Francis is explained here and here.
 

The future pope's arrival
in Vatican City.

the empty balcony

inside the conclave

two of Rome's policemen

    

Cardinals pay before voting.

Noll Hall was decorated with the Papal flag
and the colors of the flag.
Fitting decorations since Father Keene's talk was about
the signal of white smoke announcing
to the world "Habemus Papum!"- "We have a Pope!"

our marvelous speaker- Father Keene
Father teased about the "holy smoke."

The St. Mary Women's Association
who not only planned the breakfast,
but provided the food and decorated the hall.
The posters with attached newspaper articles
were provided by Father Keene.

Feast of St. Joseph

March 19 is the Feast of St. Joseph, the most chaste spouse 
of our Blessed Mother. Thus, our Tuesday Bible Study 
celebrated the feast day by having a St. Joseph Table.

Even though I converted 50 years ago, I was not familiar 
with this tradition.  It is an Italian custom, 
and there is no trace of Italian blood
on either the maternal or paternal side of my family.
However, I will pass this tradition on to my family.
Many of us searched for stories about St. Joseph, and two ladies had personal accounts about St. Joseph's interceding in their family's lives. 

Other traditions associated with St. Joseph can be found here.

The lady who brought the preserves noticed, when she took it out of her pantry, that it was made at the St. Joseph Monastery! 
                                                                                                                                       
The lady who suggested this custom is a gracious hostess; 
she set the table with the lovely and fitting cloths.  
She also planned where the foods were set.   
It is quite lovely and eye-catching I think.

Our Blessed Mother

Our blessed Mother,
I start the day with your Son;
you lead me to Him.

join me at Rebecca's
for Mornings with Mary.

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.