I used to lament the fact that my family just cannot seem to get a family dinner going-- you read all the time about how important the family dinner is and how crucial it is to the mission of creating a Godly family culture.
Not having a husband and Father in law on board for the family dinner thing has been endlessly annoying to me. That being said- we actually HAVE family dinners more often than not. It's just that I can never "count on" the fact that it is a priority for each family member, each day of the week. It seemed like everytime we got into a trend of three or so family dinners in a week, I would get excited and start plotting ways to add a family devotional or something in my mind, and then get thoroughly disappointed when the next supper found us all eating in different parts of the house as we worked on various projects. Rather than lament, I placed these frustrations squarely in the hands of the Lord, who opened my eyes to something amazing this morning.
When we first moved in here, I was endlessly irritated at my Father in Law for his morning habits. First, because he seems to set his alarm for the minute that I have tons of stuff to do in the kitchen and then we have to dance around each other getting in each other's way, and second because he seems to be intent on asking us if he can make us something and then resenting the fact that we don't thank him perpetually for all his good deeds all the time, which make us more likely to just
say "forget it!"
Case in point, the great Bacon fiasco of 2009, where he made a HUGE deal out of making sure everyone in the house got bacon for a week straight. The kids, who had never had bacon before got super excited about the very thought of bacon with all the enthusiasm with which he would describe it, and everymorning he would race through the halls going: "Bacon! Bacon's on the table for everybody! Who wants bacon??"
Then one day he was like... "Hey, well you guys are eating bacon every day. The kids REALLY like it. Maybe you could chip in." Seriously?
Add to that the fact that neither myself nor my husband are morning people--- and that we normally eat like, a breakfast bar and a cup of tea (including the kids) and it was like hell on earth for us getting up in the mornings--- where we were accosted by his good mood and his glee over the huge breakfast he had made us and how much energy it was going to give us.
Fast forward a few months and I began to notice that we DID have a lot of energy for the day when we ate a good breakfast. And then, as our appreciation for our Scottish/Irish heritage grew in proportion to the kilts we accumulated (Haha) I began to develop an appreciation for traditional country breakfasts, which are based largely on traditional Scottish and Irish breakfasts. I started praying about ways to incorporate his dad's morning methods with our own and we finally worked out a system in which there was limited "kitchen dancing" going on and more goal orientation.
Nowadays, breakfast is like a well-oiled machine. He makes the coffee and bacon, I make the eggs, tea, oatmeal, fruit and toast. If someone wants grits, they know Grandpa's the expert. When Saturday's roll around, I make the pancakes or waffles. And Grandpa makes us his special biscuits and gravy once a month. Everyone wakes up cheerier now that we know what to expect and the kids, I have to say, eat more at breakfast than any other meal.
We all sit together every morning and we talk naturally, optimistically and openly about the day ahead instead of with resignation and frustration about the day that's past. And honestly? It's a glorious time. And we laugh-- because morning is always a little slow and silly.
I guess it took a change in attitude and a desire to make it work for us to see fruit in our family life, despite ourselves. And that devotional? We have it at the breakfast table.
"Perhaps this is one of the secrets of life-- to know 'Glory' when we see it..." --Charlotte M. Mason
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
The night from hell.
Since everyone on FB and Twitter seems to want to know why this day is so rough and I need prayer, I have to explain my night. :P
Previous to last night, we have been having a terrible time with getting my oldest to sleep. She had her binky taken away in November, and ever since then it has been a huge struggle to get her to sleep AT ALL. What little sleep she does get is catch up sleep and it happens only after she completely collapses from exhaustion. Not sleeping affects every aspect of her personality and she has become almost impossible-- it has taken every ounce of patience and strength in me to deal with the resulting behavioral issues, and despite trying everything in the book, I still do not have a sleep solution that works other than physically lying down next to her and ensuring she keeps her eyes closed and her body still until she passes out.
So, the night before last she was particularly challenging and wouldn't go to sleep until almost midnight.
Because of that I was utterly exhausted-- it was my third night in a row going to bed at midnight and from 7-midnight is the only chunk of sleep the baby takes before waking up every 1 1/2 to 2 hrs for morning clusterfeeding that lasts til 7ish. needless to say, I NEED my daughter to go to bed by 8 at the latest, or I am a wreck the following day.
So having had barely any sleep at all the night before (less than two hours for the third night in a row!)I decided to go to bed as soon as the kids were asleep.
Of course, this ended up being the night that not only would my oldest not sleep but that my two year old decided to start copying her and that the baby selected to just stay up. She's been nursing round the clock for a few days so I just figured "well... I will take her to bed with me."
Of course, everytime I lay down with her, she wailed-- all she wanted was to be held upright and nursed. Probably, she has a variation of the cold I caught from my two-year old.... which has me totally laid out.
So there I was wishing i could go to sleep and instead every five minutes or so one of my kids were trying to keep from sleeping for various reasons. Finally, the other two got settled and then the baby decides she will wake up for an hour or so. Resigned, I decide to sit on the couch and hold her while watching tree monster movies on Sy Fy with the father in law.
That's when the baby finally fell asleep. I went to bed and was awakened virtually every hour by one after another kid.People were hot, they were cold, they were scared, they were thirsty. We basically played musical beds until about 3:30 when I decided I couldn't take the interrupted sleep any longer and took everyone to sleep on the floor with me in the living room. When the middle child
was awakened from an uncomfortable sleep I put him back in his crib. I came back to bed on the living room floor with the baby only to be awakened nearly as soon as I fell back asleep again by a COCKROACH which was scampering on my arm... one that had crawled in on the wood we are using to heat the house. I told you, cockroaches are Satan's minions. Having smashed it and totally grossed myself out, I tried to go back to sleep.
At around 4:30 or so, I heard a blood curdling wail from the kids' room. I ran in there, nearly severing my nipple that the baby had a death grip on, and found my son in his crib, drenched, and my daughter in his crib, guiltily holding an empty bottle of holy water. I found out later that he had been -- as per a scary dream she had had--- "turning into a seal again" so she thought she would give him a holy water bath. While he was sleeping.
This was one of those moments that will be hilarious with time, but in the moment I was beside myself with frustration, exhaustion, and anger. Needless to say, the kids were awake from then on.
A terrible migraine ensued (from the cold and lack of sleep, I imagine) and the day, indeed, looked bleak... prompting me to ask for prayer.Especially since my husband had to be gone all day!
And that, my friends, is the story of the night from hell.
I seem to have these a little too often. There HAS to be a way to make the older kids sleep!! When I was a kid, you couldn't get me OUT of my bed. What is with my children??
Previous to last night, we have been having a terrible time with getting my oldest to sleep. She had her binky taken away in November, and ever since then it has been a huge struggle to get her to sleep AT ALL. What little sleep she does get is catch up sleep and it happens only after she completely collapses from exhaustion. Not sleeping affects every aspect of her personality and she has become almost impossible-- it has taken every ounce of patience and strength in me to deal with the resulting behavioral issues, and despite trying everything in the book, I still do not have a sleep solution that works other than physically lying down next to her and ensuring she keeps her eyes closed and her body still until she passes out.
So, the night before last she was particularly challenging and wouldn't go to sleep until almost midnight.
Because of that I was utterly exhausted-- it was my third night in a row going to bed at midnight and from 7-midnight is the only chunk of sleep the baby takes before waking up every 1 1/2 to 2 hrs for morning clusterfeeding that lasts til 7ish. needless to say, I NEED my daughter to go to bed by 8 at the latest, or I am a wreck the following day.
So having had barely any sleep at all the night before (less than two hours for the third night in a row!)I decided to go to bed as soon as the kids were asleep.
Of course, this ended up being the night that not only would my oldest not sleep but that my two year old decided to start copying her and that the baby selected to just stay up. She's been nursing round the clock for a few days so I just figured "well... I will take her to bed with me."
Of course, everytime I lay down with her, she wailed-- all she wanted was to be held upright and nursed. Probably, she has a variation of the cold I caught from my two-year old.... which has me totally laid out.
So there I was wishing i could go to sleep and instead every five minutes or so one of my kids were trying to keep from sleeping for various reasons. Finally, the other two got settled and then the baby decides she will wake up for an hour or so. Resigned, I decide to sit on the couch and hold her while watching tree monster movies on Sy Fy with the father in law.
That's when the baby finally fell asleep. I went to bed and was awakened virtually every hour by one after another kid.People were hot, they were cold, they were scared, they were thirsty. We basically played musical beds until about 3:30 when I decided I couldn't take the interrupted sleep any longer and took everyone to sleep on the floor with me in the living room. When the middle child
was awakened from an uncomfortable sleep I put him back in his crib. I came back to bed on the living room floor with the baby only to be awakened nearly as soon as I fell back asleep again by a COCKROACH which was scampering on my arm... one that had crawled in on the wood we are using to heat the house. I told you, cockroaches are Satan's minions. Having smashed it and totally grossed myself out, I tried to go back to sleep.
At around 4:30 or so, I heard a blood curdling wail from the kids' room. I ran in there, nearly severing my nipple that the baby had a death grip on, and found my son in his crib, drenched, and my daughter in his crib, guiltily holding an empty bottle of holy water. I found out later that he had been -- as per a scary dream she had had--- "turning into a seal again" so she thought she would give him a holy water bath. While he was sleeping.
This was one of those moments that will be hilarious with time, but in the moment I was beside myself with frustration, exhaustion, and anger. Needless to say, the kids were awake from then on.
A terrible migraine ensued (from the cold and lack of sleep, I imagine) and the day, indeed, looked bleak... prompting me to ask for prayer.Especially since my husband had to be gone all day!
And that, my friends, is the story of the night from hell.
I seem to have these a little too often. There HAS to be a way to make the older kids sleep!! When I was a kid, you couldn't get me OUT of my bed. What is with my children??
Friday, January 1, 2010
The Annual Blog Roundup for 2009
The new year is here! So here is the best and worst of 2009-- the end of a decade!
Best Memory
I have begun (Finally) to settle into an understanding of what makes Fayetteville so special. It's not the place. It's the people. There are some incredible people here. Most of my best memories happened towards the end of the year, as we grew closer to our new Priest, as we celebrated life (feasts, birthdays, holidays etc) with those we have grown to know and love in our Church family. Some of these people have become like literal family to us-- just amazing to me how blessed we have been. There have been many holidays and weekends lately where we just look around and think : "THIS. This is perfect." My other best memory is of watching my husband come home from enrolling in his first college classes. This was a glorious moment-- a big, big moment. I am so proud of him. Add to that the moment he came home with his incredible grades from his first semester. Yeah!
Obviously we have had lots of fun with the kids... but that goes without saying. My memories of weekends and holidays and family/friend dinners this year and lazy days spent with loved ones have all melded into one giant feeling of down home, happy, beautiful living.
Worst Memory
Not being able to bring my new baby home. That was the worst. The poor reactions I had to my challenges towards the end of the year with regards to our big move and the change in lifestyle. And definitely the moment I realized that my daughter was just out of control.
Funniest Moment
Can't think of anything other than enjoying many a laugh with loved ones.
Biggest Surprise
Well, first that the baby wasn't healthy when she was born. That really threw me for a loop. But also, I think the biggest surprise was that it took me THREE children to even put a dent in my selfishness-- that it took me three kids to learn how to relax into parenting.
Song of the Year
No music has really moved me this year. It's been a year marked by silence, and that's on purpose.
Movie of the Year
Well, the only two movies I saw this year were Paranormal Activity and the Princess and the Frog. So by default, Paranormal Activity. :P
Website of the Year
I finally got mine fixed. So mine :P
I spent most of my time reading OCDS sites this year. They are all amazing and I couldnt pick just one.
Most awesome FOs
I'm sorry to say I can't remember a single one. That's what happens when you have three kids three and under.
Most ridiculous WIPs
Dominic's Kilt Hose. I've been working on them for months and then they keep getting wrecked by the kids.
Best Forum Debate
I tried to stay away from these this year, but had a few interesting ones on PRS, happy housewives, and as always-- Ravelry. Ravelry drives me insane... but darn it, I love those stinking patterns. :P
Most incredible Kingdom Advances
Ironically, I don't feel comfortable using this term anymore and think I will be changing it next year. For me, it was the realization of the powerful family life we have in the love of the Saints.
Biggest disappointment
I'm disappointed in my body. I'm frustrated about the difficult changes that have come both internally and externally from this latest pregnancy.
Best Adventure
Uh... what adventures. All our adventures this year were in the backyard. :(
Looking forward
this is last year's blog entry:
Last year I prophesied that 2008 would be a year of renewal... "We will have our vision restored, our hearts turned towards God afresh, and a new annointing to complete the tasks He puts before us." (you can read last year's roundup here: http://stitchlove.blogspot.com/2007/12/annual-roundup.html) When I reread that this year, I kinda wanted to jump up and say "BINGO!" That's exactly what 2008 was for us. We renewed our vows to make this family work, we renewed our commitment to Christ and gained fresh vision for our family that helped us to accomplish a lot of our goals as a family. As I pursue the Lord for a vision for next year, the word He keeps giving me is "wait and see." I think 2009 is going to be a year of building on that vision and especially of experiencing the "goodness of the Lord in the land of the living" (Psalm 122)
I don't make new year's resolutions anymore because the secular new year doesn't speak to me as much as the liturgical seasons, but if I were going to make one, it would be this:
In 2009, I want to be Holy---
Contemplative, and conquered by Christ, just like Mary.
Amazing to me that I could have been so right on!!It feels amazing to me that it would be exactly that... I experienced the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. I couldn't believe what pure joy I have experienced in the last year, when the trials got so bad I thought I was going to lose it-- there was always some perfect- and I mean PERFECT -- moment right behind it to show me that the suffering produces fruit. These moments built faith, hope, and love in me and I can't express my amazement at God's presence.
Thank you, God, for clear vision! Next year, 2010, I feel like God is telling me that it will be a year of promise- one in which I will begin to see the fruit of the pursuit of His sacred heart, and one in which, although marked by periods of driness, we will drink of the stream of living water.
Happy 2010, y'all. Blessings on your house!
Best Memory
I have begun (Finally) to settle into an understanding of what makes Fayetteville so special. It's not the place. It's the people. There are some incredible people here. Most of my best memories happened towards the end of the year, as we grew closer to our new Priest, as we celebrated life (feasts, birthdays, holidays etc) with those we have grown to know and love in our Church family. Some of these people have become like literal family to us-- just amazing to me how blessed we have been. There have been many holidays and weekends lately where we just look around and think : "THIS. This is perfect." My other best memory is of watching my husband come home from enrolling in his first college classes. This was a glorious moment-- a big, big moment. I am so proud of him. Add to that the moment he came home with his incredible grades from his first semester. Yeah!
Obviously we have had lots of fun with the kids... but that goes without saying. My memories of weekends and holidays and family/friend dinners this year and lazy days spent with loved ones have all melded into one giant feeling of down home, happy, beautiful living.
Worst Memory
Not being able to bring my new baby home. That was the worst. The poor reactions I had to my challenges towards the end of the year with regards to our big move and the change in lifestyle. And definitely the moment I realized that my daughter was just out of control.
Funniest Moment
Can't think of anything other than enjoying many a laugh with loved ones.
Biggest Surprise
Well, first that the baby wasn't healthy when she was born. That really threw me for a loop. But also, I think the biggest surprise was that it took me THREE children to even put a dent in my selfishness-- that it took me three kids to learn how to relax into parenting.
Song of the Year
No music has really moved me this year. It's been a year marked by silence, and that's on purpose.
Movie of the Year
Well, the only two movies I saw this year were Paranormal Activity and the Princess and the Frog. So by default, Paranormal Activity. :P
Website of the Year
I finally got mine fixed. So mine :P
I spent most of my time reading OCDS sites this year. They are all amazing and I couldnt pick just one.
Most awesome FOs
I'm sorry to say I can't remember a single one. That's what happens when you have three kids three and under.
Most ridiculous WIPs
Dominic's Kilt Hose. I've been working on them for months and then they keep getting wrecked by the kids.
Best Forum Debate
I tried to stay away from these this year, but had a few interesting ones on PRS, happy housewives, and as always-- Ravelry. Ravelry drives me insane... but darn it, I love those stinking patterns. :P
Most incredible Kingdom Advances
Ironically, I don't feel comfortable using this term anymore and think I will be changing it next year. For me, it was the realization of the powerful family life we have in the love of the Saints.
Biggest disappointment
I'm disappointed in my body. I'm frustrated about the difficult changes that have come both internally and externally from this latest pregnancy.
Best Adventure
Uh... what adventures. All our adventures this year were in the backyard. :(
Looking forward
this is last year's blog entry:
Last year I prophesied that 2008 would be a year of renewal... "We will have our vision restored, our hearts turned towards God afresh, and a new annointing to complete the tasks He puts before us." (you can read last year's roundup here: http://stitchlove.blogspot.com/2007/12/annual-roundup.html) When I reread that this year, I kinda wanted to jump up and say "BINGO!" That's exactly what 2008 was for us. We renewed our vows to make this family work, we renewed our commitment to Christ and gained fresh vision for our family that helped us to accomplish a lot of our goals as a family. As I pursue the Lord for a vision for next year, the word He keeps giving me is "wait and see." I think 2009 is going to be a year of building on that vision and especially of experiencing the "goodness of the Lord in the land of the living" (Psalm 122)
I don't make new year's resolutions anymore because the secular new year doesn't speak to me as much as the liturgical seasons, but if I were going to make one, it would be this:
In 2009, I want to be Holy---
Contemplative, and conquered by Christ, just like Mary.
Amazing to me that I could have been so right on!!It feels amazing to me that it would be exactly that... I experienced the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. I couldn't believe what pure joy I have experienced in the last year, when the trials got so bad I thought I was going to lose it-- there was always some perfect- and I mean PERFECT -- moment right behind it to show me that the suffering produces fruit. These moments built faith, hope, and love in me and I can't express my amazement at God's presence.
Thank you, God, for clear vision! Next year, 2010, I feel like God is telling me that it will be a year of promise- one in which I will begin to see the fruit of the pursuit of His sacred heart, and one in which, although marked by periods of driness, we will drink of the stream of living water.
Happy 2010, y'all. Blessings on your house!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Prayers to St Brighid of Kildare
Since prayers to this incredible Saint who seems to have found a place in my heart despite myself are rare, I thought I would put a compilation of them on my blog to encourage devotion to her. She has absolutely blown me away with her personal care of my soul-- bringing me at every turn to the Cross of Christ and giving me faith, hope and love in abundance:
An Bheannacht --The Blessing
[Irish] In ainm an Athar agus
an Mhic agus an Spioraid Naoimh. Áméin.
[Phonetically] in on-im on ah-her
ah-gus on vick ah-gus on sprid nave. áiméin
[English] In the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
--------------
May God bless you, child.
I put you under the protections of Mary and her Son.
Under the care of Brigid and her cloak.
And under the shelter of God tonight.
---------------
St Brigid, Mary of Ireland
Ask for us all today
The courage to do God's bidding
Whatever the world may say
The grace to be strong and valiant
The grace to be firm and true
The grace to be faithful always
To God, God's mother and you.
---------
"May Brigid bless the house wherein you dwell. Bless every fireside, every wall and door. Bless every heart that beats beneath its roof. Bless every hand that toils to bring it joy. Bless every foot that walks its portals through. May Brigid bless the house that shelters you."
--------
Brigid,
You were a woman of peace.
You brought harmony where there was conflict.
You brought light to the darkness.
You brought hope to the downcast.
May the mantle of your peace cover those who are troubled
or anxious, and may peace be
firmly rooted in our hearts
and in our world.
Inspire us to act justly and to reverence all God has made.
Brigid you were a voice for the wounded and the weary.
Strengthen what is weak within us. Calm us into a quietness
that heals and listens.
May we grow each day into greater wholeness in mind,
body and spirit. Amen
----------
Everliving God, we rejoice today in the fellowship of thy Blessed servant Brigid, and we give thee thanks for her life of devoted service. Inspire us with life and light, and give us perseverance to serve thee all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end.
O God, whose blessed Son became poor that we through his
poverty might be rich: Deliver us from an inordinate love of
this world, that, following the example of thy servant Bridget,
we may serve thee with singleness of heart, and attain to the
riches of the world to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who
liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
-------------
I will build the hearth,
As Mary would build it.
The encompassment of Bride and of Mary,
Guarding the hearth, guarding the floor,
Guarding the household of all.
-------------
Beloved Father, just before Saint Brigid was born, her Christian mother was sold to a Druid landowner. Even though she grew up oppressed as a slave, she found great joy in loving You. As the patron saint of babies, she has a special concern for the gift of new life, so I ask her to pray for the babies in my family, both born and unborn. May they grow up with Jesus and obtain the joy of knowing Him. I place into Your loving hands, Father, all the babies who died prematurely, through abortion, miscarriage or medical conditions. Ask them, Lord, to intercede for me and my family. Saint Brigid, pray for us. Amen.
---------
Lord God, you gave St Brigid as patroness over nuns and young children. I ask therefore that through her intercession, by which an entire nation under bondage of darkness was made yours and turned to a beacon of light for all mankind,you would help all of us who are called to a vocation of both religious life and parenthood. Strengthen us to carry out our calling to live as salt and light in the earth. Give us wisdom to teach, guide and care for the souls of the children we have been given, both physical and spiritual, and help us, by the example of Brigid, to live Holy lives that are pleasing to You. Grant us the grace of contagious faith, through which we hope to persevere in love for the salvation of souls. Lord, you gave us in her an example of a woman who was zealous, powerful and heroic, all the while remaining submitted to the authorities you placed over her. Grant that we might love you more and more and that through her prayers, our lives would be changed. We ask this in the name of Jesus, the Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, for ever and ever. Amen.
-----------
And lastly, there are the fifteen prayers of St Bridget. These are actually prayers that have nothing to do with Brigid of Kildare, but rather with Bridget of Sweden, but since so many people confuse the two saints I am quite certain that where these fifteen prayers are said in honor of Brigid of Kildare and in reparation for Christ's wounds, she and He both hear. :) So, here they are:
THE FIFTEEN PRAYERS
OF SAINT BRIDGET.
1 st Prayer
Say one "Our Father..."
Say one "Hail Mary..."
O Jesus! You have proved
that You have no greater desire than to be among men,
even assuming human nature
at the fullness of time for the love of men.
I recall all the sufferings of Your life especially Your Passion.
I remember, O Lord,
that during the Last Supper with Your disciples,
having washed their feet,
You gave them Your Most Precious Body and Blood,
and, while consoling them,
You foretold Your coming Passion.
I remember the sadness and bitterness
which You experienced in Your Soul as You said,
"My Soul is sorrowful even unto death."
I remember all the fear,
anguish and pain that You did suffer
in Your delicate Body before the torment of the Crucifixion,
when, after having prayed three times,
bathed in a sweat of blood,
You were betrayed by Judas,
arrested by the people of a nation You had chosen and elevated,
accused by false witnesses
and unjustly judged by three judges.
I remember that You were despoiled of Your garments
and clothed in those of derision,
that Your Face and Eyes were covered,
that You were beaten,
crowned with thorns,
a reed placed in Your Hands,
that You were crushed with blows
and overwhelmed with insults and outrages.
In memory of all these pains and sufferings
which You endured before Your Passion on the Cross,
grant me before my death a true contrition,
a sincere and entire confession,
worthy satisfaction
and the remission of all my sins.
Amen.
2 nd Prayer
Say one "Our Father..."
Say one "Hail Mary..."
O Jesus! I remember the horror and sadness
which You endured when Your enemies surrounded You,
and by thousands of insults, spits, blows, lacerations
and other unheard of cruelties tormented You.
In consideration of these torments and insulting words,
I beg You to deliver me from all my enemies,
visible and invisible,
and to bring me,
under Your protection,
to the perfection of eternal salvation.
Amen.
3 rd Prayer
Say one "Our Father..."
Say one "Hail Mary..."
O Jesus! I remember the very bitter pain
You did suffer when the executioners
nailed Your Sacred Hands and Feet to the Cross
by blow after blow with big blunt nails,
and, not finding You in a sad enough state,
to satisfy their cruelty they enlarged Your Wounds,
and added pain to pain,
stretching Your Body on the Cross
and dislocated Your Bones by pulling Them on all sides.
I beg of You by the memory
of this most loving suffering of the Cross
to grant me the grace to love You.
Amen.
4 th Prayer
Say one "Our Father..."
Say one "Hail Mary..."
O Jesus! I Remember the bruises You suffered
and the weakness of Your Body,
which was distended to such a degree
that never was there pain like Yours.
From the crown of Your Head to the soles of Your Feet
there was not one spot on Your Body which was not in torment.
Yet, for getting all Your sufferings,
You did not cease to pray
to Your Heavenly Father for Your enemies, saying:
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
Through this great mercy and in memory of this suffering,
grant that the remembrance of Your most bitter Passion
may effect in us a perfect contrition
and the remission of all our sins.
Amen.
5 th Prayer
Say one "Our Father..."
Say one "Hail Mary..."
O Jesus! I remember the sadness which You experienced when,
foreseeing those who would be damned for their sins,
You suffered bitterly over these hopeless,
lost and unfortunate sinners.
Through this abyss of compassion and pity
and especially through the goodness
which You displayed to the good thief when You said to him,
"This day you will be with Me in Paradise,"
I beg of You that at the hour of my death to show me mercy.
Amen.
6 th Prayer
Say one "Our Father..."
Say one "Hail Mary..."
O Jesus! I remember the grief which You suffered when,
like a common criminal,
You were raised and fastened to the Cross,
when all Your relatives and friends abandoned You,
except Your Beloved Mother who remained close to You during Your agony
and Whom You entrusted to Your faithful disciple when You said,
"Woman, behold Your son. Son behold your Mother. "
I beg You by the sword of sorrow
which pierced the soul of Your Holy Mother,
to have compassion on me in all my afflictions and tribulations,
both of body and spirit,
and to assist me in all my trials
and especially at the hour of my death.
Amen.
7 th Prayer
Say one "Our Father..."
Say one "Hail Mary..."
O Jesus! I remember Your profound gesture of love
from the Cross when You said, "I thirst,"
and Your suffering from the thirst
for the salvation of the human race.
I beg You to inflame in our hearts
the desire to tend toward perfection in all our actions
and to extinguish in us all wordly desires.
Amen.
8 th Prayer
Say one "Our Father..."
Say one "Hail Mary..."
O Jesus! I remember the bitterness of the gall and vinegar
which You tasted on the Cross for love of us.
Grant us the grace to receive worthily
Your Precious Body and Blood
during our life and at the hour of our death
that It may be a remedy of consolation for our souls.
Amen.
9 th Prayer
Say one "Our Father..."
Say one "Hail Mary..."
O Jesus! I remember the pain You endured when,
immersed in an ocean of bitterness at the approach of death,
insulted, outraged by the people,
You cried out in a loud voice
that You were abandoned by Your Father, saying:
"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
Through this anguish I beg You
not to abandon me in the terrors and pains of my death.
Amen.
10 th Prayer
Say one "Our Father..."
Say one "Hail Mary..."
O Jesus! I remember that for our sakes
You were immersed into an abyss of suffering.
In consideration of the enormity of Your Wounds,
teach me to keep,
through pure love,
Your Commandments,
which are a wide and easy path for those who love You.
Amen.
11 th Prayer
Say one "Our Father..."
Say one "Hail Mary..."
O Jesus! I remember Your Wounds
which penetrated to the very marrow of Your Bones
and to the depth of Your Being.
Draw me away from sin and hide me in Your Wounds.
Amen.
12 th Prayer
Say one "Our Father..."
Say one "Hail Mary..."
O Jesus! I remember the multitude of Wounds
which afflicted You from Head to Foot,
torn and reddened by the spilling of Your Precious Blood.
O great and universal pain
which You suffered in Your Flesh for love of us!
What is there You could have done for us
which You have not done?
May the fruit of Your sufferings be renewed in my soul
by the faithful remembrance of Your Passion
and may Your love increase in my heart each day
until I see You in eternity,
You Who are the treasury of every real good and joy,
which I beg You to grant me in Heaven.
Amen.
13 rd Prayer
Say one "Our Father..."
Say one "Hail Mary..."
O Jesus! I remember the pain You endured
when all Your strength,
both moral and physical,
was entirely exhausted;
You bowed Your Head, saying:
"It is consummated."
Through this anguish and grief,
I beg You to have mercy on me at the hour of my death,
when my mind will be greatly troubled
and my soul will be in anguish.
Amen.
14 th Prayer
Say one "Our Father..."
Say one "Hail Mary..."
O Jesus! I remember the simple
and humble recommendation You made of Your Soul
to Your Eternal Father, saying,
"Father, into Your Hands I commend My Spirit,"
and when, Your Body all torn and Your Heart broken, You expired.
By this precious death,
I beg You to comfort me and give me help to resist the devil,
the flesh and the world, so that,
being dead to the world,
I may live for You alone.
I beg of You at the hour of my death to receive me.
Amen.
15 th Prayer
Say one "Our Father..."
Say one "Hail Mary..."
O Jesus! I remember the abundant outpouring of Blood which You shed.
From Your Side, pierced with a lance by a soldier,
Blood and Water poured forth
until there was not left in Your Body a single Drop;
and finally the very substance of Your Body withered
and the marrow of Your Bones dried up.
Through this bitter Passion
and through the outpouring of Your Precious Blood,
I beg You to pierce my heart
so that my tears of penance and love
may be my bread day and night.
May I be entirely converted to You;
may my heart be Your perpetual resting place;
may my conversation be pleasing to You;
and may the end of my life be so praiseworthy that
I may merit Heaven
and there with Your saints praise You forever.
Amen.
The fifteen prayers were taught by Jesus to Saint Bridget. He said to her,
I received 5,480 wounds on My Body during My Passion.
If you wish to honor each of them in some way
pray the following prayers each day for a whole year.
When the year is over, you will have honored each one of My Wounds.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Monday's motherhood moment
In this case, I think actions speak louder than words. So here are some of the children at the latest Clan gathering:
Angela titled this, appropriately, "must be doing something right." May it be so, Lord! Theres nothing more amazing than seeing our little ones on their knees before You.
Angela titled this, appropriately, "must be doing something right." May it be so, Lord! Theres nothing more amazing than seeing our little ones on their knees before You.
John of the Cross: Counsels to Religious
Counsels to a Religious
By St. John of the Cross
From: THE COLLECTED WORKS OF ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS, translated by Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD, and Otilio Rodriguez, OCD, revised edition (1991).
Copyright 1991 ICS Publications. Permission is hereby granted for any non-commercial use, if this copyright notice is included.
Introduction To The Counsels To A Religious
These Counsels written for a friar are similar in content and tone to the previous precautions. This fact suggests they were composed about the same time. If they differ from the Precautions in any way it is mainly in their not adhering to the fixed structure of that work. The copy that editors find most reliable was made from an ancient manuscript that had been conserved by the Carmelite nuns in Bujalance. Appearing in the manuscript after these Counsels are the Degrees of Perfection, which editors often placed among John's Sayings. The tendency now is to leave them here since they seem destined for the same friar.
Counsels To A Religious On How To Reach Perfection
Jesus Mariae filius
1. Your holy Charity1 with few words asked me for a great deal. An answer would require much time and paper. Seeing, then, that I lack both of these, I will try to be concise and jot down only certain points and counsels that in sum will contain much, so that whoever observes them perfectly will attain a high degree of perfection. The one who wishes to be a true religious and fulfill the promises of the profession that was made to God, advance in virtue, and enjoy the consolations and the delight of the Holy Spirit, will be unable to do so without trying to practice with the greatest diligence the four following counsels concerning resignation, mortification, the practice of virtue, and bodily and spiritual solitude.
2. In order to practice the first counsel, concerning resignation, you should live in the monastery as though no one else were in it. And thus you should never, by word or by thought, meddle in things that happen in the community, nor with individuals in it, desiring not to notice their good or bad qualities or their conduct. And in order to preserve your tranquility of soul, even if the whole world crumbles you should not desire to advert to these things or interfere, remembering Lot's wife who was changed into hard stone because she turned her head to look at those who in the midst of much clamor and noise were perishing [Gn. 19:26]. You should practice this with great fortitude, for you will thereby free yourself from many sins and imperfections and guard the tranquility and quietude of your soul with much profit before God and others. Ponder this often, because it is so important that, for not observing it, many religious not only failed to improve through their other works of virtue and religious observance, but ever slipped back from bad to worse.
3. To practice the second counsel, which concerns mortification, and profit by it, you should engrave this truth on your heart. And it is that you have not come to the monastery for any other reason than to be worked and tried in virtue; you are like the stone that must be chiseled and fashioned before being set in the building. Thus you should understand that those who are in the monastery are craftsmen placed there by God to mortify you by working and chiseling at you. Some will chisel with words, telling you what you would rather not hear; others by deed, doing against you what you would rather not endure; others by their temperament, being in their person and in their actions a bother and annoyance to you; and others by their thoughts, neither esteeming nor feeling love for you. You ought to suffer these mortifications and annoyances with inner patience, being silent for love of God and understanding that you did not enter the religious life for any other reason than for others to work you in this way, and so you become worthy of heaven. If this was not your reason for entering the religious state, you should not have done so, but should have remained in the world to seek your comfort, honor, reputation, and ease.
4. The second counsel is wholly necessary for religious so they may fulfill the obligations of their state and find genuine humility, inward quietude, and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you do not practice this, you will know neither how to be a religious nor even why you came to the religious life. Neither will you know how to seek Christ (but only yourself), or find peace of soul, or avoid sinning and often feeling troubled. Trials will never be lacking in religious life, nor does God want them to be. Since he brings souls there to be proved and purified, like gold, with hammer and the fire [Ecclus. 2:5], it is fitting that they encounter trials and temptations from human beings and from devils, and the fire of anguish and affliction.2 The religious must undergo these trials and should endeavor to bear them patiently and in conformity to God's will, and not so sustain them that instead of being approved by God in this affliction he be reproved for not having wanted to carry the cross of Christ in patience. Since many religious do not understand that they have entered religious life to carry Christ's cross, they do not get along well with others. At the time of reckoning they will find themselves greatly confused and frustrated.
5. To practice the third counsel, which concerns the practice of virtue, you should be constant in your religious observance and in obedience without any concern for the world, but only for God. In order to achieve this and avoid being deceived, you should never set your eyes on the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of the work at hand as a motive for doing it or failing to do it, but on doing it for God. Thus you must undertake all things, agreeable or disagreeable, for the sole purpose of pleasing God through them.
6. To do this with fortitude and constancy and acquire the virtues quickly, you should take care always to be inclined to the difficult more than to the easy, to the rugged more than to the soft, to the hard and distasteful in a work more than to its delightful and pleasant aspects; and do not go about choosing what is less a cross, for the cross is a light burden [Mt. 11:30]. The heavier a burden is, the lighter it becomes when borne for Christ. You should try, too, by taking the lowest place always, that in things bringing comfort to your brothers in religion they be preferred to you. This you should do wholeheartedly, for it is the way to becoming greater in spiritual things, as God tells us in his Gospel: Qui se humiliaverit exaltabitur3 [Mt. 23:12].
7. To practice the fourth counsel, which concerns solitude, you should deem everything in the world as finished. Thus, when (for not being able to avoid it) you have to deal with some matter, do so in as detached a way as you would if it did not exist.
8. Pay no heed to the things out in the world, for God has already withdrawn and released you from them. Do not handle any business yourself that you can do through a third person. It is very fitting for you to desire to see no one and that no one see you. And note carefully that if God will ask a strict account from all the faithful of every idle word, how much more will he ask it of religious who have consecrated all their life and works to him. And God will demand all of this on the day of reckoning.
9. I do not mean here that you fail to fulfill the duties of your state with all necessary and possible care, and any others that obedience commands, but that you execute your tasks in such a way that no fault is committed; for neither God nor obedience wants you to commit a fault. You should consequently strive to be incessant in prayer, and in the midst of your corporal practices do not abandon it. Whether you eat, or drink, or speak, or converse with lay people, or do anything else, you should always do so with desire for God and with your heart fixed on him. This is very necessary for inner solitude, which demands that the soul dismiss any thought that is not directed to God. And in forgetfulness of all the things that are and happen in this short and miserable life, do not desire to know anything in any way except how better to serve God and keep the observance of your institute.
10. If your Charity observes these four counsels with care, you will reach perfection in a very short time. These counsels are so interdependent that if you are lacking in one of them, you will begin to lose the profit and gain you have from practicing the others.
Degrees Of Perfection
1. Do not commit a sin for all there is in the world, or any deliberate venial sin, or any known imperfection.
2. Endeavor to remain always in the presence of God, either real, imaginative, or unitive insofar as is permitted by your works.
3. Neither do anything nor say any notable word that Christ would not have done or said were he in the state I am, as old as I, and with the same kind of health.
4. Strive for the greater honor and glory of God in all things.
5. Do not omit mental prayer for any occupation, for it is the sustenance of your soul.
6. Do not omit examination of conscience because of any of your occupations, and for every fault do some penance.
7. Be deeply sorry for any time that is lost or that passes without your loving God. 8. In all things, both high and low, let God be your goal, for in no other way will you grow in merit and perfection.
9. Never give up prayer, and should you find dryness and difficulty, persevere in it for this very reason. God often desires to see what love your soul has, and love is not tried by ease and satisfaction.
10. In heaven and on earth, always the lowest and last place and office.
11. Never interfere in what you are not ordered to do, or be obstinate about anything, even though you may be right. And if, as the saying goes, they give you an inch, do not take a mile. Some deceive themselves in such matters and think they have an obligation to do that which - if they reflect upon it well - in no way obliges them.
12. Pay no attention to the affairs of others, whether they be good or bad, for besides the danger of sin, this is a cause of distractions and lack of spirit.
13. Strive always to confess your sins with a deep knowledge of your own wretchedness and with clarity and purity.
14. Even though your obligations and duties are difficult and disagreeable to you, you should not become dismayed, for this will not always be so. And God, who proves the soul by a precept under the guise of a trial [Ps.94:20], will after a time accord it the experience of blessing and gain.
15. Remember always that everything that happens to you, whether prosperous or adverse, comes from God, so that you become neither puffed up in prosperity nor discouraged in adversity.
16. Remember always that you came here for no other reason than to be a saint; thus let nothing reign in your soul that does not lead you to sanctity.
17. Always be more disposed toward giving to others than giving to yourself, and thus you will not be envious of or selfish toward your neighbor. This is to be understood from the viewpoint of perfection, for God is angered with those who do not give precedence to his good pleasure over that of humans.
Soli Deo honor et gloria.
Copyright ICS Publications. Permission is hereby granted for any non-commercial use, if this copyright notice is included. Maintained by the Austrian Province of the Teresian Carmel
By St. John of the Cross
From: THE COLLECTED WORKS OF ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS, translated by Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD, and Otilio Rodriguez, OCD, revised edition (1991).
Copyright 1991 ICS Publications. Permission is hereby granted for any non-commercial use, if this copyright notice is included.
Introduction To The Counsels To A Religious
These Counsels written for a friar are similar in content and tone to the previous precautions. This fact suggests they were composed about the same time. If they differ from the Precautions in any way it is mainly in their not adhering to the fixed structure of that work. The copy that editors find most reliable was made from an ancient manuscript that had been conserved by the Carmelite nuns in Bujalance. Appearing in the manuscript after these Counsels are the Degrees of Perfection, which editors often placed among John's Sayings. The tendency now is to leave them here since they seem destined for the same friar.
Counsels To A Religious On How To Reach Perfection
Jesus Mariae filius
1. Your holy Charity1 with few words asked me for a great deal. An answer would require much time and paper. Seeing, then, that I lack both of these, I will try to be concise and jot down only certain points and counsels that in sum will contain much, so that whoever observes them perfectly will attain a high degree of perfection. The one who wishes to be a true religious and fulfill the promises of the profession that was made to God, advance in virtue, and enjoy the consolations and the delight of the Holy Spirit, will be unable to do so without trying to practice with the greatest diligence the four following counsels concerning resignation, mortification, the practice of virtue, and bodily and spiritual solitude.
2. In order to practice the first counsel, concerning resignation, you should live in the monastery as though no one else were in it. And thus you should never, by word or by thought, meddle in things that happen in the community, nor with individuals in it, desiring not to notice their good or bad qualities or their conduct. And in order to preserve your tranquility of soul, even if the whole world crumbles you should not desire to advert to these things or interfere, remembering Lot's wife who was changed into hard stone because she turned her head to look at those who in the midst of much clamor and noise were perishing [Gn. 19:26]. You should practice this with great fortitude, for you will thereby free yourself from many sins and imperfections and guard the tranquility and quietude of your soul with much profit before God and others. Ponder this often, because it is so important that, for not observing it, many religious not only failed to improve through their other works of virtue and religious observance, but ever slipped back from bad to worse.
3. To practice the second counsel, which concerns mortification, and profit by it, you should engrave this truth on your heart. And it is that you have not come to the monastery for any other reason than to be worked and tried in virtue; you are like the stone that must be chiseled and fashioned before being set in the building. Thus you should understand that those who are in the monastery are craftsmen placed there by God to mortify you by working and chiseling at you. Some will chisel with words, telling you what you would rather not hear; others by deed, doing against you what you would rather not endure; others by their temperament, being in their person and in their actions a bother and annoyance to you; and others by their thoughts, neither esteeming nor feeling love for you. You ought to suffer these mortifications and annoyances with inner patience, being silent for love of God and understanding that you did not enter the religious life for any other reason than for others to work you in this way, and so you become worthy of heaven. If this was not your reason for entering the religious state, you should not have done so, but should have remained in the world to seek your comfort, honor, reputation, and ease.
4. The second counsel is wholly necessary for religious so they may fulfill the obligations of their state and find genuine humility, inward quietude, and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you do not practice this, you will know neither how to be a religious nor even why you came to the religious life. Neither will you know how to seek Christ (but only yourself), or find peace of soul, or avoid sinning and often feeling troubled. Trials will never be lacking in religious life, nor does God want them to be. Since he brings souls there to be proved and purified, like gold, with hammer and the fire [Ecclus. 2:5], it is fitting that they encounter trials and temptations from human beings and from devils, and the fire of anguish and affliction.2 The religious must undergo these trials and should endeavor to bear them patiently and in conformity to God's will, and not so sustain them that instead of being approved by God in this affliction he be reproved for not having wanted to carry the cross of Christ in patience. Since many religious do not understand that they have entered religious life to carry Christ's cross, they do not get along well with others. At the time of reckoning they will find themselves greatly confused and frustrated.
5. To practice the third counsel, which concerns the practice of virtue, you should be constant in your religious observance and in obedience without any concern for the world, but only for God. In order to achieve this and avoid being deceived, you should never set your eyes on the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of the work at hand as a motive for doing it or failing to do it, but on doing it for God. Thus you must undertake all things, agreeable or disagreeable, for the sole purpose of pleasing God through them.
6. To do this with fortitude and constancy and acquire the virtues quickly, you should take care always to be inclined to the difficult more than to the easy, to the rugged more than to the soft, to the hard and distasteful in a work more than to its delightful and pleasant aspects; and do not go about choosing what is less a cross, for the cross is a light burden [Mt. 11:30]. The heavier a burden is, the lighter it becomes when borne for Christ. You should try, too, by taking the lowest place always, that in things bringing comfort to your brothers in religion they be preferred to you. This you should do wholeheartedly, for it is the way to becoming greater in spiritual things, as God tells us in his Gospel: Qui se humiliaverit exaltabitur3 [Mt. 23:12].
7. To practice the fourth counsel, which concerns solitude, you should deem everything in the world as finished. Thus, when (for not being able to avoid it) you have to deal with some matter, do so in as detached a way as you would if it did not exist.
8. Pay no heed to the things out in the world, for God has already withdrawn and released you from them. Do not handle any business yourself that you can do through a third person. It is very fitting for you to desire to see no one and that no one see you. And note carefully that if God will ask a strict account from all the faithful of every idle word, how much more will he ask it of religious who have consecrated all their life and works to him. And God will demand all of this on the day of reckoning.
9. I do not mean here that you fail to fulfill the duties of your state with all necessary and possible care, and any others that obedience commands, but that you execute your tasks in such a way that no fault is committed; for neither God nor obedience wants you to commit a fault. You should consequently strive to be incessant in prayer, and in the midst of your corporal practices do not abandon it. Whether you eat, or drink, or speak, or converse with lay people, or do anything else, you should always do so with desire for God and with your heart fixed on him. This is very necessary for inner solitude, which demands that the soul dismiss any thought that is not directed to God. And in forgetfulness of all the things that are and happen in this short and miserable life, do not desire to know anything in any way except how better to serve God and keep the observance of your institute.
10. If your Charity observes these four counsels with care, you will reach perfection in a very short time. These counsels are so interdependent that if you are lacking in one of them, you will begin to lose the profit and gain you have from practicing the others.
Degrees Of Perfection
1. Do not commit a sin for all there is in the world, or any deliberate venial sin, or any known imperfection.
2. Endeavor to remain always in the presence of God, either real, imaginative, or unitive insofar as is permitted by your works.
3. Neither do anything nor say any notable word that Christ would not have done or said were he in the state I am, as old as I, and with the same kind of health.
4. Strive for the greater honor and glory of God in all things.
5. Do not omit mental prayer for any occupation, for it is the sustenance of your soul.
6. Do not omit examination of conscience because of any of your occupations, and for every fault do some penance.
7. Be deeply sorry for any time that is lost or that passes without your loving God. 8. In all things, both high and low, let God be your goal, for in no other way will you grow in merit and perfection.
9. Never give up prayer, and should you find dryness and difficulty, persevere in it for this very reason. God often desires to see what love your soul has, and love is not tried by ease and satisfaction.
10. In heaven and on earth, always the lowest and last place and office.
11. Never interfere in what you are not ordered to do, or be obstinate about anything, even though you may be right. And if, as the saying goes, they give you an inch, do not take a mile. Some deceive themselves in such matters and think they have an obligation to do that which - if they reflect upon it well - in no way obliges them.
12. Pay no attention to the affairs of others, whether they be good or bad, for besides the danger of sin, this is a cause of distractions and lack of spirit.
13. Strive always to confess your sins with a deep knowledge of your own wretchedness and with clarity and purity.
14. Even though your obligations and duties are difficult and disagreeable to you, you should not become dismayed, for this will not always be so. And God, who proves the soul by a precept under the guise of a trial [Ps.94:20], will after a time accord it the experience of blessing and gain.
15. Remember always that everything that happens to you, whether prosperous or adverse, comes from God, so that you become neither puffed up in prosperity nor discouraged in adversity.
16. Remember always that you came here for no other reason than to be a saint; thus let nothing reign in your soul that does not lead you to sanctity.
17. Always be more disposed toward giving to others than giving to yourself, and thus you will not be envious of or selfish toward your neighbor. This is to be understood from the viewpoint of perfection, for God is angered with those who do not give precedence to his good pleasure over that of humans.
Soli Deo honor et gloria.
Copyright ICS Publications. Permission is hereby granted for any non-commercial use, if this copyright notice is included. Maintained by the Austrian Province of the Teresian Carmel
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Let me guess--a large portion of my readers are from ravelry
Click disagree if you're here from rav. :P Guess I need to start posting in the forums more to keep you guys entertained and away from my family life and ministry.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
The Magic Kingdom
I was doing a guided meditation with my eldest tonight as I have been for the past week because she has been having such a hard time relaxing enough to go to sleep with the Binky Fairy's removal of her binkies. (:P)
In the meditation, she closes her eyes and listens as I take her through the Magic Kingdom, telling her about the sights and sounds and ending with the trek up the hill to the castle. I describe the exterior of the castle, the long, colorful flags hanging from the windows, and the princesses in the windows beckoning her to come in. It helps that some friends of ours are there right now, making it twice as interesting.
At the end I have her in the middle of the castle courtyard and she looks up and sees this big cloud, and Jesus is on it and he tells her that this is His kingdom and it is in heaven waiting for her.
Anyways, for the past two nights she has called this use of her imagination her "eye TV" and asks me to turn on her eye TV to help her go to sleep, which I do right before I pray a rosary in their room. (Baptists everywhere are shaking in their boots! Just kidding. SOrta.)
Anyways, so tonight she stops me mid-meditation and tells me she sees me in the castle on her Eye TV.
I tell her that yes, I'm one of the princesses in the castle. But she says "No, mommy!!" As if its the most obvious thing in the world..."You are there cleaning the castle."
HA! Thanks.
In the meditation, she closes her eyes and listens as I take her through the Magic Kingdom, telling her about the sights and sounds and ending with the trek up the hill to the castle. I describe the exterior of the castle, the long, colorful flags hanging from the windows, and the princesses in the windows beckoning her to come in. It helps that some friends of ours are there right now, making it twice as interesting.
At the end I have her in the middle of the castle courtyard and she looks up and sees this big cloud, and Jesus is on it and he tells her that this is His kingdom and it is in heaven waiting for her.
Anyways, for the past two nights she has called this use of her imagination her "eye TV" and asks me to turn on her eye TV to help her go to sleep, which I do right before I pray a rosary in their room. (Baptists everywhere are shaking in their boots! Just kidding. SOrta.)
Anyways, so tonight she stops me mid-meditation and tells me she sees me in the castle on her Eye TV.
I tell her that yes, I'm one of the princesses in the castle. But she says "No, mommy!!" As if its the most obvious thing in the world..."You are there cleaning the castle."
HA! Thanks.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Created to be his helpmeet
I know a lot of people scoff at the notion that I believe I was created to be his helpmeet, so I thought I would share this, which pretty much proves it.
I just found myself tagged in a note my husband wrote about me on facebook, and here it is. I don't think you can imagine the weeping that came out of me when I was done reading it--- what an honor and blessing. The funniest part was that when we talked about it later, he said that I was like that "most of the time." Guess I've got my work cut out for me. :P
Here it is.
THE GOOD WIFE, by Appian Nesbitt
The good wife is like the sun, constant and warm.
She can make a man's head hang down from the brilliance of her strength
And raises up all life with her warmth.
She is always found at good deeds, as the sun is always found in its circuit.
There is no task too menial for the good wife,
Only tasks that may be blessed by her hands touching them,
And those who are blessed by her accomplishments.
She's not always remembered for her deeds,
In fact rarely so.
When people remember her, they remember her kindness first,
And then if they think a little further they recall her deeds.
But all the same, we are beholden for the succor.
The good wife, the kind wife, is a boon.
She's not a scold or a nag, nor does she sing a dirge.
She loves her husband, loves him in spite of him, with a strange fascination.
As a man loves fighting in spite of its ugliness, she loves him in spite of his.
You've often seen it, a beautiful wife with her arms wrapped around her husband
Though he be fat and ugly, stupid and grotesque, uninteresting
Near destitute in morals and money, and yet she clings.
Her honor is dearer than life.
She can no more deviate from her affectionate nature,
Than a statue could bend its knee without breaking.
She is a good wife, the heart of honor.
She is only found at scolding to increase her man's honor,
To spur him on, not for her vanity, but for his.
Other wives are jealous of her, bad wives pretend they are her,
Good wives keep her company, and the dull wives try to convince her
They are her equals. But she is unmatched, save for other good wives
Those epic feminine souls whose good humor and delicacy echo from antiquity
With a haunting vigor... the immutable legacy of noble women.
The shame of vulgar men, the honor of good men,
The mother of all. She is a silent legend
Walking in a world of the blind, who can only hear the scuttle of her feet.
She is strong. She is the Good Wife.
Addendum: and today he changed his status to:
" O my dear wife! She's as hard, as useful, and as beautiful as flint. She's the tip of my arrows (children), the edge of my knife (home), and the flint in my lock (bed)... o, she's a lady, mark that. My Barbara..."
What an honor to be the wife of a man who loves her so.
I just found myself tagged in a note my husband wrote about me on facebook, and here it is. I don't think you can imagine the weeping that came out of me when I was done reading it--- what an honor and blessing. The funniest part was that when we talked about it later, he said that I was like that "most of the time." Guess I've got my work cut out for me. :P
Here it is.
THE GOOD WIFE, by Appian Nesbitt
The good wife is like the sun, constant and warm.
She can make a man's head hang down from the brilliance of her strength
And raises up all life with her warmth.
She is always found at good deeds, as the sun is always found in its circuit.
There is no task too menial for the good wife,
Only tasks that may be blessed by her hands touching them,
And those who are blessed by her accomplishments.
She's not always remembered for her deeds,
In fact rarely so.
When people remember her, they remember her kindness first,
And then if they think a little further they recall her deeds.
But all the same, we are beholden for the succor.
The good wife, the kind wife, is a boon.
She's not a scold or a nag, nor does she sing a dirge.
She loves her husband, loves him in spite of him, with a strange fascination.
As a man loves fighting in spite of its ugliness, she loves him in spite of his.
You've often seen it, a beautiful wife with her arms wrapped around her husband
Though he be fat and ugly, stupid and grotesque, uninteresting
Near destitute in morals and money, and yet she clings.
Her honor is dearer than life.
She can no more deviate from her affectionate nature,
Than a statue could bend its knee without breaking.
She is a good wife, the heart of honor.
She is only found at scolding to increase her man's honor,
To spur him on, not for her vanity, but for his.
Other wives are jealous of her, bad wives pretend they are her,
Good wives keep her company, and the dull wives try to convince her
They are her equals. But she is unmatched, save for other good wives
Those epic feminine souls whose good humor and delicacy echo from antiquity
With a haunting vigor... the immutable legacy of noble women.
The shame of vulgar men, the honor of good men,
The mother of all. She is a silent legend
Walking in a world of the blind, who can only hear the scuttle of her feet.
She is strong. She is the Good Wife.
Addendum: and today he changed his status to:
" O my dear wife! She's as hard, as useful, and as beautiful as flint. She's the tip of my arrows (children), the edge of my knife (home), and the flint in my lock (bed)... o, she's a lady, mark that. My Barbara..."
What an honor to be the wife of a man who loves her so.
Spiritual Practices for the season of Advent
This past season of ordinary time has left me feeling both dry and full to overflowing... it has been anything but ordinary and dull.
While I have learned so much, these have been the most trying times I can remember--from adjusting to a move, a change in lifestyle, a painful pregnancy and a new addition to the family to a deeper understanding of those things which I must leave behind in my quest to see God and be with Him always which have been hard to let go of.
Now advent is upon us and I am so excited! I feel a renewed sense of satisfaction in my family and while the situations that I find myself in are not ideal in the sense that they are not "the way I would have done things," I recognize fully that they are exactly as they "should be" for all of our spiritual growth, and I am thankful for that since I want to partner always with God in what He is doing.
Advent is exciting! While the rest of the world is putting up Christmas trees and decorating houses, Catholics are waiting in bare houses marked only by gorgeous candled wreaths, in hushed anticipation of the magic of the season. Long after they have tore down their tree and resumed daily living, we will be sitting in awe of the incarnation and exchanging gifts of love in thanksgiving for the miracle of Christmas. We are meditating, reflecting on the story of the Incarnation and it's meaning in our lives. We are repenting, taking the time each day to acknowledge that we are sinful and in need of a coming Savior. We are preparing the way for the Coming of the King. It's exciting and sobering at the same time, reminding us of what we do daily as we await the second coming.
Aside from advent traditions, for which any number of sources are available, I've been thinking a lot about advent practices- things which I can do to make advent more meaningful for me this year. It's fun teaching the kids about God through traditions, but it's life changing putting into practice those things which we are talking about with our traditions.
So, this year, for advent, here are the things I am doing:
I'm going back to reading evening prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours with my children.
I'm starting each day with St Patrick's breastplate.
I'm praying a rosary in their rooms as they go to sleep after their story, which I start off with the day's reading from Fr Gabriel's Divine Intimacy, a Carmelite devotional.
I am reading them the traditional readings instead of the Novus Ordo readings for the day and we are doing one activity based on the readings (like, coloring/drawing etc)
We are keeping track of things we can offer up and things we can make reparation with.
I am going to try to encourage everyone to do weekly confession.
In doing these things, I hope to instill in them a sense of the sacred work we undertake as we wait for the coming of the Lord. This, in turn, allows to experience the moment when our joy is truly complete.
While I have learned so much, these have been the most trying times I can remember--from adjusting to a move, a change in lifestyle, a painful pregnancy and a new addition to the family to a deeper understanding of those things which I must leave behind in my quest to see God and be with Him always which have been hard to let go of.
Now advent is upon us and I am so excited! I feel a renewed sense of satisfaction in my family and while the situations that I find myself in are not ideal in the sense that they are not "the way I would have done things," I recognize fully that they are exactly as they "should be" for all of our spiritual growth, and I am thankful for that since I want to partner always with God in what He is doing.
Advent is exciting! While the rest of the world is putting up Christmas trees and decorating houses, Catholics are waiting in bare houses marked only by gorgeous candled wreaths, in hushed anticipation of the magic of the season. Long after they have tore down their tree and resumed daily living, we will be sitting in awe of the incarnation and exchanging gifts of love in thanksgiving for the miracle of Christmas. We are meditating, reflecting on the story of the Incarnation and it's meaning in our lives. We are repenting, taking the time each day to acknowledge that we are sinful and in need of a coming Savior. We are preparing the way for the Coming of the King. It's exciting and sobering at the same time, reminding us of what we do daily as we await the second coming.
Aside from advent traditions, for which any number of sources are available, I've been thinking a lot about advent practices- things which I can do to make advent more meaningful for me this year. It's fun teaching the kids about God through traditions, but it's life changing putting into practice those things which we are talking about with our traditions.
So, this year, for advent, here are the things I am doing:
I'm going back to reading evening prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours with my children.
I'm starting each day with St Patrick's breastplate.
I'm praying a rosary in their rooms as they go to sleep after their story, which I start off with the day's reading from Fr Gabriel's Divine Intimacy, a Carmelite devotional.
I am reading them the traditional readings instead of the Novus Ordo readings for the day and we are doing one activity based on the readings (like, coloring/drawing etc)
We are keeping track of things we can offer up and things we can make reparation with.
I am going to try to encourage everyone to do weekly confession.
In doing these things, I hope to instill in them a sense of the sacred work we undertake as we wait for the coming of the Lord. This, in turn, allows to experience the moment when our joy is truly complete.
Friday, November 20, 2009
the paranormal preacher
http://paranormalpreacher.blogspot.com/2009/10/8-principles-of-biblical-demonology.html
Recently made a connection on facebook with a guy from PARAA, a Connecticut-based paranormal research group. I was super excited to read his site and spend some time with his blog, because it was the first time in years that I came across a site that disseminates accurate information about dealing with demonic haunts. So, I guess I just wanted to give the "paranormal preacher" a shoutout. It's nice, SO NICE, to encounter like-minded people.
Recently made a connection on facebook with a guy from PARAA, a Connecticut-based paranormal research group. I was super excited to read his site and spend some time with his blog, because it was the first time in years that I came across a site that disseminates accurate information about dealing with demonic haunts. So, I guess I just wanted to give the "paranormal preacher" a shoutout. It's nice, SO NICE, to encounter like-minded people.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Tradition!
Those of you who have been reading this blog for a long time, and the previous one before it, know that Peter and I have wanted to work in missions for a very, very long time. You've probably seen us go through trials and frustrations as we pursued missions up and down every avenue. Finally, we became Catholics, and this burning vision to evangelize "out there" became a little bit less important as we learned to humble ourselves and find peace in the situations God had put us in for now. We didn't need a big, visual ministry and hundreds saved each day. We just needed to make an impact in the communities where God called us to live, and we pray that one day God will call us to make an impact in a community that isn't here in North Carolina, and that He will use our language skills and my cultural sensitivity in a way that glorifies Him.
That being said, I got the distinct impression the other day that God is training and preparing us for just that mission. We live with my father in law, now, and he is not a Catholic. He's a nondenominational Christian... by which I mean that he doesn't identify with any major Christian group, but rather has his own "quirks" in his style of worship, theology, and beliefs. He is a tried and true believer, a friend of Christ, and I am so thankful for that.... it's a wonderful example to his own kids and to his grandkids. He delights in praying with the Children, listening to Christian radio shows with them, and reading Bible stories to them in the rocker. It's a true gift.
However, he also has those ever-so-present protestant distastes for all things truly Catholic. While he understands and accepts (and believes!) the Catholic approach to and doctrines about Mary, for example, he is wary of "too much Mary" and is constantly trying to push my Marian daughter out of that. I tell him till I'm blue in the face that she SHOULD trust Mary with all her heart, because the real Mary will ALWAYS point her towards Jesus, but it makes him squirm. He isn't a fan of us doing family devotions in front of the family altar.. and much prefers that we do them in the kids' room. He doesn't often comment on it, but when he does, he makes it clear.
Likewise, he is notorious for getting worked up about his inability to recieve Communion. Which is fine, because on days when he is being reasonable and thoughtful, he is both respectful and understanding of our Catholic differences. It's only on days when he is short on patience that he likes to periodically "stick it to us," so to speak and makes snarky comments intended to bruise, if not wound, our Catholic faith.
Because he has been so understanding, I didn't think that we would have too many repurcussions for the kids living in the house with him. But I'm realizing that I'm going to have to be somewhat vigilant in this area because there IS some distrust on his side. It's not that I have ANY problem with him teaching the kids about faith-- I LOVE it! It's that I don't want him teaching the kids that their Catholic faith is wrong. I don't want him to undermine Sacred Tradition, the Communion of Saints, the Eucharist, or any other doctrine that makes us different.
He spends a lot of time at Walmart, and from the day after halloween Walmart has been full of Christmas decorations. This got him thinking-- he hadn't EVER decorated the house for Christmas, and this year, this was something he wanted to do for our kids. I was honored and excited-- until I heard him mention that he was going to get started this weekend. Suddenly, it dawned on me that we were going to have to fight it out to have a Catholic Advent, and I was broken hearted over it.
You see, Catholics begin by celebrating Advent. It's a period of four weeks in which we prepare our hearts and homes to recieve the incarnation... we focus internally on good works and repentance, we decorate with decorations that symbolize penitence and waiting in anticipation, and we make it a point to fully PREPARE for the coming of our Lord on Christmas Day. Practically, this means that we don't decorate for Christmas (tree, lights, etc) until the day before Christmas Eve, and we keep our Christmas Decorations up for the entire Christmas Season, which ends in February, after the day we celebrate the visitation of the 3 wise men.
It is important to me that we observe these things... they are worthy traditions which I believe will draw our family into an atmosphere of hushed anticipation for the coming King, creating a magic seed which set me ablaze with love for Christ when I was young and did the same. But when I brought it up, my father in law completely shut down. He asked a lot of questions, I explained it as best I could, and he shook his head incredulously and made hilarious comments like this:
Me: following the liturgical year helps us to live OUT the Christmas story as if we were there.
Him: Well, not me, that sounds like a lot of RELIGIOUS nonsense.
Once he came back, calmed from his miffed misery that he wouldn't be able to put up Decorations the day before thanksgiving and take them down before new years day, he agreed to "work with me" as long as what I was asking was "reasonable and feasible."
Gee, thanks.
I hadn't really thought much about the repurcussions of living with a non-Catholic because we've been going through ordinary time-- there hasn't been a ton to "do" around the house to mark the Christian year lately. But now we are faced with my favorite Christian traditions, and our family, children and all, must serve as a beacon of light to invade the closed mind and mental darkness in this good man's daily life. It's a mission, and it's a lot harder and less romantic than we think of when we think of missions across the globe! But it's good, and it's practice, and it's wonderful to be faced with this challenge so that we can be that much more grateful for our beautiful faith!
That being said, I got the distinct impression the other day that God is training and preparing us for just that mission. We live with my father in law, now, and he is not a Catholic. He's a nondenominational Christian... by which I mean that he doesn't identify with any major Christian group, but rather has his own "quirks" in his style of worship, theology, and beliefs. He is a tried and true believer, a friend of Christ, and I am so thankful for that.... it's a wonderful example to his own kids and to his grandkids. He delights in praying with the Children, listening to Christian radio shows with them, and reading Bible stories to them in the rocker. It's a true gift.
However, he also has those ever-so-present protestant distastes for all things truly Catholic. While he understands and accepts (and believes!) the Catholic approach to and doctrines about Mary, for example, he is wary of "too much Mary" and is constantly trying to push my Marian daughter out of that. I tell him till I'm blue in the face that she SHOULD trust Mary with all her heart, because the real Mary will ALWAYS point her towards Jesus, but it makes him squirm. He isn't a fan of us doing family devotions in front of the family altar.. and much prefers that we do them in the kids' room. He doesn't often comment on it, but when he does, he makes it clear.
Likewise, he is notorious for getting worked up about his inability to recieve Communion. Which is fine, because on days when he is being reasonable and thoughtful, he is both respectful and understanding of our Catholic differences. It's only on days when he is short on patience that he likes to periodically "stick it to us," so to speak and makes snarky comments intended to bruise, if not wound, our Catholic faith.
Because he has been so understanding, I didn't think that we would have too many repurcussions for the kids living in the house with him. But I'm realizing that I'm going to have to be somewhat vigilant in this area because there IS some distrust on his side. It's not that I have ANY problem with him teaching the kids about faith-- I LOVE it! It's that I don't want him teaching the kids that their Catholic faith is wrong. I don't want him to undermine Sacred Tradition, the Communion of Saints, the Eucharist, or any other doctrine that makes us different.
He spends a lot of time at Walmart, and from the day after halloween Walmart has been full of Christmas decorations. This got him thinking-- he hadn't EVER decorated the house for Christmas, and this year, this was something he wanted to do for our kids. I was honored and excited-- until I heard him mention that he was going to get started this weekend. Suddenly, it dawned on me that we were going to have to fight it out to have a Catholic Advent, and I was broken hearted over it.
You see, Catholics begin by celebrating Advent. It's a period of four weeks in which we prepare our hearts and homes to recieve the incarnation... we focus internally on good works and repentance, we decorate with decorations that symbolize penitence and waiting in anticipation, and we make it a point to fully PREPARE for the coming of our Lord on Christmas Day. Practically, this means that we don't decorate for Christmas (tree, lights, etc) until the day before Christmas Eve, and we keep our Christmas Decorations up for the entire Christmas Season, which ends in February, after the day we celebrate the visitation of the 3 wise men.
It is important to me that we observe these things... they are worthy traditions which I believe will draw our family into an atmosphere of hushed anticipation for the coming King, creating a magic seed which set me ablaze with love for Christ when I was young and did the same. But when I brought it up, my father in law completely shut down. He asked a lot of questions, I explained it as best I could, and he shook his head incredulously and made hilarious comments like this:
Me: following the liturgical year helps us to live OUT the Christmas story as if we were there.
Him: Well, not me, that sounds like a lot of RELIGIOUS nonsense.
Once he came back, calmed from his miffed misery that he wouldn't be able to put up Decorations the day before thanksgiving and take them down before new years day, he agreed to "work with me" as long as what I was asking was "reasonable and feasible."
Gee, thanks.
I hadn't really thought much about the repurcussions of living with a non-Catholic because we've been going through ordinary time-- there hasn't been a ton to "do" around the house to mark the Christian year lately. But now we are faced with my favorite Christian traditions, and our family, children and all, must serve as a beacon of light to invade the closed mind and mental darkness in this good man's daily life. It's a mission, and it's a lot harder and less romantic than we think of when we think of missions across the globe! But it's good, and it's practice, and it's wonderful to be faced with this challenge so that we can be that much more grateful for our beautiful faith!
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