Lent, 40 Days of Renewal

Much like a good spring cleaning, the season of Lent gives us the opportunity to put our spiritual house in order. Like a closet, drawer or garage that becomes cluttered over time with junk we really don’t need, so do our daily lives become cluttered with things that keep us from God.

If we stop to take a look at our lives, we probably see that our days become so full that we need to view our planners before we say yes to another event. With my family we usually need through out a series of dates for everyone to review before we can come up with a date we can all get together.

Our children and grandchildren come home from school, only to change clothes and grab a snack before they rush off to another activity. Family meal time often evolves around a take out/drive-thru due to our fast pace of life.

Don't get me wrong, some extra activities are good for us and the occasional pizza, burgers, or whatever your particular fast food pick might be, isn't a big deal. This is the American lifestyle right? Don't we enjoy this?

What I'm referring to is the simple fact that we are so busy being busy!

I need my time with God; I need my quiet time of prayer.  I'm guessing ,you probably need it  too!

Jesus needed that time in the desert. He needed that 40 Days.

As I received my ashes on Ash Wednesday, the lay minister marked my head and said, “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel”. Returning to my seat, I pondered these words and what they specifically meant for me. Great challenges came to mind. And, like the clutter in my closet, I knew it was time to do some spiritual house cleaning.

Create a clean heart in me, O God; give me a new steadfast spirit.    (Ps 50:12)

"Dear children! I invite you to surrender to God. In this season I specially want you to renounce all the things to which you are attached but which are hurting your spiritual life. Therefore, little children, decide completely for God, and do not allow Satan to come into your life through those things that hurt both you and your spiritual life. Little children, God is offering Himself to you in fullness, and you can discover and recognize Him only in prayer. Therefore make a decision for prayer. Thank you for having responded to call" BVM, Medjugorge, February 25, 1990


Dear Children, I am coming to you as a mother and I desire that in me, as in a mother, you may find your abode, consolation and rest. Therefore, my children, apostles of my love, pray. Pray with humble devotion, obedience and complete trust in the Heavenly Father. Trust as I have trusted when it was said to me that I will bring the blessing of the promise. May out of your hearts, from your lips, always come forth: 'May Your will be done!'. Therefore, trust and pray so that I can intercede for you before the Lord, for Him to give you the heavenly blessing and fill you with the Holy Spirit. Then you will be able to help all those who do not know the Lord - you, apostles of my love, will help them to call Him 'Father' with complete trust. Pray for your shepherds and place your trust in their blessed hands. Thank you.BVM, Medjugorge,  March 2, 2014

The Crucifixion

The Crucifixion

The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery

And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Lk 23:34)

When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son!” (Jn 19:26) 3:34)

Then Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. (Lk 23:46)

You commended Your spirit to the Father and died on the cross after You had taken the cup given to You by the Father, because You were ready to accept it.

My Jesus, thank You for having done all this for us. Do teach us to love and to forgive. Strengthen all those who, for the lack of their own love, cannot forgive and destroy each other in hatred. Help us all to accept the Father’s will as You did, because it is the only way to salvation. We pray to You also for the dying; give them strength to commend their spirit to the Father in peace. Take them into Your peace, O Lord Jesus. 1

“Dear children! Today, in a special way, I invite you to take the cross in the hands and to meditate on the wounds of Jesus. Ask of Jesus to heal your wounds, which you, dear children, during your life sustained because of your sins or the sins of your parents. Only in this way, dear children, you will understand that the world is in need of healing of faith in God the Creator. By Jesus' passion and death on the cross, you will understand that only through prayer you, too, can become true apostles of faith; when, in simplicity and prayer, you live faith which is a gift. Thank you for having responded to my call. ” BVM Monthly Message, March 25, 1997


1Fr. Slavko Barbaric, O.F.M., Pray With the Heart

The Carrying of the Cross

The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery


"And he said to all: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself …" (Luke 9:23)

This post was shared by my mother
a true woman of virtue.

Oh Loving Jesus, meek Lamb of God,I, a miserable sinner, salute and worship the most Sacred Wound of thy Shoulder on which Thou didst bear thy heavy Cross, which so tore Thy flesh and laid bear Thy Bones as to inflict on Thee an anguish greater than any other wound of thy Most Blessed Body. I adore Thee, O Jesus most sorrowful; I praise and glorify Thee, and give Thee thanks for this most sacred and painful Wound, beseeching Thee by that exceeding pain, and by the crushing burden of Thy heavy Cross to be merciful to me, a sinner, to forgive me all my mortal and venial sins, and to lead me on towards Heaven along the Way of Thy Cross. Amen 1

1 Thomas D. Beven , Bishop of Springfield


We all carry many crosses. When I was five years old my father died. He was only thirty three years old. It was during World War II and my mother remarried. He was a Marine who had fought bravely in five major battles. The war had left him wounded inside and he was never able to talk about it.

When my mother was dating him he was nice to my brothers and I, but when they got married things changed. Where our home had been a home full of music and joy, it was now dark and lonely place.

My one brother David could not cope with this and at the age of eleven years started running away. He was deeply gifted. He could play almost any instrument and had a lovely voice. To support himself he started playing at bars at an early age. He also started drinking and this became his way of life. He joined the service for about three years and married, had two girls, got a mental discharge from the service and started running again.

He ended up in later years as a sick alcoholic living in a rented room with no friends. He was always telling me he would like to join the Catholic Church but I was afraid with his drinking, to bring a priest by.

Late one night my husband and I got a call from the hospital that my brother had had a massive heart attack and was in a coma and had only hours to live. We prayed for him and were led to bring holy water with us. When we got to the hospital and entered his room he was still in a coma, but we prayed for him and baptized him. He died two hours later.

He had left me a note in his possessions that he wanted to be buried at National Cemetery in Riverside and to read the Prodigal Son at his service. There were only four of us who went to his burial. When we arrived we where met by at least twelve fully uniformed military men. They led us like in a parade to his grave sight. They then proceeded to have a twenty one gun salute, folding of the flag and a full service. When they left I read the Prodigal Son in full tears of joy as I know my brother had carried his cross in his own way and Our Loving Father had showed His merciful love and taken him home.

The Scourging at The Pillar

The Second Sorrowful Mystery.

Posted by dad.

They bound you to a post in Pilate's court and scrounged you mercilessly. Following each strike, wounds remained. Your blood flowed; you were loosing your strength and were in pain. You offered all this for us in order to free us from evil and sin.

How does one identify with this kind of suffering? Even if you tried you would come up miserly short. When I was asked to reflect on this decade of the rosary I found myself despairing because it brought to mind the greatest sorrow in my own life, the loss of my 3 year old son who was struck down by a station wagon in front of our home. The driver came around the corner of our street with a load of 2x4’s hanging out his rear window. My son and a young neighborhood boy were out front at the time. The neighbor boy took my son by the hand to take him across the street to play. The driver was watching the shifting lumber that was not tied down in his car and he did not see the boys crossing the street. At that instant our lives were forever dramatically changed. I could not forget or forgive that person.

For years I wished that moment would be taken away; my anger grew and this affected the rest of my family. The only thing that kept me going was to know my son was in a better place with his heavenly Father and that some day I would be with him in heaven.

Christ is always close to the broken hearted and in his infinite mercy he sent my father his own mother, Mary. Mary, who stood under the cross of her own Son with a heart full of anguish, who's faith was great even in her suffering, held dad close to here maternal heart and embraced his sorrow so that his heart would not grow cold.

Thank you Lord for giving us your son Jesus so that we may all be united together in
Heaven.

Lord, I offer my prayers for those who, in their hearts, carry the wounds they receive in their lives. Jesus, break those wounds that may cause them to fall into new evils, scourging themselves and others. Jesus, break the chains of evil and sin so that your peace, love and forgiveness may come to dwell in every heart. I offer my prayers to you for parents who have scourged their children with drunken behavior, faithlessness, drugs, gambling, fights and divorces. Please free families from these evils. Grant that all of their wounds be healed so that we may experience peace, joy and both spiritual and physical health. Amen. 1

1 Fr. Slavko Barbaric, O.F.M

The Agony in The Garden

The First Sorrowful Mystery

They went to a place called Gethsemane…And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. (Mk 14:32, 33)

Posted by my dad; a man that walks with God.

My daughter has asked me to share my thoughts with you during this time of lent on the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. I chose to share “The Agony in the Garden.”

I have been struggling with cancer for many years now. And the story I want to share with you began about six years ago after I had my third major operation for colon cancer.

These operations were taking place as frequently as every six months even though I had undergone an incredibly painful chemotherapy treatment following my first surgery.

It was after the third surgery, with my family gathered by my side to hear the news, that my doctors told me that they wanted to attack the cancer more aggressively by surgically implanting a stint inside of me so that I could take larger doses of chemo on a daily basis. I told the doctors that I did not want to subject myself to anymore of this torturous treatment and that my wife and I had purchased tickets to go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Lands. We were scheduled to leave in six months and we were going with a Carmelite order of priests. My oncologist informed me that I would be dead in six months if I did not submit to the treatment. I asked how much time I would have if I submitted to the treatments; he said I could probably add up to two years.

Six months later I found myself in the Garden of Gethsemane, possibly under the same olive trees that our Lord Jesus Christ knelt to ask his father to take this cup from him. We know that this was the cup of forgiveness of  our sins and most importantly our salvation. Yet we know he said “Not my will be done but yours be done”.

As I knelt under these olive trees, I asked our Lord to take this cup (cancer) from me and if not, then please accept my pain and suffering in atonement for my sins and the suffering of others that may be so afflicted.

Some of these olive trees have lived well over 2000 years; and as I looked over the Valley of Kidron I could see the walls of Jerusalem where Jesus traveled to his agonizing torture and death on the cross for you and me.

Six years later I am here to thank God for this miraculous healing and to thank my fellow pilgrims, my family and friends that prayed for me constantly and the priest that gave me the Holy Sacrament of Healing of the Sick; I will feel forever indebted.


I pray to You to look upon all those who are seeking the Father's will now, for the sake of Your bitter agony. Help also those who have learnt the Father's will, but are too weak to accept it. May all the agony be redeemed through a renewed acceptance of the Father's will.1


Dear children! In this time of grace I call you to take the cross of my beloved Son Jesus in your hands and to meditate on his passion and death. May your suffering be united in his suffering and love will win, because he who is love gave himself out of love to save each of you. Thank you for having responded to my call. Medjugorje Message. March 25, 2013


Fr. Slavko Barbaric, O.F.M  Pray with the Heart

It has been 3 years since my dad posted this, though his health has taken a turn for the worst, his faith in God shines through. He spends most days upstairs in the comfort of his bedroom and he prays for us and he prays for you too!

 

He Loved Them to The End

They watched him, with eyes full of wonder, as he rose from the table, removed his outer garment and tied a towel around his waist.

What was he doing, was the question going through their minds.

He filled the earthen basin with water, knelt down before them, and like a lowly servant, began to wash the feet of his disciples. One by one he washed them, tenderly drying their feet with his towel.

The sound of silence filled the room as each one present watched this humble act of love and they were instantly aware of their own unworthiness as he bent  low before them.

But only Simon Peter protests, “Master, you will never wash my feet!

….”Unless I wash your feet”, he replies, “You will have no inheritance with me.”

Peter surrenders himself completely, his hands and his head as well.

Cleansed now by the Master, they are being prepared for what would lie ahead.
 

Each of us, from the day of our own baptism, has been prepared to participate in the dying and rising of Christ. We have all been called to die to ourselves, to surrender our obstinacy and to serve him by serving each other according to his teachings and example.

As we enter in to this last week of lent, may we all pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit  for ourselves, for our families, for our country and especially for all that will be joining our Catholic family as we celebrate The Great Vigil of Easter.

"Dear children! In this time, I call you
all to pray for the coming of the Holy Spirit upon every baptized
creature, so that the Holy Spirit may renew you all and lead you
on the way of witnessing your faith – you and all those who are
far from God and His love. I am with you and intercede for you
before the Most High. Thank you for having responded to my call." 

BVM, Medjugorje, May 25, 2009

“ He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.” John 13:1

Never Alone

Lost in the desert I wander,

How long will it be that I am here?

I walk for what seems like hours;

No water to be found anywhere.

High in the sky,

The sun's rays beat down.

With loneliness as my companion,

only a shadow is
 found.

I fall to my knees and cry out,

“How long must I wander this desert?

I am thirsty and weary and weak”.

Then a voice from above, strong and gentle is heard,

“Keep going my child, you can make it;

You don’t have much further to go.

Keep straight on the path you are taking,

And know that you are never alone”.

We often encounter what seems to be a desert experience in our

spiritual life, and our only prayer is, “Lord, I am thirsty”. Be steadfast and

do not falter. For what father would deny his child water; surely not our heavenly

Father.

 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.~ John 14:18

 "Dear children! In a special way this evening I am
calling you to perseverance in trials. Consider how the Almighty
is still suffering today on account of your sins. So when
sufferings come, offer them up as a sacrifice to God. Thank you
for having responded to my call." BVM. Medugorje, March 29, 1984

Prayer...The Best Medicine of All

The Mother of Jesus urges us to pray as a defense against evil. To Ivan’s prayer group: 

"Dear children, your Mother warns you tonight that Satan is active in a special way these days. Do not allow emptiness inside of you, but fill this emptiness with prayer. Dear children, prayer is the best medicine these days to defend yourselves against evil. And so, dear children, make a special decision for prayer during Lent. Tonight I expect you to pray the Glorious Mysteries when you return home." VPG, BVM, Medjugorje  2 /19/1990

“Confident Prayer in Great Peril”:

But surely God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.

He will repay my enemies for their evil.

In your faithfulness, put an end to them.

With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.

For he has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies. 

  ~ Psalm 54:4-7

Our Lady is calling us to prayer today. She has told us many times that prayer is our chief weapon against evil. Prayer of the heart is our communion with God, in unifies us and makes us one with him.

 

If Jesus was called to the desert to pray and unite himself to the Father, then how much more do we need to pray?

 St. Paul  tells us to "pray without ceasing"~ Thessalonians 5:17

It was only in the last few months that I came across the power of the Jesus Prayer. It is a very simple prayer that I find myself repeating throughout the day, 

"Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner"

This prayer proclaims that Jesus is Lord and professes our faith in him as our redeemer.

Let’s simply heed our Lady’s advice today: “Don’t allow emptiness inside of you; fill this emptiness with prayer…it is the best medicine to defend yourselves against evil”

Adapted from Medjugorje Day by Day, by Richard J. Beyer

When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God...

Dawn has not yet broken. Slowly she rises and makes her way down stairs.

“The coffee smells so good”, she says to herself. Grabbing her favorite mug, the beige one with the lavender flowers, she pours herself a cup and holds it close to her face, taking in both the warmth and the aroma it offers. “Thank you Lord”, she says quietly, and walks over to the sofa.

 She loves this time of the morning. The house is still and the dog is nestled by the fireplace that her husband has lit for her.

After a few sips of coffee, she pulls out her rosary beads. She kisses the crucifix before beginning to pray and wonders how many others throughout the world are doing the same thing right now.

An image of God’s children comes to mind. They have all just risen and are gathering themselves together. They lift their voices in praise for the many gifts they have received and in prayer for the many needs for themselves and those closest to them. Like the holy apostles and the saints that had come before them, these children of God pray that they, too, might imitate the divine light.

“Imagine if we all begin each day like this”, she thought to herself…….

Peacefulness settles into her soul and she begins to pray for all though who do not believe.

Our Lady Queen Of Peace of Medjugorje’s March 2, 2012 Message Given To Mirjana  On The Day of Non-Believers

"Dear children; through the immeasurable love of God I am coming among you and I am persistently calling you into the arms of my Son. With a motherly heart I am imploring you, my children, but I am also repeatedly warning you, that concern for those who have not come to know my Son be in the first place for you. Do not permit that by looking at you and your life, they are not overcome by a desire to come to know Him. Pray to the Holy Spirit for my Son to be impressed within you. Pray that you can be apostles of the divine light in this time of darkness and hopelessness. This is a time of your trial. With a rosary in hand and love in the heart set out with me. I am leading you towards Easter in my Son. Pray for those whom my Son has chosen that they can always live through Him and in Him - the High Priest. Thank you." 03/02/2012

May we all lift our prayers for those that do not believe in God and for all those that do not yet know him.

   

The Widow's Mite

For they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.” Mark 12:44

Not a day goes by that I don’t see her at morning mass. Her soft gray hair, her heavy maroon coat and her sensible shoes are always accompanied by her angelic smile. Her smile lights up the church brighter than an entire wall lined with votive candles. It is just one of the many gifts she gives to others without the smallest effort.

When mass is over she stays behind. Prayer book and rosary beads in hand, she prays for her children, her grandchildren, her friends and the many homeless that she bakes cookies for. This is her widow’s mite, her small sacrifices of love that she joyfully shares with others. She is a witness of Christ here on earth; her name is Preska.

Then there is Joan. She leads a Thursday night rosary in the church for the sanctity of life. I have seen her on countless Sunday afternoons standing, either alone or with a few other folks, in front of the nearby Planned Parenthood. Apparently, this particular Planned Parenthood does abortions on this day. Joan holds her rosary beads in one hand, a few prayer cards in the other, and she prays during the hours that the abortions are being preformed. She has been subjected to many vile comments by both men and women seeking the seemingly "quick fix" they feel Planned Parenthood will provide them. You see, Joan's peaceful presence, her standing up for life, stirs something in them that they want to keep suppressed, something they don't want to feel.

She doesn't seem to mind though. This is what she joyfully does for Jesus. And the fruits of her labor have,  indeed, been a joy because Joan has also had young women that have come out of Planned Parenthood and walk up to her,  tearfully telling  her thank you. They tell her that her presence and her prayer jolted something in them, something that made them realize that they could not go through with the abortion.   

These good women, and many others like them,  live the message of Jesus in small but mighty ways every day. As St. Paul has said, “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God” Heb. 13:16

During Lent of 1986, Our Lady gave the following message:
“Dear children, today I invite you to live this Lent with your small sacrifices which you have already presented to me. Dear children, continue to live in this way and, with your love, help me to present your offerings to God, who will reward you.”   BVM, Medjugorje  03/13/1986.

Our sacrifice is the truest sign of love, for on the external level we gain nothing for ourselves, but direct our action outward for the benefit of another. And a sacrifice that we have made with love is redemptive in the hands of God, for it becomes joined to the greatest sacrifice of all, that of Christ on the cross.1

1. Adapted from: Medjugorje Day By Day, Richard J. Beyer

As We Approach Lent

A beautiful meditation shared by In Search Of.........

With each passing year, I realize I look forward to the Season of Lent more and more.  Perhaps in my adult life, I realize that I need it more and more.  That I need a time, an entire season of growing closer to God through letting go and working towards becoming what he wants.  A time of going into the desert.  The idea of committing yourself for forty days to a special practice or either deeper payer, fasting, good works, perhaps picking up more mass attendances during the week or popping in more for adoration, actually gives me hope and a renewed focused on what needs to be the center of my life.  What is so ironic is that we as a Church are examining and remembering Christs death and crucifixion in this season, yet are hopeful for the Resurrection that we know only comes when we die to ourselves for greater love of God and his divine plan.  I think that is why I am always hopeful when Lent comes around, because I feel as though anything is possible, including real transformation, if I only let go, carry the cross and are willing to even go through some sort of death.  As I begun to prepare myself for this year's Lenten Season, I came across this beautiful reflection.  I think I will read each day during Lent, I hope it speaks to you as well.

Catch me in my anxious scurrying, Lord, and hold me in this Lenten Season:

hold my feet to the fire of your grace

and make me attentive to my mortailty

that I may begin to die now

to those tihngs that keep me from living with you

and with my neighbors on this earth;

to grudges and indifference,

to certainties that smother possibilities

to my fascination with false securities,

to my arrogant insistence on how it has to be;

to my corrosive fear of dying someday

which eats away the wonder of living this day,

and the adventure of losing my life in order to find it in you.

Catch me in my mindless scurrying, Lord, and hold me in this Lenten season;

hold my spirit to the beacon of your grace and grant me light enough to walk boldly,

to feel passionately,

to love aggressively;

grant me peace enough to want more,

to work for more

and to submit to nothing less,

and to fear only you...only you!

Bequeath me not becalmed seas,

slack sails and premature benedictions,

but breathe into me a torment,

storm enough to make within myself

and from myself, something...

something new,

something saving,

something true,

a gladness of heart,

a pitch for a song in the storm,

a word of praise lived,

a gratitude shared,

a cross dared,

a joy received.

Please leave any comments for this post on the authors site which is listed above.
God bless you all.

Adapted:  Ted Loder, Guerrillas of Grace:  Prayers for the Battle

Open Your Heart

Just as the clenched hand can neither give nor receive, the closed heart cannot love.


Love unifies,
it brings us together and makes us one.

Love calls us individually to relationship,
yet its very nature has no boundaries;
its desire is to be shared with others.


Love flows from the heart...
this same love flows from each of us because God's Spirit of abundant love flows through our hearts. ~Henri Nouwen

“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"

He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment.

The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22: 36-39

"Dear children; With motherly love I desire to open the heart of each of you and to teach you personal unity with the Father. To accept this, you must comprehend that you are important to God and that He is calling you individually. You must comprehend that your prayer is a conversation of a child with the Father; that love is the way by which you must set out - love for God and for your neighbour. That is, my children, the love that has no boundaries, that is the love that emanates from truth and goes to the end. Follow me, my children, so that also others, in recognizing the truth and love in you, may follow you. Thank you."


Once again Our Lady called us to pray for our shepherds (priests) and said: "They have a special place in my heart. They represent my Son." BVM, April 02, 2011 Message to Mirjana , Medjugorje


This season of Lent calls us to reconciliation with God, with others and with ourselves. Reconcilation can only come to a heart that is open. May our hearts be open.

Seek to Know the Cross

If we seek to really know Jesus, then we must seek to know the cross.

Jesus has many who love his heavenly kingdom, but few who carry his cross. He has many who desire consolation, but few who desire tribulation. He finds more to share his table, but few his fasting. All wish to rejoice with him, few who want to bear anything for him. Many follow Jesus to the breaking of the bread, but few to drinking his chalice of suffering. (Adapted from the Imitation of Christ, St. Louis de Montfort)

We all have crosses to bear, some much bigger than others. Some of us have family members that barely speak to one another. Some of us have children or spouses with addictions of various types. Some of us have been victims of violence. Some of us suffer from serious medical problems. Some of us have lost our jobs and carry extreme financial burdens.

It is so easy to get lost in self pity, to become overwhelmed at the weight of our cross from time to time, to deem it unfair or undeserving.

It is times like these, when sorrow sets in, that I am thankful for my Catholic upbringing because I was always taught about the redemptive suffering of Christ. Mom always told me that without the cross there would be no resurrection. Resurrection is hope; hope gives us courage, and courage gives us strength to continue the journey. I never thought of this as a simple answer, but I found it encouraging.

If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Lk 9:23).


“Dear children, remember the four things you have to do during Lent. Tonight when you go home, I ask you to be thankful in front of the cross for all that you feel you should be grateful for; thank Jesus for what you have. My Son will hear you.” BVM, Medjugorje 2/13/1989

Sharing God's Mercy

"I assure you, as often as you did it for one of My least brothers, you did it for Me." –Matthew 25:40

I was in need of guidance,
and you shared your faith with me.

I was in spiritual dryness,
and you prayed for me.

I had been away from the church for some time,
and you invited me.

I came from a family that never knew Jesus,
and your love for him warmed my heart and drew me it.

As Christians, we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves, to share God’s mercy with both believers and non-believers. We are called to be a light in a world of spiritual darkness.
  It is through the  corporal and spiritual works of mercy that we truly practice our faith.


Lord, remove from my heart the stubbornness of the goat, who butts and kicks when he doesn't get his way.
Please give me the grace to be more trusting like the sheep,
Who hears your voice and follows after you.

Spring Cleaning for the Soul

Much like a good spring cleaning, the season of Lent gives us the opportunity to put our spiritual house in order. Like a closet, drawer or garage that becomes cluttered over time with junk we really don’t need, so do our daily lives become cluttered with things that keep us from God.


As I received my ashes on Ash Wednesday, the lay minister marked my head and said, “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel”. Returning to my seat, I pondered these words and what they specifically meant for me. Great challenges came to mind. And, like the clutter in my closet, I knew it was time to do some spiritual house cleaning.

Create a clean heart in me, O God; give me a new steadfast spirit.    (Ps 50:12)

"Dear children! I invite you to surrender to God. In this season I specially want you to renounce all the things to which you are attached but which are hurting your spiritual life. Therefore, little children, decide completely for God, and do not allow Satan to come into your life through those things that hurt both you and your spiritual life. Little children, God is offering Himself to you in fullness, and you can discover and recognize Him only in prayer. Therefore make a decision for prayer. Thank you for having responded to call" BVM, Medjugorge, February 25, 1990

Lent: A Call to Fast and Feast

 

A special thank you to  Jek from In Search of... for this beautiful post.

Lent, a time to start over, a call to transformation.  A turning away from the old self to the true self, the self God intended for us to be.  Sometimes this can seem overwhelming, especially when we reflect on our sinfulness.  However, even though the season of Lent calls for us to examine our sinfulness, the Lord also calls us to renewal.  Let us then not dwell on our sinfulness, but learn from it and move forward this Lent, with a new spirit, as an example to others of the Lord's joy, promise and salvation.  Let us not only fast, but feast on the Lord's goodness and the goodness he calls us to!

I had the pleasure to attend Ash Wednesday Mass today at Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church in San Dimas, CA.  Fr. Peter Dennis, who said the mass, is a beautiful and witty older Irish Sacred Heart priest that is truly refreshing.  He always puts things in proper perspective, simple, yet profound.  He shared the following reflection,

"Lent:  A Call to Fast and Feast:"

Fast from judging others; feast on Christ dwelling in them.
Fast from emphasis on differences; feast on the oneness of all.
Fast from the darkness around us; feast on the light of JESUS within us.
Fast from thoughts or illness; feast on the healing power of GOD.
Fast from actions that pollute; feast on deeds that purify.
Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.
Fast from pessimism; feast on hope.
Fast from worry; feast on trust.
Fast from guilt; feast on freedom.
Fast from complaining; feast on complementing.
Fast from stress; feast on self-care.
Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness.
Fast from selfishness; feast on compassion for others.
Fast from apathy; feast on enthusiasm.
Fast from idle gossiping, feast on spreading the good news.
Fast from being so busy; feast on peaceful silence.
Fast from being in control; feast on letting go.

As I look at this list, it enhances the meaning of fasting, it transforms it and brings it to a heighten and even more challenging level.  It gives me hope that I can change my sinfulness, my hold habits and "feast" on new ones.  I appreciated this joyful, hopeful and optimistic view of Lent and I hope that you do too.  Let us remember, Lent is not a time to be gloomy, but reflective with a joyful attitude and symbol to others.

I wish you a very blessed and hopeful Lenten season.

Citation:

"Lent:  A Call to Fast and Feast." Ash Wednesday Mass.  Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church, San Dimas, CA.  March, 09, 2011.

The Crucifixion

The Crucifixion

The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery

And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Lk 23:34)

When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son!” (Jn 19:26) 3:34)

Then Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. (Lk 23:46)

You commended Your spirit to the Father and died on the cross after You had taken the cup given to You by the Father, because You were ready to accept it.

My Jesus, thank You for having done all this for us. Do teach us to love and to forgive. Strengthen all those who, for the lack of their own love, cannot forgive and destroy each other in hatred. Help us all to accept the Father’s will as You did, because it is the only way to salvation. We pray to You also for the dying; give them strength to commend their spirit to the Father in peace. Take them into Your peace, O Lord Jesus. 1

“Dear children! Today, in a special way, I invite you to take the cross in the hands and to meditate on the wounds of Jesus. Ask of Jesus to heal your wounds, which you, dear children, during your life sustained because of your sins or the sins of your parents. Only in this way, dear children, you will understand that the world is in need of healing of faith in God the Creator. By Jesus' passion and death on the cross, you will understand that only through prayer you, too, can become true apostles of faith; when, in simplicity and prayer, you live faith which is a gift. Thank you for having responded to my call. ” BVM Monthly Message, March 25, 1997

 
1Fr. Slavko Barbaric, O.F.M., Pray With the Heart

The Carrying of the Cross

  The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery


"And he said to all: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself …" (Luke 9:23)

This post was shared by my mother
 a true woman of virtue.

Oh Loving Jesus, meek Lamb of God, I miserable sinner, salute and worship the most Sacred Wound of thy Shoulder on which Thou didst bear thy heavy Cross, which so tore Thy flesh and laid bear Thy Bones as to inflict on Thee an anguish greater than any other wound of thy Most Blessed Body. I adore Thee, O Jesus most sorrowful; I praise and glorify Thee, and give Thee thanks for this most sacred and painful Wound, beseeching Thee by that exceeding pain, and by the crushing burden of Thy heavy Cross to be merciful to me, a sinner, to forgive me all my mortal and venial sins, and to lead me on towards Heaven along the Way of Thy Cross. Amen 1

1 Thomas D. Beven , Bishop of Springfield


We all carry many crosses. When I was five years old my father died. He was only thirty three years old. It was during World War II and my mother remarried. He was a Marine who had fought bravely in five major battles. The war had left him wounded inside and he was never able to talk about it.

When my mother was dating him he was nice to my brothers and I, but when they got married things changed. Where our home had been a home full of music and joy, it was now dark and lonely place.

My one brother David could not cope with this and at the age of eleven years started running away. He was deeply gifted. He could play almost any instrument and had a lovely voice. To support himself he started playing at bars at an early age. He also started drinking and this became his way of life. He joined the service for about three years and married, had two girls, got a mental discharge from the service and started running again.

He ended up in later years as a sick alcoholic living in a rented room with no friends. He was always telling me he would like to join the Catholic Church but I was afraid with his drinking, to bring a priest by.

Late one night my husband and I got a call from the hospital that my brother had had a massive heart attack and was in a coma and had only hours to live. We prayed for him and were led to bring holy water with us. When we got to the hospital and entered his room he was still in a coma, but we prayed for him and baptized him. He died two hours later.

He had left me a note in his possessions that he wanted to be buried at National Cemetery in Riverside and to read the Prodigal Son at his service. There were only four of us who went to his burial. When we arrived we where met by at least twelve fully uniformed military men. They led us like in a parade to his grave sight. They then proceeded to have a twenty one gun salute, folding of the flag and a full service. When they left I read the Prodigal Son in full tears of joy as I know my brother had carried his cross in his own way and Our Loving Father had showed His merciful love and taken him home.

The Crowning With Thorns

The Third Sorrowful Mystery

So Pilate asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?" And He answered him and said, "It is as you say."

 Luke 23:3

"And the soldiers led him away into the court of the palace, and they called together the whole band: And they clothe him with purple, and platting a crown of thorns, they put it upon him."

Mark 16:16,17

My Jesus, they crowned You with the crown of thorns after the scourging. They wrapped You in a scarlet military cloak and made a fool of You-those who were near You. For, Your friends were far away!

When hatred starts forging evil plans, then it is not likely to stop. It was not enough for them to have scourged You so murderously and now they go on mocking You and crowning You with the crown of thorns. But this time, to hatred and evil were surprised before You. You remained calm in all Your suffering. They saw in Your behavior that You understood even those who treated You like that. And even more: that You loved them and that You did not condemn them. But their wickedness had no limits. That is what happens when evil has affected a man or woman, a family, a community. Then it never stops destroying. Jesus, look upon all the offended and the humiliated, the scorned and the rejected. Redeem them with Your crown of thorns and under the grindstone of torturers and oppressors. Cleanse their heart of every hatred. Do not let them plan revenge and return evil with evil. Jesus, in Your name, let forgiveness spread. 1

1 Fr. Slavko Barbaric, O.F.M, Pray With the Heart

For Moral Courage:
I ask prayers this day for an 18 year old girl I met yesterday who is considering an abortion. May all the mighty prayer warriors in heaven and earth protect her and her unborn child through intercessory prayer today. In Jesus name, Amen

The Scourging at the Pillar

The Second Sorrowful Mystery.

Posted by dad.

They bound you to a post in Pilate's court and scrounged you mercilessly. Following each strike, wounds remained. Your blood flowed; you were loosing your strength and were in pain. You offered all this for us in order to free us from evil and sin.

How does one identify with this kind of suffering? Even if you tried you would come up miserly short. When I was asked to reflect on this decade of the rosary I found myself despairing because it brought to mind the greatest sorrow in my own life, the loss of my 3 year old son who was struck down by a station wagon in front of our home. The driver came around the corner of our street with a load of 2x4’s hanging out his rear window. My son and a young neighborhood boy were out front at the time. The neighbor boy took my son by the hand to take him across the street to play. The driver was watching the shifting lumber that was not tied down in his car and he did not see the boys crossing the street. At that instant our lives were forever dramatically changed. I could not forget or forgive that person.

For years I wished that moment would be taken away; my anger grew and this affected the rest of my family. The only thing that kept me going was to know my son was in a better place with his heavenly Father and that some day I would be with him in heaven.

Thank you Lord for giving us your son Jesus so that we may all be united together in
Heaven.

Lord, I offer my prayers for those who, in their hearts, carry the wounds they receive in their lives. Jesus, break those wounds that may cause them to fall into new evils, scourging themselves and others. Jesus, break the chains of evil and sin so that your peace, love and forgiveness may come to dwell in every heart. I offer my prayers to you for parents who have scourged their children with drunken behavior, faithlessness, drugs, gambling, fights and divorces. Please free families from these evils. Grant that all of their wounds be healed so that we may experience peace, joy and both spiritual and physical health. Amen. 1

1 Fr. Slavko Barbaric, O.F.M