MY BLESSED MOTHER

Hail Mary,Full of Grace

When first we came into the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, I remember one of my dear Protestant friends said I would become a"Marian" and, she added a few other things.  I did not think so, and said that I would always be "Christ centered."  

Surprise!  Without our Blessed Mother, we did not have the Baby Jesus, who was the Christ.  As I grew and studied, she became my Mother - not because I studied and decided to believe it - but she became my Mother because, in Truth, she is my Blessed Mother.   

     ~~~~~~~         

          Remember O most gracious Virgin Mary, 

never was it known that anyone

 who fled to thy protection,

 implored thy help,

or sought thine intercession was left unaided.

   

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee,

 O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come,

 before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. 

O Mother of the Word Incarnate, 

despise not my petitions, 

but in thy mercy hear and answer me.

Amen.

Hail Mary,Full of Grace,

The Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women,

and blessed is the fruitof thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary,

Mother of God,

pray for us sinners now,

and at the hour of death.

Amen.

REMEMBERING THE BLESSED MOTHER

                                                               

REMEMBERING THE BLESSED MOTHER TODAY 

GOD as JESUS becoming MAN

Through Mary's "Fiat"

Became SAVIOR and saved us

We love MARY, for her, "YES" 

Had she said no . . .

We needed the CROSS 

And all that went with it before, during and after

To understand our sin.

THE CROSS was the way GOD

Stretched out his arms in LOVE for ALL

We needed a GOD MAN. 

GOD knew that

We needed a MOTHER

GOD knew that

"Fiat" 

There Is A Man on The Cross

The Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen once gave a talk on the Devil and at the end of it he said that when there is silence, day or night, he is startled by a cry. The first time he heard it, the cry came down from the cross. When he went out and searched, he found a man in the “throws of crucifixion.” He tried to take the man down, tried to take the nails out of his feet, but the man said, “Let them be; for I cannot be taken down until every man, woman, and child come together to take me down.” The archbishop pleaded, “What can I do? I cannot bear your cry.” And the Lord said to him, “Go into the world and tell every one that you meet that there is a man on a cross.”

What a simple, direct expression of our command to evangelize. Go tell people about Christ, that he is God and that God became man and suffered and died to save us. Tell people in a way that unites them at the cross.

Fulton Sheen also describes in this sermon that the Devil is “anti-cross.” Anything that is of the Devil leads people away from the cross. He explains that anything that produces discord or brings about division in the Church is diabolic. That is, again, a simple test to remember when we evangelize, when we speak to others about Christ or even live our lives as Christians. Is what I’m about to say or do going to cause discord? Speaking the truth can be hard enough if we fear rejection or isolation; speaking the truth in love, in a way that communicates to people not inclined to listen, takes skill and effort. You have to consider the audience before yourself.

Another disruptive element in society, he says, is also the decline of discipline. “The decline of the spirit of discipline is a hatred of the cross.” It starts in schools, and when a nation tries to impose discipline without the cross, the nation becomes totalitarian. The disciplinary character of Christianity commits people to a common purpose beyond themselves. Discipline without the cross brings destruction of human liberty.

This Holy Week as we pray before the cross and celebrate the Resurrection of Christ, let’s pray also that we are granted the words we need to tell others about the man on the cross, and let’s pray they hear us and join with the angels in praising our Lord.

PEGGY NOONAN, THE GREAT (Writer)

This review is from: 

John Paul the Great: Remembering a Spiritual Father (Hardcover)

by Terry Fenwick 

Everything I have ever read that Peggy Noonan has written always makes me say, "I wish I had said that!" or "Why didn't I write that?" Peggy is funny, she is deep - she is nothing short of magnificent. Peggy Noonan the Great sees life with a capital L, puts it all on paper for you and for me and makes that Life jump off the pages right into our hearts.

That is exactly what Peggy Noonan has done with John Paul the Great: Remembering a Spiritual Father. She has made the life of John Paul the Great, jump off the pages, right into your heart.

Peggy Noonan is gifted at one-liners; her titles for each chapter, as well as all of her comments, need to be underlined in a brilliant color and cherished over and over as you read them again and again.

The first chapter, "I saw a Saint at Sunrise" is very heart-warming to any of us who have been to Rome but will be just as exciting to those who still yearn to make their first journey. The final chapter, "There is a Dead Saint in Rome" will take you to many thoughts of the week John Paul the Great left us.

The writing of the mini-miracle, sandwiched between the first and last chapter, of perfectly round circles of glass from an `explosion' of her coffee glass, filled with hot coffee, that reminded Peggy to pray the Rosary, will delight you. You will shake your head as you believe.

John Paul the Great was my Christmas gift to many grateful friends who feel the same way. Buy it - you will love it. Then, write a review!

Grandmother Rosa's Special Note to Pope Francis

Because of this loving Grandmother Rosa's  (Nonna Rosa) advice to her Grandson,  who one day would be Pope Francis, I want each day of my life to be "lived like it is my last."   

Although I am not the Celebrant at a Mass, I still am living a Wonderful Life,  given to me by the LORD GOD,  and have a chance to make a difference. 

No more, "Today is the first day of the rest of my life," for me but instead it is "Today may be the last day of my life!"  I want to live each day making a difference, telling someone about his or her Angel, praying someone I really don't like (a lot)  will know that GOD loves them and so do I. There has to be a million ways to live like that.  

I am going to pray for "my"  president and his wife - AND  their daughters - as the DAUGHTERS are the key - a bit more - and pray like I love them really down deep - instead of counting the days of the rest of the term and forgetting, by the way,  WHO really is in charge around here ANYWAY!  It is so easy to forget that the President is there because GOD allowed it and for a great reason. Why would we ever think GOD does not "think things through right from creation!"

And I am never going to leave my Bed in the morning without kneeling giving the day to the Lord and saying, "Lord God, Lamb of God, only Son of the Father, who takes away the Sin of the World, have Mercy on me, a sinner.  Pour Your Spirit OUT upon me, Fill me with Your Spirit, Baptize Me with Your Spirit to full and overflowing.  Let everything I say, do or think bring GLORY TO YOUR NAME.  (That was my old Protestant Prayer and I still use it - among all the other wonderful new ones - BUT I plan to mean it even more each last day I say it.) 

And renewing all of this in my life because of Jorge Mario Bergoglio's Grandmother Rosa  (Nonna Rosa) So let's hear it for Grannies today!  

Love to you all - Psalm 90:12  So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.