The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 3,300 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 6 years to get that many views.
Filed under Uncategorized
Many years ago I found this prayer in a second hand shop, I love antiques and was drawn to this prayer as it orignially had hung in the mother house of the Sisters of Charity in Nazareth Ky. I was facing a very grave medical issue and hung this prayer still hanging on my wall reading it daily many times over and still do! I truly believe it was my undying Faith that brought me through my illness and I want to share with you today in hopes that it too impacts your life in such a positive way that it did mine.. “Lord hear our prayers”
TRUST HIM
Trust him when dark doubts assail thee, Trust Him when thy strength is small, Trust Him when to simply Trust Him seems the hardest thing of all.
Trust Him, he is ever faithful, Trust Him, His dear will is best, Trust Him, for the Heart of Jesus is thy surest place of rest.
Trust Him, then in storm and sunshine…All they cares upon Him cast, till the term of life is over and thy trusting days are past.
“Sacred Heart of Jesus in Thee I place my Trust”
May God Bless you and I pray this prayer will lead you to find peace within your heart and soul…
“
Filed under Trust
“Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent forth His word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.” Psalms 107:19-20
Our Lady teaches us that prayer is a powerful weapon against all that is evil in this world and strongly suggest we pray daily, hourly if need be to secure our place at the foot of her son Jesus.
It is not only evil that we face along our journey here in this world, sickness and illness is as much a part of this world as is breathing. We all succumb to an illness at some point in our lives and it is through these challenging times we often turn to Our Lord for comfort from the pain we might endure and for the unknown of what is to come. Prayer is the subject of this post and it is prayers that I am seeking.
When seeking prayer I am often reminded of Cyprian of Carthage
“Let us remember one another in concord and unanimity. Let us on both sides [of death] always pray for one another. Let us relieve burdens and afflictions by mutual love, that if one of us, by the swiftness of divine condescension, shall go hence the first, our love may continue in the presence of the Lord, and our prayers for our brethren and sisters not cease in the presence of the Father’s mercy” (Letters 56 [60]:5 [A.D. 253]).
It is a love that I have for another that is also the inspiration of this post. As you may or not know I am a nurse, I have witnessed the power of prayer; every miracle and every sense of His Grace and His Mercy.
Many of you either know someone close, a family member, neighbor, best friend that have fallen prey to Cancer and it’s impact on their lives. It is through prayer that I seek out the intercession of St. Peregrine Laziosi, Patron Saint for Cancer patients. I ask you to join me with this Novena for my loved one, who is so very cherished and for the loved ones on your mind as you read this and in your heart.
GLORIOUS WONDER-WORKER, St. Peregrine,
You answered the divine call
With a ready spirit,
And forsook all the comforts of the world
To dedicate yourself to God
In the Order of His Most Holy Mother.You labored manfully
For the salvation of souls;
And in union with Jesus Crucified
You endured the most painful sufferings
With such patience
As to deserve to be
Healed miraculously
Of an incurable cancer
In your leg by a touch
Of his divine hand.Obtain for me
The grace to answer
Every call of God
And to fulfill His Will
In all the events of life.Enkindle in my heart
A consuming zeal
For the salvation of souls;
Deliver me from the infirmities
that afflict my body(name your petition)
Obtain for me
Perfect resignation to the sufferings
It may please God to send me,
So that, imitating our Crucified Savior
And His Sorrowful Mother,
I may merit eternal glory in heaven.Amen.
St. Peregrine, pray for me
And for all who invoke your aid. (3 times)
~ Lord hear my prayers ~
love you ;-p
Filed under Prayer
May 1, 2011 the first step to making this come to fruition will take place as the entombed remains of Pope John Paul II will be on public view for veneration. Pope Benedict XVI will beatify his adored predecessor.
Father of Love and Life,
In every age you inspire your people
Through the teaching and example
Of leaders who are living witnesses of your Kingdom.We thank you for Blessed John Paul II,
Whom you raised up to point the way
To a Culture of Life.May we learn from his teachings
That the defense of the unborn
Stands at the center of our moral priorities.May we learn from his example
How to defend life with courage and joy.May we echo his conviction
That the outcome of the battle for life
Has already been decided,
Because Jesus Christ is Risen from the dead.May we, remembering Blessed John Paul II,
Always proclaim, celebrate, and serve
The Gospel of Life.We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Filed under Beatification
Now after the sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the sepulchre. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. His appearance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. Lo, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell the disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Hail!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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 lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” [Mathew 28:1-10, 16-20]
“I am Eternal Truth, incapable of any lie. I am faithful to My promises.” – Our Lord to St. Margaret Mary
Have you given much thought to Divine Providence or how it has impacted your life? Often things happen in our life and we aren’t really sure as to why this or that happened. To have a better understanding of the meaning of Divine Providence:
The purpose, or goal, of divine providence is to accomplish the will of God. To ensure that His purposes are fulfilled, God governs the affairs of men and works through the natural order of things. The laws of nature are nothing more than a depiction of God at work in the universe. The laws of nature have no inherent power, nor do they work independently. The laws of nature are the rules and principles that God set in place to govern how things work.
This is what I believe Our Lord was saying to St. Margaret Mary, it is through his promise of never lying to us and always faithful to the promises of life eternal as long as we simply believe.
I am a convert to the Catholic Church and truly believe that this too, was an act of Divine Providence. I was born into a family to parents of different religious backgrounds. My Mother was from a rural community and worshiped in a rural Church. My Father was a “city slicker” and had attended parochial schools and was baptized Catholic. However, after the marriage, my father no longer worshiped in a church of his faith but would attend church with the family as a whole. Life was good in those days and to a child it was carefree! My mother let us visit other churches with friends and relatives and it was one of those times with a great-aunt that I knew I was destined to become Catholic. Vatican II had not yet come into play so Mass was still said in Latin but I was in awe, not by the vestments of the Priest but by how I connected within my young soul. After hearing sermons with the minister pounding his fist on the podium and raising his voice to make his message known; I was transformed at Mass by what I felt at the time to be that of holiness and a sense of feeling God’s presence. I was always an inquisitive child and I think that trait has sense transferred to my adulthood! I would ask questions relentlessly of the great-aunt in which I had attended Mass with and she did the best of her ability to explain to me as time went forward. She told me about the Rosary and it’s meaning and even gave me a small altar to place in my bedroom to put candles on. However, though at the time not fully understanding everything herself about the Catholic Faith I was instructed to give the altar back to my aunt by my mother. I soon became, sadly, bored with going to the Protestant Church as I no longer felt the connection like I had when I went to Mass. As I became a teenager and like most of you know, teen-agers at some point think they know all about everything…so I decided that I was just not going to go to church!
Bad decision! Unfortunately, like many teen-agers I fell into what is commonly referred to as the “wrong crowd.” This is not a confessional of any sorts but a means of showing you how Divine Providence led me out of the darkness.
As I reached a “mature”age, I started to seriously do some soul searching and looking at where I was at in my life. Was I pleasing God? Was I living right? By this time, I had separated myself from my family and was in a very low place or like Mother Theresa wrote about being in doubt. I was in a job that no longer made me happy for at the time I wasn’t sure what that was. I started to pray..and pray..once in a while I would think that my prayers were in vain for nothing seemed to change. One evening while driving downtown I drove past a century old Catholic Church and suddenly as if someone had flipped a switch I felt the urgent need to go to Mass and the following Sunday, I was sitting nervously in the middle of this ornate Church. I stood when the others stood and knelled when they knelled. It was on that occasion that I knew what I had to do! I called the Parish closest to my home and soon was in Catechism classes. I was belittled by those who thought was I was doing was ridiculous but I never let their words deter my intentions. I finished the classes and the following Easter was welcomed into the Church. I was elated! I finally felt that I was on the right track and then something else started to bother me, I was unhappy doing the work in which I was doing at the time. It really doesn’t matter what it was but I knew in my heart that it was not pleasing to God and that is what I wanted most in the world was to please Him and in a sense seek forgiveness for the sins of my youth. So, once again I found myself praying in earnest, often to the point of tears streaming down my face and once again…the doubt started to enter my mind. Was it really “me” having the doubts or was it Satan who was realizing he was loosing his grip on a lost soul as I no longer felt lost. This time my wait wasn’t as long as before and you know the old saying, “things don’t happen in our time but in God’s time.”
One particular day while napping I was awakened by the phone and my Aunt (by marriage) was on the other end and with an excited tone began to tell me that she thought she had met my grandmother while visiting her relative in a nursing home. I couldn’t believe my ears, I hadn’t seen my paternal grandmother nor my maternal grandparents in years…The very next day she went with me to visit her in the nursing home and guess what? Divine Providence once again became relevant and clear…It was that visit that led me to my current career as a Registered Nurse. I knew by caring for the sick, I would be able to please God with my service. Many refer to us as being “Angels” but I always scoff at that terminology and say that, “no, I am not an Angel but a servant to God.”
As my paternal grandmother lay dying, I sat beside her bed and placed the Crucifix on my Rosary upon her heart and prayed until I felt that I had swallowed a grapefruit. She would whisper, “pray for me” and I reassured her that indeed I was. I had started my nursing career in long term care but quickly and once again attribute this to Divine Providence moved to the hospital setting and I quickly applied at Catholic Hospital so I could work in a setting that reflected my faith.
I still have days where I have my doubts but they never last like they once did. I am reminded daily as I enter a patient’s room and see the Crucifix on the wall just what Our Lord sacrificed for us. I am more humbled by the suffering I see as I attribute this to the suffering Our Lord endured and it has only made my faith stronger.
One of my strongest devotions is to the Divine Mercy and I use it often when at work and caring for a terminally ill patient. As Jesus had instructed Sr.Faustina: “Unceasingly recite this chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death…Priest will recommend it to sinners as a last hope of salvation. Even the most hardened sinners, if he recites this chaplet will receive grace from My infinite mercy…Oh what great graces I will grant to souls who will recite this chaplet…By means if of it you can ask and obtain anything if what you ask for will be compatible with My will. I want the whole world to know My infinite mercy. I want to give unimaginable graces to those who Trust [emphasis mine] My mercy.”
I feel blessed by His grace and by His mercy for it is by His Divine Providence that I am able to write about this today. Never lose your Faith and hold true to the promises that Our Lord gave to St. Margaret Mary and to countless other Saints and yes even to us if we only open our hearts and accept and Trust Him for he is ever with us.
Filed under Divine Providence
I was watching television the other day and heard the most prolific message coming from it, a message that resonates profoundly and makes one to look inward to reflect on the real reason why God has placed them to be here on earth. The message:
Be who you were born to be and not what you have become
To be able to experience this phenomenon of being who you were born to be, Faith plays a crucial role in the ability to be able reach your true destiny. Remember scripture Jeremiah 1:5..
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations
Faith is essential when facing any type of storm without it you are left naked to wander aimlessly through life. We all during life face one type of storm or another, that is life. As with Faith, one has to remember that, “Serenity is not freedom from the storm but peace amid the storm.” As referenced in the above scripture about being “prophets to the nations,” it is our duty as Christians to spread the word of God and to make his Word known. To accomplish this we too, should strive for being like the Saints, who selfishly loved God with every fiber of their being. As my good friend and fellow Catholic pointed out, “They became the people God created them to be.”
Are you ready to accept this challenge and be the person God intended?
Seek a personal relationship with Jesus and it is through His Love, Mercy and Grace that he will lift us all up to be all that we were meant to be… God Bless
Filed under Faith
I was delighted to have found out about a new audio Bible from a friend on twitter. This was the brainchild of Carl Amari and it’s his, “fervent prayer“….
As you listen to the life-giving Word of God, you will find peace for your soul, rest for your mind, joy for your heart, and a renewed and empowered faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
This audio set contains 22 hours on 18 CDs and features voices of internationally renowned actors with original music score and sound effects. Brian Cox is the voice of God, Neal McDonough as Jesus and Julia Ormond as Mary, Mother of God. The audio set comes with a foreword by Pope Benedict XVI [paraphrased]
We must always look for the Word within the words. Therefore, exegesis, the true reading of Holy Scripture, is not only a literary phenomenon, not only reading a text. It is a movement of my existence. Only by conforming ourselves to the Mystery of God, to the Lord who is the Word, can we enter within the Word, can we truly find the Word of God in human words. Let us pray to the Lord that he may help us search the word, not only with our intellect but also with our entire existence.
I strongly recommend you purchase a set for you or to give as a gift as there is no greater gift than the Word of God.
Filed under Word
Memories, in my opinion is another example of God’s love for us. The photo above symbolizes such a memory. It is not the “jug” that is the memorable aspect but it’s content. As a child I couldn’t wait to go to my maternal grandparents farm, located in rural Kentucky to celebrate Christmas. There wasn’t the fancy decorated trees with all the trappings. My grandpa would scour the farm and find a pine tree suitable to bring home to decorate. The tree had garland and tinsel, ornaments adorned the branches. Underneath the tree we found boxes of assorted fruits, nuts and candies.
Grandpa loved peppermint or candy canes and we were delighted when we were able to find him the humongous logs of peppermint for him to chisel and hearing his laughter as we clambered about with excitement of the coming day as family would gather to enjoy each other but also enjoy the many joys my dear Grandma would be conjuring up inside her “country kitchen.”
The “joy” I most looked forward too is pictured above; Grandma’s boiled custard, a recipe that has been handed down from one generation to another. In my child-like eyes of those days, there was nothing in comparison! She would gather eggs from her hen house and would spend hours standing at the stove stirring her custard with the love of only a Grandma could muster.
Those days are long gone as my Grandparents have been called home and the days of enjoying her boiled custard is but a memory embedded in the mind of that child that once was.
For years I have bought the store bought version of the boiled custard to relive that childhood memory that we so often resort to at times of great celebrations only to find it paled in comparison, quality and yes…taste!
This Christmas, however, God worked one of his many miracles in my life. Maybe he had seen the tears, felt the pain in my heart as I longed for those days of yesteryear.
In many ways God’s love has a trickle down effect. Meaning that it is His love for us, that he gave us each our own Mothers and Fathers to nurture us and see us through the many challenges we face a long our way in life. Like Mary as she guided her son Jesus through his early years, my Mom was very focused on our up bringing and she too felt many of the same joys and sorrows of Our Lady. Yet through all those times of joys and sorrow her love for me was affirmed in the most special of ways.
Knowing of my great love for not only my Grandparents and how I missed those Christmases of days gone by, she recreated my Grandma’s boiled custard and surprised me with this “jug” Christmas Eve. I can’t begin to describe the emotion that flooded me in that moment, the moment in which I laid eyes upon this jug filled with the memories of days gone by but of the love that was contained in this “jug.” Not only was I given the gift of affirmation of my own Mother’s love but for a brief moment, I felt the presence of my Grandma’s love, a love that I now know lives for an eternity……
Heavenly Father, help me to bring your love into my family. I don’t want to stand outside the flow of your grace!
Filed under Family
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From The Heart Of Mary 