Scripture Reflection: Peace be with YOU.

photo credit goes to...http://debbiedesigns.typepad.com

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, 
"Peace be with you."
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
"Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained."
John 20:19-23

Come with me back to the Holy Land, just after Jesus was crucified...His apostles were holed up in a little room, with doors barred, and they were afraid. Their whole world was turned upside down.  They had watched from the edges as their master, their friend and rabbi, their hope, their everything, was savagely beaten and nailed to a cross. He was stripped of clothes and crowned with thorns. He was bruised and bloody. All but one apostle had fled in fear. These men were afraid of the Jews. They were afraid to suffer as Jesus had suffered. Every second that went by, they were afraid someone was going to discover them, drag them out, and kill them. In addition, they were afraid that everything they had known for the last three years was a lie. They were afraid that Jesus was not really who they thought He was. They thought Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God, their salvation and their King. Now they were not sure.

Then, Jesus came.  The doors were still locked. He just appeared among them. Jesus said, "Peace be with you." And with those four little words, He took on all their fear. He proved He was really and truly risen. He offered His hands and side for their inspection. With His four little words, the apostles knew Him. They knew they could trust Him and all they had believed to be true.

With the breath of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, their courage started to return.

Jesus wants us to have peace...a true and abiding peace that comes from a place free of fear and worldly attachments and demons. He wants us to have that peace so we can focus on Him, follow Him, and be with Him forever in heaven.

He can say, "Peace be with you." But how do we do it? How do we have that peace? It takes faith and trust to open the door to our hearts wide for Him to fill us with His love and mercy and peace. We pray in the quiet..."Jesus, I trust in You," and He comes to us. He takes on our demons. He shines the light that casts out the darkness. He takes on our fears and replaces it with His peace.

Trust Jesus to give you peace on this Divine Mercy Sunday.

Friday Feasting: Lenten Recipe Book

graphic came from http://mikeraynersermons.blogspot.com/

Lenten Recipe Book

Many years ago I created the recipe book 
(linked above) for a group of Catholic women. 

You are welcome to click and print the booklet. 

Enjoy a fresh infusion of meatless recipes to carry you through Good Friday and into the Easter season, if you wish to continue the meatless Friday sacrifice.

Adoration Reflection

Denis-Carl Robidoux / Flickr

I was reading Fr. Gaitley's Consoling the Heart of Jesus (I highly recommend it.) during my regular Holy Hour with Jesus tonight and wanted to share a few nuggets of insight right now, before I forget.

I often get excited in the freshness of the new year or at the start of Lent or Advent.  I make grand plans for all I'm going to "do" and accomplish during the coming year or season.  Then, inevitably, I will hit a wall.  I'll stop in my tracks and feel like such a failure.  I have such a difficult time with balance.

You could say that I'm racing ahead of Jesus in my excitement.

Jesus wants me to be His friend.  He wants me to walk with Him, talk with Him.  He does not want me to race ahead (or fall behind).  He wants me to walk at His side, side by side.

Jesus does not want me to suffer because He loves me so much.  However, when I do suffer (and, of course, I do and I will), He is wonderfully consoled when I unite my suffering to His.  He will be there to help carry the cross.  He may even carry me the distance.

But He cannot help me carry my cross if we are not walking together.

 

Saturday Scripture Reflection: Divine Providence

Photo Credit:  http://www.hdwallpaperup.com

Matthew 6:24-34

Jesus said to his disciples:

"No one can serve two masters.

He will either hate one and love the other,

or be devoted to one and despise the other.

You cannot serve God and mammon.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,

what you will eat or drink,

or about your body, what you will wear.

Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

Look at the birds in the sky;

they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns,

yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Are not you more important than they?

Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?

Why are you anxious about clothes?

Learn from the way the wildflowers grow.

They do not work or spin.

But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor

was clothed like one of them.

If God so clothes the grass of the field,

which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow,

will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?

So do not worry and say, 'What are we to eat?'

or 'What are we to drink?'or 'What are we to wear?'

All these things the pagans seek.

Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,

and all these things will be given you besides.

Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.

Sufficient for a day is its own evil."

__________

Last Sunday, I went to Mass at St Mary’s in College Station...this is the Catholic Church that serves Texas A&M University students, including my oldest two daughters.  Father Brian McMaster’s homily had a powerful message...one we have heard before and probably try to live, but it is always good to have a reminder.  

Pray, don’t worry.  God’s got this.  

We all have stuff that we worry about...it could be the kids, money, our relationships, work, school, illness, or  whatever.  We all have stuff.  The message from the gospel passage (and from Father Brian’s homily) is that we are loved by God, and He sees our needs and will provide.  

The word “provide” comes from the Latin “pro” meaning before or for and “videre” meaning to see.  So, the meaning of “provide” is “to see before” or “to see for.”  God sees our needs before we even know them.  An even deeper translation...He sees for us.  He knows very intimately exactly what we need, better even than we know ourselves.  

So, when we pray for Divine Providence (notice that providence comes from the same root words), we pray for God to “see for us” and for us to follow His most holy will for our lives.

It is so hard to give up the worrying.  We (at least most of us) seem to be programmed to worry about the things that are outside our control, things that have happened in the past, or things that will happen in the future.  God sees all of this for us.  If (instead of worrying) we concentrate on living our lives for Him and follow His will, He will take care of the rest.  He loves us far more than the wildflowers on the side of the road.  God will provide.

   

Saturday with the Saints: St Josephine Bakhita

http://www.catholic.org/

In honor of Black History Month, we celebrate Saint Josephine Bakhita, whose feast day is on Wednesday, February 8th.

Saint Josephine writes...

I am definitively loved and whatever happens to me I am awaited by this Love. And so my life is good.

Catholic.org tells this story of Saint Josephine Bakhita's life... 

Saint Josephine Margaret Bakhita was born around 1869 in the village of Olgossa in the Darfur region of Sudan. She was a member of the Daju people and her uncle was a tribal chief. Due to her family lineage, she grew up happy and relatively prosperous, saying that as a child, she did not know suffering.

Historians believe that sometime in February 1877, Josephine was kidnapped by Arab slave traders. Although she was just a child, she was forced to walk barefoot over 600 miles to a slave market in El Obeid. She was bought and sold at least twice during the grueling journey.

For the next 12 years she would be bought, sold and given away over a dozen times. She spent so much time in captivity that she forgot her original name.

As a slave, her experiences varied from fair treatment to cruel. Her first owner, a wealthy Arab, gave her to his daughters as a maid. The assignment was easy until she offended her owner's son, possibly for the crime of breaking a vase. As punishment, she was beaten so severely she was incapacitated for a month. After that, she was sold.

One of her owners was a Turkish general who gave her to his wife and mother-in-law who both beat her daily. Josephine wrote that as soon as one wound would heal, they would inflict another.

She told about how the general's wife ordered her to be scarred. As her mistress 

watched, ready with a whip, another woman drew patterns on her skin with flour, then cut into her flesh with a blade. She rubbed the wounds with salt to make the scars permanent. She would suffer a total of 114 scars from this abuse.

In 1883, the Turkish general sold her to the Italian Vice Consul, Callisto Legani. He was a much kinder master and he did not beat her. When it was time for him to return to Italy, she begged to be taken with him, and he agreed.

After a long and dangerous journey across Sudan, the Red Sea, and the Mediterranean, they arrived in Italy. She was given away to another family as a gift and she served them as a nanny.

Her new family also had dealings in Sudan had when her mistress decided to travel to Sudan without Josephine, she placed her in the custody of the Canossian Sisters in Venice.

While she was in the custody of the sisters, she came to learn about God. According to Josephine, she had always known about God, who created all things, but she did not know who He was. The sisters answered her questions. She was deeply moved by her time with the sisters and discerned a call to follow Christ.

When her mistress returned from Sudan, Josephine refused to leave. Her mistress spent three days trying to persuade her to leave the sisters, but Josephine remained steadfast. This caused the superior of the institute for baptismal candidates among the sisters to complain to Italian authorities on Josephine's behalf.

The case went to court, and the court found that slavery had been outlawed in Sudan before Josephine was born, so she could not be lawfully made slave. She was declared free.

For the first time in her life, Josephine was free and could choose what to do with her life. She chose to remain with the Canossian Sisters.

She was baptized on January 9, 1890 and took the name Josephine Margaret and Fortunata. (Fortunata is the Latin translation for her Arabic name, Bakhita). She also received the sacraments of her first holy communion and confirmation on the same day. These three sacraments are the sacraments of initiation into the Church and were always given together in the early Church. The Archbishop who gave her the sacraments was none other than Giusseppe Sarto, the Cardinal Patriarch of Venice, who would later become Pope Pius X.

Josephine became a novice with the CanossianDaughters of Charity religious order on December 7, 1893, and took her final vows on December 8, 1896. She was eventually assigned to a convent in Schio, Vicenza.

For the next 42 years of her life, she worked as a cook and a doorkeeper at the convent. She also traveled and visited other convents telling her story to other sisters and preparing them for work in Africa.

She was known for her gentle voice and smile. She was gentle and charismatic, and was often referred to lovingly as the "little brown sister" or honorably as the "black mother."

When speaking of her enslavement, she often professed she would thank her kidnappers. For had she not been kidnapped, she might never have come to know Jesus Christ and entered His Church.

During World War II, the people of the village of Schio regarded her as their protector. And although bombs fell on their village, not one citizen died.

In her later years, she began to suffer physical pain and was forced to use a wheelchair. But she always remained cheerful. If anyone asked her how she was, she would reply, "As the master desires."

On the evening of February 8, 1947, Josephine spoke her last words, "Our Lady, Our Lady!" She then died. Her body lay on display for three days afterwards.

In 1958, the process of canonization began for Josephine under Pope John XXIII. On December 1st, 1978, Pope John Paul II declared her venerable. Sadly, the news of her beatification in 1992 was censored in Sudan. But just nine months later, Pope John Paul II visited Sudan and honored her publicly. He canonized her on October 1, 2000.

Saint Josephine Bakhita is the patron saint of Sudan and her feast day is celebrated on February 8.

Saint Josephine Bakhita, pray for us!

Sunday with the Saints: St Francis de Sales and St Paul

          

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)                                              St Paul the Apostle (c 5-67)

We have two favorite "power house" saints with feast days this week...Saint Francis de Sales on 24 January and the Conversion of Saint Paul on 25 January.  I had a very difficult time trying to decide which saint to discuss, then through my studying, it occurred to me that the stories of Saint Francis de Sales and Saint Paul have similar elements.  

Both were very intelligent.  Both were dedicated to God and to doing his will, however misguided at first.  

St Francis de Sales followed his father's plan for him to be a lawyer and go into politics, while St Paul was a Jewish zealot in the time Christ who persecuted Christians.  

Both men had an intense conversion experience.  St Francis was cast from his horse three times in one day, and each time his sword and scabbard formed a cross on the ground.  (Sometimes the Holy Spirit speaks to us in "threes.")  In this case, St Francis heard the call and knew that he was not living his life according to God's plan.  He defied he earthly father and was ordained a priest.  For a time, he traveled from place to place in Calvinist territory, preaching the truths of the Catholic faith and writing and distributing tracts when no one would listen.  He is credited with converting 40,000 souls to the Catholic faith.  Sound familiar?  

St Paul also fell from his horse and had a dramatic conversion experience.  He changed his life and became a great apostle for Christ, converting people, starting churches, and writing letters.  

God will call us to himself...He may even use drastic measures to get our attention.  As we do His will and embrace the special cross He has for each of us, many great and wonderful things happen.  Christ shines in and through us.  We speak the truths of our rich and beautiful faith, and others are converted to Christ.

I'll leave you with several beautiful prayers written by Saint Francis de Sales.

The Prayer of Saint Francis de Sales
Be at Peace
Do not look forward in fear to the changes of life;
rather look to them with full hope as they arise.
God, whose very own you are,
will deliver you from out of them.
He has kept you hitherto,
and He will lead you safely through all things;
and when you cannot stand it,
God will bury you in his arms.

Do not fear what may happen tomorrow;
the same everlasting Father who cares for you today
will take care of you then and everyday.
He will either shield you from suffering,
or will give you unfailing strength to bear it.

Be at peace,
and put aside all anxious thoughts and imagination.

Amen.


An Act of Abandonment
O my God, I thank you and I praise
you for accomplishing your holy
and all-lovable will without any regard for mine.
With my whole heart,
in spite of my heart,
do I receive this cross I feared so much!

It is the cross of Your choice,
the cross of Your love.
I venerate it;
nor for anything in the world
would I wish that it had not come,
since You willed it.

I keep it with gratitude and with joy,
as I do everything that comes from Your hand;
and I shall strive to carry it without letting it drag,
with all the respect
and all the affection which Your works deserve.
Amen.

Direction of Intention
My God, I give you this day. 

I offer you, now, all of the good that I shall do 

and I promise to accept, for love of you, 

all of the difficulty that I shall meet. 

Help me to conduct myself during this day

in a manner pleasing to you. 

Amen.

Marriage Discernment Questionnaire

Marriage Discernment Questionnaire

Not long ago one of our daughters asked for a list of marriage discernment questions that she and her boyfriend could use as a springboard for further discussion. Her mom turned to our large group of Catholic homeschooling mamas for ideas, resulting in the following questionnaire.

PERSONAL

1. What do you love about him or her?
2. What do you think defines a good wife? husband?
3. What do you think defines a good mother? father?
4. How do you handle poop on your hands? Vomit? Urine? Blood?
5. What would you do if your favorite show was on, but his (or hers) was on at the same time?
6. Do you like to do puzzles?
7. Do you prefer fast food or home cooked?
8. What's the purpose of marriage?
9. What do you like to do in your free time?
10. Does you drink? smoke?
11. How do you handle stress?
12. Are you a yell-er?
13. Is he do as I say or do as I do?
14. Do you like surprises? Spontaneity?
15. How would you handle a catastrophe?
16. What would you do if the other cheated?
17. What would you do if you grew to have irreconcilable differences?

CHILDREN

1. Do you want children?
2. If yes, how many?
3. Is a tight budget a reason to avoid pregnancy?
4. What if one of you is infertile?
5. Where will babies be born...at a hospital, a birthing center, or at home?
6. How do you plan to educate your children...public school, private school, homeschool?
7. How  would he handle having a terminally sick child? or the death of a child?
8. How would you approach the disciplining of children?
9. How do you feel about breastfeeding babies?

WEDDING PLANS

1. Do you want a big wedding or a small wedding?
2. Where do you want to be married? And by whom?
3. Are there any family expectations concerning the wedding?

EXTENDED FAMILY

1. Where would you spend holidays?
2. What are your favorite family traditions?
3. What if a parent needed a place to live?
4. What is your family like?
5. Are you close to parents and siblings?
6. Does you like to spend time with your family?

HOME LIFE

1. How do you feel about household chores?
2. Are you handy around the house?
3. If you start a project, will you finish?
4. Can you live with things in disarray indefinitely?
5. What is your threshold for clutter? dishes piled in the sink? laundry piles?

FINANCIAL

1. What's your reaction to an overdue bill?
2. Do you have a savings account? investments? life insurance?
3. Who do you think should be the breadwinner?
4. How do you manage money?
5. What are your financial goals and plans for retirement? kids' education?
6. Do you have and stick to a budget?
7. Would you rent or buy your home?
8. Would you rather live in city, town, or on the farm?
9. Would you move to a job or find a job where you want to live?
10. How do you feel about mom not working outside the home?
11. Are vacations important to you?
12. How do you handle car and appliance breakdowns?
13. Are you a saver or a spender?
14. Do you have an emergency fund?
15. Do you have credit cards? carry a balance?

RELIGION

1. What is your faith background?
2. Do you believe that the Church has authority over marriage?
3. Do you pray together?
4. Does you attend Sunday Mass? daily Mass? Adoration? Confession?
5. Who is your patron saint?

OTHER ACTIVITIES

1. Get the saints involved...the St Therese Novena is a favorite.  
2. Learn about the five love languages.
3. Learn about the different personality types.
4. Make a list of qualities that you look for in spouse.

**If you have any other ideas for questions...add them to the comments below!