by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Seek That Which Is Above, 1986
"Advent is concerned with that very connection between memory and hope which is so necessary to man. Advent’s intention is to awaken the most profound and basic emotional memory within us, namely, the memory of the God who became a child. This is a healing memory; it brings hope. The purpose of the Church’s year is continually to rehearse her great history of memories, to awaken the heart’s memory so that it can discern the star of hope.…
It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us memories of goodness and thus to open doors of hope."
The week before a holiday is what we call a WACKY WEEK. When we began homeschooling, we thought having such a week accomplished and acknowledged a few things.
* The days before a holiday are often hectic and interrupted by holiday errands.
* Fewer days in the week mean that getting through our weekly curriculum might be too stressful for an already busy week.
* Taking these days before a holiday to work on items outside our regular curriculum gives us a chunk of time in areas that we would benefit from.
* We needed some flexibility and a break from the ordinary.
Our Wacky Week focuses on art: Drawing, appreciation, study of artists.
Wacky Week also allows for letter writing and special copywork.
Wacky Week gives us the opportunity to double down on educational videos.
Wacky Week gives us a break to read a book outside of our curriculum.
Wacky Week can also focus on science experiments...field trips....discussions....Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
Recently, at Little Flowers, one of my dear friends and I got to talking about gratitude...and the lack thereof. This friend could quote Shakespeare from memory and how he likened ingratitude to being harsher than cold wind.
We agreed that thankfulness was a virtue we want to instill in our children. I came home to gather a bunch of quotes on gratitude to share with my children this week before Thanksgiving. I'd already amassed a bible and scripture study on thanking God, but I wanted to branch out. In searching for the quote she spoke from Shakespeare, I found this...
Ingratitude is a despicable sin. Shakespeare personified it as a "marble-hearted fiend." He also said it is unkind as the cold wind of a blizzard. "Blow, blow, thou winter wind! Thou are not so unkind as man's ingratitude."
And, about children ingrates Shakespeare wrote, 'How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child.'" This week before Thanksgiving we call WACKY WEEKand I'll post more about that and what we do perhaps tomorrow.
On this theme of gratitude, it fits to say here that we do write a thank you letter to someone who we are grateful for each year at this time. Sometimes we make lists or acrostic poetry on what we're thankful for as well. But we could be living with a spirit of thankfulness more often. I am reminded that a daily practice of "counting our blessings" would make gratitude more ingrained in us.
Here are some of the quotes gathered and discussed....
God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?" ~William A. Ward He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has. ~Epictetus
Gratitude is the least of the virtues, but ingratitude is the worst of vices. ~Thomas Fuller
There is no greater difference between men than between grateful and ungrateful people. ~R.H. Blyth Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. ~William Arthur Ward Good men and bad men differ radically. Bad men never appreciate kindness shown them, but wise men appreciate and are grateful. Wise men try to express their appreciation and gratitude by some return of kindness, not only to their benefactor, but to everyone” ~Buddha
Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” ~Marcus Tullius Cicero (Ancient Roman Lawyer, Writer, Scholar, Orator and Statesman, 106 BC-43 BC)
"When a person doesn't have gratitude, something is missing in his or her humanity. A person can almost be defined by his or her attitude toward gratitude." -- Elie Wiesel You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you." -- Sarah Ban Breathnach
Life without thankfulness is devoid of love and passion. Hope without thankfulness is lacking in fine perception. Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude. Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road." -- John Henry Jowett
"In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich." -- Dietrich Bonhoeffer "Pride slays thanksgiving, but a humble mind is the soil out of which thanks naturally grow. A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves." Henry Ward Beecher "What if you gave someone a gift, and they neglected to thank you for it — would you be likely to give them another? Life is the same way. In order to attract more of the blessings that life has to offer, you must truly appreciate what you already have." -- Ralph Marston "Grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, life satisfaction, vitality, optimism and lower levels of depression and stress. The disposition toward gratitude appears to enhance pleasant feeling states more than it diminishes unpleasant emotions. Grateful people do not deny or ignore the negative aspects of life."
-- Robert A. Emmons and Michael E. McCullough, Dimensions and Perspectives of Gratitude To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven. ~Johannes A. Gaertner
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. Melody Beattie
The greatest saint in the world is not he who prays most or fasts most; it is not he who gives alms, or is most eminent for temperance, chastity or justice. It is he who is most thankful to God and who has a heart always ready to praise God. This is the perfection of all virtues. Joy in God and thankfulness to God is the highest perfection of a divine and holy life. - William Law
To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to take nothing for granted, but to always seek out and value the kind that will stand behind the action. Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in a will for the good, which is directed at you. Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude. -- Albert Schweitzer
To live a life of gratitude is to open our eyes to the countless ways in which we are supported by the world around us. Such a life provides less space for our suffering because our attention is more balanced. We are more often occupied with noticing what we are given, thanking those who have helped us, and repaying the world in some concrete way for what we are receiving. - Gregg Krech
“It is literally true, as the thankless say, that they have nothing to be thankful for. He who sits by the fire, thankless for the fire, is just as if he had no fire. Nothing is possessed save in appreciation, of which thankfulness is the indispensable ingredient. But a thankful heart hath a continual feast.” –W.J. Cameron
Dear Readers, amongst all my blessings, I count you. Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!
I had a moment this Sunday to clean out some files and I came across an email I had printed out from May of 2000!
I'm glad I saved it because it is still meaningful to me today. The email is a reminder to model a good relationship with our parents for our children. It's about the Forgotten Commandment...
HONOR THEY FATHER AN MOTHER.
As many of us are preparing to be with our families over Thanksgiving and sometimes the holidays can rub some friction into those relationships, this reminder is especially helpful and can apply to other family members as well!
The words below came from an old email from FamilyLife.com ~
"Honoring your parents is a command for children of all ages. There is no exception clause in this command that exempts the adult child from responsibility.
....Let me take a few moments to tell you what honoring your parents is, and what it isn't.
Honoring your parents does not mean endorsing irresponsibility or sin. It it not a denial of what they have done wrong as parents.
....Honoring your parents means choosing to place great value on your relationship with them.
Honoring your parents means taking the initiative to improve the relationship.
Honoring your parents means recognizing what they have done right in your life.
Honoring your parents means recognizing the sacrifices they have made for you.
Honoring your parents means praising them for the legacy they are passing on to you.
Honoring your parents means seeing them in the eyes of Christ, with understanding and compassion.
Honoring your parents means forgiving them as Christ has forgiven you.
It is an attitude accompanied by actions that say to your parents, "...You are the person God sovereignly placed in my life."
What did your parents do right as they raised you? Ask God to empower you through the Holy Spirit to take one step toward honoring your parents."
It occurs to me that this, of course, ties into "forgive us our tresspasses AS WE FORGIVE those that trespass against us"...by that measure we are measured and it is a powerful witness to our children for the relationship we hope to have with them when they are adults!
My advice used to be, think of all the things that can and probably will irritate us at events and in preparing for the worst, we might be pleasantly surprised that it turns out to not be as bad as that in reality. Well, the above words are encouraging me to think differently. I'm going to not dwell on the negative, instead I'll strive to look for the good. I'm going to redirect myself to seek out the good in situations instead of falling into old behaviors and scripts.
I love all my family and I commit to this not so much because we have difficult relationships. We really don't...it's just that I want my children to see me as a positive person that encourages others and voices the good in relationships rather than complain and sulk. (O, I am sure I won't be immune to that... but I should seek to compliment, not find fault...right?)
This is a time for gratitude and I really am grateful for my family. And I hope my children will be grateful for me, in turn.
On Friday, after the challenges of Algebra, Geometry and Biology we needed some time away from it all.
We are lucky to live near one of God's most spectacular gardens and joined my Mother there for a day of Fall splendor amongst the mums and sunshine. God's Gardenby Robert Frost
God made a beatous garden With lovely flowers strown, But one straight, narrow pathway That was not overgrown. And to this beauteous garden He brought mankind to live, And said: "To you, my children, These lovely flowers I give. Prune ye my vines and fig trees, With care my flowerets tend, But keep the pathway open Your home is at the end."
Then came another master, Who did not love mankind, And planted on the pathway Gold flowers for them to find. And mankind saw the bright flowers, That, glitt'ring in the sun, Quite hid the thorns of av'rice That poison blood and bone; And far off many wandered, And when life's night came on, They still were seeking gold flowers, Lost, helpless and alone.
O, cease to heed the glamour That blinds your foolish eyes, Look upward to the glitter Of stars in God's clear skies. Their ways are pure and harmless And will not lead astray, Bid aid your erring footsteps To keep the narrow way. And when the sun shines brightly Tend flowers that God has given And keep the pathway open That leads you on to heaven.
{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
Uncle Harold flew and navigated B-17 fighter planes in WWII and even met Jimmy Stewart.
Uncle Hughie was in the South Pacific as a Captain of Manila Bay for Douglas MacArthur in WWII. MacArthur even sent him in search of Marasuchus/Yamashita's gold.
And to those grandfathers and others who served our country, today we salute you.
We thank you!
My 2nd son reads about wars. He takes out huge library texts and keeps them by his bed to read at night. He absorbs so much. First it was all about Rome and Caesar, then he moved on to the World Wars, Korea and Viet Nam. Often he surfs the history and military channels for documentaries and orders Netflix movies too.
Once asked he said he was not romanticising war, but held those who served in honor. Currently he is penpals with Uncle Stanley and they write each other about things one has experienced and one has only read about. It is an unlikely friendship that spans generations. When my son heard about thestandard ration can opener, he had to go to ebay to buy one for himself and Uncle Stanley sent him a how-to on using it.
There will always be a part of me that sees the need to keep these stories alive, of sharing legacies. THIS IS A DAY TO DO SO.
I would never wish war on anyone, but like my son I feel that those who serve deserve honor.
Remember our Veterans and pray for those who defend our country, especially those in harm's way.
My Seton friend, Lori, posted this on her Facebook and I had to "lift" it....isn't it lovely?
Excited for Advent.
I carried my 4 children in pregnancies during Advent and I think that brought me closer to Our Lady. She teaches us soooo much....she means so much to our faith.....
"The world being unworthy to receive the Son of God directly from the hands of the Father, he gave his Son to Mary for the world to receive him from her."-Saint Augustine, Father and Doctor of the Church
"All true children of God have God for their father and Mary for his mother; anyone who does not have Mary for his mother, does not have God for his father."-Saint Louis Marie de Montfort
"If anyone does not wish to have Mary Immaculate for his Mother, he will not have Christ for his Brother." - Saint Maximilian Kolbe
“Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.” – Saint Maximilian Kolbe
“Think of what the Saints have done for their neighbor because they loved God. But what Saint's love for God can match Mary's? She loved Him more in the first moment of her existence than all the Saints and angels ever loved Him or will love Him. Our Lady herself revealed to Sister Mary Crucified that the fire of her love was most extreme. If Heaven and earth were placed in it, they would be instantly consumed. And the ardors of the seraphim, compared with it, are like cool breezes. Just as there is not one among all the Blessed who loves God as Mary does, so there is no one, after God, who loves us as much as this most loving Mother does. Furthermore, if we heaped together all the love that mothers have for their children, all the love of husbands and wives, all the love of all the angels and Saints for their clients, it could never equal Mary's love for even a single soul.” -Saint Alphonsus Liguori, The Glories of Mary
”Let those who think that the Church pays too much attention to Mary give heed to the fact that Our Blessed Lord Himself gave ten times as much of His life to her as He gave to His Apostles.” -Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen (The World’s First Love)
"All my own perception of beauty both in majesty and simplicity is founded upon Our Lady." -J.R.R. Tolkien
I will share it here in it's entirety because I want a copy of it. Anything in color will be my emphasis.
The Case for Purity: In Defense of Overprotective Parenting by April Yeager on November 3, 2010
Today while waiting in line at the grocery store, I saw these titles at the checkout line: “Real Women, Really Naked,” “50-Page Body Love Special,” “Bad Girl Sex,” “Own His Orgasm,” and “Am I Normal Down There?” Don’t be shocked; this is not behind-the-counter porn at a Circle K. This is proudly displayed at every local Safeway, Albertsons, Fry’s, Bashas’ and Walmart checkout counter. I’m beginning to think “checkout counter” has taken on a new meaning. (This is one of the reasons why my husband prefers to do the food shopping as he does not want our children seeing these publications in the check-out line.)
After years of turning the covers over in the stands, I finally discovered the publishers are on to me and every other disgusted shopper. Flip a magazine and on the back you will see another purposefully placed provocative ad! Calculated move on the part of the publishers? Sex sells, so you decide.
Sex is everywhere. It’s not just in the movie theatres; it’s on television, in grocery stores, on bus stops, on billboards, on mall signage, on morning shows and midday radio, in the newspaper, in direct mail, on the internet, in video games, in public restrooms; it’s even represented at our eating establishments. For highly suggestive restaurant names, Hooters is almost G-rated—have you and your kids ever driven past Scottsdale’s the Pink Taco? (We notice this too...everywhere and it is so tiring and force-fed!)
How does this possibly play out in the minds of our children? Our culture of death isn’t just destroying babies in the womb; it is destroying the finely formed purity of our youth. Purity is taking a beating to the point of death.
Solution: the Overprotective Parents Club, of which my husband and I are proud members. Many great saints have preached about the protection of our little ones, and how crucial this is to their souls. Yet today, I am often confronted by many reactions: from total dismissal to being accused of poor parenting. The thought is that we must expose our children gradually to the world, seizing these opportunities for open discussion, rather than sheltering them and thus plunging them later into a shocking reality which will definitely lead them to sin. This openness reaches as far as the public/parochial high school classroom, where the study of 20th century literature laced with descriptive, perverse scenes is considered intellectually broadening, not to mention a necessary preparation for the SAT. I don’t buy it, and I debate this all the time.
While I concur that certain virtues only develop and grow if we allow ourselves to face situations of moral conflict, I do not think this means allowing a 12- or even a 17-year-old to view an R-rated movie, or a 9-year-old to tune into their weekly favorite, “Desperate Housewives.” How can they be equipped to virtually choose to walk away if they are being desensitized? Moreover, how can they walk away when their parents don’t?
St. John Bosco, the revered Italian saint who took in and raised abandoned boys from the streets, lived an exemplary life of purity, safeguarding the boys from all impure occasions of sin. “Keep this in mind”, he once told them, “Morality! That’s what really matters. Safeguard morality! Put up with everything—liveliness, impudence, thoughtlessness—but never tolerate the offense of God and especially the vice contrary to purity.Be truly on the alert in this regard. Concentrate all attention on the boys entrusted to you.” His promptings to insure purity included sheltering the boys from all near occasion of sin, and frequent use of the sacraments, especially reconciliation and reception of Holy Eucharist. Additionally, St. John Bosco added that even language that may arouse unchaste thoughts was to be completely avoided. “Let such words not even be mentioned among you,” he said. He went so far as to use the term “purity” over “chastity” when teaching, as he considered “purity” to be more comprehensive and less suggestive.
Perhaps one of the most powerful documents in print on this subject matter was written as a homily from the great Doctor of the Church, St. Alphonsus Ligouri. In his famous “Advice to Parents,” St. Alphonsus warns that parents,namely fathers,have two obligations to their children: “he is bound to provide for their corporal wants, and to educate them in the habits of virtue.” St. Alphonsus goes on to quote another great Doctor of the Church: “‘We have,’ says Saint John Chrysostom, ‘a great deposit in children, let us attend to them with great care.’ Children have not been given to parents as a present, which they may dispose of as they please, but as a trust, for which, if lost through their negligence,they must render an account to God.”
Let me repeat: “…if lost through their (parents’) negligence, they must render an account to God.” These are powerful words.
We parents need to examine what this means in today’s culture. While we cannot lock our children in a closet, we still must heavily consider what we watch, where we shop, what music we listen to, and what books or magazines are left laying around the house. I recently discovered I can no longer freely listen to my classic Billy Joel CDs with my kids, or they may be singing the line about masturbating and getting high with “Captain Jack.” It may be time to clean up our lives completely, adhering to the age-old adage of practicing what we preach. Nowhere does this adage have more meaning than in parenting our children.
This proposition is tough. The bad stigma today attached to “over sheltering our children” is still very prevalent. In some way, we fear they will not be able to function socially if not regularly integrated into the world and with their peers. However, of the “sheltered children” I know, those that are free from sarcastic humor and exposure to the extreme television and films of today are some of the happiest, with strong self esteem and no “what’s in it for me” attitudes. There is a sense of purity and innocence that surrounds them, and a vigor for God’s kingdom. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t equipped to face today’s culture. Concepts and realities are discussed when older at more age-appropriate times, (like my analogy and post on where battleships are made)and only within the teachings of the Church; not in group settings that may otherwise upset the delicate balance of a child/youth’s journey with God.
There was a story I once heard about two priests who gazed upon a naked woman. The first priest, solidly chaste and undaunted by this type of temptation, admired her great beauty and suffered no lustful thoughts. The second was drawn into the physical temptation and immediately suffered lustful thoughts. In the minds of our children, what is the chance that they will react like the undaunted priest? What’s the chance that they may be led into sin through their active imaginations? It’s impossible to know what private and undeveloped propensity they may struggle from. At what age are they no longer impressionable and able to make the virtuous choice? Rather than err on the wrong side of these questions and answers, I’m not willing to take any chances.
We must all try to do the best we can within the confinements of our lives and circumstances. If possible, let’s come at this world from a different angle by sheltering our children from the realities of our over-sexualized society. Nurture them to grow deeply in love with Christ.
* Talk about sacrifice. * Help them to offer their own sacrifices as precious jeweled gifts to Jesus. * Take them regularly to Adoration and let them write love letters to Jesus. * Get rid of the television. (less of this) * Filter the computer. * Limit texting and cell phone usage to avoid exposure to “sexting” and other technological pornographic realities. (NONE of this) * Discuss the world through proper Church teachings, and only when you, the parents, deem that the time is right. * Be willing to say “no” every time to your children when they beg to see the most popular film or television program that (almost always) promotes sex, violence, and any other controversial subject as good and normal. * Watch carefully over what your little ones see, and take note of all Disney and other film scenes you think are going over their heads.
Let’s raise our “sheltered” kids into a generation of holy Catholic adults, pure of heart and mind. These future adults will be strengthened by their upbringing, no longer willing to go with the flow of our over-sexualized culture.Let’s introduce them to what really is true, good and beautiful, challenging them to read and actively use their minds, so that they know and recognize the true, the good and the beautiful. All else will pale in comparison and they will choose to shelter their eyes from today’s debauchery.
Only when we stop allowing the desensitization of our kids will the desensitization stop.
Hearing this all over the internet...homeschoolers feeling the burden, the cross.....
Sure homeschooling is hard - teaching is hard! And it get's me thinking...any time we strike out in faith to be more Catholic, to live our faith with more commitment....who does it bother?
When I feel this way I try to laugh his meddling off and immerse myself in the Sacraments.
Also, I gotta wonder how many "real" teachers feel like this...who get sick of it all and want to run from their students! Of course it happens to them too! BUT GUESS WHAT? They don't LOVE your childlike only you do.
THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE! You recommit yourself to your children's good BECAUSE you love them...other teachers can never have that same level of recommitment to your child.
I remember a wise, veteran homeschool mom once telling me that whatever were my reminders for WHY we homeschool to keep them nearby. (...pictures, words, memories, the example of service to one another in the Holy Family...) Because there will be days like this and we'll need to remind ourselves why we do it.
God will bring us all thru, let's not forget to ask for graces to do the hard and worthwhile things...the things that God may be using to sanctify us....
When my maternal grandfather died his floor standing clock went to my brother as he had always indicated, but when Nana died her wall clock came to my home.
We never remember it working at my Nana's house. Never heard it. However, we were all very familiar with the chimes of the large grandfather clock. In times past, as children we often slept over at Nana and GrandDad's and celebrated Thanksgiving there. The song of that clock chime was well known to us and instantly relatable to the sounds of that special and loving home and holidays.
Years later we all slept over at Nana's house, over All Saints into All Souls...a year ago today....to attend her funeral. A few times times before that day we had heard a random ring of the wall clock! A clock we had never heard work before suddenly chimed, not once, not twice but here and there during those days of bereavement.
Nana?
So it is today, the Feast of All Souls, that we buried our dear Nana a year ago. And at the moment we were ready to all leave her house for the church and probably the time her casket was being wheeled into the Church...again, it happened! This time a series of chimes...dong, dong, dong.
For us, we felt certain this once silent clock was a talisman...a gift from God...her presence. If it had happened just once, we'd question...but there were several occasions.
And then the clock came home with me. I was expecting to hear the same, one note chime when I had it repaired, the chime we had heard at Nana's house. To my surprise it was a melodic "song" lengthening at each quarter hour and the exact chime that the grandfather clock had.
As it played I was reduced to tears and transported to my grandparent's old house and childhood memories. Many things from Nana's house came to my home and are comforting reminders, but nothing provides the warmth and feeling of home that these frequent chimes have! They feel like a hug. How quickly we have gotten used to them!
I hope that for my children and maybe someday my grandchildren the sound of the clock chimes will touchingly evoke feelings of love and HOME for them.
Below are the lyrics to a song most beloved by my children, especially when Red Grammer singsit and adds a haunting cello. It's impact on us grew deeper after Nana's clock came to our home and similarly personified her.
My grandfather's clock Was too large for the shelf, So it stood ninety years on the floor; It was taller by half Than the old man himself, Though it weighed not a pennyweight more. It was bought on the morn Of the day that he was born, It was always his treasure and pride;
But it stopped short Never to go again, When the old man died. Ninety years without slumbering, Tick, tock, tick, tock, His life seconds numbering, Tick, tock, tick, tock, It stopped short Never to go again, When the old man died.
In watching its pendulum Swing to and fro, Many hours had he spent while a boy; And in childhood and manhood The clock seemed to know, And share both his grief and his joy. And it struck twenty-four When he entered at the door, With a blooming and beautiful bride;
But it stopped short Never to go again, When the old man died. Ninety years without slumbering, Tick, tock, tick, tock, His life seconds numbering, Tick, tock, tick, tock, It stopped short Never to go again, When the old man died.
Ninety years without slumbering, Tick, tock, tick, tock, His life seconds numbering, Tick, tock, tick, tock, It stopped short Never to go again, When the old man died.
My grandfather said That of those he could hire, Not a servant so faithful he found; For it wasted no time, And had but one desire, At the close of each week to be wound. And it kept in its place, Not a frown upon its face, And its hand never hung by its side.
But it stopped short Never to go again, When the old man died. Ninety years without slumbering, Tick, tock, tick, tock, His life seconds numbering, Tick, tock, tick, tock, It stopped short Never to go again, When the old man died.
It rang an alarm In the dead of the night, An alarm that for years had been dumb; And we knew that his spirit Was pluming his flight, That his hour of departure had come. Still the clock kept the time, With a soft and muffled chime, As we silently stood by his side. But it stopped short Never to go again, When the old man died. Ninety years without slumbering, Tick, tock, tick, tock, His life seconds numbering, Tick, tock, tick, tock, It stopped short Never to go again, When the old man died.
PRAYING FOR THE HOLY SOULS AND OUR DEARLY DEPARTEDon this day and always....
Even though I didn't feel great today...a Monday after a busy weekend...headache...I knew today would have it's blessings! You see, I'm a Saint Junkie.
The Saints inspire me and they are my friends in this faith. I want them near, to guide us. Everyone has parts of the faith that they lean on or connect with and for me that is the intercessory prayer of this Cloud of Witnesses.
In reading about their lives, their hardships, their stedfast courage, my faith is given a wake-up call. That our Church, Our Lord, has their memories linked to days throughout the year and for just about any need, we are assured of His promise to never leave us because it is in His Saints too that we see Him. And so the best part of my day today was that car ride to Mass this evening. My eldest sat beside me and led the rosary as we drove in the dark, the city lights in the distance. So comforting knowing the peace that we were about to enter in to...
My husband was already there and vested and my 2nd son went up to join him in serving our priest. Two other priests sat at the altar, perhaps they were hoping to learn a bit of the Latin Mass? I opened my missal and noted these beautiful prayers (below) acknowledging our Saints.
How many saints prayed those prayers at Mass, just this way!
This IS the Mass of the Saints. How befitting of All Saints day to hear the Mass in the transcendent, other worldly Latin that our dear Saints heard it prayed in! It would lift them out of the ordinary, like it does for us. INTROIT Let us all rejoice in the Lord as we celebrate the feast in honor of all the saints upon which the angels rejoice and praise the Son of God. Ps. 32:1. Rejoice in the Lord, you just; praise befits the upright.
COLLECT Almighty and eternal God, through Your grace we honor the merits of all Your saints in the one solemn feast of today. Grant us the abundant mercy we ask of You through this army of heavenly intercessors. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ . . .
COMMUNION ANTIPHON Matt. 5:8-10 Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
POSTCOMMUNION PRAYER May Your faithful always delight in paying reverence to all the saints, O Lord, and may the constant intercession of the saints be our protection. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and rules with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit . . .
While in the van I had told the children, after we had prayed the rosary, to think of all their Saints during the Mass, to pray for their intercession. So many saints attached to us, the ones our first and middles names honor, the ones they took for Confirmation and the ones that had "chosen" them for the year...and years past in our family New Year tradition.
Surely today must be a day of special graces when praying to the Saints? A day like no other to ask them to intercede for us before the Face of God....may they guide us and be near us....
Our Saints for 2010
My Husband – > St. JoseMaria Escriva, - (June 26) “Grant that I too may learn to turn all the circumstances of my life into occasions of loving God and serving the Church, the Pope and all souls with joy and simplicity, lighting up the pathways of this earth with faith and love. PRAY THAT ALL WOULD FIND “THE WAY” TO LIVE FOR CHRIST EACH DAY.
Mine –> Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Scapular, - (July 16) “Those who wish to live truly devoted to Our Lady of Mount Carmel must follow Mary into the depths of the interior life…Mary’s soul is a real ‘garden’ of virtues, an oasis of silence and peace, where justice and equity reign; an oasis of security completely enveloped in the shadow of God, and filled with God. Every interior soul, even if living amid the tumult of the world, must strive to reach this peace, this interior silence, which alone makes continual contact with God possible.” PRAY FOR PEACE AND INTERIOR SILENCE IN THE HEARTS OF BISHOPS AND PRIESTS.
Oldest Son –> St. Camille of Lellis - (July 14) The Lord asks that we do nut bury the talent so invaluable that the Lord placed in our hands, so that we obtained holiness during the life and then eternal glory. PRAY FOR THOSE IN THE HEALTHCARE PROFESSION.(Some saints like to stay with us, this one I had the previous year. Padre Pio is a frequent companion as is Mother Cabrini)
2nd Son –> St. Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church (October 15th) “Since the spiritual world is based entirely on humility, the closer one gets to God, the more this virtue should grow.” PRAY FOR CONSECRATED SOULS, THEY ARE THE SOUL OF THE CHURCH.
Youngest Son –> St. Elizabeth of the Trinity – (Nov. 9) “If you feel ice fall on your heart, go warm up near He who is the Source of Love and Who makes emptiness only in order to fill up all that is empty.” PRAY FOR VOCATIONS TO THE CONTEMPLATIVE LIFE.(Not knowing much about this saint before his young hand was guided to her, we 've been confirmed once again in that the Saint picks you. Her story is one that has much meaning for our son.)
My Daughter's – > St. John of the Cross - (Dec. 14) “Would that men might come at last to see that is quite impossible to reach the thicket of the riches and wisdom of God except by first entering the thicket of much suffering, in such a way that the soul finds there its consolation and desire.” PRAY FOR THOSE WHO SUFFER, THAT THEY MAY UNTIE WITH JESUS AND FIND JOY.
They've been trusted advocates for us this year, these friends in high places. If you'd like to particpate in the SAINT BASKET, make sure to stop by in the New Year. Your response is always delightful; each year it grows!! But no fear, it is my gift and sacrifice. As it always is when we extend ourselves for the Lord, He can not be outdone in generosity and I am so blessed by the task...it may take all month or more, but I will get to your requests for companion Saints.
{this moment}
