Trains, Beeps, and God

I woke up this morning to the sound of incessant beeping and it wasn’t my alarm. It’s not very welcome on a Saturday morning at 7 A.M. either.  It was the kind of beeping noise that is made when a large vehicle is backing up. I’m sure you know the sound. It alerts people to the fact that something big is coming their way and to watch out for it, lest it make you a road pizza.

Shortly after that they started with the horn honking, in one or two short beeps. It was then that I realized that a crew was working on the train tracks just about 130 yards away from my house. They do that beeping. It’s some kind of signal back and forth between the crew driving the vehicles, but even living near the train tracks for 60+ years I haven’t a clue what it signifies. I just know it’s a form of communication for them.

Having lived near them all of my years, though, I’ve become used to their schedules, and the sound of the wheel trucks on the tracks and the light of the front beam flashing into my living room on occasion.  The silence is ominous when I don’t hear them, as that usually signifies a problem, which is rare, but nonetheless does occur.  The trains are ever present in my life, even if I tune them out and they are reduced to background noise in my day-to-day living.

Today, though, they reminded me of my relationship with God. He too is ever present in my day-to-day but do I pay attention to the communications and prompts in my day that he wants me to act on? Am I aware of his presence or do I tune him out, as I do the train sounds, and concentrate only on myself rather than those around me? If I’m being honest with myself I have to say that some times no, I am not aware of him and I do tune myself out to those around me and do you know what? I’m doing a tremendous disservice to myself and to those that he is expecting me to help in one way or another. I don’t have to wonder if I’m the only one that does that either; all I have to do is pick up a newspaper or watch the news to see that there are many people not listening to God. That makes me sad but I have to remember that the news doesn’t report on all the good things that happen either. If you’re lucky, you get 40 minutes of bad news, 17 minutes of commercials and 3 of a feel good story. (I’m getting off track here, get it? Off track….? Sorry That’s a groaner.)

What a beautiful world it could be if we all listened more to God and loved and cared for the citizens of planet earth. I think we all could benefit from listening more to God and doing more for those around us that we encounter. As that saying goes, I should BE the change that I want to see in the world. I would like to add that I would like to BE the person that God expects me to be as well and to listen for, and be aware, of his prompts and gentle nuances to help people around me or far away. That’s my goal this Lenten season, to listen and watch for his prompts, be them a small beep or a loud horn, that gets my attention. I hope you make it yours as well.

Peace and Love,

Mare

Jesus' Divine Mercy

Original oil painting by Ron Gatto, Holy Child Divine Mercy Chapel

If you follow my personal Twitter account or our Facebook page you will know that I have been sharing the Divine Mercy Novena, but what exactly is it and how did it come to be?

St. Maria Faustina Kowalska was a young nun, in the convent of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Poland during the 1930s. Sr. Faustina had a rudimentary education and because of that she was given tasks in the kitchen and gardens of the convent and was even a porter. She came from a poor family that struggled during WWI, however, her family was rich in faith. Though Sr. Faustina was a gentle, pure, soul with an outwardly calm appearance, she was a deep well of faith and devotion to Our Lord and she was bestowed with many graces until her death in 1938.

If you are a Christian you are already aware of the saving mercy of Christ, but, oftentimes people need to be reminded of His graces. Our Lord and Savior needs to be present in our own lives, every day, so that we can bring others to His mercy but especially those that are in most dire need or dying.
The message of mercy is that God loves us, every one of us, no matter how great our sins. He wants us to recognize that His mercy is greater than our sins. We must call upon Him with trust, receive His mercy, and let it flow through us to others.

Throughout the years of 1931-1938 Sr. Faustina received extraordinary revelations from and visions of Jesus, hidden stigmata, participation in the Passion of the Lord, the gift of bilocation, the reading of human souls, the gift of prophecy, and the rare gift of mystical engagement and marriage.  Jesus instructed her to write down everything that she saw and was told. She did just that and the writings are known today as the Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, Divine Mercy in My Soul. Jesus gave Sr. Faustina a mission to bring souls to Him and to spread the devotion so that others may bring souls to Him as well. The prayers that he gave her were to deepen not only her faith, but others as well. With regard to the Chaplet, He told her,  

"My daughter, write that the greater the misery of a soul, the greater its right to My mercy; [urge] all souls to trust in the unfathomable abyss of My mercy, because I want to save them all. " Jesus Diary 118 

 “At three o’clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony…I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion.” Jesus (Diary, 1320; also, cf. Diary, 1572)

“Souls who spread the honor of My mercy…at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them, but the Merciful Savior.” Jesus (Diary, 1075)

“When they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as a just Judge but as a merciful Savior.” Jesus (Diary, 1541)

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is said daily at 3:00 P.M., which is the hour of mercy and can be said often during the day and night and especially for those dying.

1. Make the Sign of the Cross

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2. Optional Opening Prayers

You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us.
(Repeat three times)
O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You!

3. Our Father

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, Amen.

4. Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.

5. The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; He descended into hell; on the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

6. The Eternal Father

Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

7. On the 10 Small Beads of Each Decade

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

8. Repeat for the remaining decades

Saying the "Eternal Father" (6) on the "Our Father" bead and then 10 "For the sake of His sorrowful Passion" (7) on the following "Hail Mary" beads.

9. Conclude with Holy God (Repeat three times)

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

10. Optional Closing Prayer

Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion — inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.

"I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over [its] enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My own glory." Jesus, Diary 48

"Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My Mercy."  Diary 300

"My Heart overflows with great mercy for souls, and especially for poor sinners…[I]t is for them that the Blood and Water flowed from My Heart as from a fount overflowing with mercy. For them I dwell in the tabernacle as King of Mercy." (Diary, 367)

"The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to My mercy. My mercy is confirmed in every work of My hands. He who trusts in My mercy will not perish, for all his affairs are Mine, and his enemies will be shattered at the base of My footstool." Diary 723

"Let all mankind recognize My unfathomable mercy. It is a sign for the end times; after it will come the day of justice." Diary 848

"Souls perish in spite of My bitter Passion. I am giving them the last hope of salvation; that is, the Feast of My Mercy. If they will not adore My mercy, they will perish for all eternity." Diary 965

The Feast Day of Mercy is tomorrow, April 28, 2019. Check your parish, and those around you, for Mass times, Confession and  celebratory gatherings to venerate the image and pray the Chaplet.

"I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet." Diary 699  

"The Feast of Mercy emerged from my very depths of tenderness. It is my desire that it solemnly be celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the fount of My Mercy." Jesus

"He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice." Jesus Diary 1146 

"My Heart overflows with great mercy for souls, and especially for poor sinners. If only they could understand that I am the best of Fathers to them and that it is for them that the Blood and Water flowed from My Heart as from a fount overflowing with mercy." Jesus Diary 367

"These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father. Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him. I desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy." Jesus Diary 299

"My daughter, write that the greater the misery of a soul, the greater its right to My mercy; [urge] all souls to trust in the unfathomable abyss of My mercy, because I want to save them all." Jesus Diary 1182

"The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to My mercy. My mercy is confirmed in every work of My hands. He who trusts in My mercy will not perish, for all his affairs are Mine, and his enemies will be shattered at the base of My footstool." Jesus Diary 723

"[Let] the greatest sinners place their trust in My mercy. They have the right before others to trust in the abyss of My mercy. My daughter, write about My mercy towards tormented souls. Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion, but on the contrary, I justify him in My unfathomable and inscrutable mercy." Jesus Diary 1146

"I want to grant a complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My mercy. " Jesus Diary 1109

"I desire trust from My creatures. Encourage souls to place great trust in My fathomless mercy. Let the weak, sinful soul have no fear to approach Me, for even if it had more sins than there are grains of sand in the world, all would be drowned in the immeasurable depths of My mercy." Jesus Diary 1059

" I demand the worship of My mercy through the solemn celebration of the Feast and through the veneration of the image which is painted. By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works." Jesus Diary 742

"Tell [all people], My daughter, that I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls." Jesus Diary 1074

"Souls who spread the honor of My mercy I shield through their entire lives as a tender mother her infant, and at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them, but the Merciful Savior. At that last hour, a soul has nothing with which to defend itself except My mercy. Happy is the soul that during its lifetime immersed itself in the Fountain of Mercy, because justice will have no hold on it. Jesus" Diary 1075

The Divine Mercy Novena is said on the 9 days leading up to the Feast Day. We have already completed the Novena for this year but I urge you to go to PrayMoreNovenas.com and sign up to receive all novenas so that you are ready for next year! The Novena begins on Good Friday and ends on the Saturday following Easter Sunday.

The Image and Jesus, I trust in You:
"In the evening, when I was in my cell, I became aware of the Lord  Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand was raised in blessing,  the other was touching the garment at the breast. From the opening of the garment at the breast there came forth two large rays, one red and the other pale. In silence I gazed intently at the Lord; my soul was overwhelmed with fear, but also with great joy. After a while Jesus said to me, 'paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the inscription: Jesus, I trust in You." Faustina

Some time later, Our Lord again spoke to her:

"The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous; the red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls. These  two rays issued forth from the depths of My most tender Mercy at
that time when My agonizing Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross....Fortunate is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him."Jesus.

As it has been stated above, the image is to be venerated while praying the Chaplet, saying the Novena, and on the Feast Day. Jesus, I trust in You, is an affirmation that should be prayed often. It can also be said at the hour of mercy, 3:00 P.M., in lieu of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy with the intention that the Chaplet will be said at another time during the day.

I urge you to read the Diary of St. Faustina and immerse yourself in the mercy of Jesus by saying the daily prayers, the Novena and attending the celebration of the Feast Day at your parish. I also encourage you to not only pray for others to be brought to Him but to also spread the message of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Surely, our world needs more prayers and conversions of heart to our Glorious Lord and Savior.

Have a beautiful Feast Day of Divine Mercy and a blessed Easter season.

Peace and Love,
Mare  



 

I AM in Jesus and Jesus IS in Me ~ The Dream, The Reality

YOU are in Jesus, and Jesus IS in you too!

It all fell into place a few months ago and is now crystal clear to me. It was all tied up with a pretty bow on top and gifted to me while I was doing one of my hours at the adoration chapel. Let me explain...

Back in 2015 I had an incredible dream that was so vivid that it stayed with me for days, well, I can still feel it now if I stop writing and think about it. When I wrote it down, which was immediately upon waking, and several times throughout the day added to, the details were as clear as if they were standing right in front of me. It was a Jesus dream. Now, I have had quite a few dreams about Him over the years, I had one just a few days ago, but some of them are just so amazing and vivid that I have shared them. (You can find one called, "A Solitary Man" on here by doing a search. That one is from many years ago.) Most of them are private revelations and for a long time I thought that this Jesus is in me dream was one as well, but it isn't. It ties in directly with my Eucharist pictures that were taken on Christmas, 2011, and the Bible. Let me explain how. (('ll share the dream after the post.)

Often my fellow adorers have experiences in the chapel where they receive interior locutions, feel someone's hand on them (when they are alone), hear singing (in an empty church), smell incense or roses and actually see faces and other forms in the Eucharist. In my own Eucharist photos there are faces in each.

Now what I'm about to talk about sounds like the ramblings of a new ager,  but I promise you, it isn't. It can all be found in the Bible.

"Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?  If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple." 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10.

2 Corinthians 13:5, the apostle Paul asks the Corinthian believers a question: “Or do you not realize about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you?”

“Because the God who said, Out of darkness light shall shine, is the One who shined in our hearts to illuminate the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not out of us.”—2 Corinthians 4:6-7

“My children, with whom I travail again in birth until Christ is formed in you.”—Galatians 4:19 

 ^"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death." Philippians 1:20

"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." 1 Corinthians 12:27

 Of course, God is in us spiritually when we accept Him, but don't you think it changes the conversation when you contemplate that he may be literally in us? Just as our earthly Father is in us, so too is God the creator?

Do you remember when I wrote about the silver cord? Quick refresh, my Mom mentioned that she could see it when she was on her death bed. She said that this beautiful cord connected me to her and to all living things on earth and to God. That too, is mentioned in the Bible.

"Remember him - before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, or the wheel broken at the well, and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it." (Ecclesiastes 12:6-7)

 Why do people see faces in the Eucharist? They have been seen for centuries after all and in the last century, or so, photographed. A few of them follow the post, as well as my own. So, why do people see faces? Because Jesus Christ IS PRESENT in the Eucharist. That's why. I don't know why people see other faces. Maybe they need prayers. What  I do KNOW that it isn't the work of Satan because he cannot possibly dwell within Christ. What I can surmise, though, is that If Christ dwells within our bodies, and we are with Him as well, that is why he knows us intrinsically. We are connected. We are all one body IN Christ just as the Bible says. It isn't just some spiritual presence. It is a literal one too.  Our body IS a temple of God in us.

Just to be clear here, I'm not elevating all of us to God status. I'm merely stating that God dwells in us and, as such, we really need to be aware of that in all of our daily lives and step up our game. We need to become more Christ like. As disciples of His here on earth we have to be His hands, His heart, His tongue, His love  ~ to every living creature on earth.

Sunday's reading was a beautiful one that you will recognize.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 

It isn't just for the bride and groom on their Wedding day though. It is a passage for ALL of us, that goes hand in hand with the Commandment that Jesus gave us,

Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." John 13:34

It's the User's Guide in how to love people, written by God, and for us to follow each and every day. Personally, I think it is the hardest thing in the world to do but if we truly have God in us we have to strive to do exactly as He expects us to do. I'm going to have to plaster this onto my chest. This way, I can refer to it the next time I want to write something nasty about someone on Twitter, or yell at the cashier that's taking too long, or angry honk at the car in front of me that hasn't moved in the millisecond after the light turned green. That is precisely the love that God is talking about ~ patient, kind, not easily angered, it doesn't delight in evil. 

If God is in me, as I believe that He is, then I have the utmost capacity to love unconditionally just as He does. We all have the capacity.

Wouldn't it be a wonderful world if we all did just that? GOD IS IN every single human on the planet, whether you recognize it or not or whether they do. Let us all strive to be the embodiment of Christ on earth.

Peace, Joy & Love,

Mare

 The dream and journal excerpts. Please excuse the additional comments. It is, after all, my personal journal. 

"The Jesus is in me and I am in Jesus dream 1/10/15 (This is what I wrote in my journal upon waking up at 6:39 a.m. and twice later in the day) .

I just had the craziest dream. I don’t even know how to explain it except to say that I was in Jesus and Jesus was in me.  It was so overwhelming that I didn’t know how to act. We were walking and a person ran up to us and was asking about the size of a nail that should be used on something. He had a nail in his hand that was long and thin like those sold as reminders of the crucifixion. It was as long as the length of his hand. We looked down at it in his hands but then raised our head and kept our eyes focused ahead and kept walking toward a building; not acknowledging the man as he still spoke to us. The roads we were walking on were a lighter color but muddy. It was a light golden mustard color.

I met up with my brother, and he could see that I had been transformed. He recognized me even though I was a man. He knew that I was in Jesus and Jesus was in me. He was like a blind man that could now see and understand. He and some other people followed us into a building filled with about 50 people. There was turmoil inside me. I could feel Jesus’ majesty and the weight of my own sins as well as my own humanity. I was trying to act like him and I could feel him flowing through me but at the same time I felt inadequate and words, powerful words, that he would have spoken did not flow smoothly from my lips.

We saw a man in the crowd. We went over to him and put our hands on his face on either side.  They were strong, man hands that gripped the man’s face; workman’s hands, rough yet gentle and soft at the same time. Our eyes locked with the man’s and at first he looked at us with fear and a full knowledge of what he had done. Jesus knew his sins but I didn’t.  I did know, though, that he had been a faithful man through his entire life and that something pretty major recently put a dark mark on his soul. Through my quivering voice, Jesus commanded the man to make straight his way. At first the man was frightened, the fear evident in his eyes, but then his body relaxed and he laid on the floor on his back, still looking up at us. The man had been sitting in a metal folding chair in the midst of the crowd.  When we had walked into the building and room we knew that he was the chaff amongst the wheat and we walked directly to him. I do remember saying the initial words to him (make straight his way) but then Jesus started to speak directly to him, grasping his face in his hands, and speaking with authority but love at the same time. When we had grabbed his face the man withered to the floor. The conversation had shifted to between them and I was not privy to it but I watched the man’s eyes and expression throughout.  Jesus forgave him then. While they were conversing, though, I watched as Jesus held his face securely. It was like he wanted to shake some sense into him. Perhaps he was exercising a demon? The man then wept. Instead of looking sad, though, while crying, he looked at us with gratitude and peace. The people around us watched in surprise and awe and spoke in hushed tones.

We then went outside the building in the muddy area (where we had met the man with the nail) and the saved man lay down in in front of us again. He was on his back with his head raised and was looking up at us. He was reaching his hands up to us in a gesture of longing. Jesus commanded that the angels arise and they rose from the mud and were created of earth. I remember looking at them and thinking no, that’s not right – they are taller. Instantaneously they shot up another 2 feet from 8 foot to 10. Jesus said to them take this man to my father’s house and I knew that Jesus forgave him of all his sins and that he was now on his way to paradise.

I don’t even know how to describe this dream. It was like being 2 people in one body. A tall lanky man with flowing hair and a woman; having a perfect soul and that of a sinner; feeling all powerful and feeling inadequate. Whatever the meaning of this dream is, I don’t know but it was freaking intense. As I write this I am wondering if it is a wake up call that something big may be coming or if it was a gift just for me. IDK I could feel the power and strength of the angels as he created them. I felt the same intense security and peace when they were with me after my mom died.

Wow this was a really intense dream. I’m like in a fog at the moment, yet wide awake, and can’t believe I wrote all these pages. Jesus, my Lord, I love you with my whole heart and soul but dude what was this?

2:39 pm now – It is exactly 8 hours since I wrote this and it is still very vivid in my head and in my mind’s eye. I actually went back to sleep for 3 more hours after I wrote this. This dream definitely is a message dream or visitation. So freaking intense.

More details:

We were in a contemporary setting though Jesus was wearing a long, tan, tunic of wool. It was one piece, with a hood or cowl on the back but no cinch at the waist. Wow the details are still pouring out of me. I remember looking down at the tunic toward our feet, which were in sandals secured by woven, coarse, brown cords. The feet were a man’s feet. Even though we were walking in a muddy area, the feet and cords were clean. I looked down because I could feel the tunic brushing against the hairs on my leg as we walked away from the man with the nail.

The angels had closed wings on their backs but the tips reached down to brush the ground. I woke up when the angels and the man disappeared. I was blown away that Jesus created angels right before my eyes with the soil of the earth. They had human features though they were perfect and beautiful faces. Some had long hair (past their shoulders, but I could not tell if they were males or females, but all were stunningly beautiful. They were all the golden mustard color.

This is insane! It is now 5:39 pm and I can still see all the details of the dream. That is not uncommon with these types of dreams but I still feel the presence of angels with me. BTW, it is exactly 11 hours ago that I woke up and wrote it down initially.

Did I say intense??

1/11/15 When I was thinking about it again today something occurred to me that hadn’t when I woke up with the dream. As intense as it was when I woke up, I was very comfortable and totally relaxed. Normally with a crazy dream I will wake up with a palpitation or a bit racy and anxious. I didn’t with this one, which was a beautiful thing.

Afterthoughts: written on Divine Mercy Sunday – 4/12/15

Why did I have this dream? Well, a week after I had it I fell on the black ice in front of my house (while running to the adoration chapel). I broke my hand and developed a bleed in my brain that, for a few months, took away my senses and my balance. After the physical things started to heal the emotional ones of depression and anger took hold. Initially I thought that maybe the dream was to help me get through the months of recovery. I was very angry with God for leaving me here and because of my anger I had a very difficult time praying. Thankfully that has passed. Now I think that it is a sign of God’s goodness and forgiveness and that is why I decided to share it with you today. God loves us and this Divine Mercy Sunday is His gift to us. May we all share his mercy with those that have fallen away from the church and with the non-believers. It is up to us to teach the chaplet to others and to spread devotion. WE are his voice on this earth.

Sienna, Italy

Kannur, India

India

Staten Island

An Important Message from Jesus

Jesus said to his disciples:
"To you who hear I say, love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,
pray for those who mistreat you.
To the person who strikes you on one cheek,
offer the other one as well,
and from the person who takes your cloak,
do not withhold even your tunic.
Give to everyone who asks of you,
and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
For if you love those who love you,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners love those who love them.
And if you do good to those who do good to you,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners do the same.
If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment,
what credit is that to you?
Even sinners lend to sinners,
and get back the same amount.
But rather, love your enemies and do good to them,
and lend expecting nothing back;
then your reward will be great
and you will be children of the Most High,
for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful.

"Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you."

~ Luke 6:27-38

Boy, Am I Angry

Gospel Lk 9:51-56

"When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled,
he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,
and he sent messengers ahead of him.
On the way they entered a Samaritan village
to prepare for his reception there,
but they would not welcome him
because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.
When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,
"Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven
to consume them?"
Jesus turned and rebuked them,
and they journeyed to another village."

Yesterday I saw an awful post in my personal Facebook feed about the victims of the Las Vegas shooting. It made me so incredibly angry to read it that I didn't comment on it nor use an emoji to share my feelings about it and I just shut down my computer and walked away from it for the remainder of the day. It still makes me angry to think of it today and how close-minded and just awful people can be. Simply stated, the person wrote that the victims were probably all in hell if they hadn't turned their lives to Jesus and accepted Him as their Lord and Savior prior to their deaths. (The person wrote a similar thing after the Orlando shootings.)  What's ironic about that statement is that to assume that you are going to heaven and someone else is going to hell is a sin against the Holy Spirit. Jesus himself said that ALL sins were forgiveable, except those against the Holy Spirit.  There are two sins against the Holy Spirit ~ Despair and Presumption. The post spoke very loud and clear about presumption. Remember the Pharisees? Yeah, that group. They thought they were above everyone else and it was their way or the highway too. Read your Bible. Jesus wasn't a fan of theirs either. (Despair is when you condemn yourself and feel that you, and your sins, are too wretched to merit the saving grace of God btw.)

How timely that the Gospel reading of today deals with a similar event. Jesus rebukes James and John for not only calling out a judgment but also a punishment on the Samaritans that did not welcome Him. Why? Because Jesus is the ONLY just judge who knows the hearts and souls of us all. Who are we to pass judgment on anyone anyway? God help me, even I'm judging the woman that wrote it. Judging and assumption is a slippery slide and one that doesn't necessarily have a very good ending as Jesus said, "Judge, lest you be judged."

Let's stop labeling people and the bullying and the hate. I feel like I'm being bombarded on a daily basis with so much vile and hatred coming from everywhere from the news, entertainment and social media that I've taken to only watching Hallmark movies or nothing at all. I'm sure many of you feel the same way as I do. Worry about your own soul and how you are living your own life and I will do the same. Read your Bible, say your prayers, and leave the judgment up to God of whom, I can assure you, is much more knowledgeable about someone's soul then we are.

God bless and have a PEACEFUL week. Remember to pray for all those that are suffering in the world, particularly in Las Vegas, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Mexico and Montana and for the souls of the dearly departed. May they all rest in peace.

Mare

Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and the Light

Economical White Rosary

People that I know often say to me, "you're so religious." I'm sure some of them are thinking more along the lines of gees she is such a zealot!! She's trying to push her religious agenda on me! Hoo boy, she has really gone off the deep end. She is a nut ball! Someone actually contacted Tom, when I first started out on Facebook (personal page), and asked him if there was something wrong with me. I can say I was amused and a bit annoyed by that but que sera sera.

Well, I guess I can say I have a little bit of all of the above in me but most of all I am now, what I would call, a devout follower of Jesus Christ. I love Him, totally and completely. I am in love with Him and His heart, soul, grace, patience, peace, forgiveness, and unending love. I am awed by His sacrifice for me. I am moved by His healing presence and the way that He can give me calm in the middle of chaos. I am inspired by the simple stories that he tells that can teach me so much when my eyes and ears are opened up to the message by the Holy Spirit. I am loved, beyond my wildest dreams. Just like everyone else I want to share my love for Him, just as someone else wants to share their love of their spouse, their children and grandchildren and even their pets. Sure, I love my family as much as the rest of you, but I have come to a place in my life where there is no Him and me when it comes to Jesus. It is us.

A few years ago He gave me a job to do. He told me, "woman, I want you to bring prayer to those that no longer come to My Father's house." That was in July of 2008 and from that experience Glory Glory Gifts was born. I think it is only by divine intervention that we (GGG) are not only still here but growing by leaps and bounds every year. I think that I can safely say that as of this month we have brought prayer to close to a million people via this blog, the website prayer page, Facebook, Pinterest and prayer cards sold or included with purchases. That's a heck of a lot of people. I'll let you in on a little secret. There has to be some divine intervention in this teeny, tiny, business because I'm one of those people that starts out gang busters with something new and as time passes it dwindles and fades away. It has been the complete opposite with this. In fact, I am more driven to share prayers of all kinds and Jesus with anyone that is in need. It is my goal to bring as many people as I can to my beautiful Savior so that they can feel as fulfilled and loved as I do.

It seems that so many people are in need of Him these days. The weekend was a prime example of how much hate and evil is in our country. Our world, and nation, is in desperate need of prayer and peace, or at least an end to violence, in our communities. Jesus is a man of love and peace. A heart that is filled with Him and His teachings, has no room for hatred.

If you would like me to assist you in finding your way to Christ through prayer, please reach out to me. If you are looking for prayer aids, GGG has affordable prayer beads that can be purchased through the website, or if you have financial difficulty, we have plastic ones available that you just pay shipping on. If you would like me to pray for you, please send me a private message and I will include your prayer intention in my weekly prayers in front of the Blessed Sacrament. We, at GGG, will be more than happy to assist any of you that are seeking a way to Jesus. Please reach out to us. I'm not a trained anything when it comes to theology, but I am a firm believer in prayer and in using it for healing and peace through Jesus Christ.

Here's a beautiful prayer that I created for myself that centers me and gives me peace. You can use a one-decade rosary or a five-decade rosary to say it. It is quite easy and focuses on Jesus. 

One decade rosary- Say an "Our Father" on the crucifix and on the Pater Noster bead. Say, "Jesus, I trust in You," on the 10 smaller beads (aka the Hail Mary beads). Repeat this 4 more times and end the prayer with the "Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be world without end. Amen. 

On a five-decade rosary do the same, only just continue to the next bead in succession. In both instances you will have said 7 "Our Father" prayers and 53 "Jesus, I trust in You." 

Please feel free to reach out to us too. God bless and have a peaceful week.

Mare

If You Choose......

"If you choose, you can keep the commandments
and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice.^{" ~ Sirach 15:15}

"Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees,
    that I may follow it to the end. <sup>" ~ Psalm 119:33


He did exactly that, in the sermon on the mount:

17</sup> “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸ For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 

¹⁹ Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,^[a] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ ²² But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister^[b][c] will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’^[d] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

²³ “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

²⁵ “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. ²⁶ Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’^{[e] 28} But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

³¹ “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’^{[f] 32} But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

³³ “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ ³⁴ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; ³⁵ or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. ³⁶ And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. ³⁷ All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.<sup>[g]"

To be continued.....

Have a good week.
Peace,
Mare</sup>

 

Honestly......

I do not know how people get through life without faith in Jesus Christ. Admittedly, like Alexander, I am having a terrible, horrible, awful day (well actually it has been more like a month). Here's the thing, people are disappointing. People can be mean. People can be hateful. People can suck the life out of you. You turn on the news and it is just filled with hate: A man murdering disabled individuals in Japan because of hate; A man murdering a priest and injuring many others because of hate; A man driving a van and firing an automatic weapon into a crowd of people because of hate; A man walking into a mall and shooting teens because of hate, the list goes on and on and on.

The world is spinning out of control. Sex, drugs, greed, lust, avarice, sloth, murder, narcissism, and idol worship are becoming the norm and if you do not agree with the ways of the world you are degraded and shunned.  According to them, if you are not with them you are against them. You have to pick a side now. You have to have a label or you are useless in society and God help you if you are the wrong labels.

Right now I'm having a personal crisis and I am hanging by a thread. Thankfully that thread is the one on my rosary beads. It is ONLY Jesus Christ that gets me up and going in the morning.  It is only Jesus Christ that sustains me in body and soul. It is only Jesus Christ that supports me and loves me unconditionally. I know that, yet, with all the blessings that I have had from him and through him, I still struggle. He has revealed himself to me in dreams, interior locutions, photos and I have even seen him with my own eyes and I know that he is a very real and important part of my life. To me, it isn't a matter of faith, it is truth. He is truth. Yet, the world can beat me down.

So, how do people without faith get through life without Jesus? I haven't a clue but my guess is that their emptiness is being filled up with the wrong things; the things of Satan. What an incredibly sad world this is becoming. Which side do you choose?

Have a peaceful week.

Judge less ~ pray more.

Mare

Does God Answer Our Prayers?

Well, I think He answers my prayers, SOMETIMES.  AT Times I don't like the answer; sometimes I feel like He isn't listening. The truth of the matter is that God hears all of our prayers.

Admittedly, many days I feel very close to him and it is often on days that I least expect to find any kind of peace or solace that I experience it. I live with a chronic, often very painful, syndrome that is basically a ticking time bomb in my body. I know that it is fatal but we are all dying so that thought really doesn't bother me. After all, you do have to die in order to be with our Lord and hold his hand or be held in his embrace. Truly, I long for that day however I wouldn't do anything to speed the process along; I have too many things I want to accomplish here before that happens. There are days, though, that I am wracked with so much pain that I have curled up into my bed and under the covers. On those days I have cried out to him to relieve the pain and yes, with the help of things like Advil and warmth the pain is alleviated.

Almost a decade ago I met a man. The moment our eyes met it was like the world stopped and I got hit by a lightning bolt at the same time. We got very friendly very fast and when I was with him, even if there were hundreds of people in the room with us, it was like we were the only two people standing there. I can't even count how many nights I tossed and turned and wrote in my journal all because of him. The first few years it was agony and ecstasy as any new relationship is. You know how it is, you think of your love night and day and can't wait to see them, even if it is just a glimpse of their smile. You don't have to go anywhere or do anything special, just being with them is special enough and you want to spend all of your free time with them. The only problem was that there wasn't any sunsets and rainbows in our future. There wasn't even any dates or stolen kisses in the present. I was gob-smacked, over the moon, crazy in love with a man that was totally and completely off the market and there was no way that was going to change either. It was sheer torture. Now I'm a reasonably level-headed gal. I do not give into flights of fancy and my feet are pretty grounded in reality but the man just overwhelmed me with emotion. After a few years of intensity I finally dropped to my knees in my bedroom one night and prayed fervently that God would lift this burden from my heart. He did just that and He also knocked me on my butt for a few years too. When I saw the man a  year or so later my heart still leaped, I can't lie, but at least I was able to talk to him without blushing wildly like a school girl. God answered my prayer yet I also got the opportunity to distance myself from things so that a clearer head could prevail. He is such an awesome God for doing that for me. It does show me, though, that even if you are truly, madly, deeply in love with someone that doesn't mean that you are meant to be together. It isn't a fun part of life yet it is a fact of life (and no he was not a married man, not in the traditional way anyway).

It is mentioned in the Bible that God does not answer all prayer. John 9:31 states, "We know that God does not listen to sinners, but He does listen to the one who worships Him and does His will." Well, since we are all sinners, I am certainly flawed as you have read, does this mean that only a select few receive his response to our prayer? Seems so. I guess, if you are living a life that is rife with mortal sin don't expect to be hearing from Him anytime soon. You must have a penitent heart, turn your life to Him, and live in the graces that He has given you. If it is His will and in your best interest He will heed and answer your prayers. It takes courage and hard work to follow in His footsteps in this day and age. That is why the sacrament of Confession is such a beautiful thing. I find comfort and solace in knowing that I can unburden myself of my sins weekly, if need be, and then go on living my life with and for Christ.

There is a beautiful prayer, The Divine Mercy Chaplet, that can and should be said daily, though it is for the dying. Jesus said that ALL should say this prayer daily. This prayer is one of penitence that asks God to forgive all of your sins. It is said on a rosary. In the interest of space I will provide you with a link to our Prayer Page on the website. The link is above. This is said at 3:00 P.M., which is the holy hour. Another great habit to get into is to meditate on your sins before bed and then say an Act of Contrition. That is on our Prayer Page as well. Another wonderful prayer is The Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows. Also on that Page. That is said while you meditate on your sins and Mother Mary's sorrows. They are special beads that are available. Contact us for availability. The link is at the top of this blog.  Divine Mercy, Divine Child of Jesus, Rosary for Life, the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows and a Chaplet to St. Benedict are some that are available at the moment. 

I can promise you, if you put God first in your life, He will put you first as well. Have a great week.

Mare

Eucharist Miracles in New York (of all places)

The world behind me; the cross before me.

I'm not sure how to begin this blog post. I have so many thoughts swirling through my head that I guess I will just delve in, take the plunge and talk straight up, no nonsense about the Eucharist and why we need Jesus.

On December 25, 2011 something happened that transformed my life, yet I never fully understood the message nor the enormity of it until just last night. Christmas was on a Sunday that year and I normally have my adoration hours from noon to two on Sundays. I switched with someone that year and pushed my hour back to one. Shortly after I arrived and sat down (I was alone) I heard a voice tell me to take a picture of the monstrance. I did not hear the voice with my ears. It was received in what is called an interior locution. This was not the first time that has happened to me, so I did as I was told. I happened to have my camera with me to take pictures of the church decorations so I took it out of my purse and snapped away. In all, I took 3 photos. The first time the flash went off. The second the camera was on macro (for close up), and the third was perfect, yet I stepped back to take it. I have shared 2 of the photos on here in the past and will do so again** but this post is about the picture that I never published. It is the one where the flash went off.

Last night, I got some forensic answers and a startling close up of the first photo that I took. I am going to share it here with you, along with one of the original photos, of a changed Host, still in the camera.

The second pic is the original photo, where the flash went off. The first is the same photo that has a forensic analysis and enlargement of the section that the top left corner is pointing to. The square shows the right hand side of the Eucharist, that is not blurred by the flash.

If you are able to see the person in the photo great! If not, look at the July 2017 post which has an illustration too. (You can find it be searching the posts on the top right of this blog).  It is relatively clear and shows the face of a man, dark hair, beard and mustache, with His head bowed in a somber position. It is the right of the host that was not affected by the flash.  The flecks of green across his face are because of the pixels in the photo. You can see the light reflecting off the glass in front of His profile in a few spots above his brow. It took my breath away to see it with my own eyes last night. It broke my heart to see the pain across His face.

This is a forensic analysis and enlargement of the pic follow this one.

Original photo, where the flash went off. You can see there is a figure on the right side of the host and the flash takes up the majority of the left half. That is why I never really paid attention to it before last night. 

A fellow adorer of mine, Ron Gatto, was gracious enough to outline the face of Jesus in the Eucharist. Ron cannot see the image, so his features are larger than those of Jesus' features. It does give you an approximate guide on where to see the face, in profile.

JESUS CHRIST IS PRESENT IN THE EUCHARIST. If you are a lukewarm or fallen away Catholic, get yourself back to church. If you are one of those that dash for the doors at Communion time, this is WHO you are running out of the doors from. If you are going up to receive Communion please be in a state of grace. What does that mean? Stop sinning and go to Confession. Say the Act of Contrition while you are on line. Take Communion on your tongue instead of onto your dirty hands. Visit with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Find a local perpetual adoration chapel and commit to an hour with Him. You will thank me for it as it will change your life. *Catholics and Coptic Christians WILL be judged harsher than any other faith. Did you know that? Yeah, it is true. It is because we have Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.  Pray. Pray every day for everyone, including those that you dislike. 

If you are another form of Christianity or of another faith, I hope that this humble post opens your eyes and your hearts. 

Bring yourself to Christ in the Eucharist. He is waiting for you.

**To see the story behind this experience please visit our Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqorS3cCP7Q

I've Been Thinking.....

I have been thinking about my neighbor a lot lately, but especially today. I was thinking about a conversation we had back in the Summer of 2009. It was a beautiful day out and I decided to sit on a milk crate in the front of the house, instead of in the backyard. I was gravely ill at the time, but also going a bit stir crazy so I had the need for sunshine.  I don't remember what the circumstances were, but she had joined me after seeing me there. We were talking about all kinds of things when suddenly, out of the blue, she asked me, "when did you become so religious?" I have to admit I was a little taken aback by the question. It's like being asked why you love someone. Sometimes you just can't verbalize it, you just unabashedly love them. (I'm not talking lust here btw. I'm talking about the real deal). I sat there for a moment and thought about her question but frankly there wasn't a big AHA moment. God didn't speak to me at a burning bush, or on a mountain top or even in a dream. I gradually found my way back to him after quite a few years of running around doing all kinds of nasty and sinful things. The funny thing is, though, that I would always find myself in church on Sundays and at Confession at other times during those less than stellar years. He was never really far from me to begin with. All I could say to her was that it was a gradual thing. My response ended that portion of the conversation.

What I was thinking today was how incredibly personal that question really is. Faith is a very personal thing, isn't it? Some have it; some don't. Maybe she was looking for some kind of guidance from me. I don't know. What I do know is that aside from being personal, faith is also a journey that one must figure out for themselves. My neighbor and I were raised in the same religion. We are the same age. Yet my faith in Christ and the beliefs of my religion's tenets have become a part of my DNA. I can't wait to get to work each day at GloryGloryGifts.com. I love working for God to spread his message and to promote prayer and, of course, get our beautiful products into peoples' hands. I wonder if the new age spiritualism that my neighbor believes in is as satisfying. She believes in Jesus and celebrates the major holidays, and seems content. In hindsight, I know that I missed a golden opportunity of explaining why I was so devout. I wish I could turn back the clock and sit on that milk crate again and tell her the things I have discovered and lived that have made Him an intrinsic part of my life. Maybe I could have had an impact in her own faith journey; maybe not. 

Where does this journey begin? It isn't in Wikipedia. It is all right there for her or anyone to read in the Gospels. How can you NOT fall madly and deeply in love with Jesus, when you see how much He loved us while here and still does. How can you live your life devoid of Him and His teachings? How can you not be humbled yet mortified by His agony and crucifixion. You have  to choose to be His follower and stick with it; no deviating from the path. I learned that lesson by keeping Him at arm's length for many years. It was not until I read and comprehended the enormity of His life and death that I truly embraced the man and His eternal love.

So after almost 6 years I have an answer for her. I became religious when I chose to live my life the way Jesus taught me how to. It is not so difficult a question to answer after all.

Have a blessed week.

Mare 

A Small World

Do you know, I was sitting outside earlier doing my daily meditation and the most incredible thing happened to me. I had seen a bird fly down into the corner of the yard, only about 50 feet away, and it disappeared into the bush at the end of the property, which slopes down. I was not sure if it was injured or not but the strangest thing happened; it started to run around the backyard and came about 8 to 10 feet away from me. It looked around, eyed me up and down, then turned and ran away. It was a beautiful robin with the spotted breast, so it was pretty young. What struck me, though, as I watched the bird, the dragonflies that visit the tomato fence and the yellow swallowtail (that has been visiting of late) is just how small my world must seem to so many that read this humble blog.

My world is not that small, surprisingly. I cherish nature, true. That is a gift I got from my mom who passed away 19 years ago today, but my life has not been what most would probably think it has been from one who sometimes writes about inane things; one that delights in spotting a Monarch butterfly (which will literally make me gasp out loud) for instance.

Just about everything that you can think of has touched my life; either a close loved one or me specifically. I guess I was meant to be here because when I was born I was what they then called a blue baby and I received a total transfusion. My sister who followed a few years later never made it full term; God had other plans I guess. In my lifetime, and I am by no means finished yet, I have been affected by sexual, verbal and physical abuse, addiction, incarceration, identity theft, burying the young, (too many), holding AIDS patients in my arms while they died, abandonment, wealth and poverty. Terrorism found my small town in 1988 when I lost a friend over Lockerbie, Scotland. That was years and years before 9/11 which also devastated my family, friends and town.  I raised a son, by myself without the financial or emotional support that you need; well for the majority of his life anyway. All of that while dealing with a myriad of health issues that have plagued me since the beginning. People that have met me along this life journey, that I have truly opened up to have looked at me and said oh my God, you would never know by looking at you. My Pastor was floored when I told him just two things happening a few years ago. He said something similar but added you are like Mary sunshine; the weight of the world rests on your shoulders and I never would have guessed that. You are always smiling.

Bummer right? Want to choose my shoes from that proverbial pile or take your own back? The one constant in my life? You got it right if you said my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Though there were a few bumpy years in my teens and early twenties I have never, ever let Him go out of my life. I see Him next to me through all of those tribulations and I see Him in the spotted robin that ran up to me today. He is my strength and inspiration and being with Him when this is all over is my eye on the prize. All that I have experienced in this life I would do all over again if it means an eternity with Him. My world is not so small, at least not in His eyes. Because with all that has touched my life it is still not even a scintilla of what Jesus ultimately did for me on the cross.  He did it for you too. He walks with each one of us. With Him by our side, none of us live in a small world.

Have a peaceful week.

Mare

Goodbye My Little Friends

Either I have gone deaf or the 17 year cicadas are returning to the underground from which they came. Personally I think I am the only person that found comfort in the noise of their mating rituals; the incessant and very loud humming buzz. It was as if an old friend came to visit me.  It sounds weird right? Tom seems to be a chip off the old block too. He said that he did not mind the sound either. There are certain sounds and smells that bring me right back to my childhood. They say that the sense of smell is one of the strongest when it comes to memories but I think that sound is right behind that.

Although not too old at the time, I do remember my first experience with the cicadas back in 1962 when Staten Island was predominantly woods in my town. The sound was deafening back then and the cicadas, which are a pretty formidable size at about an inch, covered the ground and hung on the trees for dear life. You could not walk a foot without stepping on them. Behind our house was a small farm that Mr. Haynes owned. He had ducks, chickens and a tremendous lot filled with all sorts of plantings. I can still see the ducks waddling with their bellies scraping on the ground because they were just so full of the delectable cicadas. That is when I learned from my mom, God bless her soul, that bugs were protein. Yuck mom, I will take your word for it.

This year, though, the sound bought me back to that simpler time and filled my heart with peace believe it or not. It was a time when my little island was not yet connected to Brooklyn and before the housing boom that now has created chaos and jammed streets filled with cars. I remember fondly the Memorial Day Parade in our town that drew the whole town and the local groups like the school bands, Boy and Girl Scouts, and the kids would decorate their bikes with red, white and blue streamers. A ceremony would be held in the town circle where the names would be read of those from our town that gave their lives for their country. While the head mucky mucks would give their speeches we kids would be trying our hardest to finish the ice cream cones that were in our hands before they melted right down to the elbow of the arm it was being held in. We, as a nation, were proud to be Americans.

It was a wonderful time where we, as kids, would play in the woods and climb trees, collect shells, colored glass and driftwood that had washed up on our beaches and where sitting under a tree during the hot Summer days reading your books for school (that were on that list) was a chore. (You know, THAT reading list.) The older I get the more I appreciate life back then. My parents did a very good job of giving me a childhood that was shielded by the Cuban Missile Crisis, The Cold War and The Vietnam War, though by age ten the ugliness of life started to seep into that bucolic life.

I wonder what it will be like when the cicadas return in 2030. I wonder if I will still be here and what my life will be like. I wonder if I will still have the religious freedoms that I have today or if they too will be buried underground. More and more every year Christmas is becoming a secular holiday where people like my neighbor, a Russian Jew, puts up a tree and decorations so his kid does not feel left out. If Thanksgiving, a NATIONAL holiday has people dashing out to stores for bargains right after sitting down to dinner, what will Christmas be like? How will our holiest of days, Easter, be treated? I read some sad facts just this morning. Only 5% of Christians have read the Bible, cover to cover. The average Catholic spends only 5 minutes a day in prayer. Last year 100,000 Christians were persecuted for their religious beliefs worldwide. What kind of America will the cicadas find in 2030? I guess it is time for the Christians to step up to the plate and start hitting some home runs for Jesus. That, at least, would be a step in the right direction.

Peace,
Mare