divine mercy
Sunday was Divine Mercy Sunday. I didn't remember that until I entered the church that morning. I was feeling rushed .... to many things to do and I was worried over the phone call I had received to tell me that Grandpa F, my only remaining grandparent, had been rushed to the hospital in the wee hours on the day after his 88th birthday. As A child Grandpa F was my favorite, and in my heart, I have been harboring a secret dream to be able to introduce him to my first grandchild. I was not really in a focused, church going frame of mind so I guess, it was Divine Mercy.

Prayer was what I needed. I prayed for Grandpa, I prayed for all those I love and I prayed for myself.

The Divine Mercy
I want to be completely transformed into Your mercy and to be Your living reflection, O Lord. May the greatest of all divine attributes, that of Your unfathomable mercy, pass through my heart and soul to my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my eyes may be merciful, so that I may never suspect or judge from appearances, but look for what is beautiful in my neighbors' souls and come to their rescue.
Help me, that my ears may be merciful, so that I may give heed to my neighbors' needs and not be indifferent to their pains and moaning.
Help me, O Lord, that my tongue may be merciful, so that I should never speak negatively of my nieghbor, but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all.
Help me, O Lord, that my hands may be merciful and filled with good deeds, so that I may do only good to my neighbors and take upon myself the more difficult and toilsome tasks.
Help me, that my feet may be merciful, so that I may hurry to assist my neighbor, overcoming my own fatigue and weariness. My true rest is in the service of my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my heart may be merciful so that I myself may feel all the sufferings of my neighbor. I will refuse my heart to no one. I will be sincere even with those who, I know, will abuse my kindness. And I will lock myself up in the most merciful Heart of Jesus. I will bear my own suffering in silence. May Your mercy, O Lord, rest upon me (...).
O my Jesus, transform me into Yourself , for you can do all things. (163)

PS. The Doctors have determined that Grandpa did not have a heart attack . They are keeping him for more tests so please keep him in your prayers

A Good Friday

Last year after Easter, I decided that I would clean up the choir loft, which is used for overflow seating before this years service. The place seems to be a breeding ground for unused Christmas wreaths and carpet. Last year all of us who got stuck in the loft, had to struggle over this stuff to find a place to sit. Of course being me (is there a patron saint for procrastination?) I waited till yesterday. Loyal LaReina offered to help me with the job. After begging some teenage boys to carry extra chairs up for us we began the process of moving the accumulation of stuff that is up there and trying to create some order. We made great progress moving all but the huge organ that while unused has for some reason been placed just slightly off center up there. I have persuaded my hubby to help me with that today. When we were done grunting, groaning and giggling we took a break to enjoy the view from our now comfortable perch. We soon found our selves coming up with ideas for next year, how to drape the cross and statues, how to strip the alter on Holy Thursday etc... I think we both felt surprised to hear ourselves thinking aloud that maybe it is time to step up and help the elderly women who's job it's always been. It is easy to giggle over their imagined response to certain things, to sigh over their seeming obsession with the proper way to do things. Harder to step up and offer to help, to realize that we are being called to become those ladies. This realization brought us both to silence. After a few moments, I felt it...We both did...... A presence. For me it was the culmination for what this week is about. That desire to be of service to others. It is what we are called to do everytime we receive Jesus at communion. As Father said "When we take him in, we take in all that he stands for.... We ask how can I be Christ for you" We are called to see past race, religion and status. We are called love the least of our brothers more than ourselves, We exist to share their burdens and to serve. The feeling only seemed to last a few minutes (till LaReina's alarm went off to let us know that an hour had passed) What an unexpected blessing
High up in the near empty church , I was rewarded with the real gift of His presence

I have to talk to the RCIA class tonight. I am very nervous. These people have made the choice for what ever reason to join the church and are attending these classes looking for a variety of information. I'm just not sure what. Usually there is a team to lead RCIA, they have a big thick binder and it takes 9 months to review all the material including home work. This year it's the condensed version,with our visiting priest, and will touch on the high points. Personally, I think this may be the better version. I tend to get a little frustrated with those who think they need to judge when someone else is ready. What is the important stuff to know before joining? What's the right reason? When do you have all the answers.? I know that I never will, at least not until I come face to face with my Lord.
Sometimes, I think it is human nature to test those who want to join us. I think it has more to do with our sense of security than theirs. What if they don't really think like we do, or worse yet want to change us. I would like to have a little more trust than that. God is good all the time. And what ever your reason for coming to him it's good, always, I think we miss the whole point when we are less than welcoming. The Catholic church is the universal church. There is room for everyone. Some of us will pray the rosary daily, and others will barely make it to Mass. Neither person is more important to the Lord.
Catholics are often attacked for believing we need to practice good works rather than Grace alone. I don;'t really get this argument. If you are truly filled with Grace, good works should flow from you. you couldn't stop them if you wanted to, which you wouldn't cause...duh. you're full of Grace. Ultimately I think we are both saying the same thing. Martin Luther agreed on his death bed.
I think the thing to remember is our faith should be a conscious choice, it should be deliberate and active.

Waffles are Catholic...... Who knew

According to Alton Brown they got their start as the Wafer (get it waffle..wafer) Catholics use for communion. Since this was one food that could be consumed during lent secular bakeries got in the act and then they got bigger, eventually becoming the waffles we know today. Hmmm.......

I think I have said it before, my hubby and I are food geeks. We spent our Valentine evening enjoying perfectly cooked steak and sweet potato's at home. Then we watched the food network. It's better than trash tv. Anyway last night we learned (probably more than we ever wanted to know) about waffles. Food fact: Waffles have more inside than outside. Our Waffle maker is an antique. It is older than I am and since I am now officially a grandma,anything older than me is and antique. It was belonged to hubby's Grandma D. If I actually made waffles, rather than buying the ubiquitous box at the store, I might need to get a new one. Apparently old waffle makers are collectible.

I posted before about waffles and chicken. I still stand by that combination. It was really very good. I may put on my apron and whip up a batch tonight after RCIA class. I just put maple syrup on mine, but it was suggested that you could put hot sauce on the chicken, then use syrup. Mmmmm. Or you Pennsylvania Dutch, could use brown gravy. Hmmm. I'm definitely getting hungry now. Chicken and waffles would not be OK on the Fridays of Lent. I was confused for the first couple years and thought chicken was ok, but NO, chicken is meat. So Waffles only on Fridays, but as today is Thursday. IT's waffles tonight

Guilt

Like a thief in the night, a soup kitchen has taken up residence on the corner of the highway and the entrance to the business district of our little tourist town. This has created a whole host of emotions in me. The first is Anger. I am upset that as a non profit they were not required to get a business permit or any kind of approval prior to making this move. They set up shop with no thought to how they would affect the other business in the area, the hotels, the restaurants, or the National Park tourist office they now sit next to. The second is guilt, good old fashioned, catholic guilt, at the fact that I need to support feeding the hungry and helping the needy. There should have been a discussion. There should have been some thought put into this process. Now that they are there it will be a difficult situation to correct. Anyone who opposes them is cold hearted. How can you turn out the needy. We will be accused of covering up the problem, trying to hide them away. Bull, there are so many things wrong with the scenario I can not even list them all. Let's put the needy on public display, let's expose them to honks and harassment and the elements. Let's feed them in an old gas station, a site that has been contaminated by years of petroleum based products. We are called to serve our fellow man, This calls us to be creative and compassionate in our solution. They deserve a better solution than a shabby soup line, in a run down structure, no one else wants.

Life Lessons for my Daughter

We then trust that, because he is our good and gracious Lord, he will provide what we need. We have no reason to worry. Psalm 34:8-10
I know things seem hard right now. You feel like an adult and others now expect you to start making adult decisions.

Miss independent

Your life seems to be in the awkward place between childhood and adulthood. In that place where you have to start choosing whether your dreams are only that, fragile fantasy that will not survive the reality if who you have become, or will your dreams become goals, things to be striven for, to be sacrificed for, to be achieved One thing I want you to keep in mind,

Only you can choose, there are obvious bad choices I pray you will avoid, addictions that will delay you, harm you permanently, alter the course of your life, But other than that, only you know what to choose for YOU. Try to be patient, Pray for patience. Take stock of your life, make a list. what are your strengths, what gifts did God give you to share. Pray for Wisdom, What are all the dreams you have. do they work together, or do they conflict. Do they fit with the person that you are, The values that you have? Use all of the fruits/ gifts you were given Then choose

Try not to be to hard on yourself if you choose and then have to change direction down the road. There are many roads to travel. Nothing in life is permanent except death. and not even that in the LORD

Be patient with others who choose a different path than you. Only they can choose their path, and while you may not understand or agree. Too bad, it's not your choice. It may not be wrong for them.

The only person who can make you a loser is you. The only person who can quit is you. The only person whose judgment you need fear is the LORD'S. Not mine, Not your friends, only HIM.

Take time to pray. Your life is just starting. The world is a blank canvas. Create a work of art for your own pleasure

Rosary

The non catholic father of one of the young people I know recently struck up a conversation with her catholic boyfriend. He was asking about the mysteries of the rosary. The young man clarified the mysteries for him, sorrowful, glorious, joyful and luminous. and then they discussed the practice of meditative prayer. As an Episcopalian he is open to the rosary understands that it is to focus on the life of Christ, and even has a version he is familiar with, but he is becoming more and more interested in all things catholic and wished to learn more. During the conversation, He asked the young man if it would be OK to contemplate leisure mysteries? The young man not quite sure called his mom, my #1 CCD teacher/best friend and this led to a conversation between us. God works in mysterious ways. Why not have the leisure mysteries? As our world becomes ever busier, and we try to be more and more in control, why not contemplate when the Lord told us to trust in him. We spent the better part of a road trip discussing the possibilities.... all the times when the Lord said "Don't worry, be happy". The loves and fishes, Martha and Mary, the lilies in the field, the children, the holy spirit. We actually came up with more than 5. The Lord came to create a new covenant. He preached love, hope and peace. He did not tell us to get bigger cars and houses, compete in sports and academics or try to be better than the guy next to us. He told us to be patient and kind. To love our neighbors, be helpful and just. We are not supposed to worry about what we don't have but to be grateful for what we have been blessed with. The Rosary is a contemplative tool. As stated above, We pray the rosary as a meditation on the life of Christ. It is a tool to be used to bring us closer to our Lord. To open ourselves to Him and hear his voice. Maybe we need more mysteries, the grateful mysteries, the leisure mysteries, the peaceful mysteries. Where ever the Lord leads, you pray the Rosary with an open heart ©