"I Think It's a Balance Thing ..."

     As it happens, my dad is a big Science Fiction fan, and one of the shows that he enjoys is a show called "The X-Files". We don't normally watch it, not being quite as big fans, but every so often, Dad will find an episode he thinks we'd really like and shows it to us.

     One such episode was "The Goldberg Variation".  In it, a man named Henry Weems appears to be the luckiest man alive; but every time he gets lucky, someone around him has something bad happen to them.  As he explains it to Agent Mulder, "I think it's a balance thing. Something good happens to me and everybody else has to take it in the keister."
     During the last year, it seems like everyone we talked to has "taken it in the keister." It's a vicious cycle that never, ever, ends. In the last three months especially our immediate family has been hurting and for the longest time we couldn't figure out why.

One example of a Rube Goldberg Machine

     But then Bird and Reaganite, observant people that they are, realized that at the time our troubles started, the Vatican's Synod on the Family was beginning. It is entirely possible that we were spiritually taking it in the keister for the Church, as I am positive that other Catholic Faithful were as well. Now, there were other good things happening closer to home too, but my belief is that it was a combination of them that was pushing us towards a cliff edge. After all, we are all connected through the communion of saints, and Henry Weem's Rube Goldberg machines (characterized by a cause and effect sequence of tricks)  didn't ever consist of just one trick.
     Just recently, in the last couple of weeks, it seems that our troubles are slowing down, and it is 95.5% certain that we won't go careening off the cliff.
     Yesterday, however, my aunt called and said that one of our extended family member's mom was sick and his nephew had been in a car crash. We hadn't heard anything but good news from the extended family all while we were having our problems. Reaganite called this weekend too, and said that he was having some problems, but said he wouldn't elaborate until after they were over. And so, it's a balance thing. When something good happens, someone gets hurt. When the pressure lets up on someone, it squeezes someone else.
     So what can we do about it? Well, not much. We can pray, of course. We can be encouraging and supporting and stand by other people when the pressure lets off of us. We can offer up the little trials for other people (which is actually very good practice for when the big trials come).   And occasionally, when we know that the pressure is getting too much for someone, we can shift the balance. We can ask God to let us take on the stress and the impatience and the tiredness of the people who need to be strong, buoyant, and patient for someone else.
     It's scary, though, to do that. You can never quite tell what you're going to get.  You can never tell who you really helped either. But be assured, there is nothing more rewarding then to shift the balance.

     With love, and hoping we can do some good,
               -Bonny

Perfect Love Casts Out All Fear

Where were the followers of Jesus on the morning of the Resurrection?

Hiding "in fear of the Jews"? And for good reason, they had just put Jesus to death in a most horrible way.

Where was Mary Magdalene? 

Approaching a tomb guarded by soldiers(according to Matthew)                             

 ...in the dark(according to John)

... ALONE (according to John).

Why wasn't she afraid of the Jews?

 Perfect Love casts out all fear.  

She proved her love by washing his feet with her tears and wiping them with her hair and Christ testified to her love with the words "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much". She also gave witness to the depth of her love by being vigilant at the foot of His cross, and now she went out alone, in the dark, to a tomb guarded by soldiers, at a time when even the disciples dared not go out.  She wasn't just the example of a repentant sinner. Love covered her sins. Now she is the example of a courageous saint.

 She wore the armor of Love Himself.

Who else stood at the foot of the cross? These too are the examples of love and courage that we are called to imitate.

Can you tell when Peter’s love was perfected?

 Look for the example of a courageous man, witnessing to the Jews he had hidden from. All the Saints show this courage when they are perfect in love.

Are you afraid my children? Do you love as you ought? 

Take the example of these saints, hold them up in your view always, Love God and neighbor generously, then go do the work that He prepared you to do. 

"Build up one another in love and good works" 

+ MOM <3

 

Practicing the Presence of God

 From the article about Raymond of Pennafort in the Dublin edition of Butler's Lives of the Saints (published by Richard Coyne, of Capel street, Dublin and then in London, later republished by D.&J. sadlier of New York, 1864)

See the whole book (volume 1) online here
Have a great day

Keep the Faith

Here is a quote for all Missionary Saints like ourselves.


"This is the victory which overcometh the world, our faith."---1 John 5:4 



The great theologian Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange illustrates for us how to live this faith . (Formatting is mine to add emphasis)

This firmness of faith ... manifests itself more and more

• by love for the word of God contained in Holy Scripture,  

• by the cult of tradition preserved in the writings of the fathers,  

• by perfect adherence to even the most minute details of the doctrine proposed by the Church,  

• by docility to the directions of the supreme shepherd, the vicar of Jesus Christ.

 This firmness of faith appears especially in the Martyrs, and also, during great conflicts of opinion, in those who, far from vacillating, are capable of sacrificing their self-love in order to keep immutably to the right road.

 EXCERPTS TAKEN FROM THE THREE AGES OF THE INTERIOR LIFE, VOLUME II
HERDER BOOKS, 1948


www.catholictradition.org/Christ/heroic-virtues2.htm

The Feast of Mary the Immaculate Queen of Heaven

Happy Feast Day! What a beautiful feast day!

This is the perfect day to consecrate you and your family to the our Holy Mother and to help you with that I have found two links that will give you ideas on how to go about it.  The first is one that offers a kind of liturgy that you can follow in your domestic church- your home.  The second is all about how to make a shrine in your home.  most often they use cardboard materials and paper but for a more permanent shrine be creative about the materials.  


http://www.catholictradition.org/Mary/mary-immaculate.htm



http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=1264


Enjoy the blessings of being consecrated to the Mother of God!

A Thought for the Day

One should never deny the body what is due to it, that the body itself may not hinder what is due the soul.
-- St Peter of Alcantara


Read more: http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/inspiration.htm#21#ixzz1VexdV4ut

A Reading From Jean-Pierre de Caussade S.J.

This was the Day by Day Reading for Sunday the 14th in the August Magnificat:
"Shall I never succeed with the help of grace in instilling into you mind and still more into your heart this great principle of faith, so sweet, so consoling, so loving, and so pacifying? We ought often to pray: My God, may all Your most holy intentions be accomplished in me and never my own; may they be accomplished because while infinitely just in themselves they are also infinitely advantageous for me. I know that You can will only the greatest good of Your creatures so long as they remain submissive to Your orders. May my own will never be accomplished except when it is in perfect agreement with Yours because otherwise it can only be harmful to me. If ever, my God, it should happen through ignorance or passion that I persist in desires contrary to Yours, may I be disappointed and punished, not by Your justice, but by Your pity and great mercy.
Come what may, as Saint Francis de Sales used to say, Long live Jesus! I shall take sides with Divine Providence even if human wisdom tear out her hair with rage. When one is illuminated by heavenly light, one thinks very differently from most men, but what a source of peace, what power one finds in this way of thinking and looking at things! How happy are the saints, how peacefully they live, and what miserable blind fools we are not to be willing to train ourselves to think as they do, preferring to be entombed in the thick darkness of this accursed human wisdom which makes us so wretched, blind, and guilty. Let us study how to give all our care and attention to the task of conforming ourselves in all things to the holy will of God in spite of interior revolt. That revolt itself must be accepted in obedience to the will of God which permits it in order to accustom us to remain at all times and in all circumstances before Him in a state of sacrifice by even an interior silence of respect, adoration, self-annihilation, submission and love, and with a self-abandonment full of confidence.
-Father Jean-Pierre de Caussade, S.J.

On Prayer

Here's an inspiring quote from St. Thomas Aquinas on prayer. Its very good I think, because it addresses one of the mysteries of the spiritual life. If God already has a plan for the world, and already knows what was, and is, and is to come, then why pray for a special intention if it's not really going to change anything? On the other hand, remember that we are to pray without ceasing, as well as the parable of the friend at night (Luke 11), and the parable of the unjust judge and the widow (Luke 18). How do we reconcile resignation to God's will with perseverance in prayer? Here is St. Thomas' quote:

"We do not pray to change the divine scheme, but to ask those things which God has decreed to be brought about in response to our prayers."

Movies with a message even today.

     Here is a stack of links to some of my favorite children's movies. Most of the time the little ones couldn't take their eyes off the show as the animators drew in the characters and told the story. The three starred ones are the ones we own and have always been favorites, I just love the message in Miriam's .  Warning: The Mary and Joseph one has a reference to Jesus' little brothers and sisters. If you show these to very little children you may have to do some explaining.
 
*Miriam and the Baby Moses-draw on animation

*Elijah and the Fire from Heaven-draw on animation

*Paul's Adventure-draw on animation

Noah's great adventure-draw on animation

Joseph's Dream-draw on animation

Joshua and the land-draw on animation

Mary and Joseph-draw on animation

have fun!

Virtue Befitting a Son of God

     Here is a little something that I read and I would like you all to hear (or read) and take to heart.  It comes from a little book by Jose Marie Escriva called The Way:

#440   When you have finished your work, Do your brother's, helping him, for the sake of Christ, with such finesse and naturalness that no one --not even he-- will realize that you are doing more than in justice you ought.  

     This indeed is virtue befitting a son of God.

  I know that all of you know the reward that comes from this kind of service but the most difficult part of this assignment is keeping it to yourself when you have accomplished it. Generosity that is not, and does not become self service is real charity.

A Quote for Pentecost

O Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart. Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling and scatter there Thy cheerful beams.
-St. Augustine

Feast of St. Barnabas

Here is the very inspiring, opening prayer for today's Mass on the feast of St. Barnabas:

God our Father,
You filled Saint Barnabas with faith
and the Holy Spirit
and sent him to convert the nations.
Help us to proclaim the gospel by word and deed.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit,
one God,
for ever and ever.