“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 #ChristTheKing
My King, my Lord, my God, my All
Tag: Jesus Christ
-
I need to share this. We always struggle with our faith. We hear Him calling us, and yet, we put off “going home” because we think we know better. We listen to the “world”, and think it is better. It is not. We are not. Our Lord knows EVERYTHING and knows what you need before you even ask Him.
I could not understand why those around me, didn’t want to believe my conversion story. This: Just one-third of U.S. Catholics agree with their church that Eucharist is body, blood of Christ – Tells me why. If souls do not believe Him, why would they believe me? I refuse to stop there. I know without a doubt it is Him and nothing in this world, will ever get me to not listen to Him and not believe Him again. Hearing Him has left a mark on me that I can never deny Him again.
This is a huge part of my conversion back home to the Catholic Church. I had been struggling for MANY years with this sin. I hope it brings other to face their fear of their own sins, and overcome them, returning to our Lord who waits for you with open arms.
Easter 2008 – My husband was home from Yuma (USMC separated us for a time), and I went into the yard to water. There is a protestant church behind our home and as I watered the trees and grass, I watched all these cars pulling in for “Easter” services. I stood and chucked a bit, as a Catholic, and said to myself: What did they even do in there? Its not real worship! – THAT VERY SECOND – In my heart, I heard our LORD ask me: Where are you? What are YOU doing? – That voice ROCKED my world. Destroyed it! Where was I? What was I doing? I certainly wasn’t at Mass! I certainly wasn’t where I was supposed to be! It bothered me for a WEEK. I could NOT stop thinking about it. By the time the following Sunday came, I found myself NEEDING to get to Mass. It was Divine Mercy Sunday, and I NEVER stopped attending Holy Mass again. The following December, I heard that voice in my heart again! The post below is what He said. The YEARS since, is what He has done to me ❤ I share this to give Him the praise, glory, honor and all the power. Thank you LORD. I love You too.
Cohabitation And Holy Communion
If today your hear His voice, harden not your hearts
-
If you want to know what is going on, why there is SO much visible evil today, the answer to your question to what is going on is very simple.
Grace. God’s grace to see things as they are, to repent and to run back to Him. That is what is happening – “Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more”
Use this time wisely. Get things in order. Get back on His path. Make a change for the better. For the good.
Repent
-
Is what I am saying online, or offline, being said because I LOVE?
Is what I am doing online, or offline, being done because I LOVE?
Wonderful assessment by Bishop Robert Barron on the current situation today (Covington Catholic) with jumping to conclusions, that were never there.
Love one another, as I have loved you.
If you are tempted to be sucked into it all, cry out:
Lord? I forgive them. And I pray for them. I do love them, because You loved us first. Have mercy on us all. <– BEST way to begin the healing. Let Him in. Humility prevails.
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Please read:
-
My family and I were out at dinner last light, celebrating my birthday. Even in these moments, contemplation of our Lord takes place.
As we sat down and the server took our orders, he had placed a few coasters down to hold our drinks. On the coasters were a picture of gift with the words “Loyalty Is Rewarded”. As I looked at the printed gift and pondered the words, immediately my thoughts were brought to our Lord on the cross and the small group of followers who stayed with Him. Looking at the picture of the Christmas gift on the coaster, on a side bar, were some words with the highlighted enlarged words “STEAK”. I thought of how we often rip through the wrapping without noticing at all the real gift. Would anyone notice the presence of our Lord in a crowded place as this, in such a simple way as this? Can anyone assess the real presence in our midst in Word?
If you look at the photo above, although not a photo of what I had seen, I will tell you what our Lord was showing me in the gift.
The ribbons in the cross pattern, showing me the Cross of our Lord and the bow in the center being our Lord on the cross.
“Loyalty Is Rewarded”
LOYALTY
Definition
Constancy in allegiance to God or the things of God; steadfastness in fidelity to a person or cause, organization or enterprise. Implicit in loyalty is strong affection based on firm conviction that the object of one’s fidelity deserves the allegiance. (Etym. Latin legalis, of or belonging to the law, legal.)
And all while contemplating this, the server came back and took our orders. I had ordered a steak, cooked medium. You may say what does this have to do with anything? I did also at the time.
The server left and the conversation began again with all of us at the table. We prayed grace before our meal came.
I took hold of that coaster again as it was drawing my attention to the word “STEAK”. What is at steak? Well, our Lord was on the stake, and all of us are at stake. For some reason, I began to ponder the Gospel of Matt. 25:23
His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’
I began to tell our Lord interiorly, forgive me Lord, I ordered my steak medium and not well done. I hope the life I am leading is pleasing to you and I am never lukewarm.
The server returned and with him, brought our meal. As he placed my order in front of me, what should have been a steak cooked medium, was dark and black. It looked burnt. I stopped for a moment just staring at it. Recalling what was taking place in my contemplation of Him. Without saying a word, I cut into the black steak, and it was perfect.
This coming of our Lord, at Christmas, as we rip apart the wrapping to get to what is hidden underneath, may we never lose sight of Him in our hearts, His commands and His promise to us:
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
A blessed Second Week of Advent to all.
-
“Return to your first Love”
Bishop Zubik Announces Year of Repentance
“Year of Repentance” Bishop Zubik will inaugurate the year Sunday, Sept. 23, and will lead a related prayer that afternoon.”
We all have reason to join and repent.
Pure JOY Through Suffering
-
Regarding the article today:
Cupich on scandal: ‘We have a bigger agenda than to be distracted by all of this’
He is correct, so to speak. We can not let it drag us all down or hold us back from doing the work we have all been assigned by our Lord. We move forward, without allowing it to be forgotten, nor overlooked. But rather address it as we have been assigned to along with it. It moves with us, but does not tie us down. “Get behind me Satan”. Trusting in our LORD.
See: A Solemn Promise
We see the dragon. And that is what this is. The dragon is chained already through the merits and glory of our Risen Lord. It just needs to be killed by each and every one of us. It can not hurt anyone, nor us, unless we allow it to. All are called to slay the dragon. How? BE HOLY so it can no longer hurt you or others. Cast aside the notion that everyone is already holy and BECOME Holy. Go and sin no more… Overcome it, do not be overcome by it. We have a choice to be chained with it, or drag it behind in Victory in Christ.
On the beatitudes…
“Even the most intimate bonds of friendship and the closest affinity of minds cannot truly lay claim to this peace if they are not in agreement with the will of God. Alliances based on evil desires, covenants of crime and pacts of vice—all lie outside the scope of this peace. Love of the world cannot be reconciled with love of God, and the man who does not separate himself from the children of this generation cannot join the company of the sons of God.” St. Leo the Great, Pope
Today’s first reading:
1 COR 5:1-8
Brothers and sisters:
It is widely reported that there is immorality among you,
and immorality of a kind not found even among pagans–
a man living with his father’s wife.
And you are inflated with pride.
Should you not rather have been sorrowful?
The one who did this deed should be expelled from your midst.
I, for my part, although absent in body but present in spirit,
have already, as if present,
pronounced judgment on the one who has committed this deed,
in the name of our Lord Jesus:
when you have gathered together and I am with you in spirit
with the power of the Lord Jesus,
you are to deliver this man to Satan
for the destruction of his flesh,
so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.Your boasting is not appropriate.
Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?
Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough,
inasmuch as you are unleavened.
For our Paschal Lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.
Therefore, let us celebrate the feast,
not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness,
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.Today’s Gospel:
LK 6:6-11
-
I couldn’t sleep. So I found a moment, spending time with one of my favorites, on his feast day. We were walking through how St. Augustine Florida got its name. And of course, our Lord brings me His peace, in teaching me that rivals and political fighting have always been things of worldly souls.
Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés was sent by Spain (Catholic) to protect Spanish interests as international rivalries began to play out across the Atlantic. France (Huguenots) were to be expelled. In finding this, quite interesting by the way, it brought me comfort in the way in how when we look at our past, in Truth, the more things change, the more our Lord stays the same.
“In retrospect, the decision to name the town St. Augustine seems to have been a fitting one. During its history of over 450 years, the town, like its namesake, has experienced its share of struggles. St. Augustine has been burned and looted on several occasions by pirates, hostile natives and rival Europeans. It has changed hands from country to country four times(!). During the civil rights movement, it was the location of numerous protests and counter attacks.”
And yet, remained named St. Augustine. How many attacks have we, the Church faced over the 2000 year history? How many struggles? And yet, she remains because our Lord remains.
“Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would have not been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace.”
St. Augustine of Hippo, pray for us
And now, rest.
-
As all the news is breaking today, some of it old, some new, a friend posted a link on my Facebook page and asked me if I had heard about it…
“Lay woman’s saga illustrates clerical sexual abuse of adults”
Yes. Lived through it not only as a rape survivor, but as seeing the fallout from when it takes place in the church. I do share in this woman’s sufferings. The hardest part is trying to explain it all to my children who knew him, who also received the sacraments from him. I didn’t and still don’t need to know the details. He was removed and our LORD remains.
The days that followed after we met our FORMER pastor, my daughters handed him a gift. It was a gift of Sacred Heart purificators and a corporal. I told him, it was a gift to my children’s Shepherd.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago, as I was helping our Sacristan, I had noticed they were still there, in the Sacristy, feet away from the Tabernacle to be used. As I ponder this gift, I come to understand that it was and is, a gift to our true Shepherd. Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Lets go deeper. My parish, my priest. No matter the location, no matter the Priest, we are all in this together, as you parish, is my parish. Your Priest is my priest. That is our Lord. “Persona Christi”. The Church is our spiritual home.
I forgave him a long time ago in my heart, but some who have never heard, don’t know that the exposing of all this, is best for all of us. Its truly a cleansing we must not be embarrassed about, but rather take and understand that as our Lord said, unless a gran of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat. Change for the better comes through death of the old self, and rebirth of the new. No fears of what will the neighbors say. But rather understanding that the neighbors too, one day will have to come to grips with it also. This exposing of abuse is GOOD NEWS.
No matter what may come, our Lord has already prevailed. Cling to Him.
-
When we move closer to our Lord, we do rest in Him. To rest in Him, is to grasp with both hands that fact, Jesus Christ is Lord. Do we seek Him or justice now?
The Spiritual Battle is real.
When soldiers are moving forward on the battlefield, in the heat of battle, they do not stop to cry, or condemn the fallen. They keep moving forward. The forgiveness of our Lord allows us to do this in the Spiritual realm as those who fail & fall, are left to repent as we continue to love & pray for them. Hoping they stand again and are not overcome.
Does this mean forgive and forget? In some ways yes, and no.
Please read my post: The Power Of Forgiveness.
When we choose freely not to forgive, we become entangled in the despair of the sins others have committed. along with our own. When we freely choose to forgive them, we continue on placing our hope in our Lord and can freely continue on through no matter what this world throws at us, remembering the answer to a very pivotal math problem 70 X 7.
If you look around this world with eyes of faith, you can see plainly and clearly, how the lack of forgiveness has crippled so many. So many stuck in yesterday, two weeks ago, a hundred years ago, a thousand years ago, because they forgot how to forgive one another. We see this playing out every day in the media, how so & so 20 years ago said this and that. Forgetting that so & so may not be the same person they were 20 years ago.
The lack of forgiveness is like ripping off a scab from a wound that is trying to heal. If you pick at it, it becomes infected and becomes much worse than the initial wound itself. That is not to say that the person against the sin has been committed can not do this to receive healing in the first place. If we do not know that a wound has been received, than we can not help one another to heal. For this reason, we call the Medic in the battle, and we all advance as one.
The choice is there. Do we move past it, or do we stay in it.
I forgive Cardinal McCarrick. I pray for the others who have also committed this sin and still remain hidden. I pray for souls who have falsely accused many of this crime. May our Lord cast His light in the darkness and look upon us all with His merciful gaze bringing these souls to true repentance. I forgive all who covered it up. I pray for the souls of all who have been harmed, and for the souls of all who hindered. I pray for all. I love you.
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us all.
‘Forgive one another, as Christ has forgiven you’ (Ephesians 4:32).
quaedam iustitiae plenitudo
Guilty or not.
-
Adam and Eve banished from the Garden of Eden by an angel, Illustration Gustave Doré That moment you see.
Banished to where? Exile. Why? To save you because I love you.
As I was reading tweets tonight, one came across from Mark Heart:
“So many of us are so ashamed of what we we’ve done that we hide our face from God.”
Without hesitation, I responded: “And He asks still: Where are you? Not to condemn, but to help us fix the problem.”
I therefore, found myself being pulled in to ponder the scripture of Genesis 3. As I read and pondered the text, although read it thousands of time, what jumped out to me was verse 22.
22 Then the LORD God said: See! The man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil! Now, what if he also reaches out his hand to take fruit from the tree of life, and eats of it and lives forever?
It was in that moment, the love our Lord has for us peaked in my heart. If Adam and Eve were allowed to stay, in the state they were in, having already disobeyed our Lord, and had eaten the fruit from the tree of Life, disobeying again, would it then have made them unsaveable? I am reminded of the words, I’m doing this for your own good.
You can read the same Scripture passage a 1000 times, and only in His time, are you able to see what He has been saying and doing, all along. It was after the fall of Adam and Eve, after our Lord asks, “Where are you” and before Adam & Eve are banished. He protected them from eating of the tree of Life in the fallen, out of grace state they were in. And the plan of Salvation was spoken. The plan of Salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ, as John wrote:
– “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” –John 1:1
Going further to verse 14:
And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father’s only Son,
full of grace and truth.As I continue to ponder this and pray, 1 Corinthians 11 – Tradition of the Institution becomes even more paramount for us all, taking into consideration, we have the gifts of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which is detrimental, to use, to repent and to use, as so not to receive in a manner unworthy, the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which if we did so, would keep us hiding and ashamed. So when our Father asks us: “Where are you?”, He already knows where we are. He wants to know if we know where we are, as we are not where we belong. That being with Him.
Be not afraid to answer Him, do not continue to hide from Him, or to bring all your shame from sin to Him. He is there for you to help you fix it all because He loves you so.
“Go and announce the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand”.
-
Yesterday, I noticed a strange looking bud on one of the cactus I have. I wasn’t aware of what species the cactus was, nor was I even curious as to its species, until something different began to happen.
How we creatures take so much for granted every day, as we become accustom to the way things are. Until something is no longer the same. Something becomes different.
I had not been able to do much with this latest bout of back and neck issues. Least of all, pay attention to my plants. This particular one, has sat on my front stoop for about 8 months. As I would walk by it, any water from my water bottle I had, I would dump in the pot, on my way up to the door after a day of work. I didn’t admire it. I didn’t spend any time caring for it. It just existed as it was. Much as our faith life does the same way.
At the very least, that occasional watering, lead to a beautiful discovery. This cactus, is a Night Blooming Cereus, Queen of The Night. The flowers are very short lived, and some only bloom for one night and are gone before the next morning. I hear this is a highly celebrated plant in some circles, and a very rare sight to see, actually open and blooming. Please see the article below:
One Night a Year, This Cactus Flower May Surprise You
The night progressed, and the beauty of the cactus, abounded, unnoticed by most, but I. I found myself deeply moved to share the photos of this beautiful flower on social media as it was opening. In the dark she blooms, as only our Lord can see.
In the dark she blooms
for only our Lord can seeThis morning, she is still in bloom, for all to see.
As the story of yesterdays discovery progressed, I find myself deeply pondering this beautiful opening, in correlation with the words of St. John of the Cross, Dark Night of the Soul…
STANZAS OF THE SOUL
1. One dark night,
fired with love’s urgent longings
— ah, the sheer grace! —
I went out unseen,
my house being now all stilled.2. In darkness, and secure,
by the secret ladder, disguised,
— ah, the sheer grace! —
in darkness and concealment,
my house being now all stilled.3. On that glad night,
in secret, for no one saw me,
nor did I look at anything,
with no other light or guide
than the one that burned in my heart.4. This guided me
more surely than the light of noon
to where he was awaiting me
— him I knew so well —
there in a place where no one appeared.5. O guiding night!
O night more lovely than the dawn!
O night that has united
the Lover with his beloved,
transforming the beloved in her Lover.6. Upon my flowering breast
which I kept wholly for him alone,
there he lay sleeping,
and I caressing him
there in a breeze from the fanning cedars.7. When the breeze blew from the turret,
as I parted his hair,
it wounded my neck
with its gentle hand,
suspending all my senses.8. I abandoned and forgot myself,
laying my face on my Beloved;
all things ceased; I went out from myself,
leaving my cares
forgotten among the lilies. -
Is to see to it, that euthanasia and abortion are not only illegal, but unthinkable. For the love of the next generations..
The problem today is average souls have been brainwashed to believe that just because someone has a degree, they are right and just. They are just human as you and I. If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong…
To the Bishops
Priests and Deacons
Men and Women religious
lay Faithful
and all People of Good Will
on the Value and Inviolability
of Human Life -
Father, you came down to me, you have come to me, you have touched my heart, you have spoken to me and promised joy, presence and salvation. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, who overshadows me, I, together with Mary, have been able to say to you yes, the ‘Here I am’ of my life for you. Now there remains only the force of your promise, of your truth: “You are to conceive and bear Jesus”. Lord, here is the womb of my life, of my being, of all that I am and have, open before you. I place all things in you, in your heart. Enter, come, come down again, I beg you, and make me fruitful, make me one who gives birth to Christ in this world. May the overflowing love I receive from you find its fullness and truth in touching the brothers and sisters that you place beside me. May our meeting, Father, be open, a gift to all. May Jesus be the Saviour. Amen.
(Closing prayer from OCarm Lectio Divina )
Be holy
(Lectio Divina:Monday, April 9, 2018
God’s covenant with humanity
Mary’s yes and our yes
Luke 1,26-38) -
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10
Ponder, pray, rest, reflect, patience, peace
-
You can’t simply delete history by trying to destroy it. All you do by trying is add to its lunacy.
Repent and proclaim the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ, by LIVING it
LIVE the faith. Live in Him
“Do not be afraid to take a chance on peace, to teach peace, to live peace. Peace will be the last word of history” – St. Pope John Paul II
-
The many, many “news” story’s I see today, written by whomever, saying Catholics must love and accept LGBT, or this group, or that group and so on, has caused me to ask our Lord in prayer, and I pray you ask Him also: Who is my accuser that assumes the Church does not love them?
The Catholic Church has always been open to all, as a Father and Mother loves all their children, always open to welcoming life to the family of faith. The disconnect comes when we assume that Love is acceptance of insubordination or defiance. It is not. Love corrects the defiant or insubordinate child and does not allow the child to be disruptive, for the benefit of the child. Love does have rules. When the rules of Love are broken, it is not Love, but less than Love.
“Many gave false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree.” Mark 14:56
-
Photo is my Grandmother Stephanie from 1918, in her Traditional Slovak Dress.
As I unpack from the weekend trip, meeting my sister Pat, to pick up a box of photo memories to share with my children, I found myself contemplating “Family Tradition”. My sister surprised me with another package I was not expecting. It was a bag, containing the Traditional Slovak Folk costume my grandmother had made for my mother when she was about 12 years old. I had forgotten about it. It drew me back into the heritage of my family and with good reason, that same heritage I could now share in a very special way with my children.
I found myself pondering Family Traditions.
Family tradition, is defined as an aggregate of attitudes, ideas and ideals, and environment, which a person inherits from his/her parents and ancestors. Which one can definitely see, our Lord being the main portion. When we look at “Family Tradition”, that which has been handed down, its easy to see the importance of “Sacred Tradition” in our Faith Family. We can easily assess the Truth of our Lord being Abba Father, as our Lord Jesus Christ gave us, through our spiritual Ancestors, the Apostles, His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Holy Eucharist, and Word of God, also sending the Advocate, to continue His teachings in Love. We can look at the beautiful paintings, read His Word, participate in His Holy Sacrifice and yet there is still a longing for more, because when you truly love Him, you want to know everything you can about Him. Every detail, every aspect, every breath He takes, every step and every moment, you want to spend with Him. Details about Him, become important, the deeper the love is in Him. Prayer life blossoms and you hear Him.
Just as my Grandparents and Great Relatives would speak with love, sharing memories of their family members, my family members, and this love rings in our hearts with a smile of remembering that we, also, shall one day, be a memory. So to does our Catholic faith, carry on this same Love of our Lord, teaching us about Him, and He does come to us, ringing deeply in not only our hearts, but our entire soul bringing us conscious, waking up a place deep in Love for the good of others for Him. What we hear, should spark a deep delight for pleasing only our Lord. Which within the soul produces a desire and longing to learn more and more about Him.
Getting back to the folk costume. You can look at the pictures above and assume, but the assumptions we have, tend to miss out on very detailed information if we don’t look closer, just as we miss detailed information when we assume things about our Faith. When we go back to look closer, we see many things we missed before.
This is the shoulder of a sleeve of the blouse, from the traditional costume my grandmother had made. Do you see the detail? Can you see every stitch that went into this work? Can you see the beauty of what once was a simply story and a black and white photo? This is how it is, when you delve deeper into our faith.
And the detail put into the building of the apron. There is so much. And every detail of this has a special meaning to it. Such is our Faith! In every detail is a meaning interwoven into the entire Church. If one were to say they know everything there is to know about our Catholic Faith, that one would be seriously mistaken. Just as if one were to say they know everything to know about each family member, they would be mistaken.
The vest. How the details are made known the more we look. Many different parts, coming together. Just as we are all many parts to the Body of Christ.
I was able to try it on both of my younger daughters, and it fit my youngest daughter. Granted, it needs to be cleaned, pressed, and cared for a bit, for it to be worn as it should be. Just like we do, when we put on the full armor of our faith.
Please read “Faith Of Our Fathers”, a post of mine from a few years ago.
-
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Its been a very busy few days for me. My husband graduated from College with a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics, and his celebration was on the same day of our children’s last day of school, on this past Friday. Yesterday morning, I woke early and drove to meet my sister in Las Vegas, who was helping my niece move.
I made the drive to Vegas, to see my sister and pick up a box of very old photos and mementos from our family. Photos of my parents and other relatives my children have never met. Its a way for me to show them the many souls that have helped to create our “family”. The six hour drive from San Diego, on Saturday morning, was full of prayer and reflection on our Lord. Not anything near as beautiful as this morning has been, in the celebration of Holy Mass for the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity.
My sister and I had planned on attending the 11:00 AM Holy Mass at Guardian Angles Cathedral in Las Vegas, but as plans often change, I was awake a little after five-thirty this morning and we were able to attend the 8:00 AM Holy Mass. It was easy to find the Cathedral and when we pulled out front and parked, we had arrived about an hour early.
I contemplated the design of the Church and the mosaic on the front. (Photo above at the top of the post). The message is very clear although the art itself, modern as it is, isn’t exactly what sparks in me. As we entered the Cathedral, as I normally do, my eyes sought our Lord in the Tabernacle. He wasn’t behind the Altar. So we looked deeper and my heart lead us to a small room off to the left of the Altar.
We prayed in front of our Lord until Mass was about to begin. In contemplation, I struggled with the design and the things that didn’t register with me. I tried to focus on the Glorious Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. Still with reverence to our Lord and the Truth of His presence here. As we finished praying, we went to see the little gift shop in the back of the Cathedral, which contained many beautiful religious things.
As Holy Mass was about to start, we took our place inside once again, and I began to pray. Holy Mass in this place, was so beautiful, It changed my entire outlook of what I thought wasn’t appeasing to my eyes. At the very moment of Transubstantiation, our Lord’s presence on the Altar, I heard in my heart, “Look through”. The eyes in my heart began to see what He was saying to me. The entire Cathedral was full of the symbolism of the Most Holy Trinity. The TRIANGLE. Looking beyond the art that didn’t speak in me, I could see very clearly what our Lord in the Eucharist was saying and showing me. The inner beauty of this place being the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. All present.
As Holy Mass ended, I left this beautiful Cathedral in the heart of “Sin City”, in His peace, knowing the Triumph of our Lord with fresh eyes, in the Most Holy Trinity.
The above photo of the stained glass window can be found at the link below. Its called:
Freedom and Obedience – Freedom and LoveStation II & IIIGuardian Angel Cathedral Link for the art
The photo at the beginning of this post was taken by my sister, the others were taken from other public sites on the internet.
If you find yourself in “Sin City”, I highly suggest a visit to Holy Mass. Often.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning,
is now,
and ever shall be,
world without end.Amen.
-
As we celebrate Pentecost, I am filled with reflections through the years, of how our Lord has continued to enter the hearts of His faithful and in them, light the fire of His Love.
What are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit?
Wisdom helps us recognize the importance of others and the importance of keeping God central in our lives.
Understanding is the ability to comprehend the meaning of God’s message.
Knowledge is the ability to think about and explore God’s revelation, and also to recognize there are mysteries of faith beyond us.
Counsel is the ability to see the best way to follow God’s plan when we have choices that relate to him.
Fortitude is the courage to do what one knows is right.
Piety helps us pray to God in true devotion.
Fear of the Lord is the feeling of amazement before God, who is all-present, and whose friendship we do not want to lose.
Breathe into me, Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. Move in me, Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Attract my heart, Holy Spirit, that I may love only what is holy. Strengthen me, Holy Spirit, that I may defend all that is holy. Protect me, Holy Spirit, that I may always be holy.
Saint Augustine
As I was praying last night, I was reminded of this post from 2011 and started to ponder all that was here and how our Lord does love us all.
Washing The Kitchen Floor With The Holy Spirit
My typical Saturday…with only one difference. I got my lazy but off the computer for a break to wash my kitchen floor and had a friendly chat with the Holy Spirit while doing so. It went something like this:
Holy Spirit: Hey Peg?
Me: Yes?
Holy Spirit: Remember back when you were so distraught and didn’t have anyone left to turn to regarding the state of your soul and the mortal sins you were covered in? Remember when your eyes were so swollen from crying, thinking that God would never forgive you and that He must be punishing you, and you thought God hated you?
Me: Yes. I’ll never forget that day. Or the days that followed.
Holy Spirit: Remember when you dropped everything you were doing, got in your car, drove to find any Catholic Church, and parked your car, walked in and sat in the pew, and broke down in tears again, begging God to forgive you?
Me: Yes. I don’t know how I got there or how I brought myself to do that.
Holy Spirit: Remember there was only one other person in that church, that just happened to be open? A church building where the doors were not locked? Remember then after sitting in tears, the Catholic Priest who just happened to be there, who just happened to tap you on the shoulder and ask you if he could help you?
Me: Yes. I was lucky that day!!
Holy Spirit: Luck? HAHA! Remember it being as if the Priest was pulling your teeth, for him to get you to confess your sins? Remember Him asking you if you would like to confess them and you did everything you could not to and told him that God would never forgive you but you confessed your sins anyway?
Me: Yes. For many years after, I struggled with thinking He was very angry with me. I walked out that day thinking, pfft, yeah. My life then was hell. I hated being there but didn’t know how to get out. I wasn’t sure if I could. In the state of hell that is. I didn’t want to leave the church.
Holy Spirit: Do you understand now, it was I who was with you, before you acted on my Love for you and you decided to go? Do you know now that it was I who carried you out of that hell you were living in and continue to keep you from there? Do you know now, that is God’s Grace? Do you know now, it was I who planted the seeds of repentance? I who made it possible for you to find the open church? I who made sure the Priest was there for you? I who was with you when you left and stayed with you? I who am STILL with you? I who Love you? I who made everything so EASILY possible for you to return to me? All you did was listen and followed your heart, where I can always be found. Do you know now how much God loves you? How much God loves ALL his children?
Me: I do now. Thank you Lord!
More like the Holy Spirit washing the floor with me…..
*Self Knowledge
-
From the deck of the battleship of USS Missouri, looking toward the USS Arizona Memorial, at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, the guns now silent, along with those voices taken that day and the days and years that followed. Peace.
As a former military blogger, I spent many hours speaking with so many souls from this time in our nations history. Countless interviews and many more hours of watching films, reading and looking into different aspects of Military History in a way that glorified it all. Don’t get me wrong, I do understand what was at stake and we are a blessed nation and a different world for the sacrifice of so many.
As I sat last night watching a documentary on D Day with my husband, himself a 23.5 year USMC veteran, I found myself unable to watch anymore. It hurt in ways I had not experienced before. To see the souls of so many lost, so many unknown story’s of who they were, who gave all. The once self glorified battle I used to watch, once upon a time, was gone and replaced with a very deep sorrow and pain to see all these men being killed. Killed in unmentionable ways. I came to realize the work our Lord had done within my own heart. That hardened heart of stone, had become soft and was beating in my chest, for not only the fallen, but for a longing for His peace now, in this world torn to shreds by war and hate for one another.
I began to pray for the souls I seen being blown to bits on that beach. Imagining their family’s loss and pain. The children who never got to see their dad’s again. The mothers who never got to see their sons. The soldiers who never returned home. Just as today, so many are taken, because those of the world, in this world, have to feed their ego’s with the things of this world, that can never satisfy. And thus, it all continues on the same path to destruction. Taking everything and everyone in its path with it.
Lord God,
your own Son was delivered into the hands of the wicked,
yet he prayed for his persecutors
and overcame hatred with the blood of the Cross.
Relive the sufferings of the innocent victims of war;
grant them peace of mind, healing of body,
and a renewed faith in your protection and care.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. AmenFor all the souls lost, in all wars:
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.
And let the perpetual light shine upon them.
And may the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
“Lord Jesus Christ, who are called the Prince of Peace, who are yourself our peace and reconciliation, who so often said, “Peace to you,” grant us peace. Make all men and women witnesses of truth, justice, and brotherly love. Banish from their hearts whatever might endanger peace. Enlighten our rulers that they may guarantee and defend the great gift of peace. May all peoples on the earth become as brothers and sisters. May longed-for peace blossom forth and reign always over us all. Amen – St. John Paul II
Lord Jesus Christ, may all war end as there is no worldly glory to be found in war and let Your eternal peace be the glory all men and woman seek, for now and all time for all eternity.
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
-
Tomorrow, Thursday, May 25, 2017, is a Holy Day of Obligation for SOME Catholics.
Scott P. Richert from ThroughtCo. can shed more light on my above comment:
CELEBRATING ASCENSION THURSDAY
The Vatican agreed. Today, only the ecclesiastical provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, and Omaha (the state of Nebraska) continue to celebrate the Ascension of Our Lord on Thursday. The faithful in those provinces (an ecclesiastical province is basically one large archdiocese and the dioceses that are historically associated with it) are required, under the Precepts of the Church, to attend Mass on Ascension Thursday.
CELEBRATING ASCENSION ON SUNDAY
In the rest of the dioceses of the United States, the celebration of the Ascension has been transferred to the following Sunday (the 43rd day after Easter). That does not mean, however, that the Ascension is no longer a Holy Day of Obligation in those dioceses. Under the Precepts of the Church, every Sunday is a Holy Day of Obligation.
Because attendance at Mass on a holy day is obligatory (under pain of mortal sin), if you have any doubts about whether you live in one of the provinces that celebrates the Ascension on Thursday, you should check with your parish priest or diocesan office.
For the date of the Ascension (both the Thursday celebration and the Sunday transferred celebration) in this and future years, see When Is Ascension?
Kudos to Christopher Ferraro for the above graphic.
A wonderful way to reflect on The Ascension of our Lord, is to read, pray and ponder the Catechism:
ARTICLE 6
“HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN AND IS SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER”From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
660 The veiled character of the glory of the Risen One during this time is intimated in his mysterious words to Mary Magdalene: “I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”537 This indicates a difference in manifestation between the glory of the risen Christ and that of the Christ exalted to the Father’s right hand, a transition marked by the historical and transcendent event of the Ascension.
-
As my daughters and I were rummaging around a thrift store this afternoon, one of my daughters pointed out a cute little hand painted item. As she handed me the item, she told me, I had to have it. It was something I needed to take home. I have a deep devotion to our Lord in the Eucharist.
It is St. Paschal Baylon. His name is painted on the back of this image and I found it quite strange that being a Franciscan, he was painted in white. How many souls today are slaughtered for simply celebrating Holy Mass and receiving our Lord in the Eucharist! “The white–robed army of Martyrs, praise Thee”
As we continue to celebrate the Easter Season, may his prayer be received into the hearts of us all, for deeper conversion, for a deep desire of our Lord present in the Holy Eucharist, to be received by us all, with sincere devotion and reverence. May we all fall in love with the Eucharist, Jesus Christ truly present, in the tabernacles throughout the entire world.
Prayer:
Litany of St. Paschal Baylon, Patron of Eucharistic Congresses
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world,Have mercy on us. God the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, one God, Have mercy on us. Holy Mary, Pray for us. Holy Mother of God, Pray for us. Holy Virgin of virgins, Pray for us. Saint Paschal,Pray for us. Thou ardent adorer of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Pray for us. Who as a child sought thy bliss before the Tabernacle, Pray for us. Who assisted at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with the most fervent devotion, Pray for us. Who as a shepherd-boy was favored with an apparition of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Pray for us. Who as a Religious didst remain day and night at the foot of the Altar,Pray for us. Who in meditating on the Most Blessed Sacrament wert filled with heavenly wisdom, Pray for us. Who didst joyfully make known thy belief in the Most Blessed Sacrament, Pray for us. Who didst defend with holy zeal the Presence of Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament, Pray for us. Who didst endure persecution and suffering for Our Saviour in the Blessed Sacrament, Pray for us. Who didst end thy life in adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Pray for us. Who didst show reverence to the Most Blessed Sacrament after death, Pray for us. Who dost prepare thy faithful clients for the reception of the Holy Viaticum, Pray for us. Who, because of thy wonderful devotion toward the Most Blessed Sacrament, hast been declared by Holy Church the Patron of all Eucharistic Congresses, Pray for us. Thou model of true simplicity of heart and humility, Pray for us. Thou lover of evangelical poverty, Pray for us. Thou model of faithful obedience, Pray for us. Thou lily of holy purity, Pray for us.Thou great penitent, Pray for us. Thou ardent client of the Blessed Virgin Mary the Mother of God,Pray for us. Thou faithful son of Saint Francis, Pray for us. Thou pride of the Seraphic Order, Pray for us. Thou father of the poor and needy, Pray for us. Thou great Wonder-worker, Pray for us.
That thou mayest obtain for us a lively faith and tender devotion toward the Most Blessed Sacrament, We beseech thee, hear us. That thou mayest obtain for us an ardent love for Him Who in the Most Blessed Sacrament has loved us to the end, We beseech thee, hear us. That thou mayest obtain for us a holy zeal in assisting at Mass, We beseech thee, hear us. That thou mayest obtain for us a holy longing for frequent reception of the Most Blessed Sacrament, We beseech thee, hear us. That thou mayest through thy intercession guard us from unworthy reception of the Most Blessed Sacrament, We beseech thee, hear us. That thou mayest help us through humility and purity of heart to become true lovers of the Eucharistic Saviour, We beseech thee, hear us. That thou mayest promote the endeavors of Eucharistic Societies by thy powerful intercessions, We beseech thee, hear us. That thou mayest obtain for us the greatest of all graces, to depart this life after the worthy reception of the Holy Viaticum, We beseech thee, hear us. That thou mayest obtain for the enemies of the Most Blessed Sacrament the grace of conversion, We beseech thee, hear us. That thou mayest obtain for us a childlike devotion to the Mother of God, We beseech thee, hear us. That thou mayest obtain for us eternal happiness, We beseech thee, hear us. Saint Paschal, our patron in life and death, We beseech thee, hear us.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world: Spare us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world: Graciously hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world:Have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.
Our Father, Hail Mary
V. Saint Paschal, Patron of All Eucharistic Societies, pray for us
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray. O God, Who dost glorify those who glorify Thee and desirest to be honored in Thy Saints: grant, we beseech Thee, that we may worthily extol the glorious merits of Saint Paschal, imitate his virtues, and rejoice in his powerful intercession before Thy Heavenly Throne. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
Amen.
-
The right hand of the LORD has struck with power;
the right hand of the LORD is exalted.
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the LORD.The Bridegroom is awake and shall never sleep again.
“Truly, He is Risen,”
-
What does this mean?
Ponder
“Today a great silence reigns on earth, a great silence and a great stillness. A great silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. . . He has gone to search for Adam, our first father, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow Adam in his bonds and Eve, captive with him – He who is both their God and the son of Eve. . . “I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. . . I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead.” 488
-
How can one make this Holy Week, truly Holy?
Welcome our Lord into your heart and keep Him there for this upcoming week, and strive to keep Him there forever. Grow in faith. Hold on to the conversion of heart He is offering you.
Receive the Sacrament of Confession which returns your soul to the state it was in the day you were baptized. A clean and beautiful temple to receive our Lord.
Attend Holy Mass and pay attention. Listen to every word, participate when you are to participate. Sing when you are to sing. Listen intently to what is being read. Follow with your heart as the Priest speaks. Forget distractions seeing to pull you away from our Lord.
Receive our Lord in the Eucharist. Speak to Him when you do receive Him.
Pray more this week. Try praying the entire Rosary daily, or add praying Divine Office (Liturgy of the Hours). Just speak to our Lord in all ways, in all instances, at every moment you are awake. Be aware at all times that He is truly with you in what you are doing and INVITE Him in to your activities, like you would invite your best friend. Try Lectio Divina, “Divine Reading” – Lectio Divina”, a Latin term, means “divine reading” and describes a way of reading the Scriptures whereby we gradually let go of our own agenda and open ourselves to what God wants to say to us.
You can also pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet.
Reflect on the Gospels of this week. Stations of the Cross is a beautiful reflection on how great our Lord suffered for us. Try to attend Daily Mass every day this week. Especially during the Easter Triduum, “The Easter Vigil is the “Mother of All Vigils.” If you can’t attend daily Holy Mass, look for it on EWTN, or any other Catholic TV station via the internet. You can find it online, for rebroadcasts any time of day.
The Easter Triduum:
- Mass of the Lord’s Supper (Holy Thursday)
- Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion
- Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord
Don’t forget that Easter does not end after you have your family meal together Sunday after attending Holy Mass. Easter has just begun. Come Monday, while everyone returns back to work, and lent done, Easter has just begun and is not over until the coming of the Holy Spirit, Pentecost Sunday. We often forget that after our Lords Resurrection, many things took place and Easter lasts for FIFTY days after Easter Sunday.
Divine Mercy Sunday is the Sunday following Easter Sunday. The Divine Mercy Novena begins on Good Friday at 3:00 PM, the hour our Lord gave Him self for us.
This is the season we are to look forward to. The great celebration that comes from repenting, turning away from the old self and putting on the new man, working with our Lord to live as He has called us. Let Him into your heart. Let Him roll away the stone in your heart and live with Him in His peace and joy. Leave the tomb of self behind. Allow yourself this week, to be crucified with Him and therefore, rise with Him.
Keeping you all in my prayers, praying you “Be not afraid” and “Follow Him”. “Be holy”.
-
This past Thursday, as I attended Holy Mass, there was a slight disturbance that took place which broke into a deep sense of pondering it.
We also look at distractions as nothing more than aggravations or personal spiritual attacks, which take place to disturb us from where WE want to be, and seldom look at them as a means to ponder our Lord more deeply.
Just before the liturgy of the Word at Holy Mass, as the Lector began to read, she realized that the microphone was not working. She fumbled about trying to get it to work for a while and after a few silent moments summonsed the altar servers and they went into the back to turn them on. As I was focused on the problem, I realized my attention was taken away from our Lord. It was a moment of silence in which I heard our our distinctively say to me, “Pray”. And in that very moment of hearing Him, I prayed for the problem to be fixed. The very second my interior prayer ended, the microphones worked and the Lector continued on. It was not me who made this work. It was not me who did anything. I did nothing. It was our Lord who did everything. And this is true for all prayers. Its not us who make the flowers grow. We dig the holes and plant the seeds, we water them and it is our Lord who makes them grow.
As I pondered this moment in the last few days I came to see how helpless and useless we truly are without the direction of our Lord. In that moment of silence, my focus being on the little distraction, and not on Him, I couldn’t even remember to pray for this issue for her to come to a close, without the direction of our Lord to have to tell me to pray. And in that moment, He showed me that in asking, we truly do receive and “without me you can do nothing”.
How deep a fact that is of our Lord, to come to grips with this? It draws me into John 5:30, in which our Lord says, “I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.”
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
-
Leaving the bucket behind, for me, is leaving everything I had and wanted, and accepting all of Him. Following Him. His Truth. As my testimony, leaves me thirsty for more of Him. His, is Life giving water, which one never thirsts again. Its not what I do, but what He continues to do.
The question for me is no longer, do you believe because of what our Lord has done for me, rather, will you believe because of what He says and does, and are you willing to allow Him to do everything for you? There must be a willingness in the soul, to answer as our Holy Mother did so, to our Lord, “Let it be done to me according to your word.”. A moment for the soul to surrender to the will of God.
“Many more began to believe in him because of his word, and they said to the woman, “We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.” – John 4:41-42
-
Never forget who you are called to follow…
Never forget who you are called to worship….
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD
Edit to Add: How to Win The Culture War
-
“If you follow the will of God, you know that in spite of all the terrible things that happen to you, you will never lose a final refuge. You know that the foundation of the world is love, so that even when no human being can or will help you, you may go on, trusting in the One that loves you” (Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI – Jesus Of Nazareth Psalm 91)
Peg Pondering Again 