I love you guys!

Thank you!

A Holy Saturday Family Tradition!

http://www.sanctamissa.org/en/resources/books-1962/rituale-romanum/48-blessings-for-special-days-and-feasts.html

I found this site this morning and had to add it to our collection of posts (click the link to get the rest of the blessings). We for many years have been taking part in the Blessing of the food at a local parish, if I find pictures of it that we have taken over the years I will share them.  Since we have moved the duty has fallen to one of the girls and  whomsoever happens to be with her in that area on Holy week.  There is no such thing happening in my new neighborhood.  Boy! Are they missing out! I cannot convince anyone to take up the  duty either, next year maybe I will be more convincing.  as for now I research and arm myself with materials on the benefits of blessings.

Keep the faith!

Good Guides

Somehow, when I get busy, I lose perspective.  Things that are really not that important become critical and make me cry, where as the really big, important things kind of go off my screen.  Lately I found a combination of websites that made me think, "Oh, I remember now, I am not the first one down this road." It was a very liberating thought.

Breaking trail

(Just by the fact that it is a road that I am following suggests that I am not breaking trail here!)

One was this website.       (I've added it to the list on the side of this page.)  The saints...  Some real life examples and real help in time of need, but the reason I especially like this site is because the coloring pages Mary draws that make the saints a little more real.  For example, Our Lady of Guadalupe has her hand on the head of Juan Diego.  Can't you just hear her saying to him "Am I not here who am your mother?  Are you not in the crossing of my arms...?"  a whole generation of children and their parents can learn from this gentle example posted on their refrigerator.

Then there is the EWTN audio library collection.   Father Pablo Straub, God rest his saintly soul, is immortalized in the collection, and his simple clear style helps us all to know just exactly what we OUGHT to be doing.  Clear instruction makes right action that much more simple. (He is just one of the wonderful teachers available on that site.  I listen to them while I work.

With these I am reminded of who I am, a Christian, and revived in my efforts to keep the faith, fight the good fight, follow those leaders that are following Jesus,  the good saints, the ones who have broken trail for us.

Good Guides

 All you angels and saints,  Pray for us.

Check out these sites, if you have the time. Refresh yourself and see for yourself that the heroic examples of the saints gives courage to their companions.

The Christmas Penny

    There once was a little old Grandmother who lived in a small, charming village, way out in the country.  The people of the village tell a very special story of the bell in the village church tower.

      Every year the villagers collected gifts for the poor of the countryside at their church on Christmas Eve.  Once, when the old woman was a young girl, the Church bells rang out, on their own, as the people were bringing their gifts for the poor to the manger.  The story, as the villagers told it ,was that God had been pleased with the gifts they had brought and had sent an angel to ring the bell.  Ever since then, the tradition in the village is that the bells of the church tower would ring out when the best gift was given to the Christ Child in the manger on Christmas Eve.  Now, each year, everyone for miles around brings gifts to the manger, hoping that God will again send the Angel to ring the bells for their gifts.
    Over the years, The very wealthy people have brought the gifts that were the most expensive, those made of the finest silver, precious stones and gold, or of the richest and most beautiful lace.  The ranchers had each cut out one of their fattest cattle from their herd or sheep from their flocks and brought them in.  Each farmer had brought in a basket of the fruits from their bountiful harvests, bragging that theirs was the finest or the sweetest in all the land.  The craftsmen of the village have brought in their beautiful rugs, pottery, candlesticks and other handmade goods, showing off their skills, but, for many years, the old woman didn't remember ever hearing those bells ring out on Christmas Eve.
     Everyone in the village planned and worked all year to provide a gift to lay by the manger, and so did the old woman.  She was the washer woman, and the gift she gave each year was a couple of the pennies that the other villagers paid her to wash their clothes.  This year though it was harder than ever for her to save because she was now taking care of her two small grandsons, who had lost their parents to illness that year.
     As Christmas approached the old woman began to worry, and to work harder than ever before washing the villagers clothes.  She worked so hard that she wore herself out.  Her hands were chapped and rough but she could never get enough to save the couple pennies that she usually saved.   This year it looked like she would not be able to bring the penny she usually gave … unless, if she made an extra sacrifice, and fasted a little, she might be able to save enough food so that she would not have to spend as much on the next market day.
      That market day the sun rose clear and cold.  The wind had picked up and was blowing from the North.  Happily she had been frugal enough to keep one of her pennies, but on her way home from the market she started coughing, just a little bit.  The next morning her cough was worse  and by that evening she was truly sick.  The boys had been looking forward to going to the church for Christmas Eve mass.  They had heard rumors that the king himself was going to be there, presenting a special gift at the manger.  They helped their Grandmother as much as they were able until her cough began to fade.  On the afternoon before the Christmas Eve Mass, she thought she was well enough to walk to the church on the hill, at the edge of the village. So they all bundled themselves up and started walking.  The going was slow because the old woman could not walk fast.   She was breathless and began to cough again.  The boys watched as the lanterns of all the people began to form rivers of light streaming towards the church.  They watched as carriages and wagons filled with people rumbled past decorated with streamers and lanterns.  So many cheerful neighbors passed them, as usual, and wished them a happy

Christmas, unaware that the old woman was struggling. Some of them stopped to talk to the old woman, to see if she was well, but none of them wanted to be late, this would be a special occasion, for it may be that the king would lay his crown at the manger and then the bells would be sure to ring.
      Suddenly, a cry rang out.  The king's carriage came over the hill and was approaching the entrance of the church.  All the people on the hillside began to race the rest of the way.  The little old woman, however, could go no further and she sank to the ground.  She would not be able to give her penny to the poor, she had never missed Christmas Mass before, She could do nothing about her dilemma .  She dissolved in tears.  The  small boys urged her to keep trying, but she only continued to cry. When the older brother realized she was crying he took her hand in both of his to comfort her.  Then he leaned over to hear the raspy words  she whispered through her tears,
     "Take the penny" she said, "Bring the gift to the Christ Child then bring someone back to help us"
      The older boy knew he could not leave them there on the road, it had gotten so dark and was getting colder  He decided to send his little brother on this errand, then he could keep her warm and call to any passersby for help.   There was no other way.  He turned and spoke to the little boy urgently,
     "Run as fast as you can!  Take the lantern and the penny and go on to the church.  Lay Grandmother's penny by the baby Jesus' crib, then bring someone back here to help us."
     The littlest boy liked to run, and he knew he could get someone to come back with him to help them, so he took the lantern and the penny and ran as fast as he could up the empty road, to the brightly lit church on the hill. As he disappeared from view his brother pulled in close to his Grandmother and wrapped her in a hug, like she had done so many times for him when he was sick or cold.  He spoke encouragingly to her and tried to keep her warm.
  As he approached the church the little brother could already hear the music and he knew that the Mass was beginning.  Leaving his lantern by the doorstep he crept into the church.  He crept quietly up the side aisle and crawled to the massive, brightly decorated, evergreen standing in the front of the church which sheltered the creche beneath it.  There he saw, up close, all of the amazing gifts and foods the people has showered upon the Christ Child.   He even saw the glittering jewels of  the king's noble crown.  Sliding the penny in a fold of the Christ Child's swaddling cloth, he froze.  Far away, as if in a dream the church bell began to toll.  Everyone in the church stopped singing, and the music stopped.  All eyes turned toward the tree with the manger under it, and there, lying beside it, was a tiny boy with a penny still pinched in his fingers.  The bell was ringing louder and clearer now and all the people cheered.
     The little boy's neighbor was near the creche. He picked him up in a big bear hug and the little boy cried out,"We need your help!" over the din of the happy people.  He told anyone who would listen that his grandmother needed help and his brother could not do it by himself.  Right away a delegation, that included the neighbor, the doctor,  the priest and a few good strong men with a stretcher, hastily made from a blanket and chairs, were led by the little boy back to where he had left the old woman and his brother. 
 As the neared the two on the road, the

little boy sang out "Did you hear the bells Grandmother? The angel rang the bells for us."  His older brother laughed and his Grandmother hugged him, then they lifted her from the ground. The gift this little family had given was not just the penny, that Christmas, they had given something of themselves.  Now, see if you can remember all the gifts that they gave that made the Christ Child happy.

An Important Re-blog: The Breadbox Letters: Letting Go of Millie's Splinters

The Breadbox Letters: Letting Go of Millie's Splinters: It was one of my grown children who helped me see the error of my ways.  Launching into a story about someone I'll call 'Millie...relating a tale I'd been told by a friend who'd heard from a co-worker who knew for sure because someone had said ... I was stopped mid-sentence.  "Mom," said my son (kindly), "before you say any more, just know that whatever you tell me will make a difference in what I think about 'Millie' from now on."

A Healthy(?) Curiosity...Hmmm.

       Sometimes there is reading from the Bible, an article, or just an offhand comment by a friend that hits me between the eyes and shatters the excuse colored glasses that are keeping me stumbling through my life, unaware of my path.

       Take this article, for instance, from the Vatican radio website (which I recently made my homepage for just this reason) as I read it, I heard, from deep in my memory, the voice of my spiritual director and the words of Thomas a Kempis in the Imitation of Christ  speaking in chorus about the dangers of curiosity.  Now with my vision cleared and my direction given, my path seems obvious. Certainly my future involves less time on the computer,  my main source of curiosity and dissipation.  This may be why prayer has been so hard for me to accomplish lately.  Ora et Labora is the plan.   Thank you, again, Holy Father.

       How about you now, how many tabs are up on your computer? How's your prayer life been?


Pope: the spirit of curiosity distances one from God (Vatican Radio) The spirit of curiosity generates confusion and distances a person from the Spirit of wisdom, which brings peace, said Pope Francis in his homily during Thursday morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta.

The Pope began his homily by commenting on the first reading from the Book of Wisdom, which describes “the state of the soul of the spiritual man and woman”, of true Christians, who live “in the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. And this wisdom carries them forward with this intelligent, holy, single, manifold and subtle spirit”.

“This is journeying in life with this spirit: the spirit of God, which helps us to judge, to make decisions according to the heart of God. And this spirit gives us peace, always! It is the spirit of peace, the spirit of love, the spirit of fraternity. And holiness is exactly this. That which God asked of Abraham—‘Walk in my presence and be irreproachable’—is this: this peace. To follow the movement of the Spirit of God and of this wisdom. And the man and woman who walk this path, we can say they are wise men and women… because they follow the movement of God’s patience.”

In the Gospel, the Pope underlined, “we find ourselves before another spirit, contrary to the wisdom of God: the spirit of curiosity”.

“And when we want to be the masters of the projects of God, of the future, of things, to know everything, to have everything in hand… the Pharisees asked Jesus, ‘When will the Kingdom of God come?’ Curious! They wanted to know the date, the day… The spirit of curiosity distances us from the Spirit of wisdom because all that interests us is the details, the news, the little stories of the day. Oh, how will this come about? It is the how: it is the spirit of the how! And the spirit of curiosity is not a good spirit. It is the spirit of dispersion, of distancing oneself from God, the spirit of talking too much. And Jesus also tells us something interesting: this spirit of curiosity, which is worldly, leads us to confusion.”

Curiosity, the Pope continued, impels us to want to feel that the Lord is here or rather there, or leads us to say: “But I know a visionary, who receives letters from Our Lady, messages from Our Lady”. And the Pope commented: “But, look, Our Lady is the Mother of everyone! And she loves all of us. She is not a postmaster, sending messages every day.”

Such responses to these situations, he affirmed, “distance us from the Gospel, from the Holy Spirit, from peace and wisdom, from the glory of God, from the beauty of God.”

“Jesus says that the Kingdom of God does not come in a way that attracts attention: it comes by wisdom.”

“ ‘The Kingdom of God is among you,’ said Jesus, and it is this action of the Holy Spirit, which gives us wisdom and peace. The Kingdom of God does not come in (a state of) confusion, just as God did not speak to the prophet Elijah in the wind, in the storm (but) he spoke in the soft breeze, the breeze of wisdom.”

“Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus would say that she had always to stop herself before the spirit of curiosity," he said. "When she spoke with another sister and this sister was telling a story about the family, about people, sometimes the subject would change, and she would want to know the end of the story. But she felt that this was not the spirit of God, because it was a spirit of dispersion, of curiosity.

“The Kingdom of God is among us: do not seek strange things, do not seek novelties with this worldly curiosity. Let us allow the Spirit to lead us forward in that wisdom, which is like a soft breeze," he said. "This is the Spirit of the Kingdom of God, of which Jesus speaks. So be it.”

Listen to the report by Laura Ieraci: 
(Audio: http://media01.radiovaticana.va/audio/ra/00399645.RM) 

Vatican Radio - All the contents on this site are copyrighted ©.

Something to Think On

We should be thankful we don't get as much government as we pay for.

-Will Rogers

A Quote for the Day

Genuine good taste consists in saying much in few words, in choosing among our thoughts, in having order and arrangement in what we say, and in speaking with composure.
Francois Fenelon

Humility, in the words of Josemaría Escrivá

Allow me to remind you that among other evident signs of a lack of humility are:

1. Thinking that what you do or say is better than what others do or say
2. Always wanting to get your own way
3. Arguing when you are not right or — when you are — insisting stubbornly or with bad manners
4. Giving your opinion without being asked for it, when charity does not demand you to do so
5. Despising the point of view of others
6. Not being aware that all the gifts and qualities you have are on loan
7. Not acknowledging that you are unworthy of all honour or esteem, even the ground you are treading on or the things you own
8. Mentioning yourself as an example in conversation
9. Speaking badly about yourself, so that they may form a good opinion of you, or contradict you
10. Making excuses when rebuked
11. Hiding some humiliating faults from your director, so that he may not lose the good opinion he has of you
12. Hearing praise with satisfaction, or being glad that others have spoken well of you
13. Being hurt that others are held in greater esteem than you
14. Refusing to carry out menial tasks
15. Seeking or wanting to be singled out
16. Letting drop words of self-praise in conversation, or words that might show your honesty, your wit or skill, your professional prestige…
17. Being ashamed of not having certain possessions…

St.Josemaría, Pray for us.

I think that this could be part of a very effective examination of Conscience. If I find other parts I'll post them.