His Mercy Shall Not Depart From Thee

      Life's piercing storms cry out for attention, especially at times of personal vulnerability. We are free to rest in the comfort of quiet solitude with Jesus.  Assured of  the intercession of Mary, we never need fear abandonment.  Misfortune may come our way, but Our Lady is always true to her promise, that those who pray the Rosary faithfully shall not be overcome.

"For the mountains shall be moved 

and the hills shall tremble, 

but my mercy shall not depart from thee..."

From Isaiah 54

Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible

impossible to unravel

A family hemmed in prayer

Is impossible to unravel...

A Story of a Mother Praying for Her Children

         My mother recalls that when she was a little girl, there was a woman at Church who she always saw quietly praying her Rosary~before Mass began, and again after Mass. My mother described the woman as being serene and focused, only occasionally glancing to smile briefly at others. My mother often wondered for whom this woman was praying so intently~perhaps she was praying for her children.

     So impressed by this story, I've had my mother tell it to me again. I can almost visualize the quiet praying woman. 

     Recollection of this story occupies my mind more frequently with time. Whenever friends at church converse asking each other to lift our loved ones in prayer, the woman in my mother's story comes to mind. I never actually saw her, yet I have a perception of her~quietly kneeling and completely focused as she devoutly prays her Rosary. 

Mothers and Prayers

     Our Blessed Mother's constant intercession is a beautiful example of praying throughout all circumstances.

     Watching the late Mother Angelica's facial expression as she prayed the Saint Michael's Chaplet, I realized the power of every determined, praying mom. Birth moms, adoptive moms, spiritual moms, grand moms, aunts, sisters, Mother Superiors and mentors are all women whose prayers are more powerful than we realize. I am sure that the adversary does anything possible to distract, divert and derail the prayers of these most powerful warriors. When we pray we are on the "front lines" of battle. That's why so many times, our best efforts seem to be thwarted by the unexpected. Saint Teresa of Avila advised "In time of sorrow and trouble cease not from the good works of prayer and penance which thou art in the habit of doing, for Satan is striving to make thee uneasy, and then to abandon them: on the contrary, do thou apply thyself thereunto more earnestly than before, and thou shalt see quickly our Lord will come to thy succor."

my least brethren

     The month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Our Holy Father asks us to join him in prayer for human solidarity (general prayer intention) and for seminarians and novices (mission intention). Jesus is honored by our service and love for all families, as well as for marginalized persons in our society~orphans, homeless, physically ill, mentally ill, aged and disabled. This holy work is the "vocation" of laity and religious alike. Lord, please help us to joyfully serve Jesus, Whose heart beats within the hearts of the suffering and needy.

(Baptism, Guatemala)

(Novices, Esquipulas Guatemala)

(Seminarians, Papal visit, Philadelphia)

    "For I was hungry and you gave me to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me to drink. I was a stranger and you took me in. Naked and you covered me, sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me. Then shall the just answer him saying, Lord when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, thirsty and give thee drink and when did we see the a stranger and took thee in or naked and covered thee or when did we see thee sick or in prison and came to thee? And the king answering shall say to them~"Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me."

Matthew 25:35-40

Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible

he that eateth this bread shall live forever

     The month of April is dedicated to the Holy Eucharist, the Bread of eternal life. Our Holy Father asks us to join him in prayer for the small farmers (general prayer intention) and for the African Christians (mission prayer intention). So many of God's children, our brothers and sisters, suffer from spiritual and physical starvation and persecution. Let us never forget to imitate God's compassion in our relationships with others.

    

     "For my flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead. He that eateth this bread shall live forever."

John 6:56-59

Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible

selfless generosity

     March is dedicated to Saint Joseph, a simple carpenter who selflessly and generously protected and provided for Jesus and Mary. Unemployment, underemployment, malnutrition, inadequate health care, lack of education, familial discord and economic hardship, plague families worldwide. Our Holy Father asks us to join him in prayer for families in difficulty (general prayer intention) and for persecuted Christians (mission prayer intention). Lord, please help us to always reach out with selfless generosity to our brethren in need.

     "When thou shalt pour out thy soul to the hungry and shall satisfy the afflicted soul, then shall thy light rise up in darkness and thy darkness shall be as the noonday. And the Lord will give thee rest continually, and fill thy soul with brightness, and deliver thy bones and thou shalt be like a watered garden and like a fountain of water whose waters shall not fail."

Isaiah 58:10-11

fortified by Divine Love

      The month of February is dedicated to the Holy Family. Fortified by divine love,  Jesus, Mary and Joseph endured poverty and exile. They lived in harmony with their circumstances, nurtured by God's bountiful creation. Our Holy Father asks us to join him in prayerfully expressing our gratitude to God, by caring for the gift of His creation (general prayer intention). We are also asked to pray for the spiritual and material needs of people of Asia (mission prayer intention), where so many families suffer painful hardship. 

"O God of the heavens, 

creator of the waters and Lord of the whole creation, 

hear me a poor wretch, 

making supplication to Thee 

and presuming of Thy mercy.

Judith 9:17

Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible

Papa Francisco~Filadelfia/Pope Francis~ Philadelphia 2015

Papa Francisco y el Peregrinaje Dedicado a la Familia/

Pope Francis and the Pilgrimage Dedicated to the Family

Cherished Memories

happy years gone by

and many joyful years to come...

a special gift

She is more precious than all riches: 

and all the things that are desired, 

are not to be compared with her.

Proverbs 3:15

Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible

determination

     I am so thankful for the example of the women in my life 

who with unfaltering determination
and generous devotion

faithfully pray the Holy Rosary
the timeless thread 

weaving love 

and holding families together 

through every joy and tribulation.

Irish Wedding Blessing

~Irish Wedding Blessing~

"May your mornings bring joy and your evenings bring peace.

May your troubles grow few as your blessings increase.

May the saddest day of your future

Be no worse than the happiest day of your past.

May your hands be forever clasped in friendship

And your hearts joined forever in love.

Your lives are very special,

God has touched you in many ways.

May his blessings rest upon you

And fill all your coming days."